Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps and an Unexpected Change

Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings—the optimal configuration of four rings—floated around Meng Lang, pulsing slowly. The second yellow Soul Ring was shining, while his already dark skin in Martial Soul Possession emitted a distinctive metallic sheen.

Looking down at the Thousand-Year Swordfish by his feet, wrapped in dark-red crystals, Meng Lang could not help but let out a sigh of relief.

With his Soul Ancestor-level Cultivation and powerful Black-Striped Unicorn Whale Martial Soul, a mere Thousand-Year Swordfish naturally could not seriously injure him. But if he had truly taken the Thousand-Year Swordfish's sharp upper jaw head-on, he would not have come away unscathed either.

When he glanced sideways at Xu Zihuang's indifferent pale-golden eyes, the reverence in his heart deepened even further.

His Cultivation was nearly twenty levels higher than Xu Zihuang's, yet he knew he could not subdue the Thousand-Year Swordfish before them as effortlessly as Xu Zihuang had.

At the same time, he felt somewhat guilty and uneasy.

He had promised to protect the Young Master at close range, yet Xu Zihuang had ended up stepping in to bail him out.

"Young Master."

Xu Zihuang gently patted Meng Lang on the shoulder, signaling that he need not mind it. Meng Lang was at least 1.8 meters tall, while eight-year-old Xu Zihuang had barely reached 1.5 meters. The gesture looked quite strange, yet everyone found it entirely natural.

"The meat of a Thousand-Year Swordfish is no worse than that of a Thousand-Year Blue-flag Tuna. Have Rong Jin come deal with it and give everyone an extra meal." Xu Zihuang smiled at the crowd and lightly flexed his hands. He discovered that his strength seemed to be even greater than he had expected.

"Yes, Young Master." Everyone answered respectfully, their attitude toward Xu Zihuang becoming increasingly natural and cordial.

They also felt rather sentimental.

Back when they had followed Xu Zihuang's father, King Zihuang—the Prince who held real power in the Sun Moon Empire—had often mingled with them without airs. It seemed that Xu Zihuang's generation would be no different.

Rong Jin, who had been notified, happily began cutting up the tender-fleshed Thousand-Year Swordfish right there on the deck. Over the past month or so, he had not handled such premium ingredients in a long time. For him, wealth, honor, and Soul Power cultivation all came second. His greatest pursuit was personally turning such top-quality ingredients into exquisite dishes.

The belly and loin were made into sashimi and neatly arranged on enormous trays covered in crushed ice. The fish head was used for soup, while the remaining meat was either pan-seared in butter or grilled over charcoal. The Thousand-Year Swordfish, weighing several thousand jin, was soon completely processed by Rong Jin.

The Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers tasted it with shared pride. Amid nearly a month of dull, monotonous sailing, everyone finally had a chance to relax.

Wang Xiao and Yaoyang stood side by side on the lookout platform atop the mainmast. Watching the harmonious scene below, they did not spoil the mood by stopping them.

Everyone truly was mentally exhausted after this journey. There was nothing wrong with taking an appropriate rest.

A smile curled at Yaoyang's lips as he suddenly said, "Uncle Wang, have you noticed? Zihuang is like a born leader."

Wang Xiao cast Yaoyang a cold, hard look, clearly annoyed that his thoughts had been seen through.

"Yaoyao, I suddenly realize that His Highness the Prince really did not name you wrongly back then."

The smile on Yaoyang's face froze, and his fair, delicate cheeks reddened slightly. Even when facing the entire West Sea Soul Engineer Corps earlier, he had never shown such an awkward side.

"Uncle Wang, didn't we agree not to mention that name again...?"

This was an unspoken matter between the two of them.

When Yaoyang had been rescued from Evil Soul Masters by Xu Zihuang's father years ago, his delicate features had briefly led Xu Zihuang's father to mistake him for a girl. That was how the special nickname Yaoyao had come about.

What Wang Xiao meant was that Yaoyang's thoughts were as delicate as a girl's.

Wang Xiao did not continue teasing Yaoyang, and Yaoyang fell silent in understanding.

Yaoyao. It truly was a nostalgic name.

Night fell, and several Soul Guiding Lamps brightly illuminated the deck.

Xu Zihuang sat cross-legged in the middle of the group, listening as they recounted one story after another from their younger days. Guard duty around the ship was handled in shifts. Though there was no wine, the atmosphere gradually grew more lively.

By the next morning, everyone had returned to their usual solemnity. From this day onward, they would be entering the southern waters of the Sun Moon Empire. Only by passing through here could they reach the Yuenan Islands most safely.

This was because only this stretch of sea had been explored by humans. Compared to those unknown waters, the chances of encountering powerful Sea Soul Beasts or other unexpected situations were much lower.

Xu Zihuang sat at the desk beside the wooden bed in his room. Scattered across it were chunks of Rare Metal in various colors. The most conspicuous was the upper jaw taken from the Thousand-Year Swordfish they had caught earlier.

The upper jaw of this Thousand-Year Swordfish was harder than refined iron and was an excellent material for making Soul Tools.

