The Xuanming Sect covered a vast area, its buildings arranged with aesthetic elegance—green tiles, white walls, and sweeping eaves in traditional style. The entire place radiated a solemn and ancient air.
Led by Xu Sanshi, Xu Tianxi and his two attendants navigated winding corridors and passed through more than ten courtyards before arriving at a massive enclosed plaza.
The courtyard opened toward the outside of the sect. As they approached, Xu Tianxi noticed a long line of plainly dressed people gathered beyond the courtyard gates—mostly adults holding the hands of anxious-looking children, expressions a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
Seeing Xu Tianxi's interest in the lineup, Xu Sanshi smiled and explained:
"Third Brother, our Xuanming Sect holds a large-scale martial soul awakening ceremony every three months. For the commoners outside, this is a huge opportunity. As long as they pay ten gold soul coins, they can use our formation to awaken their martial souls—open and fair, no tricks, no deception."
Xu Tianxi casually replied:
"I read in the books that ten thousand years ago, the Spirit Hall would send people across the entire continent to help commoners awaken their martial souls—for free?"
Xu Sanshi's eyelid twitched. He immediately reached out to cover Xu Tianxi's mouth and whispered in a hurried, urgent tone:
"Third Brother, you can say stuff like that at home, but never out in public! You'll get into serious trouble."
Xu Tianxi was surprised at how extreme his reaction was.
"So… the books were lying?"
"No, the books were right! But even if it's the truth, you can't say it aloud!"
Xu Sanshi answered in a panic, then glanced around carefully to confirm they were alone before continuing in a hushed voice:
"Let me tell you the real story. After the Spirit Hall collapsed, the responsibility for awakening martial souls in the continent fell to the empires—then later, the Three Great Empires.
But you know how it is—empires are propped up by nobles, and in their fiefdoms, they're basically kings. They hold life and death over the common folk.
Nobles are used to living in luxury. You think they're going to spend time, money, and manpower trudging through the wilderness to awaken the martial souls of some random peasants? The empire doesn't even reimburse them!
So naturally, they started charging. That's how it is now."
"Frankly, our price is already very kind. A commoner family can scrape together ten gold soul coins if they save up for a few months. And Xuanming Sect has no obligation to offer this service anyway—we're basically doing charity."
Xu Tianxi's pupils dilated in shock.
"So… we charge them, and they still have to thank us?"
Xu Sanshi nodded without shame.
"Exactly. Before we stepped in, the City Lord's Office was charging one hundred gold soul coins per awakening—and with limited slots, too.
This city doesn't have any high-ranking nobles—the highest is just a baron. And with us here, things have to stay relatively stable. They don't dare cross the line.
But in fiefdoms run by dukes and marquises? You might pay thousands of gold soul coins, and even that might not be the end of it. Temporary price hikes, hidden conditions—nothing's off the table. There's no one to check or stop them, and low-level soul masters can't fight back. The nobles do whatever they want."
"And sometimes, they want more than just money—like selling your body into servitude. I won't go into the dirtier stuff, but that's what I've heard from my classmates.
Most of them come from noble families, and some were already pretty wild before joining Shrek. When they brag in private, their mouths run loose."
"Anyway, nobles across all three empires make a killing off this system. If you mention Spirit Hall's free awakenings in public? That's a violation of imperial law.
They could arrest you—or even kill you on the spot—and it would be considered legal. The Three Empires don't acknowledge those practices at all."
Xu Sanshi's vivid description made Xu Tianxi visibly pale. He silently admitted he had underestimated just how deep-rooted the nobility's grip on society was.
They controlled the very entry point for upward mobility, cutting off the vast majority of commoners from climbing the social ladder—ensuring their own grip on power stayed firm.
And in this kind of system, those commoner geniuses who couldn't find a place?
They either became nobles—or evil soul masters.
At that moment, Elder Yue interjected:
"Young Masters, I recall that in the Sun Moon Empire, their national laws don't include this clause. They still send officials to perform awakenings for commoners, and sometimes it's even free."
"Makes sense," Xu Sanshi said indifferently. "The Sun Moon Empire never had the Spirit Hall. Of course they didn't inherit that ban."
As they talked, they reached the center of the courtyard. The elder responsible for martial soul awakenings saw Xu Sanshi and Xu Tianxi walking in, arms around each other, and looked visibly startled.
Xu Sanshi raised a hand to signal silence, then led Xu Tianxi into a three-story tower overlooking the entire sect. Inside, they found Xu Fu and Xu Xiaoyun waiting.
All four bowed in greeting. Xu Fu pointed toward the stone ritual formation on the floor and smiled:
"Go ahead."
Xu Tianxi nodded and stepped confidently into the soul formation that would determine much of his future.
"Whoosh—"
Xu Fu released a beam of soul energy. A formation composed of six black stones slowly rose around Xu Tianxi, encircling him.
"Close your eyes and focus."
Xu Fu's voice was deep and steady. Then he took a breath, his aura surging—summoning his martial soul: a massive, three-meter-wide black tortoise shell shield. Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red soul ring rose behind him in perfect harmony, stabilizing the space for the awakening.
In the corner, Xu Sanshi stared at that tenth ring—the red, hundred-thousand-year one—and swallowed hard.
