Good news: Shrek has sent someone to protect Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei.
Bad news: It's Xuan Zi.
Staring at the shadow of the Gluttonous Divine Bull, Huo Yuhao fell silent.
That was a type of fate energy he had never seen before.
Xuan Zi's fate was accompanied by the shadow of his martial soul—naturally, it was the Gluttonous Divine Bull. However, the fate energy that should have surrounded his martial soul was instead devoured and absorbed into it, as though the martial soul had seized control.
It didn't stop there.
The Shrek auspicious cloud that should have floated above, representing the protection of the faction, and the map of Shrek Academy that should have lain beneath the martial soul—symbols of Xuan Zi's authority—were also swallowed whole by the Gluttonous Bull's shadow.
Even more terrifying, the bull wasn't satisfied yet. It opened its massive maw and began greedily devouring the fate of others around it.
Bei Bei was the first victim.
As for Huo Yuhao, though his own fate was minimal, he was protected by the World's Auspicious Cloud. Apart from a few wisps of superficial fate being sucked away, the bull couldn't do anything more.
World: "Hey, this one's under my protection!"
"What the hell is that?!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, who was sharing Huo Yuhao's vision, exclaimed.
Sensing something unusual from Huo Yuhao just now, Tianmeng had requested a visual link, and Huo Yuhao hadn't refused.
Then Tianmeng saw the bull devouring Bei Bei's fate.
Tianmeng:"Scared the silk out of me!"
"Could it be that someone's using a secret fate technique to steal others' fate? Did we just meet a rival?" Tianmeng wondered aloud.
Could there really be someone so overpowered on the Douluo Continent?
"No," Huo Yuhao said, retracting his gaze and thinking deeply before replying, "It's not a secret technique. It's a special Fate Constitution."
Tianmeng paused and then recalled the topic of Fate Constitutions.
A person's fate—or even their destiny—can be influenced by many factors: talent, potential, hard work, affiliations, environment, friends, etc.
But the most direct influence comes from one's Fate Constitution.
When combined with external conditions, this constitution determines the arc of a person's destiny.
To determine someone's Fate Constitution, one would usually need a Fate Chart, then analyze it using various components. Because it's complex, people have identified a few standard constitutions, often named after stars or animals.
Famous examples include: the Lonely Star of Calamity, the Purple Emperor Star, the Greedy Wolf Star, the Soaring Phoenix… and so on.
Huo Yuhao, as the Child of Fate, also possesses a special Fate Constitution.
And for cultivators like soul masters, Fate Constitutions operate differently than they do for ordinary people.
For example, someone with the "Literary Star" fate might not only be brilliant academically—but may even be the reincarnation of a celestial being.
And for soul masters, Fate Constitutions can lead to very different life paths. With enough strength and talent, they might even rewrite fate itself.
A soul master is, after all, a cultivator.
Clearly, Xuan Zi possesses a rare Fate Constitution, which, combined with his Gluttonous Divine Bull martial soul, gives him a unique fate: his fate actively devours the fate of others—even that of his own faction.
Anyone who travels with him is basically doomed—unless they're prepared and resistant.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao's Fate Sight was still in its early stages, so he couldn't yet read people's Fate Constitutions directly.
But he could resist it—because he himself possessed a powerful Fate Constitution as the Child of Fate, one even stronger than Xuan Zi's.
"Wait a minute… In the original story, whenever Xuan Zi led a team, it was either death or serious injury," Huo Yuhao thought, grimly.
Both of Xuan Zi's most well-known missions in the original were disasters. Massive casualties. And Xuan Zi always stayed in the rear.
Just like now.
"Even if he can't devour my fate directly, he's affecting Bei Bei. And since Bei Bei and I are bound by fate right now, if anything happens to him, I'll be caught in the crossfire…" Huo Yuhao analyzed.
Tianmeng also realized how serious this was.
Tianmeng: "Yuhao bro, what do we do?"
Huo Yuhao made a decision.
"Tianmeng bro, I've decided… to strike first!"
"Huh?" Tianmeng blinked. "Wait, Yuhao bro, are you saying you can beat Xuan Zi? And won't this mess up our plan to head north?"
"Don't worry. You keep tracking Xuan Zi with Spiritual Detection. Leave the rest to me," Huo Yuhao said confidently.
