The extreme south of the Star Luo Empire.
A luxurious carriage, carved with exquisite patterns and adorned with ornate crowns and railings at the front and back, was slowly advancing toward the giant city ahead.
Seeing that their destination was near, the carriage door opened and a person poked their head out. With a thick beard and a pair of Peach Blossom Eyes, these striking features could only belong to our classmate Oscar.
Looking at the majestic city before him, Oscar was filled with joy and excitement.
"Finally here, Zhenhai City!"
"I wonder if the real ocean is as magnificent as the books describe!"
It wasn't just Oscar; Ning Rongrong beside him wore a similar expression. Having lived inland for years, she had never seen the ocean and was now quite expectant.
Thinking of this, Oscar asked Yun Ming.
"Boss, have you seen the ocean before?"
Hearing Oscar's question, a look of reminiscence appeared in Yun Ming's eyes as he spoke.
"I suppose I have."
He had seen it in his past life, but not in this one, so he wasn't quite sure how to define it.
Oscar: "?"
Yun Ming's answer left Oscar somewhat confused. I suppose I have—what was that supposed to mean? Either you've seen it or you haven't; why the doubt?
Ya Li, sitting beside Yun Ming, roughly understood his meaning. Seeing the puzzled look on Oscar's face opposite them, she chuckled and changed the subject.
"Alright, we're almost at the city gate, get ready to disembark! You'll have plenty of time to see the ocean later."
Hearing Ya Li's words, Oscar stopped overthinking and began discussing with Ning Rongrong how they should have fun once their business here was concluded.
Yun Ming paid no mind to Oscar, who had abandoned his special training and was letting himself go. He looked at the city not far away, feeling a sense of emotion in his heart.
Old friend, I've arrived.
I wonder if you still recognize me!
It had been over twenty days since Yun Ming broke through to level sixty. Because he had already determined the target for his sixth Spirit Ring, they had not gone to the Star Dou Great Forest for a conventional hunt, but had come to this Zhenhai City instead.
Since Oscar's Soul Power had also reached a bottleneck before their departure, and Yun Ming knew of a type of spirit beast nearby that was quite suitable for him, he had brought him and Ning Rongrong along. Just as Yun Ming had anticipated, Oscar had also successfully broken through to level forty a few days ago.
Zhenhai City, the premier port city within the Star Luo Empire, second only to the continent's top port city on the western frontier of the Heaven Dou Empire, Vast Sea City.
The massive city was built against the sea, or rather, built on the mountains by the seaside. No matter how the tides rose and fell, it remained unshaken, and its thick city walls were definitely of a main-city caliber. Before even entering the city, the group could faintly smell a light, salty, fishy scent.
Just as Oscar and Ning Rongrong were discussing, they arrived at the city gate and stepped out of the carriage for a routine inspection.
Ning Rongrong sniffed with her delicate nose and said, "What is this smell? It's strange."
The soldiers guarding the gate had never seen a beauty of Ning Rongrong's caliber. Seeing the beauty had a question, one soldier kindly replied.
"You must be visiting Zhenhai City for the first time. What you smell is the scent of the ocean. The beautiful sea is just to the south of our Zhenhai City; when the sea breeze blows, it naturally carries that salty, fishy scent."
But before the soldier could finish, a squad of soldiers wearing the standard armor of the Martial Soul Hall suddenly surged out from the city gate. The old man leading them, the moment he saw Ya Li, rushed over to bow and apologize.
"Zhenhai City Martial Soul Hall Master, Hai Lan, greets you. Please forgive this subordinate for the late arrival, Saintess!"
With their superior taking the lead, the squad of soldiers behind him also knelt on one knee.
"Please forgive us, Saintess!" xN
The other guards at the gate, including the soldier who had just enlightened Ning Rongrong, felt their legs go weak upon seeing the arrival of the Martial Soul Hall's Saintess. Fortunately, they saw that Yun Ming and Oscar didn't look like ordinary people and hadn't dared to say anything lewd, otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable. Even so, they didn't dare to make another sound.
Ya Li looked at these people from the hall and the suddenly quiet city gate, sighing inwardly. She hadn't notified the local Martial Soul Hall precisely because she didn't want such a grand display, but she hadn't expected it to turn out like this anyway. She spoke up immediately.
"Hall Master Hai, please rise. I did not notify you in advance, so how could you be at fault!"
"Let's enter the city first; don't hold everyone up here."
Hearing this, Hai Lan stood up and replied.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
With that, he signaled his subordinates to rise and led the four of them into the city.
Passing through the walls and entering Zhenhai City, the salty, fishy scent became even more intense. Furthermore, the people of Zhenhai City were somewhat different from those inland. The people here were generally shorter in stature, and their skin was darker than that of the inlanders.
The handsome and beautiful group of Yun Ming and Ya Li also attracted the attention of the locals. The main reason lay with the two girls; they were simply too beautiful. However, when the passersby saw the Martial Soul Hall soldiers escorting them, they didn't dare to stare for too long.
Just as Yun Ming and the others were observing the environment of Zhenhai City and the various novelties, Hai Lan, being very perceptive, came to their side to help introduce the various local specialties and delicacies they saw along the way.
"Zhenhai City is located at the extreme south of the continent and differs from the interior in many ways—culture, customs, architecture, food, and so on. For example, the Songhai Festival here, and the various snacks made from Sea Soul Beasts..."
"..."
Hai Lan was very talkative and didn't stop talking the entire way. Through him, Yun Ming and the others gained a general understanding of the local customs and traditions.
Soon, they arrived at the Martial Soul Hall in the center of the city. After Hai Lan arranged rooms for them, Ya Li dismissed him.
Afterward, Yun Ming and the others had a brief discussion and decided to stay in Zhenhai City for two days. Firstly, it was to rest after the exhaustion of the journey, and secondly, to make preparations before heading out to sea.
With the excitement of their arrival gone, the fatigue from the long journey began to weigh on their minds. The group rested for a while and did not gather again until before dinner.
Yun Ming looked at Oscar and Ning Rongrong, who were discussing what they had seen on the road, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"Alright, stop thinking about playing for now."
"I'm here to tell you about the arrangements for what comes next."
Hearing that it was time for serious business, the two of them stopped joking around, quieted down, and listened attentively.
Yun Ming said.
"I have already asked Sea Hall Master to help us prepare the essentials for our voyage, and the ship has been arranged as well. We will set sail the day after tomorrow morning. That is when we will officially begin this soul hunting operation."
Upon hearing "soul hunting," Oscar's longing for his Fourth Soul Ring finally overcame his desire to go out and have fun, so he spoke up to ask.
"Boss, what exactly is that Soul Beast you mentioned earlier that's so suitable for me? And where are we actually going to hunt for this soul?"
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader