Three Years Later

Three years later, Eastsea City.

Aside from the rare times when typhoons swept through, Eastsea City was bathed in sunlight all year round. Golden sunshine poured down, enveloping the entire city, making it seem like a Sacred Radiance City standing among the clouds.

Yu Nanyuan sat upright at the desk on the south side of his room, assembling the dense array of metal parts spread across its surface. From time to time, the crisp click-clack of metal fitting into place rang out. A gentle sea breeze blew in from the balcony, lifting the Ice Silkworm Silk curtains on either side of the Crystal Floor-to-Ceiling Window.

Wisps of cool air seeped from the Ice Silkworm Silk curtains, blending into the sea breeze and dispelling the slight stuffiness brought on by the sun's long direct glare. The exquisite wind chime hanging on the door swayed lightly, producing a clear and pleasant sound. What hung beneath the wind chime was not bells in the usual shape, but golden stars, as if a sky full of stars had been set there as decoration.

Xu Xiaoyan had personally made it for Yu Nanyuan some time ago, then forcibly hung it on the door of his room.

Three years had passed, and Yu Nanyuan had changed greatly.

His three meals a day were specially customized by Yu Zhen's Private Chef to ensure he received ample nutrition. In addition, his body had long been nourished by Soul Power. Though he was only nine years old, he was already over one and a half meters tall, looking like an eleven- or twelve-year-old youth.

As he grew older, Yu Nanyuan's features had gradually matured as well. The ends of his bright silver, medium-length hair curled slightly and fell near his eyelids, setting off his flawless face. Those clear Brilliant Gold Eyes lent him an exquisite, glass-like nobility, as though he had been born with all of heaven's favor.

Once the final metal part was fitted in, Yu Nanyuan slowly stood and stretched his body. Then he picked up the Black Metal Rod on the table and injected Soul Power into it through the handle.

Aside from the handle, the main body of the Black Metal Rod was roughly two feet long. With Soul Power injected into it, its originally pitch-black color rapidly transformed into a transparent deep purple, like a pure piece of natural amethyst. Countless blue-purple arcs of lightning danced over its surface, faintly distorting the surrounding air and producing crackling bursts.

This was the result of Yu Nanyuan's three years of hard study in Mecha Design and Mecha Manufacturing. A Level Three Soul Tool: Electric Rod.

The Electric Rod counted as a very common close-combat Soul Tool. Security personnel in many parts of the Sun Moon Federation were equipped with them. Even the security team at Eastsea Academy was the same.

However, Yu Nanyuan had improved it on the basis of the original Electric Rod. By charging it, the front end of the Electric Rod could fire an attack similar to a Thunder Arrow, with an effective range of twenty meters. Once struck, even a Three-Ring Soul Venerable would fall into a brief state of paralysis.

Thinking of this, Yu Nanyuan raised the Electric Rod in his hand and pointed it outside the balcony, increasing the injection of Soul Power. The blue-purple lightning flickered faster and faster, and the crackling bursts became increasingly piercing.

Bang—

An irregular bolt of lightning instantly shot out from the front end of the Electric Rod. Around its path, fine arcs of lightning could be faintly seen flashing. Its maximum attack range had even reached thirty meters.

"Its power is even stronger than I expected," Yu Nanyuan murmured softly. He then put the Electric Rod into the Bracelet-shaped Storage Soul Guidance Device on his right hand.

Just then, the Soul Guidance Communicator on his left wrist received a call from Driver Xiao Li right on time.

"Young master, I'm already downstairs."

"I'll be right there," Yu Nanyuan replied calmly, then directly hung up the Soul Guidance Communicator. With a tap of his toes, his figure landed on the metal railing of the balcony. Then he leaped forward, his entire body descending from the sky just like that.

The immense Wind Resistance made the loose silver coat with golden patterns he wore billow with loud flapping sounds, while his medium-length silver hair was lifted high.

Yu Nanyuan spread his arms, his mind immersed in the tranquility of this moment, as though he had detached from the world itself, a faint sense of insight rising in his heart. And just as he was about to hit the ground, a miraculous chain shining with dazzling silver light appeared across the air. All his momentum was neutralized, and his figure silently appeared beside the chain, crossing the final stretch of distance before landing steadily on the ground.

Two Soul Rings blooming with noble purple light were slowly pulsing beside Yu Nanyuan.

Over the past three years, he had never neglected his Soul Power cultivation. Now, he was already a Two-Ring Great Soul Master whose Soul Power had reached the peak of Level Twenty-Five. He only lacked an opportunity to naturally break through to Level Twenty-Six.

Cultivation before Rank Ten was the easiest for Soul Masters; the further one went, the more difficult cultivation became. After Yu Nanyuan broke through to the Soul Master realm, he had improved by an average of four ranks of Soul Power every year. This Cultivation Speed was undoubtedly among the very top of the current age. Perhaps even those with Twin Martial Souls would still be somewhat inferior to him in Cultivation Speed.

Moreover, the Soul Ring Years of both his Soul Rings had also been raised through training in the Spirit Ascension Platform, all the way to one thousand five hundred years. Not only that, his own real-combat experience had also advanced by leaps and bounds through life-and-death battles with Soul Beasts again and again.

Seeing that Yu Nanyuan seemed to have gained some insight, Driver Xiao Li tactfully did not step forward to disturb him. As for Yu Nanyuan's way of making an entrance, he had long since become used to it.

Yu Nanyuan frowned slightly, still unable to grasp that opportunity for a breakthrough again. However, with his temperament, he was not about to become anxious over gains and losses because of this.

Having restrained his emotions, he smiled at Driver Xiao Li and said softly,

"Uncle Li, let's set off. To the Donghai Spirit Transfer Pagoda."

"Yes, young master." Driver Xiao Li respectfully stepped forward and opened the right-side door of the back row of the Soul Guidance Car for Yu Nanyuan. Only after Yu Nanyuan had seated himself steadily did he return to the car and drive the Soul Guidance Car smoothly in the direction of the Donghai Spirit Transfer Pagoda.

At fixed intervals, Yu Nanyuan would go to the Spirit Ascension Platform of the Donghai Spirit Transfer Pagoda to train. Over these years, he had not deliberately had Yu Zhen bring him directly to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform to hunt high-level Soul Beasts and rapidly raise the Soul Ring Years. Instead, he relied on his own repeated fights and accumulation within the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform to accomplish this.

However, judging by his Body Strength, raising both Soul Rings to two thousand years was probably about the limit. There was no issue with his Spiritual Power; the main problem was that his body would find it difficult to endure the Energy Impact brought by increasing the Soul Ring Years.

No matter how good Yu Nanyuan's talent was, he was still a Tool Soul Master in the end. His Martial Soul itself determined that its improvement to Body Strength would be limited. If he wanted to continue improving later on, he could only place his hopes on finding Natural Treasures similar to Whale Rubber.

Fortunately, Yu Zhen had enough Financial Resources and connections to support him in searching for such Natural Treasures, and at present, there were already some clues.