Seven days later.
The figures of the Snow Empress and Shen Hanyu appeared in a small city at the southernmost tip of the Douluo Continent.
Even with the two of them traveling at the speed of Limit Douluo level, crossing more than half the continent still took a full week. Although this included occasional stops to recover soul power and brief rests, the sheer distance of the journey was still evident.
The further south they traveled, the higher the temperature became. With their powerful strength, the external environment barely affected them; otherwise, ordinary soul masters in such conditions would consume soul power several times faster than in normal environments.
This small city had no name, and Shen Hanyu didn't know which force it belonged to. However, seeing the low, flat buildings and the simply dressed, plain-clothed commoners, he could basically confirm that this place was neither prosperous nor bustling.
At the port, only a few scattered boats were docked, mostly fishing vessels, with just two or three merchant ships. The commoners and soul masters on the dock were all sitting in shaded areas under cover, chatting idly, so the entire harbor appeared somewhat desolate.
Such a city held no interest for Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress to stay. After only a few glances around the town, they quickly entered the domain of the ocean.
Because the environment here was extremely primitive and human survival and activity were limited to shallow sea areas, the soul beasts here actually lived quite well. Shen Hanyu even saw two Moonscale White Flood Dragons hunting in the shallow sea region—rare sea soul beasts that had almost completely gone extinct along the mainland coast. Yet here they seemed to feel no sense of crisis at all, freely playing and hunting in what should have been a dangerous shallow sea area.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress flew side by side, turning into two streaks of light that cut across the sky. Neither of them deliberately concealed their auras. Wherever they passed through the deep sea region, no blind sea soul beast dared to block their way. Even the powerful soul beasts hidden deep underwater who noticed their presence only silently concealed themselves even deeper, afraid that the next second the two would notice them and come down to slaughter them…
Their speed had almost reached the limit. Wherever they passed, the clouds in the sky were torn apart by the violent airflow, leaving a clear white trail in the air…
...
The sea was boundless. Looking out, the azure seawater seemed incomparably vast, as if hiding infinite mysteries within.
Accompanied by the newborn morning sun, Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress, who were high in the sky, almost simultaneously noticed a series of small islands arranged one after another in the distance.
On the shores of several comparatively larger islands, among them, there were still some wooden fishing boats. Quite a few men wearing short jackets were busily working on the beach. Behind them, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the forest. Clearly, they had already entered the territory of the island domain.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress slowly descended and gently landed on the soft sandy beach.
Several men who were still busy working ahead did not notice the two of them at first and continued organizing various fishing tools and repairing nets. Only when one of them turned his head and saw the pair did he let out a startled cry, causing the others to finally react.
An older-looking elderly man put down the harpoon in his hand, somewhat shocked and puzzled, and carefully looked Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress up and down. Then he gave a meaningful glance to the younger men beside him, gathered his courage, and asked:
"May I ask… do the two honored guests have some business here?"
Shen Hanyu smiled lightly and said:
"Old sir, we come from the continent. May I ask how far away Chenyuan Island is from here?"
The old man thought for a moment, then said with some surprise:
"Are the two honored guests referring to the continent on the other side of the great sea?"
Shen Hanyu did not deny it and nodded.
At some point, the surrounding men had gathered together, whispering among themselves about something. Figures also appeared at the edge of the forest, curiously watching the situation here. Several young boys and girls, seeing the two people dressed in luxurious clothes and possessing outstanding appearances, couldn't help but blush and become absent-minded.
The old man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands and said:
"Are the two honored guests going to the main island?"
Shen Hanyu looked at the old man before him and nodded again.
The old man nodded as well, then pointed toward the direction behind the island and said:
"To reach the main island, honored guests need to cross this island domain first, then take a boat from the other side of the island domain. The distance is not very far, about half a shichen, and you can arrive."
Shen Hanyu gave a light laugh and said:
"Then many thanks to you, old sir. We will be on our way…"
With that, Shen Hanyu took the Snow Empress's hand and prepared to set off again. But before they had taken two steps, the old man behind them called out once more to stop them.
"Honored guests… may I ask you to wait a moment…"
Shen Hanyu turned back, slightly raised an eyebrow, and said casually:
"Is there something else?"
The old man seemed somewhat helpless, but still gathered his courage and said:
"May I ask if the two honored guests are both soul master adults?"
Shen Hanyu was a little puzzled, but still nodded and said:
"Of course. Is there something you need?"
When the old man heard this, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly said:
"Would the two honored adults be willing to help awaken martial souls for a few children in our village? Please rest assured, even if we have to sell everything we own, we will definitely pay you. We absolutely will not short you a single coin…"
Shen Hanyu was somewhat surprised, then asked curiously:
"Don't you have dedicated personnel here to awaken martial souls?"
The old man gave a couple of bitter laughs and said:
"A few years ago, the main island would send people every few years to awaken martial souls for the residents of our small islands. But later, for some unknown reason, it has been more than ten full years since any soul master has come to our little island. All these years, the children who reached the proper age had no one to guide them. Until now, they still…"
Shen Hanyu was slightly stunned. Then he looked toward the edge of the forest. After a rough sweep with his perception, he discovered that these boys and girls who looked about the same age as the young ladies actually had not yet awakened their martial souls. Even among the adults, hardly anyone possessed soul power. In a village of several hundred people, they couldn't even find a single one-ring soul master.
Looking at the old man and the several middle-aged men around him with faces full of longing and expectation, and then at the boys and girls who looked about the same age as the young ladies, curious yet fearful, Shen Hanyu let out a soft sigh. He exchanged a glance with the Snow Empress, then turned back and said gently:
"Very well, old sir. Please organize it. Anyone of suitable age or a few years older can come and take a look. Awakening a martial soul won't take much time anyway…"
When the old man saw that Shen Hanyu had really agreed, he was first stunned, then so moved that tears fell from his eyes. Even his somewhat withered hands were trembling. The surrounding middle-aged men were all stunned at first, then reacted with delight and looked at Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress. The quicker ones had already hurriedly run into the forest behind to spread the news…
Not long after, one after another, nervous and shy-looking boys and girls walked out from the dense forest. Under the scolding of the adults, they obediently lined up in a long row. The girl at the very front had somewhat dry and dark skin; in many places, one could still see traces of sunburn. Clearly, she often worked under the blazing sun. Her hands were also dry and cracked. Especially after seeing Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress, she hid her hands behind her back, her head almost shrinking into her neck, not daring to lift her head to look at the two again…
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