Not Douluo

"This time, it had to be right... right?"

The boy muttered by the stream, looking left and right, yet failing to spot the person he had been waiting for.

GOOGLE Search TWKAN

"Where exactly did Huo Yuhao meet the Tang Sect people? At this rate, I'll miss the enrollment period for Shrek."

The boy grumbled, but his hands never stopped working. Finding a stream in the wilderness to improve his living conditions was already a good thing.

This boy was Huo Yuhao. Unlike the one in the book, the body he inhabited carried a soul from Blue Star.

Huo Yuhao washed himself in the stream, then sharpened a fish spear from a branch and prepared to catch fish. Though this Huo Yuhao came from another world, his skill at such chores was no worse than the original's. After all, he had not seized the body later in life; he had transmigrated into it at birth. Because of that, he possessed the same resilient nature as the original Huo Yuhao—

—and hatred.

He had once wanted to use the memories of his past life to protect his mother. But his strength had been too weak. No matter how carefully he planned, he could not change the outcome of his mother being killed by the White Tiger Duke's Estate. From that moment onward, his hatred for the White Tiger Duke's Estate was no longer a spectator's righteous indignation, but a personal vendetta!

"If I can't meet them, then so be it. As long as I find the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, my current cultivation progress should be enough to reach the enrollment threshold. If that doesn't work, the Sun Moon Empire is another option. If I can enter Mingde Hall, I can grow stronger and avenge this great hatred."

Huo Yuhao retained memories of this book from his past life. He secretly made up his mind that once he truly embarked on the path of cultivation, he absolutely could not follow in the original Huo Yuhao's footsteps. He had to take control of his own fate.

As Huo Yuhao cleaned the green fish he had speared, a sound from somewhere nearby caught his attention. He suddenly looked up and saw a girl who seemed quite lively and spirited.

The girl looked to be in her early teens and was carefully watching Huo Yuhao prepare the green fish.

"Little brother, what are you making?" The girl stared blankly at the green fish in Huo Yuhao's hands. Though he had only picked some wild vegetables for garnish, the prospect of grilling it was enough to attract this food-loving girl.

She actually called me little brother...

Huo Yuhao grumbled inwardly. In his previous life, he had been a high school student, older than this girl, not to mention the years he had lived in this life. Still, he put on an embarrassed expression.

"I-I was just about to grill some fish. Would you like some?"

"You're shy too, little brother. Then I won't stand on ceremony!" The girl spoke with a grin, unable to hide her anticipation as she watched Huo Yuhao grill the fish.

Seeing this scene, Huo Yuhao had some guesses about the girl's identity. He casually glanced around and, sure enough, spotted another boy.

"Xiao Ya, this little brother hasn't even started grilling yet, but you're already squatting here." The boy accompanying her spoke helplessly.

Huo Yuhao remained expressionless on the surface, but inwardly he was overjoyed. These two had to be Tang Ya and Bei Bei, the master and disciple of the Tang Sect. Tang Ya was the current sect master, while Bei Bei was the Tang Sect's only disciple. Since he had met them, it meant he was on the right timeline. Then the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not be far away.

Huo Yuhao was in a wonderful mood. Ignoring the two as they bickered, he focused on grilling the fish. He not only had the original Huo Yuhao's culinary skills, but also the broader knowledge from his past life. His cooking was even better than the original's. Once the aroma of grilled fish spread, both of them were drawn over.

"Smells so good!" Drawn by the scent, Tang Ya nearly pressed her eyes against the charcoal beneath the fish. Huo Yuhao took the opportunity to hand her the first fish that was ready.

"Hot, hot, hot!" The grilled fish scalded her mouth. Tang Ya blew on it as she ate, and Bei Bei could not help laughing at the sight. Then he saw Huo Yuhao hand over another grilled fish.

As they chatted and laughed, the three of them finished the few grilled fish. Huo Yuhao then took the chance to bid them farewell and headed deeper into the forest.

"Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again... Oh, we haven't even asked this little brother's name."

"That's right, that's right! I still want to hire you as a chef!" Tang Ya was still as scatterbrained as ever.

Only then did Huo Yuhao remember that they had not exchanged names. Thinking that they would meet again shortly, he felt mischievous. He laughed heartily. "Why exchange names? Next time, just follow the scent of grilled fish."

