A dense sea mist enveloped the waters as Wang Xiao stood at the edge of the warship's deck, his hands gripping the railing, trembling slightly.
He was not only the former vice-commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion but also a loyal retainer of Xu Zihuang's family. The soldiers who defected with him were all members of the legion loyal to the prince's household.
A young man, appearing to be in his early-twenties, walked onto the deck from the cabin and quietly stood behind Wang Xiao. His delicate and somewhat feminine appearance with a slender figure and refined aura, which made him easily mistaken for a woman at first glance if not for his distinctly masculine throat.
His meticulously groomed black hair flowed over his shoulders, giving him an air of elegance. Unlike the soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, clad in deep purple dragon-patterned armor, the youth wore an ornate white battle robe.
He stepped forward, leaning against the railing beside Wang Xiao, his deep black eyes following the older man's gaze out over the dim sea.
"Uncle Wang," the youth addressed softly.
"Yao Yang," Wang Xiao said, his tiger-like eyes betraying rare emotion, "you didn't have to come with us. If we fail, you'll be stuck living a fugitive's life like us. Your family's centuries-old hereditary title will likely be revoked as well."
Yao Yang chuckled bitterly and shook his head, but his tone was resolute.
"If it weren't for Prince Xu and you, I wouldn't even be alive today. My family's bloodline would have ended with me, let alone its title. So what if I must live on the run? A life of peace has long since grown dull for me. Prince Xu's kindness is something I can never repay in this lifetime. To stand by and do nothing while his only child is in danger—I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Wang Xiao's eyes softened with nostalgia at Yao Yang's words. He patted the young man on the shoulder, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"If we succeed in rescuing the young lord, don't abandon your title of Viscount Southern Moon Islands so easily," Wang Xiao said after a moment.
Hearing this, Yao Yang's eyes brightened.
"Uncle Wang, does this mean you've agreed to my earlier suggestion?"
"We'll talk after we rescue the young lord."
Wang Xiao waved his hand dismissively, neither confirming nor denying Yao Yang's proposal. He then turned toward the soldiers who had long since assembled on the deck, ready for action.
Among them stood Meng Cang, his injuries from earlier largely healed thanks to the treatment of a healing-type soul master. However, the injuries he had suffered weren't something that could be overcome so quickly.
Wang Xiao shot a cold glance at Meng Cang before kicking him out of the formation with a single strike.
Wang Xiao's authority over the former soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion was undeniable. The deck fell silent as Meng Cang staggered backward. Though he opened his mouth to protest, he ultimately remained silent.
Wang Xiao then selected five more soldiers to stay aboard the ship with Meng Cang, giving no explanation before leaping into the sea.
Yao Yang and the forty-some soldiers followed closely behind, their soul power flickering in the darkness.
One after another, sleek boats materialized from their storage soul tools, floating on the water.
These boats were highly unusual—long and narrow, with no sails. Each boat had just three seats and was, in fact, a class 3 soul tool equipped with a propulsion core array. By infusing soul power, the boats could travel at high speeds.
The soldiers took turns channeling soul power into the boats to maintain their strength while preserving their formation as they sailed toward the faintly visible outline of the distant island.
On the same boat as Wang Xiao, Yao Yang's entire demeanor changed. His black hair fluttered in the wind, and his previously refined aura transformed into something dark and chilling. His body began to blur, turning into a shadowy figure shrouded in dense black mist. His once-black eyes now glowed a blood-red hue.
It was an eerie sight.
One yellow, three purple, and three black soul rings rose beneath him in succession—a configuration far exceeding the standard for most soul masters. Despite looking no older than thirty, Yao Yang was already a Soul Sage-level powerhouse.
As the fifth black soul ring flickered, he addressed the group in a low voice:
"Stay within the range of my fifth soul skill."
Before his words had fully faded, the soldiers and their boats vanished from the sea, as if they had never been there.
...
On the warship, Meng Cang clenched his fist and struck the deck in frustration, his face filled with regret.
Among the soldiers left on the warship was a teenager around seventeen or eighteen, who bore a strong resemblance to Meng Cang, who quickly squatted down to help him up. The young man's simple, honest face showed traces of indignation.
"Father, you clearly made a major contribution this time. How could the legion commander treat you so unfairly?"
