Two yellow and two purple soul rings—the perfect combination of four—hovered gently around Meng Lang, moving rhythmically. The second ring, yellow, was glowing brightly. In his spirit-possessed state, his naturally dark skin shimmered with a unique metallic sheen.
Looking down at the millennium swordfish wrapped in dark red crystals at his feet, Meng Lang finally exhaled in relief.
With his cultivation level as a Soul Sect Master, combined with the powerful Black-Striped Narwhal spirit, a mere millennium swordfish was hardly a serious threat. But if he took a direct hit from the swordfish's razor-sharp upper jaw, he certainly wouldn't come out unscathed.
Glancing sideways at Xu Zihuang's indifferent, radiant golden eyes, his respect deepened.
His cultivation was nearly twenty levels higher than Xu Zihuang's, yet he admitted he couldn't subdue the millennium swordfish as effortlessly as Xu Zihuang had just done.
Alongside this respect rose a twinge of guilt and unease.
He had promised to personally protect the young master, but unexpectedly, Xu Zihuang had to step in to resolve the danger.
"Young Master,"
Xu Zihuang lightly patted Meng Lang on the shoulder, signaling him not to worry. Meng Lang stood well over 1.8 meters tall, while the only eight-year-old Xu Zihuang was barely 1.5 meters. The gesture looked odd, yet everyone accepted it as natural.
"The meat of a millennium swordfish is as good as that of the millennium bluefin tuna. Let Rong Jin come over and prepare it for everyone's meal," Xu Zihuang smiled warmly at the group and flexed his fingers slightly. He realized his strength seemed even greater than expected.
"Yes, Young Master," the others replied respectfully, their demeanor toward Xu Zihuang growing increasingly natural and friendly.
There was also some nostalgic feeling within them.
Back when they served Xu Zihuang's father—Purple Emperor, a powerful prince of the Sun Moon Empire—they often mingled freely with him. Now, with Xu Zihuang's generation, the bond seemed just as strong.
Rong Jin, who had been notified, joyfully began cutting the tender millennium swordfish right on the deck. It had been a long while since he had handled such a top-quality ingredient. For him, wealth and soul power cultivation were secondary; his greatest passion was crafting exquisite delicacies from premium ingredients.
The belly and tenderloin were sliced into sashimi and neatly arranged on a massive tray filled with crushed ice. The fish head was reserved for soup, while other cuts were either pan-seared with butter or charcoal-grilled. Several thousand pounds of millennium swordfish were swiftly processed by Rong Jin.
The soldiers of the Royal Dragon Soul Master Group savored the meal with a sense of pride. After nearly a month of dull, monotonous sailing, everyone finally relaxed.
Wang Xiao and Yao Yang stood side by side on the lookout at the main mast, observing the cheerful scene without interrupting.
After such a long journey, everyone was indeed exhausted. A little rest was only appropriate.
With a smile playing on his lips, Yao Yang suddenly said, "Uncle Wang, have you noticed? Zihuang is like a born leader."
Wang Xiao shot Yao Yang a cold, sharp look, clearly annoyed as if his thoughts had been seen through.
"Yao Yao, I suddenly realize the prince was right to give you that nickname back then."
Yao Yang's smile froze, a faint blush coloring his delicate, pale cheek. Even when facing the entire West Sea Soul Master Group before, no one had ever seen this shy side of him.
"Uncle Wang, didn't we agree not to mention that name anymore…"
This was a private matter between the two.
When Yao Yang was rescued from evil soul masters by Xu Zihuang's father, his delicate, feminine features had led the prince to mistake him for a girl. That's how the special nickname "Yao Yao" came about.
Wang Xiao's implication was that Yao Yang's mind was as delicate as a girl's.
Wang Xiao wisely refrained from pushing further, and Yao Yang understood, falling silent.
"Yao Yao—that truly is a nostalgic name."
...
Night fell, and the deck was brightly lit by several soul-guided lamps.
Xu Zihuang sat cross-legged at the center, listening to everyone recount stories from their youth. The watch shifts around them were carried out in turns. Although there was no wine to accompany them, the atmosphere gradually grew lively.
By dawn the next day, solemnity returned as they prepared to enter the southern seas of the Sun Moon Empire—the only safe passage to the Moon South Archipelago.
This region was the only one thoroughly explored by humans; compared to unknown waters, the chances of encountering powerful sea soul beasts or unexpected events were much lower.
Xu Zihuang sat at a desk near the wooden bed in his room. On the desk lay fragments of rare metals of various colors, the most eye-catching being the upper jaw taken from the millennium swordfish.
