As for the remaining 20% energy in the two lower-grade spirit stones, Zhao Ling held them in his palm and absorbed them completely.
The energy inside the spirit stones was extremely pure, and absorbing it posed no harm. Once fully drained, both stones turned gray and gradually disintegrated into dust, vanishing without a trace.
After handling this, Zhao Ling returned to the bow of the ship and attempted to activate its autonomous flight function. Soon, two devices rose from the deck near the helm.
One was a directional indicator; the other displayed a map of the Douluo Continent.
Raising his hand, Zhao Ling lightly tapped the direction of Sea God Island on the map. Instantly, the directional indicator turned to face that exact direction.
Then, the Cloudpiercer Shuttle slowly lifted off the ground, gently adjusting its course before flying steadily toward Sea God Island.
Zhao Ling returned to Bo Saixi's side, reached out to scoop her up, and said mischievously, "Xi'er, my dear wife, soaking in the hot spring earlier must've tired you out, huh? Let your husband carry you to the cabin to rest."
Bo Saixi slapped away his wandering hand with mock annoyance, pouting, "No way, you rascal. Haven't you tormented me enough these past few days? Even in the hot spring, you couldn't behave. And now you still won't give Xi'er a break? You don't know how to cherish me at all…"
After Bo Saixi grumbled that he didn't know how to appreciate her, Zhao Ling could only give up on pushing his luck.
Truthfully, Bo Saixi, Ah Yin, and Liu Erlong had all been quite thoroughly "tormented" by him lately. Not to mention, he had already messed around with Bo Saixi for nearly two hours back in the hot spring—it was no wonder she was at her limit.
"Alright, Xi'er… then let me just hold you as we watch the scenery from the bow," Zhao Ling said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into an embrace.
Seeing that Zhao Ling merely hugged her without trying anything else, Bo Saixi stopped resisting and simply nestled into his arms, enjoying the view below.
It had to be said—the sensation of overlooking the world from such heights was uniquely delightful.
Standing at the bow with Bo Saixi, watching the landscape sweep rapidly past beneath them, Zhao Ling felt a strange familiarity. It reminded him of that iconic scene from the Blue Star film "Titanic," where the main couple stood at the ship's prow, embracing the sea breeze.
However, when he thought about the tragic ending of the Titanic's couple, Zhao Ling suddenly felt a strange wave of melancholy wash over him.
The sorrow came out of nowhere—even he was surprised. Why would he feel this way during such a peaceful moment?
He and Bo Saixi were both Titled Douluo, not some helpless characters doomed to fate. They would never meet such a tragic end, separated by life and death.
Shaking off the strange emotion, Zhao Ling buried his head into Bo Saixi's neck, breathing in her delicate fragrance.
Bo Saixi was puzzled—why had her husband suddenly become sentimental? Could it be… that because she had refused to let him fool around, he was now heartbroken? Surely not?
"Hubby… what's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Nothing. I just remembered a really touching story," Zhao Ling replied with a gentle smile, placing a kiss on her cheek.
"Ooh, what story? Xi'er wants to hear it!" Her beautiful eyes lit up with curiosity.
"No, it's not exactly a happy tale. I'd rather not tell it," Zhao Ling said with a light shake of his head.
He felt that if Bo Saixi—a highly emotional woman—heard the story of Titanic, she'd probably be even more deeply affected than he had been.
"Nooo~ Xi'er wants to hear it! If you don't tell Xi'er a story, I'll ignore you forever!" she pouted, acting adorably clingy.
But in the very next moment, Bo Saixi froze. Her fair cheeks turned bright red like a ripe apple.
She hadn't expected herself—nearly a century old—to act this coy with a man so many years her junior. The realization made her feel deeply embarrassed.
Though she was an Limit Douluo and had a lifespan that could stretch well beyond a thousand years, making her technically a "young maiden" by comparison to normal humans, it didn't change the awkwardness of her behavior.
Still, acting like a spoiled girl to a man much younger than her? That was enough to make her want to dig a hole and hide in it.
Zhao Ling noticed her embarrassment and couldn't help but laugh. Now in better spirits, he decided to share the story of "Titanic" with her.
As Bo Saixi listened to the tale of two strangers falling in love at first sight—of a love that bloomed instantly—her face lit up with joy.
When the story moved to their passionate romance, her eyes shimmered, filled with fantasies of a beautiful future between her and Zhao Ling.
But when the Titanic struck the iceberg and began to sink… when the male lead gave up his only floating plank for the heroine and endured the freezing waters to keep her alive… when he slowly slipped beneath the waves while encouraging her to survive…
Bo Saixi burst into tears—grief-stricken, she turned and hugged Zhao Ling tightly.
"Hubby… why did their ending have to be so tragic? They loved each other so deeply… Why couldn't they end up together?" she sobbed.
Zhao Ling smiled wryly as he gently patted her smooth back. "Xi'er, don't be sad. I told you—it's just a story."
But even as he said that, Zhao Ling knew: while Jack and Rose's story was fiction, it had been inspired by real tales of love and sacrifice from the actual Titanic disaster.
Bo Saixi wept quietly in his arms for some time before finally calming down. Then, a puzzled look crossed her face as she raised her head and asked curiously:
"Wait… hubby, why didn't the characters in your story have Spirits or soul power? If any of them had reached Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor level, they wouldn't have died so easily, right?"
"Uh…" Zhao Ling was speechless. This girl's train of thought after calming down was something else.
He gave her shapely rear a light pat and said helplessly, "Silly girl… you think everyone's like us? Think about how many people live on Sea God Island. How many of them are Spirit Masters? Isn't it true that most people are born with useless martial souls?"
"From what I know, there are fewer than a hundred thousand Spirit Masters across the entire Douluo Continent. But the total population? Easily in the billions. That means you'd find only one Spirit Master out of every thousand—maybe even a few thousand."
Hearing this, Bo Saixi nodded in realization. "That makes sense… although Sea God Island is a bit different. We have a population of 7,000, and about 3,500 are Spirit Masters."
"But a lot of those Spirit Masters came from the mainland, so it's not fair to count them as native to Sea God Island. In that sense, we can't use our island as a standard for comparison."