The Azure-Blood Demonic Bat ferried Shi Yan onward, soaring toward the eastern edge of the Deathly Still Swamp, eventually setting down softly amidst the dense thicket where Xia Xinyan and her two companions waited.

This time, Shi Yan had mounted Xiao Hanyi's sixth-level Azure-Blood Demonic Bat.

This particular Demonic Bat possessed eyes of crimson fire, claws sharp as iron hooks, and wings that unfolded with an edge as keen as tempered steel.

Much like Xiao Hanyi himself, this Azure-Blood Demonic Bat carried a potent, heavy scent of blood, suggesting the countless warriors whose bodies it had consumed.

Xiao Hanyi clearly wished to speak with Shi Yan privately, and Shi Yan, uninterested in engaging further with Mu Yudie, swiftly declined her unsolicited offer to accompany him.

He mounted the Demonic Bat immediately, sparing the politically-minded woman another glance.

The Azure-Blood Demonic Bat settled gently, stopping precisely where Xia Xinyan stood.

Xiao Hanyi stepped forward, his voice level. "Little Xia, this matter here is concluded.

If you plan to return to the Boundless Sea, I can offer you a ride." Xia Xinyan offered a calm smile. "Then I thank you, Uncle Xiao." Xiao Hanyi nodded, then drew Shi Yan aside for a private word.

His eyes, sharp as lightning bolts, fixed intently on Shi Yan for a long moment before he spoke. "Young Master Yan, may I examine your body?" Shi Yan, utterly baffled but eager to proceed, immediately replied, "By all means." Xiao Hanyi wasted no time.

He extended a hand, slightly flushed with a reddish hue, and clamped it onto Shi Yan's shoulder.

A surge of essence, imbued with a baleful, chilling aura, slipped stealthily into Shi Yan's frame.

That single thread of essence moved with uncanny dexterity, tracing a deliberate path through every meridian and channel within Shi Yan's body.

Only after it had traversed the entirety of Shi Yan's network of meridians did Xiao Hanyi nod in delight. "Indeed.

It is truly the Undying Martial Soul of the Yang family lineage." The Undying Martial Soul? Shi Yan’s expression froze.

After only a moment’s contemplation, he grasped the true reason why this contingent of experts from the Boundless Sea had made this journey. "Young Master Yan, would you be willing to cut your arm? I need to see precisely what stage your Undying Martial Soul has attained," Xiao Hanyi requested, hesitating slightly before asking. "Understood." Shi Yan, straightforward to a fault, simply nodded.

He immediately retrieved a dagger from the pack slung over his back and, right in front of Xiao Hanyi, carelessly scored a cut one centimeter deep across his own left forearm.

As he performed this act, Shi Yan’s demeanor remained utterly placid, as if the blade had been drawn on someone else entirely; not a single flicker of pain crossed his features.

Xiao Hanyi had been observing him constantly.

Seeing Shi Yan treat his own body with such cold-blooded severity, without a trace of hesitation or weakness, Xiao Hanyi inwardly approved, confirming what Kuro had said about Shi Yan's hardened will.

A person ruthless enough to be cruel to themselves is one who can be even more merciless when dealing with others; they are incapable of sentimentality.

Only such individuals are truly suited to become the strong in this world.

Though the Yang family commanded immense power in the Boundless Sea, they also accrued numerous enemies, particularly the demonic denizens of the Fourth Demon Domain, who harbored a bone-deep hatred for the Yang lineage and sought to extinguish every last one of their sons.

If Shi Yan lacked the necessary ruthlessness, even with his superior martial talent, he would inevitably suffer setbacks due to misplaced compassion in the Boundless Sea, potentially even sacrificing his own life through misplaced mercy.

Xiao Hanyi had asked Shi Yan to perform this act not only to verify the presence of the Undying Martial Soul but also to gauge his character, intending to dedicate time to tutoring him along the journey.

