**Chapter 39: Xuan Ziwen (2700 words)**
Xuan Zi remained silent, feeling deeply guilty and regretful, realizing he was not qualified to care about the female student's rude words. He looked up to the sky and sighed, trembling as he spoke.
"Children, I'm sorry. It's me who hurt you again."
The female student was persuaded by other students to calm down and stop getting too worked up.
Then Xuan Zi looked heartbroken and said sadly, "The responsibility for this grave mistake is all mine. It was my negligence that indirectly caused the tragic situation of one disciple's death and another disciple's arm being broken."
Xuan Zi's eyes were red, and he shed tears silently.
"Lexuan, why don't I resign from the Supervisory Committee and voluntarily withdraw from the Sea God Pavilion?"
Zhang Lexuan heard words nearly identical to last time, and her chest suddenly felt like it was filled with fire. She used great willpower to restrain herself from erupting.
"Master Xuan, let's go back to the academy and organize a meeting at the Sea God Pavilion. Then we can call all the elders together, and let them express their opinions one by one. Finally, we will decide whether you will leave the Sea God Pavilion."
Zhang Lexuan looked cold and said indifferently, "We will go through this entire process when we return to the academy. Let's deal with the current problem first."
Huo Yuhao pursed his lips. This was truly a classic. Whenever Xuan Zi sent a genius student on his way...
Then he would hold a meeting at the Sea God Pavilion and put on a grand show for Xuan Zi's resignation.
Xuan Zi was like a piece of meat on a rolling knife. After making a mistake, he recognized it, admitted it, and decisively offered to voluntarily withdraw from the Sea God Pavilion. His whole process was remarkably smooth.
"Lexuan, tell me, what happened?"
Old Xuan asked in a deep voice, his senses passing through the imprisoned body of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, and his anger rose.
Zhang Lexuan roughly recounted the process of encountering the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis. In addition to the sudden appearance of the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame, she explained how to use the Blood Moon Ring to imprison the soul of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis based on the detection map in her mind.
Xuan Lao's gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao for a moment, and he said calmly, "It's a good soul skill with excellent auxiliary capabilities, but it lacks much attack power."
The clever Xuan Zi immediately saw the flaws in the spirit detection but did not realize that this soul skill had an auxiliary effect comparable to cheating. He thought that Huo Yuhao was merely lucky to have played a role in this specific situation.
Xuan Zi took out a Xuanshui Pill, thinking it was a rare pill suitable for giving to Huo Yuhao as a reward.
Huo Yuhao naturally did not hesitate to accept the Xuanshui Pill. Even if he did not know how to take it and did not particularly care for it, at least he could sell it for money.
Xuan Zi suddenly looked at the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis imprisoned by the moon ring, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Beast!"
The overwhelming soul power gathered in Xuan Zi's hand as his anger soared.
He made a fist in the air, his soul power surged, and he could feel the thick evil spirit in the air. He quickly stretched out his large hand to pinch the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
Just as Xuan Zi's hand was about to touch the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, there was only a crisp "click" sound.
Xuan Zi's extremely domineering hand crushed the blood-colored moon ring that was used to imprison the soul of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
The Three-Soul Ghost Mantis seized this fleeting opportunity to escape.
It instantly split into three souls, dodged Xuan Zi's angry grasp, and fled desperately in three different directions.
Xuan Zi was furious. Before he met the strongest Soul King, this was the greatest humiliation for him.
When the female disciple saw this scene, her pent-up emotions suddenly burst forth. She collapsed a little bit and roared at the top of her lungs.
"Master Xuan, aren't you a level 98 Super Douluo? How could you let a soul beast that is less than 100,000 years old escape from you? Go! Chase it! Ah!"
The Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, as a mantis-type soul beast, was much faster than an ordinary Titled Douluo. It sought to take advantage of Master Xuan's lack of reaction to escape.
"Beast! Beast!!"
Xuan Zi was furious and immediately gathered all the mental power in his mind to sense which soul was the true body of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
At the moment when the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis escaped from Xuan Zi's grasp, its true whereabouts were shown on the mental detection map.
Zhang Lexuan hurriedly shouted: "Left! The soul on the left is its body!"
Xuan Zi was livid. As a level 98 Super Douluo, he had never suffered such humiliation. He had been played by a soul beast that was less than 100,000 years old, one he could easily kill with a flick of his hand!
This was tantamount to throwing his dignity to the ground and trampling on it.
"Roar!" With a deafening roar, Xuan Zi, filled with rage, directly released his martial soul's true body.
The Taotie Divine Bull!
Xuan Zi's incomparably powerful pressure spread out in all directions, causing the tall and thick trees around him to break directly and fall to the ground one after another.
