Rise in Douluo Continent with the help of bean buns

After twelve days and nights of travel, the sound of horses' hooves stopped outside Blackstone Town, at the western entrance of the Starry Sky Forest.

Lin Chen sold the black horse, changed into a set of coarse cloth outfit that had been washed until it was gray, pulled his straw hat down to his brow bone, stuffed his storage soul tool into the deepest part of his bag, and completely suppressed his soul power.

He stood in the crowd at the town entrance, no different from those low-level young soul masters from poor backgrounds who came alone to try their luck—thin, silent, and exuding a sense of restraint as he entered a dangerous place for the first time. Anyone who took a second look would only think he was an ordinary child who came to hunt for his first soul ring.

After confirming that there was nowhere conspicuous, he carried a simple bag and followed the end of the crowd, quietly disappearing into the vast forest.

According to the original novel, after leaving the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, Huo Yuhao headed north and entered the Star Dou Great Forest. He had just reached level ten and was stuck at the threshold between Soul Warrior and Soul Master. His only purpose for this trip was to hunt for his first Soul Ring.

He stopped to rest in the stream area on the outskirts. While eating grilled fish, he met Tang Ya and Bei Bei from the Tang Clan. They then parted ways. The boy went deep into the forest alone to find soul beasts. Along the way, he was suddenly attacked by the Ten-Year Wind Baboon. After fighting to the death to survive, he was exhausted and finally met the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm that would change his life.

Lin Chen had a clear goal for this trip: to head straight for the outer stream basin.

He needed to arrive before Huo Yuhao, then stay three miles behind the boy, waiting for the moment the sacrifice began to intercept that wisp of remnant soul.

The section of the road just inside the forest is the outermost safe zone. The trees are sparse, and sunlight filters through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows. Low-level soul beasts, some ten or twenty years old, are everywhere.

Plump hares darted among the grass, brightly colored birds perched on branches and chirped, and even the most common baboons were mostly around ten years old, only active within their own small territories, and rarely attacked passing humans.

Most ordinary Soul Masters, when hunting for their first Soul Ring, only dare to operate in this area.

Lin Chen walked very lightly, and the natural scent of Blue Silver Grass wafted out, blending into the surrounding forest.

The spirit beasts along the way treated him like a moving plant, not even bothering to look him in the eye. He didn't stop at all, following the faint sound of the stream upstream.

The further in you go, the denser the forest becomes. Towering ancient trees block out the sun, and the layers of decaying leaves are thick and soft, making it silent when you step on them. The age of the soul beasts also increases accordingly. Hundred-year soul beasts have gradually become the mainstream, and occasionally you can find traces of thousand-year soul beasts. As for ten-thousand-year soul beasts, they rarely venture into this area and mostly reside in the deeper core layer.

He always maintained a rhythm of being active at night and resting during the day.

  

During the day, when soul beasts are active and the soul hunting teams come and go frequently, he would find a secluded spot in the dense canopy of a tree to lie in wait, hiding his body behind layers of branches and leaves, leaving only Doubao's all-area scanning silently running, avoiding all living things that approached in advance.

As night fell and activity in the forest decreased, he continued deeper under the cover of darkness, his footsteps as light as the wind, leaving no clear footprints on the decaying leaves.

[700 meters ahead, a century-old baboon clan, nineteen in total, with a very strong sense of territory. Detour to the left through the valley.]

[Nine hundred meters to the right, a two-thousand-year-old Mandragora snake has just shed its skin; its aura is weak. There is no need to change course.]

[1300 meters northeast, a four-person Soul Hunting team, consisting of two Soul Masters and two other Soul Masters, is retreating towards the exit.]

The notification sound kept ringing in my mind, and all risks were nipped in the bud a quarter of an hour in advance.

He never provokes any spirit beasts and deliberately avoids all human groups, preferring to avoid trouble.

This trip is not about hunting souls or undergoing training; it's about seizing an opportunity that transcends dimensions. Concealment is always the top priority.

To minimize his presence, he rarely even used his soul skills, only laying down a very faint layer of warning vines within a hundred feet around him when he rested at night.

The vines are as thin as hair, hidden among the grass and bushes. Let alone ordinary soul masters, even thousand-year-old soul beasts would just think of them as weeds that can be seen everywhere in the forest.

After walking for a whole day, he finally arrived at the stream basin described in the original text.

The babbling brook flows down the mountain stream, with lush green grass and shrubs growing on the banks. The water is shallow and clear, and you can see the small pebbles and swimming fish on the bottom.

