As expected, it didn't take long before Bai Chen received confirmation from Xue E.
This soul-hunting voyage would include Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Xiaoyu as well.
After learning that both Bai Chen and Xue E were preparing to head out to sea, Na'er quietly grabbed the corner of Bai Chen's clothes and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Bai Chen immediately understood what she meant.
After briefly discussing it with Xue E, the two decided to bring Na'er along.
The soul-hunting operation would only take place in the nearshore waters, where sea soul beasts were generally not very powerful. The area was considered relatively safe.
Rather than leaving Na'er alone at home, it would be better to take her out to see the world.
Two days later, Bai Chen, Xue E, Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Xiaoyu, and Na'er arrived at the coastline together.
"Wooooo—"
The sound of ship horns echoed across the harbor.
Na'er stared at the bustling port with her mouth slightly open in amazement.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a scene.
Tianhai City, as the largest city on the Federation's eastern coast, was considered a first-tier metropolis even when compared to the entire Federation.
While the city's overall soul master strength wasn't particularly impressive, it served as the center of the Federation's maritime trade, making it extremely important.
Bai Chen and the others boarded a soul-hunting vessel.
By the time they arrived on deck, more than one hundred soul masters had already gathered there.
According to Xue E, this voyage primarily served soul masters below Soul King rank.
The main targets were hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts.
Most of the people seeking soul rings were Great Soul Masters, with a small number of Soul Ancestors.
However, they weren't actually the main fighting force.
The real strength of this expedition came from the companions who had accompanied them.
After all, in this era where soul beasts were becoming increasingly rare, even a hundred-year soul spirit cost around one million Federation credits.
A living soul beast could never be cheap.
According to Bai Chen's understanding, the prices for this expedition were based on the desired soul ring age.
A hundred-year soul ring cost at least five million Federation credits.
A thousand-year soul ring exceeded fifty million credits.
To put it into perspective—
Even one million credits had nearly driven Tang Wulin's family into financial ruin in the past.
Although that was partly because Tang Wulin and Na'er both had enormous appetites, it still demonstrated how significant that amount was for an ordinary household.
If one million credits was already a heavy burden, five million was even more so.
And fifty million?
That was an astronomical price that ordinary families simply could not afford.
Clearly, this kind of expedition was not meant for common people.
Only those with wealthy backgrounds could participate.
And if someone could afford such a fee, they certainly wouldn't hesitate to spend even more money to ensure their safety.
Almost every soul master had brought bodyguards.
The weakest among them were Soul Ancestors, and there were even Soul Saints present.
These individuals were the true pillars of security for this voyage.
Not long after Bai Chen's group boarded, the sound of a bell rang out.
"Wooooo—"
With a deep horn blast, the ship slowly pulled away from the dock.
Na'er stood quietly by the railing, staring at the coastline as it gradually disappeared into the distance.
No one knew what she was thinking.
Bai Chen walked over and stood beside her, gazing at the countless ships moving across the sea.
"Na'er," he asked softly, "over the past few days you've learned some of the history of Douluo Continent. Why do you think humans became the rulers of this world?"
After adopting Na'er, Bai Jiaming discovered that she had lost her memory.
Aside from knowing her own name, she remembered almost nothing.
Because of that, Bai Jiaming had arranged for someone to teach her basic knowledge.
The goal wasn't high—she only needed to understand basic concepts like:
What soul tools were
What soul masters were
What kind of organization the Spirit Pagoda was
However, the knowledge she had learned obviously wasn't enough to answer Bai Chen's question.
After waiting for a moment without receiving a response, Bai Chen smiled and continued.
"There's no single correct answer to this question."
"But in my opinion, humans became the rulers of the world because we possess the ability to use and transform the environment around us."
He gestured toward the vast ocean.
"Creatures that live in the sea are confined to the ocean their entire lives."
"Creatures that cannot fly can only watch birds soar through the sky with envy."
"But humans are different."
"Through continuous innovation and transformation of nature, humans gained the ability to conquer land, sea, and sky."
"That's why humans could break through the limits set by heaven and become the strongest species on this planet."
Once upon a time, when humans faced the overwhelming power of soul beasts, they could only flee in panic.
They had no chance of resisting.
But the strength of soul beasts came from their innate nature.
Their potential was largely determined by the talents they were born with.
Humans were different.
Humans learned to use tools, tame animals, and build civilizations.
After countless years of development, they created the flourishing human society that existed today.
Survival of the fittest.
The fact that humans had reached their current position proved their strength.
The countless ships sailing across this sea were proof of humanity's creativity.
Step by step, humans had conquered the ocean.
And as time went on, humanity would go even further.
They would fly beyond their planet.
They would step onto the moon.
They would explore the universe itself.
To Bai Chen, that was the true reason why humanity surpassed soul beasts and every other race.
"You're telling all this to Na'er… do you really think she understands?"
Xu Xiaoyu walked over and sighed.
"She's only five, and she's lost her memories. Even if you want to talk about this kind of thing, you should wait a couple of years."
To him, Bai Chen explaining philosophy to a clueless little girl seemed ridiculous.
But Bai Chen simply smiled mysteriously and shook his head.
"It's fine."
"She'll understand someday."
"Well… I guess that's true," Xu Xiaoyu replied helplessly.
"But that's exactly why you should wait until she can actually understand."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. More importantly, if we run into a soul beast later, remember to protect Na'er."
"She hasn't awakened her martial soul yet. Even the slightest attack could be dangerous for her."
"I know."
Bai Chen nodded.
"And don't forget to protect Xiaoyan."
"Hmph. You don't need to remind me."
Xu Xiaoyu puffed up his chest proudly before wandering off again.
Right now they had only just left port.
It would still be a while before they encountered any soul beasts.
Bai Chen looked toward the distant coastline fading into the horizon.
He took a deep breath and lightly slapped his cheeks.
For most people, this journey was simply about obtaining a soul ring.
But for him—
There were other things he needed to verify.