Chapter 375 ·Sea Breath Pearl
Chapter 375: Sea Breath Pearl
Because of the appearance of the Black Jade Pearl, the shop selling Lark Shells was instantly surrounded by a tightly packed crowd.
However, it had no effect whatsoever on Zhou Ming.
Wherever he went, the Beast Tamers around him instinctively moved aside, opening a path for him. This was a small technique Zhou Ming employed using his Spiritual Power.
The surrounding spectators were, at most, Apprentice Beast Tamers, so none of them noticed anything unusual.
When Zhou Ming entered the crowd, a dark-skinned, middle-aged burly man was holding a silver shell the size of a washbasin and laughing heartily.
Everyone could see an egg-sized black pearl embedded in the shell's flesh, radiating a mysterious glow.
“So this is the Black Jade Pearl?”
Zhou Ming muttered softly, feeling somewhat curious about it.
According to the information introduced by Li Dafu, because of the Cloud Mist Sea's unique environment, Beast Tamers found it extremely difficult to advance to the Professional Rank.
The only way to avoid this influence was by relying on external means, and after consuming the Black Jade Pearl before him, one would not be affected by resentful spirits for a short period of time.
Therefore, this Black Jade Pearl was the best auxiliary material for advancing to the Professional Rank through a Class Advancement Ritual.
“My friend, our Four Seas Chamber of Commerce will buy the Black Jade Pearl for twenty kilograms of Source Crystals. What do you think?”
After confirming that it was indeed a Black Jade Pearl, someone immediately spoke up, intending to purchase it.
“Your Four Seas Chamber of Commerce is only offering twenty kilograms of Source Crystals? Don't you think that's too little? Our Black Gold Chamber of Commerce offers twenty-five kilograms of Source Crystals.”
As soon as a luxuriously dressed man made his bid, an elderly man immediately stepped forward to compete.
Seeing representatives from the two chambers of commerce appear, the surrounding spectators began discussing in low voices.
Through their conversation, Zhou Ming learned that the forces backing these two chambers of commerce were Iron Battleship Island and Black Wind Island respectively.
After all, anyone wishing to conduct business throughout the entire Cloud Mist Sea naturally needed powerful backing.
As news of the Black Jade Pearl spread farther and farther, it also attracted many other factions, all hoping to obtain the Black Jade Pearl.
Naturally, Zhou Ming had no interest in such matters. Without anyone noticing, he directly entered the shop selling Lark Shells.
“Dear customer, how may I help you?”
As Zhou Ming entered the shop and examined the shelves, a scantily dressed female saleswoman approached him.
“How are your Lark Shells sold?”
Since it was his first time encountering Lark Shells for sale, Zhou Ming also wanted to try his luck.
“Dear customer, all the Lark Shells sold in our shop have been specially selected, and professional shell appraisers determine their individual prices.”
“Each shell has its own price tag. If you like a particular Lark Shell, you'll need to purchase it according to its marked price.”
Following the female saleswoman's guidance, Zhou Ming saw that every Lark Shell had a price tag attached beside it.
“So the higher the price, the greater the chance of getting a good pearl?”
“Yes, customer.”
The female saleswoman then continued her reminder.
“However, we cannot guarantee one hundred percent that a more expensive Lark Shell will definitely contain something valuable. Luck is still a factor, so we hope you understand.”
After hearing her explanation, Zhou Ming immediately understood that these Lark Shells were just like gambling on jade in his previous life.
“Alright, I'll look around first. I'll call you if I need anything.”
Seeing that the customer did not require her to accompany him, the female saleswoman immediately bowed and left.
After the female saleswoman left, Zhou Ming began probing the Lark Shells on the shelves with his Spiritual Power.
However, the moment his Spiritual Power came into contact with the Lark Shells, he realized things were not as simple as he had imagined.
The shells of the Lark Shells had an extremely strong blocking effect against Spiritual Power.
Even if he managed to penetrate the shell's resistance, the life magnetic field emitted by the Lark Shell itself made it very difficult to distinguish the quality of the pearl growing inside.
“Interesting.”
Since his Spiritual Power could not directly perceive it, Zhou Ming did not intend to rely purely on luck. Instead, he began investigating by sensing fluctuations in energy.
After all, for a pearl to possess special effects, it had to be supported by sufficient energy.
Just as when he had previously searched for Colorful Scales' advancement location, a unique Spiritual Power fluctuation spread around his body, while different Lark Shells reflected back different intensities of fluctuation.
In less than a moment, Zhou Ming found the Lark Shell with the strongest Spiritual Power feedback in a corner.
It was entirely reddish-brown, about the size of a palm, perfectly round, and covered with the distinctive spiderweb-like patterns unique to Lark Shells.
“This is the one.”
After briefly examining it, Zhou Ming looked at the price tag beside it and was surprised to find that it cost only ten grams of Source Crystal Coins.
He immediately called over the female saleswoman and told her which Lark Shell he wished to purchase.
“Customer, would you like us to open the shell for you?”
Although Zhou Ming had chosen the cheapest Lark Shell, her attitude did not change because of it. Instead, after Zhou Ming paid, she politely asked whether he wanted the shell opened.
“Open it.”
The female saleswoman then led Zhou Ming to a nearby workbench and asked the shop's professional shell opener to open the purchased Lark Shell.
When the shell opener placed Zhou Ming's Lark Shell onto the tool, he discovered that its shell possessed exceptionally powerful clamping force.
Fortunately, the shop selling Lark Shells had a complete set of shell-opening tools. After replacing the tool, the tightly shut shell finally opened a small gap.
At that very moment, a sound resembling ocean tides suddenly echoed throughout the shop.
Before anyone could react, as the shell gradually opened wider, an azure radiance burst forth from within.
Standing nearby, Zhou Ming also sensed something unusual as the Water-element Energy Particles in the air began becoming unusually active.
“Sea Breath Pearl.”
When the Lark Shell fully opened, a quail egg-sized blue pearl suddenly flew out from within the shell, hovering in midair while continuously emitting an azure glow, as though the azure sea itself were breathing.
Each time it emitted its azure light, the Water-element Energy Particles in the air continuously gathered into it.
Seeing the scene before him, the shell opener instinctively cried out.
Because of the appearance of the Black Jade Pearl, many people had already entered the shop to try their luck.
The moment someone shouted “Sea Breath Pearl,” everyone's gaze immediately turned toward the Sea Breath Pearl hovering in midair.
“It really is the Sea Breath Pearl! That's a treasure comparable to a fifth-tier Spiritual Material!”
“Damn! Why don't I ever have this kind of luck?”
Just as everyone exclaimed in astonishment, a black shadow shot toward the Sea Breath Pearl like lightning. It was clearly trying to snatch it by force.
However, before the person could even approach the Sea Breath Pearl, a blood-colored streak flashed by. The attacker instantly felt an overwhelming force crashing into him, and his body was sent uncontrollably smashing into the ground.
The shop floor immediately shook violently. The person attempting to seize the Sea Breath Pearl had every bone in his body shattered and died instantly, while blood sprayed across the surroundings.
The others who had originally intended to seize the Sea Breath Pearl immediately became exceptionally well-behaved. No one dared make another reckless move.