Doubao's full-area scan spread along the stream and quickly locked onto a river bend downstream—there was still the warmth of a recently extinguished campfire, and there were small footprints on the ground. Judging from the time, the person had only been gone for less than half an hour.

[Trajectory Matching: Human, single, eleven years old, Soul Power Level 10, no Soul Rings, walking upstream along the stream, walking speed and physical characteristics perfectly match Huo Yuhao.]

Status: Just reached level 10 Soul Master, aiming to acquire the first Soul Ring.

We expect to stop and rest at a river bend about two miles ahead in half an hour.

Lin Chen's gaze sharpened slightly. Instead of approaching immediately, he circled around to the depths of the dense forest on the other side of the river bend.

He chose a century-old tree with a dense canopy, hooked his fingertips on the rough bark, and silently leaped up, hiding his body behind the densest branches and leaves.

This place is exactly three miles from the river bend, separated by a forest and a winding stream. The view is mostly blocked, but you can still clearly sense the atmosphere and movements on the other side.

That's enough for him. He doesn't need to see faces clearly; as long as he locks onto a person's scent, he'll never lose track of them.

He didn't need to go over to see what was going on. At a distance of three miles, he could both detect the mental fluctuations of the subsequent sacrifice and be on the edge of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's normal perception. As long as he concealed his aura thoroughly enough, he would never be detected by this million-year-old soul beast.

Half an hour later, a thin figure appeared on the riverbank.

It was Huo Yuhao.

The boy was rather thin, dressed in faded gray old clothes with frayed edges on the cuffs and trousers. He carried a patched small bag on his back and clutched an antique-style short dagger in his hand—the White Tiger Dagger left by his mother.

He stopped, his pale purple eyes brightening slightly. He cautiously scanned his surroundings to make sure there was no danger before putting down his baggage and walking to the stream.

He deftly caught several palm-sized fish in the stream, cleaned them, found a sheltered spot, started a fire, and skewered the fish on tree branches to roast. The flames licked the fish meat, and soon a rich aroma filled the air, drifting far on the wind.

Lin Chen lay quietly on the treetop three miles away, using the vines to sense and firmly lock onto the boy's aura through the layers of trees.

He didn't move, nor did he release his mental energy to investigate; he simply waited quietly.

He knew that soon the other two would come looking for him, drawn by the smell of grilled fish.

Sure enough, not long after, two figures slowly walked over from upstream.

Leading the way was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a light blue outfit, her black hair neatly tied in a ponytail, her eyebrows and eyes lively and charming, she was none other than Tang Ya, the current head of the Tang Clan; following behind her was a boy of similar age, with short dark blue hair, a tall and straight figure, and a gentle and refined temperament, he was none other than Bei Bei, a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family and Tang Ya's disciple.

The two were clearly attracted by the aroma of grilled fish. Tang Ya walked in front, her nose twitching slightly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the fish sizzling on the fire, her face showing undisguised craving.

The subsequent developments were exactly as described in the original story. Tang Ya took the initiative to strike up a conversation, her tone lively and familiar; Huo Yuhao was initially clearly wary, his hand gripping the short dagger tightly, but seeing that the two meant no harm, he gradually relaxed and shared two grilled fish with them.

The three of them ate and chatted around the fire. Tang Ya was lively and talkative, asking all sorts of questions. Bei Bei was quiet and mostly listened attentively, occasionally adding a word or two. Huo Yuhao was the least talkative and answered very cautiously.

Lin Chen sensed the commotion from afar, without having the slightest intention of intervening.

Bei Bei is a three-ring Soul Master, and possesses the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Martial Soul, giving her perception far exceeding that of others at the same level. Getting too close and risking exposure would be counterproductive.

He only needed to wait quietly until the three finished eating and said goodbye, and until Huo Yuhao went deep into the forest alone, then he could add the scene.

As for the Tang Clan's Xuan Tian Gong, he wouldn't touch it, nor was there any need for him to.

By the time we finished eating the fish, the sun had already passed noon.

Tang Ya ate to her heart's content and warmly invited Huo Yuhao to join them.

Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment, but still politely declined.

He was clearly still very wary of strangers. After finishing the fish, he packed up his things, thanked them sincerely, and took his leave. Then, he walked alone into the depths of the Starry Sky Forest.

Beibei and Tangya stood there watching his back, whispering a few words. They both felt that the young man had a good character, but it was a pity that his martial soul talent was lacking.

After a moment of reflection, the two turned and left along the stream, without following.

The river bend returned to silence, with only the lingering smoke from the campfire slowly dissipating and soon carried away by the wind.