Several thick trees fell, narrowly missing the disciple who had had one arm chopped off by the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis and was bent on the ground; fortunately, the surrounding disciples used their strength and soul skills to knock the fallen trees out of the way, ensuring everyone's safety.
Zhang Lexuan was in disbelief when she saw the trees falling. She wondered why Xuan Zi created a crisis at such a moment.
Xuan Zi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his disciples were safe and sound. At the same time, he stared at a wisp of soul on the left and became furious.
"You beast, I will skin you alive and tear out your tendons!"
Xuan Zi activated the Taotie Bull Martial Soul's true form, releasing its aura. Its powerful might surged like a raging storm.
His back muscles swelled at an alarming rate as he stomped his foot hard on the ground, then burst forth with the terrifying speed of a "Level 98 Super Douluo" to chase after the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
Although the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis could split into three souls, its main body could not switch between the three souls at will.
Upon realizing that Xuan Zi was accurately chasing its true body, the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis immediately recalled the other two souls and merged them to go faster.
During the escape, the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis issued orders to the Ten Thousand-Year Mantis it controlled, launching an attack on Xuan Zi in an attempt to slow down his pursuit.
Xuan Zi, who was wildly chasing from behind, exuded an incomparably terrifying aura. All the trees and boulders around him were crushed to powder under his powerful might and domineering soul power.
Xuan Zi saw two-thousand-year-old mantises controlled by the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis attacking him.
With two casual slaps, the two-thousand-year-old mantises were torn to pieces.
This nearly 100,000-year-old soul beast, which couldn't even satisfy the hatred in his heart by being skinned and having its tendons pulled out, could have killed a talented disciple of his Supervisory Group, yet it even dreamed of injuring him, a master with a cultivation level as high as level 98?
...
On the outskirts of the Sunset Forest, three men wearing white metallic robes were deep in conversation.
"Ziwen, although you are originally from the Heavenly Soul Empire, it is understandable that you come back to honor your ancestors, but you have been in my Sun Moon Empire since your parents' generation."
One of the short and plump men had a smiling face, a big belly, and his hands behind his back, looking extraordinary.
"Besides, you are a disciple of Master Kong. You have made great contributions to the research of Sun Moon Soul Guidance Technology in recent years. You have long been regarded as an outstanding citizen of the Sun Moon Empire."
"This Hall Master suggests that you should find a woman you like while doing scientific research and start a family in Mingdu as soon as possible."
This short and plump man was Jing Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall.
At this time, Jing Hongchen was planning a bright future for certain scientific research talent, hoping he would establish a deep-rooted sense of belonging and identity with the empire.
Xuan Ziwen adjusted his glasses and smiled, "Master, you worry too much. The last time I went back to the Heavenly Soul Empire to worship my ancestors was many years ago."
"And the soul guidance technology of the Sun Moon Empire allows me to perfectly display my expertise. I hope to produce more advanced scientific research results and further develop soul guidance technology."
"Master, are you afraid that I will run away?"
Xuan Ziwen felt that his parents' migration to the Sun Moon Empire was a very correct decision. The Sun Moon Empire has far-leading soul guidance technology, and soul masters with poor qualifications have alternative paths for development.
In the Sun Moon Empire, as long as one has an innate level of soul power, even if the quality of the martial soul is very poor, one can develop the expertise of soul engineering.
Jing Hongchen said solemnly, "Ziwen, I am not afraid that you will run away; I just care about your future happiness."
"After all, you are a disciple that Master Kong relies on, and you have made good achievements in the research of soul guidance devices. Now that you have met someone important and established your career, it is time to find a good partner and start a family."
Jing Hongchen continued to work on Xuan Ziwen's mentality.
If such a talented individual ever considered returning to the Heavenly Soul Empire and serving his homeland, both he and General Kong would be deeply saddened.
Their Sun Moon Empire's advanced soul guidance technology has indeed attracted a group of high-level talents from the Three Kingdoms of Douluo.
However, Xuan Ziwen was undoubtedly the best and only one among them. Due to his outstanding scientific research achievements, he was noticed by Master Kong and accepted as a disciple.
In addition to his exceptional talent, this was also due to Xuan Ziwen's character. He often entered a state of ecstasy during research and was meticulous. His approach to soul guide study could even be described as fanatical.
Xuan Ziwen felt a headache listening to Jing Hongchen's ramblings. How could he find a girl he liked while researching soul-guidance devices?
So, fed up, Xuan Ziwen started talking to the tall and thin man on the other side of Jing Hongchen, who had a resolute face but held an air of calm power.
