Unknown Chamber & Training

Some time later, the last two boats returned. Seeing Cheng Yi return empty-handed, Elder Cheng Wei couldn't swallow the humiliation anymore and pounded his fist against the armrest.

Cheng Yi shuddered and couldn't summon the courage to raise his head.

"Even a beggar could kill a Skylark, but you couldn't! You're merely a waste! Humph!" Cheng Wei got to his feet, flung the wide arm sleeves of his robe and left.

'What? That beggar killed a Skylark! Impossible!' Cheng Yi lifted his head and saw the jade tag attached to Xu Kai's waist. 'How could such an important thing be on the most worthless trash on this island?'

His finger nails pierced his flesh as he clenched his fists and ignored the pain.

"Good, you three should train well. Our esteemed guest will arrive in three months, so make sure you've reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm's end stage before then or no amount of luck will help you." Shui Ling said. Though Shui Ling didn't look at him, Xu Kai knew she was talking about him, meaning the Shui family still saw his achievement as luck.

****

The training ground is located at the highest point of Emerald Mountain. A group of youths walked onto the flat, round platform, which was sparsely crowded. A man in his late thirties held a thick staff while scrutinizing the individuals rolling and lifting stones.

When Xu Kai stepped onto the training ground once more, he closed his eyes, connecting with the tiny existences in the air. It was dense—almost as dense as the Qi level at the bottom of the sea.

'This mountain's Feng shui attracts such dense Spirit Qi, yet it's not as potent as the lands where the lineage families built their manors.' Xu Kai's eyes twinkled. Feng shui's presence was the only thing that drew him to train on the Emerald Mountain.

'They're only here for show. Tch!' He clicked his tongue at Shui Mei Er and Shui Long Yan, who began to teach others, examining and telling them their mistakes in the "Raging Tide Technique".

Pu—!

"B*st*rd!"

Spit splattered against Xu Kai's face. He blinked slowly and turned to the source. Cheng Yi and his friends stood there, staring contemptuously at him.

"You stink, dirty brat." Another sneered.

"Hey kid, where's your father? Or maybe you have a mother? Wait, what spat out a wretched thing like you—?"

Pa—!

Uncle Lan delivered a hot slap to the youth, followed by a glare that scared them away. Xu Kai's eyes followed them as they joined the others in practicing the "Raging Tide Technique".

Shui Long Yan wasn't offering his aid anymore; rather, he joined the grownups, showcasing his abnormal strength and receiving gazes of reverence.

"Are you not going to join them?" Uncle Lan's voice rang from the sidelines.

Xu Kai's lips forcibly curled into a smile that disappeared in the next moment. "They don't want me here. I'd rather sit and watch." He cleaned the saliva off his face.

Uncle Lan cocked his brows. The way Xu Kai spoke to him appeared to be close, but after much thought, Lan came to the conclusion that he had never seen Xu Kai before.

Before Lan could utter a word, Xu Kai found a spot away from the rest and sat cross-legged. While watching them practice, his thoughts slowly veered off until he suddenly found himself inside the space in his head.

He blinked slowly, looking around with mild shock.

Xu Kai, feeling the thirst to know more, dashed into the palace, straight to the column that had long left the platform and was between two pillars.

The scroll hovering above sensed his presence and opened accordingly. This time, Xu Kai managed to capture a clear image of the young Skylark Beast in its soul form. Glowing patterns ran across its body, turning the Skylark from a ferocious sea beast to a mysterious one.

It looked like an ancient beast.

Knowing he could transform into something this intimidating, his lips curled upward.

'What about the next form?'

One detail disappeared and another appeared. The method appeared to scroll downward.

The 22-foot-long, mighty shark with a darker color quickly drew Xu Kai's attention. It weighed a staggering 2,270 kg, according to the scroll! Even amongst adult Skylarks, this one was the biggest he had ever seen. This one dwarfed even the rumored one in size.

"If I can advance into adult form, I'll be able to do as I please in some parts of the sea. Many herbs exist that can rebuild and repair my damaged foundation in the depths of the sea, eliminating the need for me to fear other beasts. Wait, there are only two resources." Xu Kai muttered to himself.

*A Silver Horned Dolphin's Pill and an intermediate-grade mortal herb—the Crystal Water Lily—are resources for advancement.

Xu Kai exhaled. "This place is like some library for beasts; it even knows the exact resources needed."

Once again, the words changed, and the next step involved becoming a sacred, ferocious beast!

Regardless of the meaning, Xu Kai knew it sounded incredibly impressive. Unfortunately, the Skylark Shark's lineage ended here. Routes for higher advancement didn't appear, no matter how hard he tried to force them.

He flicked his hand. A tiny marble-sized water ball appeared in the hollow of his palm, churning softly. Xu Kai's eyes grew wide.

'A water talent!' After carefully rereading the scroll once more, he discovered that the lineage of the beast souls would determine the talents he would receive.

Though this water-type talent was a mortal grade talent, its potential meant he could keep upgrading his talent until someday he attained the highest talent grade!

Xu Kai trembled as he thought of the crazy possibilities. Turning around, he looked at the empty spots. "Will columns occupy these spaces as well?" He pondered out loud. "Can I absorb beast souls of all elements, or only those of the water type?" he asked himself.

Walking around, Xu Kai felt his hope for the future turning so bright that he couldn't predict it anymore. He noticed two words etched into the polished marble at the back of the platform.

Soul Palace.

'So this building is called the Soul Palace. How about the space? I'll call it the Soul Sanctum, because it's my secret place.' Nodding in satisfaction at the name that suddenly came out of his mouth, Xu Kai continued exploring.

He entered a wing that extended from the hall and saw a thick fog obscuring everything there. No matter how he tried, he couldn't enter the wing so he gave up.

Although he couldn't see anything, Xu Kai's sense of treasure tingled. The moment he turned back, he found himself in a chamber. The chamber twisted and suddenly transformed into the shores of the island, where he encountered the same youth who had used the ice fist.

"What is going on—?"

Before he could react, the youth's fist connected with his cheek, throwing him two meters backward. The throbbing pain rushed into his brain.

Springing to his feet, he encountered another punch heading for his face. Tilting his head to the right, Xu Kai rolled forward and swung his leg, sweeping the youth's legs off the ground.

"Tch! He barely mastered a proper stance. His mastery over the "Raging Tide Technique" is extremely poor. However, it took me three years to master it, in a way, he's better than me."

Following the youth's fist, Xu Kai narrowed his eyes and attempted to replicate it, but ultimately succeeded only in coating his knuckles.

Bam—!

However, the punch knocked the youth out cold.

Time trickled by and Xu Kai continued training on how to master the water element in his human form until a wave of exhaustion spread throughout his body, causing him to open his eyes.

A pair of red eyes twinkled in the dark night.

"You're finally awake!"

Rumble—!

Xu Kai's stomach roared so loudly that silence fell.