Night fell, and lights began to glow. As the largest city in the entire Moon South Archipelago, Yuexu City was as prosperous as some of the main cities of the Sun Moon Empire or the three former empires of the Douluo Continent.
The wide streets were filled with pedestrians, every face brimming with happiness.
Never touched by the wars that plagued the continent, Yuexu City possessed a rare tranquility, a bustling peace where the myriad expressions of life unfolded undisturbed.
Xu Zihuang stood atop the spire of a tall building, slowly withdrawing his gaze. Though at least fifty kilometers separated him from Yuexu City, he could still faintly make out the city's scattered lights from here.
Beneath him stood a castle built into the western coastal mountains of Yuexu Island. Including the surrounding twenty kilometers, this was Yao Yang's private estate.
To the people of Yuexu Island, this was absolute forbidden ground.
It was here that the remnants of the Imperial Dragon Spirit Master Regiment recuperated, and it was here that Xu Zihuang would live for the coming years.
The salty sea breeze blew against his face, tugging at his robes. In front of the castle stretched an inner sea that cut into Yuexu Island, crescent-shaped, with lighthouses at either end.
The silver moon cast its reflection upon the calm sea, only for the waves to shatter and reform it again and again.
"Zihuang." Yao Yang's gentle voice came from the castle's front garden below. Xu Zihuang glanced over, then leapt down without hesitation, his body unfolding gracefully.
In an instant, his deep-violet eyes turned brilliant gold, and two noble purple spirit rings glowed brightly in the night.
The second ring shone, and thin, mirror-like dark-red crystals condensed beneath his feet. His figure flickered, and he landed steadily on the ground.
The same soul skill, used differently, could yield vastly different results. Now he had locked his spiritual power on a small patch of space beneath his feet, condensing it with his second skill, Shatter of the Mirror, creating a foothold for himself.
The space condensed was small, and the soul power consumed was minimal. Yet the effect was comparable to flight—allowing him to move freely in midair, though unlike those with flying-type martial souls, he could not remain aloft indefinitely.
Xu Zihuang was increasingly grateful to have gained Shatter of the Mirror from the Demonic Killer Whale.
This skill combined control, attack, defense, and support all in one—truly overpowering.
By contrast, Meng Lang, who had fused with a Demonic Killer Whale ring as well, had not been quite so fortunate. Though, of course, any skill granted by a Demonic Killer Whale was still extraordinarily powerful.
"Not bad. The age of a spirit ring is important, but to fully unleash a soul skill's might depends on the Soul Master's control." Yao Yang smiled as he approached Xu Zihuang. To ordinary people, what Xu Zihuang had just displayed seemed like something only a Titled Douluo could achieve—stepping on air itself. Yet Yao Yang saw through the essence at a glance.
He was already numb to Xu Zihuang's astonishing talent. Seeing him develop such a method no longer surprised him—it even felt natural.
As he spoke, he handed Xu Zihuang a silver storage bracelet.
"Zihuang, inside are the rare metals you asked Yao'er to prepare. Two hundred kilograms of each type. It should last you several years. If it's not enough, you can ask Yao'er again, and she will prepare more."
"It's enough." Xu Zihuang smiled, nodded, and without formality slipped the bracelet onto his wrist.
Yao Yang led him toward the brightly lit hall on the castle's first floor, adding as they walked:
"Zihuang, you don't have to push yourself so hard. Training, learning soul tool crafting, body tempering with the tides—you're putting too much pressure on yourself."
"Only by pressuring myself can I push my potential to the fullest." Xu Zihuang smiled bitterly and shook his head.
The past month had left a deep impression on him. Without Wang Xiao, Yao Yang, and the others risking their lives, he would still be rotting away on that island. Today's experience at the Yuexu Auction House had made him realize one truth:
Strength was the foundation of all things.
Why had Yao Yang been able to retake Yuexu Island? Because of his Soul Sage cultivation. Why had the five great pirate groups been able to seize the other six islands of the archipelago? For the same reason.
Learning to craft soul tools had always been part of Xu Zihuang's plan.
As a prince of the Sun Moon Empire, he would never reject soul tools as Soul Masters from the three former empires did.
His first martial soul, the Golden Pupils, lacked offensive means. Soul tools could perfectly make up for this shortcoming. During his childhood and three years of imprisonment, he had already laid a solid foundation in soul tool crafting. All he needed now was daily practice to smoothly advance to the level of a third-rank Soul Engineer.
As for tide-tempering, that was a spur-of-the-moment decision after arriving on Yuexu Island.
Unlike ordinary Soul Masters, his first two spirit rings were already thousand-year rings. When his cultivation reached rank thirty, the rings he could fuse would be at least five-thousand-year rings.
But his ambition went far beyond that. Tide-tempering was the simplest way to strengthen his body and prepare for the possibility of a second awakening of his martial soul.
Seeing the determination in Xu Zihuang's eyes, Yao Yang found himself momentarily dazed. The shadow imprinted in his heart overlapped with Xu Zihuang's figure. Words he had meant to say turned into a quiet sigh.
"Father and son—truly father and son."
Xu Zihuang and Yao Yang walked side by side into the grand hall of the castle. The resplendent room was filled with rare dishes: thousand-year Violet Crystal Lobster, thousand-year Deep Sea Bluefin Tuna, bright-red thousand-year Peony Squid—top-quality ingredients everywhere.
When Xu Zihuang entered, the soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Spirit Master Regiment rose respectfully.
"Young Master."
"No need for formality. Tonight, enjoy yourselves." Xu Zihuang walked straight to the main seat at the central table, took the crystal cup offered by Wang Xiao, and drained the fine malt wine in one gulp.
"I, Zihuang, owe you all my life."
He spoke no more. Too many words would have dulled the moment.
Everything was in the wine.
Perhaps it was the relief of their long voyage finally ending, or perhaps the atmosphere was just right, but the banquet was especially lively.
Glasses clinked, voices rang out in laughter.
For the first time, Xu Zihuang allowed himself to indulge. After three years of imprisonment, the suffocating weight in his heart was finally released.
He made no effort to disperse the alcohol with soul power. Only when he was completely drunk and unconscious did several Imperial Dragon Regiment soldiers carry him back to his room to rest.