"Hey, Xu Sheng, you're looking great. I haven't seen you in a few months, but you're back to normal."
Xuan Ziwen walked around Jing Hongchen and put his arm around Xu Sheng's shoulder, looking very relaxed.
"I heard from the Hall Master that you successfully created an eighth-level melee soul guidance device a few days ago, which is much better than the eighth-level Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Knife?"
Although Xu Sheng didn't want to engage in conversation, his success was indeed inseparable from Xuan Ziwen's help throughout the night.
Some loopholes in soul guidance research were only filled after being discovered and corrected by his counterpart.
He considered himself a genius in the research of sword-type melee soul guidance devices, having a top-level understanding within his limits, but he still held great admiration for Xuan Ziwen.
The latter had no weaknesses in the field of soul guides; he could easily master all types of magic arrays, such as fixed equipment, energy gathering, linkage, and merging arrays.
Rumor had it that Xuan Ziwen was further researching a new type of soul guidance device, which was among the highest goals in soul guidance technology—one that could be utilized by ordinary people.
To thank Xuan Ziwen for his previous help, Xu Sheng decided to engage him in conversation.
"The melee soul guidance device I made can be linked with my martial soul, doubling its combat power."
"Even if multiple strong Soul Douluos attack me at the same time, I will be able to defeat them."
Jing Hongchen knew that Xu Sheng's melee ability was formidable, and most importantly, he was a genius nurtured by Mingde Hall from childhood. Reflecting on this, Jing Hongchen couldn't help but feel pleased.
"Xu Sheng, you've successfully created an eighth-level soul guidance device. This trip will earn you the eighth soul ring. After breaking through to Soul Douluo, you will officially become a true eighth-level soul engineer."
Xuan Ziwen punched Xu Sheng lightly on the chest a few times, feeling his physical strength.
"Tsk tsk, Xu Sheng, you never take pills; that's quite different from the soul masters of Sun Moon. Some high-quality pills from Illustrious Virtue Hall have minimal side effects, and taking a few won't impact you much."
Xu Sheng shook his head: "I just feel uncomfortable."
"If there were a pill with absolutely no side effects that could improve cultivation, I doubt anyone would refuse it."
As the three of them walked and talked, they suddenly heard the harsh sound of breaking wind, accompanied by the sound of trees falling to the ground.
"What a big mantis."
Jing Hongchen saw the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis swiftly rushing out of the dense jungle and suddenly looked joyful.
"Xu Sheng, your martial soul is the Ancient Ingot Blade, and this mantis is highly compatible with it."
Xuan Ziwen frowned slightly, observing the size of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
"It's likely old, but you've cultivated it bit by bit, so your physique must be good. Do you want to give it a try?"
Xu Sheng's eyes sparkled, deeply attracted by the soul ring of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis: "What else is there to discuss?"
"Xuan Ziwen, where is your level 8 energy-gathering soul cannon? Bring it out and blast it."
Xu Sheng was eager, sensing that the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis was injured. He wondered who the kind-hearted individual was that had sent such a high-quality soul ring his way.
Jing Hongchen carried a soul guide that could shield his aura, so the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis could not sense the other party's cultivation level.
However, it was aware of Xuan Ziwen and Xu Sheng—a Soul Douluo and a quasi-Soul Douluo—yet had no time to attack these individuals now.
Xuan Ziwen didn't hesitate. He took out a huge metal tube and injected a small amount of soul power into it. Several strings of silver-white light gathered at the mouth of the metal barrel, producing a "sizzling" sound.
The Three-Soul Ghost Mantis was uncertain about what this weapon was. It sensed the threat but recognized that Xuan Zi's overwhelming aura was more perilous.
The eighth-level energy-concentrated soul cannon fired soul guidance shells.
After a loud bang, the slender pairs of legs under the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis's belly were blown away, leaving a strange liquid gushing from its body in a gruesome manner.
"Someone is coming."
"This person is formidable."
Jing Hongchen suddenly became alert as he noticed the khaki light flying toward them.
He saw an old man with ferocious eyes, a hideous face, and extreme fury rushing toward them, with disheveled hair flying in disarray, resembling a madman returning for revenge.
As Xuan Zi rushed over, he noticed a massive metal gun barrel on Jing Hongchen's shoulder. A strange rainbow light was flashing on it, and energy was continually gathering toward the muzzle with a "sizzling" sound.
The huge metal cannon's muzzle was aimed directly at him.
Faced with the ninth-level energy-gathering soul cannon, Xuan Zi was momentarily stunned, then slowly calmed down and ceased being irritable.
Xuan Zi squinted his eyes and studied the other person for a few seconds before recognizing his identity: "Are you the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen?"
(End of this chapter)