Huo's Frazzled Cat

Considering that Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er, had saved up some money over the years, he should reach the Soul Beast Forest faster than in the original work.

Lin Wan'er did not use a black hole to travel. Instead, she took Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sightseeing, while also checking whether the nearby villages had any suitable but affordable clothes for Huo Yuhao.

Fortunately, the Soul Masters in the nearby villages were rather unimpressive, while Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was the first lucky beast on the continent to become a Million-Year Spirit-Type Soul Beast simply by eating and sleeping. It only needed to create illusions to confuse passersby and conceal their true appearances, without going to great lengths to make themselves ugly or hide their auras.

Even though they delayed as much as possible to give Huo Yuhao enough time to reach the Soul Beast Forest and seek a Soul Beast for his first soul ring, he still inevitably took several wrong turns.

If the nearby Soul Beasts had not reported to Lin Wan'er and, consciously or unconsciously, secretly altered the direction of Huo Yuhao's body while he camped, she might not have found him in less than seven days.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was deeply skeptical of this. It began to wonder whether the directionally challenged Huo Yuhao could endure the infusion of its spiritual power. If that little lost fool exploded, the Holy Maiden and all those Ferocious Beasts would definitely skin it, pull out its tendons, roast it, and eat it! Sensing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's thoughts, Lin Wan'er sneered repeatedly and mercilessly exposed the big round white worm's foolish behavior from back then. "I wonder who finished gnawing through the rare treasures that the Land of Extreme North had painstakingly nurtured, then dug a tunnel all the way toward the Star Dou Great Forest."

If Tian Meng had not accidentally reached the deeply buried roots of Emperor Willow, causing the pained Spirit of Nature to viciously fling it onto the ground, Lin Wan'er would nearly have forgotten about the big white worm that had played such a crucial role in the original work.

Hearing that embarrassing story again, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's old face reddened. It loudly insisted that how could eating something native Soul Beasts had eaten count as stealing, and what Soul Beast could possibly be directionally challenged? Its words drew various laughs from the Soul Beasts nearby, which had been attracted by Lin Wan'er's aura.

At the same time, a Sharp-Eared Fox Soul Beast with exceptionally keen hearing let out a cry. It had heard human voices nearby—and there was more than one person. There seemed to be three in total.

One of them was approaching the Soul Beast Forest, while the other two were not far away, pondering whether to set up camp and where to stay.

Realizing that the gears of the original plot had begun turning, Lin Wan'er clapped her hands. The Soul Beasts present immediately vanished from sight, leaving behind only Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, which grinned foolishly. "This lord's cheat has finally arrived! Once I become a god, the first thing I'll do is slap Di Tian flying!"

"In your dreams. Gu Yuena is backing Di Tian, and besides, Bi Ji and Bai Chenxiang have always treated you so well. Could you really bring yourself to attack Di Tian in front of them?"

By now, Bai Chenxiang had long since transformed into a Soul Beast. Under the influence of Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and Emperor Willow, she had been incredibly fortunate enough to reach the threshold of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast in less than ten thousand years.

That was also one reason why Bai Chenxiang could normally take care of the life-incapable Tian Meng without people gossiping behind her back.

No matter what, she had once been the first sect master of the Agility Beast Sect, the wife of Phoenix God, and the first person to join the still-unformed Heaven Dou Empire.

With all those titles and her strength, Bai Chenxiang, now free of the curse imposed by Shura God, naturally returned to her former proud and carefree self. It was said that this had attracted the admiration of quite a few young Soul Beasts and Soul Masters.

"Fine, fine. Pretend I never said anything."

Having exposed its inner thoughts, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wriggled its plump white body and instantly burrowed into the soft earth. It lay in wait beneath an open patch of ground in the distance, waiting for the Spirit Eye youth—born with spiritual power and thoroughly tempered by later hardship—to come to it of his own accord.

"It's good that you understand. Di Tian is still family to me in name. Though he can be a little overbearing and stubborn at times, everyone still respects him in their hearts."

Whether Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could hear her or not, Lin Wan'er said it anyway. Then she transformed into an emerald-green leaf and drifted away on the breeze.

According to the original plot, Huo Gua would probably choose to camp beside a stream with water, then craft a wooden fish spear and show off Huo's Grilled Fish—a dish that would make every Soul Master and Soul Beast on the continent drool.

Tsk, tsk. The previous generation's Child of Destiny had a cheat based on a transmigrator combining Hidden Weapons, while this generation's Child of Destiny had grilled fish and a packaged old grandpa and old father. Lin Wan'er found it hard not to wonder what exactly World Consciousness was doing.

Had World Consciousness seen Sea God Tang San's outrageous antics and decided to use someone with a more normal moral compass to influence the new generation's Child of Destiny, so as to prevent another god hostile to itself from appearing? Unfortunately, in the end, Douluo Continent still remained in the hands of Tang God King, while the lower realm sank and the God Realm ascended.

Shaking the chaotic thoughts from her mind, Lin Wan'er decided how she would approach Huo Gua. She leaned against the trunk of a large tree and sat down, emptying her mind as she entered a state of half-sleeping wakefulness.

For the continent's Child of Destiny, someone the Soul Beast race could nurture, she decided to set aside her thoughts about the original plot and treat those people—who had once existed only in words, incomplete and one-sided—with sincerity.

About ten minutes later, after walking all morning without preparing a waterskin, Huo Yuhao found a small stream. He first used his Spirit Eye to inspect the clear water, confirming that it was free of filth and suitable for drinking and washing. Then he carefully removed his shirt, rolled up his trouser legs, and stepped into the stream.

After a simple wash cleared away the heat and grime from his body, Huo Yuhao casually picked up a branch from the roadside and used the White Tiger Knife his mother had left him to make a fish spear.

As he used the knife, mist gathered once more in those beautiful, clear Blue Sea Eyes. At the end of the day, Huo Yuhao was only a teenage boy who had never seen much of the world.

Having left behind his mother and the home he hated so bitterly, even his strong heart still longed for family, friends, and loved ones he could talk to.

After finishing the fish spear, he circulated the Soul Power within his body once more. Raising his arm and turning his wrist, he speared a half-foot-long Green Fish.

Taking out the little remaining portion of his special sauce, Chef Huo began grilling the fish with complete concentration.

Before long, the aroma drifted beneath Lin Wan'er's nose just as she was about to fall asleep, tickling her senses and making saliva flood her mouth.

"Smells so good—"

Lin Wan'er could not help borrowing Tang Ya's line from the original work and exclaimed from atop the tree. In her tens of thousands of years of life, what delicious food had she not tasted? Yet Huo Gua's signature grilled fish alone was enough to make her shed her disguise and return to the sheer satisfaction she had felt in her previous life when she got hungry while gaming and ate a cup of instant noodles.

"Who's there?"

Huo Yuhao, ever vigilant, was clearly startled when he heard a delicate cry of admiration from the large tree above.

Seeing the blue kitten below with its fur standing on end, Lin Wan'er could not help letting out a clear laugh. "Sorry, I startled you. I mean no harm—I was simply drawn in by the aroma of your grilled fish."