Huo Yuhao

He was a sturdy-looking boy who, just by looking at his face, seemed much more mature than the other students. Most striking of all, without a doubt, was his smooth, gleaming bald head.

The boy seemed to notice someone watching him. He turned around, and his eyes met Huo Yuhao and Dong'er's.

He Caitou, the name instantly surfaced in Huo Yuhao's mind.

In his previous life, He Caitou had been Huo Yuyao's senior fellow disciple under Fan Yu. He and Huo Yuyao and Wang Dong had also all been members of the Shrek Seven Monsters. He'd been a carefree, warmhearted, thoroughly good-natured sort.

Beneath that warmth, however, He Caitou was actually Xu He, a prince of the Sun Moon Empire burdened with the hatred of a murdered family and a conquered nation.

Fortunately, He Caitou's ending had been a good one. He'd found success in both love and his career, and after everything was over, he and Xiao Xiao, another of the Shrek Seven Monsters, had settled into a peaceful life at Shrek Academy.

But that was where the problem lay. In his previous life, He Caitou, a prince in exile, had been able to reach Douluo Continent because Sun Moon Continent and Douluo Continent were connected.

Now, an entire sea separated Sun Moon Continent from Douluo Continent. Even a Soul Guidance Flying Carriage would need at least half a day to cross it!

The few hundred miles between White Tiger Duke Mansion and Star Dou Forest took a Soul Guidance Flying Carriage only a few minutes.

How could He Caitou possibly have made it here alive?

"Well, what a coincidence." He Caitou seemed to recognize the two of them. After setting up his fishing rod, he strode over to Huo Yuhao, his shadow nearly swallowing them both.

"Senior, do we... know each other?"

Huo Yuhao pretended to be frightened and took a few steps back. If He Caitou was still Fan Yu's student, he might have come over because Fan Yu had mentioned them to him. But to Huo Yuhao right now, He Caitou was a burly stranger, so wariness and fear were only natural.

Dong'er seemed startled, too, and ducked behind Huo Yuyao.

Seeing the two younger students' reaction, He Caitou realized they hadn't met before. He laughed heartily, then introduced himself:

"I'm He Caitou. Remember a few days ago, when you went to see my teacher for an examination? I'm his disciple."

"Your teacher... You mean Teacher Fan Yu?" Huo Yuhao put on an expression of sudden realization, but his eyes still held a trace of caution. For now, He Caitou's claim was only his word.

"How can you prove it?"

At that, He Caitou took a student ID from his pocket and handed it to Huo Yuhao.

"Here. The academy's student IDs can't be faked. Take a look, junior."

Huo Yuhao accepted it skeptically and fed a little Soul Power into it. He Caitou's student information, etched in Soul Power, soon appeared on the card.

"Age... twelve?" Huo Yuhao carefully checked the age field. He Caitou was the first familiar face he'd encountered in this world whose age had changed so drastically.

He clearly remembered that when they formed the Shrek Seven Monsters' reserve team, He Caitou had been younger than Bei Bei, at most two or three years older than Huo Yuhao.

But now he was a full six years older than Huo Yuhao—even two years older than Bei Bei!

"Junior, do you believe me now?" He Caitou still wore a kind smile. He knew his build could be intimidating, so it never hurt to be careful.

"Yeah, so you really are a senior... You're even taller than Teacher Zhou!" Huo Yuhao handed the student ID back. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, whom he hadn't officially met yet, had even had their Martial Souls change, so a change in He Caitou's age didn't seem like such a big deal.

Dong'er leaned out from behind him. She hadn't been especially close to He Caitou in her previous life, but Huo Yuhao had confirmed who he was, so there was no need for her to keep acting wary.

"That's amazing... My second and third uncles weren't this tall when they were twelve."

"Haha, thanks! I'm pretty proud of my physique!" As he spoke, He Caitou struck a classic bodybuilding pose, and Huo Yuhao and Dong'er applauded enthusiastically.

"By the way, I haven't asked what brought you here. Just out for a walk, or did you want to get some fresh air?" He Caitou led them over to his spot and produced two small folding stools, handing one to Huo Yuhao and the other to Dong'er.

"Dong'er wanted to try my grilled fish, so we came to find somewhere to fish. I didn't expect to run into you, senior." Huo Yuhao took a stool and sat down, pointing toward the sea. Dong'er nodded along.

He Caitou looked at the two of them, and suddenly an idea seemed to dawn on him. He wore an expression of realization, then shrugged.

"But... you didn't bring bait or fishing rods. Are you planning to dive into the sea and catch fish by hand?"

He Caitou pointed behind him. "If you're going into the sea, you'll have to pay an extra swimming fee on top of the basic fishing fee."

Huo Yuhao hurriedly waved his hands. "No, we're not Sea Soul Masters. We're not very good at swimming."

He Caitou tilted his head, even more confused. No bait, no rod, and no diving... How were they supposed to catch fish?

As He Caitou was still puzzling it out, Dong'er noticed the float on the fishing rod suddenly sink. "Senior He, I think you've got a bite!" she called out at once.

He Caitou reacted immediately, turning and grabbing the rod. In that instant, he felt a tremendous force pulling on it.

This was a big one!

Excitement flared in He Caitou's eyes. Good heavens, he'd never encountered a fish with this much strength before. He glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was fiddling with something, and wondered if the two younger students had brought him some luck.

"I'm hauling it in! Juniors, stand back, or it'll hit you!" He Caitou shouted. The muscles in his arms bulged, and as he wrestled with the giant fish, the rod bent to a terrifying angle, as if it might snap at any moment.

The commotion naturally drew the attention of the other anglers. In an instant, almost every eye in the vicinity was fixed on the end of He Caitou's rod.

Anglers didn't like seeing someone else land a big catch while they went home empty-handed, but if someone hooked a real monster, they couldn't help watching.

"Get up here!" With He Caitou's final shout, a monster of a fish, nearly two meters long by his estimate, leaped out of the water.

But just then, the rod in He Caitou's hands snapped with a sharp crack at its bend, unable to bear the strain. The fish seemed to realize what had happened and thrashed wildly, trying to plunge back into the sea.

The rod suddenly went slack in He Caitou's hands. His taut arms relaxed, and regret filled his eyes.

He could only blame himself for not bringing the rod he'd made from new materials. For it to break at such a crucial moment was truly unfortunate.

Just as his sigh was about to escape, Huo Yuhao's voice and the sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears.

"Leave it to me, Senior He!"

A slender shadow shot past He Caitou, speeding toward the fish's head. In less than a breath, it pierced the fish through its vulnerable eye, leaving it unable to move.

A few seconds later, the giant fish, its head pierced through, crashed heavily onto the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.

He Caitou stared in disbelief. He looked toward Huo Yuhao and saw him holding a textbook javelin-throwing stance, a starlike glow shifting in his eyes.