Chapter 377 ·Ability Users
Chapter 377: Ability Users
The barren Yellow Sand Island transformed as various factions established themselves there. Across the island, once covered entirely in yellow sand, buildings of all sizes sprang up like mushrooms after the rain.
For the first time, Yellow Sand Island, which had originally been devoid of vegetation, welcomed a touch of green vitality.
These ornamental plants had been cultivated in a short period through Extraordinary means by the organizers of the Trade Fair, allowing the island to maintain the appearance of lush greenery, at least temporarily.
Several days later, as all the major factions gathered on Yellow Sand Island, the Trade Fair officially began.
The first day was devoted to trade and cooperation among the chambers of commerce controlled by the major factions, with everyone exchanging the resources they each needed.
Together with the participation of various smaller factions and independent individuals, Yellow Sand Island became bustling and prosperous, while the ships anchored outside the island stretched into an unbroken line.
Amid this lively scene, several suspicious individuals quietly entered a secluded house on the island.
Inside an underground secret chamber, several figures remained hidden within the shadows.
Although their appearances could not be seen clearly, every one of them emitted an aura that had reached the Professional Rank.
In the Cloud Mist Sea, where advancement was extremely difficult, several Professional Rank experts were already enough to support a major faction. Their gathering here clearly indicated they had a special purpose.
“What should we do now? The Blood Sea Secret Realm discovered by our Ancestor has most likely already been located by those five factions.”
“Although they don't possess the key or the method to open the Secret Realm, by joining forces with the many Extraordinary experts of the Dark Domain, they should be able to forcefully open the entrance to the Secret Realm.”
Within the dim underground chamber, a hoarse voice broke the silence.
After a moment of silence, someone finally voiced his opinion.
“With the current strength of our Fu Family, it's impossible for us to keep the Blood Sea Secret Realm. The most important matter now is figuring out how to obtain the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid.”
As soon as those words fell, someone immediately objected.
“Hmph. The Bloodspring Spirit Liquid is inside the Blood Sea Secret Realm. How are we supposed to scheme for it? There are at least twenty Extraordinary experts coveting the Blood Sea Secret Realm this time.”
Those words plunged everyone into silence once more.
No matter how good a plan was, it ultimately required sufficient strength to support it. With their current abilities, they could not even face a single Extraordinary expert, let alone more than twenty.
After a while, someone finally broke the silence again.
“I do have an idea.”
“Speak.”
The hoarse voice sounded once more, carrying a hint of urgency.
“I've received news that a rather special Extraordinary expert arrived on Yellow Sand Island several days ago. This person's background is rather complicated.”
The speaker immediately gave everyone a brief introduction to the intelligence regarding Zhou Ming.
He then continued with his proposal.
“I believe that, given Lord Zhou Ming's complicated background, the five factions and the Dark Domain most likely won't invite him to join them. Instead, they'll probably keep the matter from him.”
“If we take the initiative to pledge ourselves to Lord Zhou and use the information about the Blood Sea Secret Realm left behind by our Ancestor, would there be a chance of getting him involved, allowing us to obtain the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid we need?”
The man who had objected earlier spoke again.
“Even if he doesn't know about the Blood Sea Secret Realm, what qualifications do we have to negotiate with him? And who can guarantee he won't discard us once we've served our purpose?”
The others found his words somewhat reasonable, but the temptation of the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid was simply too great.
That was because if they wished to advance any further, they absolutely had to rely on the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid's unique effects to complete their breakthrough.
Once they advanced to the rank of an Ability User, their strength would become comparable to that of an Extraordinary expert, and their lifespan would also increase dramatically.
Not only would they then have hope of restoring their family's former glory, but they would no longer have to continue hiding in the shadows while evading pursuit by the Five Great Factions.
“If we don't even try, how will we ever have a chance? Are we supposed to let the Fu Family spend the rest of its existence hiding in dark corners, barely surviving?”
“If everyone agrees, I'm willing to take the risk of contacting Lord Zhou.”
The man who had proposed the idea firmly maintained his position.
After the others quietly discussed it among themselves, they ultimately agreed to his plan.
