In the north of the Star Luo Empire, Mu Feng had already been lying in wait for three months. At only eleven years old, he had bid farewell to Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao early on, setting out on a "journey of learning" with his two followers, Xiao Hei and Little White.
The identity the Holy Spirit Cult had forged for him was that of a family from a coastal city in the south of the Star Dou Empire. Since the Star Luo Empire's control over its coastal cities was far from firm, the local city lord had long since been secretly controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult. Using official local documents to forge a flawless identity was therefore effortless.
The reason he had set out so early was not because he could not wait to experience school life, but because he wanted to catch someone—a person who could grill fish.
That person was Huo Yuhao, who was also eleven years old. In order to intercept Huo Yuhao as soon as possible, Mu Feng had deliberately returned to this familiar border town several months early. A year ago, this was where he had encountered Di Qiuli and the others.
Here, Huo Yuhao was about to obtain two immensely important sources of support on his path of growth. One was the million-year soul beast, the big bug—Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. The other was the Calamity of the Undead who had accidentally arrived on the Douluo Continent—Electrolux.
Mu Feng had no particular interest in the big bug. After all, his Martial Soul was not of the spiritual type, so the benefits the bug could offer him were negligible. Besides, Mu Feng did not dislike someone as hardworking and determined as Huo Yuhao.
But that did not mean Mu Feng was stubborn enough to yield every opportunity to Huo Yuhao. When the time came to fight for an opportunity, he would not hold back.
As for the divine consciousness fragment of Electrolux, the Calamity of the Undead, Mu Feng believed he still had a chance. Unlike ordinary necromancers steeped in the aura of death, Electrolux had comprehended purifying undead magic. He was the Child of Light, blessed with the purest affinity for light.
And sacred light affinity happened to be Mu Feng's specialty.
However, Electrolux had not appeared out of thin air. He had been drawn to the Douluo Continent by the spiritual fluctuations produced at the crucial moment when the big bug fused with Huo Yuhao.
Therefore, if Mu Feng wanted to obtain Electrolux's divine consciousness fragment, he could not do without Huo Yuhao's help.
Finding Huo Yuhao amid a sea of people was exceedingly difficult. Other than being somewhat younger, his only notable feature was his exceptional skill at grilling fish.
And no matter where one was, people always had to eat. A good cook could not possibly remain unnoticed.
For that reason, Mu Feng had even sent Xiao Hei and Little White out together. This was also the last mission he would give them before enrolling.
After he entered school, the two of them could only remain hidden in the Holy Spirit Cult outposts nearby. Among the evil Soul Masters whose strength did not exceed that of a Soul Emperor, Xiao Hei and Little White had effectively become their leaders.
Since Mu Feng made no effort to hide his disgust for those evil Soul Masters, he immediately ordered the two to dispose of the vast majority of them, leaving only a few low-ranking ones for their use.
Zhongli Wu naturally would not concern himself with such trivial matters as how many evil Soul Masters Mu Feng had killed. Everything was insignificant compared with Mu Feng successfully infiltrating Shrek.
To Zhongli Wu, Mu Feng was a Soul Guidance bomb with great potential for growth. The longer he lurked within Shrek, the more devastating the explosion would be when the time came. Besides, with Ye Xishui controlling him, Zhongli Wu had no need to worry that Mu Feng would betray the Holy Spirit Cult.
Bored from waiting, Mu Feng rented a private room on the second floor of a teahouse and quietly cultivated inside. He was only one step away from the fortieth rank. If he could break through before enrolling, he would not have to come out later to obtain a soul ring.
As he cultivated with his eyes closed, the private room's door was gently pushed open. Hearing the sound, Mu Feng opened his eyes and saw Xiao Hei, who had come to report.
Since Xiao Hei could not speak, he could only write the information on a sheet of paper.
There were only a few short words on it: "Target at the south city gate."
Mu Feng had ordered the two to investigate and monitor the target, afraid they might act and frighten Huo Yuhao. If they disrupted his plans, things would become difficult afterward.
Upon receiving the information, Mu Feng hurriedly stood up. Before leaving, he did not forget to instruct him, "Inform Little White. The two of you are to return directly to the outpost near Shrek City. If anything comes up, I'll contact you again."
Xiao Hei lowered his head, then his figure flashed and vanished from the teahouse.
Near the south city gate, Mu Feng quickly spotted a youth his own age with short black hair and blue eyes. A small bundle was slung over his back, and he wore a gray cloth outfit that made him especially conspicuous amid the crowd.
But Mu Feng did not hurry over to "reunite" with Huo Yuhao. Instead, he followed behind Huo Yuhao all the way to a small stream. When he heard Huo Yuhao's delighted cry upon seeing the stream, Mu Feng stopped.
Seeing the protagonist of this world in person for the first time left Mu Feng somewhat excited, but he swiftly calmed that slight stir in his heart.
After a year and a half of tempering his mind, the closer he came to a crucial moment, the calmer he became. His mind was like a precision instrument, carefully recalling what would happen next as he silently repeated it to reinforce his memory.
"About time." Mu Feng rose from beneath the tree where he had been sitting cross-legged. He estimated that Huo Yuhao should have finished bathing by now. It was time for him to make his entrance.
As he approached the stream, Mu Feng suddenly caught a rich fragrance. Following the scent, he saw the small figure by the bank.
"It smells so good."
The moment Mu Feng spoke, a female voice rang out with the exact same words.
Mu Feng turned his head and saw a young man and woman. The young man had deep blue hair that gleamed like gemstones, and despite his young age, he carried an air of refinement.
The girl with a black ponytail wore a fitted blue outfit. Her lovely face was lively and spirited. They were Tang Ya and Bei Bei, who had gone out to obtain a soul ring.
At that moment, they were also looking at Mu Feng, while Huo Yuhao was somewhat bewildered. He had not expected that merely grilling fish by the riverbank would attract two separate groups of people.
However, after Tang Ya briefly swept her eyes over the excessively beautiful youth before her, she turned her gaze back to Huo Yuhao's grilled fish. She skipped excitedly over to Huo Yuhao, leaving only Bei Bei and Mu Feng staring awkwardly at each other.
Mu Feng had not expected his first appearance to be so embarrassing. He had accidentally said the same line as the main character, yet Tang Ya's carefree personality meant she did not take it to heart at all.
Bei Bei studied the youth before him. From the storage ring on Mu Feng's finger and the extraordinary aura radiating from him, Bei Bei keenly sensed that the youth's family background was far better than that of the fish-grilling boy.
It would not have surprised Bei Bei if Huo Yuhao had appeared alone in the Star Dou Great Forest, but what puzzled him was that Mu Feng had no elders accompanying him.
Bei Bei smiled at Mu Feng. "What a coincidence. It seems you were also drawn here by this little brother's grilled fish."
Mu Feng nodded, then turned and continued toward Huo Yuhao. Compared with Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao was his true target. He sniffed the air and said as he walked, "To make grilled fish to this level with nothing but perilla leaves and salt, your cooking skills are truly extraordinary."
Huo Yuhao had just handed a grilled fish to the beautiful older sister before him when he heard Mu Feng's assessment. He was utterly stunned. He had not expected this gentle and refined-looking youth to identify the seasonings he had used from the scent alone.
Huo Yuhao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
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