Even she couldn't have imagined that the first person to trigger the reverse scale defense would be herself.
Gu Yuena was almost speechless. How could there be such a little rascal?
"Don't you know your limits?"
"And you dare to force a kiss on me?"
"Do you still dare to act recklessly?"
After lecturing him, Gu Yuena glared at Su Yu with a stern face, looking fierce.
"I dare!"
Su Yu nodded, replying firmly.
"You!"
Gu Yuena was so angry she almost laughed. "Are you not afraid of dying?"
"To die under the peony flower—I'd die in style, even as a ghost."
Su Yu grabbed Gu Yuena's hand, his eyes full of affection.
Gu Yuena trembled, not daring to meet Su Yu's gaze. She couldn't help but turn her head slightly.
For some reason, an inexplicable emotion stirred in her heart, making her feel flustered.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Yu stepped forward and pulled Gu Yuena into his arms.
Gu Yuena instinctively wanted to struggle, but remembering that her earlier resistance almost killed Su Yu, she forcibly suppressed the impulse.
Su Yu gently turned Gu Yuena's head back, looking into her purple eyes with eyes full of affection.
Their gazes locked together.
That inexplicable emotion in Gu Yuena's heart surged even more violently.
Studies show that if a man and a woman maintain eye contact for more than a minute, unusual feelings can arise.
Not to mention, Gu Yuena was already emotionally stirred by Su Yu, and now with this prolonged eye contact, her feelings were instantly amplified.
Additionally, Su Yu's Dragon God aura was inherently attractive to Gu Yuena.
Gu Yuena herself was inexperienced in matters of love, completely clueless.
Naturally, her heart began to race uncontrollably.
Anyone who has read Douluo 3 knows that Gu Yuena may appear cold, but in reality, she isn't that hard to win over.
Su Yu raised his right hand, gently stroking Gu Yuena's cheek as if handling a priceless treasure.
Looking at her with tender eyes, Su Yu lifted her chin and boldly kissed her.
After all, Gu Yuena wasn't going to kill him, so there wasn't much Su Yu wouldn't dare to do.
Gu Yuena's beautiful eyes widened, seemingly not expecting Su Yu to be so audacious.
He kissed her boldly, deepening the kiss without hesitation.
Gu Yuena wanted to resist but was afraid of accidentally hurting him. Gradually, she found herself immersed in the kiss.
The two kissed passionately, with Su Yu holding Gu Yuena's waist as they embraced intimately.
It was unknown how much time passed before they finally pulled apart.
Looking at Gu Yuena's flawless, beautiful face, Su Yu's gaze softened, and he gave her lips one more gentle peck.
"Nana, wait for me to come back and marry you."
With that, Su Yu turned and left.
Gu Yuena stood there, staring blankly as Su Yu walked into the space portal and disappeared, unable to move.
Her heart was in turmoil.
...
Outside the Great Star Dou Forest, a slender figure dressed in gray clothing gradually emerged.
The person looked ordinary, but his eyes held a certain liveliness that others lacked.
"Fifty miles ahead lies the boundary of the Great Star Dou Forest. Soul beasts are present. Stay alert."
Huo Yuhao looked at the nearby wooden sign, feeling a bit excited. He hadn't taken the wrong path after all.
However, a wave of nervousness surged in his heart. He touched the White Tiger Dagger at his waist, his expression becoming resolute.
There was no turning back for him. Becoming a soul master was the only path.
He still had to seek justice for his mother and take revenge on the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. He had to become stronger.
With a mental pep talk, Huo Yuhao continued forward.
As he neared the Great Star Dou Forest, the air became noticeably cooler.
Soon, Huo Yuhao arrived at the forest. The enormous forest resembled an abyss, hiding untold numbers of terrifying creatures.
Huo Yuhao gulped, summoning his courage, and stepped into the Great Star Dou Forest.
Once inside, the tension and fear in Huo Yuhao's heart gradually dissipated.
The surrounding trees were lush, and there was a refreshing feeling in the air, making it hard not to feel relaxed.
Thinking about the soul ring he was about to obtain, Huo Yuhao's blood began to boil with excitement.
Filled with enthusiasm, he quickened his pace slightly.
As he moved forward, Huo Yuhao suddenly sensed something amiss. His eyes felt as if they were being pricked by needles.
He quickly channeled his soul power to his Spirit Eyes, where a faint stream of energy swirled around them. Huo Yuhao caught a glimpse of a shadow flickering on the left side of the road ahead.
