A misty haze blanketed the early morning. As the boundary between night and day, dawn was the coldest time of the day.
Yet the soldiers of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment standing on the deck appeared far more relaxed now. Traveling during the day was, comparatively speaking, much safer.
Xu Zihuang, Yao Yang, and Wang Xiao sat cross-legged directly on the deck without the slightest pretense. A wooden supply crate placed between them served as a makeshift table. Atop it was a pot of bubbling fish soup, releasing a rich and savory aroma. Beside it, several large purple lobsters were neatly arranged on a tray. Each lobster was nearly half a meter long, with translucent, succulent meat that looked incredibly appetizing.
These were Purple Crystal Lobsters, soul beasts native to the deep sea with cultivation levels of around a hundred years. With the group's strength, capturing them posed little challenge.
There were also some black bread loaves and a large jar of black caviar—foods chosen for their long shelf life during extended voyages.
After a night of open conversation and understanding the past, Xu Zihuang felt increasingly close to Yao Yang.
Taking a bite of black bread smeared with caviar, Xu Zihuang said with a smile, "I never would've guessed, Brother Yang, that you're a hereditary viscount of the Moon South Archipelago."
"You teasing me now, Zihuang?" Yao Yang's handsome features also bore a smile, his gaze warm and friendly—completely unlike the fierce demeanor he showed when wielding his martial soul.
"The Moon South Archipelago is made up of seven islands: Yuexu, Yuexuan, Yuequan, Yueheng, Yueyang, Yueyao, and Yueji. I only govern Yuexu Island, which is the northernmost one."
Xu Zihuang blinked in surprise and asked instinctively, "What about the other six islands?"
Strictly speaking, the Moon South Archipelago was part of his father's domain as well. But since he had been too young back then to be involved in administrative matters, he only had a vague understanding of the situation.
"Zihuang, remember what I told you before? The Moon South Archipelago lies far from the mainland of the Sun and Moon Empire. The surrounding seas are home to powerful sea soul beasts, which makes it hard for the empire to assert any real control here. That's led to chaos—pirates run rampant. Though the other six islands are nominally under my jurisdiction, they're actually controlled by several massive pirate groups."
"That's also why I brought you here," Wang Xiao chimed in at just the right moment. "It's a place where the Sun and Moon Empire's reach can't easily extend." But as he spoke, his face suddenly turned pale, and he clutched his chest tightly.
"Uncle Wang!" Yao Yang's expression shifted, and he quickly placed his hands on Wang Xiao's back, channeling soul power to check his condition.
Wang Xiao took a few deep breaths, waving his hand dismissively.
"It's nothing. An old illness."
But Xu Zihuang had sharp eyes. He noticed a faint green tint on Wang Xiao's chest, and his expression darkened. "Uncle Wang, you've been poisoned?"
Yao Yang and Wang Xiao exchanged glances. Despite Wang Xiao's firm attempt to stop him with just a look, Yao Yang ignored it.
"Zihuang, Uncle Wang was poisoned ten years ago during that battle I mentioned—with those two evil soul masters. The poison was one of their natal venoms. If not for that, he would've long since reached Rank 90. The only thing delaying the spread of the poison now is your Extinction Dragon martial soul's special destructive attribute. I didn't want to burden you, but at this rate, Uncle Wang has at most fifteen years before the poison spreads completely."
"If you want to help him, then you must break through to Soul Sage within those fifteen years—and find a way to detoxify him."
Yao Yang's voice grew heavier. Fifteen years meant Xu Zihuang had to reach Rank 70 by age twenty-three.
Back then, Yao Yang himself had been born with full innate soul power and still only reached Soul Sage at twenty-eight. Though Xu Zihuang possessed twin martial souls, his second martial soul—the Violet Thunder Prison Dragon—contained both the attributes of Extreme Lightning and Destruction. Combined with the natural difficulty of cultivating with twin souls, his advancement would only grow slower over time.
Wang Xiao sighed and gave Yao Yang a reproachful glare, which the latter pretended not to notice.
"Uncle Wang. Brother Yang."
"Hmm?"
"I swear I will reach Soul Sage before I turn twenty-three. And I will find a way to remove the poison from Uncle Wang."
Xu Zihuang's eyes were firm as he looked eastward, toward the endless ocean. That was the direction of the Douluo Continent. With his past-life memories now awakened, he was filled with confidence.
The Skydream Iceworm, Electrolux, the ten-thousand-year immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and the Myriad-Year Mystic Ice Marrow from Dragon Gate—the sect his mother hailed from in Dragon City.
He wasn't sure he could obtain all these opportunities, but he would do everything in his power to pursue them.
Seeing the confidence radiating from Xu Zihuang, Yao Yang showed a gratified smile.
Wang Xiao, too, was visibly moved. Meeting this father and son might have been the greatest fortune of his life.
But both of them shared a silent resolution: no matter the cost, they would protect Xu Zihuang's growth.