With that, he turned and walked toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

There, he would welcome a new life.

Or... death?

As the forest grew denser and denser, Huo Yuhao gradually entered the bounds of the Star Dou Great Forest. He did not dare relax for even a moment. Though the original Huo Yuhao had encountered only a Wind Baboon on his way in, who knew whether other dangers might appear?

Huo Yuhao gripped the White Tiger Dagger tightly and vigilantly watched his surroundings. After walking for some time, he relaxed slightly. In this world, one could not advance through cultivation alone. Whenever one's cultivation reached a bottleneck, one needed to hunt a soul beast and gain a soul skill before breaking through. Though higher-grade Soul Rings were naturally better, a soul master's capacity was limited. In theory, the limit for a first Soul Ring was 423 years. Yet the original Huo Yuhao had encountered a soul beast called the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, with a cultivation of one million years, which had voluntarily become his Soul Ring!

A million-year soul beast. Just thinking about it was a little exciting.

Whoosh!

Perhaps it was a coincidence. During that brief lapse in concentration, a black shadow flew from the bushes and pounced at Huo Yuhao!

Just as he was about to be struck, Huo Yuhao did not even look at it. He instantly twisted aside and rolled away, evading the attack.

"That was close, that was close. Good thing the Spirit Eyes warned me. I almost got taken out."

As Huo Yuhao thought this, he drew the White Tiger Dagger and held it before him while retreating again and again. The White Tiger Dagger was a relic his mother had left him. It was a Class 5 Soul Tool, considered a fine item. If it encountered energy-based attacks, it could absorb them and turn them into an attack. The Spirit Eyes' warning ability and the White Tiger Dagger were Huo Yuhao's greatest reliance on this journey before obtaining any soul skills.

Huo Yuhao focused his gaze and found a long-armed ape covered entirely in black fur. Its eyes held a deep violet hue, and its face resembled that of a gorilla. It was baring its fangs at Huo Yuhao, letting out low growls.

Huo Yuhao's expression turned grave. An enemy with long arms had a greater attack range, and coupled with its unknown soul skill, such an opponent was even more troublesome.

Where's my Wind Baboon? What the hell is this thing?

Huo Yuhao cast aside his distracting thoughts and looked at the unknown ape-like soul beast. The black ape let out chittering cries, as though mocking Huo Yuhao and trying to lure him into attacking.

Monkeys, foxes, wolves... beasts like these possessed intelligence beyond ordinary animals. They lacked brute courage, but were crafty. Ape-type soul beasts were the same. The black ape did not rush to attack, instead confronting Huo Yuhao in a standoff.

Huo Yuhao was in no hurry either. Would he really fall for the mockery of a mere soul beast? He only carefully observed the black ape's movements.

The black ape was ultimately still a beast. Even with an ape's cleverness, it did not possess much patience. Seeing that its opponent was unaffected, it could no longer hold back. It began shifting from side to side, attempting to slowly approach Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao also began circling it.

"Roar!"

The black ape roared and stopped hesitating, charging toward Huo Yuhao! At the same time, strange and savage white markings spread across its originally pitch-black fur. From afar, it looked utterly terrifying.

A soul skill!

Huo Yuhao reacted at once. Fear of the unknown surged into his heart, his limbs stiffened, and his body began trembling uncontrollably.

Run, I have to run!

My body needs to move! Move!

Huo Yuhao bit the tip of his tongue to stay conscious. Not only did he not turn and flee, he instead lowered his head and rammed forward!

Splat!

The blade pierced flesh. The black ape cried out in pain and struck Huo Yuhao in the chest. Huo Yuhao let out a muffled groan as he was sent flying into a tree. For a moment, the world spun around him, and he tasted rust in his throat.

"Cough, cough cough..."

Huo Yuhao struggled to his feet, leaned against the tree trunk, and once again held the White Tiger Dagger before him in a combat stance. The black ape shrieked in pain and did not attack again.

"So galgames really were right. Charging in was the only way to avoid the bad ending."

