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The next day, Bai Xu and Gu Yue had already been waiting at the entrance of the Spirit Pagoda for a long time, but there was still no sign of Leng Jiuming. The two gradually struck up a conversation.
"Aren't you studying at East Sea Academy? Why did you come to seek guidance from Teacher Leng?" Bai Xu asked.
"East Sea Academy is on break," Gu Yue replied, her tone as cool and detached as ever, her gaze fixed on the distant streets.
"Oh."
The atmosphere grew awkward. The two weren't very familiar with each other—they could hardly even be called friends. After a brief exchange of greetings, silence fell between them.
Gu Yue was somewhat puzzled. Bai Xu possessed two martial souls: the Heavenly Eye and the ability to control metal. Logically speaking, neither of these should enhance his physical body.
Yet, Bai Xu gave off the impression of a vast ocean—calm on the surface, but hiding boundless power beneath. Once something provoked this body, he would erupt with unimaginable force.
This was different from Tang Wulin. If Gu Yue were to sense Tang Wulin, she would describe him as having dragon-like vitality, immense strength, and a bloodline harboring savagery and ferocity deep within.
Bai Xu, on the other hand, appeared placid as still water. But if one truly stirred up a thousand layers of waves, it would be a catastrophic disaster.
Moreover, this power did not belong to a soul master.
"Sorry, the meeting ran longer than expected. The higher-ups have decided to entrust the execution of this evil soul master to me. Come on, I'll take you to see what it's all about!" Leng Jiuming suddenly appeared, his face lit up with a smile, as if escaping the tedious meeting had put him in a great mood.
With a hint of dark amusement, he added, "By the way, that evil soul master is only six years old—a child whose martial soul was just awakened and immediately judged as an evil one."
Hearing this, both Gu Yue and Bai Xu were shocked.
What did it mean to be judged as possessing an evil martial soul? It meant they could only improve their cultivation by slaughtering lives, posing a severe threat to ordinary people and soul masters alike. Being labeled as an evil martial soul was tantamount to a death sentence.
Seeing the confusion and disbelief on their faces, Leng Jiuming explained, "When it comes to evil soul masters, even a six-year-old child cannot be spared! According to the report submitted by the Spirit Master stationed there, the child killed three fishermen nearby as soon as his martial soul awakened. Evil martial souls allow one to fight above their level—a mere newly awakened child could instill fear in a Great Soul Master over level 20. We absolutely cannot allow such a person to live."
"You must not let their appearance evoke pity in you. That will only harm yourselves and others. Consider this a test for both of you. Understood?"
Bai Xu and Gu Yue nodded in response. Bai Xu didn't feel much sympathy, only curiosity. Gu Yue, meanwhile, remained indifferent, her thoughts preoccupied with the Golden Dragon King or the strange spiritual power emanating from Bai Xu.
The three of them took a soul-guided train to East Sea Harbor, then boarded a ship to the outer sea.
The modern human world's soul technology was highly advanced, with nearly 99% of the continent's resources under their control. But when it came to the ocean, humanity still harbored fear.
The scale of sea soul beasts was simply too vast, and among them were top-tier powerhouses. It was said that once, a cruise ship carrying a Title Douluo was attacked on its way to the Star Luo Empire, and in the end, no one survived.
However, the living space of sea soul beasts had also been compressed. Due to prolonged human activity and the presence of powerful soul masters in coastal areas, the more intelligent sea soul beasts had long since migrated to the deep sea. The coastal ecosystem had been destroyed, making it uninhabitable.
The small fishing village was located on an isolated island in the outer sea. Its inhabitants made a living by fishing, supplying fresh seafood to high-end restaurants in East Sea City. Most of the islanders were low-level soul masters who had never obtained their first soul ring in their lifetime. The village chief was the only one among them who possessed a soul ring.
Due to the island's poor transportation and adherence to centuries-old clan traditions, the villagers were uneducated and unwilling to use soul technology products. The entire village remained as archaic as ever, with the chief as its leader, stubborn and unchanging.
When Leng Jiuming and his group stepped onto the island, they were greeted not by the Spirit Master stationed there to conduct martial soul awakenings, but by an old man leaning on a cane.