As a rare mental-type variant martial soul, the Spirit Eyes had a strong ability for early warning.
The sense of danger instantly sharpened Huo Yuhao's reflexes. He quickly dove to the left while simultaneously drawing the White Tiger Dagger from his waist.
A black figure flashed past where he had just been standing, landing on the ground nearby. At such close range, Huo Yuhao could finally see what it was.
It was a ferocious god-killing beast—the Wind Baboon—standing about a meter tall, with yellowish-brown fur and fierce brown eyes.
Its arms were unusually long, with sharp claws on its hands, canine teeth exposed, and its eyes radiating a menacing light.
This soul beast was none other than the infamous Wind Baboon.
Having missed its mark, the Wind Baboon let out a low growl and, with a powerful kick from its hind legs, pounced at Huo Yuhao again.
The Wind Baboon wasn't fast, but Huo Yuhao's soul power was too weak to compensate.
Even with the help of the Spirit Eyes martial soul, Huo Yuhao was still flustered.
As the Wind Baboon lunged, Huo Yuhao, already prone on the ground, quickly rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding its attack.
But before he could get up, the Wind Baboon's claw swiped at him.
Unable to evade in time, Huo Yuhao's waist was slashed, and a chunk of flesh was torn away by the Wind Baboon's sharp claws.
The pain was so intense that cold sweat broke out on Huo Yuhao's forehead. However, he had no time to cry out. He quickly got up, holding the White Tiger Dagger defensively in front of his chest.
His heart pounded rapidly, and Huo Yuhao was extremely nervous.
This was his first time facing an enemy.
The burning pain in his waist was almost unbearable.
Blood seeped from his wound, staining his clothes red.
But Huo Yuhao didn't dare look at it. The Wind Baboon was still staring him down, full of murderous intent.
Huo Yuhao knew this would be a tough battle.
Frustrated by its repeated failed attacks, the Wind Baboon became more agitated.
It pounded its fists against its chest and roared furiously.
Its eyes gleamed with a sinister light as it glared at Huo Yuhao.
Man and beast stood in a tense standoff, a battle on the verge of erupting.
Suddenly, the Wind Baboon roared and launched its attack.
It opened its mouth, spitting a ball of white light toward Huo Yuhao.
This took Huo Yuhao by surprise. He hadn't expected the Wind Baboon to have such an attack.
The light ball moved quickly and with immense power. Shocked, Huo Yuhao froze in place, unable to react.
As the white light was about to hit him, Huo Yuhao became even more flustered.
At the critical moment, he hurriedly raised the White Tiger Dagger in front of him.
The white light struck the dagger, and suddenly, a green glow emanated from the blade, miraculously absorbing the white light.
Huo Yuhao was overjoyed, but before he could fully rejoice, a shadow blocked the sunlight.
The Wind Baboon's body was already lunging at him, white light flickering from its mouth.
Huo Yuhao was terrified.
But it was too late to dodge, and in his panic, he could only wave the White Tiger Dagger wildly.
Bang!
The Wind Baboon's claw hit Huo Yuhao's chest, sending him flying several meters. He rolled twice on the ground, his body covered in dirt.
Twitching in pain, blood trickled from his mouth and nose. His chest, where the Wind Baboon's claw had struck, was a bloody mess—flesh torn apart and blood dripping.
The Wind Baboon's claw had caused significant injury to Huo Yuhao, even shaking his internal organs.
Suppressing the pain, Huo Yuhao struggled to stand, tightly gripping the White Tiger Dagger and warily watching the front.
To his surprise, the Wind Baboon wasn't moving anymore.
Looking closely, Huo Yuhao saw the Wind Baboon was frozen on the ground, a white soul ring floating above its body.
The Wind Baboon was dead?
Huo Yuhao was puzzled and thought back to the earlier moments.
At the time, in his panic, he had swung the White Tiger Dagger wildly and seemed to have struck something.
It seemed that by sheer luck, he had hit the Wind Baboon's vital point.
Realizing this, Huo Yuhao finally relaxed and collapsed to the ground.
He gasped for air, reflecting on how close he had come to death.
If he hadn't accidentally hit the Wind Baboon's vital point, it would have been him lying dead now.
In terms of pure strength, he was still no match for the Wind Baboon.
His waist and chest wounds were still bleeding, and if he didn't stop the bleeding soon, he'd grow weaker and weaker.
Huo Yuhao pulled out a clean cloth from his pack, wiped the area around the wounds, and applied some hemostatic herbal medicine.
