Longevity through Upgrading Buildings

If other demon races are excluded, then the Mermaid Race is the first other race Ji Yuan has encountered.

Since that’s the case, how could he not try to make contact?

Ji Yuan descended from the seawater, landing on a large rock. He lightly stomped his foot, knocking a piece of broken rock loose, then swiftly kicked it out with force.

This fragment instantly became the most powerful weapon in this sea region, piercing through the sea like a cannonball and immediately smashing through the head of the sea beast.

So, killing demons, eh?

No need for flashy moves, just a single stone will do.

The chipped stone pierced through the sea beast, then burst apart a distant rock before dissipating.

The group of merfolk, who had been squawking chaotically, fell silent in an instant. A one-eyed merfolk, who was nearly bitten to death by the sea beast, crawled out using hand and tail.

Before he could speak, he noticed the other merfolk looking in the direction behind him.

He also flicked his tail and floated up, looking in the direction behind him.

In the darkness there, a figure somewhat similar to theirs became clear from a blur.

The group of merfolk was silent for a moment, then one by one pointed at the figure before them, starting to squawk noisily.

A younger-looking one, particularly daring, circled around Ji Yuan.

They were observing Ji Yuan, and Ji Yuan was also observing them with his divine sense.

This group of merfolk consisted entirely of males.

Or rather, they should be described as male in anatomy.

In terms of build, these adult male merfolk were much stronger than an average human, especially in their upper bodies.

As for their appearance…

Human mouths, fish eyes, gills on their temples, and greenish-blue scales growing at the corners of their eyes and foreheads.

It can only be said, their looks did not fit Ji Yuan’s sense of human aesthetics.

As for their strength, there wasn’t much to say; there wasn’t even one at the Body Foundation Establishment stage.

Of the six, only one was injured, the one-eyed one, the rest were intact.

The strongest-looking merfolk held a long spear, stepped forward three feet, and said excitedly:

“@～/:#”

Ji Yuan: “…”

He pointed to the merfolk’s mouth, shook his head, and then spoke aloud:

“I don’t understand your language.”

Listening to Ji Yuan speak, the merfolk was confused, but the excitement in his eyes gradually faded away.

But then another merfolk with a spear came forward, chattering a few words beside him. The first merfolk seemed to suddenly realize something, his frown easing, and he chattered excitedly at Ji Yuan again.

But he quickly remembered that Ji Yuan could not understand him.

He thought for a moment, then turned around and pointed behind himself, then at his own mouth, and then at Ji Yuan’s head.

…Does this mean there’s a merfolk in their tribe who can speak human languages?!

Ji Yuan felt a surge of joy in his heart.

If communication could be established, there would be possibilities!

He also pointed to himself, then in the direction of this merfolk.

The latter nodded repeatedly.

Then he shouted a few words to the remaining four merfolk, who obediently approached the sea fish killed by Ji Yuan.

They stood in four corners and yelled in unison. Suddenly, their backs glowed faintly with a blood light.

The large sea fish was carried by these four merfolk as they continued to swim southeast.

Ji Yuan also keenly sensed the peculiarity and used his divine sense to scan.

On the backs of the four merfolk, there were… tattoos!

The tattoos depicted a… turtle.

Alright.

When Ji Yuan saw this clearly, he almost wanted to laugh, but respecting them, he held it back.

For he noticed that the turtle tattoo seemed to enhance the merfolk’s strength.

“So this is some kind of body cultivation technique? Similar to magic cultivators’ spells or techniques.”

This thought flickered in Ji Yuan’s mind as he used his divine sense to closely inspect the back of the merfolk before him.

He found that this merfolk also bore a tattoo.

But it was different, as the previous four had tattoos of turtles, while this one had a wolf!

Tattoos were different, so their effects should be different too.

The smallest merfolk had a tattoo of a dog on his back.

…If this really is a body cultivation technique, I wonder if I can learn it.

Even if it makes him look like a thug.

But that doesn’t matter, since any method to enhance strength is a good method!

Thinking this, Ji Yuan followed the merfolk as they continued southeast.

However, while the merfolk were swimming by flicking their tails, Ji Yuan, with two legs, seemed quite out of place.

Not long into their journey, Ji Yuan noticed the merfolk with the dog tattoo let out a low growl from his throat.

The other four merfolk, carrying the fish’s carcass, instantly dropped it and brandished their short spears, on alert.

The patterned wolf merfolk in front of Ji Yuan chattered at him first, then proceeded forward.

Vigilant and ready.

But relying on the power of his divine sense, Ji Yuan had long seen through the situation ahead.

Ahead, indeed, came a crocodile-like sea beast, and in terms of strength… The current sea fish appeared to be late-stage Qi Cultivation, whereas this crocodile was estimated to be at the peak of Qi Refining, nearly reaching the threshold of Tier Two.

If nothing unexpected happens, this team of merfolk encountering such a crocodile sea beast would likely mean facing certain doom.