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Chapter 6: Blood-Scaled Dragon—The Mutated Sea Viper
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 04:15:54 +0000 UTCRegarding the soul beast they were about to hunt, Ignaz had already made up his mind. Considering the characteristics of his Blood Spear martial soul, along with its inherent weaknesses, there was no doubt that hunting a serpent-type soul beast was the best choice.
The sea viper species not only carried venom, but they were also quite resilient. Naturally aggressive, they exuded a bloodthirsty aura that was much stronger than most marine soul beasts. It was the perfect match to counterbalance the flaws of the Blood Spear martial soul and amplify its strengths.
As for the deep-sea demon whale group or the powerful evil spirit orcas—top-tier marine soul beasts—those were still prime targets. The issue, however, was that Ignaz didn’t yet possess the strength to take them down.
After thinking for a moment, Director Lu furrowed his brows and spoke, “Sea viper, huh? That’s not a bad choice. My martial soul is also a sea viper, so I have some natural resistance to them. Hunting one that's about 300-400 years old should be manageable.”
“Thank you, Director. Even if the beast is older, my current physical condition can handle it,” Ignaz replied.
“Alright then, let’s head out now. We’ll aim to find a suitable sea viper before sunset.”
After arranging some tasks, Director Lu immediately led Ignaz toward the coast. However, he reminded him, “Iggy, the older the soul beast, the farther it lives from human settlements. They’re afraid of humans, and humans are afraid of them too. While sea vipers are widespread in the ocean, finding one over 400 years old won’t be easy.”
“It’s fine. As a soul master, obtaining a suitable soul ring is always tough. If I can’t have the patience for this, then I’m not cut out to be a soul master,” Ignaz responded calmly.
Hearing this, Director Lu felt a sense of relief. At that age, most kids were restless, especially when it came to getting their first soul ring. But Ignaz seemed humble and composed, already showing traits of a great soul master. His future achievements would surely be impressive.
“Martial Soul Possession!”
Unlike land-based soul masters, sea soul masters activated their martial souls in a special external form during underwater battles.
Director Lu was currently standing atop an eight-meter-long purple sea viper, floating just above the surface of the water.
“Iggy, come on up. We should get going,” Director Lu called out, reaching with his left hand to pull Ignaz onto the sea viper’s back.
Throughout the journey, Director Lu deliberately released his aura as a great soul master to keep smaller soul beasts at bay, speeding up their travel.
Due to his connection with his martial soul, Director Lu was highly sensitive to sea vipers. It didn’t take long before he detected one in the area.
“Iggy, your first soul ring is in sight. A sea viper is moving ahead.”
As they swam closer, they spotted a sea viper that was only around three meters long. Disappointed, Director Lu shook his head.
“A sea viper grows one centimeter in length every year. This one is between three and 3.5 meters long, so it’s roughly around 350 years old. Let’s keep going. If we can’t find an older one, we’ll settle for this one.”
“Understood, Director,” Ignaz replied softly.
Just as they sped ahead, the calm sea suddenly stirred. A frenzy of smaller soul beasts scattered in all directions. From the water, a blood-red figure with small horns leaped half a meter into the air. It immediately bit down on the sea viper’s vital spot.
With a violent shake of its head, the beast’s sharp teeth pierced the viper’s tough scales, snapping it in two. The surface of the water turned a bloody red.
Director Lu’s expression was filled with surprise as he observed the scene.
“This... this is a Blood-Scaled Dragon, a rare mutated form of the sea viper. From its size, it’s close to 630 years old.”
At these words, Ignaz’s eyes flashed with golden light.
He had read about the Blood-Scaled Dragon, a rare sea viper mutation, in a marine soul beast compendium. The Blood-Scaled Dragon was the result of a sea viper consuming large amounts of its kind, gaining a trace of dragon blood, and undergoing a transformation into one of the highest-tier soul beasts.
On the continent, dragons were widely regarded as symbols of powerful bloodlines. Even an ordinary soul beast could be considered top-tier if it obtained even a trace of dragon blood. Serpents were part of the dragon species, and their bodies already contained a faint trace of dragon lineage. If they consumed a beast with more dragon blood, they could evolve into a Scaled Dragon.
As for this particular Blood-Scaled Dragon, it had been named after the Blood Dragon, but most people didn’t understand the concept of a Scaled Dragon, so they simply referred to it as a "Blood Dragon."
Looking at the Blood-Scaled Dragon as it swam further away, Ignaz didn’t have time to explain. He urgently called out, “Director, this Blood Dragon would be perfect for my first soul ring. Based on my current physical state, I can absorb a ring of around 650 years. Also, from what I know, Blood Dragons like to collect rare treasures. Its lair may be filled with wealth.”
Dragons were known to be greedy, and they also had a penchant for hoarding treasures. Since the Blood-Scaled Dragon was evolving into a Blood Dragon, it would likely inherit some of these traits.
“Your physical condition can determine the soul ring’s age?”
After a brief pause, Director Lu glanced at Ignaz’s strong build. At just 1.56 meters tall, Ignaz was far stronger than Director Lu had been when he became a great soul master. Director Lu was now more convinced that Ignaz could absorb a soul ring beyond his current level.
Moreover, if Ignaz’s latter point was true, then with his current strength, dealing with a 2,000-3,000-year-old soul beast would be no problem. Even if the Blood-Scaled Dragon was 630 years old, its true strength was likely closer to that of a 1,000-year-old beast. That meant exploring the Blood-Scaled Dragon’s lair was worth considering.
“Alright, let’s hurry and catch up.”
Director Lu gripped Ignaz’s waist, and they accelerated. To avoid alerting the Blood-Scaled Dragon to their presence, they kept a safe distance.
Two hours later, the Blood-Scaled Dragon swam to a small island, moving quickly toward a cave.
“Iggy, this island is much safer than the open ocean, but there are likely many sea vipers here. Stay alert and keep close behind me.”
“I understand, Director!” Ignaz said, drawing his Blood Spear and following closely behind Director Lu.
After passing through a hundred-meter-long forest, they arrived at a cave more than 20 meters tall. A strong, bloody stench hit them as the breeze blew, and there were numerous snake skins scattered on the ground.
Just as Director Lu was about to enter the cave, Ignaz looked up at the blazing sun and immediately stopped him.
“Director, there are various types of snake skins inside this cave. The Blood-Scaled Dragon has likely become the king of serpents. The cave likely houses a large number of serpent-type soul beasts. If we rush in, even a Soul Saint might meet their end here.”
