While Huo Yuhao absorbed his Soul Ring, Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena sat on a bluestone not far away, quietly keeping watch over him.
They had withdrawn every trace of their auras. Their gazes rested on Huo Yuhao, both of them wearing approving looks.
This child's temperament truly surpassed that of his peers. Even with unease in his heart, once he made up his mind, he pressed forward without hesitation or the slightest wavering. That was the very quality he needed to reach the summit one day.
Just as Huo Yuhao's Soul Ring absorption neared its end and the Soul Power around him gradually steadied, the light patter of footsteps came from a path through the woods.
A moment later, a sweet, lively voice rang out, tinged with both grievance and a hint of coquettishness. "Your Excellency! You snuck out to have fun without me!"
Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena exchanged a glance, each seeing understanding in the other's eyes.
The instant the words fell, a small golden figure shot out of the woods like the wind and threw herself straight into Gu Yuan's arms.
She looked about ten years old, dressed in a glittering golden outfit that made her seem like a little sun come to life.
She had a head of fluffy, soft golden curls, a round face, and a pair of large golden almond-shaped eyes, their corners tilting up slightly. She was bright and adorable.
A faint rose-colored vertical-eye mark sat between her brows. Unless one looked closely, it seemed like an exquisite floral ornament, making her look even cuter.
She was the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, in human form.
When Tang San had moved to manipulate the Soul Beast Clan's fortune, Gu Yuan had decisively intervened, quietly sending back the fragment of Tang Wutong's soul that had been meant to fall upon the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. As a result, she had taken human form entirely as she wished, without a trace of anyone else in her.
The Buddha Tang had truly gone to extraordinary lengths to manipulate the Child of Fortune. He had split his own daughter Tang Wutong's soul into three and created a twisted love triangle. He really did deserve to be called a "loving father."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had spent countless years in Star Dou Forest and was long tired of it. When she had sensed Gu Yuan's presence earlier and heard that he was leaving Star Dou for the human world, she had been unable to sit still. She sneaked away from Life Lake and followed his aura all the way here.
The little girl nestled in Gu Yuan's arms, rubbing her head against his chest. Then she looked up at him with big, dewy golden eyes, her little mouth puckered high in a deeply aggrieved pout.
"Your Excellency is so mean! You promised to take me out to play, but then you snuck off! I don't care—I'm coming with you!"
Gu Yuan smiled helplessly and ruffled her fluffy curls. This little one had been naturally drawn to him and Gu Yuena from the start. Ever since he returned to Star Dou, she had stuck to his side every day like a little tail, impossible to shake off.
Gu Yuan rather enjoyed it. She was a little spoiled, but undeniably adorable, so he treated her like a daughter.
"Star Dou is your home. The human world outside is dangerous." Gu Yuan deliberately put on a stern face to tease her.
"I'm not afraid!" The little girl immediately puffed out her chest and patted her belly, looking proud.
"I'm the Emperor Auspicious Beast! With you and the others protecting me, no one can bully me! Besides, I can bring you good luck! Take me with you, take me with you~"
As she spoke, she turned and threw herself into Gu Yuena's arms, tugging on her sleeve as she wheedled, "Your Excellency~ You're the best~ Please put in a good word for Rui Rui~ I promise I'll behave once we're out there and won't cause any trouble!"
A rare, gentle smile softened Gu Yuena's cool face. She reached out and pinched the girl's soft cheek, then looked at Gu Yuan. "Take her with us. She's been in Star Dou for too long. It's time she went out and saw the world. Nothing will happen with us there. Besides, she and Yuhao are already bound together by fate. They'll meet sooner or later."
Gu Yuan gave a slight nod at her words and looked down at the little girl gazing up at him hopefully. He sighed in resignation. "All right, you can come with us. But remember: once we're in the human world, you must never reveal that you're the Emperor Auspicious Beast, and you mustn't use your innate abilities recklessly. You have to listen to me and Yue Na in everything. Understand?"
"Got it! I'll be good!" The little girl's eyes lit up at once. She wrapped her arms around Gu Yuan's neck and planted a smacking kiss on his cheek, kicking her short legs with delight like a kitten that had just been given a treat.
Gu Yuan smiled and shook his head. He brushed a hand over her forehead, and a faint golden light settled there, completely concealing the third eye mark between her brows. He also suppressed the auspicious beast fortune surrounding her, leaving only the aura of an ordinary Soul Master. She now looked like a little girl from a wealthy family, with no trace of the Emperor Auspicious Beast left.
"Since you're coming with us to the human world, you'll need a name." Gu Yuan looked at her, fell silent for a moment, and thought it over carefully before speaking.
"From now on, your name will be Jin Ruiqiu. Jin is the natural color of your true form, Rui comes from your auspicious beast origins, and Qiu means autumn harvest after spring blossoms. I hope your life will be smooth, peaceful, and happy."
"Jin Ruiqiu..." The little girl tilted her head and repeated the name twice. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter as she nodded vigorously and said happily,
"I like this name! Thank you, Your Excellency! From now on, I'm Jin Ruiqiu!"
