The Golden Hawksbill

Lu Ran's second Soul Beast was naturally water-aligned. He had decided on it long ago.

The ocean was far vaster than the continent, and it nurtured more kinds of Soul Beasts, many of them stronger. There were the million-year-old Deep Sea Demon Whale, the several-hundred-thousand-year-old Sea Princess, the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, and even slightly weaker but still powerful and rare Soul Beasts like the Sea Viper.

But Lu Ran had chosen another kind of Soul Beast—

The Golden Hawksbill.

An emperor among turtle Soul Beasts.

Though it was also a water-type Soul Beast, the Golden Hawksbill possessed the very best defensive and support abilities, compared to those Soul Beasts with powerful attacks.

It was even known as an Auspicious Beast, and it greatly benefited the Small World.

The Sea God Pavilion,

Mu En sat in his wheelchair, smiling kindly as he sized up Lu Ran. "You've broken through?"

Raising his Soul Power by ten levels in a year was astonishingly fast.

Lu Ran nodded. "I just broke through. I want to go get my Second Soul Ring tomorrow."

"Good." Mu En nodded. "But Golden Hawksbills are extremely rare. The academy searched for half a year in advance and only found a few places where they might have left traces."

"You'll have to search for them yourselves."

That was only to be expected. Lu Ran wasn't surprised.

After a day of careful preparation, Lu Ran and Yan Shaozhe set off on time the next morning.

As water-type Soul Beasts, Golden Hawksbills never strayed far from water. The two started searching from the nearest area. Yan Shaozhe, a Super Douluo, left no hidden trace unchecked.

After a full day of searching with all their might,

as expected...

They found nothing.

The two had no choice but to pick up the pace.

The second day... the third... the fifth... until the seventh day,

Yan Shaozhe, exhausted from the effort, was starting to struggle. Even a Super Douluo couldn't handle keeping Spiritual Detection active for seven straight days. His face gradually grew weary, and he had no choice but to take out a Soul Tool that enhanced mental power to help him. He also urged Lu Ran not to tell Xian Lin'er under any circumstances.

If Xian Lin'er found out Dean Yan, who opposed Soul Tools, was secretly using a high-level Soul Tool behind everyone's backs, she'd be overjoyed. Then she'd have a reason to oppose his opposition to the development of the Soul Guidance Department.

On the afternoon of the ninth day,

the two followed a winding waterway through the forest. Lush plants grew on either side, and along the way they even saw a waterfall more than a hundred meters high. Tons of water thundered down, roaring like thunder, while the mist it raised caught the sunlight and formed rainbows.

After an unknown stretch of travel, the towering trees in sight gradually disappeared, replaced by a vast wetland.

Shallow banks layered one after another. Winding waterways linked the scattered lakes, and the occasional Soul Beast could be seen.

Wandering about or foraging.

Yan Shaozhe, flying overhead, suddenly lit up. He looked toward a spot to the south and sped over.

Seeing his reaction, Lu Ran grew hopeful. "Dean Yan, did you find one?"

"I can't be sure yet, but there's a good chance."

Judging from his expression, though, he was already more than eighty percent certain.

The two soon reached a dense forest deep in the wetlands. The water there was still and peaceful.

Yan Shaozhe found a hidden cave. Vines, dead branches, and leaves concealed the entrance; without a careful look, it would have been impossible to spot.

They entered the cave.

A warm, dry breeze greeted them.

The cave was very clean.

After passing several bends, they reached the end of the cave, where a broken golden egg lay quietly.

It was almost as long as Lu Ran's forearm.

"Is this a Golden Hawksbill egg?"

He picked up a piece of eggshell and examined it closely beside the illumination Soul Tool.

Yan Shaozhe wasn't opposed to this kind of ordinary Soul Tool. After all, it wasn't going to compete with him for control over the development of the Martial Soul Department.

He'd reacted so strongly when he saw Lu Ran using a Soul Tool earlier because he'd worried Lu Ran would be tricked into joining the Soul Guidance Department.

Yan Shaozhe was quite certain. He gestured toward the corner. "Of course. Look over there."

