The warship drifted uncertainly over the sea, and even the crystal soul-guide chandelier on the ceiling of the spacious cabin swayed gently.
Sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor, Xu Zihuang, Yao Yang, and Wang Xiao opened their eyes at the same time, the soul power fluctuations surrounding their bodies receding in unison.
Strange silver patterns, glowing with a dense halo, gradually faded from Xu Zihuang's brow. Noticing the odd looks from Wang Xiao and Yao Yang, he couldn't help but ask with some doubt:
"What is it, Elder Wang, Brother Yang? Didn't your cultivation speed increase?"
Several more days had passed during their voyage, with Xu Zihuang immersing himself daily in cultivation. He had also gained preliminary mastery over another special ability granted by the Silver-Scaled White Whale.
Unlike the Spirit Eyes of Destiny granted to Huo Yuhao by the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the original story, this ability not only greatly enhanced Xu Zihuang's spiritual power but also accelerated his cultivation speed.
He had carefully tested it. When he activated the silver pattern at his brow, his cultivation speed was about one-third faster than normal.
Moreover, the ability required no soul power consumption—only a slight use of spiritual power, and the cost was minimal.
"No, Zihuang," Yao Yang said with a complicated expression, looking utterly speechless.
"Do you realize? My cultivation speed just now increased by at least a quarter compared to usual."
Considering his soul power had long since surpassed rank seventy, advancing a single level at this stage normally required enormous amounts of time and accumulation. But with Xu Zihuang's boost, in no more than six years he might reach the bottleneck of rank eighty.
Such an ability was nothing short of monstrous.
"Young Master, you must avoid revealing this ability in the future." On the other side, Wang Xiao's expression was grave as he warned him.
At this moment, Xu Zihuang was essentially like a mythical Auspicious Beast among soul beasts. If this ability were exposed, it would stir up a storm across the Soul Master world. With their strength alone, Wang Xiao and Yao Yang would never be able to protect him.
"Uncle Wang is right." Yao Yang nodded in agreement and said firmly, "It seems that Silver-Scaled White Whale truly was the legendary Auspicious Beast. Only an Auspicious Beast can receive the favor of Heaven and Earth's essence."
As he spoke, he stretched out his right hand, sensing the space around them that brimmed with the essence of Heaven and Earth.
As a spiritual-type Soul Master, he was extraordinarily sensitive to such changes. The closer one was to Xu Zihuang, the denser the essence of Heaven and Earth became.
"Zihuang, I once read ancient records in my family about Auspicious Beasts. As Heaven's chosen children of fate, they rarely encounter threats. But when they do, it is only for two reasons—either they meet an opponent whose fortune directly opposes theirs, or it is something destined. Auspicious Beasts can influence destiny, but in their fate there must always be bottlenecks, just as Soul Masters face bottlenecks in cultivation. And you… you may well be that destined bottleneck."
"Destiny?" Xu Zihuang frowned deeply.
Each time he recalled touching the silver scale at the whale's brow, an inexplicable feeling surfaced. It was as if he had glimpsed certain images, yet he had no clear memory of them.
Just as he was about to speak further with the other two, his gaze caught a mirror in the corner of the room.
The mirror reflected his own face—smooth jade-like skin, refined features, and those calm, noble, and faintly aloof violet eyes.
Eyes?!
Suddenly, a spark of realization struck him. One of the images he had glimpsed seemed to show eyes just like these. But no matter how he tried, he could not recall the complete scene.
"What is it, Zihuang?" Yao Yang quickly asked with concern, noticing his distraction.
Xu Zihuang shook his head. "Nothing, Brother Yang."
He didn't know how to explain, and even if he did, it would serve no purpose.
"Young Master, in a few days we'll reach the southern seas of the Sun Moon Empire. We should go prepare." Wang Xiao could tell Xu Zihuang didn't wish to say more, so he rose and excused himself.
Yao Yang understood and followed at once, leaving the room alongside him.
Walking slowly to the mirror, Xu Zihuang examined his reflection once more. After a long moment of contemplation, he still found no answers and chose not to dwell on it further.
After more than a month of sailing, his black medium-length hair, draped over his shoulders, had nearly reached his chest. Strands of violet mixed into his bangs and temples, softening his appearance when viewed from the side and lending him a gentler air, less severe.
This was because he had inherited much of his appearance from his mother.
Sunlight streamed in through the nearby window. Standing before the mirror, Xu Zihuang tied his medium-length hair back with a band. Wearing only a fitted inner garment, he turned and left the room.
They were now approaching the southern seas of the Sun Moon Empire, whose climate was entirely different from that of the island where Xu Zihuang had once been imprisoned.
