Huo Yuhao paid no further attention to Sister Tian Meng's suggestion. He focused his mind and raised Spirit Detection's precision to the limit he could currently control.
His invisible threads of spiritual power were like the most sensitive feelers, spreading out from him to scan every inch of earth, every stone, and every fallen leaf within a hundred meters.
Before long, his spiritual power locked onto a location: about three feet beneath a slightly raised rock at the base of an inconspicuous old tree.
The soil and rock there bore faint traces of unnatural disturbance, and a thread of Soul Power and spatial fluctuation lingered in the air. It was almost imperceptible, nearly faded away, but strangely familiar to him.
"Found it." A sharp glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
With a slight movement of his mind, he concentrated his spiritual power into an invisible yet tangible "drill" and sent it straight toward the spot he had identified!
The wonders of spiritual power revealed themselves. It didn't physically break anything; instead, it seeped through the tiny gaps in the soil and rocks like flowing water, wrapping precisely around its target.
Before long, guided by his spiritual power, an object broke through the shallow earth and slowly floated before Huo Yuhao.
It was a simple, old-fashioned silver-gray ring, with no ornate decorations. A thin layer of dirt and oxidation covered its surface, leaving it dull and utterly unremarkable.
"The aura on this..." Sister Tian Meng's voice sounded again, tinged with surprise and dawning realization. "It seems to belong to that unlucky Titled Douluo who got burst apart by your big sis earlier!
Was this ring on him? It still has a faint trace of his Soul Power imprint and spatial attribute fluctuations."
"Mm."
Huo Yuhao answered softly. He reached out with his left hand and gently rubbed the dust from the ring with the pad of his thumb, revealing the somewhat dull but extraordinary metal beneath.
His fingertips brushed the cold surface, and a complicated, indescribable feeling flickered deep in his eyes.
This ring had been one of the greatest aids in his rapid growth during the early part of his previous life.
It held not only part of that unlucky Titled Douluo's life-long collection, but had also been his first window into Soul Tools and a vital resource that had helped him weather difficult times.
Without the things inside this ring, his previous life might have been filled with even more hardship. He might not even have lived to experience the many fortuitous encounters that came later.
Fate had come full circle. The ring had appeared before him once more.
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate any longer. He put the ring on his left index finger, and it automatically adjusted to fit him perfectly.
Then he composed himself and carefully sent a wisp of pure spiritual power toward the ring.
A barely perceptible silver-gray gleam flashed across its surface. The original owner's lingering Soul Power imprint had grown extremely fragile over time and with its owner's death. Under the impact of Huo Yuhao's spiritual power, now comparable to that of a Soul Elder after fusing with Tian Meng, it silently shattered like the last thin layer of ice.
The next moment, Huo Yuhao's consciousness seemed to be drawn into a vast, independent space.
It was a three-dimensional space about the size of an ordinary indoor basketball court. It wasn't pitch-black inside; instead, a soft, source-less light filled it, illuminating everything within.
A faint blend of strange scents hung in the air: the crisp fragrance of medicine mingled with the cold tang of metal, along with hints of aged parchment and a special kind of oil. It gave him the feeling that a sealed treasure was about to be unearthed.
Huo Yuhao's "gaze" swept quickly across the space.
The first thing to catch his "eye" was a small mountain of glittering coins piled in one corner—Gold Soul Coins!
A rough count put them at no fewer than tens of thousands, gleaming with an alluring promise of wealth.
It was enough money to let an ordinary Soul Master family live in luxury for the rest of their lives.
Next were several sturdy wooden shelves set against one side of the space.
One shelf was neatly stacked with metal blocks of all shapes and sizes.
Some were dark as iron, some silver-bright as snow, some red as fire, and some blue as the sea... A quick glance revealed dozens of them. Among these were rare metals that fetched high prices on the market, including two or three exceptionally rare, precious metals radiating unique energy fluctuations!
These were core materials for crafting high-level Soul Tools, their value beyond estimation.
Another shelf held more than a dozen jade and porcelain bottles of various sizes.
Small labels were attached to the bottles. Their writing had faded somewhat, but was still legible.
Huo Yuhao's spiritual power passed over the labels.
Mystic Water Pill, Soul Ascension Pill, Foundation Strengthening Pill, Detoxification Powder, Golden Sore Medicine... The Mystic Water Pill was especially precious, with the remarkable ability to cleanse a low-level Soul Master's body and improve their Innate Soul Power. Even at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy or Shrek Academy, it wasn't something an ordinary student could easily obtain.
Besides these, the space contained all sorts of odds and ends: a few sets of decent spare clothes, some rations and water that had long since spoiled, several old books on Soul Beasts and the geography of the continent, and a basic set of Soul Tool crafting tools...
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to withdraw his spiritual power, intending to take stock of everything in detail later, his "gaze" was drawn to an inconspicuous corner of the top shelf.
There were no metals or medicine bottles there, only a dark gold token about half the size of his palm and an old-looking letter sealed with beeswax.
The token was archaic in design, engraved with intricate patterns. At its center was what seemed to be a blurred emblem, and it carried a weighty air of authority.
The letter lay quietly beside the token. Its envelope was blank.
Among all the Gold Soul Coins, metals, and pills, these two items seemed especially unusual.
Huo Yuhao's mind stirred.
The next moment, the dark gold token and the old letter appeared out of thin air in his palm.
The token felt heavy in his hand and cool to the touch. It was neither metal nor jade, yet exceptionally hard. The intricate patterns shimmered with a faint dark gold luster in the sunlight.
The beeswax sealing the letter was still intact. Its paper had yellowed, and the edges were worn, clearly showing its age.
"What is this?" Sister Tian Meng asked curiously in Huo Yuhao's mind. She had evidently seen the unusual token and letter through his "eyes."
Huo Yuhao gave a slight shake of his head, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
In his previous life, when he had first obtained this storage Soul Guidance Ring and successfully opened it, he had carefully inspected every item inside. He hadn't even overlooked the dust in the corners.
He could say with absolute certainty that back then, there had been no dark gold token like this, nor any letter sealed with beeswax.
Had the fusion with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm brought about this change? Was it some kind of butterfly effect caused by his rebirth? Or had... some deeper force intervened?
Several thoughts raced through Huo Yuhao's mind, but none offered a definite answer.
He gathered his thoughts and decided to examine the objects themselves first. He picked up the dark gold token.
The token was about half a palm in size, of moderate thickness, with smooth, rounded edges and no sharpness to it.
It was heavier than he expected. Its feel was neither the coldness of metal nor the warmth of jade, but something peculiar between the two—hard and subdued.
The intricate dark gold patterns on its surface shimmered faintly in the sunlight filtering through the leaves, as if they were alive.
He turned the token over and studied its front closely.
At the center of the patterns, rather than pure decoration, were three ancient-looking characters carved in vigorous strokes—
"Shrek."
The characters weren't written in the script commonly used in Douluo Continent today. They were closer to an ancient seal script, but Huo Yuhao had read widely and seen much in his previous life, so he recognized them at a glance.
The three characters seemed to hold an intangible authority and glory. Just looking at them, one could almost hear the tale of Shrek's ten-thousand-year undefeated legend and splendor.
"Shrek?" Sister Tian Meng sounded surprised. "You mean that famous Soul Master Academy? This token doesn't look ordinary."
Before you continue