Douluo: Peerless Beastmaster King

A greenish-blue blur streaked through the dense forest. The Star Dou Forest at night was full of lurking dangers, yet at this moment, the true threat in the outer region might very well be this greenish-blue shadow itself!

Seated cross-legged on the Ice Jade Scorpion's back, Zhou Sichen had his eyes closed, focused on cultivating his soul power. At the same time, he was also familiarizing himself with the four soul skills granted by Skydream as his second martial soul.

There was one thing that even Zhou Sichen found outrageous—his contracted soul beasts could be used simultaneously with his second martial soul.

In other words, as long as he preemptively released his first martial soul's soul skills and summoned all his contracted soul beasts, he could still use his second martial soul without interference.

This was an enormous advantage.

In the future, when he reached Title Douluo, the nine contracted soul beasts of his Book of Contracts would undoubtedly be at the hundred-thousand-year level, or even beyond.

And yet, he himself could still use his second martial soul—this meant that his personal combat strength alone would already be beyond comprehension!

Not to mention, his contracted beasts weren't just simple battle companions. The true potential of the Book of Contracts was far greater than that!

As Zhou Sichen trained, an alert chirping sound suddenly echoed in his mind—his Ice Jade Scorpion was communicating with him.

"Boss, boss! There are three humans up ahead!"

Zhou Sichen's eyes flickered open, his near-Soul Emperor level spiritual power scanning the surroundings. A sharp glint flashed across his deep, focused gaze.

Not far away, beside a small creek, three figures—two males and one female—were seated around a campfire.

A young boy with short black hair was carefully roasting a fish over the fire.

A teenage girl, catching the scent of the cooking fish, stared at it eagerly, practically drooling.

The older-looking male beside her smiled helplessly, an expression full of gentle indulgence.

"Ah-choo! Why did it suddenly get so cold?" The girl sneezed, rubbing her arms.

The older boy immediately tensed up, his gaze sharp as he scanned the surroundings with vigilance.

…

Originally, Zhou Sichen had no intention of getting involved, but now that he had encountered them, he decided that this was a good opportunity to make contact.

As the massive Ice Jade Scorpion emerged from the shadows, its bone-chilling aura spread across the area.

The three by the fire instantly stood up, their expressions sharp as they turned toward the sudden intrusion.

The young girl appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. Her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail, cascading down her back. She wore a form-fitting, light blue combat outfit, highlighting her youthful energy.

She had phoenix-shaped eyes, large and expressive, with a slender nose and an exquisitely shaped face. Her beautiful features lit up in a mix of surprise and alertness.

Beside her stood a tall, lean young man, roughly the same age as her. He had short, deep-blue hair and an elegant demeanor, though his face now held a serious expression.

The moment the Ice Jade Scorpion appeared, a blue lightning-shaped mark emerged on the young man's forehead.

Blue lightning serpents slithered across his body, and two yellow and one purple soul rings appeared—not floating around him like a traditional Soul Master, but instead coiling around his right arm.

His right arm transformed, growing thicker and more powerful, mutating into a ferocious dragon arm as a blue dragon phantom coiled around him, his stance one of extreme caution.

The young girl's soul rings also lit up—two yellow rings appeared as Blue Silver Grass extended from her palms.

Meanwhile, the short-haired boy put down his roasted fish, drawing a White Tiger Dagger from his belt, his wide eyes filled with shock as he stared at the massive Ice Jade Scorpion.

Their identities were clear as day—this was Huo Hang, or rather Huo Yuhao, along with Tang Ya and Bei Bei, the disciples of Tang Sect.

To Zhou Sichen, these three didn't evoke any strong feelings.

From an outside perspective, Tang Ya was a kind-hearted beauty, but rather naïve. Bei Bei was calm and reliable, yet not particularly clever.

Huo Yuhao, due to his traumatic upbringing, had some psychological flaws and tended toward extreme thinking. But if properly guided, he could become a good person.

However…

Zhou Sichen had already taken the two most important cheat abilities that originally belonged to Huo Yuhao in the story.

What effect this would have on Huo Yuhao's future, Zhou Sichen didn't know.

But since they had met, Zhou Sichen didn't mind helping him out a little.

After all, Spiritual Eyes was a solid Body Martial Soul. If its early weaknesses were compensated for, it could potentially reach Silver Awakening.

As for Gold Awakening, that was uncertain.

Of course, whether he helped Huo Yuhao or not would depend on their future interactions.

Zhou Sichen had taken Huo Yuhao's original fortune, but that didn't mean he was obligated to babysit him.

If Huo Yuhao couldn't keep up, that would be his own problem.

As Zhou Sichen contemplated this, the three at the campfire finally noticed him—the young man sitting atop the Ice Jade Scorpion.

Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.

"Is that… a human?"

Bei Bei and Tang Ya activated Purple Demon Eyes, confirming that the figure on the scorpion's back was indeed a human.

But… how could a human be traveling with a thousand-year soul beast—especially one as powerful as this?

Bei Bei and Tang Ya recognized this Ice Jade Scorpion as one that had at least 5,000 years of cultivation—possibly even close to 10,000 years.

Even Soul Kings would struggle to handle such a beast.

Moreover, wasn't the Ice Jade Scorpion an Extreme North-exclusive soul beast?

How had it appeared in the Star Dou Forest? And why was it carrying a human?

At that moment, Zhou Sichen's gaze met Bei Bei's.

A smile appeared on Zhou Sichen's lips as he spoke in a warm, friendly tone.

"Hello. My name is Zhou Sichen. No need to be afraid—this is my companion."

Hearing Zhou Sichen speak first, Bei Bei and Tang Ya both secretly exhaled in relief.

Even if the two of them teamed up, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Ice Jade Scorpion—they wouldn't even be able to escape.

As long as the other party was human, there was hope of survival.

Still, they hesitated.

"Companion?"

Zhou Sichen was handsome, almost unreasonably so—his skin even looked smoother than most women's.

But his apparent age suggested he was no older than them.

Which meant… his strength should be similar to theirs, or at least not much stronger than Bei Bei.

After all, Bei Bei was one of Shrek Academy's Twin Stars, and his talent and strength were among the best in the Outer Court.

Few in the entire continent could surpass him.

Zhou Sichen hopped down from the Ice Jade Scorpion's back, signaling it to wait nearby.

Seeing him approach, Bei Bei and the others remained cautious.

Zhou Sichen smiled wryly.

"Relax. I'm a student of Shrek Academy."

Bei Bei frowned.

He was well-acquainted with the academy's talented students—he would have at least seen Zhou Sichen before.

But he hadn't.

Noticing his doubt, Zhou Sichen retrieved a letter from his Soul Tool.

"This is my recommendation letter. I haven't officially enrolled yet, but this should count as proof, right? Shrek Academy students should have some credibility."

Bei Bei took the letter, his expression softening as he saw the golden insignia of Tianyuan City's Lord.

He relaxed, withdrawing his soul rings and smiling.

"My apologies, brother. We're students of Shrek Academy too."

Zhou Sichen chuckled.

"Understandable. What a coincidence, then."

****

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