Star Dou Forest!

Huo Yuhao carried his pack and hurried all the way to the outskirts of Star Dou Forest.

"Up ahead is the mixed zone where soul beasts roam. It's dangerous, but it's also where opportunities lie!" Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and strode forward with firm steps.

"Lord, safety must come first in all matters. After all, our purpose is revenge!" Wei Qing's voice sounded in his mind. Huo Yuhao nodded; there was no need to gamble his life for an opportunity.

Gurgle, gurgle!

"Looks like it's time to eat!" Huo Yuhao rubbed his stomach awkwardly and jogged over to a small stream, eyeing the plump green fish swimming within.

"Time for a feast!" As he spoke, he pulled out a White Tiger Dagger from his robe. A faint golden glow shone from his eyes, and the swift green fish in the stream slowed down.

He thrust the White Tiger Dagger down sharply. After holding still for several seconds, he rose from the stream with a plump green fish already pierced upon the dagger.

After catching several more fish, he gathered some firewood nearby, lit a fire, cleaned the fish beside the lake, and placed them on a rack to roast.

He then took out a special sauce from his pack. His mother had taught him how to make it, and he could now prepare it himself. He lightly sprinkled the sauce over the fish that were nearly done roasting.

Sizzle, sizzle!

The crackling charcoal fire further spread the fragrance of grilled fish through the air.

"Mm! They're almost ready. The flavor is out now; all that's left is to wait for the sauce to soak in!" He turned the fish over, and a burst of aroma drifted through the surroundings.

"What a delicious smell!" A young girl's puzzled voice rang out. Huo Yuhao's gaze instantly sharpened as he stared closely toward the bushes.

The bushes rustled, and the next moment, a girl in elegant blue-green clothing emerged, her hair braided into a scorpion tail. The instant she appeared, her gaze locked onto the grilled fish before Huo Yuhao.

"I say, Teacher Xiao Ya! Do you really have to get this excited?" A young man's voice came from behind the girl. A youth with short golden hair, dressed in blue finery, followed close behind her.

"Little brother, did you grill these fish? They smell so good!" The girl stared at the fish over the campfire with shining eyes, making the youth beside her helplessly press a hand to his forehead.

"Hello, little brother! My name is Mu Beibei. You can call me Bei Bei! This scatterbrained girl is Tang Ya!"

Bei Bei introduced them first. Seeing the friendly-looking youth, Huo Yuhao relaxed some of his guard, though his eyes remained fixed on them.

"My name is Huo Yuhao." After that simple sentence, he ignored the two of them and returned his attention to his grilled fish, turning them from time to time to control the heat.

"Slurp! It smells so good!" Drool unconsciously trickled from the corner of her mouth as Tang Ya stared without any concern for her image at the grilled fish in Huo Yuhao's hands, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Xiao Ya! Have some dignity! You're scaring little brother Yuhao!"

"Oh, oh! Sorry! Slurp!" She nodded and stood, intending to shift her gaze away, but the smell was simply too tempting.

"Sigh! Here, have one each!" As he spoke, he took two fish from the six grilled fish and handed one to each of them.

"Wow! Little brother Yuhao, you're so nice!" Without standing on ceremony, she took the grilled fish from Yuhao and immediately bit into it.

"Ah! So hot, so hot! Mm! So delicious!" Ignoring the strange looks from the two boys, she began eating with all her might, making Bei Bei shake his head repeatedly.

"Brother Bei, you should eat too! There are more here!" Seeing that Bei Bei felt embarrassed, Huo Yuhao directly handed him another fish.

"Then thank you, little brother Yuhao!" Bei Bei accepted the grilled fish and took a bite. His eyes instantly lit up as well. He had not expected the fish to taste this extraordinarily good.

"Little brother Yuhao, why did you come to Star Dou Forest? To hunt for a Soul Ring?" Bei Bei asked about Huo Yuhao's purpose while eating. If he could help, he would lend a hand.

Huo Yuhao nodded, indicating that he had come with an elder from his family to hunt for a Soul Ring and obtain his first Soul Ring.

After saying that, he had Wei Qing step out from nearby. Seeing Wei Qing in armor with a stern expression, the two, who had been rather playful moments ago, unconsciously sat up straight.

"He clearly came from the military. It seems Yuhao's background is far from simple!" Bei Bei quietly considered it and roughly guessed that Huo Yuhao came from a military family.

That guess was not wrong, though it was still wrong.

After the three finished the grilled fish, Huo Yuhao bid the two farewell and prepared to continue deeper into Star Dou Forest to obtain his first Soul Ring.

Seeing that an elder was accompanying him, the two did not continue offering to help and silently headed in another direction.

"Lord, should we keep a closer eye on those two? It's obvious their backgrounds are not simple." Wei Qing's voice sounded, carrying some doubts about the pair from earlier.

"No need. I can tell they came to Star Dou Forest together to obtain Soul Rings. There must be elders accompanying them from behind. Don't alert them."

Wei Qing nodded in approval of Yuhao's idea. He had merely mentioned it; actually acting on it would bring no small amount of pressure.

"Alright, Uncle Wei Qing, let's continue deeper! The real battle begins now!" Huo Yuhao raised his spirits and heightened his vigilance to the fullest.

"Understood, Lord! Be careful!"

The moment he replied, an extremely swift figure shot out from the bushes. Faced with the sudden attack, Huo Yuhao barely managed to block it with the White Tiger Dagger in his hand.

Roar!

Only after blocking the attack did Huo Yuhao see clearly that his attacker was a Wind Baboon. It appeared to be a ten-year Wind Baboon.

"You actually tried to ambush me. But since you failed, this is your end!" As he spoke, Huo Yuhao raised his right hand. A strand of Mystic Yellow Qi gathered in his palm, erupting with an aura of extreme cold.

A three-foot-long sword appeared, one side engraved with magnificent rivers and mountains, the other with the four seasons. Waves of pressure radiated from the sword.

Roar!

As though sensing the threat, the Wind Baboon began retreating little by little. However, Huo Yuhao had no intention of showing mercy to the creature that had attacked him.

Soul Power poured into the Human Emperor Sword. He raised it high with both hands and spread his feet apart as streaks of golden-blue light swirled around the blade.

Imperial Might Shatters Mountains!

As Huo Yuhao swung his sword downward, a terrifying sword aura blasted fiercely toward the Wind Baboon just as it was preparing to flee.

A sudden stabbing pain struck his mind, causing his movements to stall. The Wind Baboon was split in two by the sword aura, its severed body falling to the ground as a pure white Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse.

"So this is a ten-year Soul Ring?" Huo Yuhao looked curiously at the ring. Ten-year soul beasts gave him a feeling somewhat like wild beasts.

As for hundred-year soul beasts, Huo Yuhao had already made an estimate—they might be considered a challenge beyond his level.

"It's over. Next are the hundred-year soul beasts!" Just as Huo Yuhao took a step to leave the area—

"Brother finally found a Soul Master with a spiritual attribute. That wasn't easy!" A delighted voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind, and he instantly felt as though some great terror had fixed its gaze upon him!