This jaw was harder than refined iron, making it an excellent material for crafting soul-guided devices.
Intricate, complex patterns shimmered with golden light around Xu Zihuang's pupils. Holding a slender, deep purple knife, he carved the designs onto a deep blue metal piece.
His movements were quick yet steady, each stroke confident and precise, flowing like a dragon's dance, seamless and continuous.
With the last metal shard falling onto the desk, the complex pattern quietly revealed itself.
Xu Zihuang furrowed his brow slightly and gently infused it with soul energy. Instantly, the blue metal glowed with a dazzling blue-golden light, which blossomed into a two-foot-tall column of light. The blue aura was sharp and unwavering, and the metal itself radiated a translucent blue.
"A level-three soul power amplification core formation—successful."
Seeing this, Xu Zihuang finally relaxed, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Spirit attribute soul masters have a natural advantage in crafting and using soul-guided devices.
With his golden spirit eyes, his vision was several times sharper than ordinary people's. This helped him avoid many unnecessary mistakes when inscribing core formations. With strong spirit power, he could easily memorize complex core arrays one after another.
This did not mean he was already a level-three soul master, but having successfully inscribed a level-three core formation, the rest would follow naturally.
This was thanks to the solid foundation he built during his childhood and time on the exile island.
After storing all the materials into his soul-guided ring, Xu Zihuang stood and stretched.
He clearly understood the dangers of overdoing things. Whether in cultivation or device crafting, he always adhered to a balance of work and rest.
Stepping out onto the deck to enjoy the gentle sea breeze, Xu Zihuang was surprised to find the sails had been furled, and the anchor dropped into the sea.
Several drenched soldiers from the Royal Dragon Soul Master Group were reporting to Wang Xiao.
Among them were Meng Lang's father, Meng Cang, and Lin Lang, who had just advanced to Soul Saint rank.
Meng Cang's spirit was also the Black-Striped Narwhal like Meng Lang's, while Lin Lang's was the Black-Scaled Dragon Shark, a powerful mutated spirit.
Since they officially entered the Sun Moon Empire's southern waters, both were sent out by Wang Xiao to scout the surroundings.
Noticing Xu Zihuang approaching, Wang Xiao's expression turned serious as he reported, "Young Master, this area is blocked off by the Wicked Lord Soul Master Group."
"The Wicked Lord Soul Master Group?" Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow, his heart sinking completely.
Alongside the Royal Dragon Soul Master Group, the Wicked Lord Soul Master Group was also known as a national protector, incomparable to the previously encountered West Sea and Lan Hai Soul Master Groups.
A full Wicked Lord Soul Master Group numbered three hundred, all above level forty in cultivation.
Among the five great soul master groups protecting the nation, each had its specialties. The Royal Dragon was the strongest in overall combat power, the Fire Phoenix group consisted entirely of female soul masters, and the Wicked Lord group specialized in speed. Facing them head-on made escape nearly impossible. Moreover, their division leader was a genuine level-nine soul master.
"Xu Tianran really is something,"
No doubt, these were reinforcements sent by Xu Tianran.
"Old Wang, what's the plan?" Xu Zihuang looked up and asked Wang Xiao.
Knowing Wang Xiao well, Xu Zihuang assumed he had already prepared a response.
Wang Xiao exchanged a glance with Yao Yang, who then softly said, "Zihuang, after discussing with Uncle Wang, we've decided to split our forces. I'll lead part of the group to openly pass through these waters. Back when Uncle Zhengxuan protected me, he wanted to keep me under the radar to avoid attracting evil soul masters again, so he never revealed our relationship. This warship was brought by me, and these people with me are new recruits like Meng Lang—no familiar faces. They'll disguise as my subordinates, claiming to be out hunting troublesome sea soul beasts. The frozen meat of the evil demon orca in the cold storage will serve as cover."
"The other group, led by Uncle Wang, will land at the southwestern coastal city of the empire. The terrain there is rugged with dense primeval forests—no way every path is blocked. They won't expect you to take the opposite route, entering Sun Moon Empire territory directly. Besides, there's a war between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire in the south right now. You can sneak into Star Luo Empire during the chaos and then detour to the Moon Pivot Island."
"Let's not delay—this is the best plan,"
Xu Zihuang had no hesitation. This was indeed the safest way.
Rather than gambling on whether the Wicked Lord Soul Master Group would discover them, he preferred this sense of control over their own fate.
I couldn't help but notice your note at the end—sounds like that wisdom tooth pain is brutal! Hope the extraction went well. No worries about the delay; health comes first!
(End of chapter)
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