In the distance, waves surged, where the sea met the sky, azure clouds blending with blue heavens.
Perhaps because his circumstances had changed, Xu Zihuang felt that everything before his eyes now seemed particularly pleasant.
"Young Master." Seeing him approach, the men on deck all saluted respectfully.
Meng Lang, who had successfully fused with the Demonic Killer Whale's spirit ring, quickly followed behind him.
Xu Zihuang gave a small nod in response, then habitually drew out a finely crafted fishing rod from his soul tool.
Its shaft was fashioned from ten-thousand-year Sword Bamboo, incredibly resilient and able to withstand thousands of kilograms of force. The fishing line was woven from the silk of a ten-thousand-year Abyssal Spider, shimmering golden under the sunlight.
For Soul Engineers, crafting such a rod was simple. The only extravagant part was the materials used.
At the deck's edge, bait had already been prepared—crystal-clear deep-violet lobsters, imprisoned in an iron cage. Xu Zihuang had eaten plenty of these Violet Crystal Lobsters during the voyage.
The ones used as bait, however, were only of ten-year cultivation. If they were too high in cultivation, there would be few fish willing to prey on them.
And the spider-silk line ensured that even these ten-year lobsters could not escape.
Once Meng Lang had secured the bait, Xu Zihuang held the rod in his left hand and deftly cast the line dozens of meters out, letting the lobster struggle in the seawater. Leaning against the deck railing, he enjoyed the caress of the sea breeze.
It had been several days since they left the deep-sea region. During this time, Xu Zihuang had often passed the monotony of the voyage by fishing.
Whether it was due to poor luck or lack of skill, he had yet to catch a single fish in all those days.
Not that it mattered—he wasn't fishing for the sake of fish.
As he asked Meng Lang about the Moon South Archipelago, his thoughts drifted, planning his next moves.
"Young Master? I think there's a bite!"
Meng Lang's sudden exclamation made Xu Zihuang snap his eyes open. Seeing the reel spin rapidly, he hurried to pull the line.
But the powerful force transmitted through the rod nearly yanked him off balance.
"This strength… at least several thousand kilograms." Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow, gripping tightly with both hands. Having consumed countless heavenly treasures, and with his body transformed by two thousand-year spirit rings and the external soul bone, the Huanglong Claws, his arm strength was already astonishing.
Creaks rang constantly from the rod and reel. Xu Zihuang bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity, and braced himself to match the force head-on.
The rod and line were resilient enough that even a millennium-level fish-type soul beast would find it difficult to break free.
Meng Lang, flustered, wanted to help, but since Xu Zihuang said nothing, he could only stand aside helplessly.
The sea surface suddenly surged with frothing waves, drawing the attention of the others on deck.
Millennium soul beasts were rare in these waters, so everyone came over to watch. Over the past days, Xu Zihuang had grown closer with them, and the atmosphere was no longer so restrained.
"Young Master finally caught something after all these days," someone joked.
Others chimed in.
"When it comes to cultivation talent, I can't compare to the Young Master. But fishing… well…"
Some even offered him advice and tips.
"What tricks? Against absolute strength, no technique matters."
With a chuckle, Xu Zihuang stopped wasting time. He surged his soul power, pouring raw strength into the rod.
The rod bent almost ninety degrees.
At last, a massive azure fish over three meters long broke the surface. Its body was streamlined and smooth, its upper jaw long and sharp like a slender sword.
The moment it breached, the beast lashed out savagely, stabbing at Xu Zihuang with its sword-like snout.
"A Millennium Swordfish?!" The crowd reacted at once, ready to intervene. Meng Lang, in particular, threw himself between the beast and Xu Zihuang without hesitation.
But just as the Swordfish's sharp snout was about to pierce Meng Lang's chest, Xu Zihuang's calm voice rang out.
"Second Spirit Skill—Shatter of the Mirror."
A dark-red ripple swept forth. The Millennium Swordfish froze mid-lunge, as though time itself had stopped. The air around it crystallized, solidifying into a translucent dark-red crystal that encased the beast completely.
"Boom—!" The crystal-wrapped Swordfish crashed heavily onto the deck. Not even a single crack appeared on the crystal—its hardness was terrifying.
This was Xu Zihuang's second spirit skill, obtained from the three-thousand-year Demonic Killer Whale. A fusion of control and destruction. What he had just displayed was only the first stage of Shatter of the Mirror: imprisoning the target within an unbreakable dark-red crystal.
The second stage was where the "shatter" came in. Anything trapped within the crystal could be crushed to powder at his will. Against Soul Masters of his own level, escape was impossible.
Moreover, the skill was locked with spiritual power—it could target multiple foes simultaneously and was instantaneous.