Milotic

"This is Feihong Island. It's named for its local specialty, Feihong Fish. The fish is incredibly delicious, but it spoils easily and is hard to preserve, so you can only eat it here," Lincoln explained as he walked through the city with Aier. "A few Feihong Fish also produce Fish Pellets. Refining a large number of them can help you comprehend the Mysteries of Water Elements, so Feihong Island is one of the busiest cities in the Water Divine Plane."

Bubbles filled the city. They were fun to play with, popping as soon as you touched them.

"The Mysteries of Water Elements are one of the basic Mysteries of the Laws of Water. I didn't expect them to attract so many people," Aier said as she played, bouncing and twirling her way forward.

"Although they're a low-level Mystery, there are plenty of people who cultivate the Laws of Water. Even if only one percent of Mid-Gods haven't comprehended this Mystery, that still adds up to a lot of people. But Fish Pellets are expensive, and demand is high. Ordinary Mid-Gods can't afford to buy many." Lincoln walked slowly behind Aier.

"Lincoln, look! What's this? It's so beautiful." Aier suddenly spotted a scale in a shop by the roadside and picked it up to examine it.

Lincoln looked closely. It was a scale in shades of blue and purple, and undeniably beautiful, but he couldn't identify what it came from.

"Dear customers, this is a scale from a divine beast called Milotic," the shopkeeper, a Water Element Highgod, enthusiastically explained. "This kind of divine beast is extremely rare. I've never seen one myself. They're exceptionally beautiful, and many important figures want one as a pet."

"Oh, is it really that beautiful?" Aier asked in surprise.

"That's just what I've heard. I've never seen one myself. They say Milotic only becomes a divine beast after Bloodline Awakening. Before that, it's an ordinary Saint-level magical beast called a Clownfish. It's dim-witted, has practically no chance of becoming a god, and its meat is terrible, so it's worthless. But once its bloodline awakens and it becomes a Milotic, it grows incredibly beautiful, and its intelligence increases dramatically. Most importantly, it becomes a god as soon as it reaches adulthood. Even in human form, it's beautiful," the shopkeeper continued.

A month passed quickly as they ate, played, and fooled around. On the dueling platform in the northern square of Feihong Island, two blue figures stood facing each other. One was exceptionally handsome, with scales on his forehead, neck, and elbows, and long, smooth, sky-blue hair. The other was a powerful woman with a dignified face, a graceful figure, and long arms.

"Ten thousand Black Diamonds," the shopkeeper said with a delighted smile. Usually, only powerful people who didn't care about money would buy something like this. It couldn't be used, couldn't aid cultivation, and couldn't even be eaten, but that was exactly why it fetched such a high price.

Aier caught on. "So you want to study Milotic, in case our children don't have enough talent someday and we need to find a way to make up for it."

"Right," Lincoln said. "But you don't know the whole story yet. Most children of divine beasts are Saint-level magical beasts, and by the third or fourth generation, most aren't even Saint-level anymore. Of course, that doesn't apply to those born in Divine Planes or Supreme Planes. Even if a divine beast appears among their descendants, it won't awaken after birth. It'll be born a divine beast."

Lincoln came back to himself and answered casually, "I was thinking about Milotic."

Aier took the bag and put it in her spatial ring. When she turned around, she saw that Lincoln had fallen into deep thought. "What are you thinking about?"

Lincoln smiled indulgently. "Now you're starting to sound like a clever person."

Black Diamonds were the currency of the Darkness Divine Plane, while Beli was the currency of the Water Divine Plane.

"Whether it's true or not, that's an interesting story. I'll take the scale. How much is it?" Aier asked.

Aier paid without hesitation, and the shopkeeper packed the scale with even greater care. Anyone paying with Black Diamonds in the Water Divine Plane was obviously an immensely powerful traveler from another plane.

"Lincoln, look at the tall beauty on the right. That's Leidolina, the Prefecture Lord of Feihong Prefecture. The one on the left is her challenger, Athos, the Iron-Tail Sea Spirit. He's a famously handsome man throughout the Water Divine Plane," Aier said excitedly.

"Talent..." Aier thought it over. "Generally speaking, the children of divine beasts are only Saint-level beasts. Among their descendants, there might be an occasional throwback that gives rise to another divine beast, but most of them remain Saint-level or lower."

"That sounds unbelievable. You didn't make that up just to tell me a story, did you?" Aier teased with a smile.

After buying a spacious, detached courtyard in the city, Lincoln and Aier asked around about Milotic and Clownfish. They learned that Clownfish mostly lived in the waters near Tianqing Island, deep in the Azure Dragon Sea Region and very close to the Redding Clan's territory. Feihong Island was also in the Azure Dragon Sea Region, but only at its edge. There were also a few Clownfish near Giant Whale Island, which lay where the Lanling Sea Region met the Azure Dragon Sea Region. It was currently the fiercest battleground between the Redding Clan and the Valeria Clan.

"There are a lot... But it seems like they all became gods. I've never heard of one that couldn't..." Aier murmured, then suddenly realized, "Milotic's situation sounds a bit like that."

"Most members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan are born without much talent for cultivation, but after the Ancestral Hall Baptism, they can become gods right away. That process is very similar to what happens with Milotic." After finishing, Lincoln looked at Aier.

"How would I dare? It's only a legend. I've lived here for nearly three hundred million years, and neither I nor any of my friends have ever heard of a way to turn a Clownfish into a Milotic. No one has even seen one. It's all hearsay."

Aier thought it over for a moment. "What, are you hoping a Milotic will turn into a beautiful goddess and keep you company?"

Lincoln shook his head helplessly and smiled as he tapped her nose. "Let me ask you: how talented are the children of divine beasts, generally?"

Lincoln smiled and stood quietly behind Aier. "This is my first time seeing either of them, too. I've heard that Leidolina is a powerful cultivator of the Life Law. She only took over as Prefecture Lord three hundred thousand years ago. Athos is a powerful figure who rose to prominence in the past ten thousand years, and he's reached a high level in the Laws of Water."

"Right. Now think about the descendants of the Four Divine Beasts," Lincoln prompted.

Three hundred thousand years wasn't long for an Asura-level powerhouse, and ten thousand years was even shorter.

"Which of them do you think will win?" Aier wondered.

"Just watch. You can't know the outcome until they fight." Lincoln had never seen a Battle Projection of either of them. In other words, nobody had presented him with one, which probably meant neither had reached Peak Asura level.