The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

But this is exactly what he wanted to see.

Xu Zihuang's figure darted swiftly across the seabed, resisting the attacks of the four thousand-year-old sea monsters.

Before we knew it, half an hour had flown by.

The rapid depletion of his soul power and physical strength, along with the prolonged lack of oxygen, caused his face to turn bright red.

But he still didn't feel that sense of impending death.

Of the four thousand-year-old sea demon elephants that were chasing him, only one remained.

"Still too weak." Xu Zihuang sighed with some regret, stopping his movements. The dark red crystal dragon claws that had formed on his arms shattered with a crash.

They gazed into the distance at the last, thousand-year-old sea monster, its body covered in wounds. Dark red ripples quietly enveloped it.

Condensation, breakage.

Thus, all five thousand-year-old sea demon elephants perished in Xu Zihuang's hands.

"Splash—"

As the water churned, Xu Zihuang's figure reappeared on the surface. Using the rock wall for leverage, he landed steadily on the harbor square by the bay.

"Young Master, how are you feeling?" Linlong, who had been waiting there, led everyone forward.

Xu Zihuang calmed his breathing, then shook his head helplessly.

"It's still too weak. If I could catch a great white shark with a thousand years of cultivation, maybe it could put some pressure on me."

Xu Zihuang's words sounded arrogant, but none of the members of the Royal Dragon Soul Instructor Group present felt anything was wrong with them.

Their young master certainly has the right to say such things.

While using his soul power to dry his clothes and hair, Xu Zihuang casually asked.

Has Elder Wang emerged from seclusion?

"not yet."

"Is that so?" Xu Zihuang nodded slightly, tied up his dried black medium-length hair, and got up to walk towards the castle.

"Elder Lin, if Elder Wang comes out of seclusion, let me know immediately. I'm going to the basement to make a soul tool."

His elder brother, He Caitou, who was at Shrek Academy, was three years older than him. By analogy, this means that he and Huo Yuhao were the same age.

Shrek Academy will begin accepting new students in six months.

If he wants to study at Shrek Academy, he needs to start preparing now.

Chapter 41 Short-Blade Whale Fang

The basement directly beneath the castle.

Xu Zihuang sat in front of a huge metal table. The table was covered with various small metal parts of different shapes.

The most conspicuous of these are five hexagonal metal blocks engraved with intricate core magic arrays. These are the most important core magic arrays among all soul tools. Different types of core magic arrays have corresponding requirements regarding the types of rare metals used.

The five hexagonal metal blocks in front of them, each a different color, are engraved with five different level-three core magic arrays.

Besides these, there was a sharp, black-and-white blade. The back of the blade was as black as ink, while the blade itself was as white as snow, decorated with a pattern of small, chaotic "T" characters. Under the soft glow of the soul-guiding light, it gleamed with a cold light, its sharp aura carrying a hint of ferocity.

The main material of this blade is the tooth of the 20,000-year-old demonic tiger whale. Xu Zihuang spent a lot of effort to polish it into its current form.

Although he had successfully created his first level-three soul tool more than a year ago.

But the soul tool in front of him, which was not yet fully completed, was the work he had truly devoted all his energy to.

Using five level-three core magic arrays on a single level-three soul tool makes it even more difficult to manufacture than a typical level-four soul tool.

With a glint in his eyes, Xu Zihuang composed himself and completely immersed himself in the moment.

A series of crisp metallic clicks rang out as his long, slender, white fingers, like works of art, moved nimbly. He methodically and swiftly assembled a large number of small metal parts on the table.

Several soldiers from the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps, who were originally carving the core magic array in the basement, noticed this scene and were involuntarily drawn to it. They quietly lowered their footsteps and came up behind Xu Zihuang.

A soul tool is generally divided into an outer shell, an inner shell, and a core. The core is the core magic array, and there is not much difference between melee soul tools and mid-to-long-range soul tools.

However, the outer and inner shells of melee soul tools are much more complex than those of mid- to long-range soul tools.

The outer shell of a remote soul tool is usually made of the hardest and most heat-resistant metal to prevent damage during long-term use. The inner shell, however, is different; its primary function is to amplify and conduct soul power. Therefore, the inner shell must be made of a very rare conductive metal, such as crystal silver. By amplifying soul power through the inner shell, soul masters can minimize their soul power consumption when using the soul tool.

However, in addition to the core magic array, the requirements for the outer shell of melee soul tools are even more stringent. For example, the short sword-type melee soul tool that Xu Zihuang is currently making has a blade that serves as both the outer shell and the main part that unleashes the weapon's destructive power.

This is also why melee soul tools are far more powerful than mid- to long-range soul tools of the same level.

Of course, this doesn't mean that melee soul tools are always stronger than mid- to long-range soul tools; they simply have different strengths. Melee soul tools are suitable for traditional battle soul masters with rich combat experience, while long-range soul tools are more suitable for soul master masters.

Xu Zihuang's expression grew increasingly solemn until the last piece of rare, deep purple metal, engraved with the core magic array, was inlaid into the gap where the blade and hilt met, at which point his brows relaxed.

This is a rare metal called Thunder Crystal Gem. Even a small piece like this is worth over ten thousand gold soul coins. By inscribing a core magic array on it, the user can imbue this short sword with the power of lightning after infusing it with soul power.

