A certain small creek on the outskirts of the Star Constellation Great Forest.
Zhang Lexuan was dressed in moon-white agile attire. Due to her outstanding beauty and figure, she managed to make the functional outfit look as magnificent as a formal gown.
"I'm sorry, Yuhao, for pulling you out here before your tournament even finished..."
She sat on a mat with her arms around her knees, speaking apologetically to the busy Huo Yuhao.
She hadn't expected Huo Yuhao's Mental Power to be so formidable, and she truly couldn't wait any longer.
That day, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Interference Domain hadn't just shielded them from Lan Xuanyu and Wang Dong; it had also shielded the observant Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and even a certain Super Douluo.
Only by seeing it with one's own eyes could the truth be known. Subsequently, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department had excitedly expressed a desire to take Huo Yuhao as a disciple, but Zhang Lexuan had refused on the grounds that Huo Yuhao was still too young.
Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing, Teacher Lexuan. I've already advanced; I just need to wait for the finals. Besides, I didn't want to run into certain people these past few days anyway..."
Indeed, after Wang Dong's "outpouring of true feelings" that day, rumors had flown everywhere... though fortunately, most were targeted at Wang Dong.
Gossip is a terrifying thing once it starts spreading. Because both he and Wang Dong were quite handsome—even hailed as the "School Grass" of the Outer Court—they were already high-profile figures.
He was relatively fine due to the existing rumors involving him and Ma Xiaotao, but Wang Dong had it much worse. There were claims that Wang Dong harbored "the love of Longyang" (homosexuality) and tried to force himself on Huo Yuhao, who refused and left...
To avoid the spotlight and fulfill Zhang Lexuan's wish, the two hit it off the next day and decided to come to the Star Constellation Great Forest first to visit the graves of her deceased classmates.
As per routine, they had to fill their stomachs before getting down to business. Thus, the two were grilling meat and fish by the same creek where they had encountered the Golden Tortoise.
In the face of Little Huo's grilled meat—which practically had a "Charming" ability attached—even the usually ethereal Zhang Lexuan looked like a hungry kitten.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan's eager, longing gaze, Huo Yuhao smiled and handed the roasted fragrant pork skewers and grilled fish to her.
"Alright, Teacher Lexuan, please enjoy."
"Thank you."
Zhang Lexuan reached out and practically snatched them. She took a bite, and as the flavor blossomed on the tip of her tongue, a look of pleasant surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"So delicious! I heard Xiaotao mention your grilling skills, but I didn't expect it to be this good! If I'd known, I would've had you cook for me every day."
Huo Yuhao gave a bitter smile. "If I didn't have this skill, my mother and I probably would have starved in Star Net City."
Well... it wouldn't exactly have been starvation, but Uncle Baili Du had strictly required him to learn how to cook, especially grilled fish. At the time, he had said something mysterious: "Learning to grill fish and cook is your guarantee for finding a wife."
"Is that... so? If possible, can I visit your home during the break?"
"Wait, wouldn't that be a... home visit (from a teacher)?"
Zhang Lexuan was amused and reached out to pinch and tug at Huo Yuhao's cheek. "Hehe... exactly. I'll let a certain someone's mother know that her good son doesn't study hard and spends all of class staring at his teacher with lecherous eyes..."
"I... when did I ever look at Teacher Lexuan with lecherous eyes..."
"Hmph... we'll see how you perform next..."
Heaven and earth be my witness, Huo Yuhao felt he truly hadn't looked at her the way she described. On the contrary, it was Zhang Lexuan who would occasionally cast complex glances toward him during class...
After some laughter and playfulness, Zhang Lexuan finally adjusted her nervous mood.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Yuhao! Our goal this time isn't combat, but using your abilities to cloak our presence so we aren't discovered by soul beasts."
Consider it... satisfying a small selfishness of mine.
Zhang Lexuan paused, her booted foot kicking the ground uneasily. "Also, no matter what happens, if I tell you to run, you must run! No matter what happens, do not stop. Understand?!"
Huo Yuhao froze, pursed his lips, and nodded silently.
"...I understand. But Teacher Lexuan, you have to give me extra credit on my final grades for this trip."
Zhang Lexuan reached out and patted his hair. "...Let's go. I'll leave the rest to you."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. A pale golden glow flickered in his eyes as he released two great Soul Skills, Simulation and Spiritual Interference Domain, enveloping both their bodies.
Their figures completely vanished into the lush thickets of the Star Constellation Great Forest.
In the original timeline, Old Huo's Simulation was only a thousand-year level Soul Skill, yet it could fool a Level 98 Super Douluo like Xuan Zi. While part of that was due to Xuan Zi's own incompetence, it showed how powerful the Ice Silkworm clan's life-saving Soul Skill was.
What's more, Little Huo's Simulation and Spiritual Interference Domain were Million-Year Soul Skills...
However, hiding their forms wasn't enough. Soul Beasts have sensitive noses; they can smell the scent of a human instantly.
Then, a large amount of deep-blue dragon scales emerged on Huo Yuhao's left hand. With a light wave, a faint water mist diffused around the two of them.
Just as a bath removes the scent of sweat, this mist could maximize the masking of Zhang Lexuan and Huo Yuhao's scents, blocking those Soul Beasts with a keen sense of smell.
Seeing Huo Yuhao perform these meticulous preparations, Zhang Lexuan nodded in approval. "Good! No time to lose, let's move!"
...
Core Area, Lake of Life.
A Soul Beast that looked like both a lion and a dragon was lying lazily by the lakeside, boredly watching the shimmering water.
Just then, the Eye of Destiny on her forehead suddenly throbbed, causing her to stand up involuntarily. She looked toward the north with a look of astonishment.
"That... is the aura of Destiny!"
Without hesitation, golden flames erupted beneath her claws, lifting her up as she prepared to fly toward the outer perimeter.
At that moment, a majestic voice rang out: "Auspicious Beast, where are you going?"
The Three-eyed Golden Lion curled her lip in dissatisfaction. "Di Tian, I felt a power of Destiny similar to my own! I want to go see."
Di Tian's majestic voice carried a hint of bafflement. "A power of Destiny similar to yours? That's impossible... could there be a second Auspicious Beast in this world?"
The Three-eyed Golden Lion ignored him as the flames beneath her feet rose higher. "No time to explain in detail, I need to check it out."
She fell silent for a few seconds, then her voice softened slightly. "Perhaps it has a connection to that power."
A surge of darkness so dense it was almost physical rose up, wrapping around the Three-eyed Golden Lion. "No! You cannot leave the Core Area right now!"