Yao Yang also publicly announced a year later that he had found a distant relative who had been scattered, causing quite a stir on Moon Hub Island at the time.
However, as this so-called relative never appeared in public, he gradually faded from everyone's attention.
As spring turned to autumn and winter passed into spring, in the Southern Moon Islands, where the seasons felt like summer all year round, the change of seasons was not evident. Yet, the river of time never froze, and three years had quickly passed.
In these three years, the Southern Moon Islands appeared outwardly to remain peaceful, but some perceptive individuals had already detected the undercurrents stirring behind the scenes.
Take Yao Yang, the Viscount of the Southern Moon Islands, for example.
In the past, he would visit the castle where Xu Zihuang and the others lived almost every few days, but recently, he had only come around once every half month.
Even Xu Zihuang, who had been deeply immersed in his cultivation training and indifferent to worldly affairs, began to notice the anomaly.
…
On the edge of the inland sea bay in front of the castle, large smooth rocks were tightly connected, forming a sizable harbor square. This area, the private port of Viscount Yao Yang, was now devoid of any ships.
The rocky walls at the front and back blocked the waves, creating a relatively calm crescent-shaped inner sea. The dazzling sunlight illuminated the gently rippling sea surface, resembling a translucent sapphire reflecting brilliant light.
A young boy, about eleven or twelve years old, stood quietly at the edge of the bay, his clear, deep purple eyes starkly contrasting with the deep blue sea before him. The boy stood at a height of around 1.75 meters, with a slender and firm figure. His smooth black mid-length hair cascaded down his back, with a few strands of light purple hair at his temples and forehead, adding a mystical touch to his handsome face.
His delicate, perfect features showed no flaws. Though still young, his face bore an air of dignity that came from within, as if he had a natural authority even without being angry. His deep, commanding eyes, void of any emotional fluctuation, were impossible to read.
This young man was Xu Zihuang, who had been quietly focusing on his cultivation training on Moon Hub Island for the past three years.
Over the course of three years, his features had matured. He had inherited much of his mother's appearance, and now he looked more like a nobleman from one of the three major empires of the Douluo Continent. His skin was as white as jade, a complexion that might make most women envious. He looked nothing like someone with royal blood from the Sun Moon Empire.
The steady footsteps of someone approaching interrupted Xu Zihuang's thoughts. The person was Lin Long, a member of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion who was second only to Wang Xiao in strength. Having spent a long time around Xu Zihuang while cultivating, he had also been nourished by the abundant elemental energy around him. Over the past three years, his soul power had risen by two levels, reaching level 73.
Wang Xiao had entered seclusion for cultivation three months ago, and during this time, Lin Long had been in charge of ensuring Xu Zihuang's safety during his training.
Whether it was the Total Body Refinement that began three years ago or the real combat training with soul beasts that started half a year ago, Lin Long had been overseeing Xu Zihuang's practice.
Lin Long stopped at a distance behind Xu Zihuang and softly reminded him.
"Young Lord, everything is ready. This time, it will be a group of five 1000-year-old Sea Demon Elephants."
"Mm." Xu Zihuang nodded calmly. Five 1000-year-old soul beasts were enough to put a Soul Ancestor-level soul master in danger, but for him, they were nothing extraordinary. He was not an ordinary soul master. Not only was he a twin martial soul wielder, but both of his martial souls were also among the most powerful in the world. One was his spiritual attribute Golden Eyes body martial soul, and the other was his Purple Brilliant Lightning Destroying Dragon, a beast-type martial soul with both destruction and ultimate lightning attributes.
Over half a year ago, his soul power level had already reached rank 30, and due to the extraordinary nature of his martial souls, the quality of his soul power far exceeded that of ordinary soul masters.
With only 30th-rank soul power, he possessed nearly as much total soul power as an average Soul Ancestor-level soul master.
Additionally, with his two 1000-year-old soul skills, which he had become increasingly proficient with, he had always been dominant in combat with soul beasts during the past six months.
Xu Zihuang removed his purple-golden robe, revealing a tight-fitting black suit underneath. His physique was not overly muscular, but rather the type where strength was hidden within his form. The muscles on his chest, abdomen, arms, and legs were well-defined, and each movement exuded a sense of power.
This was all thanks to his non-stop Tidal Body Refinement over the past three years.
Along the edge of the inner sea bay, a member of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion stood at regular intervals, ready to offer assistance if needed.
In the distance, a flash of ice-blue color quickly spread across the sea, and a massive iceberg formed instantly, connecting the crescent-shaped inner sea bay and completely enclosing the inner sea that stretched into Moon Hub Island. Soon after, five dark-colored, 1000-year-old Sea Demon Elephants were released from the iceberg by a few soldiers from the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
These five 1000-year-old Sea Demon Elephants glowed with a faint blue light, their mouths adorned with long, sharp tusks.
Sea Demon Elephants were a type of sea soul beast. Their most prominent features were their powerful defensive abilities and immense strength. An adult Sea Demon Elephant could grow to over seven meters in length. To be considered an adult, it needed to have at least a hundred years of cultivation.
These five 1000-year-old Sea Demon Elephants were over ten meters long, with skin more than fifteen centimeters thick. Their hide was exceptionally tough, providing them with extraordinary resistance to physical attacks.
Compared to other sea soul beasts, Sea Demon Elephants were relatively gentle in temperament.
However, even the gentlest creatures, when captured and brought here by Xu Zihuang and the others, could not help but unleash their ferocity.
As Xu Zihuang leaped into the water, the five Sea Demon Elephants immediately turned red-eyed, churning up large amounts of seawater as they charged toward Xu Zihuang.
Every soul beast had its strengths and weaknesses. The Sea Demon Elephant had a formidable defense but lacked in speed and offensive power. However, in the water, its speed deficiency was compensated, where their speed enhanced significantly.
"Hmm——"
In a mere moment, the five Sea Demon Elephants had crossed the inner sea, letting out a low growl as their massive bodies charged at Xu Zihuang.
Complicated golden patterns spread across Xu Zihuang's pupils, and two purple soul rings appeared around him.
Having anticipated the attacks, Xu Zihuang faced the furious strike of this 1000-year-old Sea Demon Elephant without attempting to dodge.
He clenched his right hand into a fist and, with a swing, created a tidal roar. His fist collided heavily with the Sea Demon Elephant's body.
A large amount of seawater was thrown into the air. Feeling the immense force in his right fist, Xu Zihuang remained calm. The skin of his entire body undulated rhythmically like waves of the sea, perfectly dispersing the force.
This was the true benefit of his Tidal Body Refinement over the past three years. This was not a soul skill but a manifestation of the perfect fusion of his physical strength and soul power—something akin to a unique combat technique of the Body Sect.