Chapter 293: Attack of the Sea Beast
Chapter 293: Attack of the Sea Beast
"Senior Lu, I've been keeping a Dragon Carp in this pool, but lately, I feel like its growth hasn't been doing so well," said Song Ning, her eyes, a striking contrast of black and white, fixed on Lu Xuan as she gathered the courage to speak. "Could you please take a look at it for me?"
"Of course. Summon it out," Lu Xuan replied gently. With his extensive knowledge of spiritual beasts from the Tianjian Sect's library and his own rich experience in rearing them, he felt confident in addressing any issues with the little girl's beast, which was likely no more than a third-layer Qi Refining creature. If all else failed, he could always resort to feeding it something and examining its detailed status.
Bubbles continuously rose to the surface of the pool, and soon enough, a massive fish leaped out of the water.
The fish was over half a zhang long, with an elongated body resembling that of a flood dragon. Its body was covered in fine, pale red scales, and two red whiskers swayed gracefully in the water.
Lu Xuan's spiritual sense swept over the fish, sensing its spiritual power fluctuations, which placed it at the level of a first-grade demon beast. However, at first glance, it seemed lacking in vitality, floating listlessly on the surface.
"Senior Lu, this is the Dragon Carp I've been raising. It's a second-grade demon beast, but since it's still in its growth phase, its strength is equivalent to a first-grade one," Song Sining explained.
Lu Xuan nodded slightly, his spiritual sense carefully scrutinizing every inch of the Dragon Carp's body to pinpoint the root of the problem.
"What does this Dragon Carp usually eat?" he asked after a thorough examination yielded no abnormalities.
"I usually feed it demon insects, small fish, and shrimp. It also eats the silver algae in the pool," Song Sining replied honestly.
"Go and get some of the insects it normally eats. I want to see if it's a dietary issue, and while you're at it, feed it some so we can strengthen our bond, which will make it easier to examine," Lu Xuan suggested.
Song Sining hurried inside and returned with several insects of different shapes.
Lu Xuan picked up a grayish-white ring-shaped insect and held it out in front of the Dragon Carp.
The Dragon Carp immediately came to life, swimming swiftly towards the insect and devouring it in one gulp.
Witnessing this, Lu Xuan focused his mind on the Dragon Carp, quickly learning detailed information about it.
Dragon Carp, second-grade demon beast. Possesses an extremely diluted true dragon bloodline, so thin that it's nearly non-existent after countless generations of dilution.
Feeds on demon insects, fish, shrimp, and seaweed. Naturally endowed with immense strength, and upon maturity, it can instinctively comprehend simple water-based spells.
Due to its limited range of activity and the poor water quality of its habitat, it is in a rather debilitated state.
"So that's the issue," Lu Xuan mused to himself. "Feeding it is a simple yet effective solution."
He was intrigued to discover that the Dragon Carp possessed a trace of true dragon bloodline, but he knew that it was mostly for show, as it paled in comparison to the flood dragons and giant pythons of Thousand Dragon Lake.
"I think I've found the problem," he said aloud. "Dragon Carp are second-grade demon beasts that thrive in vast oceans, where they can swim freely and unrestrained."
"However, your Dragon Carp is confined to this shallow pool, and while it might not have felt the constraints when it was younger, as it grew larger, the pool became a hindrance. Additionally, the water quality here differs from that of the open sea, causing it some discomfort, which has gradually sapped its vitality, resulting in its current state."
Lu Xuan offered a reassuring smile to Song Sining as he explained his findings.
"If possible, take this Dragon Carp out for a swim in the nearby sea to let it fully express its nature. Also, remember to change the pool's water regularly to better simulate the environment it needs for optimal growth."
Lu Chen asked her some common sense questions about water-attribute spirit beasts before leaving with Song Yun.
Along the way, he suddenly felt a white jade talisman at his waist trembling continuously.
Lu Chen's heart tightened. The talisman was left by Song Yu as an emergency means of communication, and its activation signaled that an abnormal situation had occurred on Kongming Island that the Song family could not handle on their own.
He quickly took out the talisman and channeled his spiritual energy into it, hearing Song Yu's anxious voice.
"Master Lu, the sea area where the Kongming Spirit Fish are kept might be invaded by a large number of sea beasts. Please come and help us," said Song Yu.
"Alright, I understand," Lu Chen replied.
"Senior Lu, please take me with you," pleaded Song Yun, his face eager. Having trained in swordsmanship under Lu Chen for a long time, he was eager to test his skills and didn't want to miss this opportunity.
Lu Chen nodded, and with a surge of mighty spiritual energy from his Purple Lightning Sword, he whisked Song Yun away, speeding toward Song Yu's location like lightning.
In the vast sea area, Song Yu and over a hundred Song family Qi Refining cultivators were scattered, their eyes fixed on the distant sea.
"What's going on?" Lu Chen asked calmly, stopping in front of Song Yu and setting Song Yun down.
The originally anxious Song Yu felt his heart calm upon seeing Lu Chen's relaxed demeanor, as if he had found his anchor.
"It's like this, Master Lu," Song Yu explained. "The Song family cultivators patrolling the sea sensed unusual movements in the nearby sea areas, indicating that a large number of sea beasts may be intruding into the region where the Kongming Spirit Fish are kept."
"Is it common for a large number of sea beasts to intrude?" Lu Chen asked.
"Not really," Song Yu replied. "The Kongming Spirit Fish are beneficial to many sea beasts and fish, as they are naturally superior tonics. Thus, sea beasts often try to sneak in to hunt the spirit fish."
"There are usually two ways they do this. One is to sneak past the Song family's watchful eyes and stealthily enter from the seabed to poach the Kongming Spirit Fish. The other is to forcibly breach the defensive line set up by the Song family and hunt the spirit fish in the chaos."
"The second situation is less common, but if it occurs and the defenses are not adequate, it could result in a large number of Kongming Spirit Fish being slaughtered, leading to significant losses."
"Therefore, Master Lu, we're counting on you to maintain order. If there's an emergency, please act decisively to suppress the situation," Song Yu said gravely.
"Rest assured, with me here, nothing unexpected will happen," Lu Chen said confidently.
He looked around and noticed they were in a depressed sea area, with an island at their backs and large reefs and cliffs on two sides, providing some protection.
Most importantly, the area facing the boundless sea was...
After entering Kongming Island, Lu Chen had learned some relevant information. Due to the unique terrain and special water quality, this area was ideal for the breeding of the Kongming Spirit Fish, so the Song family had cordoned off this sea area specifically for their cultivation.
In terms of protection, as the area facing the boundless sea was nearly ten li long, and the surrounding waters were a hundred zhang deep, only a fifth-grade high-level formation could be effective.
The Song family could only set up some simple protective devices and assign cultivators to patrol day and night, thus managing to safeguard this sea area.
"They're here," Lu Chen said softly, sensing the movement in the depths of the sea with his spiritual sense.
(End of Chapter)
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