Huo Yuhao Takes a Master

"Let's go, let's head to the Star Dou Great Forest. It's the perfect time to hunt for Ye Guyi's third soul ring," Xu Yanli said.

"Little brother, do you know where there's a stable around here?" Xu Yanli asked Huo Yuhao with a smile.

Huo Yuhao scratched his head, handed a simple map to Xu Yanli, and said, "My mother bought this a while ago; it should still be accurate. Please don't call me little brother, my name is Huo Yuhao."

"Ah, hello, I'm Xu Yanli, the current Pavilion Master of the Xiaoyao Pavilion," Xu Yanli said with a faint smile. "This is Ye Guyi, my younger sister. I see you've reached level ten; why don't you come with us to the Star Dou Great Forest?"

A flash of gratitude crossed Huo Yuhao's eyes, and after a moment of hesitation, he nodded slowly.

Using the map Huo Yuhao had provided, Xu Yanli found a stable, rented a carriage, and the group slowly made their way toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Brother Yanli, you aren't from the Star Luo Empire, are you?" About three days later, as they finally reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao suddenly spoke up.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Xu Yanli asked with a smile.

"Your Soul Tools are too advanced, and Elder Kong's skin tone..." Huo Yuhao said after a brief hesitation.

Xu Yanli chuckled and said, "The teacher is complimenting you on your pure bloodline."

Kong Deming gently patted Xu Yanli's head and said to Huo Yuhao with a smile, "What, are you planning to report us?"

Huo Yuhao's gaze turned firm, and a flash of hatred crossed his eyes as he said, "Are you enemies with the Duke of White Tiger? I want to join you."

Xu Yanli was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Good, the Sun Moon Empire welcomes you."

Soon, the group arrived at a stream about three meters wide, the water appearing exceptionally clear.

Kong Deming went off into the distance to scout the surroundings; after all, they were relatively close to Shrek Academy, and he didn't dare to use his Soul Tools too freely.

Xu Yanli felt that if he remembered correctly, this should be the very spot where Huo Yuhao grilled fish in the original story, right?

Xu Yanli tapped his storage Soul Tool twice and pulled out a fishing net.

Ye Guyi said with disbelief, "Brother Yanli, are you a treasure chest?"

"Please, call me Doraemon," Xu Yanli said with a smile.

"What is a Doraemon?" Ye Guyi asked, looking confused.

Xu Yanli smiled and said, "It's a small divine beast that can pull all sorts of treasures out of its pocket."

"It must be very impressive," Ye Guyi said with a smile.

Seeing him cast the net and catch fish, Huo Yuhao began to start a fire, preparing to grill them.

"Brother Yanli, let me grill these; I'm much better at it." Seeing Xu Yanli's clumsy attempt at cleaning the fish, Huo Yuhao immediately stepped forward.

Xu Yanli handed the fish to Huo Yuhao at once and said, "I'll leave it to you, little brother. I'm absolutely hopeless at this."

Ye Guyi looked at Xu Yanli, speechless, and said, "And here I thought our pampered Prince Xiaoyao knew how to grill fish."

"Prince Xiaoyao!" Huo Yuhao had assumed the man before him was merely a noble from the Sun Moon Empire; he hadn't expected his status to be so high.

"Huo Yuhao, would you like to take me as your master?" Xu Yanli leaned close to Huo Yuhao's ear and whispered with a smile.

"I, I... my martial soul isn't good, and my Innate Soul Power is very poor," Huo Yuhao stammered, his hands busy with the fish, feeling quite nervous.

"Pah, in the Sun Moon Empire, if nothing else, we can pile resources on you even if your talent is poor. Besides, you possess a rare spiritual attribute," Xu Yanli poked Huo Yuhao's cheek and said with a smile, "You've finally put on a little weight these past two days."

"I am willing to take you as my master." Huo Yuhao was so excited that he forgot the fish he was cleaning, immediately kneeling to kowtow twice to Xu Yanli.

Xu Yanli smiled and used his soul power to lift him up, patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, and said, "From today on, you are my first disciple. When we return to the Xiaoyao Pavilion in Shrek City, I'll give you some cultivation resources; I don't have much on me right now."

"Shrek Academy... Mother said it was a very beautiful and powerful place," Huo Yuhao said, his eyes filled with a trace of longing.

Xu Yanli rubbed his chin. Should he let Huo Yuhao stay at Shrek Academy for a couple of days?

Provoke him a little, show him that Shrek Academy isn't all that beautiful—after all, how can one hate without first experiencing it?

A flicker of thought crossed Xu Yanli's eyes; after all, the later Huo Yuhao had stolen quite a bit of their intel for the sake of Shrek Academy...

Forget it, he would just have Huo Yuhao go as an exchange student later. If he ended up brainwashed by Shrek Academy, the loss would outweigh the gain.

The fish Huo Yuhao was grilling on the rack began to emit a charred, savory aroma, along with an indescribable freshness.

So fragrant.

Xu Yanli ran to the side of the grill in excitement, licking his lips, feeling as though his mouth was about to water.

"Little brother, are you selling these grilled fish? They smell so good! How do you make them?" Suddenly, a young girl darted out from the bushes and ran up to them.

Xu Yanli hesitated for a moment, but sticking to his plan of not exposing himself yet, he said, "These are mine. Not for sale."

No, that felt like he was being unnecessarily hostile toward them...

No, wait, nobody gets to steal his food.

"Hello, we're going to catch two fish; could this little brother help us prepare them? We'll pay a processing fee," Bei Bei, standing to the side, pulled Tang Ya back and said to them with a smile.

Huo Yuhao looked at Xu Yanli, who nodded, and said nervously, "Y-yes, that's fine."

"Are you guys here to hunt soul beasts, or are you planning to head to Shrek Academy?" Tang Ya asked as she sat down nearby, seeing that the fish would take a few more minutes.

Xu Yanli felt a sense of unease. Even though they had arrived three days earlier than in the original story, Bei Bei and Tang Ya acted as if they had been waiting here the whole time, like fixed NPCs.

But didn't the God of Destruction say he had blocked Tang San's line of sight?

Xu Yanli rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Brother Yanli, yours are ready." Huo Yuhao saw that Xu Yanli seemed to be spacing out again and called out to him.

Xu Yanli immediately stood up to grab a skewer, intending to hand it to Ye Guyi, only to find that she had already started gnawing on one.

Xu Yanli sighed and ran over to the side to eat his own; he had to admit, it was quite fragrant, though it lacked a bit of seasoning.

It wasn't spicy enough.

Only then did Xu Yanli remember Bei Bei and Tang Ya nearby, so he smiled and replied, "Ah, my apologies, I was distracted. We are heading to Shrek Academy, and these two are here to hunt soul beasts."

"It's fine, it's fine. Where are your guardians? Are there no adults with you?" Tang Ya looked around and asked, puzzled.