His frustration wasn't only for his father but for himself as well.
This was his first mission since joining the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, and it had ended with him being left behind. It was impossible not to feel disheartened.
Hearing his son's words, Meng Cang's frustration faded. His eyes widened, and he abruptly raised his arm, delivering a hard slap to the boy's face.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Meng Lang was sent flying several meters, crashing into the deck and rebounding thrice before slamming into the ship's iron railing. The force of the blow was evident.
"Foolish boy!" Meng Cang roared, his chest heaving with anger, even coughing up blood from his aggravated injuries.
Meng Lang endured the burning pain on his face and body, lowering his head as he looked at his furious father in both fear and grievance.
After taking a long moment to calm himself, Meng Cang sighed and covered his face.
"Didn't you notice? Everyone the legion commander left behind, apart from Old Cheng, hasn't reached rank 50. You're only rank 40, and you don't even have your fourth soul ring yet. What could you possibly contribute by going? You'd just be a burden. The mission involves two soul engineer legions, including the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion. Though weaker than us, they are still among the elite forces of the Sun Moon Empire."
"Come on, Old Meng, don't be too harsh on the boy," said Old Cheng, one of the five older soldiers left behind, who stepped in to mediate.
"Back in our day, we were just as headstrong."
"Don't defend this foolish brat, Old Cheng!"
Though Meng Cang shot Meng Lang a glare, he couldn't bring himself to stay angry in front of his old comrades.
Meng Lang, now nursing his swollen cheek, his face is full of bitterness.
His personality was straightforward and kind, but that didn't mean he was stupid. At this time, it was only wise to go with the flow and not provoke his father's anger.
…
In the brightly lit hall of the castle's first floor, Xu Zihuang sat silently in the main seat, sipping on freshly squeezed fruit juice brought from the Sun Moon Empire's mainland.
To his left sat Hai Xiao, and to his right was Yu Yun, the legion commander of the Blue Ocean Soul Engineer Legion, which had escorted the hundred noblewomen to the island.
The Blue Ocean Soul Engineer Legion, formed in a western coastal city of the Sun Moon Empire, was vastly inferior to Hai Xiao's Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion. With only a hundred members of varying strength levels, it was clearly no match for elite forces.
Yu Yun, who was older than Hai Xiao by several decades, barely broke into the Soul Sage rank with the aid of medicinal supplements and kept a deferential attitude before Hai Xiao, a class 8 soul engineer.
Xu Zihuang rested his chin on his right hand, his gaze sweeping over the hall. Though the noblewomen appeared to be conversing among themselves, he could feel their attention fixed entirely on him.
"Hmph." He chuckled inwardly, mocking himself. The scene reminded him of the days before his exile.
Back then, as the sole son of a powerful prince, noble families had scrambled to introduce their daughters to his household in hopes of securing a marriage alliance.
How similar this scene was to that time, and yet his circumstances couldn't have been more different.
The women in the hall—some coldly elegant, others sweetly innocent—each tried to present their best side to him.
But the joys and sorrows of people do not resonate with one another; Xu Zihuang found their chatter grating.
Still, to satisfy his cousin Xu Tianran, he pretended to be choosing from among them.
Perhaps, as Hai Xiao had suggested earlier, he could keep all the noblewomen. But doing so would be inconsistent with the persona he had carefully maintained.
To avoid complications, he decided to select only ten, based on his preferences. After all, there was no need for him to compromise his tastes.
...
Original Author Note:
The beginning might feel a bit slow, but I can guarantee that after ten or so chapters, the protagonist will really take off. Honestly, I started writing this because I couldn't find any good fanfics of Soul Land 2.
To be truthful, I'm tired of those assembly-line fanfics where the first chapter has the protagonist transmigrating, the second chapter has them awakening their martial soul, and the third chapter has them obtaining their first soul ring. Of course, I'm not saying that my writing is particularly good—it's my first time writing a book, so I'm still figuring things out and my writing style isn't great. I just wanted to put my own thoughts into words. I really like the Soul Land background. I expect to write over 1 million words for this book. The protagonist's personality isn't that of a saintly pushover, as someone born to a royal family, he have to maintain some dignity. His a genius aristocratic type. Novels are meant to be enjoyable after all. Feeling too repressed would be akin to self-torture, haha.