The sky over the vast, churning ocean was a canvas of brilliant blue. Eight figures, moving with a speed that defied the wind itself, shot across the water's surface, leaving eight shimmering, transient trails in their wake. They were meteors of purpose, arrowing towards the distant coastline of the Douluo Continent.
At their head was a woman of breathtaking beauty and immense, divine pressure. Bai Shuiling, the Sea God Douluo and High Priestess of Sea God Island, her sea-blue hair flowing behind her like a royal banner. Her face was a mask of serene, unshakeable faith.
Behind her flew the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians, Titled Douluo of immense power, each a legend in their own right. Yet, after weeks of traveling at this breakneck pace, a seed of doubt was beginning to sprout in one of them.
The Sea Spear Douluo, a man with a sharp, hawkish face and an aura that felt as piercing as his namesake, pulled alongside the High Priestess.
"High Priestess," he said, his voice laced with a warrior's impatience. "With all due respect, this is an impossible task. The continent is vast. It holds four great empires, countless cities, and remote villages. We could search for a decade and find nothing. How are we to find a single, unknown child in this endless sea of humanity?"
Bai Shuiling did not even turn her head. Her gaze remained fixed on the horizon, her faith an impenetrable shield against his doubt.
"Patience, Sea Spear," she replied, her voice calm and melodic, yet carrying an unshakable authority. "Your mind sees the task, but your heart has forgotten the one who set it. This is a holy directive from our God. Do you truly believe he would give us a command without also providing the means to fulfill it? His wisdom is absolute."
She slowed her pace slightly, allowing the others to draw closer. She raised a hand, and from a pouch at her waist, she produced a small, elegant orb. It was fashioned from a pearl of the deepest ocean, shimmering with a faint, internal blue light.
"Our God has already thought of the solution," she announced, holding the orb aloft for all to see. "He has blessed these Sea God Pearls with a sliver of his divine will."
She explained the method, her voice filled with reverence. "We will focus our search on the young, on talents under the age of twelve. When we find a potential candidate, we will have them infuse a small amount of their Soul Power into one of these orbs. If they are an ordinary talent, the orb will remain dark. If they are the chosen one, the Star of Destiny, the orb will resonate with the divine will within. It will shine with a light that cannot be mistaken."
The Sea Spear Douluo's doubts subsided, replaced by a grudging admiration for the god's foresight. The impossible task had just become a methodical, achievable process.
Their arrival on the mainland of the Heaven Soul Empire was like a whisper, not a storm, but a whisper with the weight of a mountain. They landed in a secluded coastal cove, their immense power cloaked by a subtle divine mist granted by their god. They did not announce themselves, they did not cause a scene, but their presence was a palpable thing.
They entered the first major metropolis, Heaven's Arch City, a bustling hub of commerce and cultivation. As the eight of them walked through the city gates, the governor, a respected Soul Douluo who had presided over the city for decades, suddenly felt a pressure that made his very soul tremble. It was not hostile, but it was absolute, like the feeling of the deep ocean pressing in from all sides. He felt like a minnow in the presence of eight colossal sea dragons.
Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed from his mansion, his attendants scrambling to keep up. He found the eight figures walking calmly through the main plaza, their simple blue robes doing little to hide the unfathomable depths of their power. He prostrated himself before them, his face pale with a mixture of terror and awe.
"This humble servant greets you, mighty seniors!" he stammered, his voice shaking. "To what does Heaven's Arch City owe the profound honor of your visit?"
Bai Shuiling looked down at the fawning official, her expression one of benign authority. "We are on a pilgrimage," she stated simply. "We require a list of every academy, every clan, and every sect in this province with promising disciples under the age of twelve. Your cooperation will be… appreciated."
The search began. It was a meticulous, sweeping operation. They moved with divine efficiency, visiting the grandest academies and the most secluded clan training grounds. The Sea God Pearls were presented to dozens of young prodigies. They tested the arrogant sons of dukes, the quiet daughters of merchant lords, and the top students of every institution.
Each time, a child would step forward, their chest puffed with pride, and place their hand on the orb. Each time, they would pour their Soul Power in. And each time, the orb remained dark, its shimmering surface cold and unresponsive.
The result was the same in the Heaven Soul Empire as it was in the neighboring Dou Ling Empire. They journeyed for weeks, a silent, powerful procession moving from city to city, leaving a trail of confused prodigies and awestruck officials in their wake. The orb remained stubbornly dark.
Frustration began to brew again among the guardians, but Bai Shuiling's faith was a rock against which their doubts broke.
"The God did not say it would be easy," she would remind them. "He said it would be vital. Our diligence is our prayer."
