Rushing to the door, he saw water pouring down from the sky, like a waterfall! This only meant his physical body was drowning!
He turned his head toward the platform, and a column appeared on it. It emitted a resplendent cerulean light, blinding him.
The next moment, he opened his eyes and saw the Skylark Shark's corpse and the Red Fury jellyfish to his right and left.
'A little more and I would have died out of carelessness,' he sighed inwardly. Despite his longing to carry the Red Fury jellyfish, Xu Kai knew the young Skylark Shark weighed 1150 kg thanks to the scroll.
The image of the mature Skylark Shark and the potential to trigger a storm tempted him, but he resisted the growing desire. First, that palace must be studied.
He exhaled and inhaled, and suddenly he saw a tiny ice form before his hands. 'The scroll wasn't lying about using the talents of beast souls!'
Astonished, Xu Kai kept freezing and freezing, watching what seemed impossible come into possibility!
Meanwhile, above the sea, three youths couldn't stop trembling because of the blood. "Isn't that the beggar's blood?" One shuddered.
The brutality of the world hit them before they could properly start their journey as martial arts practitioners.
Jin Tao, who lay on the flat floating board, gazed at the sky helplessly. "He wasn't supposed to die."
"Then who is?!" A youth beside him sneered. "You're barely alive. How are we sure you won't bring more ferocious beasts toward us?"
Jin Tao remained silent. He turned, leaned against his shoulder, and dipped his hand into the beautiful, clear blue water, which regained its allure as the blood cleared away.
Suddenly, a shimmer made him squint. Looking closely, he saw something rising and rising until it became clear.
"This…!" Jin Tao couldn't form any words as the dead shark and Xu Kai emerged from the water. Others couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the ice beneath Xu Kai and the dead beast.
To create such a large piece of ice, one would need to enter the Foundation Building Realm, but unknown to them, Xu Kai gained the naturally acquired knowledge that beasts have with talents.
In terms of lineage, beasts were a higher grade than humans, so their usage was more fluid!
It took him hours underwater, as well as enormous determination, to persist in creating this ice platform. Despite lacking Spirit Qi, he managed to absorb and utilize the abundant Spirit Qi found underwater.
Jin Tao's eyes trembled as he gazed at Xu Kai, who leaned against the dead beast, panting heavily.
"Are you still human? You were in the water for so long that not even a Marrow Cleansing Realm end stage practitioner could escape drowning, and on top of that, you killed a Marrow Unleashing Realm Skylark Shark without any talent!" Jin Tao exclaimed, gazing at Xu Kai with astonishment.
The others looked at Xu Kai with apprehensive eyes. Was this the same dirty boy they spoke poorly about and avoided? Should Xu Kai change his mind, they might not survive!
"Big brother Xu, you're really strong!" One of them spoke with glowing eyes.
Xu Kai's brows knit together. "The Skylark is mine," he declared and no one dared raise their voice.
'In the end, people still respect strength above all else.' None of them knew he was so weak that they might succeed if they mustered courage, but his bold and dominant claim had silenced that thought.
"What about the—!"
"They're dead." Xu Kai interrupted Jin Tao, who shuddered.
"You're probably younger than us but you act like you're an adult," he said, causing Xu Kai to lower his head.
He mustered a little strength, got to his feet and pointed at the wooden paddles. He said, "They were already dead before I fought the Skylark, but if you don't want the rest of us to become food for other prey, attracted by the amount of blood shed here, then bring those paddles and let's head back to the island."
The two, one from Shui and one from Cheng, jumped into the sea and swam toward the paddles.
****
The main shore, Emerald Island.
A crowd of about a hundred people stood on the golden sand while the Elders sat on bamboo chairs held together by vines. Among them, only Shui Ling had a maidservant who shielded her from the golden sun with a parasol.
A boat appeared on the horizon, causing a stir. After a while, the boat arrived at the shore, prompting Shui Long Yan and four others to drag a thick robe, continuing to do so until a formidable sea creature emerged from the water.
Gaps filled the air.
"An Adult Skylark Shark!" Elder Cheng Wei gasped, while Shui Ling smiled widely.
"Elder Feng, what do you think of my grandson?" She was proud to ask.
Elder Feng, who still wore his straw hat and a white garment, grunted. "He's a rarely seen genius."
"What?! Elder Feng has also acknowledged Shui Long Yan's brilliance!"
"The Shui family is currently at the top of the rankings. What can be more shocking than a 16 year-old catching an adult Skylark shark? The fierce creature that has claimed the lives of many fishermen."
"Shui Long Yan is blessed by the heavens!"
"He's a heavenly son!"
Shui Long Yan kept an amicable face as he bowed toward the Elders. "This is my catch, an adult Skylark Shark."
"Hmm." Cheng Wei grunted deeply. "Does anyone on the team want to compete with Shui Long Yan for the jade tag?"
"No way!"
All of them shook their heads. Cheng Wei scoffed.
Shortly after, another boat came to the shores, and the island's top beauty walked toward the Elders while the other four—two girls and two boys—dragged out a young Skylark Shark, about 8 and a half feet long.
It was significantly smaller than the colossus her elder brother had hunted. Seeing his hunt, she stuck out her tongue towards him before closing the gap between her and the Elders.
"This is my catch, a young Skylark Shark." She bowed.
"Good!" Cheng Wei nodded and Shui Ling smiled once again. Cheng Wei didn't ask if anyone would compete against her, and this made Shui Ling snort.
She knew what the old man was after.
Time went by and the siblings chatted, sharing their experiences, while the young men in the crowd were mesmerized by Shui Mei Er's expressions.
"Two boats! There are two boats on the horizon!"
Everyone turned toward the sea.
"Two boats?"