Dai Hao asked Huo Yuhao in some confusion, "Whatever you have to say, just say it. After all these years together, I know you're not usually one to hesitate."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, then said to Dai Hao, "I entered the Duke's Mansion wearing a veil, and I've never taken it off in front of anyone but you.
"So when I enter Shrek Academy, I want the recommendation letter to leave out your name. I also want to change my surname to Huo."
Dai Hao raised his eyebrows slightly, and Huo Yuhao continued.
"Partly to honor my mother, and partly to throw people off the scent and avoid trouble."
Dai Hao took a deep breath, then said to Huo Yuhao,
"You've already proven your wisdom through countless battles. If you feel it's necessary to change your surname to Huo, I agree. As for the recommendation letter, that's easy enough. A few of the soldiers I trained can write one."
Huo Yuhao nodded, and Dai Hao added,
"In that case, keep your veil on properly. Don't let anyone but me see your face. Keep a low profile until you enroll."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Dai Hao patted him on the shoulder and said,
"No matter what your surname is, you're still my son. If you suffer any injustice at Shrek Academy, contact me through a secret letter... I may not have the power to take Shrek Academy head-on, but I can certainly express my anger."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Although Dai Hao's attempt to win his heart held no appeal for him, his claim that he could express his anger toward Shrek Academy was indeed true.
After all, in the original story, Huo Yuhao had already begun to attract the attention of Shrek Academy's higher-ups and was, at the very least, a core disciple of both departments when Dai Huabin sent people to assassinate him.
For an ordinary person, that would have been a blunder big enough to bring the sky crashing down. Yet because of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's complicated connections, the matter had ultimately been raised high only to be set down gently.
About two weeks later, Huo Yuhao took the recommendation letter Dai Hao had obtained for him. Rather than heading straight to Shrek Academy, he went to the Star Dou Great Forest first.
Although Huo Yuhao felt that his Martial Soul had little to do with mental power and might not attract Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's attention, which in turn might mean he would fail to draw Electrolux there either.
Still, there was no helping it. He happened to need a fourth Soul Ring at this stage.
If he went straight to Shrek Academy without absorbing his fourth Soul Ring, who knew how long he would have to dawdle before getting a chance to visit the Star Dou Great Forest to acquire it?
Dai Hao had also agreed to let him go to the Star Dou Great Forest alone.
Although Huo Yuhao's innate full soul power had prompted Dai Hao to pay him a little more attention,
At heart, he still thought like a rough-and-ready general leading troops.
A person's nature would not change completely just because he cared more.
After entering the Star Dou Great Forest and reaching somewhere deep within its outer region, Huo Yuhao activated Martial Soul Possession.
Just as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul could faintly sense treasures, the Qiongqi Martial Soul possessed a similar ability.
He could sense the evil in the creatures around him. Huo Yuhao called it their evil-doing index, or, in other words, the extent of their wicked deeds.
In an ordinary Martial Soul, this ability might not have meant much.
But Qiongqi was one of the Four Fiends, a creature of utmost evil. Naturally, the Soul Beasts most compatible with him were evil ones.
Thus, Huo Yuhao's ability could also be called a fully automatic scanner for compatible Soul Beasts.
It was several times better than wandering aimlessly around the Star Dou Great Forest, at least.
Huo Yuhao was preparing to acquire a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. Although a fourth Soul Ring was usually only a thousand-year one, all his previous Soul Rings had exceeded the usual age limits.
He had some confidence in his ability to absorb Soul Rings, and he could vaguely sense that his soul was already no weaker than those of the Soul Kings in the White Tiger army camp who possessed Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Facing Soul Shock should not pose much of a problem.
Just as Huo Yuhao pinpointed a Soul Beast whose cultivation felt about right, the earth around him suddenly shook and trembled.
While he was wondering what was happening, he saw the ground ahead split open, with a faint milky-white glow seeping through.
Huo Yuhao's heart stirred. He leaped backward, then watched the fissure widen until an enormous head finally poked out.
"Hahaha! Heaven hasn't forsaken me! I've actually found such a promising human!"
Huo Yuhao looked at the enormous insect head, which resembled a silkworm's, and asked,
"What are you?"
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao had already raised his hand. Black flames began burning in his palm, one way of using his second Soul Skill, Qiongqi Heavenly Flame.
Qiongqi Heavenly Flame could burn continuously and could not be extinguished by ordinary ice elements. Its power would also increase according to the malice within whoever it struck.
"You can call me Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. I mean you no harm, so don't be afraid."
As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke, he lowered his body until he was level with Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao remained visibly wary, but inwardly he was secretly delighted. Heaven really hasn't forsaken me. I actually managed to attract Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's attention.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm cleared his throat, then slowly began recounting how he had risen to his present state.
Huo Yuhao naturally dropped his bewildered act. Lowering his hand, he said,
"To put it simply, when you first tried to sacrifice yourself, you didn't understand how Soul Masters worked and sacrificed yourself directly to a Titled Douluo. That caused the problem of a tenth Soul Ring and made the poor fellow burst from all that pent-up power. So now you've set your sights on me, a Soul Master with room for another Soul Ring."
"Also, going by what you said, your million years of cultivation all came from sleeping and eating treasures?"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's face flushed red, then went pale at Huo Yuhao's words. Stiffening his neck, he retorted,
"I was lucky! You think an ordinary ice silkworm could get that many good things to eat just because he wanted them?"
Huo Yuhao pointed to his forehead and said to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, "You'd better think this through. My Martial Soul is Qiongqi. It doesn't have much of a mental attribute."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shook his head and said earnestly to Huo Yuhao, "That's only because you don't know it yourself. In fact, your Martial Soul combines a mental attribute with the inherent strength of a beast Martial Soul. You're my best option."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then extended his hand. "In that case, let's begin."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm nodded as well, then pressed his head directly against Huo Yuhao's.
Just as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body began merging into Huo Yuhao, a gray-black orb appeared out of thin air in the sky...
Before you continue