Chapter 95: The Mermaid
In the original novel, there was very little about the mermaid race. Aside from the Sea Maiden Douluo who appeared during the god level trials, there were no other mentions. In the second part of the series, the complete disappearance of Sea God Island meant that the mermaids no longer appeared, and it seemed the author left this race out in later installments. But without question, the mermaid race was one of the most unique in Douluo's world, as they existed between human and soul beast a hybrid species with both soul powers and long lifespans, even possessing an innate ability to read minds.
Perhaps these stacked advantages were considered too overpowered and problematic, so the author decided not to expand on them further.
After some time, her soul beast physique showing its resilience, the fragile looking yet beautiful mermaid stirred, her long eyelashes fluttering lightly as she opened her eyes with a hint of confusion.
"Where am I?"
"Congratulations, the surgery was successful. You're now a mature young man," Ye Wen said, leaning in with a genial smile.
"Surgery? Young man?" Her eyes showed a dazed look, clearly not following Ye Wen's odd joke.
Seeing his humor was lost on her, Ye Wen felt somewhat deflated. He adjusted his approach, releasing a slight hint of his soul power's pressure. "Now, my dear mermaid, you don't want me to hunt you down and turn you into a soul ring, do you?"
The mermaid shrank back, clutching her cloak more tightly as she realized the warm tone of Ye Wen's words belied a chilling message. Her instinct was to flee, but she could sense his watchful gaze had completely locked onto her, making any escape impossible.
Yet as a naturally gifted race, mermaids were quick witted rather than foolish. The way Ye Wen had phrased his words implied a chance for negotiation. Trembling slightly, she cautiously replied, "Respected human master, perhaps we can talk this over. If you have a need, I will do my best to meet it. Please, just spare my life."
There was no trace of forced delicacy in her voice, yet it still held an underlying allure, making Ye Wen wary of her natural charm. So this is a mermaid, he thought. They're certainly a gifted race in mental abilities.
Pleased by her cooperation, Ye Wen decided not to press her. After all, she was a mermaid, not a mindless, wild soul beast. They made their way back to Tianxing Academy, Ye Wen ensuring the mermaid's presence was concealed. As they approached the academy, the mermaid's tail transformed into human legs due to her prolonged time on land, revealing legs so flawless they left anyone who saw them in awe.
Given her hybrid nature, this transformation was logical. After all, as a half human, half soul beast, she held a natural advantage over most soul beasts, who would only be able to achieve human form after reaching the rare 100,000 year cultivation level. According to the original lore, sea soul beasts over 100,000 years could assume human form on land but would weaken significantly after an hour, eventually succumbing to land's foreign environment. While the mermaid's actual strength wasn't at that level, her aura didn't seem diminished upon gaining human form, indicating she had no such disadvantage on land.
Still, her extended time out of water left her feeling weak, so Ye Wen arranged for her to stay in the third level underground water chamber in the academy's secret quarters.
"Name?" he began.
"Mishel."
"Age?"
"Ninety eight."
"?"
At that, Ye Wen recalled the mermaids' unique heritage. They had soul beast bloodlines but didn't live as long as most soul beasts. However, their lifespan was about five times that of humans, so ninety eight was roughly equivalent to a human in their twenties. It all made sense now someone in their twenties would naturally want to explore, which must be how she wandered into the Sea Dragons' territory.
The lore had hinted that mermaids not only lived longer than humans but also ceased aging at a certain point. It was a talent that many would envy. If humans especially the research fanatics of his previous life knew about this, they'd probably go on a capturing spree to exploit these gifts. But that was in another world. In this one, Ye Wen would make his own path.
"Cultivation level, martial soul?" he continued.
"Level 53, Soul King. My martial soul is the Enchanted Flute."
Ye Wen paused in his note taking. In the original story, the Sea Maiden Douluo had a Black Magic Flute. Right, she had been an exceptional talent in her tribe, possibly with a mutated martial soul. Regular clan members like Mishel probably had this Enchanted Flute instead.
"Family background. Social connections. Why were you in the Sea Dragons' territory?" he asked.
Mishel dutifully answered all of Ye Wen's questions, spilling everything so willingly it left him speechless. Although mermaids were intelligent, they seemed to lack a certain...cunning.
Ye Wen gave strict instructions to the Huo siblings to keep Mishel's presence confidential, but he couldn't conceal her from Ah Yin. The entire academy was blanketed with blue silver grass, so it was effectively under Ah Yin's watchful eye. As soon as they'd entered the secret chamber, Ye Wen dropped the concealment spells, knowing Ah Yin would pick up on this.
Upon learning about the mermaid, Ah Yin was so intrigued that she came to see for herself, her curiosity heightened as Ye Wen shared details about the mermaid race.
Ah Yin's eyes sparkled with wonder. She'd always assumed people were just people, and soul beasts were soul beasts. Although both she and Mishel belonged to the soul beast world, Ah Yin had no plans to discuss her own experiences of transforming into a human, given her unique position.
Still, with her life energy, Ah Yin quickly befriended Mishel, putting her at ease. Mishel finally felt relieved upon learning that Ye Wen had no intentions of turning her into a soul ring or otherwise harming her. To the mermaid race, humans were practically mythical monsters.
"Never trust humans, or they'll swallow you whole and make you a soul ring." "Stay away from humans, or they'll enslave you as property." "Don't go near humans they're beasts consumed by desire."
These cautionary words were drilled into the ears of every young mermaid.
Ah Yin, noticing Mishel's optimistic outlook, decided to reframe her understanding. As a soul beast who had lived in human society for nearly twenty years, Ah Yin had no trouble recounting tales of human nobles' corruption and the ruthless ways of soul masters who would do anything to hunt soul beasts.
The effect was immediate. This naive mermaid was now back to being thoroughly terrified of humanity.
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