Now, witnessing Shi Yan’s capacity for self-inflicted cruelty, Xiao Hanyi realized he could save a great deal of effort; there would be little need to spend energy teaching him how to conduct himself in the world.

A look of genuine appreciation immediately warmed his expression.

The one-centimeter-deep gash on the arm began to move as if the flesh were alive.

The edges of the wound instinctively drew closer, cells dividing and reorganizing at a staggering rate...

A sudden, extraordinary light flashed in Xiao Hanyi’s eyes.

Under his fixed gaze, the wound on Shi Yan's arm healed visibly, rapidly closing.

In a mere ten minutes or so, the cut on Shi Yan’s arm vanished completely, leaving not even the faintest scar behind. "Good! Good! Good!" Xiao Hanyi exclaimed his approval three times, sounding genuinely thrilled and astonished. "You haven't been tempered by the Undying Creation Pill, yet you have already reached the second stage of the Undying Martial Soul while still in the Human Rank realm.

Excellent! Truly excellent! Young Master Yan, your talent is simply astounding.

This journey was truly worthwhile for me!" "The second stage of the Undying Martial Soul?" Shi Yan paused, then smiled faintly. "So that is it.

I did feel a change in the Martial Soul when I was in that strange space; it seems it has indeed broken through to the second stage, hehe." "Young Master Yan, the evolution of the Yang family's Undying Martial Soul is not achieved through mere relentless cultivation; it requires a baptism of blood.

Only when the body suffers severe trauma can the profound innate talent of the Martial Soul be fully triggered, leading to breakthroughs and evolution.

It seems you must have encountered a formidable foe within that Pseudo-Heavenly Gate; your body must have been injured to spur the breakthrough of your Undying Martial Soul." Xiao Hanyi had not entered the Pseudo-Heavenly Gate himself, yet he articulated Shi Yan's experience with uncanny accuracy, his expression alight with satisfaction. "That is correct," Shi Yan affirmed with a nod. "Young Master Yan, let me now explain your connection to the Yang family.

Years ago, the Patriarch campaigned in the Fourth Demon Domain..." Xiao Hanyi proceeded to recount the secret history concerning Yang Qingdi and Yang Hai in meticulous detail.

When he finished, he sighed. "Young Master Hai is advanced in years now, and his fierce spirit has waned.

It is a pity he has no interest in fighting for the family in the Boundless Sea.

Fortunately, we still have you, Young Master Yan.

I have traveled countless miles from the Boundless Sea under the direct commission of the Patriarch to bring Young Master Hai back.

Since Young Master Hai is unwilling to leave, I cannot force him.

What is your decision, Young Master Yan?" Xiao Hanyi’s gaze glittered.

Without waiting for Shi Yan’s reply, he launched into a highly persuasive monologue. "Young Master Yan, with your talent and temperament, you are destined to become a pillar of the family, capable of reigning as a sovereign in the Boundless Sea.

Remaining constrained within a small Merchant Alliance is detrimental to your growth.

The Shi family lacks the capacity to offer you the grand future you deserve.

Young Master Yan, the infinite expanse of the Boundless Sea is saturated with countless mysteries, home to several major Divine Domains, exotic beauties, and rampant, powerful experts—that is the true stage for you, Young Master Yan..." To ensure Shi Yan would willingly step into the Boundless Sea, Xiao Hanyi employed every persuasive word at his command, ceaselessly detailing the marvels of that realm, hoping to inspire Shi Yan to embrace greater challenges and attain greater strength there. "No need to say more.

I will go with you." Before Xiao Hanyi could complete his alluring rhetoric, Shi Yan interrupted him abruptly, his decision firm. "I enjoy a challenge.

The more perilous a place is, the more interesting I find it.

I will have to venture to the Boundless Sea eventually anyway; better to go sooner." Shi Yan was never one to settle down contentedly.

His journey from the Gloomy Forest to the Shi family was intended as a means to leverage their connections to better enhance his own power.

He was not the Shi family's true Shi Yan, and he never considered the Shi family his true belonging from the heart.

Now that such an opportunity was presented, he saw no reason for hesitation and agreed readily.

For him, the spectacular, surging Boundless Sea held a magnetic pull exponentially greater than that of the Merchant Alliance. "Good! Excellent!" Xiao Hanyi burst into laughter.

He had anticipated needing to spend considerably more effort persuading the youth, but Shi Yan’s immediate, forthright acceptance brought him immense joy.

Shi Yan was only seventeen, yet he possessed the cultivation base of the Second Heaven of the Human Rank, harbored dual Martial Souls, possessed astonishing talent, and a chilling, resolute heart...

No matter how one looked at it, Shi Yan was far better suited than Yang Hai for the brutal reality of the Boundless Sea.

Successfully bringing Shi Yan back to that domain meant this trip had achieved its objective. "Young Master Yan, here is an Undying Creation Pill, personally refined by the Patriarch.

The Undying Creation Pill is counted among the Seven Wonders of the Boundless Sea, possessing the miraculous ability to cleanse the marrow and bones, purging impurities from the body.

It is a Spirit-grade Elixir; even an ordinary person who consumes it can easily become a martial artist, with a small chance of even awakening a Martial Soul.

If you swallow this pill, your meridians will widen, and its medicinal essence will permeate your bone marrow, slowly activating the potential of your Undying Martial Soul.

Of course, since you have already entered the second stage, further evolution is unlikely, but the pill will still benefit you significantly.

You may consume it now." Xiao Hanyi smiled, withdrawing a jade box from his robes.

Upon opening it, an elixir the size of a large jujube was revealed.

The pill shimmered with captured light, its surface dotted with minute apertures, resembling the acupuncture points of the human body.

A thread of exquisite fragrance wafted from these openings, so pure it cleared the mind and eased the spirit, leaving one feeling indescribably relaxed and comfortable after a single inhalation. "The potency of the Undying Creation Pill is immense.

It may torment you for a few days after ingestion, but do not worry; this is the normal process of purging impurities.

You only need to endure it.

Young Master Yan, I will stand guard here.

No one in the Deathly Still Swamp will be able to disturb you while you take it now." Xiao Hanyi stated solemnly, extending the elixir.

Shi Yan nodded, taking the pill—one of the Seven Wonders of the Boundless Sea—in hand, a quiet awe stirring within him. "Thump-thump." As the elixir settled in his palm, strange, rhythmic sounds emerged, like the beating heart of an infant.

The fragrances oozing from the small pores on the pill seemed like delicate, winding silk threads, like the ethereal breath exhaled by a newborn.

A Spirit-grade Elixir.

Shi Yan’s spirit stirred faintly.

His understanding of the Yang family’s wealth and influence deepened, and his anticipation for the journey to the Boundless Sea grew even stronger. "Young Master Yan, once this elixir leaves the jade box, its spiritual energy will begin to dissipate.

Without a special protective seal, exposed to the open air, its potency will entirely vanish in three days," Xiao Hanyi explained, showing a touch of anxiety as Shi Yan only observed the pill instead of consuming it immediately. "A Spirit-grade Elixir...

hehe, I am almost reluctant to swallow it," Shi Yan commented with a satisfied smile before finally opening his mouth and swallowing the pill whole. "With Young Master Yan's temperament, once you enter the Boundless Sea, you will be like a dragon entering the ocean; exotic beauties and priceless treasures will be countless in the future.

At that time, you will no longer be so amazed by a mere elixir.

Young Master Yan, it is best you sit down now and focus on regulating your internal energy.

I will guard you," Xiao Hanyi offered with a gentle smile.

When dealing with outsiders, he was cold, cruel, and utterly aloof; yet, when interacting with those of the Yang family, he was remarkably attentive and considerate. "Understood." Shi Yan’s senses jolted as he immediately felt a fierce, raging fire ignite in his abdomen.

Without delay, he settled cross-legged, pouring all his effort into assimilating the Spirit-grade Wonder Pill of the Boundless Sea.

...V