Lu Ran looked over. There was nothing there at all. He turned back to Yan Shaozhe in confusion, but the man still looked confident.

A thought stirred in his mind.

He deliberately slowed his breathing and stepped forward.

Still, there was nothing.

But the elemental perception granted by the Small World let him notice something unusual beneath the soil.

It was as if something were hidden there.

He summoned his Soul Ring and used Earth Vein Rock Spike to draw away the soil, pulling out what was concealed beneath it:

Curled into a ball, with the patterns on its shell still indistinct and even its color not quite pure—

A tiny, buttery-yellow creature.

It was utterly adorable.

It was a baby Golden Hawksbill.

Lu Ran understood at once: it had only just hatched, perhaps moments ago. It had sensed someone entering the cave and hidden itself.

Once pulled out, the Golden Hawksbill realized that everything around it had gone quiet. Its clear, round eyes opened to the tiniest slits as it secretly peered around.

When it saw Lu Ran was still there, it immediately withdrew again.

As for why it didn't fight back, that was because it simply couldn't.

Golden Hawksbills were one of the few Soul Beasts without natural enemies. They were also one of the few Soul Beasts with no means of attack.

As for how they had survived without any means of attack,

their innate auspicious aura made nearby Soul Beasts subconsciously consider them "harmless" and leave them alone. On top of that, they were very good at hiding.

A gentle glow spread from Lu Ran's palm,

enveloping the tiny, buttery-yellow Golden Hawksbill. It gradually turned transparent, then finally disappeared, merging into the Small World.

Lu Ran's Soul Power began to rise, breaking through the level-twenty bottleneck.

The Small World, too, underwent a complete transformation:

Pure water elements emerged and gathered into intersecting waterways. They began to flow along the terrain, eventually forming wetlands. Greenery spread along the streams and rivers, and at last, life appeared in the barren world.

Where the flowing water met the wasteland, the sand and gravel gradually faded away, turning into fertile black soil that gave off the sweet scent of earth. Green plants began to grow.

In the end, the Small World, now expanded to a kilometer in diameter, became three regions: wetlands, plains, and desert.

Now he could grow crops.

The Rock Crystal Dragon, happily gnawing on ore, poked its head out of its burrow and stared around in bewilderment. What's going on? What's going on? An earthquake?

Meanwhile, the Golden Hawksbill was already leisurely soaking in a river.

Lu Ran gained four brand-new Soul Skills:

Group defensive Soul Skill—Gilded Barrier. It formed a thick, golden phantom barrier shaped like a tortoiseshell, increasing defense by fifty percent.

Group support Soul Skill—Gentle Water Domain. Soul Power recovered faster within its range, and water-type Soul Skills and Soul Beasts received an additional boost.

Passive Soul Skill—Imperial Majesty. As the emperor among turtles, it naturally suppressed all turtle Martial Soul Masters and turtle Soul Beasts.

Passive Soul Skill—Soul Beast Affinity. As the name suggested, it allowed him to get closer to Soul Beasts.

Besides that, he felt he could control far more than just Soul Skills. There also seemed to be energy originating from the earth and water elements, though it was only a faint sensation.

"Phew~"

He exhaled. His Soul Power had only increased by half a level, bringing him to level twenty and a half. That was acceptable. The Golden Hawksbill had only just hatched, so gaining half a level was already impressive.

"All done."

The weariness vanished from Yan Shaozhe's face. It was finally over. He wouldn't have to keep up his Spiritual Detection anymore.

As for the mental-enhancement Soul Tool, he'd put it away a long time ago.

Lu Ran sent the eggshells and nest into the Small World as well. After all, they were important to a little baby.

The two headed out. Just as they reached the cave entrance, they heard a series of "woo-woo" and "ka-ka" sounds.

They went outside and saw—

A huge crowd of turtles, black and white, big and small—at least dozens of them. Their mouths made "woo-woo" and "ka-ka" sounds. Even without expressions, it was obvious they were furious.

They were ready to tear Lu Ran and Yan Shaozhe to pieces.