Within the Great Star Dou Forest, the core region of the forest, sounds of intense fighting could be heard.
The land was torn and broken, vegetation burned to a crisp, large frozen crystals emitting freezing chill, and large bear claw marks left throughout the area. Ancient trees lay splintered like twigs on the shattered earth.
*Bang!*
"Hahahaha! Is that all you've got, boy?! You have to do better than this if you want to get out of the forest!" Bear Lord laughed tauntingly, cracking his neck and flashing a smug smirk.
From a distance, Huo Yuhao stood up from the rumble of trees he got punched into and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
After a year in the forest, Huo Yuhao went through a lot of changes. The obvious part of his transformation was his appearance.
He cut his long white hair into a low-length style, each strand cut clean and sharp. It framed his face in a way that made his features seem colder, ruthless as he stared at Bear Lord.
His sharp, handsome features became more defined, almost unreal in their perfection—like a statue carved from pure ice. His light blue eyes, half-lidded and unreadable, reflected nothing but indifference. The dark circles under his eyes made him appear intimidating; a result of overusing his Mangekyou Sharingan over the last few months.
Right now, he only wore white ragged pants, showing much of his appearance. He hadn't grown taller yet, but he became a bit more muscular. His muscles were defined and packed tightly against his frame—not bloated like a brute's, but streamlined for speed and power.
But those who judged for a lack of physical strength would surely be mistaken.
Huo Yuhao said, "I was just warming up, Bear Lord. Now, I'm getting serious."
He took a step forward, and clenched his fists.
That's right—fists. On where there was supposed to be a missing left arm, was a new prosthetic that looked no different to a real human arm!
It was a masterpiece, a Class 8 soul tool named Flame Demon King Arm!
This soul tool was created with the left arm soul bone of a 100,000 Inferno Devilwolf King, given by Di Tian, which was then reforged with high-quality metal ores provided by other soul beasts and the academy, before engraving several high-level soul formations, arrays, and lastly embedded it with dual-core energy circuits to fuel its two modes: human arm mode and soul beast arm mode.
This soul bone has one of the highest Ultimate Fire attribute that Di Tian has in storage. Huo Yuhao contemplated on just giving it to Ma Xiaotao, as it would enhance her abilities more than his.
However, Di Tian stopped him by saying that this soul bone was the only soul capable of resisting the Divine Curse of the Ice God.
Faced with such a reality, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to shamelessly ask for another Ultimate Fire attribute soul bone that was suitable for Ma Xiaotao. Of course, he also asked for other soul bones that were suitable for his friends.
If it weren't for Bi Ji, Di Tian would've suffered a stroke and just killed Huo Yuhao out of anger.
Also, he made the soul tool by his own hands! From a Class 6 Soul Engineer to a Class 8 in just a year, was a terrifying speed that was the first in human history! It even made some soul engineers in the academy reconsider their life choices.
Though there was a little cheating involved, *ahem* shadow clones and soul core *ahem*, but nonetheless Huo Yuhao was an official Class 8 soul engineer — by Shrek Academy standards that is.
He greatly understood that the academy and the rest of the Three Douluo Empires are years behind in soul engineering compared to the Sun Moon Empire.
Which was also a frustration for Huo Yuhao, since he felt that the prosthetic arm he made had numerous flaws that was formed due to a lack of information of advanced high-class soul engineering.
Although Huo Yuhao wasn't satisfied with his creation, in the eyes of the soul engineers in the academy, it was one of the greatest Class 8 soul tools they had ever seen—a once-in-a-century masterpiece.
All the knowledge and experience that Huo Yuhao had accumulated because of his shadow clones, was centuries of advanced soul engineering knowledge that the academy holds. It might not be as good as from the Sun Moon Empire, but it was certainly comparable or even beyond the Three Douluo Empires.
Thus in this small pond, Huo Yuhao had achieved a legendary feat.
Though if he were to show his genius and creation in the Sun Moon Empire, even they would be stunned speechless.
....Back to the current situation....
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, focusing within himself.
'The eight inner gates — 1st Gate: Gate of Opening, Release.'
'2nd Gate: Gate of Healing.'
'3rd Gate: Gate of Life.'
'4th Gate: Gate of Pain.'
'5th Gate: Gate of Closing.'
"Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy...Open!"
Huo Yuhao hair shot up straight, red lightning flickering across head, his muscles expanded slightly as green colored soul power exploded from his body in a violent surge, forming an intense aura; causing powerful shockwaves.
Boom!
A crater formed under Huo Yuhao's feet from the sheer force of his released energy. The ground cracked like spiderwebs, and the nearby debris and frost were vaporized in an instant.
The pressure he was emitting, capable of even making Soul Douluos weak on their knees, isn't enough to even make the Bear Lord sweat.
He's the strongest Bear in the world for a reason.
Bear Lord's grin widened. "I see you made a lot of progress in that strange technique of yours. Very well. You now earned the right of making me use 20% of my power."
Huo Yuhao snorted. "Remember the rules, Bear Lord."
Bear Lord waved him off, "Bah! I'm not an idiot, human. I can't use my bear form. But! Don't you also forget that you can't use your spiritual skills either! It's cheating!"
From their first spar, Bear Lord suffered greatly from Huo Yuhao's spiritual skills and was defeated swiftly by a simple B-rank genjutsu.
Dark Gold Terror Claw Bears aren't well known to be practitioners with spiritual power, in fact, even those of similar cultivation realm as them are several leagues better than them in this field.
Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Be careful!"
He disappeared in the blink of an eye, using just pure physical speed that even ordinary Titled Douluos would have trouble seeing, appeared behind Bear Lord's head and sent a straight punch with his left arm.
Blazing black flames emitted from it, causing space to ripple faintly as the Flame Demon King Arm surged with fiery energy. The punch connected with a thunderous bang, and Bear Lord's massive head snapped forward, the sheer force sending shockwaves through his towering frame.
The heat however, only singed his hair.
"Hmm. Now that's one of your best punches yet!"
With an animalistic growl, Bear Lord twisted his body and struck Huo Yuhao with his right palm, his right hand took on the characteristic of a bear's paw—long golden-bladed claws extended, the air trembled violently as the sharp tips carved through the atmosphere itself, leaving behind visible scars in space.
Bang!
Huo Yuhao countered it, meeting the Terror Claws with his left fist.
Made from the finest materials, the Flame Demon King Arm is one of the most toughest soul tool ever created, not even a Limit Douluo could break it without using a powerful ability.
And since Bear Lord was holding back, Huo Yuhao had no qualms in letting loose with his prosthetic soul arm.
The instant their attacks collided, a deafening shockwave ripped outward, flattening everything within a hundred meters.
KR-BOOM!
The impact cracked the earth beneath them like a broken mirror, while trees splintered into sawdust under the pressure. Fire and golden light clashed wildly, each trying to devour the other.
Huo Yuhao skidded back several meters, smoke rising from his prosthetic arm.Bear Lord took half a step back, golden claws flickering with residual heat.
Both sides grinned.
"....I hate to say it, but that arm's pretty good." Bear Lord rumbled, shaking his clawed hand, a thin trail of blood dripping from one fingertip. "I almost felt that one."
Huo Yuhao exhaled slowly, steam venting from his body as the strain of opening the Seventh Gate pressed down harder on him.
"Yeah, well, you haven't seen nothing yet!"
Huo Yuhao clenched both his hands, took a step forward, and appeared right in front of Bear Lord. Without warning, he started punching the air at blinding speed, so fast in fact, that friction with the air produces flames.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The barrage struck Bear Lord like a storm of meteorites. Each blow landed with explosive force, hammering into the titan's body from different angles—chest, ribs, shoulders, gut—faster than most could see, much less react to.
The ground beneath them shattered layer by layer, forming a crater within a crater. The air screamed as shockwaves burst outward, bending trees, splitting the earth.
This much physical strength would've severely injured an ordinary Titled Douluo.
It did little to no damage to Bear Lord.
Bear Lord smirked, taunting him. "Is that all—"
Before he could complete his sentence, Huo Yuhao extended his left arm. From under it opened a hatch that ejected a long white rod that landed in his right hand.
The white rod suddenly started transforming into the Gunbai that he created over a year ago, but never had the opportunity to use it in battle since it wasn't keeping up with his explosive growth.
Which is why he reforged the soul tool and fused it with his Flame Demon King Arm, making it part of his human arm mode's functions.