"Three years ago, Dad didn't have his ninth ring when he awakened mine…"
"Like that red ring, huh? Then work hard. Once you become a Titled Douluo, your Great-Grandfather will take you to the ocean to hunt one down."
Xu Xiaoyun chuckled. Xu Sanshi beamed back and praised with a grin:
"Great-Grandfather is wise!"
Xu Xiaoyun laughed heartily.
This was the benefit of having strong elders—you even got help hunting ten-thousand-year beasts.
Xu Sanshi smugly thought to himself:
"That rascal Beibei might not even have that advantage. Ha!"
—
Meanwhile, standing in the center of the ritual, Xu Tianxi closed his eyes and began to sense his body. He suddenly heard a faint "crack", as if chains within him were snapping open. A strange, ethereal force surged up from deep within and quickly flowed through his limbs and bones.
"So this is… soul power? Not bad at all."
He felt thin, threadlike energy trailing along his meridians. His body felt strong, his mind clear. His senses were sharp enough to catch even the sound of cicadas outside the distant courtyard.
A few seconds later, the flow of energy split—one current surged toward his right hand, and the other toward his forehead and eyes. Xu Tianxi couldn't help but open his eyes. A flicker of surprise lit up within.
"What's going on? Is this… a twin martial soul?"
The same question surfaced in the minds of Xu Tianxi, Xu Fu, and Xu Xiaoyun all at once.
Suddenly, a deep black light surged from Xu Tianxi's right palm, blanketing his entire body and spreading outward like a tide.
In the black glow, a one-meter-wide shield slowly emerged—hovering before him. A perfectly-formed Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield, elegant and complete.
And for some reason, Xu Fu flinched the moment the shield materialized—like he'd been shocked. His pupils quaked.
A pressure born from a higher water attribute? Impossible! He was a Titled Douluo and carried the Xuanwu bloodline!
At the same time, in Xu Tianxi's eyes, a faint glow appeared—like warm water flowing in moonlight. In the depths of his pupils, two cold, solitary moon shadows floated. A crescent mark appeared between his brows. Behind him, strands of spiritual energy began weaving together—too faint for any soul master below Titled Douluo to notice.
Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up. He clapped his hands and laughed:
"Knew it! It's the Xuanming Tortoise! I said so—Third Brother would definitely awaken our clan's direct-line martial soul.
Judging by the look of it, his innate soul power must be at least level nine! Our Xu Clan just gained its second twin star!"
"Eh? Great-Grandfather, why do you look so serious? Tianxi awakened just fine—aren't you happy?"
From the corner of his eye, Xu Sanshi noticed that Xu Xiaoyun's expression had become extremely grave. His brows sank into a deep crease.
Xu Xiaoyun gave him a sideways glance and smirked like a mischievous old rascal.
"His water… is no ordinary water. Why don't you go up and feel it for yourself?"
"Huh? Oh, alright."
Xu Sanshi blinked, summoned his own martial soul, and approached, wanting to compare the two shields.
But before he even got close, his own Xuanming Shield began trembling violently. The dense water-element energy clinging to its surface dispersed in terror, like it had met a nightmare predator.
"ROAR—"
Xu Tianxi's shield erupted with an invisible roar. A purple light flashed across the surface, and an unseen wave of beastly pressure struck outward.
"What… the hell?!"
The sound of the roar still echoed as Xu Sanshi was knocked backward by a surge of energy, stumbling several steps before landing flat on his rear, his face blank with disbelief.
Xu Tianxi hadn't even become a proper soul master yet. This couldn't have been from soul power—it could only mean one thing:
His martial soul's quality had crushed Xu Sanshi's. Utterly.
But… how? That shouldn't be possible!
Beibei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could only fight Xu Sanshi to a draw—maybe even slightly lose. In the whole Shrek Outer Court, his was among the strongest martial souls.
Xu Tianxi's shield looked the same—how could it do this?
At that moment, Xu Xiaoyun appeared beside Xu Tianxi. He placed his hand on the shield and felt the energy coursing through it—and his voice trembled with awe.
"As expected… Ultimate Water. This is an Ultimate Attribute Martial Soul!"
His eyes gleamed with unprecedented brilliance. He had watched Xu Sanshi's martial soul be overwhelmed. He could now say for certain:
Xu Tianxi's Xuanming Shield carried a water element that reigned supreme over all others!
In the realm of water, there was no higher form.
This was—Ultimate Water.
Not even Ultimate Fire could've caused Xu Sanshi's water elements to collapse this fast. And certainly, nothing else would've made Xu Xiaoyun—a Level 98 Super Douluo—feel an ever-so-faint but real sense of inferiority.
That tiny gap… was a chasm.
"Heaven bless the Xuanming Sect! Hahaha! Heaven has not abandoned our Xu Clan!"
Xu Xiaoyun burst into joyful laughter—but quickly caught himself when he realized others were present. He threw Xu Fu a sharp look.
This was a secret that must not leak out.
Xu Fu understood. His eyes calmly swept the room before locking onto the most dangerous variable:
Xu Sanshi.
Chen Wu and Elder Yue would never leave the Xuanming Sect. But Sanshi? He had to go back to Shrek.
For the future of the clan… he might just have to be "put to sleep" for a while.