At dawn, the sky beyond the massive crystal window shifted from dark blue to light blue.
The sky in this southern region was exceptionally clear and blue.
Golden sunlight filtered through silk curtains, scattering into the spacious room. Xu Zihuang slowly opened his eyes while lying on a soft bed. His long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and his deep purple eyes, clear and brilliant, reflected the morning light with a faint, dazzling glow.
He rose and moved to the edge of the window. Stretching out before him was a vast expanse of blue ocean, its waves crashing against the rocks audibly.
He stretched his body slightly, the sensation of comfort from both body and spirit making him nearly let out a groan of satisfaction.
"All that happened in the past is nothing but a prologue," he murmured softly.
After dressing, Xu Zihuang entered the bathroom in his room to freshen up.
From today onward, a new chapter of his life would begin.
This ancient castle had seven floors, and Xu Zihuang's room was at the very top.
Descending the stairs to the first-floor hall, he found that Rong Jin had already prepared a meticulously crafted breakfast for him.
A large piece of golden, tenderly seared Evil Spirit Orca tail meat awaited him. This meat came from a 20,000-year-old Evil Spirit Orca. As an apex predator of the ocean, its flesh offered great benefits to human soul masters—not only nourishing their energy but also strengthening their bones. This was especially effective for juveniles whose skeletal structures had not yet fully developed.
Accompanying the meal was a bowl of clear soup made from century-old Jade Ginseng and Gastrodia elata. This soup was an excellent nutritional supplement for the mind and body alike.
After breakfast, Xu Zihuang felt a warm sensation coursing through him, an indescribable comfort.
Exiting the castle's first-floor hall, he was greeted by two lush flowerbeds blooming with rare and exotic flowers. A marble-paved walkway stretched from the castle, perched on the mountainside, all the way down to a private coastal inland bay.
"Young Lord, everything is ready," said Meng Lang, who had been waiting by the flowerbeds. Upon seeing Xu Zihuang, he and several others stepped forward in greeting.
Xu Zihuang nodded lightly and walked down the path toward the inland bay.
This private inland bay also functioned as a port, albeit a small one, reserved exclusively for Yao Yang, the Southern Moon Islands Viscount.
Several imposing warships, clad in metallic armor, were anchored in the bay. Among them was the very ship Xu Zihuang had previously traveled on.
Meng Lang was joined by five others. Instead of using the warships, they retrieved two sleek, narrow boats from their storage soul tools. These boats, lacking sails, were propelled by injecting some soul power.
With a light tap of his foot, Xu Zihuang landed at the prow of one of the boats. The two vessels set out from the bay, moving northward along the island for approximately two kilometers before stopping at the base of a towering, steep rock formation tens of meters high.
"This spot will do," Xu Zihuang remarked as he surveyed the cliff, waving to Meng Lang and the others.
With that, he leapt effortlessly to the flat summit of the rock. About ten square meters in area, it was an ideal spot for his tidal body refinement training that he was about to take.
Though perplexed, Meng Lang and the others recalled Xu Zihuang's earlier instructions. They stowed the boats into their storage soul tools and dove into the sea, releasing their martial souls.
Among the five companions, excluding Meng Lang, three were Soul Kings and two were Soul Emperors. All of their martial souls, without exception, were water-attributed.
The two Soul Emperors retreated slightly, remaining vigilant over the surrounding waters. Although sea soul beasts rarely ventured into such shallow seas, they could not afford to take any chances with Xu Zihuang's safety.
Meanwhile, Meng Lang and the three Soul Kings formed a line, floating in the water using their martial soul abilities.
"Young Lord, are you ready?"
"Begin," Xu Zihuang replied, taking a deep breath as his gaze turned resolute.
Without further ado, Meng Lang and the others activated their soul skills. Meng Lang used his third soul skill, while the three Soul Kings utilized their second, fourth, and fifth soul skills, respectively.
The effect of these soul skills was the same: generating and manipulating the ocean waves.
The surrounding seawater began to churn violently before abruptly calming in the next moment.
But this was merely the calm before the storm.
In the distance, waves began surging toward them, growing larger with each passing moment. Soon, a towering wave rose to the height of Xu Zihuang's rock, crashing down upon him with a thunderous roar.