"Click—"

Xu Zihuang gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and the natural feeling of it fitting perfectly with his hand gave him a strong premonition.

He succeeded.

Sure enough, the moment he infused his soul power, violent purple lightning suddenly enveloped the blade, and the originally pitch-black back of the blade transformed into a crystal-clear deep purple.

"As expected of the young master." The onlookers couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Each of them was a Soul Master of Level 5 or above, so they could naturally tell how difficult it was to make the melee Soul Tool in Xu Zihuang's hands.

Honestly, even if they tried it themselves, they wouldn't necessarily be able to make it 100% successful.

Xu Zihuang picked up the silver scabbard made of the skin of a demonic great white shark from the table, sheathed the blade, and then stored it in his storage ring.

"Fortunately, my previous efforts were not in vain."

With a sigh of relief, Xu Zihuang nodded slightly to everyone and then walked out of the basement with a smile.

Because the main material is the tooth of a demonic orca, he named this short sword Whale Tooth, which is quite fitting.

……

In a spacious room on the top floor of the Lord's Mansion in the inner city center of Moon Pivot City.

Wearing a magnificent silver-white robe, Yao Yang sat at a table near the huge French windows, his brows furrowed as he examined the scroll before him.

"Another merchant ship from the mainland has gone missing. If Crocodile Luo really did it, what good will it do you?"

The Moon South Islands are far from the Douluo Continent, and at least half of their wealth and prosperity is due to the merchant ships traveling between the mainland and the Moon South Islands.

However, in the last three years, the probability of merchant ships encountering accidents has increased significantly.

Although there was no clear evidence, Yao Yang still managed to find some clues.

From a purely profit-driven perspective, Crocodile has absolutely no reason to do this, as he gains absolutely nothing from it. In fact, it would greatly harm his own interests.

Unless, of course, the benefits Crocodile gains from it make him indifferent to this part of the loss.

Yao Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, and a thought flashed through his mind unconsciously.

But he quickly dismissed this idea, because it made no sense. It was far better to engage in legitimate trade than to revert to the pirate crew's old ways.

Crocodile, who occupies two islands in the Moon South Archipelago, not only faces no risk as long as he trades well with merchant ships from the mainland, but also receives far greater rewards.

"Bang bang bang-"

Just then, a gentle knock sounded on the door. Zhu Yao, dressed in a light silver gauze dress, came to Yao Yang's side carrying a tray with a pot of steaming, fragrant black tea.

Zhu Yao poured Yao Yang a cup herself and softly suggested, "Rest for a while first."

"Hmm." Yao Yang's expression softened slightly. Feeling the warm and delicate touch on the back of his hand, he helplessly raised his head to meet Zhu Yao's gaze, which was filled with a mixture of expectation and resentment.

Touched by his emotions, he ultimately hardened his heart and did not respond.

"Is it because of Zihuang? My intuition tells me so. That cousin's identity must also be fake." Zhu Yao parted her red lips slightly, and without waiting for Yao Yang's reply, she continued to speak to herself.

"You don't need to answer me; I know you have something you can't say."

Yao Yang withdrew his gaze with a complicated expression, and said wistfully, "Yao'er, there are some things I really can't tell you. But Zi Huang is like my own brother to me. Can you give me some time to think about it?"

Upon hearing the last sentence, Zhu Yao, who had turned her back to Yao Yang, smiled slightly, her eyes filled with cunning.

Yao Yang's words clearly revealed his true feelings.

This tactic of retreating to advance was indeed correct!

Chapter 42 Without having entered the world, how can one speak of transcending it?

Coming to his senses, Yao Yang looked at Zhu Yao, whose expression instantly brightened and who was now all smiles. He immediately realized he'd been tricked.

However, he did not find it offensive.

Humans are just so hypocritical. They tend to be more tolerant of those they care about and are close to.

Zhu Yao didn't tactlessly press Xu Zihuang for his true identity. She was a smart woman.

All she wanted was to be with Yao Yang; everything else was irrelevant to her.

But she took Yao Yang's words, "To me, Zi Huang is like my own brother," to heart.

……

Night falls, the starry sky is filled with silvery light pouring down.

The castle, built on the mountainside, is like a veil of starlight, resembling a fairyland.

At the edge of the flowerbed in front of the castle, a cliff juts outwards, where a pavilion sits quietly. The guiding streetlights on either side cast long shadows, and the crisp sound of chess pieces falling can be heard from time to time.

"Bang—" With his slender index and middle fingers, he pinched a round black chess piece and placed it on the exquisite chessboard in front of him. The cool sea breeze blew a few strands of purple hair on his forehead, revealing Xu Zihuang's handsome face.

“Zihuang, do you know what you lack most right now?” Sitting opposite Xu Zihuang was Yaoyang, who hadn’t been to this castle for almost half a month.

A person's playing style best reflects their personality.

Looking at where Xu Zihuang placed his piece, Yao Yang suddenly put the piece in his hand into the chess basket and sighed softly.

"If you have never been involved in the world, how can you talk about transcending it? Whether it is you or me, we are actually just one of the masses."

Xu Zihuang raised his head in a daze, looked at Yao Yang opposite him, and showed a thoughtful expression.

Yao Yang's words jolted him awake.