Seven-Hundred-Year Pale Blue Jellyfish

Dawn had barely broken when the father and son arrived at their destination.

No one had begun fishing yet. The lake lay still, and many fishermen's boats were moored along the shore.

Jie Yuan led Jiede to a boat. "Get on. I borrowed this boat in advance."

Jiede jumped onto the fishing boat. As the hull rocked, he immediately felt dizzy. Memories of drowning in both his past and present lives surged up, and his expression changed slightly.

Jie Yuan untied the mooring rope and jumped aboard. Just as he picked up the oars, he noticed that something was wrong with Jiede's expression.

"Son, what's wrong? Seasick?"

"I'm fine."

Jiede took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Let's go."

"If you feel unwell, tell me. Don't force yourself. If it really comes down to it, I'll go into the lake by myself." Jie Yuan looked worried.

"Dad, row the boat. I'm fine."

"All right, then."

Seeing Jiede insist, Jie Yuan said nothing more and rowed toward the center of the lake.

More than ten minutes later, the boat neared the middle of the lake.

Fish occasionally leaped from the water.

A group of juvenile Pale Blue Jellyfish drifted along the surface with the waves, filter-feeding on plankton.

The two patiently searched the lake.

"Son, look! There's a big one over there." Jie Yuan hurriedly rowed closer.

This Pale Blue Jellyfish was over a meter long, its blue skin slightly darker. It did not flee as the boat approached, merely floating there in contentment.

"Just over a hundred years. No good, the age is too low."

The two continued searching.

By eight in the morning, the sky was fully bright, and more fishermen had arrived.

Some fishermen saw what the father and son were doing and, unable to make sense of it, rowed over to ask.

"What are you doing?

I see you're not fishing, and your rowing is clumsy. You don't look experienced.

The middle of the lake is dangerous. Large carnivorous fish appear there. If you have no business there, it's best to stay near the shore."

The fisherman kindly warned them, mistaking the father and son for tourists out for a trip on the lake.

"Thank you for the reminder, sir."

Jie Yuan replied politely, then asked,

"Do you happen to know where we can find high-year Pale Blue Jellyfish in this lake?"

"High-year?"

The fisherman froze. "What do you want those things for? Once Pale Blue Jellyfish pass ten years, their skin turns hard. They don't taste good, and no merchants buy them."

"Sir, I'm a student at Notting Academy and a Soul Master. I've recently been studying high-year Pale Blue Jellyfish soul beasts," Jiede explained.

Upon hearing the words "Soul Master," the fisherman immediately became respectful.

"Little fellow, you're in the right area. It's just that high-year Pale Blue Jellyfish only float to the surface around noon."

"Around noon?"

"That's right, when the noon sun is at its fiercest.

High-year Pale Blue Jellyfish have thick skin that can withstand the sun, so they float to the surface at noon to bask."

"So that's how it is. Thank you for the advice."

"Little fellow, work hard and become a powerful Soul Master."

After chatting briefly for a while longer, Jiede and his father rowed back to shore and rested beneath a tree while waiting for noon.

At the height of the scorching noon sun, all the fishermen pulled in their nets and went ashore to escape the heat.

A small boat slowly moved through the middle of the lake.

"Son, that one over there is huge."

Jiede looked in the direction of his voice. This Pale Blue Jellyfish was more than ten meters long.

"No, this one is already a thousand years old. Its age is too high."

"What about that one?" Jie Yuan switched targets.

"Six hundred years, a little low." Jiede shook his head. "I want one around seven hundred years."

Jie Yuan's expression changed, and he said gravely, "Didn't you say your first Soul Ring should be six hundred years? Why have you increased the age again?"

"Don't worry, Dad. I won't gamble with my life. I've looked through plenty of information these past few days. A seven-hundred-year Pale Blue Jellyfish is the limit for my first Soul Ring."

After consuming Millennium Whale Glue, Jiede's physical condition had improved again. Enduring an additional hundred years of Soul Ring age would not be a problem.

Jie Yuan was still worried. "But the theoretical age limit..."

"Come on, Dad, that's only theory. Practice is the true test.

