A giant tortoise-like soul beast, about five meters in diameter, slowly emerged from the water.
Its golden shell appeared sacred and noble in the sunlight.
Its peculiar triangular pyramid-shaped head was held high, its nostrils bulging as it swam towards Huo Yuhao's location on the shore.
Huo Yuhao had already grilled three fish until they were golden and crispy, the oil dripping from the fish meat sizzling on the fire.
Beside him, the envious Shadow Cat lay on the ground, hands tucked in its pockets, its eyes yearning.
Soon, Huo Yuhao placed the largest fish in front of it; after all, it had caught all three fish, so it should eat the best one.
Seeing Huo Yuhao place the best and largest fish in front of it, the Shadow Cat didn't rush to eat. First, it went to Huo Yuhao's trouser leg and rubbed against it.
"Meow~"
Then the little guy went to the grilled fish and stuffed its head directly into the fish's belly, frantically eating.
His absorption was so intense, one might think he'd added ice to the grilled fish.
Huo Yuhao nodded with satisfaction. He'd been in Xuanfeng City for months, without a chance to showcase his unique grilled fish technique.
Judging from Youyingmao's expression, his skills hadn't diminished.
Huo Yuhao wasn't bragging; even without soul power, he could build his own grilled fish empire on Douluo Continent with just this technique and some marketing.
He'd open hundreds of chain stores a year, and he'd even thought of a name for them: "Huo Tianyao."
Then he'd offer milk tea and other sweet drinks, promoting "Snow King Ice City" to the other world.
He'd give the people of Douluo Continent a small chain store shock.
It's a pity if it weren't for his cheat-like intervention; he might have actually done it by now.
But if he had the chance in the future, he could try to see if the chain store model could work on Douluo Continent.
Huo Yuhao picked up a grilled fish next to him, not minding the heat, and tore off a large piece of fish to chew.
Although the fish on Douluo Continent aren't very polite, their meat quality is undeniable; even in the Golden Age of his previous life on Earth, they would be considered top-tier!
Just as Huo Yuhao was enjoying his meal, the colorful blade patterns on his right hand glowed faintly, conveying a message to him:
"Human, I want to eat too."
Since obtaining this blade, Huo Yuhao had been feeding it with entropy power, and it had been growing. At first, its speech was fragmented , but
now it could speak in coherent sentences.
Huo Yuhao tried to ask it where it was born, and it only vaguely said that it was born in a colorful sea.
It was Yu Hongzhi's soul skill that summoned it.
To find out the whole truth, he would probably have to enter the Dream Gate, but without Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ilex present, he dared not enter rashly.
"You can eat?"
Huo Yuhao was a little surprised; a blade that could eat was indeed a bit strange.
However, Huo Yuhao still placed half of the grilled fish on his right hand.
It was his blade, and he had to pamper it.
Then, the colorful blade patterns emitted a white light, and a band of light emerged from it, turning the grilled fish into foam.
"Delicious!"
The Broken Dream Blade conveyed joy for the first time, then its colorful light band rubbed against Huo Yuhao's cheek like a spoiled child.
The Shadow Cat beside him raised its head, meowing a few times, not wanting to be outdone, and ignoring the grease on its face, frantically rubbed against Huo Yuhao's trouser leg.
"Damn, you old man, you just changed these pants!"
"Meow!"
After a while of playful fighting, the two rascals beside him finally quieted down. Just as Huo Yuhao was about to pick up the last piece of grilled fish to eat, a deep, resonant voice came from behind him.
"Your grilled fish, why is it so tender and fragrant?"
"There's an expert here!"
Huo Yuhao's limbs were numb at this point, and he could barely manage a smile.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, there's a common understanding: if you hear a human voice when no one is around, you can basically assume they're your rightful owner.
Because it was either a super soul beast or an encounter with a hundred-thousand-year-old beast king.
Fortunately, once it entered the mental energy range, the [Record] ability incorporated its information into the catalog.