Gu Yuena watched Jin Ruiqiu bouncing around with delight, warmth filling her eyes.
She knew Gu Yuan had chosen the name to echo the child's original fate. But with them here this time, the girl would never meet the tragic end she had suffered in the original story.
Just then, a dazzling purple light suddenly burst from Huo Yuhao, who sat cross-legged nearby.
The Thousand-Year Soul Ring had completely merged into his body. His Spirit Eye Martial Soul slowly appeared, its pale blue radiance flowing more brilliantly and deeply than before.
His Soul Power steadily rose from level 20, finally settling at level 23, the realm of a Soul Grandmaster. His spiritual power had increased by a great deal as well, and his Spirit Eye's detection range had expanded directly from several hundred meters to nearly a thousand.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. A flash of pale purple light passed through them, then quickly faded.
He clenched his fist, feeling the far more abundant Soul Power and spiritual power within him. Barely contained joy spread across his face.
He had done it! He had really absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring and become a Soul Grandmaster!
"Brother Yuan! Sister Na! I did it! I absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!" Huo Yuhao sprang to his feet and called out to Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena, his voice filled with excitement and gratitude.
Without them, he never could have gotten such a suitable Second Soul Ring.
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the golden-haired little girl bouncing beside Gu Yuan.
Their eyes met, and Huo Yuhao froze.
The little girl before him was beautiful, like a porcelain doll, bright and adorable. But it wasn't her appearance that stunned him. It was a strange familiarity he couldn't put into words.
It was as if they had met long, long ago, their souls linked by an innate pull and bond. When he looked into her eyes, it felt like looking at another version of himself. His heart gave an involuntary little thump.
Jin Ruiqiu was stunned too. She tilted her head and studied the boy before her.
She could clearly sense an aura within him that shared her origins. Even a thread of her destiny seemed tightly entwined with his.
That soul-deep attraction made her want to draw closer, to see what lay hidden in his eyes.
One was the Child of Fortune born from the will of Douluo Continent; the other was the Daughter of Fortune of the Soul Beast Clan. Both were favored by fate, and if nothing went wrong, they were the ones best suited to each other.
The air seemed to fall still in that moment.
The boy and girl gazed at each other from afar. Golden sunlight spilled through the gaps in the leaves and fell upon them as the threads of fate quietly wound together, intertwining and binding them far earlier and more tightly than before.
Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena took it all in. Each saw understanding in the other's eyes.
Those who were meant to meet would meet in the end. This time, though, they would protect the two children and keep the tragedy of the past from happening again.
"Ahem." Gu Yuan gave a light cough, breaking the stillness between them.
Huo Yuhao and Jin Ruiqiu snapped back to their senses. Both blushed and quickly looked away, lowering their heads in embarrassment.
"Yuhao, let me introduce you." Gu Yuan smiled and gestured to Jin Ruiqiu beside him.
"This is our younger sister. Her name is Jin Ruiqiu."
Then he turned to Jin Ruiqiu and said, "Qiu'er, this is Huo Yuhao. You'll have to look after each other from now on, understand?"
"Hello, Huo Yuhao!" Jin Ruiqiu beamed at him and greeted him sweetly, her golden eyes curving into crescents. She was utterly adorable.
Huo Yuhao blushed even harder. He scratched his head and answered awkwardly, "H-hello."
Seeing him so flustered, Gu Yuena couldn't help curving her lips into a smile. Even her cool features softened.
Gu Yuan stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. Looking toward the outskirts of Star Dou Forest, he spoke slowly. "You've finished absorbing your Second Soul Ring. Our next destination is Shrek City and Shrek Academy."
"Shrek Academy?" Huo Yuhao repeated in surprise. A look of longing flashed through his eyes.
Of course he had heard of it. It was the holy land in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent, a place every Soul Master dreamed of reaching. But he had never dared imagine that one day he might actually get the chance to go to Shrek Academy.
"That's right." Gu Yuan smiled and nodded.
"Shrek Academy is the best stepping-stone. It's full of geniuses and rivals, and it'll help you grow faster."
In Gu Yuan's eyes, Shrek Academy was just a stop along Huo Yuhao's journey. If it weren't for God King Tang, he wouldn't have let the plot he had arranged collapse completely and drive Tang to desperate measures.
He paused, a hint of hidden meaning flashing through his eyes. "Besides, we'd like to see just how much weight this so-called number one academy on the continent really carries."
Jin Ruiqiu immediately raised her hand and bounced excitedly. "I want to go to Shrek Academy too! I'm coming with you!"
"Sure. We'll all go together," Gu Yuan replied with a smile.
Gu Yuan raised his hand, and an invisible force of dragon power enveloped them, steering clear of all the human Soul Hunting teams in Star Dou Forest. The four of them sped toward the forest's outskirts like the wind.
Sunlight streamed through the woods, stretching their shadows long behind them.
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