Their fruitless search now led them south, towards the vast and powerful Star Luo Empire. Their path, though they did not know it, was slowly, inevitably, drawing them closer to the very homeland of the boy they sought, a boy who was blissfully unaware of the divine hunt that had been called for him. He was lost in a world of his own making, a world of fire, steel, and the rhythmic clang of a hammer.
In the heart of the Soul Beast Workshop, the air was thick with the smell of hot metal and the vibrant ozone-tang of the Auspicious Beast's Ultimate Fire. The one hundred Emerald Droplet Pendants were complete. They were lined up in neat rows, each a perfect, shimmering teardrop, waiting to be charged with Bi Ji's healing power.
The project had been a monumental success, earning Huo Yuhao a level of respect and trust among the Ferocious Beasts that he could never have imagined. But success was a heady wine, and it had filled him with a restless, ambitious energy.
He wanted to create more. He wanted to create something stronger.
He spent a night poring over the book of fate, his Spirit Eyes scanning the intricate blueprints and theories. The supportive pendants were for others. Now, he wanted to forge something for himself, something for protection.
His eyes landed on the schematics for a Class 2 Soul Tool. A "Kinetic Deflection Bracer."
The concept was simple but elegant. It was a bracer designed to be worn on the forearm. When struck, a multi-layered array within it would release a powerful, concentrated burst of repulsive force, capable of parrying a physical blow or pushing an attacker away. It was a perfect defensive tool for a Soul Master like him who lacked physical strength.
He approached Di Tian with his new project. After a brief explanation, the Dragon King had readily agreed, providing him with the rarer metals the blueprint called for: a chunk of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver for the main body, prized for its durability and Soul Power conductivity, and a sliver of Sunken Gold for the core of the array, a metal known for its ability to handle sudden, violent energy releases.
The challenge was immediately apparent. Forging the Heavy Silver was a brutal task. It was far denser and more resilient than the Blue Cloud Steel. His first few hammer blows barely left a dent.
The Auspicious Beast had to intensify her flames, her golden fire turning a blinding white-hot. Huo Yuhao had to put every ounce of his growing physical strength into each swing, his muscles screaming in protest. The Mysterious Heaven Technique circulated furiously within him, pushing him past his limits, but the work was exhausting. It took him two full days of non-stop, back-breaking labor just to purify the silver and forge it into the rough shape of a bracer.
Then came the engraving.
He held the finished, polished silver bracer, his heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. He looked at the blueprint in the book. A Class 2 array was a different beast entirely. It wasn't a single, flat circuit. It was a multi-layered design, with a primary energy-channeling array and a secondary, overlapping trigger array. The lines had to be carved at different depths, and they were far more intricate.
But the most difficult part, the book warned, was the Soul Power infusion. A Class 2 tool required a much higher density of Soul Power to be injected into the engraved lines during the carving process. It wasn't enough to just have Soul Power; the power itself had to be compressed, concentrated, to a state that could activate the more complex array.
He took a deep breath. 'I can do this.'
He sat down, the Auspicious Beast lying patiently beside him, her warm presence a comforting weight. He held the Life Guardian Blade, its familiar coolness seeping into his palm. He activated his Spirit Eyes and began to carve.
The first few lines of the primary array went smoothly. He focused his will, compressing his Soul Power as he channeled it through the blade. He could feel the strain. It was like trying to force a river through a tiny pipe. His Soul Power, which usually flowed so easily, was draining at an alarming rate.
He gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. He was halfway through the secondary trigger array, the most complex part, when it happened.
His focus, worn thin by hours of intense physical and mental exertion, wavered for a single, infinitesimal microsecond. The density of the Soul Power he was channeling through the blade dropped for a fraction of a second.
Tink.
It was a sound so faint it was almost imperceptible, quieter than a pin dropping. A tiny, almost invisible hairline crack, no thicker than a single strand of hair, appeared in one of the core lines of the trigger array.
His concentration was so absolute on the path of the blade that he didn't notice the flaw. He pushed through the exhaustion, his hand moving on pure muscle memory and willpower now. With a final, triumphant flourish, he carved the last line.
He sat back, panting, his body trembling with fatigue but his heart soaring with pride. The bracer looked perfect. The interwoven arrays were a work of art, a testament to his growing skill.
He presented it to the one beast who would appreciate a show of power the most.
"Xiong Jun!" he called out, his voice filled with achievement. "I've finished it!"
The hulking Bear Lord lumbered over, a curious gleam in his eyes. The other beasts, including Bi Ji and Di Tian, gathered to watch the demonstration.
"This is a Kinetic Deflection Bracer," Huo Yuhao explained proudly, strapping the cool silver tool onto his forearm. "It should be able to repel a physical attack. Here," he said, holding his arm out. "Try to punch it. Not too hard!"
