The castle's interior was far more refined compared to the crude stone houses outside.
A plush crimson carpet spread across the floor, appearing to radiate warmth that dispelled the chill of the autumn morning over the sea. Rows of soul-powered lamps lined the walls, their soft, warm light illuminating the grand hall at the castle's center with a golden radiance.
The massive castle was eerily empty, with only Xu Zihuang present. His solitary footsteps echoed in the hall, accentuating the stillness.
Expressionless, he made his way to the main seat at a crystal dining table in the center of the hall. Soon, several soldiers entered, carrying trays of breakfast from outside the castle.
Though Xu Zihuang had been exiled, and no servants attended to him, his basic needs were taken care of.
Before him was a steaming bowl of savory meat porridge, its rich aroma filling the air. Alongside it were some stewed dishes, fresh vegetables, and fruit. Since most of the island consisted of saline-alkali soil unsuitable for farming, these supplies had been transported from the Sun Moon Empire's mainland.
Every so often, a supply ship would replenish the island's provisions.
The ocean also provided an abundance of sea soul beasts. Today's breakfast included the belly of a thousand-year-old deep-sea bluefin tuna, sliced evenly and arranged neatly on the tray. Its tender, succulent flesh was highly appetizing.
Over the past three years, Xu Zihuang had lost count of how many rare delicacies made from the prized parts of sea soul beasts he had consumed. Combined with the nourishment of his innate soul power, his physical condition had already surpassed that of most Soul Masters with beast-type martial souls, even though he had yet to acquire a soul ring.
This was largely thanks to the solid foundation his father had built in his early childhood. His father was not only the former emperor's younger brother but also the current emperor's brother by blood. A genius in his own right, his father had reached the rank of Titled Douluo and had been highly valued by Xu Zihuang's grandfather, receiving control over four of the Sun Moon Empire's richest southern provinces.
His father's influence had been immense, to say the least.
Before awakening his martial soul, Xu Zihuang had undergone numerous treatments with rare and precious herbs that cleansed impurities from his meridians and strengthened his foundation. Some of these herbs were worth as much as top-quality, ten-thousand-year-old soul bones. His innate full soul power upon awakening was closely tied to these treatments.
The clear sunlight streamed through the windows, falling onto the smooth marble floors. Xu Zihuang skillfully used a silver knife and fork to cut into the tender belly of the thousand-year-old bluefin tuna on his plate. With his nerves slightly relaxed, his appetite improved noticeably.
However, this did not change the grim reality of his situation.
After finishing breakfast, Xu Zihuang returned to his room as usual and began reading books on soul tool craftsmanship.
Although Hai Xiao, the garrison commander, wouldn't assist him in obtaining soul rings or provide materials for crafting soul tools, he did not hinder Xu Zihuang's training or studies.
Still, Xu Zihuang's mind wasn't on the books today. His thoughts wandered far away.
Over the two years since awakening his martial soul, Xu Zihuang had initially devoted himself to rigorous training. But as time passed, he began to despair.
No matter how hard he trained, his strength couldn't progress without a soul ring. His soul power remained perpetually stuck at rank ten.
Even if Hai Xiao were to help him obtain a soul ring, what difference would it make? Hai Xiao was the commander of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion. Although this legion wasn't as elite as the Sun Moon Empire's five core soul engineer legions, it was still a formidable force. Hai Xiao himself was a Class 8 Soul Engineer, commanding 200 soldiers, all of whom were at least Class 3 Soul Engineers.
Any thought of escaping here was sheer fantasy.
If it hadn't been for the accidental awakening of memories from his past life during his martial soul awakening, the perfect fusion of two souls in his body giving him far greater mental resilience than ordinary people, the past three years of imprisonment would have completely broken him.
Now, he could somewhat understand the despair Dai Mubai had once felt ten thousand years ago. The difference was that Dai Mubai had a fighting chance, while Xu Zihuang didn't even have that.
His purple eyes slowly focused, and a faint purple glow flickered within them. Xu Zihuang closed the book in his hand and opened the crystal window on the south side of his room. The cold sea wind stung his cheeks, but he seemed unfazed as he looked up at the towering castle walls that loomed like a prison.
Watching seabirds occasionally glide through the blue sky, Xu Zihuang unconsciously clenched his fists. In that instant, his pupils turned a brilliant golden hue, intricate and mysterious patterns appearing around them. His entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.
This fleeting change, however, went unnoticed by anyone.
Yes, Xu Zihuang's martial soul wasn't limited to the Sun Moon Empire's royal inheritance, the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon. He also possessed a second, powerful, spiritual attribute, body-type martial soul: Golden Eyes.
During his martial soul awakening, the perfect fusion of his two souls had also allowed this second martial soul to manifest. Fully aware of the incredible potential of this high-level spiritual martial soul, Xu Zihuang chose to keep it hidden.
Twin martial souls, combined with innate full soul power—this kind of talent might earn the attention of Xu Tianran and his father. And it might even grant him some freedom. But it was far more likely to invite disaster.
After all, an unthreatening, powerless prince was exactly what Xu Tianran and his father wanted him to remain.
"What's the point of having such talent?" Xu Zihuang's eyes dimmed with bitterness. If he had awakened his past life's memories even a year earlier, he could have used the knowledge of the story and might have been able to alter the course of his family's fate.
One could say that Fate loved to toy with people.
…
Far above, seabirds circled the island before vanishing into the drifting clouds. One glided for several hours on the tailwind before perching atop the wooden railings of a lookout post on a massive ship.
The ship had six levels—five above the deck and one below. Measuring over 200 meters in length, its expansive deck dwarfed even the grandest battle arenas on the mainland.
Dozens of soldiers lined the sides of the deck, vigilantly scanning the surrounding seas. While powerful sea soul beasts rarely appeared along this route, no one could guarantee their absence.
An elderly commander, gaunt and worried, stood at the ship's bow, resting his bony hands on the metal railings as he gazed into the horizon.
With a hundred noblewomen aboard, each representing a different noble family of the Sun Moon Empire, he couldn't afford any mishaps. The consequences would be far beyond what a mere commander of a coastal city's ragtag soul engineer legion could handle.
While the atmosphere on the bow was tense, the grand hall in the fifth-level cabin was filled with laughter and lively conversation.
At least, on the surface.
In the Sun Moon Empire and the former three Douluo empires, hierarchy wasn't limited to the divide between nobles and commoners; it extended within the noble class itself. Such unwritten rules were deeply ingrained.
The five floors of cabins were divided into tiers, naturally reflecting the passengers' respective family standings.
In the top-level hall, noblewomen clad in exquisite dresses held crystal glasses, engaging in polite conversation. Occasionally, a delicate hand would rise to cover a laugh.
"Do you think the exiled prince will choose one of us?"
"If he does, wouldn't that mean we'd have to stay on that desolate island for years? I really don't know what the Crown Prince was thinking…"
The moment these words were spoken, the smiles on several nearby noblewomen froze, and their expressions became guarded as they looked at the outspoken speaker with caution.
The tension only eased when a cold, elegant blonde woman seated at the head of the group spoke up.
"Watch your words. His Highness the Crown Prince is not someone we can criticize."
...
"Pop, pop…"
Unbeknownst to them, deep beneath the ocean, 500 meters below the ship, a series of bubbles suddenly rose to the surface. A black shadow darted rapidly through the water.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings—six in total—shone brightly beneath the dim, murky waters.