Chapter 99: The Uninvited Guest
Ever since learning, at the age of nine, that the world's consciousness had fallen asleep, Ye Wen had felt his luck to be rather ordinary. So far, among all the soul beasts he had hunted, only the Battle Drum Toad King had yielded a soul bone, and that was mostly due to its high probability from reaching an 80,000 year cultivation level. This time, after hunting a 200,000 year old beast, he'd expected a guaranteed soul bone according to world rules. Based on the characteristics of the squid, he assumed it would be a torso bone, as squids generally have only one internal "bone."
However, the appearance of this eye on his forehead caught him off guard it wasn't a torso bone at all but an external soul bone. Why wasn't it a head bone? Given Ye Wen's knowledge, he could easily identify the difference: only external soul bones integrate into the body alongside a soul ring. Ye Wen had almost given up hope of obtaining an external soul bone, given that his recent hunts all involved high year soul beasts and the odds of getting an external soul bone were so rare.
Yet here it was the 200,000 year old Multi Eyed Squid Emperor had given him an extraordinary gift. Not only was it a powerful external soul bone, but it was also a bone with 200,000 years of cultivation, allowing for rare growth potential. Unlike ordinary soul bones, which are static, an external soul bone could grow and become even stronger over time, especially if he could one day unravel its mysteries.
"Brother, how did it go?" Ah Yin asked with concern.
Through his new vision, Ye Wen noticed that Ah Yin was surrounded by a faint red aura. Although he wasn't certain what this aura meant, he quickly shifted his attention back and replied, "It worked. By the way, did you find a soul bone in that corpse, Ah Yin?"
"No, Brother. A soul beast only ever produces one soul bone, and that's clearly appeared on your forehead."
"Still, this is strange. Since when is an eyeball considered a bone?" Ye Wen muttered, slightly annoyed. The unexpected external soul bone had certainly taken him by surprise.
Turning, he glanced at Mishel and saw a faint black aura around her. When he looked down, he realized he was cloaked in a golden aura.
Mishel's black aura didn't seem to signify anything ominous, so Ye Wen considered it carefully. Given Ah Yin's red aura and his own golden one, he had a theory: it might represent the level of cultivation each individual could ultimately reach. In Douluo Continent, the levels of soul rings are ranked white, yellow, purple, black, red, and the legendary million year golden ring. Considering Ah Yin's potential, reaching the Title Douluo rank should be certain, while he himself was working toward a higher goal, potentially godhood. This aura, he hypothesized, could reflect each person's life potential.
"Brother, what soul skills does this 200,000 year external soul bone come with?" Ah Yin asked curiously.
Caught off guard by the unexpected gift, Ye Wen had yet to examine the abilities embedded within the external soul bone. Closing his eyes, he focused intently.
"This soul bone is indeed worthy of a beast of that level it contains two skills. The first is called Turbid Domain, a field that allows me to distort space around me within my mental range, neutralizing enemy attacks. The second is a mental attack skill called Vision of the Abyss. It can concentrate my mental power to forcibly establish a mental link with an opponent, directly assaulting their mental sea. A weaker opponent will be reduced to a blank slate, and even those on par or stronger than me will suffer severe mental attacks."
Ye Wen couldn't hide his excitement. Both skills were highly practical in combat. This set of skills surpassed even the devouring skill of the Eight Spider Lances in the original story. Furthermore, his external soul bone provided him with an additional ability: it allowed him to perceive an aura around others, which seemed more useful than the venomous aspect of the Eight Spider Lances.
Hearing about these powerful skills, both women looked at him with envy.
Glancing at the huge squid corpse floating nearby, Ye Wen briefly considered whether to bring it back for his disciples. Squid meat, similar to octopus, might be quite tasty. Memories of the delicious grilled squid from his past life came to mind, making him momentarily nostalgic.
Unfortunately, he had no idea how to recreate the sauce from the soul food of his previous life, but he still decided to take it back for a taste test. Even if it turned out to be inedible, it could still serve as fertilizer for his Blue Silver Forest, potentially enhancing its growth significantly.
Determined, he prepared to store the squid's massive carcass in his martial spirit's storage space. Mishel pulled on his sleeve, however, a look of concern on her face.
"Brother Ye, are you really going to try eating this Multi Eyed Squid Emperor?"
Ye Wen gave her a curious look. "Of course. It's a 200,000 year old soul beast, after all. Its body contains a wealth of energy that could be highly nourishing for any soul master."
"Um, not to doubt you, Brother Ye, but this creature is notoriously sour and has a horrible texture. When our clan elders brought some back once, we couldn't eat more than a few bites before spitting it out. Our tastes are quite similar to humans, so I doubt you'd enjoy it either," she explained.
Her comment jogged Ye Wen's memory, reminding him of the legendary giant squid from his previous life, which was also said to be unpleasant to eat. For a moment, he was torn. As a lover of fine cuisine, he found the idea of not trying such rare meat almost insulting to his principles. In the end, though, he resolved to take it back anyway.
"If it's really that bad, I'll just use it as fertilizer for the Blue Silver Forest. A beast of this level should still greatly enhance the forest's cultivation," he thought as he prepared to store the squid's two enormous sections.
Mishel sighed, knowing there was no stopping him, and shrugged. Just as Ye Wen was about to store the corpse, a surge of soul power suddenly rippled through the water beneath them. He quickly retracted his martial spirit, his gaze sharp and alert.
The two women also sensed the disturbance below, tensing in preparation.
A cluster of transparent tentacles began to wrap around the body of the Multi Eyed Squid Emperor. From the murky depths, a golden light emerged.
"That's a jellyfish… but its size is incredible!" Ye Wen murmured, stunned.
A massive jellyfish rose from the seafloor, its entire body transparent, with radiant golden filaments coursing through it.
(End of Chapter)
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