Xiong Jun grinned, a wide, toothy expression. "Not too hard, he says." He raised one of his massive hands, his dark-gold claws glinting. He wasn't aiming to injure the boy, but he still put a moderate amount of force behind the blow, enough to test the bracer properly.
He gave it a solid tap with the back of his claw.
Huo Yuhao braced for the expected burst of repulsive force.
Instead, the bracer gave a pathetic, wheezing fizzle. A wisp of grey smoke curled from the engraved lines. The flawed array, unable to handle the sudden influx of kinetic energy, overloaded instantly.
PING!
A sharp, clear cracking sound echoed through the silent workshop. A jagged, undeniable crack shot straight down the middle of the bracer. It was ruined. A piece of beautifully forged, intricately engraved, utterly useless scrap metal.
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating.
Xiong Jun stared at the broken bracer on the boy's arm, his initial curiosity curdling into visible disappointment.
"Hah!" he snorted, withdrawing his hand. "I knew it. These human trinkets are too fragile. All that work, all those rare metals, for a piece of broken junk." He turned and stomped away, shaking his massive head in disgust.
Each word was a physical blow to Huo Yuhao. The pride and triumph he had felt moments ago evaporated, replaced by a cold, crushing wave of humiliation. His face burned with shame. His first real project for himself, his first attempt at a higher-class tool, and it had failed so spectacularly, so publicly.
He lowered his head, his shoulders slumping. He stared at the cracked bracer on his arm, his vision blurring as he fought back a hot sting of tears. He felt like a failure. A fraud.
A soft, warm pressure pressed against his side. The Auspicious Beast had moved closer, nuzzling his arm gently with her magnificent head, a silent offering of comfort.
She looked up from the dejected boy and fixed her three golden eyes on the retreating form of Xiong Jun. She let out a low, rumbling growl, a clear warning that radiated a palpable displeasure. It was a look that dared him to utter another disparaging word.
"It does not matter," she said softly, her voice a gentle murmur meant only for Huo Yuhao. "It was the first time you tried to make something so difficult. You will make another. It will be better."
Her simple, unwavering faith was a small balm on his wounded pride, but the feeling of failure clung to him like a shroud.
That night, sleep would not come. He tossed and turned, the image of the cracked bracer and Xiong Jun's disappointed face burned into his mind. Unable to bear it any longer, he retreated into the sanctuary of his Spiritual Sea.
He found the vast, shimmering sea to be calm, but his own mood was a tempest.
A gentle, grey light pulsed nearby. The spectral form of Elder Yi materialized, his ancient eyes filled with a quiet concern.
"You seem troubled, my disciple," his teacher's voice echoed in the sea. "Your spirit is turbulent. What has happened?"
Huo Yuhao felt his composure crumble. In front of his teacher, he didn't have to be the confident creator. He could just be a disappointed eleven-year-old boy.
"I failed, Teacher," he said, his mental voice dejected and small. "I tried to create a Class 2 Soul Tool. I had the book, the blueprints, the best metals… but I still failed. The bracer broke. I couldn't do it. Maybe… maybe I'm not as good as I thought."
Elder Yi listened patiently, allowing his disciple to voice his frustrations. When he had finished, the ancient necromancer's form drifted closer.
"And so," Elder Yi said, his voice calm and steady, "you have met your first wall. This is not a failure, disciple. This is not a reason for shame. This is the most valuable lesson a creator can possibly learn."
Huo Yuhao looked up, confused. "A lesson?"
"Indeed," Elder Yi affirmed. "Your future self's knowledge, your Spirit Eyes, and the Life Guardian Blade… they are profound gifts. They give you flawless technique, perfect vision, and an unparalleled understanding of the craft. They allow you to put your talents in this… Soul Engineering… to use far beyond what should be possible for you. But they cannot create power you do not possess."
He gestured to the sea around them. "From what I understand of the principles you have described, a Class 2 array requires a higher density of Soul Power in the engraved lines to stabilize the core. Your current output, while growing, is a wide and gentle river. To carve that array, you need to focus that river into the intense, pressurized flow of a flood breaking through a dam. Your foundation, your raw Soul Power level, is still too shallow to sustain that kind of pressure for the required length of time."
Huo Yuhao listened, his shame slowly being replaced by understanding. It wasn't a flaw in his skill, but a limit of his power.
"Do not be discouraged by this," Elder Yi's voice was gentle, but firm. "Do not see this as a dead end. Instead, see this for what it truly is: a clear and unambiguous signpost on your path of cultivation. The cracked bracer is not a monument to your failure. It is a guide. It is telling you, with perfect clarity, precisely where you need to grow."
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Blood Silver Emperor", "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon