The Ghost Ship Sets Sail

Beneath the azure sky, the Raging Blue skimmed swiftly across the windless ocean. Its speed was astonishing, yet it made no sound at all. By the time many mutated sea beasts and zombie sea beasts caught sight of its silhouette, all that remained in its wake was a phantom mist. On the ship's deck, Luo Yu listened to Shui Wuyue's explanation and asked, "What was... that Lower Monarch Species' obsession?" To think it took six whole years to fulfill... "Its greatest obsession before dying was finding a wife," Shui Wuyue said. Luo Yu: "???" Even that counted? "Don't underestimate this obsession. Before it died, it was a Lower Monarch Species Raging Sea Mad Shark. Mutated beasts of this kind only mate within their own species, so even after death, the mate it wanted had to be a Raging Sea Mad Shark as well." "And the number of Raging Sea Mad Sharks, even across the entire ocean, is pitifully small." "You tell me—where was I supposed to find it a wife?" "Even if I did find another Raging Sea Mad Shark, they have notoriously violent tempers. When angry, they'll even eat their own kind's flesh. How could one ever agree to mate with a ghost? Mating among their species is already exceedingly difficult due to their frenzied temperament, which is precisely why their numbers are so scarce..." "Just imagine: if a female ghost suddenly knocked on your door and demanded you become her husband, what would your first reaction be? Definitely not agreeing, right?" "In short, for the sake of its obsession, I dashed across the sea for ages. Fortunately, I was piloting a ghost ship, which let me steer clear of plenty of hazards. Otherwise, before any backlash from the soul contract could even hit me, I might have already died in a shipwreck." Shui Wuyue shook his head. "Luckily, once its obsession was finally fulfilled, both of our strengths saw an immense boost." So that was it... Contracting a ghost pet beast really was dangerous. Ghost sea beasts' obsessions were mostly bizarre and eccentric, and some were truly troublesome... but still, not all was lost! From what Shui Wuyue meant, in the Ghost Sea, one could observe their obsession first before making a choice. To put it plainly, it came down to luck again? If you were lucky, you would encounter a ghost pet beast that was both powerful and had a simple obsession. If your luck was rotten, you would only run into pet beasts that had no real capability yet loved daydreaming—though truthfully, that type was the most common. "..." Of course, the best news Luo Yu heard was that ghost pet beasts did not take up contract slots in the Beast Taming Space. "Then on this trip... is there a chance we'll run into the Ghost Sea...?" Luo Yu looked out at the water with some anticipation. Shui Wuyue shook his head. "You'd better pray we don't. Things like ghost sea beasts are best encountered once your rank is higher." "When a Beast Master has strength of their own, helping a ghost sea beast fulfill its obsession is far easier. Even if a Trainee Beast Master managed to contract a ghost sea beast, what rank could they reach at most after five years? Intermediate Beast Master? Advanced Beast Master?" "At that rank, fulfilling troublesome obsessions is far too difficult." "All right, go absorb the soul fluid first," Shui Wuyue said. "I'll go prepare some lesson plans..." Luo Yu nodded and walked toward his cabin. As for the little penguin, it was fidgeting anxiously to one side, dying to fish, but the ship was moving too fast. "No rush. When lessons start, the ship will probably stop for a while. You can fish then." Luo Yu recalled it into the Beast Taming Space and let it rest first. This little guy had been so excited after hearing they could head out to sea today that it had stayed up all night. *** Inside the cabin. Luo Yu sat on the bed and swallowed the soul fluid in one gulp. It tasted a bit like AD calcium milk. *This feeling...* After drinking it, drowsiness crept in, and he lay straight down. Yet even as his body rested, his consciousness remained crystal clear. The sensation was remarkably similar to sleep paralysis! At this moment, Luo Yu could clearly feel his soul power undergoing a baptism from the soul fluid, expanding and swelling continuously! In a daze, not knowing how much time had passed, Luo Yu's soul detached from his body and hovered above his physical form. Gazing down at his own flesh, he took a deep breath. Complete soul projection! A power he was supposed to master only after July reached level 11, when his soul would undergo its first major enhancement, had been grasped right now. Sure enough, no matter what one did, resources were paramount... *Maybe I can already pilot a small boat.