Chapter 2

Shi Mu paid no attention to the glowing shells and swam quickly to the side of a large reef. With a single movement of his arm, he knocked on it a few times with a "bang bang" sound.

With a "puff," a cloud of blood mist spurted out from beneath the reef, swirling around the young boy like a living thing before silently merging into his body.

After inhaling the blood mist, Shi Mu immediately felt invigorated. He took a deep breath in the seawater and, like a fish, began to breathe freely.

Then, he moved swiftly to the back of the reef, dug out a rusty iron cone and chisel from the sand, and began to chisel away at the bottom of the reef with great care.

In the faint white light, it was clear that a sea clam the size of a water jar, as white as jade, was trapped under the large reef. However, most of it was pinned down by the reef, unable to move, with only occasional flashes of silver light on its surface.

On the side of the reef that had been chiseled, most of the space was already empty, and it even trembled slightly due to the underwater currents.

After about an incense stick's time, Shi Mu, who had been chiseling continuously, began to feel tired. He held his breath again, stopped his actions, and turned to the front of the reef, tapping the stone wall three times lightly.

Upon hearing the sound, the giant clam below emitted a wave of silver light and managed to open a small gap in its shell, spewing out a cloud of blood mist.

The scene from before was repeated.

After inhaling the blood mist, Shi Mu's breathing returned to normal. He then swam back to his original position with the hammer and chisel, and continued his hard work.

The white giant clam under the large reef was discovered by the young boy two years ago. After being accidentally sprayed with a cloud of blood mist, he immediately gained the ability to breathe freely underwater.

Surprised and delighted, he realized the clam was extraordinary. He returned home to fetch a hammer and chisel, and came back to the seabed to chisel away at the bottom of the reef, planning to rescue the giant clam.

The giant clam was also very intelligent, seemingly aware that Shi Mu was trying to save it. Whenever he was unable to breathe underwater, it would spray out a cloud of blood mist to allow him to continue breathing freely.

However, the reef was too large. Even though Shi Mu could breathe freely underwater, the strength he could exert in the seabed was limited, and the rock was extremely hard. It took him two years of continuous chiseling to finally approach success.

During this period, Shi Mu discovered that the blood mist the giant clam sprayed was even more mysterious than he had initially expected. Over the two years, as he inhaled more and more of it, the duration he could stay underwater increased from a very short time to more than an incense stick's time.

At the same time, Shi Mu found that the blood mist not only greatly improved his water skills but also benefited his body. His body tempering, which had been stalled due to a lack of medicinal assistance, advanced from the fourth level to the seventh level in one go. Many things that had puzzled him before became clear, as if the blood mist had also enhanced his insight, making him more mature than his peers.

Otherwise, how could a mere teenager in his teens remain so calm and composed in front of the old man in a blue robe?

This time, he worked hard for most of the night before leaving the seabed, exhausted, and returning to his home in the fishing village.

According to his usual routine, he would rest for several days after each dive to regain his strength before diving again. However, given the current situation, he could not afford to do so.

The next evening, the young boy jumped into the sea at the same spot.

The following night, deep in the seabed!

With a "boom," several pieces of rock rolled down, causing the reef to tremble violently and begin to tilt towards the side that had been chiseled out.

The giant clam, which had been tightly pressed under the rock, emitted a wave of silver light and struggled to free itself.

"It's done!"

Shi Mu was overjoyed. He twisted his body, swam quickly to the other side of the reef to avoid being hit.

The loud noise continued as the reef tilted halfway, about to collapse completely, and the giant clam managed to free itself from below.

But at that moment, a mysterious undercurrent rushed towards the collapsing rock.

With a series of "rumbling" sounds, the tilted reef shook and strangely returned to its original position, and the giant clam, which had just freed itself, was about to be pinned down again.

"Trouble!"

Without hesitation, Shi Mu let out a low cry, sank his waist, and his feet sank half a foot into the sand. With a shake of his arms, he punched the reef twice with all his might.

With two "thud" sounds, his fists hit the rock wall, causing the nearby seawater to churn, and the large reef to tremble, slightly slowing its descent.

Seizing the opportunity, the giant clam emitted a flash of white light and, in a blur, mysteriously disappeared from its original position.

Shi Mu, however, was pushed back several steps, his hands bloodied and raw. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

At that moment, the seawater around the young boy stirred, and the giant clam reappeared in a swirl of white light. Its shells slowly opened, revealing a miniature girl holding a blood-red pearl.

The miniature girl, about six or seven years old, was only three inches tall, wearing a light silk belly band, with skin as white as snow and exceptionally delicate features. Her star-like black eyes carefully examined the unconscious young boy and his bloodied hands, and her small face showed deep gratitude.

She raised her lotus-like arms, holding the blood-red pearl high, and it emitted waves of silver light that spread in all directions.

In the next moment, "whoosh" sounds filled the air as countless shells of various sizes surged from the seabed and quickly gathered beneath the young boy, gently lifting him upwards.

In no time, the seawater parted, and the young boy's body floated to the surface.

The numerous shells then scattered and sank back into the seabed.

With a swirl of silver light, the giant clam reappeared near the young boy, its shells wide open, and the miniature girl reappeared.

