Chapter 78

The next morning, Su Jing set out to sea alone in his fishing boat, which carried the body of the old man.

However, he did not intend to use his mental power to transport the old man’s body to the volcano as he had initially planned; the situation had changed...

After a day of intense training, Su Jing had progressed from only being able to lift a pair of chopsticks to now being able to lift objects weighing around five kilograms, a significant improvement. At this rate, he estimated that his abilities would change daily. However, what troubled Su Jing was that the liquid in his mind had decreased significantly. At this pace, even after fully tapping into his potential, he might not be able to lift fifty kilograms. Once his potential was exhausted, his progress would slow down considerably.

In other words, the problem was not just the rate of growth but also the limit of his potential. Su Jing’s limit was estimated to be around fifty kilograms, while the old man’s body, though seemingly lean, was likely to weigh around one hundred and fifty kilograms due to his robust physique as a martial artist.

Therefore, Su Jing had to abandon the idea of using mental power to transport the body.

Last night, Su Jing had studied two other methods of using mental power and discovered something interesting. He was not good at using mental power to control objects, nor was he skilled at the direct mental attacks the old man was proud of. He had assumed that taming beasts would also be out of his reach, as it was the most mysterious method, with only nine mentalists on Earth in the "Devouring the Stars" world having successfully tamed beasts. The old man’s notes contained very little information on taming beasts.

However, to his surprise, Su Jing’s first attempt at using mental power to tame a swallow was a success. He felt that this ability was almost tailor-made for him, perhaps due to the influence of the Beast Card.

Thus, Su Jing thought of another way to transport the old man’s body to the volcano.

“I remember, this island is home to many seagulls.” Instead of heading directly to the volcanic island, Su Jing went to an island where many seagulls lived. This island was not far from the Su family village, and seagulls often flew to the docks and harbors to pick up small fish and shrimp that people had discarded.

Seeing many seagulls in the distance, Su Jing did not bring the boat closer to the island. Experienced sailors knew that seagulls often perched on shallow waters, rocks, or reefs, flying and calling in groups, which served as a warning to sailors to avoid collisions. For this reason, seagulls were also known as the “forecasters” of safe navigation.

As a few seagulls flew overhead, Su Jing suddenly released his mental power, directly invading the brain of one of them. The seagull circled in the air, broke away from the flock, and landed on Su Jing’s shoulder.

Mental taming and the Beast Card had similar effects but differed in function, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Mental taming was more direct and simple, but it did not allow for good communication. The Beast Card, on the other hand, facilitated more complex communication but did not guarantee obedience from the animals.

Additionally, mental taming was more effective on animals with lower intelligence, while the Beast Card was more effective on animals with higher intelligence.

“Let’s try something interesting.” Su Jing first reeled in the fishing net, which contained many small fish. He dumped all the fish on the deck and hid in a dark spot.

Soon, seagulls began to land, some eating directly, others carrying large fish away. Su Jing secretly released his mental power, taming one seagull after another, making them stay on the boat and wait for further commands.

Before long, the boat was filled with over a hundred seagulls. Su Jing felt a slight headache but did not stop. He drank a few cups of tea made from the leaves of the Everlasting World and rested for a moment before continuing to tame more seagulls.

Suddenly, a few strange calls echoed in the sky, and three large birds flew over rapidly. Many seagulls were frightened, and some dropped the fish they were carrying. The three large birds swooped down, accurately snatching the falling fish and swallowing them.

“Damn, the pirate birds are here.” Su Jing was frustrated to see his tamed seagulls flying around in panic. He recognized these three large birds as frigatebirds, known as pirate birds because of their thieving behavior.

Frigatebirds have a wingspan of up to 2.3 meters but have small bodies and short, thin legs. They cannot dive into the water like pelicans or cormorants because their weak legs make it difficult for them to take off from the water’s surface. Their feathers are not waterproof, so they would drown if they got wet. Therefore, frigatebirds can only eat jellyfish, mollusks, and small fish floating on the surface. Over time, they evolved to become pirates, stealing food from other birds to compensate for their limited hunting abilities.

Frigatebirds are excellent flyers, known as “flying champions,” capable of reaching speeds of up to 418 kilometers per hour, making them the fastest birds in the world. They can perform acrobatic maneuvers in the air, such as rapid dives and high-speed turns, which are truly astonishing. They use these skills to attack other birds carrying fish and steal their food.

Seeing the frigatebirds about to scare the seagulls again, Su Jing suddenly whistled. From above, a golden eagle swooped down. Although frigatebirds can fly at speeds of up to 418 kilometers per hour, they need time to accelerate. The golden eagle’s sudden attack left them no time to react. Moreover, frigatebirds are natural predators and do not have the habit of fleeing; instead, they aggressively attacked the golden eagle.

However, the frigatebird met a tragic end. If frigatebirds are pirates, then the golden eagle is a hunter and a killer. In many cases, pirates are not the most terrifying; they just steal. Hunters, on the other hand, can end your life without you even realizing it.

“Crack!” The golden eagle used its powerful claws to grab the frigatebird’s neck and slammed it onto the deck. The frigatebird was dazed and struggled to fly away, but the golden eagle landed and stepped on it.

Su Jing released his mental power to tame the frigatebird and said, “Little Jin, don’t let the other frigatebirds come near.” The golden eagle let out a call, flew into the sky, and guarded the area, driving away the frigatebirds.

Su Jing continued to tame seagulls until he had tamed five hundred of them.

“Five hundred should be enough.” Su Jing then set sail, leading the group of seagulls to the volcanic island. Looking around, the volcanic island had very little vegetation, covered in ash, with a volcanic crater in the center emitting thick smoke.

Su Jing moved the old man’s body from the safe and placed it in a net bag. He then used mental communication to give the seagulls a command. The seagulls immediately used their claws and beaks to lift the net bag. Each seagull could carry about one kilogram, so five hundred seagulls could carry around five hundred kilograms. Although there was some loss due to the direction of the force, it was still sufficient to carry one hundred and fifty kilograms.

With the noisy flapping of wings, the five hundred seagulls lifted the old man’s body and flew toward the volcanic crater at the center of the volcanic island.