"What on earth happened here?"
Looking at the devastation in the forest, Tang Ya and Bei Bei trembled with fear.
After noticing something unusual here, they had hurried over, only to be utterly astonished by the destruction around them.
This was the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, after all. The strongest soul beasts here had only hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation. How could they possibly cause such destruction?
This had to be the work of a soul beast tens of thousands of years old, at the very least.
Bei Bei said, "Judging by the direction of these tracks, that soul beast must have returned to the depths of the forest."
Tang Ya nodded in relief. "Good. Otherwise, who knows what might happen?"
Still shaken, the two headed out of the forest, no longer in the mood to hunt for a soul ring.
It was getting dark now, and they certainly had no intention of spending the night in the forest.
Suddenly, they spotted a familiar figure.
He lay beneath a large tree, his eyes closed.
"That's... young Brother Huo!"
Tang Ya recognized Huo Yuhao, whom she had met only once before.
Why was he lying here unconscious?
Had something happened to him?
Tang Ya and Bei Bei exchanged a glance, then approached together to check on him.
Just as they reached Huo Yuhao, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and he sprang to his feet with a kip-up. His eyes glowed faintly blue as he watched them warily and said coldly, "Who's trying to sneak up on your big brother Hao?"
Seeing that it was Tang Ya and Bei Bei, he immediately switched to an easygoing tone. "Oh, it's you two. What a coincidence!"
Tang Ya: "..."
Bei Bei: "..."
Seeing that Huo Yuhao was unharmed, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Ya asked with concern, "Young Brother Huo, why were you lying here all alone?"
"I was a little tired, so I took a nap."
Tang Ya: "..."
This was the Star Dou Great Forest, with danger lurking on every side. How could you dare take a nap here?
Bei Bei quickly said, "It's getting late. Why don't we leave the forest first and talk as we walk?"
"All right." Huo Yuhao nodded.
His fusion with Tian Meng had actually taken so long that night had fallen without him noticing.
The three walked along the path out of the Star Dou Great Forest, with Huo Yuhao answering their questions.
"Young Brother Huo, weren't you going to Shrek City? Why did you end up in the Star Dou Great Forest again? It's dangerous here."
"I came here to obtain my first soul ring."
"What? Then why didn't you tell us?" A trace of surprise appeared in Tang Ya's eyes. "We could have helped you!"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "No need. I don't like troubling others. I can handle it myself."
"Little Brother Huo, this really is too dangerous for you alone," Bei Bei advised him as well. "Besides, the soul beasts a Soul Scholar can handle aren't very old. What attribute of soul beast do you need? We can help you."
"No need. I've already taken care of it."
A gleaming, luminous white soul ring rose from beneath his feet, pulsing continuously and casting a soft white glow through the dim forest.
Bei Bei couldn't help feeling surprised. He hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to obtain his first soul ring all by himself.
Unfortunately, it was only a white ten-year soul ring.
"Little Brother Huo, you were a little careless." Regret showed on his face. "The first soul ring holds extraordinary significance for a soul master. Naturally, the older it is, the better, as long as it's within what you can withstand. This ten-year soul ring of yours... is a little too weak."
Naturally, Huo Yuhao wouldn't reveal Tian Meng's existence. He was just about to find an excuse to brush the matter aside when a buzzing sound rang through his head.
"Waaah! He's actually looking down on Lord Tian Meng! This is a one-of-a-kind, absolutely unique, one-and-only million-year soul ring that everyone on the continent would envy! I'm furious!"
"Stop yelling!"
Huo Yuhao was speechless. Tian Meng could still talk inside his head, and the noise was getting on his nerves.
Fortunately, outsiders couldn't hear him.
He withdrew his soul ring and smiled. "It's fine, Brother Bei Bei. It might not be the strongest, but it's definitely the best suited to me. I really like it."
Hearing this, Tian Meng couldn't help feeling touched.
"Yuhao..."
Bei Bei sighed softly, then continued asking, "Then, Little Brother Huo, what exactly is your martial soul? Why couldn't I see it when you displayed your soul ring just now? There were spiritual fluctuations. Could it have a mental attribute?"
"My martial soul is a body martial soul, Demon Eyes. It has a mental attribute."