The ability that the Gunbai has was converting incoming soul power and spiritual power into powerful winds that could be shaped and be controlled to unleash devastating gusts capable of leveling an entire battlefield. It was a soul tool modeled after one of the weapons that his past life as Madara Uchiha had.
As it fully transformed in his hand, the Gunbai gleamed with the 9 magatamas, its engraved soul formations, pulsing faintly in crimson. Soul circuits ran across its surface like veins, channeling power from what his prosthetic had absorbed from Bear Lord's attack earlier directly into the fan.
Huo Yuhao unhesitatingly fanned the Gunbai upwards at Bear Lord.
FWOOSH!
The moment the Gunbai swung upward, the energy it had absorbed surged into motion—converted instantly into a roaring, concentrated large and whirlwind pillar of wind.
Unexpectedly, the flames that covered Bear Lord had spread throughout the pillar of wind, making it a flame tornado that pierced the sky like a fiery spear, twisting violently as it climbed higher and higher.
The flames, drawn in by the intense vacuum created by the wind, spiraled around the column, turning the tornado into a towering inferno that lit up the entire core region.
Fire Release: Great Fire Whirlwind!
Huo Yuhao planted the Gunbai into the ground and grabbed his left arm, which now transformed into a laser cannon that used his soul core and its energy core to power itself.
He aimed it at Bear Lord without any hesitation.
".....Those guys really don't understand self-restraint," Di Tian grunted and waved his hand, instantly creating a powerful spatial barrier around Huo Yuhao and Bear Lord so they wouldn't cause anymore damage to their environment.
"Yuhao's gotten so much stronger now," Qiu'er muttered and cocked her head towards Di Tian. "Isn't it enough already? Bear Lord looks like he's accepted him as worthy, so does Scarlet King, Bi Ji, and Myriad Demon King! Ordinary Titled Douluos can't handle him."
"I'm pretty sure there's not a lot of people who could pose a danger to him, considering his strange techniques for escape."
"Hey! I haven't given him my recognition yet!" Zi Ji interrupted, crossing her arms.
Qiu'er, Bi Ji, and the other Great Beasts gave her a strange look.
Zi Ji flushed bright red. "W-What's with those looks?!"
"....Auntie Zi Ji, you were the first person to acknowledged him after he cooked us a banquet and you asked for more. When Yuhao had first refused you, you immediately bargained with your recognition in return for seconds." Qiu'er said.
"...." Zi Ji suddenly wanted to find a hole to hide.
Di Tian nodded his head and said. "The Lord's eye is as sharp as ever. Huo Yuhao will fulfill the prophesized salvation for soul beasts and the path of Divinity for us. However, Qiu'er, you underestimate the dangers of the outside."
He looked up to the sky with a narrowed glare.
"Especially the pettiness of the Gods. Although they can't casually descend into this world, that doesn't mean their followers can't."
"Since Da Ming and Er Ming has made their move against us, he would surely sent his apostles to Huo Yuhao. And considering he had helped his friends ascend to Divinity as well, they might also lend a hand."
Di Tian stared at Qiu'er and said, "Huo Yuhao and you are the hope for all soul beasts. And since you two are connected with your souls, one of you dies the other would follow."
"He himself understand this, why do you think he hasn't made any complaints about staying in this place? He's trying to use every resources he could from us and the forest."
Bi Ji squinted her eyes and said, "But...hasn't he already sucked out almost everything we could provide for him? Except for becoming his Spirit Soul, what else could he want from us? Sparring partners?"
"Hmm." Di Tian had also came to the same conclusion long ago, but was trying to figure out Huo Yuhao's reason for staying in the forest.
The reason was simple. Huo Yuhao continued staying in the forest for the Lake of Life, it helped strengthened his soul core and increased his elemental affinities for some strange reason, doing this would increased his chance of forming his second soul core in the future. Secondly was because it was also helping accelerating the hibernations of Skydream, Ice Empress, and Snow Empress.
As for Indra and Electrolux...they still haven't returned.
Lastly, he stayed here to get away from certain old fogies who's complaining about what he's doing.
Unbeknownst to the Great Beasts, in the outside world of the Three Douluo Empires, a great change was happening and a certain organization was gaining traction.