The timeline rewinds to Huo Yuhao's arrival at the edge of Star Dou Forest.
"We're not far from Star Dou Forest now. I can already see it," Huo Yuhao said, gazing at the distant forest.
Golden light flickered in his eyes.
This was the Buddhist Aura-Reading Technique from Pudu Cihang's memories, designed to complement luck-based techniques.
It could assess an individual's fortune—good or bad—and observe changes in a region's luck.
During his seven-day journey, Huo Yuhao, guided by Pudu Cihang's experience, quickly mastered the basics of this technique.
His rapid progress was partly due to his Spirit Eyes martial soul. Techniques requiring keen vision benefited immensely from it, making learning twice as effective.
Practicing these techniques also enhanced his Spirit Eyes.
After learning the Aura-Reading Technique, Huo Yuhao was like a child with a new toy, using it frequently.
Now near Star Dou Forest, he naturally wanted to examine its luck distribution.
In his eyes, the forest was shrouded in a golden glow, growing more radiant toward the center.
Within the glow, phantoms of soul beasts appeared.
At the top were two prominent figures.
One resembled a lion with dragon-like claws and three eyes.
The other was a dragon, graceful and regal, though its form was faint. Without Huo Yuhao's sharp Spirit Eyes, he might've missed it.
"No surprise there—Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Silver Dragon King," he mused.
Below them were phantoms of various ferocious beasts, followed by scattered 100,000-year soul beasts.
Next came soul beasts with noble or ancient bloodlines.
Ordinary soul beasts didn't qualify to appear in the forest's luck projection.
But there were anomalies.
In one area, golden luck was being eroded by black, malevolent energy, concealing a peculiar tiger-like soul beast.
This suggested someone was sabotaging the forest's luck, undetected for now.
Another area showed icy white energy, abundant but steadily consumed by the golden luck's ferocious beast phantoms, appearing strong but hollow, nearing collapse.
"Could that be Tian Meng Ice Silkworm?" Huo Yuhao wondered.
He stopped observing, dispelling the Aura-Reading Technique and rubbing his temples to ease eye strain.
He'd seen what he needed.
In the forest's outer regions, where no soul beast phantoms appeared, golden luck was spilling out—unclaimed luck. Huo Yuhao could absorb it using the Fortune-Seizing Dragon Transformation Technique.
The Aura-Reading Technique was meant for luck-based practices. Along his journey, Huo Yuhao had already tried cultivating the Fortune-Seizing Technique to absorb unclaimed luck.
The technique wasn't hard to learn, thanks to Pudu Cihang's experience. With no cultivation level requirement—only the presence of luck—it was accessible, and Huo Yuhao had grasped the basics.
Luck, like resources, was renewable but finite in a given period, divided among major powers and figures or flowing freely.
Freely flowing luck was unclaimed luck.
Typically, powerful factions used treasures or strong individuals to anchor their luck, preventing leakage.
Unfortunately, Douluo Continent lacked such methods.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, a auspicious beast, could partially anchor Star Dou Forest's luck, but it was too weak to fully contain it.
Huo Yuhao targeted this unclaimed luck—he could only afford to scavenge what others overlooked.
Why could he discern the forest's luck so clearly? Because Douluo Continent's powerhouses had no means to conceal their luck.
Only the Silver Dragon King hid hers, albeit clumsily, using the environment to mask it. Huo Yuhao still caught her faint phantom.
No rush to poach the forest's luck yet, though.
Huo Yuhao was hungry.
Like in the original story, he planned to find a stream, spear some fish, and grill them.
"Look, those fish are drowning. Let me save them."
Huo Yuhao aimed a sharpened stick at a fish in the river and thrust.
He missed.
The fish circled the stick, blowing a bubble.
"That fish is mocking me! It dares mock me!" Huo Yuhao roared, stripping off his shirt and diving in, White Tiger Dagger in hand.
Ten rounds later, he climbed ashore, holding a fish with its gills gutted.
The White Tiger Dagger, his starting gear, proved quite handy.
Next, grilling time.
With his carried spices and Spirit Eyes' precision, the fish smelled divine.
It could star in a gourmet documentary.
But just as the fish was ready, a voice called from afar, "Smells so good!"