Both Tang Ya and Bei Bei froze, noticing Huo Yuhao's glowing eyes.
"Then what kind of soul beast did your first soul ring come from?"
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then took the Wind Baboon's forearm out of his belt.
"This fellow."
"A Wind Baboon?!"
Bei Bei recognized the soul beast and said, dumbfounded, "But a Wind Baboon doesn't match your attribute! How could you be so rash?"
"It doesn't matter." Huo Yuhao was utterly unconcerned. "As long as I don't regret it."
Seeing this, Tang Ya's eyes lit up. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to recruit Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect?
She was just about to speak when several strange cries rang out around them, one after another.
"Screech-"
"Eee-"
Tang Ya's expression sharpened, and her footwork became elusive. At the same time, several cold flashes shot from her body. The corpses of two Wind Baboons fell from the trees.
"Screech-"
Another strange cry rang out as a Wind Baboon lunged toward Bei Bei.
Bei Bei snorted coldly, formed his right hand into a claw, and seized the Wind Baboon by the throat. With a slight squeeze, he crushed its neck outright.
"Annoying pests!" Tang Ya complained.
She turned to check on Huo Yuhao, and her expression changed.
Another Wind Baboon was attacking Huo Yuhao from a different direction.
Huo Yuhao had both hands in his pockets and seemed completely unaware of the danger.
In fact, he had already noticed the approaching Wind Baboon. He was simply having a private conversation with Tian Meng.
"Tian Meng, what soul skills did you give me? I want to take this chance to try them out."
"Hohoho, I gave you a total of four soul skills, and every one of them is amazing."
"Not bad. Any cool, flashy attack moves?"
"Uh... hmm... ah... I don't think so."
"You... forget it. I'll handle this myself."
A soul ring usually provided only one soul skill, and only a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring could provide two, yet Tian Meng had actually given him four.
Huo Yuhao sensed the four soul skills: Spiritual Detection, Spiritual Sharing, Mental Interference, and Soul Shock.
Only Soul Shock was offensive, but it was so insubstantial, without the slightest special effect, that it wasn't cool at all.
"Watch out!"
Tang Ya was about to warn Huo Yuhao to dodge when his body suddenly twisted with nimble grace. His long, powerful right leg swept around, slamming heavily into the Wind Baboon's face.
The Wind Baboon let out a miserable shriek and flew more than ten meters away, then lay motionless.
Huo Yuhao's expression remained relaxed and casual. His hands stayed in his pockets the entire time, effortlessly debonair.
Inside his mind, Tian Meng's eyes shone. "Ooh, ooh, ooh! Yuhao, you're so cool!"
"Please don't scream. Your big brother Hao likes keeping a low profile."
Huo Yuhao was still talking to Tian Meng when Bei Bei suddenly addressed him.
"May I ask whether you've practiced some cultivation method, Little Brother Huo?"
Although they weren't mainstream, cultivation methods and martial techniques did indeed exist on the Douluo Continent. The Tang Sect Secret Arts were one example.
Huo Yuhao's strength clearly surpassed that of others at his level, and his movements were exceptional. He looked very much like someone who had practiced a cultivation method.
"Huo Family Fist."
Bei Bei pressed further. "May I ask which school or sect you belong to, Little Brother Huo?"
"The Dragon Tiger Sect."
Huo Yuhao answered fluently, his tone decisive.
Tian Meng, however, was bewildered.
"Yuhao, did you really join this Dragon Tiger Sect? Why didn't I see anything about it in your memories?"
"Of course not. I made it up. And you didn't look through my memories carefully enough."
"..."
The Dragon Tiger Sect?
Both Tang Ya and Bei Bei were surprised.
They had never heard of that sect.
Still, they didn't dwell on it. There were many sects on the continent, and it was perfectly normal for the Star Luo Empire to have sects they didn't know.
"What a shame!"
Tang Ya sighed regretfully. "Little Brother Huo, to think you already belong to a sect. I was still dreaming of recruiting you into ours!"
"Your sect?" Huo Yuhao asked in puzzlement. "What sect do you belong to?"
"The Tang Sect, once the greatest sect on the continent!"
The Tang Sect?
Hearing that familiar name, Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and revealed an enigmatic smile.