"Golden Hawksbill Turtle: An auspicious beast, the king of turtle-type soul beasts, the uncrowned king of turtles, the pinnacle of defense, generally growing in places with abundant fortune in the Star Dou Great Forest. This race has an extremely long lifespan, and each individual can become a hundred-thousand-year-old beast king if they grow normally."
"Because it carries its own fortune, it is usually protected by powerful soul beasts. The Golden Hawksbill Turtle itself is proud and loyal, and will not actively provoke conflict."
After obtaining the information from the catalog, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. If it were any other hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, he would probably have been skinned alive.
The only Golden Hawksbill Turtle that Huo Yuhao could think of that could appear in the outer circle was the one that stole the Gold of Life in the original work.
In the original story, a 100,000-year-old golden hawksbill turtle, driven by greed, sneaked into the Lake of Life and, using its luck as cover, bit off one-fifth of the life-gold from the spring.
This one-fifth of life-gold was equivalent to millions of years of accumulation in the Star Dou Great Forest.
A mere 100,000-year-old soul beast couldn't possibly withstand such immense life force.
Therefore, the life-gold absorbed its life force, causing it unbearable pain.
In the end, it benefited Xu Sanshi, becoming his soul spirit.
Huo Yuhao felt relieved and turned his head to see a strange turtle-like soul beast staring with golden eyes at the grilled fish in his hand.
Huo Yuhao raised his hand holding the grilled fish, and its eyes followed suit.
It looked rather simple-minded.
But then again, if it weren't stubborn, how could it dare to attack the Lake of Life against Di Tian and a bunch of ferocious beasts?
"Here, have some."
Huo Yuhao held the grilled fish to the golden hawksbill turtle's mouth.
The golden hawksbill turtle was mesmerized by the aroma; in all its years, it had never smelled such fragrant food.
"Thank you, human."
The golden hawksbill turtle devoured the grilled fish, then its eyes widened suddenly.
Like a cat seeing catnip, it seemed oblivious to the world around it, flipping its shell over and sprawling on the ground.
The shadow cat beside it looked at the 100,000-year-old beast king with disdain, as if he were a country bumpkin.
After a long while, the golden hawksbill turtle rolled over again, its golden eyes filled with satisfaction as it looked at Huo Yuhao and said,
"It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed."
"Human, do you need a spirit ring? I can offer it to you."
Huo Yuhao looked at it doubtfully. He didn't believe in free lunches, nor did he believe that a grilled fish could make a 100,000-year-old beast king offer itself up.
If 100,000-year spirit rings were so easy to obtain, every spirit master on the Douluo Continent would have started learning cooking long ago; this wasn't the set of some food-themed anime.
Huo Yuhao asked, "Why would you sacrifice yourself for me? I don't believe you made this decision because of the grilled fish."
The golden hawksbill turtle's eyes were filled with arrogance as it gruffly replied, "Of course not! I, an old turtle, am a beast king, how could I sacrifice myself for food?"
"You've struck gold, kid. Due to some issues, my lifespan is running out."
"Our golden hawksbill turtle clan are auspicious beasts, capable of turning misfortune into good fortune."
"The moment I saw you, my destiny told me I must follow you."
"I believe in the judgment of destiny; it's the foundation of our clan."
"Moreover, a voice is urging me to quickly sacrifice myself to you. That voice is so ethereal, it feels like it's emanating from the world itself."
Huo Yuhao fell into thought. He didn't want to absorb the golden hawksbill turtle in the first ring because the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was coming.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was currently being chased by a group of ferocious beasts; it couldn't wait any longer.
Even a slight delay could result in it being captured by Di Tian and the others and taken back to the Lake of Life.
The golden hawksbill turtle can wait, so Huo Yuhao hopes the second ring will be the golden hawksbill turtle.
He'll leave the first ring for the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm and the attracted Electrox.
(End of Chapter)