Yan Shaozhe continued, "It just so happens that a few core disciples from the outer courtyard have also applied to obtain soul rings during this holiday. You can join them."
Huo Yuhao thought to himself, "It has all the elements, but it sounds a little scary."
Noticing Huo Yuhao's slightly strange expression, Yan Shaozhe added, "Don't worry, Yuhao. You know Elder Xuan's strength. However, Elder Xuan will only protect you secretly."
"Your actual team leader will be that girl, Lexuan. This trip to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul rings can be considered an experience for you."
Yan Shaozhe knew that flowers could not be grown in a greenhouse. Only by experiencing setbacks could Huo Yuhao truly stand on his own.
He didn't want his blind accommodation and care to ruin Shrek's future towering tree. Moreover, it had always been Shrek's tradition to form a team to hunt soul rings.
This method was also the only way for a soul master on Douluo Continent.
"That's good," Huo Yuhao nodded.
Even if the Zhang Lexuan didn't lead the team, he still wanted Yan Shaozhe to add this insurance.
In his opinion, Zhang Lexuan's sense of security was much stronger than Xuanzi's.
After all, she had tenaciously survived the destruction of his old man's halo and had absorbed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as a blessing in disguise. She must be a being with strong luck and strength.
"Alright, I still have to write this report application to Sea God Pavilion. You can go back and wait for the news. It will have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest," Yan Shaozhe said, touching his brow and waving his hand.
It was now the end of the academy's day, and it was already his off-duty time.
Originally, Yan Shaozhe had planned to save it and apply again tomorrow, but for the sake of Huo Yuhao's efficiency in obtaining the soul ring, he had to work overtime.
"Understood" Huo Yuhao replied. After saying goodbye to Yan Shaozhe, he went to the Shrek Canteen.
That night, accurate news came about the application for hunting soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, and Sea God Pavilion finally approved the operation.
As Yan Shaozhe had said, the leader of the team was Zhang Lexuan, and there was also an additional commander-in-chief, Cai Meier, the deputy dean of the Martial Soul Department.
As for Xuan Zi, he did not appear on the list. Huo Yuhao knew that this was the old man's secret protection.
Both Cai Meier and Zhang Lexuan had no need for soul rings, and their main tasks were to guide and protect.
A Titled Douluo and a Soul Douluo leading the students to hunt soul beasts—only Shrek Academy could do so easily.
Among the list of students who obtained soul rings, there were four from the inner courtyard: Huo Yuhao, Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and Chu Qingtian.
There were two people from the outer courtyard, both girls, one of whom happened to be someone Huo Yuhao knew—Jiang Nannan.
The departure time was set for the next morning.
It didn't take long before all the inner courtyard students for this trip to the Star Dou Forest arrived.
Cai Meier was the last to arrive, wearing only a simple gray cloth.
Her actual age was already over ninety years old, but at this time, she only looked like she was in her fifties, and she was extremely well-maintained.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Vice Dean Cai Meier clapped her hands, attracting everyone's attention, and said gently, "This is not the first time for everyone to enter the Star Dou Forest. We are not familiar with each other, so let's introduce ourselves and briefly mention our names, martial souls, and cultivation levels. This will help us cooperate better in the Star Dou Forest."
As she spoke, she nodded to Zhang Lexuan.
Zhang Lexuan understood and took the lead, saying, "My name is Zhang Lexuan, an assistant teacher and student in the inner courtyard. My martial soul is Moon, and I am an eighty-third-level assault system soul master. I am responsible for leading and commanding this time, and I do not need a soul ring."
When they heard the words "level eighty-three," Chu Qingtian and several students from the outer courtyard were shocked and speechless.
From her appearance, Zhang Lexuan was still only in her twenties.
Generally, being able to reach the level of Soul Saint at this age was already an extremely talented performance, but they did not expect that Zhang Lexuan was actually a Soul Douluo! She was indeed the senior sister of the inner courtyard!
While the three people from the outer courtyard were still shocked, Han Ruoruo introduced herself. "My name is Han Ruoruo. My martial soul is the Dazzling Golden Rope. I am a control system soul master and the main controller of this operation. I have an level 80 soul master and need the eighth soul ring."
Everyone continued to be shocked!
'Is this the strength of the top powerhouses in Shrek's inner court? It's so terrifying!'
After the two of them finished their introductions, Cai Meier interjected, "I am only accompanying this operation. Lexuan and Ruoruo are actually commanding."
"They are experienced, and everyone must obey their orders. For the safety of everyone and the team, we must not act without permission. Alright, continue. Wu Ming, you go next."
Wu Ming nodded and said with a smile, "My name is Wu Ming. My martial soul is the Golden Crow. I am a attack system Soul Emperor. I am inferior to the two senior sisters. My soul power is only level 70, and I need the seventh soul ring."
Chu Qingtian continued, "My name is Chu Qingtian. My martial soul is the Berserk Lightning Leopard. I am a level 50 agility attack system Soul Sect and need the fifth soul ring."
It was then the turn of the two women from the outer courtyard to introduce themselves.
Jiang Nannan spoke quickly, "My name is Jiang Nannan. My martial soul is the Soft-Bone Rabbit. My soul power is level 40, and I am an agility attack system soul master. I need the fourth soul ring."
The last person's voice was slightly cold, and she said indifferently, "Dugu Yun. My martial soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent I am a level 40 control system soul master and need the fourth soul ring."
After everyone's introduction, their eyes simultaneously focused on Huo Yuhao, who was wearing a white freshman uniform. Everyone knew something about the famous person in front of them.
"Huo Yuhao. My martial souls are the Spirit Eyes and the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress. I am a level 40 strong attack system soul master and require the fourth soul ring."
