The Core Zone.
Two figures stepped out together from a ripple in space.
Di Tian, who was guarding nearby, immediately sensed Gu Yuena's aura and instinctively moved to kneel in greeting.
"Lord—"
His words halted, his expression stiffening. Looking at the youth being led by Gu Yuena's hand, his brain momentarily stalled.
Di Tian: ???
"What is it?"
Gu Yuena looked at Di Tian with a calm gaze, seemingly not feeling the slightest bit of impropriety in her actions.
"No... it's nothing, Lord. It's just, this human is...?"
Di Tian inquired cautiously. Although he had already sensed some marks belonging uniquely to Gu Yuena on this human—which led him to certain suspicions—he still wanted to confirm.
"He is my... well, he is the one who invented the 'Artificial Soul Ring.' He is also the disciple of that Electrolux and an ally of our Soul Beast clan."
Gu Yuena spoke calmly, but anyone with eyes could see she hadn't finished her sentence.
Di Tian had heard Gu Yuena mention Huo Yuhao before, and had also heard of the deeds of the student, Huo Yuhao, from that powerhouse named Electrolux.
Whether it was his willingness to swear by fate to help the Soul Beast race, the recently invented 'Artificial Soul Ring,' or the 'Ring-Breaking Seal' invented by his master—which had genuinely reduced the number of humans entering the Star Constellation Great Forest by ninety percent.
Every single matter represented a debt of gratitude the Soul Beast clan owed this human.
However, Di Tian truly hadn't expected that the relationship between this human and his own Lord seemed a bit... unusual.
Di Tian hesitated to speak, remained silent, glanced at the silent Huo Yuhao at her side, and ultimately chose not to say more.
He knew that if his Lord had already made a decision, anything he said would be useless. He would just let nature take its course.
Having cleared his head, Di Tian said nothing more and looked respectfully toward Gu Yuena.
"Your subordinate understands."
"Let us go."
"Yes."
A moment later, with Gu Yuena walking at the very front, the led Huo Yuhao trailed half a step behind, while Di Tian followed at the rear, watching Huo Yuhao with a scrutinizing gaze.
Shortly after, the three arrived at the Lake of Life.
At the same time, not far away, over a dozen figures were sitting on the ground. Among them, aside from a few who were in human form, the rest were in beast form.
Standing at the very front was Electrolux. Countless rays of light gathered in his hands, constructing one profound pattern after another, seemingly teaching something to those seated before him.
"...In summary, that is the content of today's lecture. Some of you haven't been attending classes for long, so your techniques for utilizing power are still too crude."
"For instance, you, Bi Ji. You simply use your natural talent and instinct to infuse others with incredibly pure life energy."
"While this is effective, you could try infusing life energy only into the injured parts of others. This way, it takes effect faster and consumes less energy."
"The Great Healing Art I taught you should be very suitable for you. Practice it diligently after you leave; it will be of great benefit to you."
Elder Yi spoke peacefully, like a patient teacher, incredibly kind.
"Understood, Elder Yi," Bi Ji answered seriously, her words carrying a hint of reverence.
Elder Yi nodded and looked at the figure wrapped in a slight aura of resentment beside Bi Ji, continuing:
"And you, Brigadier Wan Yao? How is your control over your own Mental Power and plants coming along?"
"It can already cover the entire Star Constellation Great Forest. Thank you very much, Elder Yi."
Elder Yi nodded and looked toward the next Ferocious Beast.
Huo Yuhao and the other two stopped a short distance away, not advancing, just quietly watching.
To be honest, this scene looked like a teacher checking homework assignments one by one after a class. The only difference was that the students in front of him weren't human... even the teacher couldn't exactly be considered human. It was strangely eerie.
"A few months ago, after Elder Yi came to the Star Constellation Great Forest, we selected Brigadier Wan Yao as the person to promote the 'Ring-Breaking Seal.'"
"After all, as the King of the plant system in the Star Constellation Great Forest, it is more convenient for him to scout the entire forest."
"But later, after Elder Yi observed him, he felt Brigadier Wan Yao's efficiency was too slow, so he began to point out how Brigadier Wan Yao could exert one hundred percent of his power. This greatly accelerated the promotion of the 'Ring-Breaking Seal.'"
"When the other Soul Beasts saw Brigadier Wan Yao's visible progress, they tentatively sought guidance from Elder Yi as well, and all of them gained various degrees of harvest."
"Later on, Elder Yi simply opened a classroom, once every five days, to guide the Soul Beasts."
Seeing Huo Yuhao staring straight over there, Di Tian thought Huo Yuhao was confused, so he naturally offered a soft explanation at his side.
Unfortunately, Di Tian didn't know that Huo Yuhao wasn't confused, but had unconsciously fixed his gaze on the large golden cat beside Bi Ji.
The Three-eyed Golden Lion.
"Qiu'er..."
Memories were surging up; countless scenes from his previous life poured out from the depths of his mind, completely disrupting his emotions.
"Yuhao?"
Gu Yuena felt that Huo Yuhao's emotions seemed to have undergone some kind of change, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on his hand.
"No... it's nothing."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said no more, continuing to look ahead.
"...Three-eyed Golden Lion, what about you? How is your control over your own power?" Elder Yi turned his gaze toward the Three-eyed Golden Lion, who had the lowest cultivation present but was the most conspicuous.
"I can control it perfectly now! And the light magic you gave me, teacher, is really, really amazing! Now many 100,000-year-old Soul Beasts are no match for me!"
The large golden cat spoke excitedly. Meanwhile, the several 100,000-year-old Soul Beasts sitting in the back had stiff expressions and dared not speak.
"Mm... as the Auspicious Beast, you were born with Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light. It can be said you are naturally brilliant, but to achieve this level, you have clearly worked very hard."
Elder Yi spoke softly, a hint of elder-like kindness appearing on his face. Then, he landed his gaze on Huo Yuhao in the distance.
Almost identical power of destiny... this Auspicious Beast clearly has no small connection with Yuhao.
Sensing Elder Yi's meaningful gaze, Huo Yuhao sighed, knowing that Elder Yi had most likely figured something out.
As he was thinking, Gu Yuena, seeing that Elder Yi had finished speaking, no longer hid her aura and led Huo Yuhao forward.
A faint Dragon Might manifested. Almost instantly, those dozen or so ordinary 100,000-year-old Soul Beasts and the Ferocious Beasts at the front knew who was coming, and all of them instinctively bowed.
"Lord!" multiplied by many.
Gu Yuena did not reply. She simply held Huo Yuhao's hand, walking forward step by step.
And as the various Soul Beasts looked at the youth being led by their Lord, their expressions were each different and incredibly vivid.
What was the situation here?