Unlike the crude stone huts outside, the interior of the castle was far more refined and elegant.
A plush, crimson carpet stretched across the floor, seeming to radiate a gentle warmth that dispelled the chill of the late autumn sea morning. Rows of soul-powered lamps hung along the walls, their soft golden light casting a majestic glow across the central hall.
Within the vast castle, only one person moved—Xu Zihuang. The only other sound was the echo of his footsteps reverberating through the hall.
Expressionless, he made his way to the main seat at the crystalline dining table. Moments later, several soldiers entered carrying breakfast trays from outside the castle.
Though he was in exile, Xu Zihuang was not entirely left to fend for himself. While he had no attendants to serve him, his daily needs were still adequately met.
Before him, a bowl of steaming meat porridge exuded a rich aroma. Alongside it were stewed dishes, seasonal vegetables, and fresh fruit. Most of the island's land was too saline for farming, so all the food had to be shipped in from the mainland of the Sun-Moon Empire.
Supplies were replenished regularly.
Of course, the surrounding sea was teeming with sea soul beasts. Today's delicacy was the belly meat of a thousand-year Deep Sea Bluefin Tuna—sliced evenly and arranged beautifully on the tray, its tender flesh highly appetizing.
Over the past three years, Xu Zihuang had eaten countless dishes made from rare parts of sea soul beasts. Combined with the nourishment of his innate soul power, his physical strength had grown to rival that of a typical Soul Master with a beast-type martial soul—even though he had yet to obtain his first soul ring.
That progress could be credited to the solid foundation laid during his youth. His father was the younger brother of the previous Emperor of the Sun-Moon Empire, making him the uncle of the current Emperor. A man of great talent, his father had reached the rank of Titled Douluo and was highly favored by Xu Zihuang's imperial grandfather. He had even been granted governorship over the empire's four most prosperous southern provinces.
It was no exaggeration to say his family once held immense power.
Even before his martial soul had awakened, his father frequently used rare and precious natural treasures to cleanse his meridians and strengthen his body. Some of these treasures were worth no less than top-grade ten-thousand-year soul bones. That was likely why, when his martial soul did awaken, he had been born with innate full soul power.
Chill sunlight filtered through the windows and fell across the polished marble floor. With a silver fork and knife in hand, Xu Zihuang quietly cut into the belly meat of the bluefin tuna. The tension that had weighed on him for so long eased just a little, and even his appetite had improved.
Yet, his situation had not changed in any meaningful way.
After breakfast, he returned to his room as usual to read books on soul tool crafting.
Haixiao, the man overseeing his exile, would not help him obtain soul rings nor provide him with crafting materials—but he also didn't forbid him from cultivating or studying soul tool theory.
Still, Xu Zihuang's mind was clearly elsewhere. His thoughts drifted far from the pages before him.
It had been two years since he awakened his martial soul. In the beginning, he had trained diligently, but over time, despair began to creep in.
No matter how much he cultivated, without a soul ring, his strength couldn't advance—his soul power remained forever capped at rank ten.
And even if Haixiao did help him obtain a soul ring, what then? Haixiao was the head of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion. Although it wasn't one of the Sun-Moon Empire's five imperial legions, it was still an elite force. Haixiao himself was a level-eight Soul Engineer, commanding two hundred men, all of whom were at least rank-three engineers. Thinking of escaping was pure fantasy.
Were it not for the unexpected awakening of his past-life memories during his martial soul awakening—memories that perfectly merged with his current soul and gave him a mental clarity far beyond ordinary people—these three years of confinement would have long since crushed his spirit.
Now, perhaps, he could understand how Dai Mubai had felt ten thousand years ago. Except his own predicament was even more hopeless.
He wasn't even given the chance to resist.
His violet eyes slowly focused, faint purple light flickering in their depths. Xu Zihuang closed the book in his hands and opened the glass window on the southern wall of his room. The frigid sea wind lashed at his face like blades, but he stood unmoved, gazing up at the thick castle walls that surrounded him like a cage.
High above, a seabird occasionally soared across the sky. Xu Zihuang subconsciously clenched his fists. In that moment, his violet irises turned into brilliant gold, with intricate, arcane patterns swirling around his pupils. His entire presence shifted drastically in an instant.
But no one saw this transformation.
Yes—his martial soul was not limited to the royal family's inherited Zihuang Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon. He had another, a powerful innate body-type martial soul: the Golden Eyes.
During his awakening, his two souls had fully merged. He knew all too well the terrifying potential of this top-tier spiritual martial soul.
That was why he kept it hidden.
A twin martial soul. Innate full soul power. Talents like that might earn him favor from Xu Tiannan and his son—but it was just as likely to get him killed.
A harmless, powerless prince was exactly what Xu Tiannan and his son preferred.
"What good is talent, anyway?" A trace of bitterness flickered through Xu Zihuang's eyes. If he had awakened his past-life memories even a year earlier, he could have used his knowledge of the future to change the fate of his entire family.
But fate had played its cruel hand.
…
A seabird soared above the island, vanishing into the drifting clouds. Riding the tailwind for several hours, it finally landed on the wooden railing of a massive ship's lookout platform.
The vessel had six decks—five above water, one below. Over 200 meters long, its front deck alone was larger than the best soul dueling arenas on the continent.
Dozens of soldiers stood guard on either side of the deck, eyes scanning the surrounding waters. Though this sea route had rarely seen high-level sea soul beasts, one could never be too careful.
At the bow, an older man with the bearing of a captain stood anxiously, his bony hands gripping the metal railing as he stared into the distance.
Onboard were a hundred noble young ladies—each representing a noble family of the Sun-Moon Empire. Should anything happen to them, he, the soul engineer corps leader of a coastal border town, would not be able to bear the consequences.
While the ship's bow remained solemn and tense, the uppermost hall of the fifth-deck cabin was abuzz with conversation and laughter—at least on the surface.
In the Sun-Moon Empire and the remnants of the three great Douluo empires, social rank wasn't just a matter of noble vs. commoner—it defined the unspoken hierarchy among the nobility itself.
The five floors of the upper deck had been subdivided to reflect these ranks, separating the girls based on family background.
Inside the top-tier hall, noble daughters clad in luxurious garments chatted gracefully over crystal goblets, occasionally laughing behind delicate, gloved hands.
"Do you think the exiled prince will choose one of us?"
"If he does, wouldn't that mean being stuck on that lonely island for years? I really don't understand what His Highness the Crown Prince was thinking." Her words drew frowns and nervous glances. Several young ladies quickly quieted, their smiles vanishing in an instant as they looked warily at the speaker.
Finally, the golden-haired young woman at the head of the table spoke, her tone cold but authoritative.
"Watch your tongue. His Highness the Crown Prince is not someone we're qualified to judge."
But none of them noticed what was happening below the waves.
"Gurgle… gurgle…"
Deep beneath the ship—some 500 meters down—air bubbles suddenly began rising from the dark ocean floor. A shadow darted through the water at breakneck speed.
Two yellow, two purple, two black—six soul rings glowed brilliantly in the dim light beneath the sea.
(End of Chapter)
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