* Luo Yu realized that in his soul state, his vision seemed to possess X-ray capability. Right now, he could see with his own eyes that he did not appear to be on a ship at all, but rather on the back of a colossal shark! [Species]: Raging Sea Ghost Shark [Attribute]: Ghost, Water [Species Rank]: Lower Monarch Species [Life Level]: Level 46 [Species Abilities]: Possession, Raging Waves, Tempest Surge... [Individual Talents]: 1. Obsession (Special talent: Possesses a powerful obsession. Upon fulfilling the obsession, soul power increases dramatically, with a small probability of soul evolution.) 2. Cautious (Ordinary talent: More cautious than ordinary individuals.) 3. Calm (Ordinary talent: Calmer than ordinary individuals.) 4. Lustful (Ordinary talent: More lustful than ordinary individuals.) Good grief. Luo Yu could not help but marvel. Because it was cautious and calm, it had not dared to seek out short-tempered members of its kind to mate with while alive. Yet because it was exceedingly lustful and died without ever mating, it had turned into an obsession? The loop was closed! *A special talent... So a ghost's obsession is a special talent?* *Fulfilling the obsession enhances soul power—Shui Wuyue mentioned that. But it can actually trigger an "evolution phenomenon"? He didn't bring that up; maybe he didn't even know?* *A reasonable guess would be that only an exceptionally powerful obsession could ultimately induce a ghost to evolve. At least, something like finding a mate... definitely wouldn't cut it.* Next, Luo Yu wanted to test how far his soul could detach from his body. He felt as though his soul was tethered near his physical flesh, linked by an invisible cord binding soul and body together... He began passing through the walls. As he phased along, Luo Yu drifted into the adjacent room, where steamy warmth was billowing. A figure wrapped in a white bath towel, fresh out of the shower, met Luo Yu's soul body gaze to gaze. "Ahhh—!" "Cut the screaming," Luo Yu said, looking at Chen Bo. "Sorry about that. Floated the wrong way. I'm leaving now—take your time drying off." Why did he drift into the bathroom... It gave him quite a fright. Fortunately, it was not Yuwan taking a shower; otherwise, her uncle would probably have thrown him overboard to feed the sharks. ... Before long, Luo Yu returned to his body. *Knock, knock, knock.* At that moment, someone knocked on the cabin door. Luo Yu opened it to find Shui Wuyue. "You can already project your soul, can't you? I felt a wave of soul fluctuations just now." Luo Yu nodded. "Thanks to Senior's soul fluid, I can do it now." "And you don't feel seasick, do you?" "No." "Very good, excellent talent! In that case, I'll have the Raging Blue slow down a bit," Shui Wuyue said, visibly excited. "I'll start teaching you how to pilot a ghost ship right now." Next, Shui Wuyue led Luo Yu to the Raging Blue's hold, where a small wooden raft sat. That was surely what Luo Yu would be practicing with next. "Wuji!" As the Raging Blue slowed, July finally saw its chance, hurriedly clutching its fishing rod and scrambling to the ship's edge. Shui Wuyue, who had been about to begin the lesson, was taken aback and looked at Luo Yu's pet beast. "I saw it holding a fishing rod right from the start. Does it really know how to fish?" "Is that safe, though? The average level of mutated beasts in this sea area is in the teens. Right now, it's..." Luo Yu said, "It's level 7 right now, but its strength and reaction speed are both excellent. If it hooks something dangerous, it can judge for itself. No need to worry about it." "All right, then." Shui Wuyue said no more. Besides, he did not think this little penguin, with that beaten-up fishing rod, could actually lure out any formidable mutated beast. Even if it did hook something powerful, the Raging Blue possessed combat capabilities of its own. Protecting this little penguin should not be an issue... "Fine, then next—" Just as Shui Wuyue was about to speak, July's fishing rod suddenly began trembling violently! It had barely started fishing, yet something had already taken the bait! "Wuji!" July let out a loud shout and hauled with all its might. In the next instant, a figure breached the ocean's surface, hoisted upward and tossed onto the deck. At the sight of what July had reeled in, Luo Yu and Shui Wuyue both fell into deep thought. July wore a bewildered expression as well. For it was neither a giant fish nor miscellaneous debris. It appeared to be... a human corpse?