The next day, while Zhou Ming was wandering around Yellow Sand Island as usual, a voice as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito suddenly reached his ears from the roadside.
Faced with the sudden situation, Zhou Ming showed no reaction, because he had long since noticed that someone had been covertly monitoring him.
When night fell, a strand of green hair transformed into an inconspicuous Iron Thread Snake and quietly left the residence.
Concealed by the darkness, the Iron Thread Snake arrived at a secluded corner of Yellow Sand Island, where a figure had already been waiting for some time.
The unremarkable Iron Thread Snake suddenly writhed before transforming into Zhou Ming's appearance beneath the cover of night.
“This humble one greets Lord Zhou Ming.”
The figure was a middle-aged man in his forties. His body was lean yet powerful, and he exuded an imposing aura like a humanoid ferocious beast.
He was not a Beast Tamer, but an Evolver who had undergone several genetic modification procedures, ultimately reaching a level comparable to a Professional Beast Tamer.
Within the Cloud Mist Sea, those who enhanced their strength through genetic modification procedures were divided into Enhancers and Evolvers, corresponding respectively to the Apprentice Rank and the Professional Rank.
Although Zhou Ming's methods appeared rather strange, the middle-aged man immediately calmed himself, bowed respectfully with cupped fists, and saluted Zhou Ming.
“You're the one who transmitted your voice to me during the day.”
After briefly sizing him up, Zhou Ming questioned him.
“Yes. I am Fu Shiyuan.”
After hearing the brief introduction, Zhou Ming immediately searched his memories for any faction bearing the surname Fu, yet found no impression whatsoever.
“Tell me about this Blood Sea Secret Realm and the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid you mentioned.”
Although the man had briefly mentioned them during the day, it had only been to lure Zhou Ming here that night. Zhou Ming still knew nothing about the details.
“Yes.”
Fu Shiyuan concealed nothing and immediately told Zhou Ming about his origins, his purpose, and everything concerning the Blood Sea Secret Realm and the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid.
An hour later, Zhou Ming finally understood the entire story.
Two hundred years ago, the Fu Family's Ancestor had merely been an ordinary biologist. While traveling to attend an academic seminar, the ship he was on was unexpectedly attacked by a high-rank ferocious beast.
He had believed he would perish at sea, but instead, he had accidentally entered a completely independent space.
Only later did he learn that it was a spatial fragment formed during the battle between several Legendary experts of the Cloud Mist Sea.
That spatial fragment happened to contain the corpse of a Blood Clan Legend, eventually evolving into an independent and unique Secret Realm.
Perhaps the Fu Family's Ancestor had simply been extraordinarily fortunate. Not only had he survived the perilous Blood Sea Secret Realm, but he had also brought out a rare treasure known as the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid.
This spirit liquid could strengthen the body, stabilize one's genetic structure, and also possessed miraculous effects such as extending lifespan and regenerating severed limbs.
At that time, genetic modification procedures had already appeared in the Cloud Mist Sea. As a biologist, the Fu Family's Ancestor relied on this treasure not only to successfully complete genetic modification but also to continuously advance until he reached a level comparable to the Extraordinary Rank, naming this path Ability User.
Later, relying on his unique abilities, the Fu Family's Ancestor not only completely stabilized the Blood Sea Secret Realm but also established a gateway that only members of the Fu Family could enter.
However, the good times did not last. Although the Fu Family's Ancestor publicly claimed that he had obtained a special Beast Tamer advancement, thereby concealing the opportunity he had acquired,
his descendants had all been born after he became an Ability User. Influenced by the altered genes within his body, they were unable to become Beast Tamers and could only follow the same path as the Fu Family's Ancestor.
In the end, the Five Great Factions still learned the truth, and a massacre that exterminated the entire family soon followed, erasing every trace of the Fu Family.
The surviving members of the Fu Family had been forced ever since to conceal their identities while constantly evading pursuit.
If the descendants of the Fu Family wished to advance into Ability Users, they had to obtain the Bloodspring Spirit Liquid as an auxiliary aid. Left with no other choice, they had finally turned their attention to the suddenly arrived Zhou Ming.