Douluo: I Can Choose My Own Soul Skills

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Over the past few years, Ye Lan had learned a great deal about marine soul beasts from various sea soul masters.

  Among all sea soul beasts, the ones with the most vigorous life force were the blue whale-type soul beasts.

  However, blue whales were extremely united in nature, and they typically traveled in large pods.

  Even a lone blue whale was not something Ye Lan could afford to provoke.

  Even a century-old blue whale would measure dozens of meters in length.

  Moreover, most of these soul beasts lived in the deep sea, so the idea of obtaining a soul ring from one was pure fantasy.

  For someone like Ye Lan at his current level, it would be nothing short of a suicide mission.

  Aside from blue whales, there was another type of soul beast known for its abundant vitality:

  Octopus-type soul beasts, which had three hearts—each acting as a core of life force.

  That was why Ye Lan ultimately chose as his second soul ring a marine behemoth: Touch of the Ancient Beast, the king of the octopus soul beasts.

  Ye Lan believed that with the ability to customize his soul skill, he could extract a powerful life-type skill from the Touch of the Ancient Beast.

  "Sir, could you cut me a deal? Your boat rental is way too expensive!" Ye Lan was shocked when he heard the fisherman's asking price.

  The elderly fisherman sighed and replied, "Young man, I'm not overcharging you. You're asking me to go to the Black Sea, right? With that kind of route, my boat might not make it back! That place is dangerous—many of my peers have gone there and never returned. You say rent, but I'm afraid I may never see my boat again!"

  "It's really that dangerous? Sir, how about this—I'll add another 30 gold soul coins, making it a total of 80. You take me directly. I'm not too familiar with that sea region," Ye Lan said, understanding the fisherman's concerns and raising his offer.

  "What do you want to go to the Black Sea for, young man?" The fisherman was tempted by the offer and asked Ye Lan what he was after.

  "I heard there's a soul beast in the Black Sea called Touch of the Ancient Beast. I've just reached level 20 and urgently need my second soul ring. This beast's ring is a perfect match for me," Ye Lan explained.

  "What? You're already a level 20 soul master at your age?" The old fisherman looked at the tall, blond youth in front of him with wide eyes.

  Though the young man was about 1.8 meters tall, his face still carried a trace of youthfulness. Despite his height, the fisherman could tell he hadn't reached adulthood yet.

  To meet such a young grandmaster-level soul master stunned the old man—he could hardly believe it.

  Without hesitation, Ye Lan summoned his Blue Silver Grass along with his yellow soul ring from his palm.

  The grass was now covered in golden patterns, radiating an aura of nobility.

  At first glance, the Blue Silver Grass didn't seem to have changed much—but in reality, it had changed a lot.

  The color hadn't changed much from when he was at level 10, but its form had undergone a complete transformation.

  The leaves were no longer just a few blades, but large, robust fronds grown from branches extending from a central stalk.

  What emerged from Ye Lan's hand wasn't a tiny sprout anymore—it was like a miniature tree.

  The fisherman looked at the noble-looking Blue Silver Grass and the conspicuous yellow soul ring.

  Having lived near Hanhai City for years, the fisherman had seen a fair share of soul masters. A century-level first soul ring, and such an extraordinary martial soul? It was clearly no ordinary spirit.

  He was now certain that the young man before him was a true genius, and he couldn't help but trust him a bit more.

  "Soul Master, I accept your request. My boat may not be large, but it's no tiny dinghy either. A few-hundred-year-old Touch of the Ancient Beast won't be enough to shake it!"

  "Sir, you're familiar with the Touch of the Ancient Beast too?" Ye Lan asked curiously.

  "I've been going out to sea for decades. I've helped my crewmates catch dozens of marine soul beasts. I know my way around them. As for the Touch of the Ancient Beast, I hunted a decade-old one with my friends when I was younger. Those beasts fetch a good price when sold to soul masters," the fisherman said with pride.

  "But that was just a juvenile. Touch of the Ancient Beast grows extremely fast. When young, they're only a few centimeters long, but over time, their size increases exponentially. In a dozen years, they can reach one meter in length, and after a few hundred years, they can grow up to seven or eight meters!"

  "When the time comes, I'll help lure it to the surface. As for the fight—that'll be your job!" the fisherman said with a grin.

  "Sir, what if it's a thousand-year-old Touch of the Ancient Beast?" Ye Lan asked the fisherman.

  "What?! Why would you mess with a thousand-year-old Ancient Beast? That's called a King's Touch! Its body stretches over twenty meters long! Don't take me for ignorant—the second soul ring of a soul master is normally capped at the hundred-year level, isn't it?" The fisherman hesitated, clearly alarmed.

  "Relax, sir. I'll handle the fighting. If things go south, I'll just run. My martial soul is... a bit special. It's hard to explain, and you probably wouldn't understand anyway. Here—I'll add another 100 gold soul coins," Ye Lan said reassuringly.

  The fisherman thought of his orphaned granddaughter back home. Gritting his teeth for the promise of a better future, he steeled himself and said, "Alright, I'll risk it! Wait here—I'm going to pick up a secret weapon for dealing with the Ancient Beast."

  "A secret weapon?" Ye Lan asked curiously. Could a normal person really deal with a thousand-year soul beast?

  "You'll see soon enough," the fisherman said, not even turning back as he headed into Hanhai City. Ye Lan stayed behind to keep an eye on the fishing boat.

  The vessel was made of wood, about 70 meters long and 15 meters tall.

  As long as they didn't run into a sea beast over 100 meters, they should be able to escape without much trouble.

  Not long after, the fisherman returned with a freight cart.

  Ye Lan noticed that the cart held two large, bulging sacks, though he couldn't tell what was inside.

  "Sir, what did you buy? Can that really help against the Touch of the Ancient Beast?"

  "Heh heh... Sure, we ordinary folk may not have much combat power—but when it comes to dealing with soul beasts, we've got our own tricks," the fisherman said with a knowing smile, stroking his beard.

  "These are two large sacks of sea salt. If you're overwhelmed by the Ancient Beast, pour the salt over its entire body. It'll start to dehydrate and panic, desperate to dive back into the ocean to rinse itself off. That will give us time to escape," he explained proudly.

  Ye Lan found it surprisingly reasonable. No wonder this fisherman, who'd lived by the sea for decades, had survived this long.

  Taking advantage of the daylight, the fisherman didn't delay. He loaded up Ye Lan and a few crates of fish, and they set sail for the Black Sea.

  In the Dark Waters, the sea breeze wasn't especially fierce.

  Unlike other coastal areas, this one had a defining characteristic: its jet-black waters.

  It was as if the abyss itself were staring at their small vessel with a deep, black gaze. Standing on the boat, Ye Lan peered into the depths, unsure what unknown entities lurked in the sea below.

  The waters were eerily still. No other fishing boats were in sight. Their lone vessel floated, isolated, in the Black Sea.

  No wonder the fisherman had flinched at the mention of this place—the atmosphere was indeed unsettling.

  "Sir, where exactly is the Touch of the Ancient Beast? I only heard about this giant octopus-type soul beast from people in the city. I know it's the largest among octopus soul beasts," Ye Lan asked.

  "See those fish crates on the deck? Once night falls, the beast will crawl up on its own to steal them. This part of the Black Sea is very deep—King's Touches at the thousand-year level are more common here, while the smaller ones are rare," the fisherman explained.

  "But let me warn you—you won't get many chances. Once we use up the sea salt, I'm heading straight back to port. So whatever level Ancient Beast shows up… it's all up to your luck."

(End of Chapter)