Beike Island, Golden Lake

The sails billowed Facing the Wind, carving a white trail of Wave Marks across the Sea Surface.

Perhaps heaven favored them; this voyage went unusually smoothly.

Since leaving Xiling Harbor, they had enjoyed calm seas and fine weather for five consecutive days.

The Mystic Tortoise encountered neither harsh sea conditions nor troublesome Sea Soul Beasts on this voyage.

Under such ideal sailing conditions, Xia Yang and the others reached their destination—Beike Island—in just five and a half days.

On the evening of the fifth day, the Setting Sun's lingering glow dyed the sea a sheet of gold.

At last, the outline of Beike Island appeared on the distant horizon.

"Put your backs into it, everyone."

Standing at the bow, Xia Shi looked toward the island as it gradually came into focus and loudly encouraged the crew. "We'll spend the night on the island."

"Yes, Captain."

Everyone answered in unison, and even Xia Yang, who had been helping out, responded loudly.

With everyone working together, the Mystic Tortoise sailed steadily toward Beike Island.

As sunset gave way to moonrise, the ship docked precisely in the Sea Area near the island.

Dropping anchor, mooring the ship, going ashore...

The series of actions flowed as smoothly as water.

Before long, the five of them had lit a bonfire on the white beach.

Night had fully fallen. Aside from the bright moon overhead and the bonfire before them, everything around them was Pitch Black.

Cook Li Zhishu naturally took on the task of preparing dinner.

Before long, steaming seafood soup, fragrant grilled fish, several fresh fruits, and wine brought from the ship were laid out before them.

After their fill, the five simply rested on the beach.

With the physiques of Soul Masters, they had no need to build any sort of shelter.

As everyone lay on the soft sand, admiring the brilliant starry sky, Xia Yang suddenly sat upright and pointed into the island's Depths. "Look, quickly!"

Following the direction Xia Yang pointed, everyone beheld a breathtaking sight.

Beike Island, which had been completely dark, was now giving off a soft glow like a luminous pearl.

Not only the island, but even the surrounding Sea Area began to sparkle with points of light in various colors.

Some of those lights were large, others small; some were icy blue, some fiery red, and others a mysterious purple.

They encircled Beike Island, forming a massive ring of light that complemented the bright moon above.

Looking at the dreamlike sight before them, Sun Chuanjun suddenly slapped his forehead. "Could those glowing points be the clam Spirit Beasts we came here to find?"

Xia Shi studied them intently and nodded. "No mistake."

"The blue ones should be Ice Crystal Clams, while the Red Light ones are most likely Flame Crystal Clams."

"Then are those purple lights the Ice Flame Crystal Shells I'm looking for?"

Xia Yang's voice brimmed with barely concealed excitement, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on those rare purple patches of light.

Zhang Feng answered affirmatively from the side. "They're probably them."

Just then, the glow around them suddenly began to flicker, like candle flames on the verge of burning out.

The dazzling points of light dimmed one after another, and the Lake Bottom world that had been so brilliant Just now swiftly returned to darkness.

Xia Shi hurriedly reminded them, "Quick, remember where the purple lights are distributed. Tomorrow, we'll focus our search on those areas."

Everyone immediately concentrated on observing.

Before long, Beike Island returned to darkness, as though the fantastical sight from moments ago had been nothing more than a dream.

"Did everyone see clearly?"

Xia Shi asked anxiously.

"Captain, there were more than a dozen purple lights to the north."

"There were two or three in the center of the island. The rest were all red lights."

"There wasn't a single purple light in the south."

Xia Shi stroked his chin and pondered. "In that case, the Ice Flame Crystal Shells are very likely concentrated in the northern part of the island."

"Boss, let's start searching from the north tomorrow."

"This island isn't that big. We should find our target soon."

Zhang Feng suggested.

"Good. It's settled."

Xia Shi made the decision. "Tomorrow morning, we'll begin our search from the northern part of the island."

With their discussion concluded, all five felt a wave of fatigue wash over them. Five straight days of sailing were no easy matter, after all.

Thus, the adults took turns keeping watch, while Xia Yang quickly drifted off to sleep beside the bonfire.

The next morning, as dawn had only begun to break, a faint mist rose over the beach of Beike Island.

One after another, everyone awoke from their sleep.

They first washed up briefly, then enjoyed the breakfast Li Zhishu had prepared.

Afterward, they carefully cleared away the traces left by Last Night's bonfire.

Finally, the group headed north along the winding coastline.

They passed through a dense grove of palm trees, then crossed a low hill.

In the end, they reached the highest point in the northern part of the island.

Looking down from above, everyone's memories of the previous night quickly became clear once more.

Zhang Feng pointed at a lake in the distance, surrounded by green trees, and said with certainty, "The area where the purple lights were densest Last Night should have been that lake below."

"Judging by the distance and direction, that should be right."

After carefully comparing their positions, Xia Shi nodded in confirmation.

Sun Chuanjun impatiently rubbed his hands together. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's head down."

The five made their way down the steep slope.

As the saying went, climbing a mountain was easy, but descending one was hard.

However, for Soul Masters like them, the descent was not particularly difficult.

They nimbly moved between rocks and shrubs, quickly arriving near their destination.

When they passed through the last stretch of woods, the sight before them made everyone hold their breath.

A lake roughly three hundred meters in diameter lay quietly at the center of the basin, surrounded by green trees, its surface as still as a mirror.

The rising Morning Sun scattered golden light across the lake, making the entire body of water seem coated in flowing gold.

"This is practically a Golden Lake."

Xia Yang could not help but marvel.

"It truly is breathtakingly beautiful."

Zhang Feng sighed sincerely as well.

Xia Shi quickly recovered from the beautiful scenery and reminded them, "Don't forget our business. We need to find the Ice Flame Crystal Shells as soon as possible."

Sun Chuanjun looked around the lakeshore and analyzed, "Captain, there are no traces of Spirit Beasts along the shore. It seems they should all be at the Lake Bottom."

"Boss, what do we do next?" Zhang Feng asked.

Xia Shi turned to his son. "Yang'er, how much do you know about the habits of these Spirit Beasts?"

After thinking for a moment, Xia Yang answered, "Ice Flame Crystal Shells hide during the day and come out at night. They are not very aggressive during the day."

"Also, their sense of group unity is weak. If we attack one of them, the others will not interfere."

"Therefore, we only need to find a suitable one, quickly subdue it, and take it away."

"Good. Leave it to me."

As Xia Shi spoke, he strode toward the lake.

"Martial Soul: North Mystic Black Tortoise, Body Attachment."

As his Soul Power circulated, an icy-blue phantom of a Black Tortoise sank into Xia Shi's body.

His body rapidly expanded, and hard armor resembling a turtle shell emerged across his skin.

"Second Soul Skill: North Sea Cold Current."

Xia Shi bent down and plunged both hands into the lake. Bone-piercing Cold air swiftly spread from his palms.

The lake surface began freezing at a speed visible to the Naked Eye, producing crisp cracking sounds.