Huo Yuhao spat out a mouthful of blood. He remembered that when he had played galgames in his past life, choosing to run away had gotten him killed immediately. He had been so furious that he nearly threw his mouse, shouting, "You can die from that?" Then he had angrily reloaded and chosen again. Looking at it now, if Huo Yuhao had truly turned to run just now, he likely would have been pounced on by the black ape and died in its jaws.

He also realized that the fear he had felt earlier seemed somewhat abnormal. Perhaps that was the black ape's soul skill. But he had never seen such a soul beast before, so even if he understood that much, he could not identify it.

As the book now reveals, that black ape was a soul beast known as the Dread Demon Ape. The one Huo Yuhao encountered possessed a hundred years of cultivation and had an intimidation soul skill. Many people saw its markings change and avoided looking at it, but in truth, the intimidation soul skill came from the Dread Demon Ape's roar; the changing markings were merely an aid. When hunting, the Dread Demon Ape released its intimidation soul skill, rendering prey unable to move and weakening their will to resist before pursuing them.

Huo Yuhao had not been seriously injured by the earlier blow. Rather than fleeing, the Dread Demon Ape became even more savage. Using all four limbs, it charged at Huo Yuhao!

Huo Yuhao dodged to the side, intending to use the tree trunk to blunt the Dread Demon Ape's momentum. But the Dread Demon Ape lived in forests by nature. Not only was it not slowed, it used the trunk to swing around and pounced on Huo Yuhao!

With that impact, the White Tiger Dagger flew from Huo Yuhao's hand and landed nearby. He desperately held the Dread Demon Ape back, preventing its sharp teeth from biting his throat. Seeing this, the Dread Demon Ape's markings changed again as it prepared to unleash its intimidation!

In that instant, a sharp gleam flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. A self-created mental combat technique burst forth, causing the Dread Demon Ape's movement to stall. Huo Yuhao seized the chance to break free of its restraint, grabbed the White Tiger Dagger, and viciously drove it into the Dread Demon Ape's heart.

"Roar!"

The intimidation soul skill and the Dread Demon Ape's death cry erupted together. Even Huo Yuhao's spiritual power could not withstand it. His vision went black, and he fainted. Before losing consciousness, he only saw a streak of gray light in the air. After that, he knew nothing.

Dying to a black ape... would that count as Black Myth: Wukong?

"Little chef! Are you all right?"

Who's the little one?

In his daze, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was an anxious girl looking at him with concern. Huo Yuhao was still a little confused. He only remembered using his self-created combat technique and the White Tiger Dagger to kill the black ape, then being knocked unconscious by its soul skill. He knew nothing after that.

"You're finally awake. You scared me to death." Tang Ya was overjoyed upon seeing Huo Yuhao open his eyes.

"Where am I? What happened?" Seeing Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao knew they had caught up to him and that he was safe. It was just a pity he still had not found the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. He looked around and discovered that besides Bei Bei and Tang Ya, there was also an unfamiliar boy with purple hair and golden eyes.

"You were attacked by a soul beast and passed out. We only arrived just now."

Huo Yuhao stood and moved his body, finding that apart from a few scrapes, he was unharmed. He gave the people around him a deep bow.

"Thank you all for saving me. May I ask your names? I will surely repay you someday."

"My name is Tang Ya. Just call me Sister Xiao Ya, hehe. We didn't really do anything. You defeated this Dread Demon Ape all by yourself." Seeing that Huo Yuhao was fine, Tang Ya returned to her lively nature.

"My name is Bei Bei." Bei Bei smiled gently, every word carrying an air of refinement. He glanced at the Dread Demon Ape lying on the ground and was secretly shocked. Dread Demon Apes were not only naturally cunning, but also possessed the innate soul skill Intimidation. Soul masters or soul beasts with insufficient strength would not even have the courage to fight back under its effects.

A Soul Scholar defeated a hundred-year Dread Demon Ape? Is this child really human?

The unfamiliar boy, however, remained expressionless and indifferent. Huo Yuhao desperately searched through his memories of the original novel from his past life, yet could not recall this person no matter what.

The unfamiliar boy merely glanced at him and said flatly.

"Yu Tianhuang."

What a cold guy...

Yu Tianhuang... Why does that sound so familiar...

Yu Tianhuang?

Holy shit! Xu Zihuang!

Big brother, please don't kill me!

What novel did I get thrown into?! Is this still the original story?!