With Tianmeng providing support via Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao didn't even need to use his Spirit Eyes or soul skills.
Huo Yuhao:It's time to show my real skills.
While Bei Bei was busy leading the way, Huo Yuhao suddenly stopped him.
"Brother Bei Bei, hold up—I need to, uh, use the restroom," Huo Yuhao said sheepishly, rubbing his belly.
Bei Bei glanced at him and sighed.
"Alright, alright. I did tell you to eat less, and yet most of that barbecue ended up in your stomach."
"Hehe… I'm still growing, you know. Gotta eat more."
"Fine. I don't mind. Just hurry up."
Bei Bei turned around to give him privacy.
"Got it~"
Huo Yuhao walked into a nearby thicket.
Rustling sounds followed.
But Bei Bei frowned. Those weren't the sounds of someone lowering their pants—but of someone walking away.
"Why would he go so far just to pee?"
Suspicious and slightly worried, Bei Bei considered following—but stopped.
He realized Huo Yuhao was intentionally hiding something.
Sigh…
Bei Bei let out a deep sigh.
Still recovering from a serious injury and shaken by Tang Ya's departure, Bei Bei was emotionally fragile right now.
He had truly started to see Huo Yuhao as a friend.
And now, Yuhao was hiding things from him.
He didn't pry—but the sense of emotional distance stung.
Meanwhile—
Guided by Tianmeng's detection, Huo Yuhao held his White Tiger Dagger, navigating toward a certain location. His face was tense, eyes alert, scanning his surroundings.
Suddenly, he stepped on something.
Looking down, his expression changed dramatically.
He quickly picked it up and dashed back toward Bei Bei, panic on his face.
From the shadows, a chuckle rang out.
"Hehe… So this is the little kid with the Ultimate Ice martial soul? Not bad. Sharp senses. A bit overconfident, though—coming alone like that. Good thing I'm not a bad guy."
Huo Yuhao rushed back to Bei Bei.
"Yuhao?" Bei Bei asked, confused. Seeing Huo Yuhao panting, pale, and anxious, he grew concerned.
"Brother Bei Bei, no time to explain—RUN! We're being followed!" Huo Yuhao shouted.
"What?!"
Then Huo Yuhao held out the item he had picked up—a chicken drumstick bone.
"Brother Bei Bei, even though I can't summon my martial soul yet, I was born with sharp spiritual perception. I sensed someone following us and went to investigate. Then I found this."
"The other person never showed up… I don't think they have good intentions! Hurry!"
Bei Bei stared at the chicken bone, then his expression shifted.
Coughing awkwardly, he stopped and grabbed Huo Yuhao.
"Uh, little brother Yuhao, I think I know who's following us…"
"It might be one of my seniors," Bei Bei said sheepishly. "Besides, if someone really meant us harm, would they be snacking on chicken legs behind us? Eating chicken legs anytime, anywhere—that's one of my senior's habits."
Caught skipping class, misunderstood by a friend—Bei Bei felt nine parts awkward, one part embarrassed.
"...Huh?" Huo Yuhao blinked, dumbfounded, still holding the chicken bone.
Then Bei Bei remembered something and asked, "Wait—you said you were going to the bathroom, but actually went to scout the area. Weren't you afraid of danger?"
Huo Yuhao scratched his head and said honestly, "You're protecting me on this journey. I can't let anything happen to you. If there was danger, I'd yell to warn you, at least give you time to react."
"…" Bei Bei stared at Huo Yuhao's sincere face and was instantly filled with guilt.
This kindhearted kid was willing to risk danger to protect him—while he'd been questioning their bond.
Bei Bei:I'm a terrible person!
Tears welled up in his eyes. He suddenly hugged Huo Yuhao tightly.
"Little brother Yuhao, from today on—you're my sworn brother!"
No girlfriend, but he gained a brother.
Bei Bei's heart found a new anchor.
Huo Yuhao instinctively wanted to push him away. Bro, I don't swing that way…
But then he saw a strand of fate drifting over from Bei Bei.
So he didn't push him away.
But one strand of fate only buys one hug, okay?!
As for that chicken bone—it was carefully stowed away by Huo Yuhao.
It carried Xuan Zi's aura.
And with that, Huo Yuhao could now take the initiative.
Strike first, and gain the upper hand!