The group resumed their seats, tactfully avoiding the heavy topic. They returned to enjoying the food on the crate. Conditions aboard the warship were basic, and while the seasonings were limited, the freshness of the ingredients more than made up for it. Another bowl of hot fish soup warmed Xu Zihuang from head to toe.
"Uncle Wang, Brother Yang, I'm heading back to my room to cultivate."
Now that he was free, he was eager to resume his training. Though he hadn't yet acquired any soul rings, he estimated that after over two years of cultivation, he had likely reached Rank 20. After all, he was born with full innate soul power, and soul masters with Extreme martial souls faced no bottlenecks before Rank 30.
He had already begun thinking about the first two soul rings for his Golden Eye martial soul.
His development path would clearly be that of a control-type soul master. With that foundation, his choice of soul skills had plenty of room for strategy.
---
The entire day passed with Xu Zihuang fully immersed in cultivation. Just as he finished, someone knocked on his door.
He thought it would be a soldier delivering dinner, but it turned out to be Wang Xiao, the regiment commander. As Wang Xiao entered the room, the sounds of crashing waves, whistling sea breeze, and the bustling footsteps on the deck all abruptly vanished.
"Uncle Wang?"
"Young master, I originally planned to give you this after we reached the Moon South Archipelago." Wang Xiao's expression turned solemn as he took out a bright silver metal box from inside his robe. Lying quietly within it was a ring—deep purple with elegant dragon patterns etched into its surface. Its material resembled amethyst, semi-translucent, and it was inlaid with a flawless starlight-blue gem.
The starlight-blue gem was a rare component used in the creation of top-grade storage-type soul tools. Even a piece this small—barely the size of a thumbnail—would be worth at least 500,000 gold soul coins.
"Inside is a soul bone left to you by His Highness the Prince. You can try to absorb it. If not, pass it on to your descendants—let it be a legacy."
Xu Zihuang silently took the ring-shaped soul tool.
"These were my father's instructions?"
"Yes," Wang Xiao nodded. "You may safely attempt to absorb it. I will ensure no one disturbs you."
With that, he exited and leaned against the door, eyes deep with thought.
Your Highness… perhaps you foresaw your fate the day you gave me this ring.
Inside the room, Xu Zihuang slowly placed the ring on the index finger of his left hand. He was indeed curious about the soul bone his father had left him—especially given the cryptic message that came with it.
There was only one reason a soul bone might not be absorbable: its quality was so high that it placed incredibly strict demands on the soul master's martial soul and physical attributes.
The ring shrank slightly upon contact and snugly fitted his finger. In terms of soul tool manufacturing, the Sun and Moon Empire's technology was at least a thousand years ahead of the original Douluo Continent's empires.
He focused his mind and entered the ring's internal space. It was about the size of a small room. Just as Wang Xiao had said, only one item lay within—a soul bone.
A flash of blue light revealed a bone floating silently above his left hand. The aura it exuded was so powerful that the surrounding space felt as though it had frozen. The entire soul bone was a deep, crystalline purple, with shimmering flames of destruction dancing along its surface. And—shockingly—it wasn't one of the six conventional human soul bones. It was a left palm bone, a highly unusual type.
Five finger bones connected seamlessly to the palm. Purple light flowed along its structure, and the sharp tips of the fingers looked like they could pierce anything.
"An external soul bone?" Xu Zihuang frowned slightly. "But external soul bones aren't supposed to be removable."
Which meant… no one had ever fused with it before.
But this soul bone clearly shared the same origin as the royal family's Extinction Dragon martial soul.
It seemed there were many secrets within the imperial family that he still didn't know.
He steadied himself and extended his left hand, guiding the soul bone with his soul power. As the two touched, deep purple flames flared between them and began to merge. The color of the flames darkened further.
As he immersed himself in the process, Xu Zihuang suddenly found his surroundings shifting dramatically. He was now in a vast void, where an oppressive voice thundered across the skies:
"I was born alongside you. I fought and bled for the glory of the Dragon Clan. What crime have I committed to be slain by your own hand? You feared my potential, nothing more! And you call yourself the Dragon God?!"
"Hahaha! Under your leadership, the Dragon Clan is doomed to destruction!"
Xu Zihuang's emotions surged uncontrollably, consumed by overwhelming fury and resentment.
The scene changed again.
Blood rained across the sky. A massive dragon corpse, over three hundred meters long, plummeted from the heavens—its purple scales glistening—as it crashed onto a vast continent.
"Huff… Huff…" Xu Zihuang's eyes snapped open in the room, his chest heaving. He stared at his empowered left hand and muttered under his breath:
"That purple dragon corpse… Is it the origin of our imperial family's Extinction Dragon martial soul? The Radiant Dragon, progenitor of subdragons… Radiant Dragon Claw…"
Looking out the window at the sea now once again cloaked in darkness, he realized with a start that a full day had passed in the real world during that momentary vision.
(End of Chapter)
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