294 Yaksha in the Sea (2/2)

”Oh, have you got a new task?”

”Yeah, I got one, Yaksha in the sea. I'm heading for the Long Wind Pearl Field to test my swimming skill!”

”Haha, brother, you really have a great talent. Few people across the Hidden Dragon Palace could do this task!”

”I'm just going over to try the test. It depends whether I can pass it!” Zhang Tie modestly said.

Liu Xi revealed a smile, ”Brother, based on your swimming skills when you were picking navy-blue iron ores from the deep oceanic trenches, I definitely believe that you will pass it!”

After chatting for a while, they agreed to meet to drink alcohol tomorrow night before going their separate ways.

After leaving the Middle Castle, Zhang Tie didn't immediately go to the Long Wind Pearl Field to test his swimming skill; instead, he first went to the Secret Knowledge Pavilion in the Hidden Dragon Palace.

”This brat again!” At the sight of Zhang Tie who was stealthily appearing outside the door of the Secret Knowledge Pavilion, the old man who was drinking tea in a green robe instantly widened his eyes and blew up his beard. Last time, this green-robe old man had said so many words, only to be treated as a no-paid teacher by Zhang Tie and choked by Zhang Tie's response. Therefore, the old man had a deep impression on Zhang Tie.

”Haha, you look good, old man!” Seeing his bad look, Zhang Tie hurriedly flattered him.

The old man lowered his head as he used a spoon to move the tea leaves in the cup and kept his mouth tightly closed.

Having not imagined that old man was that narrow-minded, Zhang Tie put it straight, ”I want to learn medium-level fish-like diving skill!”

When he came here last time, Zhang Tie knew that medium-level fish-like diving skill required 50 clan contribution points. Unlike the preliminary level, the medium-level fish-like diving skill involved the application of battle qi under water. Therefore, only those who had reached LV 6 could learn it.

Now that he wanted to take the task, Zhang Tie felt that it was necessary for him to upgrade his diving skill in case others had doubts about him if he performed well as a person who had only just learned the preliminary fish-like diving skill.

This time, compared to the preliminary fish-like diving skill, Zhang Tie had a much easier time learning the medium-level fish-like diving skill. It only took him less than 40 minutes to master it. What he needed to do was only to practice it adroitly.

After learning the medium-level fish-like diving skill, Zhang Tie directly walked out of the Hidden Dragon Palace and arrived at the Long Wind Pearl Field which was over 10 km away from Hidden Dragon Palace.

A castle with a perimeter of more than 500 m was established on the hillside near the sea, which was over 30 m away from the corner of the wall of the castle.

There were some smaller buildings surrounding the castle. On some of the reefs below the castle, there was a place which was used to anchor boats. Zhang Tie also saw some boats on the sea a bit further away. The girls of the Zhixing Department were constantly jumping off and climbing onto the boats with something in their hands.

It was an extreme form of training and a test for girls to pick up pearls in the sea.

Looking at the several big words ”Long Wind Pearl Field” above the coastal castle, Zhang Tie didn't hesitate to enter the castle. After clarifying his intention to the manager of the Long Wind Pearl Field, Zhang Tie was taken to start the test.

That person took Zhang Tie onto a boat below the castle. With a small triangle sail erected on the boat, they soon arrived at a place on the sea which was about 2 miles away from the castle.

”It's deeper than 100 m here. There's a tiny iron octopus at the bottom of the sea. It swims fast. If you can get one iron octopus in 2 hours, you will pass the test! Then, you can come here to officially join the team of Yakshas!”

”Erm, how many Yakshas do we have in this sea area? Only me?” Zhang Tie asked as he took off his clothes on the boat.

”We have four. This sea area requires at least four Yakshas to ensure the safety of those girls from Hidden Dragon Palace and the pearl picking girls in our pearl field. Three of them are from Hidden Dragon Palace, while the other is an old man in our pearl field. If you pass the test, our old man will retire. After all, he's too old and cannot match you young men!”

Zhang Tie nodded.

After taking off his clothes, that person gave Zhang Tie a mask that could cover the greater part of his face, ”Here's the deep-sea diving goggles, once you take it, you will be able to dive as deep as 400 m. This pair of diving goggles might prevent your eyes from being hurt by the octopus' ink! If you can't complete the task, return as soon as possible. Don't force yourself. Do you need diving shoes...”

”No, thanks!” Zhang Tie shook his head while that person gave him a thumbs up.

After putting on the diving goggles, Zhang Tie adjusted them before diving into the water with a net in hand.

After anchoring the boat and lowering the sail, the man sat on the boat quietly. He then took out a stick of tobacco and watched the pearl picking boat in the distance while faintly narrowing his eyes. Iron octopuses liked to stay in the deep water zone. They responded so fast that as soon as any danger drew close to them, they would escape. They swam very quickly under water and could reach as fast as 35 km/h. If one wanted to be a Yaksha, he had to be able to catch iron octopus alive under water!

Yakshas catch iron octopuses — this was an old rule on selecting Yaksha that had been used for several hundred years. ”Yaksha” was an honor for men with good swimming skills! The alleged water ghost [1] was nothing in front of a Yaksha in the sea!

'I really wonder how long could that young man stay under water! It will be a tough challenge for him to catch a live iron octopus in 2 hours!' Sitting on the boat, the uncle took a mouthful of tobacco as he waited for Zhang Tie to come out of the water to take another breath.

However, before he finished that stick of tobacco...

With a sound of ”bada”, the net that he had given Zhang Tie was thrown into the cabin of the boat. While the boat was slightly swaying, Zhang Tie popped his head out of the water while supporting himself on the side of the boat.

”These little things are really agile, I only got 3. Look, are these iron octopuses?” Zhang Tie revealed a big, innocent smile.

The uncle fixed his eyes on the 3 iron octopus with his mouth widely open while his tobacco dropped out of his hand...

[1] Water ghost is a kind of animal or ghost that lurks in water to hug swimmers or divers and drag them into the water to drown them. It's always mentioned by old men in China. However, few people has seen it.