Shackles of Humanity

Early in the morning, an island shrouded in watery mist appeared before them.

The yacht docked at a bustling pier. Fishing boats, one after another, all laden with fish and shrimp, were unloading their catch for trade, creating a lively scene of constant traffic.

Xi Jinghui warmly welcomed everyone to disembark. Several men in Fish Scale Armor on the pier immediately came over to greet him. Xi Jinghui gave them a few quiet instructions, and a servant quickly hopped into a dump truck used for hauling fish and shrimp to rush back and announce their arrival.

This was Chongjun Island. Though called an island, it was more like a small continent, spanning over a hundred *li* in circumference. As they walked, the roadsides were filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, their fragrance filling the air. The surrounding farmlands were also planted with flowers, and many farmers were busy working in the fields.

Chongjun Island was once called Hundred Flowers Island because over a hundred varieties of rare flowers grew there. These flowers were the best ingredients for making top-level perfume. During the chaotic era, a luxury item like perfume was naturally ignored, but as the period of peace lengthened, it became a necessity for the upper class, selling well in all the major human Lordship Kingdoms.

A long time ago, a Complete Form Fierce Beast lived in the Thousand Islands Sea, and humans didn’t dare set foot here. Later, several powerful Body Masters took action personally, luring the Complete Form Fierce Beast to Hundred Flowers Island. With the aid of High-Power Weapons, they finally killed the beast. Unfortunately, one of the Body Masters, named Chongjun, was killed by the Fierce Beast’s final counterattack. To commemorate this Body Master, Hundred Flowers Island was renamed Chongjun Island.

The Thousand Islands Sea was extremely rich in fishery resources, and some of the larger islands could also grow grain. After the Complete Form Fierce Beast died, humans began to migrate here one after another, their numbers gradually increasing. Following the Dongyuan Upper Country’s unification of the Eastern Continent, this place became one of its administrative provinces.

Now, the Xi Family were the masters of Chongjun Island. Not long after the group left the pier, a line of fuel-powered cars drove up. A pot-bellied man pushed open a car door, hurried over, and said with a forced smile, ”Cousin, these must be your friends.”

Xi Jinghui said expressionlessly, ”They are all my classmates and good friends. You’d better treat them well. If you neglect them in any way, I won’t be so polite.”

He then turned his head to make introductions. ”Brother Tuoba, Brother Su, Brother Xiao Luo, this is my younger cousin, Xi Shengchuan. He’s currently the president of the Thousand Islands Sea Chamber of Commerce.”

Xi Shengchuan instinctively moved to shake their hands, but Tuoba Ye and Su Chengbo completely ignored him. Luo Kai, meanwhile, was staring at the flower fields on both sides, his nose twitching as if he were immersed in their fragrance.

Xi Shengchuan could only lower his hand and say awkwardly, ”Well... please, everyone, get in the cars.”

The group filed into the cars, which started moving slowly. Before long, they arrived at a quaint, old-fashioned town. The town was lined with rows of wooden lofts that looked quite elegant. From time to time, people would peek out from the lofts in twos and threes, curiously watching the convoy.

The convoy stopped in front of a residence on the south side of town that covered over a hundred acres. At the entrance stood two statues resembling some kind of large lizard, looking very imposing with their bared fangs and brandished claws. The plaque hanging over the main gate bore the six large, red-lacquered words ”Xi Family of the Thousand Islands Sea.” A squad of guards in Scale Armor, holding spears, stood on either side, their heads held high and their gazes fixed forward.

After a sumptuous feast of fish and shrimp, a servant led the group to a loft to rest. However, Tuoba Ye had no intention of resting. He dragged Xi Jinghui toward the training ground in the rear courtyard. Luo Kai’s words from the previous night had greatly inspired him, and he was desperate to find someone to test his new moves on.

Su Chengbo and Luo Kai also had no intention of resting. They decided to walk outside the town together. This time, they didn’t talk about Body Techniques, but instead discussed some scientific and technological knowledge. Ever since seeing the Sea Race’s hydrogen-powered yacht, Luo Kai had an idea. ’Extracting hydrogen from water doesn’t necessarily require a Water Elemental Master; someone with Light Energy Affinity should be able to do it too. In my past life, the most convenient method for extracting hydrogen was electrolysis, but the energy consumption was greater than the output, so it wasn’t worth it. In this era, without electricity, it’s even more impossible.’

’Another method is to use solar energy to split water molecules, but this requires immense control over Light Energy. In my past life, even computer systems couldn’t do it. However, the Light Energy Affinity users of this era should have no problem. Computer programs are certainly precise, but they lack the ability to adapt to changes.’ Luo Kai didn’t know the specific operational details, however. He didn’t understand Light Energy very well, only that it was a type of high-energy particle with radioactive properties.

But when Su Chengbo heard his words, his eyes lit up with excitement. He looked at Luo Kai in the exact same way Tuoba Ye did—like he was staring at a peerless beauty, full of greed. He had always been calm and composed, but now he couldn’t control his expression. It was clear that Luo Kai’s words had greatly inspired him.

”Luo Xiaoyou, I’m heading back first.” Su Chengbo stared at him for a moment, then bid a hasty farewell and his body simply vanished.

Luo Kai had wanted to ask him about cultivation methods for Light Energy, but seeing this, he could only give up on the idea. He walked alone toward the flower fields. Recently, he had started to understand a little about the frequencies of plants. He quietly sent out his consciousness’s frequency. In the Five Elements, Water nourishes Wood, so plants were also very sensitive to Water Element frequencies. The surrounding flower fields sensed his consciousness and immediately swarmed him with their fragrance, enveloping him in pollen until he was completely submerged in the floral scent.

Luo Kai sneezed several times in a row and hastily cut off his consciousness’s frequency. He escaped the sea of flowers in a rather sorry state. Reaching a small hill, he took Zilan out of his necklace. Ever since they arrived on this island, Zilan had been constantly emitting an excited frequency, wanting to come out.

He placed Zilan on the ground, and it immediately burrowed into the soil. A slender twig shot out, and a small bud appeared at its tip. It quickly unfurled, revealing pale purple petals that glowed with a faint luminescence under the sunlight, a sight of extreme beauty.

Luo Kai smiled warmly and sat down next to Zilan, quietly perceiving the unique frequency of plants—one that was both warm and vigorously uplifting.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when his expression suddenly shifted and he opened his eyes. A graceful and beautiful woman was walking through the flower field. The sea of flowers on both sides parted for her before she even arrived, as if afraid of offending such a beauty.

She wore a light red, sheer cloak. A White Jade Hairpin was set horizontally in her cloud-like chignon, sparkling brilliantly. Her crystalline ears were adorned with a pair of White Jade Earrings. Her face was so exquisitely beautiful that one dared not stare directly at her. This was especially true of her eyes, which seemed to be veiled in a light Mist. When they moved, they were like ripples spreading across a crystal-clear water surface—utterly charming and captivating.

Having lived two lives, Luo Kai had seen countless beautiful women, but he had never seen one as radiant as this. He couldn’t help but be stunned. Fortunately, his Spiritual Will was extremely strong, and he came back to his senses in an instant. He felt her emitting a frequency that was strikingly similar to the surrounding plants. ’Could this woman be a Wood Element Master?’