Lin Yao had hurried along as fast as he could. Earlier on the road, he had spotted a boy who looked very much like Huo Yuhao as described in the original novel he had read in his previous life.
As the sole protagonist of the original Douluo II, Huo Yuhao was someone Lin Yao preferred to keep at arm's length.
Although Lin Yao planned to use Shrek Academy to give himself a bit of polish and make himself seem more like a free agent, he had no intention of staying there long. He naturally had little interest in Huo Yuhao, who had already been thoroughly marinated in Tang San's schemes.
Besides, in this world, Lin Yao had already begun the God of Destruction's trials and secured his ticket to the Divine Realm. He had no need to cling to Huo Yuyao, the protagonist.
Still, Lin Yao was well aware of his own strength. Though he truly hated Douluo II's Tang San, he had no plans to cripple or kill Huo Yuhao just to sabotage Tang San's recruitment plans.
It would be best if they went their separate ways, like parallel lines. After graduating from Shrek, they would have nothing to do with each other: Huo Yuhao could become the God of Emotion, while Lin Yao became the God of Destruction. Anything else could wait until they reached the Divine Realm.
That was Lin Yao's current attitude toward Huo Yuhao.
As for Huo Yuhao's two opportunities, Lin Yao had little use for Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. A Million-Year Soul Ring was certainly tempting, but Lin Yao felt that the God of Destruction wouldn't be stingy with him. He could obtain something no weaker than a Million-Year Soul Ring through the trials.
As for Electrolux, Lin Yao still planned to compete for him.
It wasn't for any other reason. Inheriting the God of Destruction's divine position would ultimately mean relying on an external force.
At present, Electrolux was a remnant soul. If Lin Yao could nourish him with Gold of Life, find a way to win over this soul from another world, and make him his third Martial Soul, then Lin Yao would possess something truly his own, something at the level of a god.
Besides, the details of Douluo Continent's setting varied across different eras. When Lin Yao saw the God of Destruction's trials, he had also been wondering which version of the God of Destruction this was.
After all, in some later scenes Lin Yao had seen, it seemed that even the God of Destruction's Super Divine Artifact had been removed.
If he inherited a God of Destruction whose Super Divine Artifact had been removed, that would be an outrageously bad deal.
To avoid being saddled with such an absurd fate, Lin Yao needed to make some preparations outside the scope of the trials.
For now, though, all he could do was try his luck and see how things turned out.
After all, even if he persuaded Ye Guyi to spend some time wandering around the outer area despite needing to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, convincing the Titled Douluo-level elder following them would be difficult.
All Lin Yao could do at the moment was slow down as much as possible and let Huo Yuhao overtake him.
Fortunately, Ye Guyi wasn't in a hurry to hunt for a Soul Ring either. At the end of the day, going a little sooner or later made little difference. It all depended on whether she could find a Soul Beast suited to her.
Near noon, Lin Yao said to Ye Guyi, "We've been walking for quite a while. Let's rest and eat something before we get back on the road."
Ye Guyi curled her lips into a smile, then said to Lin Yao, "Sure. I was just thinking about the grilled fish you made last time."
Lin Yao nodded, then looked toward a nearby stream. Its water was clear as a mirror, and he could faintly see fish swimming through it, not yet transformed into Soul Beasts.
Lin Yao didn't need to catch fish the way Huo Yuhao did, with his Spirit Eyes and all sorts of nonsense like whittled branches. He simply flipped his hand. As his Second Soul Ring glimmered faintly, Soul Power gathered around his hand in the shape of a dragon's claw.
He swiped once. A purple-black dragon-claw mark seized a fish, and with a quick scoop of his sleeve, he plucked it out of the water.
Lin Yao briefly ran a hand over the fish's belly, gauging the quality of its flesh. Then he said to Ye Guyi, "We're not having grilled fish today. I'll treat you to something more unusual."
As he spoke, Lin Yao took out a few things from his Storage Soul Tool that resembled soy sauce and mustard from Earth. After mixing them together, he brought out the Soul Devourer Cursed Blade.
Ye Guyi watched his actions with curiosity. Lin Yao took a cutting board from his Storage Soul Tool and set it on a nearby rock, then placed the fish on it and quickly sliced it.
Before long, slices of fish of an even thickness lay on the cutting board in front of Lin Yao.
As he sliced the fish, Lin Yao explained to Ye Guyi, "This fish has rich, tender flesh with a good texture. It's perfect for eating raw. This way of eating it isn't exactly healthy, since parasites in the fish might not all be removed properly. So I'll use the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. It carries the faintest trace of undead aura. That won't harm the human body, but it'll kill off those tiny parasites."
Ye Guyi listened, wide-eyed. Then she picked up a slice of fish, dipped it in Lin Yao's sauce, and took a bite. "Mmm, so fresh!"
The mustard-like condiment was so strong that tears streamed from Ye Guyi's eyes, but she still chewed eagerly, savoring the delicious fish.
Just as the two were enjoying their sashimi, Huo Yuhao caught up with them. He didn't notice Lin Yao and Ye Guyi resting on the riverbank. Instead, he sped right past them and headed straight for the Star Dou Great Forest, clearly having finished his rest.
After him, a young man and woman hurried past. The man had a refined, scholarly air beyond his years, while the girl seemed spirited and mischievous, with a hint of wickedness about her.
After they had gone by, Ye Guyi lowered her voice and said to Lin Yao, "That girl seems off. I feel as though she's carrying some kind of evil aura."
Lin Yao nodded, then said to Ye Guyi, "With how keen your Martial Soul is, if you can sense even a trace of evil aura, then there's an eighty percent chance her Martial Soul has an evolutionary path that leans toward evil."
Ye Guyi nodded. Since sashimi didn't have a strong smell, Tang Ya and the others hadn't noticed Lin Yao and Ye Guyi eating fish nearby.
After Ye Guyi finished the last slice, Lin Yao clapped his hands and said with studied calm, "Let's go. It's time to head into the Star Dou Great Forest."
The two entered the Star Dou Great Forest from a slightly more slanted direction, moving faster than Bei Bei and Tang Ya. Lin Yao's Dragon Eyes were exceptionally keen. Following the traces left among the trees, he closed in along Huo Yuhao's route.
Soon, the sounds of fighting came from up ahead, followed by the earth-shaking rumble of a great battle.
The shaking startled Ye Guyi, and she couldn't help clutching Lin Yao's sleeve as she released her Angel Martial Soul...
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