Douluo: I am the True Master

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In the original story, there was very little description of the mermaid race. Apart from the Sea Maiden Douluo who appeared during the divine trials, there was no other mention of them. 

In Douluo II, due to the sudden disappearance of the Sea God Island, the mermaid race never reappeared. It seemed that San Shao had forgotten about this race entirely, as they also didn't appear in Douluo III or IV. 

However, without a doubt, the mermaid race was one of the most unique races in the world of Douluo. This race existed between humans and spirit beasts—half-human, half-soul beast. They not only possessed martial souls but also enjoyed long lifespans and had the innate racial ability to read minds. 

Perhaps these buffs stacked too high, forming a bug-like existence, which is why San Shao didn't dare to write further about them. 

After a while, perhaps due to the robust physical constitution of spirit beasts, the seemingly delicate and beautiful mermaid quickly regained consciousness. Her long lashes fluttered lightly, and she opened her eyes with a dazed expression. 

"Where am I?" 

"Congratulations, the surgery was successful. You're now a fully grown young man," Ye Wen said kindly, leaning close. 

"Surgery? Young man?" 

The mermaid's eyes looked vacant, clearly not understanding what Ye Wen meant. 

Seeing his joke fall flat, Ye Wen felt a bit bored. He then released the pressure of his soul power and asked coldly: 

"Dear mermaid lady, I assume you don't want me to hunt you down and turn you into a soul ring, do you?" 

The mermaid didn't understand how such a warm voice could utter such chilling words. She trembled slightly, pulling the clothes tighter around her body. 

With pitiful eyes, she looked at Ye Wen. She wanted to escape, but the moment Ye Wen had glanced at her earlier, he had already locked down any possibility of her fleeing. 

However, thanks to the mermaid race's innate talents, she wasn't foolish. Ye Wen's words hinted at room for negotiation, so she cautiously replied: 

"Powerful human master, let's talk this through. Whatever you want, I'll do my best to obtain it for you. Please spare my life." 

Though her tone wasn't deliberately flirtatious, there was an underlying hint of allure that made Ye Wen wary. So this was the mermaid race—a race truly gifted in mental abilities. 

However, seeing her cooperation, Ye Wen decided not to make things difficult for her. After all, she was a mermaid, not some unintelligent spirit beast incapable of communication. 

The group returned to the Tianxing Academy in full force. However, Ye Wen deliberately concealed the mermaid's presence, ensuring no one else knew. At this time, the Tianxing Academy secretly housed a mermaid—a rarity across the entire Douluo Continent. 

Because she had been out of water for too long, the mermaid's tail had transformed into human legs—long, white, and mesmerizing to behold. 

For a mermaid, such a talent was reasonable. After all, this race was a hybrid of humans and spirit beasts, inherently superior to those spirit beasts that required 100,000 years of cultivation to take human form. 

The original story also mentioned that oceanic spirit beasts over 100,000 years old would lose 30% of their strength on land, but their bodies would transform into human form. If they remained on land for more than an hour, they would gradually weaken until death. 

This mermaid's strength was unknown, but she certainly hadn't reached 100,000 years. When her tail transformed into legs, her aura didn't weaken, indicating that the weakness on land didn't apply to the mermaid race. 

However, prolonged dehydration left her feeling somewhat weak. Ye Wen placed her in the third-level pool within the secret chamber. 

"Name?" 

"Misael." 

"Age?" 

"Ninety-eight." 

"?" 

At this point, Ye Wen remembered that although the mermaid race had spirit beast bloodlines, they couldn't live as long as true spirit beasts. However, their lifespan was five times that of humans. Ninety-eight years for a mermaid was equivalent to about twenty years for a human. 

Ye Wen pondered thoughtfully. People in their twenties were often eager to explore. No wonder she had been caught by him, even though she hadn't ventured into the deep sea. 

The original story also mentioned that the mermaid race not only lived longer than humans but stopped aging after a certain age—an enviable trait for humans indeed. 

If this talent were known to humans—especially the mad scientists of his previous life—they would likely capture mermaids en masse to exploit this trait for profit. But why dwell on the past? In this world, the future was his to decide. 

"Cultivation level? Martial soul?" Ye Wen continued the interrogation. 

"Level 53 Soul King. Martial soul: Magic Sound Flute." 

Ye Wen paused his pen. Wasn't the Sea Maiden Douluo's martial soul the Black Magic Flute in the original story? 

Ah, she must be a genius among her kind, with a mutated martial soul. Both were flute-like instruments. Perhaps the Magic Sound Flute was the martial soul of ordinary mermaids like Misael. 

As for why she was considered ordinary, the Sea Maiden Douluo had reached the Title Douluo level at ninety-seven or ninety-eight years old—around Misael's age. Yet Misael was only at the Soul King level, equivalent to a common ten-thousand-year spirit beast. Quite disappointing. 

"Family background? 

Social relationships? 

Why were you in the Mosasaur territory?" 

Misael was surprisingly honest, divulging all this information to Ye Wen, leaving him speechless. Though the mermaid race seemed intelligent, compared to spirit beasts, they appeared rather naive. 

Although Ye Wen explicitly instructed the Huo siblings to keep the mermaid's existence a secret, it was impossible to hide anything from Ah Yin at the Tianxing Academy. 

The Blue Silver Grass spread throughout the academy essentially meant the entire school was under Ah Yin's surveillance. 

When entering the secret chamber earlier, Ye Wen had already removed the mermaid's disguise, intentionally allowing Ah Yin to know. Curious, Ah Yin came over. 

Ye Wen explained the mermaid race's information to Ah Yin, whose eyes sparkled with excitement. She had never imagined such a fascinating race existed. She had always thought humans were humans, and spirit beasts were spirit beasts. 

However, as Ah Yin had previously stated, even among spirit beasts, each race had its own stance. Though Ah Yin had fully reached maturity after transforming into human form, she didn't intend to share information about spirit beast transformations with Misael. 

But the vibrant life energy emanating from Ah Yin quickly connected with Misael. 

Upon learning that Ye Wen had no interest in her soul ring or body, Misael felt immense relief. Among the mermaid race, humans had become demonized. 

"Don't interact with humans—they'll devour you alive to hunt your soul rings. 

Don't interact with humans—they'll sell you into slavery. 

Don't interact with humans—they're beasts driven by desire." 

Such warnings echoed loudly in the ears of ordinary mermaids. 

However, Ah Yin was dissatisfied with Misael's overly optimistic view of humans. As an elder spirit beast who had lived among humans for nearly twenty years, Ah Yin decided it was necessary to correct this young girl's misconceptions. 

She told Misael about the depravity of human nobles and the madness of soul masters hunting spirit beasts. 

The effect was remarkable. The once-naive mermaid quickly reverted to her fearful state toward humans.

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