The massive wave struck with overwhelming force, yet it was less intense than Xu Zihuang had anticipated. Though it left him breathless and its sheer power caused him to slam against the rocky surface, it was a sensation he could endure.
Submerged by the waves, Xu Zihuang struggled to open his eyes, his vision filled with an endless azure. His body tensed, soul energy surging within him, but he was still swept against the rock with a heavy impact.
Two opposing forces acted on his body, and despite his formidable physique, he could hardly catch his breath. Saltwater filled his lungs as he gasped for air.
As the wave receded, it dragged him into the sea.
At this point, he didn't have time to carefully assess the peculiar sensations in his body. Xu Zihuang hastily lowered his center of gravity, clawing at the rock's crevices with his fingers.
The jagged surface tore at his fingertips, crimson blood seeping out.
Finally, after some effort, he managed to stabilize himself; he had no time to assess his bleeding hands before another wave, stronger than the last, crashed down on him.
After enduring more than ten of these wave impacts, his entire body grew numb. His meridians, flesh, and bones felt paralyzed, and even the excruciating pain in his fingers faded into oblivion.
Feeling on the brink of collapse, Xu Zihuang raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
Meng Lang quickly rescued the pale and exhausted Xu Zihuang, asking about his condition. Too weak to respond, Xu Zihuang was carried back to the inland bay, where Meng Lang personally escorted him to his room.
Hearing of Xu Zihuang's state, Elder Cheng rushed over. Normally mild-mannered, he erupted in fury upon seeing Xu Zihuang's battered form.
"I entrusted you to safeguard the Young Lord, and this is how you protect him?" he roared at Meng Lang and the others.
Glowing dandelion-like energy orbs from Elder Cheng's soul skill enveloped Xu Zihuang, quickly healing his injuries. However, the numbness throughout his body would take longer to dissipate.
"Elder Cheng, this was my own decision," Xu Zihuang, who had regained some strength, sat up and interjected with a weak smile, cutting off Elder Cheng. "It has nothing to do with Meng Lang and the others. Please leave—I need to meditate now."
He had no regrets; if he wanted to gain power, he had to pay a price for it.
Seeing Xu Zihuang's resolve, Elder Cheng begrudgingly relented, glaring at Meng Lang and the others before departing.
After everyone left the room, Xu Zihuang retrieved dried thousand-year Whale Rubber and Demon Soul Great White Shark head oil from his storage soul tool. After consuming portions of each, he began his cultivation.
Though the earlier pain had been excruciating, it was worthwhile. Pushing his body to its limits enhanced both his cultivation speed and his absorption of the medicinal properties.
…
An hour later, to the astonishment of those watching, Xu Zihuang, now refreshed and in clean clothes, descended to the castle's underground workshop.
This underground chamber covered an area of over 500 square meters and had excellent soundproofing. The members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion typically used this area to create soul tools.
Acknowledging the gathered engineers with a nod, Xu Zihuang approached a workbench to continue engraving his second class 3 core array.
There were no shortcuts in engraving core arrays; it required repeated attempts. However, with his innate advantage of having the Golden Eyes as his primary martial soul, Xu Zihuang had a significant advantage. His vision was at least several times sharper than that of an ordinary person, and his photographic memory allowed him to memorize the core arrays after just a few glances. Most failures in core array engravings often resulted from subtle minor errors, but Xu Zihuang rarely encountered such issues.
Half a month later, he successfully completed it, taking another step closer to becoming a class 3 soul engineer.
Meanwhile, the number of tidal waves he could endure during Tidal Body Refinement increased to fifteen.
Over the days that followed, Xu Zihuang maintained a rigorous schedule, tidal body refinement in the mornings, soul tool crafting in the afternoons, and soul power cultivation at night.
One year later, his tidal refinement sessions had extended from less than fifteen minutes to two full hours. This grueling training honed his physique, willpower, and soul power to remarkable heights.
During this period of time, an incident occurred—the leader of the Whale Shark Pirate Crew, Jing Gu, was ambushed and had the Demon Soul Great White Shark skull soul bone stolen, leaving him gravely injured. This event caused the tension on the Southern Moon Islands to escalate drastically.
All evidence pointed to Eyu Luo, the leader of the Crocodile Pirate Crew. Yet, Jing Gu, the person directly involved, didn't make any public accusations or responses.