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"By the way, why didn't you bring your little girlfriend along? Since we're heading to Sea God Island, it would be good for her to take the trials too," the Zhantian Douluo asked.
The War God's side was one thing—aside from the priests and elders they trained directly, trials were rarely bestowed upon outsiders. But the Sea God was famously wealthy and generous; it was perfectly feasible to bring a few more people along to reap the benefits.
Su Wen glanced at him and said, "Because this trip might be a 'nine deaths, one life' situation."
"What?" The Zhantian Douluo was stunned, turning his head sharply toward Su Wen. "What did you say?"
"Just because I have the Sea God's token doesn't mean we have his approval," Su Wen said, rolling his eyes. What was the true purpose of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud? It wasn't to gain the trust of Sea God Island; it was a tool to help the bearer cross the ocean and reach the island safely.
"Especially now. We are actually in much greater danger."
Having killed Tang Chen, who knew if Bo Saixi would use the opportunity to settle a personal grudge? Bo Saixi might not know yet that Tang Chen was dead—let alone that he died at Su Wen's hands—but what about the Sea God? What if the Sea God sensed it?
Su Wen's real concern was the Sea God's attitude. If the Sea God was friendly, there would be no problem. If he was hostile, they were walking into a trap. Su Wen and the Zhantian Douluo could potentially escape, but if Ning Rongrong were there, she would be a liability in a life-or-death flight. It was better for the two of them to scout the way first. Once they confirmed it was safe, Rongrong could follow.
"Greater danger?" The Zhantian Douluo focused on that specific point.
"Of course. The High Priest of the Sea God, Bo Saixi, is a Peerless Douluo. She had a... complicated relationship with Tang Chen—the man I just dealt with." Su Wen gave the Zhantian Douluo a warning look, telling him not to let anything slip.
Hiss—
The Zhantian Douluo immediately signaled back with his eyes, indicating he would take this secret to his grave. Good grief, he thought, we took out the High Priest's old flame right before visiting her? He felt a bit of a headache coming on.
"Don't worry," the Douluo whispered. "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know. As long as we keep our mouths shut, Bo Saixi won't find out."
"True enough."
Skysea City
Skysea City was a major metropolitan area on the western coast of the Heaven Dou Empire. Its economy was primarily driven by fishing, and the majority of soul masters in the city were Sea Soul Masters.
"Sea Soul Master" had two definitions. Broadly, it referred to anyone whose martial soul was a sea-dwelling spirit beast. Narrowly, it referred to soul master communities living on islands in the ocean. Generally, people didn't bother distinguishing between the two. There were islanders with land-based souls and land-dwellers with sea-based souls who had never even seen the ocean.
In Skysea City, most soul masters did not possess sea-based souls, but they lived in close proximity to the water, benefiting from the mimetic environments of the coast. Thus, they all called themselves Sea Soul Masters.
Su Wen had visited Skysea City before to establish a branch of his "Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning." This time, he was here to make final preparations before setting sail.
The Xu Family
"Grandmaster Wen," the head of the Xu family greeted Su Wen, inviting him into the manor.
The Xu family was a prominent clan in Skysea City, inheriting the "Ice Staff" martial soul. It was a top-tier soul, and the family consistently produced Soul Saint-level experts. The current head, Xu Jiawei, was a Rank 72 Soul Saint.
"Master Xu. Last time, I requested that the Xu family commission a sailing vessel suitable for deep-sea travel and recruit a skilled crew. I trust everything is ready?"
"Please rest easy, Grandmaster. Over the past six months, our family has focused on the construction and recruitment as per your instructions. It was all completed recently."
"You have my thanks."
"You are too kind. It is my family that should be thanking you," Xu Jiawei replied earnestly.
The young master of the Xu family—Xu Jiawei's son—possessed a rare variation called the "Star-Wheel Ice Staff." When Su Wen had first visited to open the school, he noticed the boy and offered a few pointers. Using Su Wen's tempering methods and a formation Su Wen designed to draw down starlight, the boy's soul had undergone a permanent evolution. The Star-Wheel Ice Staff had evolved into the "Star Staff."
While both were top-tier souls, the gap between the Star Staff and the Star-Wheel Ice Staff was significant—especially in terms of control. If one had to make a comparison, it was like the difference between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower and other support souls. While other support masters might get lucky with powerful skills, the Glazed Tile Tower was legendary for its stability and "rule-based" skills.
The Star Staff was the same. Though its skills weren't fixed, its control effects were dangerously close to absolute rules. Even the boy's first soul skill had mutated following the evolution.
"Based on his own cultivation, he would have had a chance to evolve eventually if he encountered star-attributed soul beasts in the later stages," Su Wen said, waving off the praise. He didn't want to overstate his contribution.
"According to your Theory of Martial Soul Growth, the higher the rank, the more mature the soul becomes. Attempting a mutation or evolution in the later stages is far from simple," Xu Jiawei said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. Even if his son absorbed star-attributed rings later, the chances of triggering a full evolution were slim.
The weaker a martial soul is, the easier it is to transform. If a ten-year soul beast gains a drop of dragon blood and survives, it undergoes a world-shaking metamorphosis that changes its destiny. However, if a ten-thousand-year beast consumes the essence of a ten-thousand-year True Dragon, there's no guarantee it will evolve. Even if it did, the change wouldn't be as fundamental.
Su Wen had been struck by a sense of nostalgia when he first met the boy, Xu Xingyuan. If he guessed correctly, this was the ancestor of the family that Xu Xiaoyan—a member of the Shrek Seven Devils two thousand years in the future—would belong to. In his memories, that Xu family was based in Eastsea City. However, Eastsea City was currently underdeveloped, little more than a small coastal town. Given that the collision of the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent would happen from the west, it was perfectly logical for the Skysea City Xu family to migrate eastward after the continents merged.
Out of curiosity and a bit of sentiment, Su Wen had offered those suggestions. Judging by Xu Jiawei's attitude, the results were delightful. After practicing the tempering methods and using starlight to refine his body, Xu Xingyuan's martial soul had successfully evolved.
"Grandmaster Wen, Xingyuan is only seven years old and has only been a soul master for a year. I was wondering... would it be possible for him to join the Academy and pursue further studies there?" Xu Jiawei asked tentatively.
(End of Chapter)