Unlike the crude stone houses outside, the interior of the castle was far more refined.
The floor was covered with a plush crimson carpet that seemed to radiate warmth, dispelling the chill of the autumn sea morning. Rows of soul lamps hung along the walls, their soft golden glow illuminating the central hall in splendor.
Within the vast castle, only Xu Zihuang remained. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty hall.
Expressionless, he walked to the head seat of the crystal dining table. Soon after, several soldiers entered from outside, carrying trays with his breakfast.
Although Xu Zihuang, as an exile, had no servants to attend him, he did not need to concern himself with daily necessities.
A steaming bowl of rich meat porridge was placed before him, its aroma thick and enticing. Alongside it were stewed dishes, vegetables, and fruits. The island's soil, mostly saline and alkaline, was unsuitable for crops, so all these provisions were shipped from the Sun Moon Empire's mainland.
Supplies arrived regularly.
And of course, there were always sea spirit beasts—the most plentiful resource of the ocean. Today's dish was the belly of a thousand-year Deep Sea Bluefin Tuna, its slices neatly arranged on a tray, the tender flesh fresh and alluring.
Over the past three years, Xu Zihuang had eaten countless delicacies made from rare parts of sea spirit beasts. Nourished as well by the soul power within his body, his physique had already grown comparable to that of an ordinary Spirit Grandmaster with a beast martial soul—even though he had yet to obtain a single spirit ring.
This was thanks to the solid foundation laid for him in childhood. His father had been the previous Sun Moon Emperor's younger brother, a man of extraordinary talent who reached the rank of Title Douluo. He had been greatly favored by Xu Zihuang's imperial grandfather and entrusted with governance of the four richest provinces in the empire's south.
To say he wielded boundless power was no exaggeration.
Even before Xu Zihuang awakened his martial spirit, his father had often used priceless heavenly treasures to cleanse the impurities from his meridians and strengthen his body. Some of these rare materials were worth no less than a top-quality ten-thousand-year spirit bone. His ability to awaken with innate full soul power owed much to this.
Pale sunlight streamed through the windows onto the marble floor. Xu Zihuang calmly cut into the tuna belly with a fine silver knife and fork. His long-tense nerves eased, and his appetite improved.
Yet in truth, his situation had not changed at all.
After breakfast, as usual, Xu Zihuang returned to his room to read books on soul tool crafting.
Haixiao did not help him obtain spirit rings, nor provide materials for crafting soul tools. But he did not forbid Xu Zihuang from cultivating or studying the knowledge.
Still, Xu Zihuang's mind today was far from the pages. His thoughts had long since drifted away.
Since awakening his martial spirit two years ago, he had diligently cultivated at first. But as time passed, despair grew.
No matter how hard he trained, without spirit rings his power could never progress—his soul power would forever remain stuck at level ten.
And even if Haixiao did help him acquire rings, what difference would it make? Haixiao was the regiment commander of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Corps, a unit not on par with the empire's five direct corps, yet still among the few elite ones. Haixiao himself was an eighth-rank Soul Engineer, and his two hundred subordinates were all at least rank three. To escape this place was sheer delusion.
Had he not, by chance, awakened the memories of his past life at the moment of martial spirit awakening—his two souls merging perfectly and giving him a maturity far beyond his years—three years of confinement here would have already crushed his will, leaving him numb.
Perhaps now, he could understand what Dai Mubai had once felt ten thousand years ago. Only Xu Zihuang's plight was even more hopeless.
He had not even been given a chance to resist.
The violet glow in Xu Zihuang's eyes gradually sharpened, faint light flickering within. He closed the book in his hands and opened the glass window facing south.
The cold sea wind stung his cheeks, yet he seemed unaware, gazing up at the massive stone walls that loomed like a prison cage.
Watching the seabirds gliding across the azure sky, his fists clenched unconsciously. In an instant, his violet pupils turned a brilliant gold, intricate and cryptic patterns swirling within them. His entire aura underwent a drastic transformation.
But this fleeting change went unnoticed by anyone.
Yes—his martial spirit was not only the Purple Sovereign Extinguishing Dragon inherited from the imperial clan of the Sun Moon Empire. He possessed another: the powerful innate martial spirit, Golden Eyes.
When he had awakened his martial spirit, the fusion of his two souls had already been completed. He knew well the formidable might of such a top-tier spiritual martial spirit. And so, he chose to hide it.
Twin martial spirits, combined with innate full soul power—such a gift might draw the attention of Xu Tianran and his father. It might even offer him a chance at freedom. But far more likely, it would only bring about his death.
A harmless exiled prince—that was the Xu family's ideal.
"What use is talent, if it changes nothing?" A trace of bitterness flashed in Xu Zihuang's eyes. If only his past life's memories had awakened earlier—even a single year—he might have changed his family's fate, armed with knowledge of the story's future.
But fate was cruel.
Seabirds wheeled above the island, before vanishing into the rolling clouds. Riding the wind, one bird soared for hours before descending to perch on the wooden railing of a lookout tower atop a massive ship.
This vessel rose six decks high—five above deck, one below. Its hull stretched over two hundred meters long. The vast deck alone was larger than the grandest battle arenas on the continent.
Dozens of soldiers lined the rails, their vigilance never slackening as they scanned the sea. Though this route rarely saw powerful sea spirit beasts, no one dared assume safety.
At the prow, an elderly captain with a haggard face gripped the metal railing, his thin hands taut with unease as he stared at the horizon.
Behind the hundred noble maidens aboard this ship stood a hundred noble families of the Sun Moon Empire. Should anything happen, the commander of this minor coastal corps could never bear the responsibility.
On deck, the mood was grim. Yet within the upper cabins, laughter and chatter flowed, wineglasses raised in apparent harmony.
At least, on the surface.
In the Sun Moon Empire—as in the three former empires of Douluo—class was not only a divide between noble and commoner. Among nobles themselves, unspoken rules of rank weighed heavily.
Thus, the ship's five upper decks were divided into five classes, separated by lineage.
In the hall of the top deck, finely dressed young noblewomen conversed gracefully, glass goblets in hand. From time to time, delicate laughter spilled as they covered their lips with slender fingers.
"Do you think the exiled prince will choose us?" one girl asked softly.
"If he does, wouldn't that mean being trapped on that island for years? I really don't know what His Highness the Crown Prince is thinking."
At her words, the smiles around her instantly froze. Several maidens shot her warning looks, fearful of such reckless speech.
Finally, a cold, golden-haired girl seated at the head spoke, her voice cutting through the tension.
"Mind your tongue. His Highness the Crown Prince is not for us to question."
But none of them knew—deep beneath the sea, five hundred meters below, a stream of bubbles surged upward. A dark shadow sped through the water.
Two yellow, two purple, two black—six spirit rings shone brightly, even in the dim light of the depths.