Great Tortoise Shell Master

Where on earth was he?

Lu Yuan wandered aimlessly around the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Another entire morning had passed without any gains, and he could not help growing anxious.

It had been eleven years since he arrived on the Douluo Continent. After awakening the memories of his past life, Lu Yuan had spent some time confirming that this was roughly the era of The Ultimate Douluo.

In this life, Lu Yuan had been quite fortunate. His parents had both been Soul Masters. Although they had vanished without a trace after going out to hunt soul beasts, their fates unknown, the two—one a Soul King and the other a Soul Emperor before their deaths—had left him a considerable inheritance. It was enough for him to obtain his first few soul rings and live a fairly comfortable life.

As for his Martial Soul, he had awakened the Light Elemental Martial Soul and possessed Innate Full Soul Power. Gifted and diligent in cultivation, he had reached Rank 30 at a young age.

However, his current anxiety was not because he had failed to find a suitable soul ring in the Star Dou Forest, but because of the strange existence within his Spirit Sea.

A radiant golden tortoise shell floated quietly within his Spirit Sea. A Taiji Diagram was inscribed upon it, and inside were nine dice engraved with the characters "Life, Death, Old, Young, Illness, Heal, Fortune, Decline, and Harmony."

Incomplete Tortoise Shell Technique!!!

A heaven-defying divine artifact that even Electrolux had sought in vain—once activated, its effect was absolute, and not even gods could break free from it!

Although Lu Yuan did not know why the Great Tortoise Shell Technique was here, it had existed in his Spirit Sea ever since he could remember.

To be fair, the Great Tortoise Shell Technique had brought him tremendous benefits. The year his Martial Soul awakened, it had helped Lu Yuan activate the legendary God Clan bloodline. This had made his cultivation path smooth and unobstructed. Without relying on heavenly treasures, he had cultivated to the realm of Soul Elder at a young age and gained the ability to inspect his Spirit Sea internally far earlier than usual.

Yet the Incomplete Tortoise Shell Technique also carried immense hidden dangers. Due to its absolute-effect attribute, its user would likewise be affected. If the "Death" die was rolled three times in a row, the Great Tortoise Shell Master himself would inevitably die. To advance from a Rank 1 Tortoise Shell Master to Rank 5, one had to survive 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 dice rolls respectively.

This made Lu Yuan especially cautious about using the Great Tortoise Shell Technique. Over the years, whenever a problem could be solved with his own Martial Soul, he avoided using it whenever possible. As a result, he was still only a Rank 1 Tortoise Shell Master.

Now, after comparing matters with the original timeline, he planned to first find Electrolux's remnant soul. While intercepting this opportunity, he also hoped that the former owner of the Incomplete Tortoise Shell Technique might offer him a solution.

The first step to finding Electrolux was locating Huo Yuhao, who had come to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts.

To make sure nothing went wrong, he had even waited around the Star Dou Great Forest several months in advance. But the Star Dou Great Forest was vast, with entrances scattered everywhere along its outskirts. After several months, Lu Yuan still had nothing to show for it.

Could my arrival have caused a butterfly effect? Had Huo Yuhao actually finished hunting soul beasts long ago and already taken Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux?

Months of fruitless searching had sent Lu Yuan's thoughts spiraling, but at that moment, a strange fragrance interrupted him.

It smells so good!!!

Since things had come to this, he might as well eat first!

The foodie instincts engraved deep in the soul of his Chinese past life sprang into action. Unable to resist, Lu Yuan followed the scent, wanting to see what could possibly smell so enticing.

Before long, following the fragrance, Lu Yuan found its source—it was a delicate-looking youth.

More precisely, a youth grilling fish!

The youth before him was plainly dressed, but his eyes were exceptionally lively. At the moment, he was enthusiastically grilling more than a dozen green fish caught from the water. Combining this with memories from his past life, a startling guess surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind—

Huo Yuhao?!

"It smells amazing!"

Suppressing his wild joy, Lu Yuan put on the appearance of a passerby drawn over by the aroma of grilled fish—though he truly had been drawn over by it.

"Who's there?!"

The sudden appearance of a stranger put Huo Yuhao on guard. Instinctively, he placed a hand on the White Tiger Dagger at his waist.

"Don't worry, little brother! My name is Lu Yuan, and I came to the Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts!" Lu Yuan raised both hands to show that he meant no harm. "I was just about to rest when the smell of your grilled fish drew me over."

After seeing that the person before him was a teenage boy about his own age, Huo Yuhao relaxed slightly. Perhaps it was Lu Yuan's friendly tone, or perhaps Lu Yuan's outstanding looks, but in any case, Huo Yuhao temporarily lowered his guard and introduced himself as well. "Hello, my name is Huo Yuhao. I also came to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts! If you want some of this grilled fish, I can treat you!"

Although eating food from strangers was a major taboo in a place like the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Yuan still set aside his hesitation when faced with the legendary Little Huo's grilled fish and walked toward it.

It really was delicious!

"Yuhao, I won't eat for free. Let's split these rations!"

"Thank you, Brother Yuan!"

The two teenage boys quickly became familiar as they chatted and laughed. Since Lu Yuan was slightly older, Huo Yuhao called him Brother Yuan, while Lu Yuan called him Yuhao.

During their casual conversation, Huo Yuhao also learned Lu Yuan's exact cultivation level. At this particularly sensitive stage of his life, he initially felt somewhat inferior. Compared to his own Soul Scholar cultivation, a genius like Brother Yuan had already become a Soul Elder at the same age!

However, Huo Yuhao quickly adjusted himself. Looking at the rations Lu Yuan had handed him, he still felt grateful in his heart.

Although the rations themselves were not worth much, Lu Yuan had given him far more than the few grilled fish Huo Yuhao had offered—enough to feed him for an entire week! The consideration hidden in that small detail did not escape the sensitive and perceptive Huo Yuhao.

He dispelled the strange feelings in his heart and encouraged himself. Come on, Yuhao. Brother Yuan may be a genius, but you can't fall too far behind either!

At this point in time, Huo Yuhao was extremely extreme, his heart filled with hatred. Yet even small acts of kindness were enough for this youth, battered and scarred by life, to remember deeply.

"It smells so good!"

Just as the two were eating heartily, another crisp and sweet cry rang out.