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Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Soto Lake (索托湖) |
| Type | Lake 15 16 |
| Occupation/Role | First destination of Lin Yuan’s five-year fishing cultivation journey; site of a covert Spirit Hall Soul-Nurturing Array 15 16 |
| First Appearance | Named and seen in the distance in Chapter 15; explored in Chapter 16 15 16 |
Geography
- Open water: A broad expanse of emerald-green water, with the far shore out of sight from Lin Yuan’s arrival point 16.
- Central island: A small island shrouded in mist year-round, resembling a cloud floating on the lake 16.
- Island pool: Spirit Hall’s array surrounded a pool of black water. After the array was broken, the water became clear again 16.
Notable Soul Beasts
| Soul Beast | Age / Stage | Connection to the Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Water Turtle | Thousand-year | Identified by the system as a fishing target. It voluntarily told Lin Yuan about Spirit Hall’s island operation after he caught it 15 16. |
| Jade Carp | Hundred-year | Detected by the system when it recommended Soto Lake as Lin Yuan’s first cultivation destination; no catch is documented 15. |
| Black-Scaled Flood Dragon Snake | Ten-thousand-year; juvenile | Held captive in the island pool and drained for Soul Power. After Lin Yuan freed it, it left a scale mark on his wrist and disappeared into the lake 16. |
Background / History
Spirit Hall’s Island Operation
According to the Azure Water Turtle, seven people wearing Spirit Hall clothing installed the island array two months before Lin Yuan’s visit. Their leader was a white-haired woman. The turtle warned Lin Yuan not to approach, although it did not know what was being raised there 16.
The installation was a water-attribute Soul-Nurturing Array. Its dark-red patterns sealed a juvenile Black-Scaled Flood Dragon Snake inside the pool, extracting its Soul Power to condense Soul Rings. The array’s core lay at the bottom, where the serpent was restrained 16.
Lin Yuan’s Visit
After Shrek’s students agreed to reunite in five years, Lin Yuan chose Soto Lake as the first stop on his journey to cultivate through fishing. Xiao Ruoxue arranged to wait there for half a month, while Lin Yuan invited Shui Bing’er to meet him at dawn for a fishing lesson. He set out with Ma Hongjun at Soul Power Level 28 15.
On arrival, Lin Yuan detected Spirit Hall’s array and caught the Azure Water Turtle to ask about it. Their catch-and-release bargain granted him the Turtle-Breathing Technique and raised him to Level 29. Xiao Ruoxue then joined him, and the pair investigated the island while Ma Hongjun remained on shore 16.
Lin Yuan negotiated with the captive serpent, promising to destroy the array and take it away. Following its indication of the core’s location, he wrapped his fishing line around Xiao Ruoxue’s sword and drove it into the core. The array shattered, freeing the serpent. Lin Yuan received its Reverse Scale summon item and advanced to Level 32; the system marked the Soto Lake dungeon complete 16.
Aftermath
The destruction revealed a wider operation: the system reported at least five additional Soul-Nurturing Arrays across the continent. Lin Yuan, Xiao Ruoxue, and Ma Hongjun left Soto Lake for the Heaven Dou Moat 16.
The white-haired Spirit Hall elder later returned to the island, found the empty pool, and crushed the remaining Array Core. She ordered the person responsible tracked down and dismissed the escaped serpent as something they could replace 16.
Xiao Ruoxue subsequently crossed the Soto Lake outpost off her investigation map. By the time Spirit Hall ambushed Lin Yuan at sea, he revealed that its agents had been following him since Soto Lake—and that he had deliberately allowed the pursuit to continue 17 18.