For one thing, if that fisherman hadn't told us today, we wouldn't have been able to find high-year Pale Blue Jellyfish so easily.

He's just an ordinary person, yet he still knows some basic knowledge about soul beasts.

If we don't act quickly, noon will be over."

Jiede urged him impatiently, his eyes swiftly scanning the lake's surface.

Suddenly, a darker-colored Pale Blue Jellyfish entered his sight. It was about seven meters long and floated on the water, basking in the sun.

"Dad, that's it. Just over seven hundred years. Get us over there."

Jie Yuan helplessly rowed closer.

Once they drew near, both father and son felt their scalps tingle. They were in the middle of the lake, where the water was deep, mysterious, and terrifying. They could not help but develop a fear of massive creatures.

"How are we supposed to kill it?"

Jie Yuan swallowed and tightened his grip on the fish spear. "Son, let me get in the water and try."

"Go die?"

Jiede raised an eyebrow. "It may not have much offensive power or any soul beast skills, but if it so much as rolls over in the water, it'll be enough to drown us."

"Then what do we do?"

"Dad, give me that bundle of explosives."

Jie Yuan summoned his Martial Soul, a small coin pouch barely large enough to hold a bundle of explosives.

Jiede took it.

The fuse on the bundle of explosives was very long and had been waterproofed. After lighting it with a tinderbox, he hurled it forcefully toward the Pale Blue Jellyfish.

The bundle landed near the target area. Its fuse burned rapidly, bubbles rose from the lake with a gurgle, and the smell of gunpowder spread through the air.

"Quick, row! Get out of here."

Jiede grabbed an oar and paddled with all his strength.

Jie Yuan did not yet know how powerful the explosives were, but seeing his son's tense movements, he did not dare hesitate. He snatched up an oar and rowed fiercely.

The father and son had only rowed several dozen meters away when the boat suddenly shook.

BOOM—!

A massive muffled blast erupted from the lake, accompanied by a column of water more than ten meters high that shot into the sky from the center of the lake.

The father and son's ears rang.

"What was that?"

Jie Yuan stood frozen at the bow. Water splashed into the air and continually rained down onto his face, jolting him awake.

"This is the thing Jiede has been tinkering with lately?"

"Soul Rings! They're Soul Rings!"

Jiede shouted excitedly.

The corpse of the Pale Blue Jellyfish floated on the lake's surface, with no fewer than dozens of white Soul Rings slowly rising above it.

Among those white Soul Rings, one slightly dark yellow Soul Ring was particularly conspicuous.

The father and son hurriedly rowed over.

Jie Yuan had just wanted to ask Jiede whether he was ready when he discovered that Jiede had already sat cross-legged and begun communicating with the seven-hundred-year Soul Ring before him.

Jiede summoned his Mystic Core Martial Soul, circulated his soul power, drew the Soul Ring around himself, and closed his eyes in concentration.

Jie Yuan did not even dare breathe loudly. He laid both oars across the water, trying his best to keep the boat from rocking.

Precious fish floated past belly-up on the lake, but he had no mood to catch them. He only hoped his son would absorb the Soul Ring smoothly and remain safe.

Half an hour later.

Jiede opened his eyes. The Soul Ring had been successfully absorbed.

During the process, he had not felt the slightest discomfort, nor had he experienced the agony of absorbing a high-year Soul Ring.

Jie Yuan hurriedly asked, "Son, how was it? How do you feel?"

"Mission accomplished!"

Jiede said to himself.

"I feel like even an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring would be no trouble at all."

Though Jie Yuan was only an ordinary person, he had also studied many books about Soul Masters. He immediately scolded him.

"Nonsense! There's only a hundred years' difference between seven hundred and eight hundred. No matter how much stronger the soul skill is, how much stronger could it be?"

"Cough, cough, I was only joking. Absorbing an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring would probably succeed, but the process would definitely be painful. It wouldn't be worth it.

I'm afraid of pain. I wouldn't take it even if it were free."

Jie Yuan's face was somewhat pale now. Sitting at the bow, he softly asked, "All right, son. What is your soul skill?"