Seeing the dignified visitors, the old man staggered forward and knelt, crying out, "Great Spirit Master, you've finally arrived! Something terrible has happened!"
Noticing the absence of the Spirit Master and hearing the old man's cries, Leng Jiuming's expression darkened. "What happened? Speak quickly and truthfully!"
"Great one, last night, the imprisoned evil soul master was taken away, and Spirit Master Zhang Xiao, who was stationed here, was killed! We are useless, great one!"
The old man wailed as if heartbroken, seemingly taking the blame upon himself but actually playing the victim, his words laced with hidden meaning. Hearing this, Bai Xu immediately sensed that this trip would be far more troublesome than expected.
"Old man, who took the evil soul master? Who killed our Spirit Master? Explain everything clearly at once!" Leng Jiuming demanded angrily, grabbing the old man by the collar.
"Great one, we don't know! The scene is still intact—please, come and see for yourself."
Leng Jiuming's face darkened further as he released the old man. "Lead the way!" He then turned to Bai Xu and Gu Yue. "You two, stay close and don't wander off."
The group followed the old man toward the village.
From a distance, they could see black smoke rising from the direction of the village. As they drew closer, they realized that part of the village had been destroyed. The fire had already been extinguished by the villagers, and the remnants of the scene made it clear that a fierce battle had taken place.
The body of the Spirit Master had been covered with a white cloth by the villagers. Leng Jiuming lifted the cloth, revealing swollen skin covered in blue spots and a small wound on the abdomen—death by poisoning.
"This poison doesn't seem like something an evil soul master would use…" Leng Jiuming muttered, his confusion growing as the case became increasingly murky.
Bai Xu and Gu Yue stepped forward and saw the horrifying corpse. Gu Yue turned her head away, unwilling to look further, while Bai Xu asked, "Teacher, any clues?"
Leng Jiuming shook his head.
"These blue spots…" Bai Xu felt a sense of familiarity. He crouched down, removed the white cloth entirely, and carefully examined the signs of poisoning.
After a moment of recollection, he remembered something from the Illustrated Guide to Sea Soul Beasts. "Teacher, I've read about this in a book. It seems only the venom of the blue-ringed jellyfish can cause these symptoms."
Gu Yue frowned. "Blue-ringed jellyfish? That's a sea soul beast. Are you saying the Spirit Master was killed by a sea soul beast? Impossible—he never went into the sea. Blue-ringed jellyfish are rare; the chances of them appearing in these waters are minuscule."
Bai Xu grew more certain. After some thought, he confirmed, "Even if it wasn't the jellyfish itself, the killer might have used its venom. These symptoms match the book's description perfectly: swollen body, blue spots on the skin, and a tiny wound, likely from a jellyfish sting."
The village chief chimed in, "Great soul master, a group of blue-ringed jellyfish have indeed appeared in the outer sea recently…"
Leng Jiuming's brows furrowed deeper. "You just said the battle happened last night, and the Spirit Master died then. But he was poisoned by blue-ringed jellyfish venom. Can jellyfish come ashore now? Speak! What are you hiding!?"
Leng Jiuming's soul power erupted, sending the old chief flying back from the sheer force. The frail old man's lifespan seemed to shorten with the impact.
Bai Xu observed the chief's evasive eyes and the villagers peeking fearfully from their homes. The old man seemed to resign himself to his fate, trembling as he leaned on his cane, looking half-dead. "Great one, I'll confess everything."
"Actually… a few months ago, villagers saw Little Zhang communicating with a soul beast by the shore. The beast looked like an umbrella, transparent with many blue rings. Afterward, the villagers reported this to me. At first, I tried to suppress the matter… but for some reason, the fish, shrimp, and crab populations in the nearby waters began rapidly declining. Within a month, there were almost no seafood left for us to catch. The village couldn't survive without a livelihood! Rumors spread quickly, and soon the villagers believed Little Zhang had colluded with the sea soul beast to drive away and kill the fish. They gathered to confront him at his home. But this confrontation… ended up forcing Little Zhang's father to commit suicide! That night, Little Zhang cried until dawn. The next day, he returned wreathed in dark mist, killing villagers on sight. I rushed to the Spirit Master's tower and begged him to subdue Little Zhang. Afterward, we waited for your judgment. But last night, Little Zhang's mother returned from the sea—and she had six soul rings! She tried to take him away, but the Spirit Master refused. They fought…
"And in the end…"
The chief's voice grew softer, becoming nearly inaudible. But the outcome was already clear to Bai Xu and the others—there was no need to hear the details.