She looked at the young boy, who was still unconscious, and then at the blood-red pearl in her hand, her face showing some hesitation. Finally, she gritted her teeth and threw the pearl towards the young boy.

The pearl spun above the young boy and, with a "puff," spurted out a large cloud of blood mist!

...

A few days later, the miniature girl appeared on the surface of the sea, now the size of a normal child, accompanied by a middle-aged woman in blue palace attire.

The two stood on a black giant turtle the size of a house, speeding towards the depths of the sea, leaving a trail of rolling waves on either side.

The woman held the girl's hand, looking at her with loving eyes, and said:

"Girl, if you hadn't met me first, you might have really been in danger. Tsk tsk, a Heavenly Clam Spirit Maiden, a natural water mage, is a once-in-ten-thousand-years occurrence in the entire Eastern Sea. It seems our Eastern Sea clan is destined to flourish! By the way, girl, what's your name? Why can't I see your spirit pearl? According to legends, all Heavenly Clam Spirit Maidens should have a companion spirit pearl, which is an excellent material for crafting protective talismans..."

"Ya ya..."

The girl made cooing sounds and gestured to the woman with her other hand.

"Oh, you're called Xiangzhu, and you gave your spirit pearl to someone who saved your life? Yes, knowing gratitude is a good thing... What? That person is a human male. Girl, remember, human males are the most unreliable. Next time you see him, just kill him with one palm. Come, let's go with Master to get the pearl back... What? You say the spirit pearl was contaminated by an unknown strange blood in the seabed a long time ago and is now useless? Oh, if that's the case, then forget it. It's a lucky break for that human boy, but you mustn't see him again..."

As the woman's voice grew softer, the giant turtle carried the two of them farther away, eventually becoming a black dot and disappearing completely.

...

Shi Mu, in a daze, felt an intense heat all over his body, as if his blood was boiling. His mouth was dry and his tongue parched. With a sudden shout, he sat up abruptly.

He found himself sitting on the beach, the surroundings quiet and empty, with no one in sight.

The young boy was stunned for a moment, then instinctively looked down and was greatly surprised.

He saw that his hands, which should have been bloodied and raw, were now smooth and unblemished, with no trace of injury.

Shi Mu examined his hands several times, feeling the abnormality in his blood, and his face showed a look of suspicion. After some thought, he suddenly remembered something and began to search his body.

A moment later, he pulled out a thumb-sized, crystal-clear pearl from his shirt.

"This is..."

The young boy was puzzled but certain that he had never had this object before.

Shi Mu did not know that the clouds of blood mist the giant clam had sprayed at him were actually the strange blood stored in the spirit pearl held by the miniature girl.

Originally, Shi Mu had only absorbed one-tenth of the strange blood. Now, to heal his injuries, the girl had forced out the remaining strange blood, allowing his injuries to heal instantly.

The spirit pearl, no longer suppressing the contaminated blood, had lost its spiritual power and was now just a rare night pearl. Otherwise, the girl would not have been willing to leave it behind.

Shi Mu played with the pearl in his hand for a while, feeling its smoothness and recognizing its value. He carefully hid it close to his body.

In the following days, he dived into the water again, searching the seabed where the reef had collapsed. After confirming that the giant clam was truly gone, he surfaced with a sense of melancholy and returned to his home in the fishing village.

Three days later, in the morning, the old man in the blue robe and others appeared in the fishing village.

Soon after, a black carriage, escorted by several riders, quickly left the village and headed towards Fengcheng.

---

---

Shi Mu, in a daze, felt an intense heat all over his body, as if his blood was boiling. His mouth was dry and his tongue parched. With a sudden shout, he sat up abruptly.

He found himself sitting on the beach, the surroundings quiet and empty, with no one in sight.

The young boy was stunned for a moment, then instinctively looked down and was greatly surprised.

He saw that his hands, which should have been bloodied and raw, were now smooth and unblemished, with no trace of injury.

Shi Mu examined his hands several times, feeling the abnormality in his blood, and his face showed a look of suspicion. After some thought, he suddenly remembered something and began to search his body.

A moment later, he pulled out a thumb-sized, crystal-clear pearl from his shirt.

"This is..."

The young boy was puzzled but certain that he had never had this object before.

Shi Mu did not know that the clouds of blood mist the giant clam had sprayed at him were actually the strange blood stored in the spirit pearl held by the miniature girl.

Originally, Shi Mu had only absorbed one-tenth of the strange blood. Now, to heal his injuries, the girl had forced out the remaining strange blood, allowing his injuries to heal instantly.

The spirit pearl, no longer suppressing the contaminated blood, had lost its spiritual power and was now just a rare night pearl. Otherwise, the girl would not have been willing to leave it behind.

Shi Mu played with the pearl in his hand for a while, feeling its smoothness and recognizing its value. He carefully hid it close to his body.

In the following days, he dived into the water again, searching the seabed where the reef had collapsed. After confirming that the giant clam was truly gone, he surfaced with a sense of melancholy and returned to his home in the fishing village.

Three days later, in the morning, the old man in the blue robe and others appeared in the fishing village.

Soon after, a black carriage, escorted by several riders, quickly left the village and headed towards Fengcheng.