Huo Yuhao's voice was not loud, but it sounded extraordinary to the ears of the students, and the degree of shock was much greater than that of the first two senior sisters.
'This is a freshman, and he has already reached level 40? It's simply outrageous! Twelve years old—even if he took pills day and night, he couldn't be so fast, right?'
Especially Chu Qingtian, who had just entered the inner courtyard a year ago, felt a little ashamed.
'Is this the little junior brother who made an exception to enter the inner courtyard? The gap between people is so big. At Huo Yuhao's age, I was still struggling to break through level 30.'
Zhang Lexuan said, "Alright, everyone has introduced themselves. I will simply allocate our formation after entering the Star Dou Forest..."
Zhang Lexuan took the lead, with Han Ruoruo, the main controller, behind her, and Wu Ming at the end.
The left and right wings were Chu Qingtian and Huo Yuhao, while the rest of the team was in the middle. No one raised any objections to her arrangement.
In the Star Dou Forest, there were many dangers.
The front and back of the team were the most dangerous, so strong soul masters were usually placed there.
As for the left and right wings, they were not only responsible for protecting the soul masters in the middle but also for reconnaissance. It was a small test for Huo Yuhao and his team.
It could be said that with a soul master like Zhang Lexuan, Cai Meier's care, and Xuan Zi's secret protection, Huo Yuhao and his team could walk sideways in the Star Dou Forest—except for the core area.
Although Zhang Lexuan was only a soul douluo, her strength was definitely not inferior to that of ordinary Titled Douluo.
Moreover, her eighth soul ring was a hundred-thousand-year one, and she had a matching hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
However, the soul beasts required by Huo Yuhao and Han Ruoruo were all in the core area, so they still needed to be cautious.
This was also the reason why the academy had dispatched Cai Meier and even arranged for Super Douluo Xuan Zi to provide secret protection. It showed just how much Shrek valued Huo Yuhao.
Except for Huo Yuhao, everyone else was not a freshman who had just entered the academy.
They were all excellent talents selected through rigorous trials. Even if they were not familiar with each other, they would never drag their feet when taking action.
After leaving Shrek City, everyone followed the formation arranged by Zhang Lexuan and headed straight for the Star Dou Forest. On the way, there was little communication, and they simply hurried on their journey in silence.
Shrek City was indeed close to the Star Dou Forest. Without exerting their full strength, they arrived successfully before nightfall.
"Everyone, take a rest and eat something first. Adjust your state to the best. In an hour, we will enter the Star Dou Forest," Zhang Lexuan's command was very concise. "Let's go directly to the mixed area to see if there are any soul beasts suitable for Jiang Nannan and Dugu Yun."
With their strength and team configuration, it was completely feasible to spend the night in the Star Dou Forest. This place was close to the outer area of the forest.
Everyone came to the side of the road. Although they were far from tired with their cultivation, it still felt good to relax their bodies.
Han Ruoruo looked at Huo Yuhao and said gently, "Yuhao, I heard that your cooking skills are very good. Would you like to show us your skills now?"
Although Huo Yuhao had invited Han Ruoruo to a barbecue party in the past, due to time constraints, she had never had the chance to eat a meal prepared by him.
Huo Yuhao nodded, "Okay, let's eat grilled fish. I remember there is a river not far away."
This place was not far from where Huo Yuhao had met Tang Ya and the others. The scene was very familiar to him.
Wu Ming also became excited, "Great! I've heard of the great reputation of Yuhao Grilled Fish for a long time. It's a pity that I didn't get to eat it when I lined up. Finally, I can make up for this regret."
Chu Qingtian looked at Wu Ming silently, planning to start practicing cooking skills after returning.
Jiang Nannan was also moved when she heard this.
Although she occasionally went to Huo Yuhao's barbecue parties, she mostly cooked for herself during the events. After all, the appetite of a soul master was not small, and Huo Yuhao alone couldn't handle it all.
Zhang Lexuan also smiled and said, "We don't know how many days it will take to get out of the Star Dou this time. We will definitely have to sleep in the open. It's a good time for everyone to have a good meal before going in. How about this—Chu Qingtian, you and I will go fishing. Yuhao, you will cook. Is that okay?"
"Okay," both of them agreed.
Zhang Lexuan stood up and said, "The rest of you, help Yuhao prepare. If we work together, we can eat faster."
Hearing this, although everyone didn't know what to do, they all stood up.
Huo Yuhao found an open space and took out the barbecue utensils from his storage soul guide, including pots, pans, and various seasonings.
The eyes of the other inner courtyard students widened in surprise.
Han Ruoruo couldn't help but ask, "Yuhao, are you planning to be a chef in the future? This is the first time I've seen someone use a high-level storage ring to store various kitchen utensils."
"It's just a personal habit, and it's also to satisfy my appetite," Huo Yuhao replied, but his hands didn't stop moving. Soon, everything was ready.
"If you don't know what to do, help me process the fish that Senior Sister and the others bring back. You just need to gut them, remove the internal organs, scale them, and remove the fishy tendons. It's very simple."
Watching Huo Yuhao prepare a big fish in an instant, everyone was stunned.
'Is it really that simple? Why don't we think so?' They felt that their powerful cultivation was useless in this situation.
So, under Jiang Nannan's demonstration, everyone started to work in a hurry. At least, Jiang Nannan's operation was still within the scope of their understanding.
As for Xuan Zi? He did not show up this time.
With Skydream's reminder, Huo Yuhao knew that he had left.
Skydream proposed a direction: 'Maybe Xuan Zi wanted to help us find the trace of the Silver Beast?'
Huo Yuhao shook his head. He felt that Xuan Zi just couldn't stand the temptation of grilled fish, and because of his identity, he couldn't show up easily, so he left directly.
'I hope he's okay...'
…
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