The Peculiar Soul Beast Hunt

After some thought, Dean Shui decided to accompany Li Xianyue back to the family. After all, the Soul Ring Bing'er was to obtain was extremely important, and there could not be the slightest mistake.

"Fine. That way, certain people won't become too reckless just because I'm gone. It's been five or six years since I last returned anyway, so I'll go back with you."

The next day, outside the Wodefake Grand Hotel, beside a lavishly decorated carriage—

"Xiao Ji, are you sure you won't travel with us? I can arrange for you to study at Skywater Advanced Academy. Although Skywater Academy only accepts female students, the Shui Family is still one of its investors."

Dean Shui had already asked Ji Wuming about his intentions, but he asked again today.

"No. I'm doing quite well in Vast Sea City. Besides, when you help Bing'er obtain her Soul Ring, I won't be able to do much. I might even become a burden if I go. As for an advanced Soul Master Academy, forget it. I don't want to go for now."

Ji Wuming looked at Dean Shui before him and gave the same answer as before. He was only at the Soul Grandmaster level now, and going inland would undoubtedly be very dangerous. Besides, Tang San was still far from obtaining the Immortal Herbs. He could wait until he reached level thirty before traveling the continent.

"Very well. If you have any questions, Xiao Lu can answer them for you."

Dean Shui climbed onto the driver's seat. Seeing that they were about to depart, Shui Bing'er, who was seated inside the carriage, hurriedly poked her head out.

"Brother Ji, you have to write to me often! Once you become a Soul Elder, remember to come find me in Skywater City. Don't forget our promise."

"I won't break my word. I'll definitely go."

As the carriage gradually traveled farther away, their voices grew fainter and fainter. Li Xianyue, seated in the carriage, pulled Shui Bing'er back into her seat and instructed her, "Bing'er, Xiao Ji is already a Soul Grandmaster. If you don't want him to leave you too far behind, you must settle down and cultivate your Soul Power diligently. Strive to reach the level-twenty bottleneck as soon as possible."

"Only then will you be able to defeat him when you meet again and show him how formidable the women of the Bing Family are. Women of the Bing Family must be strong."

Although Li Xianyue knew that Ji Wuming's Innate Soul Power was low and that his cultivation speed would surely not match Shui Bing'er's, she still used this to motivate Shui Bing'er's cultivation.

"Auntie, I won't disappoint you."

Although she had never sparred with Ji Wuming, her aunt was right. Only by becoming strong enough could she gain a voice in the Shui Family and pursue the happiness that belonged to her.

Besides, Brother Ji would definitely not like a decorative woman who lacked the ability to protect herself.

A year and a half later,

As a somewhat domineering ripple of Soul Power spread outward from his body, Ji Wuming, who had been stuck at the level-twenty-nine bottleneck for nearly three months, finally broke through to the level-thirty Soul Power bottleneck.

He walked out of the cabin and gazed at the deep-blue ocean ahead. White waves churned behind him as he stretched lazily.

"Good morning, Mr. Ji..."

The many sailors moving cargo all warmly greeted Ji Wuming. Ever since he had joined their fleet, he had repeatedly saved the lives of its crew.

A year ago, shortly after he had joined the fleet, they had encountered a band of pirates intercepting them along their shipping route while transporting a batch of cargo. The Pirate Leader was even a powerful Soul Elder.

Yet before they could swagger for more than three seconds, they died beneath Ji Wuming's Soul Guidance Weapon. He not only saved an entire shipload of goods and countless sailors, but also frightened off other pirates from coveting their fleet.

As a result, the fleet's profits—or rather, the Hai Family's profits—rose by twenty to thirty percent.

When the door to the captain's cabin was pushed open, Ji Wuming entered. A One-Eyed Man rose happily to his feet and said, "Brother Wuming, come, come. Tell me in detail how this game should be played to win. I've already lost three games in a row to my mate."

"Captain, I have other business to attend to on this voyage, so I fear I won't be able to continue traveling with you."

Hearing Ji Wuming suddenly ask to leave, the Captain, who was naturally a Soul Elder himself, immediately realized something.

"Very well! Where are you planning to go, Brother Wuming?"

Ji Wuming pointed at the nautical chart and said, "I plan to cultivate on this Small Island for a while. You only need to take me to the nearest shipping route. It happens to be on the way."

"Fine, but you have to teach me how to play this game first."

The Captain did not ask too many questions about what Ji Wuming intended to do. What he cared about more now was this game. During the endlessly boring days of sea transport, there were not many things to relieve the tedium.

Once the entire fleet entered the Flowing Cloud Sea Domain, Ji Wuming answered with a leap. Sitting in a small wooden boat, he headed toward the destination ahead.

However, Ji Wuming had barely rowed a few strokes, and the large ship had not yet sailed far away from him, when violent splashes erupted on the sea's surface several hundred meters away.

The Captain took out a spyglass and looked toward the disturbance. He saw a fish covered in injuries being relentlessly pursued by a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast—a Black Jade Octopus.

He shouted down at Ji Wuming, "Brother Wuming, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast, a Black Jade Octopus, is hunting up ahead! We may run straight into them. Get back on the ship quickly so we can leave at once!"

Following the nautical chart, the Captain had carefully avoided the territories of all kinds of Ten Thousand Year Sea Soul Beasts. Normally, the fleet and the Soul Beasts kept to themselves. Who could have expected that a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast would leave its territory just to hunt today?

"Zuo Mantuo, hurry!"

As the Soul Beasts drew closer and closer, the Captain's urging became increasingly anxious.

Yet in the next instant, a centipede shot straight out of the black depths of the sea. The massive wave it raised directly capsized the entire ship. Sailors who had not managed to evacuate from the cabins, along with countless goods, were buried beneath the sea as the merchant ship sank.

Only a few survived by clinging to scattered pieces of floating wreckage from the merchant ship. Even they were not much better off, swept away by currents and waves.

At that moment, Ji Wuming saw Soul Beasts attacking from both ahead and behind. He immediately abandoned the small wooden boat, circulated Soul Power beneath his feet, and desperately sprinted across the sea toward the left, where there were no Soul Beasts.

It was as though he had been fitted with a tracking device. Treated as prey, the bloodied Soul Beast immediately changed the direction of its escape and clung tightly to Ji Wuming's trail.

"Could this Soul Beast, which is about to be killed, be trying to drag me down with it? It's like a stubborn plaster—it won't come off no matter how I shake it. How annoying."

If the sea had not been so deep, Ji Wuming would have long since dived down into the reefs beneath the water to avoid this Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast hunt.

Yet as Ji Wuming ran, more and more Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts gathered around him. Counting them, there were around a dozen already, and the number was still growing. The sight filled him with unprecedented terror.

"W-what is going on? Why have so many Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts appeared at once?"

Every Ten Thousand Year Sea Soul Beast had its own territory. It was absolutely impossible for so many Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts to gather in one place.

That left only one possibility: the Soul Beast being hunted and fleeing was anything but ordinary.