"Pain! It hurts so much!"
That feeling was as if countless sharp silver needles were stabbing straight into Huo Yuhao's heart, making his vision blur in a daze.
His steps faltered, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Yuhao, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing the pained expression on Huo Yuhao's face, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, who were walking in front, immediately rushed over to support him, their voices filled with worry.
"I… I don't know. It just feels like my heart hurts so badly… like something important is leaving me."
Facing his two closest friends, Huo Yuhao shook his dizzy head vigorously, lips curling into a bitter smile.
"See! I told you—you need to exercise more instead of burying yourself in studying those soul tools all the time. Now look at you, your body can't take it anymore."
"Think about it, what will you do in the future if this keeps up?"
Wang Dong sighed helplessly, scolding half-jokingly, though his tone carried genuine concern.
Even though he disliked soul tools deep down, when it came to one of his few friends—Huo Yuhao—he still cared.
"Look at me, I'm healthy as ever."
As he spoke, Wang Dong even patted his slightly prominent chest proudly.
"Wang Dong, your pectorals are… indeed flamboyant… and robust!"
Xiao Xiao glanced at the two of them, then lowered her head to look at herself, before sneaking another glance at Wang Dong's chest, whispering softly.
For some reason, Wang Dong's face flushed red when he heard her words, and he hurriedly crossed his arms over his chest.
"Wang Dong, I'm already a Grand Soul Master. This has nothing to do with soul tools…"
Huo Yuhao frowned, trying to explain.
"Then why am I perfectly fine—"
Wang Dong's words cut off abruptly as a wave of dread suddenly struck his heart. His pale-blue eyes shrank, his face instantly turned ashen, and his body toppled backward uncontrollably.
Thankfully, Xiao Xiao's reflexes were quick—her hand that was supporting Huo Yuhao swiftly reached behind Wang Dong, catching him just before he hit the ground.
Thud!
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao himself stumbled and fell to the ground.
"What on earth is happening with you brats?"
Xuan Zi flickered into view before the three of them, his eyes narrowing in puzzlement as he watched their disordered state, complex emotions flashing across his gaze.
"This… this can't be right. We haven't even reached Star Dou Forest yet, so why are you kids like this already?"
"Don't do this to me… otherwise how am I supposed to explain things to Elder Mu when we get back?"
"Could it be that during the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, that unlucky brat Huang Jinxu somehow passed his bad luck onto me?"
Xuan Zi's thoughts raced chaotically, and suddenly, even the chicken leg in his hand tasted bland.
"Wang Dong, what's wrong with you—"
"What's happening to me? Why am I like this?"
Lying in Xiao Xiao's arms, Wang Dong's eyes were filled with confusion as he muttered.
In that instant just now, he felt like something about him had changed, as though he had formed some mysterious bond with… something.
Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind.
That figure was none other than the youth he had encountered in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament—the one from Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
And that figure was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind.
"Ever since I met him, why do I feel like I've been drifting further and further away from myself?"
Wang Dong's heart wavered in bewilderment. Since the first time he met Jiang Jue, a faint voice had been echoing in his mind, urging him forward, as if telling him this was his destiny.
"Am I… still me?"
All of a sudden, Wang Dong froze.
It felt as though his very mind forbade him from even entertaining that thought.
"Wang Dong, you were lecturing me, but aren't you the same right now?"
Huo Yuhao, still sitting on the ground, looked at Wang Dong's dazed expression and remembered what he had just said to him. He hadn't expected karma to strike back so quickly, and he teased him.
Wang Dong's face darkened instantly, and he shot Huo Yuhao a glance.
This guy had no emotional intelligence whatsoever.
Yet he failed to notice that in his gaze toward Huo Yuhao, there was now a subtle trace of cold indifference.
"You two brats, are you all right or not?"
Xuan Zi frowned slightly, his tone deep and serious.
"It's fine, Elder Xuan. Let's just continue."
Wang Dong shook his head faintly. That strange moment had passed as suddenly as it came, leaving behind no further sensations.
"I'm fine too."
Huo Yuhao climbed up from the ground. Though he still felt a vague unease in his heart, the soul ring hunt had to continue.
After all, with Elder Xuan personally overseeing them this time, he was confident of safely obtaining a high-quality soul ring.
"Good. Then let's move on."
Seeing that the two were indeed fine, Xuan Zi let out a breath of relief and took another bite of his chicken leg.
The four of them pressed onward toward Star Dou Forest.
Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
At the edge of Star Dou Forest.
Ripples of strange, twisting golden light shrouded both Jiang Jue and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, expanding outward in wave-like pulses that stirred the very air around them.
Their bodies seemed to grow half-transparent, golden brilliance flickering faintly. With every shift of light, both Jiang Jue and the beast trembled slightly.
Jiang Jue could feel an otherworldly power flowing from the creature's third vertical eye. His brow twitched faintly.
A faint green glow appeared between his brows, as an extraordinary emerald vertical eye manifested there as well—his Spirit Eye had been awakened by this mysterious force.
"It's coming!"
Instead of panic, Jiang Jue's heart surged with a thrill of excitement. This was exactly what he had anticipated.
The twisting light grew ever more intense, engulfing both man and beast. The power it radiated even blasted away Poison Undying, keeping him at a distance.
"So the rumors were true."
Poison Undying's eyes glimmered, staring at the spreading radiance, muttering inwardly.
This energy exceeded everything he knew—it was something beyond comprehension. Even with his cultivation, he could not begin to grasp it.
Beside him, Weina's beautiful eyes sparkled with fascination, her lips parting slightly.
She had not expected the records in that ancient text to be true. But instead of regret, her heart brimmed with eager anticipation.
The greater this opportunity became, the easier it would be for her to draw closer to Jiang Jue afterward.
On the surface, it looked like she had lost out, but in truth—she had gained.
For her, this was a win-win situation.
In that instant, with Jiang Jue and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion at the center, the entire Star Dou Forest seemed to stir restlessly.
A torrential tide of life force surged toward them invisibly, pouring endlessly into their bodies—carrying within it an indescribable, ineffable aura.
Sensing the mysterious essence flowing into him, Jiang Jue immediately understood—this was the fortune of the soul beast race!
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had been born embodying this very fortune, and by linking their attributes together, it was only natural for that fortune to flow into him.
With this fortune now upon him, he would be blessed with auspiciousness, and his cultivation path would grow smoother and broader.
From this step onward, his role would gradually shift—from pawn to player!
"Let this fortune come even fiercer!"
(End of Chapter)