This is Irresponsible of You

Upon hearing someone call his name in this godforsaken place, Huo Yuhao first stiffened, his entire body tensing up instantly like prey locked in a hunter's sights.

But then, Huo Yuhao felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

He turned his head slowly, his gaze falling upon two figures approaching through the air. Especially when he clearly recognized that familiar figure exuding a cool, silver-blue aura, he was slightly stunned at first, and then his tense shoulders and neck slowly relaxed.

"Senior... Senior! Why are you here?" Huo Yuhao asked with a guilty conscience, like a student caught in the act by his teacher.

He did not know what the senior was doing here; he only knew that he had snuck into the Far North without telling a soul.

"I came here to hunt a Soul Ring, but you still haven't answered my question. What is a level 20 Spirit Master like you doing in a place like this alone?" Jiang Che spoke the truth, unafraid of Huo Yuhao knowing, as he feared no one now.

"Uh..." Huo Yuhao was at a loss, not knowing what to say. He certainly couldn't tell him he was here to obtain a second martial soul.

Just as Huo Yuhao was thinking about how to answer Jiang Che's question, he suddenly realized something. The senior said he came here to hunt a Soul Ring, but he already had eight. That would mean...

"Sen, Senior, you, you've broken through to become a Title Douluo!" Huo Yuhao asked in shock.

"Your brain reacts quite well, you heard that?" Jiang Che looked at Huo Yuhao with a chuckle.

Huo Yuhao was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the floor. At this moment, he was nothing more than a "trash" who had left the Duke's Mansion less than a year ago. Although he had encountered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and studied at Shrek Academy for a year, he had never seen the wider world. Suddenly seeing a Title Douluo ten years his senior, he felt his brain couldn't keep up.

A 22-year-old Title Douluo?

What kind of concept was that?!

Legends of the original Shrek Seven Devils from ten thousand years ago flashed through Huo Yuhao's mind, but even the Sea God Tang San, the leader of those Seven Devils, had not reached such a peak at this age. A living legend was standing right before him.

"Alright, stop spacing out. You still haven't told me why you're here. What, are you afraid your senior is going to eat you?" Jiang Che questioned Huo Yuhao again.

Huo Yuhao shivered, the shock on his face instantly replaced by a flicker of panic. His eyes darted away, not daring to meet Jiang Che's gaze.

"That... Senior, I just... just came out to train a bit, to see if I could encounter some rare soul beasts, broaden my horizons, and by the way, see if there are any suitable soul beasts for me to hunt." His voice grew quieter and quieter, the last few words almost as thin as a mosquito's buzz, and even he felt his lack of conviction.

This statement was full of holes; almost no one would believe it, and Jiang Che didn't either.

Huo Yuhao wasn't stupid; he knew his impromptu excuse lacked credibility, but he couldn't tell the truth.

At worst, he would get a lecture from Jiang Che and then obediently admit his mistake; that was still better than being discovered for having a million-year soul beast inside his head.

"Nonsense!"

Jiang Che's face suddenly darkened. A low shout carried a cold, heavy majesty that struck Huo Yuhao's ears like a thunderclap, causing his body to tremble violently. He lowered his head even further, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Jiang Che's reaction was exactly as Huo Yuhao had expected, but he wasn't happy; instead, he felt a sense of disappointment. After all, since Jiang Che had seen him, his plan to act alone was completely ruined.

"Brother Sky Dream! Brother Sky Dream! Wake up, what should I do now?" Huo Yuhao awakened the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who was sleeping in his Sea of Consciousness.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, sleeping deep within the Sea of Consciousness, was startled awake by the urgent call. With a hint of sleepy laziness, he responded slowly: "Don't shout, don't shout, it's noisy. How long have I even been asleep..."

"Stop sleeping, something big has happened! I've been discovered, hurry and help me think of a way!" Huo Yuhao was burning with anxiety.

"What are you panicking about? In this Far North, with me here, can you really be in danger? I want to see who dares to trouble my little Yuhao..." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm didn't care, subconsciously spreading a sliver of spiritual power to probe the outside world. But upon this probe, his previously lazy aura instantly froze. All laziness vanished, replaced by extreme tension and unbelievable horror.

Huo Yuhao felt his Sea of Consciousness go deathly silent. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's aura seemed to have been cut off, and there was no sound at all.

"Brother Sky Dream, Brother Sky Dream! What's wrong with you?" Huo Yuhao asked, confused, after the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stopped mid-sentence, but no matter how he called, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gave no response.

At this moment, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was staring blankly at the beautiful figure beside Jiang Che. While he had been asking Huo Yuhao what happened, he had probed the outside world himself, only to see the Ice Empress, whom he had missed day and night, appearing right before him.

"Since you've broken through and want to hunt a Soul Ring, you should have told the academy. The academy would have arranged for a senior or a teacher to accompany you." It seemed like Huo Yuhao and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been communicating for a long time, but in reality, only a few breaths had passed in the outside world.

"Look at you, alone, and only at level 20, coming to this Far North. Don't you know that even Soul Saint powerhouses wouldn't dare step foot here unless necessary?"

"As a student of Shrek Academy, we have an obligation to help you with any reasonable request. Besides, I remember you are a spirit-type Spirit Master. While spirit-type soul beasts are rare, it's not like the Star Dou Great Forest doesn't have them. Why must you come to this place? Isn't this being irresponsible to yourself?"

Jiang Che didn't know how long he had lectured Huo Yuhao. After he finished, he said, "Forget it. Since I've run into you, it's fate. Let's go."

Huo Yuhao raised his head abruptly, his eyes filled with confusion: "Go? Go where?"

Jiang Che glanced at him, his silver-blue robes flapping in the cold wind, his tone carrying an unquestionable certainty: "Where? Didn't you say you wanted to hunt a Soul Ring? Now that I've seen you, do you think I'd let you hunt one alone?"

"Ah, oh, okay." Knowing he couldn't escape, Huo Yuhao agreed quite readily.

As soon as he agreed, Jiang Che grabbed Huo Yuhao by his clothes. Before Huo Yuhao could react, Jiang Che flew up with him, and the Ice Empress followed.

"Senior, are we just going to fly around and look?"

"Nonsense! My spiritual power has a wide range. As long as a spirit-type soul beast appears within that range, I can detect it. Or did you want me to walk on the ground and search slowly with you?"

Huo Yuhao realized his perspective was too narrow; he simply couldn't comprehend the way of the strong.