He Caitou

That was a sturdily built youth; looking at his face alone, he appeared significantly more mature than the other students. But what drew the most attention, without a doubt, was his head, which was so smooth it could reflect light.

The man seemed to notice someone watching him, turned his head, and locked eyes with Huo Yuhao and Dong'er.

He Caitou—the name flashed through Huo Yuhao's mind instantly.

In his previous life, He Caitou and Huo Yuhao were fellow disciples under Fan Yu, and both were members of the Shrek Seven Devils alongside Wang Dong. He was a carefree, warm-hearted, and genuinely good man.

Yet, beneath that layer of warmth, He Caitou was actually Xu He, a prince of the Sun Moon Empire burdened by the hatred of his fallen nation and murdered family.

Fortunately, He Caitou's ending in that life was quite decent; he reaped the rewards of both love and career, eventually living a peaceful life at Shrek Academy with Xiao Xiao, another member of the Seven Devils, after everything had concluded.

But the problem lay right here: in his previous life, He Caitou was able to reach the Douluo Continent as an exiled prince only because the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent were connected by land.

Today, however, an entire ocean separated the Sun Moon Continent from the Douluo Continent—a journey that would take at least half a day even at the speed of a Soul Guidance Vehicle!

One must realize that the distance of several hundred li from the White Tiger Duke Mansion to the Star Dou Forest only took a few minutes by Soul Guidance Vehicle.

How could He Caitou possibly be alive and standing here?

"Yo, isn't this a coincidence." He Caitou seemed to recognize them both. After setting up his fishing rod, he strode over to Huo Yuhao, his shadow almost completely engulfing the two of them.

"This senior, do we... know each other?"

Huo Yuhao feigned fear and took a few steps back. If He Caitou were still Fan Yu's student, he might have approached them because Fan Yu had mentioned them to him. But to the current him, He Caitou was just a sturdy stranger; caution and fear were the only normal reactions.

Dong'er also seemed startled and hid behind Huo Yuhao.

Seeing the reaction of the two juniors, He Caitou realized they didn't know him yet. He let out a hearty laugh and began to introduce himself:

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

"Master... you mean Teacher Fan Yu?" Huo Yuhao put on an expression of 'sudden realization,' though his eyes still held a hint of wariness. After all, for now, this was only He Caitou's side of the story.

"How can you prove it?"

Hearing this, He Caitou took a student ID card from his pocket and handed it to Huo Yuhao:

"Here, the academy's student ID can't be faked. Little junior, you can check it yourself."

Huo Yuhao took it with half-belief and channeled a bit of soul power into it. Soon, He Caitou's student information, engraved with soul power, appeared on the card.

"Age... twelve?" Huo Yuhao carefully confirmed the information in the age column. This was the first acquaintance he had encountered since coming to this world whose age had changed drastically.

He clearly remembered that when the Shrek Seven Devils reserve team was formed, He Caitou's age was lower than Bei Bei's, at most only two or three years older than himself.

Yet now, he was a full six years older than him, and even two years older than Bei Bei!

"Little junior, what do you think? Do you believe me now?" A kind smile remained on He Caitou's face. He knew his physique could be intimidating at times, so being careful was never a bad thing.

"Mm, so you really are a senior... You look even bigger than Teacher Zhou!" Huo Yuhao returned the student ID. Since even Bei Bei and the yet-to-be-met Xu Sanshi could have their martial souls changed, a change in age didn't seem like such a big deal for He Caitou.

Dong'er poked her head out. She hadn't been very close to He Caitou in her previous life, but since Huo Yuhao had confirmed the other party's identity, there was no need for her to maintain such a guarded posture.

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

"Haha, thanks! I'm quite proud of my physique!" As he spoke, He Caitou struck a classic bodybuilding pose, drawing rounds of applause from Huo Yuhao and Dong'er.

"By the way, I haven't asked what you're here for. Are you just out for a stroll, or do you want to catch some breeze?" He Caitou led them to his spot and took out two small folding stools, handing them to Huo Yuhao and Dong'er respectively.

"Dong'er said she wanted to taste my grilled fish, so we came looking for a place to fish. We didn't expect to run into a senior here." Huo Yuhao took the stool and sat down, pointing at the sea nearby, and Dong'er nodded along.

He Caitou looked at the two of them, and a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. As if he understood something, he first wore an 'I see' expression, but then immediately spread his hands:

"But... you two didn't bring bait or a fishing rod. Are you planning to jump into the sea and catch fish by hand?"

He Caitou pointed behind him: "If you want to go into the sea, you have to pay an extra swimming fee on top of the basic fishing fee."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao quickly waved his hands: "No, no, we aren't Sea Soul Masters, we aren't very good at swimming."

He Caitou tilted his head, even more confused. No bait, no rod, and not going into the sea... how were they going to catch anything?

Just as He Caitou was still pondering, Dong'er suddenly noticed the float on the fishing rod sink. "Senior He, it looks like something is biting!" Dong'er immediately shouted at He Caitou.

He Caitou reacted instantly, quickly turning to grab the rod. At that very moment, he felt a tremendous force coming from the line.

This was a big catch!

Excitement erupted in He Caitou's eyes. Goodness, he had never encountered a catch with this much power before. He couldn't help but glance at Huo Yuhao, who was fiddling with something, wondering if these two juniors had brought him good luck.

"Get ready to haul it in! Juniors, stand back, don't get hit!" He Caitou shouted. The next moment, the muscles in his arms bulged violently. Under the tug-of-war between him and the giant fish, the rod bent to a terrifying arc, looking as if it would snap at any second.

This commotion naturally reached the ears of the other anglers. For a moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the tip of He Caitou's rod.

Although anglers didn't like seeing others land a catch while they were 'skunked,' they couldn't look away when someone actually hooked a monster.

"Get up here!" With He Caitou's final roar, a giant creature with an estimated length of nearly two meters leaped from the water.

However, at that exact moment, the rod in He Caitou's hand snapped with a loud crack, unable to bear the strain. The giant fish seemed to sense this, shaking its body frantically, trying to dive back into the sea.

He Caitou felt the weight in his hands vanish, his tense arms suddenly going limp, his eyes filled with regret.

He only blamed himself for not bringing the rod made of new materials today; it shouldn't have broken at such a critical moment.

Just as his sigh was about to escape his lips, Huo Yuhao's voice and the sound of something piercing the air reached his ears:

"Leave it to me, Senior He!"

A slender shadow, moving at incredible speed, streaked past He Caitou's side, heading straight for the giant fish's head. In less than a single breath, the shadow pierced through the fish's vulnerable eye, instantly stripping it of its ability to move.

A few seconds later, the giant fish, its brain impaled, slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He Caitou stared at the scene in disbelief. He looked toward Huo Yuhao, only to see him standing in a standard javelin-throwing stance, a starlit glow swirling in the depths of his eyes.