Auspicious Beast Silver Scale White Whale

This white whale-type Soul Beast was covered in shocking wounds, most of its jade-white skin stained crimson with blood.

Only then did Xu Zihuang finally see this Soul Beast in its entirety. Compared to the savage Evil Spirit Orcas, this Soul Beast looked much more adorable. Its body was stout, with a bulging forehead and remarkable elasticity, giving it a rather foolishly cute appearance. Most peculiar of all was the hexagonal silver scale on its forehead, reflecting magnificent light.

Its small black eyes were exceptionally lively. After observing everyone, it somehow recognized that Xu Zihuang held the highest status among them. Dragging its somewhat bloated body with its fins, it moved closer to Xu Zihuang while letting out sharp, mournful cries.

"Eee— eee—"

Though Xu Zihuang could not understand what it was saying, he could clearly sense the pleading in its cries.

"The Spirit of the Sea—the Silver Scale White Whale actually exists?" Yaoyang, who had remained vigilant all this time, suddenly relaxed. Noticing Xu Zihuang's puzzled gaze, he continued explaining, "Children born in coastal regions like ours grow up hearing legends of the Silver Scale White Whale. This kind of Soul Beast is naturally close to humans. According to records, many sailors who lost their way during long voyages were guided by Silver Scale White Whales. They would also take the initiative to rescue humans who encountered shipwrecks. Legend says that humans favored by Silver Scale White Whales are born with tremendous fortune. They are known as auspicious beasts of the ocean and possess pure Silver Dragon Bloodline."

"Boom—" As the two spoke, a Fixed Soul Cannon fired toward the approaching pod of five Evil Spirit Orcas. Under this cover, Wang Xiao personally led more than a dozen Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers at Soul Emperor rank or above to hold back the enraged Evil Spirit Orcas.

"Auspicious beasts of the ocean? Silver Dragon Bloodline?"

The surging waves made the warship pitch violently, yet Xu Zihuang remained perfectly steady. He remembered that the Emperor Auspicious Beast Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to possess Golden Dragon Bloodline.

After meeting the Silver Scale White Whale's gaze for a moment, he gestured to the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps' sole Healing System Soul Master.

"Elder Cheng, treat it."

"Yes, Young Master!" Elder Cheng was one of those Wang Xiao had previously left behind to guard the warship. Since he had been selected by the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps, his Martial Soul naturally had its own exceptional qualities.

Elder Cheng stepped forward. Faint golden motes of light emerged one after another around his body. Two yellow, two purple, and one black—five Soul Rings shone simultaneously. In an instant, the pale golden motes flared brightly before swelling into dandelions haloed in multicolored light.

Every one of these multicolored dandelions carried rich life energy. Upon touching the Silver Scale White Whale's smooth skin, they transformed back into golden motes and merged into its body.

The savage wounds across its skin healed at a visible rate. The Silver Scale White Whale seemed to be in much better condition, and its dark eyes regained some vitality.

However, Elder Cheng's grave expression did not brighten. The turbulent seawater from the battlefield soaked his neatly combed white hair. Only when the Soul Power in his body was nearly exhausted did he withdraw his Martial Soul and lower his head in shame.

"Young Master, I'm afraid my meager abilities cannot save it. Its origin has already been damaged, and its life force is draining away too quickly."

"Is that so?" Xu Zihuang remained calm. Squatting down, he gently stroked the Silver Scale White Whale's soft forehead and examined the silver scale there.

He was no saint. If possible, he did not mind saving this Silver Scale White Whale, which was friendly toward humans and greatly suited his tastes. But he certainly had his own motives. Hearing Yaoyang call it an auspicious beast of the ocean, he immediately thought of the third eye of the Emperor Auspicious Beast Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Sun Moon Empire royalty's ancient records also contained accounts of auspicious beasts.

Where an auspicious beast resided, all beasts received its protection, and their prospects were limitless. An auspicious beast itself could shelter Soul Beasts, greatly increasing their cultivation speed. Yet after devouring an auspicious beast, the benefits a Soul Beast gained were even greater. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the Star Dou Great Forest was only fortunate enough to possess pure Golden Dragon Bloodline, winning the favor of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, who was also of the dragon race. That was why the other ferocious beasts had suppressed their desire for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The Silver Scale White Whale before them clearly did not share such good fortune. It was being hunted by this group of Evil Spirit Orcas.

Human Soul Masters could likewise obtain some auspicious energy from an auspicious beast through attribute guidance.

Did attribute guidance also require pressing their foreheads together?

Xu Zihuang hesitated. There might not be only one auspicious beast among Soul Beasts, and it was not even certain whether this Silver Scale White Whale was truly one.

Seeing Xu Zihuang's overly intimate actions, Yaoyang slightly raised his brows, but said nothing. The Silver Scale White Whale did not seem to intend Xu Zihuang any harm, and its Cultivation had only just passed a thousand years. Even if it was somewhat unusual, Yaoyang could react in time with his strength.