Obscure and intricate patterns shone with pale-golden light around Xu Zihuang's pupils. In his right hand, he held a slender, deep-purple knife, carving into a dark-blue piece of metal.

His movements were swift, but his hand was steady. Every stroke of the blade was firm and composed. The lines flowed like a dragon and serpent, completed in one smooth motion.

As the last fleck of metal fell onto the desk, complex patterns quietly emerged across its surface.

Xu Zihuang frowned slightly and slowly poured gentle Soul Power into it. At once, the dark-blue metal block released a dazzling blue-gold radiance. A soft halo condensed into a beam of light that rose a full two chi high. The blue glow stood straight and unwavering, without the slightest flicker. The metal itself also became a translucent blue.

"The Level 3 Soul Power Amplification Core Formation succeeded."

Seeing this, Xu Zihuang finally relaxed. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Soul Masters with Spiritual Attributes indeed possessed an innate advantage in crafting and using Soul Tools.

Possessing the Golden Eye Martial Soul of the Spiritual Attribute, his eyesight was at least several times sharper than that of an ordinary person. This allowed him to avoid many unnecessary mistakes when engraving Core Arrays. And with his powerful Spiritual Power, he could more easily memorize the complex Core Arrays one after another.

This did not mean he could already be considered a Level 3 Soul Engineer, but since he had successfully engraved a Level 3 Core Array, the rest would come naturally.

This was also thanks to the solid foundation he had built during his childhood and throughout his time on the isolated island of exile.

Xu Zihuang stored all the materials on the desk in his Soul Guiding Ring, then stood and stretched.

He understood that excess was as bad as deficiency. Thus, whether cultivating or making Soul Tools, he always followed the principle of balancing work and rest.

When he left his room and stepped onto the deck to enjoy the gentle sea breeze, Xu Zihuang was surprised to find that the sails had somehow already been lowered and the anchor cast into the sea.

Several Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers, drenched from head to toe, were reporting something to Wang Xiao.

Among them were Meng Lang's father, Meng Cang, and Lin Long, who had just advanced to Soul Sage.

Meng Cang possessed the same Black-Striped Unicorn Whale Martial Soul as Meng Lang, while Lin Long's Martial Soul was the Black Scale Dragon Shark, a powerful mutated Martial Soul.

Because they had officially entered the southern waters of the Sun Moon Empire, Wang Xiao had dispatched the two of them to scout the surrounding area out of caution.

Noticing Xu Zihuang approaching, Wang Xiao gravely reported, "Young Master, this stretch of sea has been blockaded by the Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps."

"The Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps?" Xu Zihuang raised his brows, and his heart sank completely.

The Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps, also known as one of the Protectors of the Nation alongside the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps, was far beyond the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps and Lan Hai Soul Engineer Corps they had encountered before.

A complete Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps numbered three hundred members, every one of them above Level 40.

Each of the Five Great Soul Engineer Corps known as the Protectors of the Nation had its own specialty. For example, the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps possessed the strongest overall Combat Power, while the Fire Phoenix Soul Mentor Corps consisted entirely of female Soul Masters. Every member of the Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps, meanwhile, was a Soul Master skilled in speed. If one encountered the Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps head-on, escape was virtually impossible. Not to mention that its Regiment Commander was a genuine Level 9 Soul Engineer.

"Xu Tianran, you really are thorough."

There was no need to think about it. These were definitely pursuers sent by Xu Tianran.

"Elder Wang, what are you planning?" Xu Zihuang raised his head and asked Wang Xiao.

Based on what he knew of Wang Xiao, he should have already devised a response.

Wang Xiao exchanged a look with Yaoyang beside him, and then the latter said softly, "Zihuang, Uncle Wang and I discussed it. We plan to split into two groups immediately. I'll lead some people openly through these waters. Back then, in order to protect me and prevent me from attracting too much attention and being targeted by Evil Soul Masters again, Uncle Zhengxuan never revealed our relationship. This warship was brought by me in the first place, and the people accompanying me are all new members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps, like Meng Lang. There is no risk of familiar faces appearing. They can disguise themselves as my subordinates and use hunting Sea Soul Beasts that have been causing trouble as an excuse for going out to sea. The frozen Evil Spirit Orca meat in the cold storage can conveniently serve as a cover."

"The other group will be led by Uncle Wang. Zihuang, you'll go with them and land directly at Seaside City in the empire's southwest. The terrain around Seaside City is rugged, with many primeval forests. It is impossible for every area to be blockaded. They will surely have difficulty imagining that you would do the opposite and willingly enter the Sun Moon Empire's territory. Moreover, the Sun Moon Empire is currently at war with the Star Luo Empire in the south. You can take advantage of the chaos to enter Star Luo Empire territory, then take a detour to Yueshu Island."

"Time is of the essence. Let's do it." Xu Zihuang had nothing to hesitate over. This was indeed the safest course of action.

Rather than gamble on whether the Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Corps would discover them, he preferred the feeling of controlling his own fate.

I can't hold out anymore. My wisdom tooth has been inflamed these past few days, and the pain has been unbearable. I've been getting anti-inflammatory injections, and I'll have it extracted the day after tomorrow.

Sorry for missing yesterday's update.