Huo Yuhao nearly dropped his fish.
The last time he heard that was in Pudu Cihang's memories, when Pudu Cihang, as a demon, ambushed passersby.
Then, a female demon—no, a person—approached.
Two people, actually.
Along the stream came a pair. Leading was a girl, about fifteen or sixteen, with long black hair in a ponytail. Her light blue outfit hugged her budding figure, radiating youthful energy.
Her phoenix eyes were large and lively, her nose pert, her oval face near-perfect. Her pretty face lit up with delight, fixated on Huo Yuhao's fish.
Behind her was a boy of similar age, tall and upright, with short, deep blue hair gleaming like gems in the sunlight. Though young, he exuded elegance, his handsome face bearing a lazy, warm smile. Hands behind his head, he looked at Huo Yuhao—not the fish—with interest.
Huo Yuhao: "…"
A distinctive pair, here at this exact moment? It had to be Tang Ya and Beibei.
But why such a coincidental meeting?
Pure chance, or someone's scheme?
Whatever.
Tang Ya skipped over, asking about the fish. "Little brother, are you selling these?"
"No," Huo Yuhao replied firmly.
Tang Ya's smile froze.
Beibei, seeing her rebuffed, couldn't help but chuckle.
Tang Ya spun around, glaring at him.
Beibei stifled his laugh, clamping his mouth shut.
"Little brother, sell me one, please," Tang Ya cooed, feigning cuteness.
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes inwardly but smiled. "One silver soul coin each. Two coins, and both fish are yours."
"What?!" Tang Ya gaped, sticking out her tongue. "That expensive?"
Beibei, stunned, blurted, "Is your fish made of gold, or the stick? Why so pricey?"
"You think it's pricey? Try finding wild grilled fish this season."
"Fair point~" Tang Ya naively agreed.
Beibei rubbed his forehead, exasperated. "Xiao Ya, wild fish, not wild grilled fish. No season has wild grilled fish."
"…" Tang Ya's face reddened visibly. She elbowed Beibei. "Mind your own business! And what did you call me?"
Her elbow didn't faze Beibei, but he clutched his stomach dramatically, pleading, "My mistake! I meant Teacher Xiao Ya. Please forgive me, dear Teacher Xiao Ya!"
"Hmph, that's better."
Huo Yuhao: "…"
Can you take your weird roleplay elsewhere?
Just as he thought they'd leave, Beibei stepped forward, offering two silver soul coins with a smile. "Little brother, we'll take both fish."
They actually bought them?
Huo Yuhao didn't refuse, swiftly pocketing the coins and handing over the fish. "Thank you, boss. May you prosper."
"Thanks." Beibei, amused, took the fish, passing both to Tang Ya. "Teacher Xiao Ya, try this wild grilled fish."
"You jerk, stop it!" Tang Ya blushed, scolding shyly, taking only one fish. "Hmph, one's enough."
Huo Yuhao suddenly felt the coins in his hand lost their appeal.
Beibei's flirting game was strong.
Weren't they bold, not fearing poison?
Tang Ya and Beibei, unfazed, joined Huo Yuhao by the fire.
Tang Ya nibbled her fish shyly, clearly flustered by Beibei's teasing.
Beibei, smiling warmly, didn't eat, instead chatting with Huo Yuhao. "I'm Beibei, she's Tang Ya. What's your name, little brother?"
Huo Yuhao glanced at Beibei's uneaten fish, unsure if he was cautious or saving it for Tang Ya.
"I'm Huo Yuhao," he said, revealing little.
He caught two more fish from the stream and grilled them.
Finally, his turn to eat.
While eating, Huo Yuhao gazed at Star Dou Forest, silently activating the Fortune-Seizing Dragon Transformation Technique.
The technique produced no visible effects.
Even if it did, only those with luck-seeing abilities would notice.
He wasn't worried about Tang Ya or Beibei detecting it.
"Nice, eating fish while poaching Star Dou Forest's luck~ Nice~~~"
The forest's golden unclaimed luck slowly flowed toward him.
But before it reached him, two strange luck strands caught his eye.
A dragon-shaped luck and a grass-shaped luck.
Huo Yuhao stared at the two strikingly familiar luck strands in his grasp, falling silent.