At the same time, while keeping watch for attacks from other Sea Soul Beasts, he remained ready to support Wang Xiao and the others at any moment.

The Silver Scale White Whale affectionately rubbed against Xu Zihuang's palm. It seemed to have understood something from the conversation between Xu Zihuang and Yaoyang, and the emotion in its dark little eyes became deeply despondent.

Yet just as Xu Zihuang's palm happened to touch the magnificent silver scale on its forehead, everything around them seemed to freeze—both time and space. A series of fragmented images surfaced in the Silver Scale White Whale's mind. Its little black eyes turned blank as it carefully studied Xu Zihuang, though closer inspection would reveal a few more complicated emotions in its gaze: confusion and intimacy.

As though it had made up its mind, a dazzling seven-colored radiance spread from the silver scale between its brows. A melodious whale cry instantly rang across the entire sea, while its body began to turn illusory. Floating beside Xu Zihuang, it gently touched the silver scale on its forehead to his brow.

Its whale cry also became more cheerful.

Xu Zihuang was immersed in an indescribably profound sensation. Looking at the Silver Scale White Whale whose forehead pressed against his own, he too saw fragmented images. Yet strangely, these images left not the slightest impression in his mind.

Everyone present felt their spirits stir, as though their Martial Souls had undergone an evolution. This was especially true for Wang Xiao and the others, who were using their Martial Souls to battle the Evil Spirit Orcas—the power of their Soul Skills abruptly increased by quite a bit.

In contrast, the leading Evil Spirit Orca let out a low roar and heavily slapped the sea with its enormous tail fin. Several water blades carrying dark red energy shot toward the warship.

Wang Xiao looked anxiously toward Xu Zihuang on the deck. Though he did not fully understand what was happening, he could not possibly sit by and watch the Evil Spirit Orca's attack strike the warship. His fourth Soul Ring lit up, and his tiger claws swung out wave after wave of dark green Wind Blades, accurately blocking every attack from the Evil Spirit Orca.

Yaoyang, who stood closest, stared in disbelief at the purple ring-shaped halo surrounding Xu Zihuang.

"Could this be the legendary sacrifice?"

Silver flames began to burn across the Silver Scale White Whale's body. Its body gradually faded and became transparent in the process. In the end, only that hexagonal silver scale remained. It merged into Xu Zihuang's brow, forming an intricate silver pattern.

All the purple halos expanded into a massive ring before slowly contracting. A noble purple Soul Ring gradually rose from beneath Xu Zihuang's feet.

At the same time, a flash of bright silver light passed by, and Xu Zihuang opened his eyes, which gleamed with sharp brilliance.

The entire process took less than a quarter of an hour.

He looked at himself blankly. He found that he seemed to have grown taller, his shoulders broader, and his skin had gained a lustrous sheen. Every movement carried a comfortable lightness brimming with strength.

Moreover, the instant he finished fusing with the Soul Ring, the Soul Power in his body reached the bottleneck of level twenty.

He touched the silver pattern that had already vanished from his forehead, then looked at Yaoyang, whose expression had stiffened as he did not know what to say. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Brother Yang, could I be one of those people you mentioned who are born with tremendous fortune?"

He certainly did not think he possessed some so-called kingly aura that could make all living things submit to him.

To be honest, even he had not expected this Silver Scale White Whale to sacrifice itself for him. Perhaps it was not a sacrifice at all, but rather that it had voluntarily become his Soul Ring through another special method, like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in the original work. He could sense that something seemed to have appeared in his Sea of Consciousness. Unfortunately, with his current Spiritual Power, he could not actively enter his Sea of Consciousness to inspect it.

"Regardless, Silver Scale White Whales are renowned for their powerful Spiritual Power. They are quite suitable as the First Soul Ring for your Golden Eye Martial Soul." Yaoyang drew a deep breath. He felt that he had never been this speechless in his life. It was not because of Xu Zihuang's words, but because of Xu Zihuang's luck.

As he said this, his gaze toward Xu Zihuang gained an inexplicable undertone.

As a Spirit Attribute Soul Master, he was more inclined to believe that something as mysterious and intangible as fortune truly existed.

Elder Cheng and Meng Lang, who stood behind Xu Zihuang, along with the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers on deck, reacted even more dramatically.

He had blocked a Soul Douluo's Eighth Soul Skill, then caused this obviously extraordinary Soul Beast to voluntarily sacrifice itself. If someone told you this had happened to a Soul Master with only level ten Soul Power, would you dare believe it?

I have actually laid down plenty of foreshadowing, and it will gradually be revealed later. After all, I cannot spoil the plot. I have already thought out the ending. As long as I can get a contract, I will not abandon this story. This first novel is mainly for practicing my writing, so I am keeping a level head. If I follow the detailed outline without cutting anything, it should reach between two and three million words.