Over the years, he had been beaten so many times that he always kept some pain-relieving and blood-stopping herbs on him.
After applying the medicine, Huo Yuhao bandaged the wounds. By the time he was done, he was drenched in sweat.
His injuries were severe, with wounds on his waist and chest, and even his internal organs had been shaken.
If he continued forward, he would likely meet disaster.
Huo Yuhao looked at the Wind Baboon's corpse not far away, his gaze sorrowful.
Although he didn't know exactly what kind of soul beast the Wind Baboon was, he was sure it wasn't a mental-type beast.
This meant the Wind Baboon wasn't suitable for him.
But in his current condition, could he continue searching for a soul beast that suited him?
Before coming to the Great Star Dou Forest, he had been full of hope, dreaming of obtaining a soul ring that perfectly suited him.
But now, the appearance of the Wind Baboon had crushed his hopes.
He had almost been killed by a mere ten-year soul beast.
Could he handle those hundred-year soul beasts?
Continuing forward would be nothing but a death sentence.
Huo Yuhao felt a wave of despair, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Alone and without any background or support, he was always unable to obtain a good soul ring.
Huo Yuhao wasn't even sure if he could rely on luck again if he encountered another ten-year soul beast.
Although the Wind Baboon's soul ring didn't suit him, it was still a soul ring.
As long as he absorbed this soul ring, he could advance to become a Soul Master.
When he reached level twenty, he could obtain a better soul ring.
For Huo Yuhao now, nothing was more important than becoming a Soul Master.
"Mom..."
Tears flowed from Huo Yuhao's eyes as he thought of his mother again.
He stood up once more and walked toward the Wind Baboon's corpse.
Sitting in front of the Wind Baboon's body, Huo Yuhao used his soul power to guide the white soul ring floating above the Wind Baboon into his body.
A ten-year soul ring didn't contain much energy.
After about half an hour, Huo Yuhao completed the absorption of the soul ring and became an eleventh-level Soul Master.
Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes flickered, and beneath him, a white soul ring appeared.
The Wind Baboon had granted Huo Yuhao a soul skill called Mental Daze.
The Wind Baboon liked to roar and pound its chest to intimidate others.
When combined with Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes, it became this soul skill.
The effect of the Mental Daze was that when Huo Yuhao's spiritual power surpassed his opponent's and his opponent's willpower was weak, there was a chance of causing a mental daze.
In other words, for this soul skill to work, three conditions had to be met.
First, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power had to be higher than his opponent's.
Second, the opponent's psychological resilience and willpower had to be very weak.
Third, there was only a chance of causing the daze; even if the first two conditions were met, it wasn't guaranteed to work.
If Su Yu were to comment on this soul skill, he would probably say it was something you wouldn't see even in eight lifetimes.
Su Yu would never have expected that Huo Yuhao, who in the original story constantly tricked people by claiming his first soul ring was from a ten-year Wind Baboon, would now actually end up with a ten-year Wind Baboon as his first soul ring.
...
In front of the Lake of Life, Su Yu was bidding farewell to Di Mingli and others.
"Ming Li, I'm leaving now, but I have some things to remind you. While I'm away, unless it's necessary, don't leave the core area, understand?"
"You have a special status, and there will always be troublemakers trying to harm you."
Su Yu stroked Di Mingli's fur, softly advising her.
At present, she didn't have Tang Wutong's soul within it.
He had the system check this.
In the original story, Tang Wutong's soul was placed in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion by Tang San when Huo Yuhao first encountered her during his destiny guidance.
Tang San had even shamelessly claimed that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was the incarnation of his daughter.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was over fifteen thousand years old, older than Tang San himself, yet the so-called God King could still lie with a straight face.
However, it was true that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was destined to face a trial, a test from the World Will, and the target of that test would be the Child of Fate.
Now, Su Yu was the Child of Fate, so naturally, he would be the target of this trial.
Given that it was him, it was manageable. He certainly wouldn't let anything happen to Di Mingli.
But the one to watch out for was that so-called God King.
That's why Su Yu instructed her not to leave the core area lightly.
Once his newbie protection period ended, the God King would notice him.
Thus, in the future, Su Yu also wouldn't casually return to the Great Star Dou Forest, just to avoid giving the God King a chance to strike.
Who knew how many traps the God King had set for him? While Su Yu wasn't afraid and could handle whatever came his way, he was worried about the people around him getting dragged into it.