Leng Jiuming muttered, "A six-ringed Soul Emperor… How could a woman from such a remote village be a Soul Emperor?"
There were too many unanswered questions, leaving Leng Jiuming momentarily stunned.
Gu Yue suggested, "Could it be that Little Zhang's mother was an evil soul master hiding here, leaving behind her bloodline?"
Leng Jiuming nodded. "That's possible, but we can't be sure yet. Since she killed one of our Spirit Masters, we cannot let this go.Stay here for now. I'll scout the island's perimeter for clues. Meanwhile, send a message to East Sea Spirit Pagoda's headquarters and inform them of the situation. Let the branch master decide."
"Understood."
Bai Xu watched his teacher leave, then input the message into his soul communicator. With the investigation temporarily concluded, the chief led them to an inn to stay.
Once the chief was gone, Bai Xu asked, "Do you believe the old chief's story?"
Gu Yue nodded. "It makes sense. It's possible an evil soul master hid here and left behind descendants. Nothing too suspicious."
Bai Xu agreed but still had doubts. "His story holds up, given how the villagers avoid us. It's likely true that they drove Little Zhang's father to suicide… But the part about his mother returning for revenge feels questionable. If she was a six-ringed Soul Emperor, capturing a blue-ringed jellyfish and extracting its venom would be feasible. But why would someone of her strength marry a fisherman? And how could Little Zhang communicate with the jellyfish in the first place? If you scrutinize it, there are many holes in the chief's story."
Gu Yue shrugged. "Maybe his mother saw how much he liked the jellyfish and went to catch one for him."
Bai Xu didn't argue, but his intuition told him there was more to this.
Beep beep beep!
A reply came from East Sea Spirit Pagoda headquarters:
[Order Spirit Master Leng Jiuming to eliminate the evil soul master. Minimize the incident's impact as much as possible.]
Half an hour later, Leng Jiuming returned from his search. He had found a group of blue-ringed jellyfish southeast of the island but no other traces.
After reading the message, he sighed. "Looks like we'll be staying here for a few days."
Bai Xu said, "It's fine. Just be careful when you're outside, Teacher."
Leng Jiuming laughed. "Hah! A mere six-ringed evil soul master is nothing to me. In the meantime, keep an eye on the villagers. Don't interact with them too much—this whole village feels off, almost sinister."
"Understood."
At dusk, Bai Xu and Gu Yue walked through the village, hoping to ask about the previous night's events. But the moment the villagers saw Bai Xu, they hurried inside, shutting doors and windows as if avoiding a plague.
Left with no choice, the two returned to the inn.
That night, Bai Xu tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He felt like he was missing something.
Could Little Zhang have had a natural talent for communicating with blue-ringed jellyfish? And the appearance of such jellyfish here was already improbable.
Little Zhang's mother was a six-ringed expert, yet she wasn't home when it mattered most. The Spirit Master died from jellyfish venom—did she really go to sea to catch one for her son? And how was the venom used to kill?
The mysteries piled up. Unable to sleep, Bai Xu went to the shore alone, letting the sea breeze and waves clear his mind.
"Hm? You're here too?"
A figure in a white dress approached along the coastline—Gu Yue.
She walked barefoot on the sand, her face adorned with a rare, carefree smile, as if she were allowing herself a brief vacation by the sea.
Seeing Bai Xu, she quickly schooled her expression back to its usual cool detachment. "What are you doing out so late?"
Bai Xu crouched, letting wet sand trickle through his fingers. "Couldn't sleep. Came out for a walk."
"Still thinking about today's events? Leave the evil soul master to Teacher Leng."
"It's just… something feels off."
Gu Yue walked past him, continuing along the shoreline alone. The two fell into silence once more.
Perhaps only when she was alone could Gu Yue truly set down the burdens on her shoulders.
Bai Xu gazed at the endless dark sea and suddenly smirked. "I've been too soft… Tomorrow, I'll use mental domination on the chief. Let's see if your story holds up."