With Yan Shaozhe accompanying him, Huo Yuhao headed straight for the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Silver Hero Beasts only lived in the core area. They occasionally appeared in the mixed zone, but sightings were rare.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, yet Huo Yuhao and Yan Shaozhe still hadn't found a Silver Hero Beast around fifty thousand years old. They had come across two that were thirty thousand years old, though.
The first time Yan Shaozhe saw a Silver Hero Beast, he was amazed. According to Shrek Academy's records, the species had long since gone extinct. He hadn't expected any to remain in the core area.
This was the longest Huo Yuhao had ever spent searching for a Soul Beast. Even with the blessing of the Power of Destiny, finding a specific Soul Beast that was fifty thousand years old was simply too difficult.
"Yuhao, don't rush. Sometimes it takes a month or two to find a suitable Soul Ring."
Seeing Huo Yuhao repeatedly use Spirit Detection, Yan Shaozhe offered a few words of reassurance.
"Found one. It's 2,700 meters to the front left, and it's probably a Silver Hero Beast that's sixty thousand years old."
"Isn't sixty thousand years a bit too high? Will you be able to absorb it? Should we keep looking?"
Yan Shaozhe looked at Huo Yuhao with concern. It was ten thousand years beyond the planned limit, making it a bit of a gamble.
"I'm not worried. An extra ten thousand years is still within my estimated range," Huo Yuhao replied.
"Then I'll make my move."
At that moment, a large dog covered in scales ambled along, leisurely searching for food.
Suddenly, a white light appeared before it. Before it could react, a phoenix phantom struck it, leaving it gravely wounded. It now lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Yan Shaozhe lifted the Silver Hero Beast, which had only a breath left in it, and returned to Huo Yuhao.
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao delivered the finishing blow. A black Soul Ring slowly rose from the Silver Hero Beast.
"Dean Yan, stand guard for me." With that, Huo Yuhao drew the Soul Ring toward himself and began absorbing it.
"Brother Sky Dream, seal away the portion of energy that exceeds my absorption limit for now."
"No problem. Just focus on absorbing it, Yuhao."
After ending his conversation with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Huo Yuhao began to endure the first wave of the Soul Ring's energy crashing into his body.
Although the total energy slightly exceeded his limit, the force of the impact was still within what his meridians could withstand.
Over the past six months, the Life Gold had continuously strengthened Huo Yuhao's body, greatly improving the resilience of his meridians as well.
Seeing Huo Yuhao slowly absorb the Soul Ring's energy, Yan Shaozhe finally let out a breath of relief.
As the energy Huo Yuhao absorbed gradually reached saturation, he didn't immediately ask the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm for help.
Instead, he used the excess energy to absorb small amounts at a time, deliberately injuring himself. Then he relied on the Life Gold to heal those injuries and strengthen his body.
Yan Shaozhe, standing guard nearby, was terrified. He feared Huo Yuhao might lose control for an instant and explode.
Three hours passed. When the remaining energy began to slip beyond Huo Yuhao's control, he had the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm step in and seal it inside his Spirit Sea.
Only after seeing Huo Yuhao finish absorbing the Soul Ring did Yan Shaozhe finally settle down. The ordeal that afternoon had even left his Soul Power unsteady.
Huo Yuhao was now the next Sea God Pavilion Master and the creator of Battle Armor. If anything happened to him in the Star Dou Great Forest because Yan Shaozhe had let down his guard, Yan Shaozhe wouldn't be able to explain himself when he returned.
"Yuhao, you nearly scared me to death. Don't take risks like that again."
Yan Shaozhe could barely maintain his dignified air. He hurried over and checked Huo Yuhao's condition.
After confirming that nothing was wrong, Yan Shaozhe relaxed completely. Even his breathing slowed.
"Don't worry, Dean Yan. I knew what I was doing. My Soul Power has reached level 43, and I gained a lot from this risk."
The energy in a sixty-thousand-year Soul Beast's Soul Ring was immense. If Huo Yuhao didn't have an Ultimate Martial Soul, he could probably have reached level 45.
"Yuhao, you're now the youngest Soul Ancestor in Shrek Academy's history. At this rate, in a few more years, you'll be strong enough to live up to your role as the next Pavilion Master."
Hearing Yan Shaozhe's words, Huo Yuhao smiled without confirming or denying it.
It was a pity that the Silver Hero Beast had died so peacefully that it hadn't dropped a Soul Bone.
"Come on, Yuhao. Let's leave the Star Dou Great Forest and test your Soul Skill back at the academy."
There were many Ferocious Beasts in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest. Yan Shaozhe had already taken a risk by bringing Huo Yuhao there, and he wasn't capable of protecting him from the dangers of the core area.
He had dared to bring Huo Yuhao because he had a trump card Mu En had given him. If they ran into a pack of Ferocious Beasts, he could summon Mu En and let Huo Yuhao escape first.
On the way back, Huo Yuhao used some of his mental power to examine himself. His meridians had been strengthened once again during the absorption.
And with the origin power Ice Empress had sealed away, his cultivation speed before level 60 wouldn't be much slower than that of a Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power.
But as they passed through the mixed zone, Huo Yuhao sensed a warning from the Power of Destiny.
"Dean Yan, get ready to fight. Contact Mu En."
Huo Yuhao made his decision at once. Only two beings in the entire Star Dou Great Forest could draw such attention from the Power of Destiny.
One was the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, who had cultivated for 890,000 years and was known as the Beast God.
The other was the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena, the co-ruler of the Soul Beasts, who was recovering from her injuries in Life Lake.
When he spotted a light-element Soul Beast within the range of Spirit Detection, Huo Yuhao knew who he had encountered.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had followed close behind and entered the range of his Spirit Detection. It was a cultivation-accelerating machine for Soul Beasts.
"Dean Yan, move. Capture that golden lion."
Yan Shaozhe had already been preparing to act. At Huo Yuhao's words, he immediately moved in and seized it.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao concealed himself, and the unique might of Heaven and Earth Level spread outward.
He left behind a figure in a mask, with two yellow, two purple, two black, and three red Soul Rings floating behind it.
Seeing the golden lion in Yan Shaozhe's grasp, a dark-red lion with three heads anxiously spoke in human language.
"Put her down. If Shrek Academy doesn't want to go to war with the Star Dou Great Forest, then you'd better not hurt her."
"Oh? It seems she's quite important to the Star Dou Great Forest. In that case, we'll have to negotiate our terms."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao used his half-step Divine Origin Realm spiritual power to drive the might of Heaven and Earth Level to its limit. The aura of a Limit Douluo enveloped the entire area.
The three-headed lion retreated a couple of steps. Unsure when Shrek Academy had gained another Limit Douluo, it turned to Yan Shaozhe and asked,
"Yan Shaozhe, what does this mean? Does Shrek Academy really intend to start a war?"
Recognizing the Soul Beast before him, Yan Shaozhe forced himself to reply nonchalantly.
"Scarlet King, as one of the weakest among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, you probably don't get to decide whether there's a war or not."
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