The Xuanying Sect occupied vast land, with buildings arranged in an orderly manner—blue tiles, white walls, flying eaves, and bracket sets that exuded a strong sense of ancient simplicity.
Xu Tianxi, accompanied by two others and led by Xu Sanshi, twisted and turned through more than ten gates and long corridors until they entered a huge courtyard.
Outside the courtyard, which connected to the rest of the sect, Xu Tianxi caught sight of many plainly dressed commoners lined up outside. Most were adults holding the hands of children, faces full of nervousness yet tinged with hope.
Noticing Xu Tianxi's interest in the queue of commoners outside, Xu Sanshi smiled and explained,
"Third Brother, every three months our Xuanying Sect holds a large-scale Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. This is a big opportunity for commoners outside. They only need to pay ten Gold Soul Coins to awaken their martial souls using our formation—fair, open, and honest, with no deception."
Hearing this, Xu Tianxi casually remarked,
"I read in books that ten thousand years ago, the Martial Soul Hall would send people to every corner of the continent to awaken martial souls for commoners—and they didn't charge a fee."
Xu Sanshi's eyelids twitched, and he quickly covered Xu Tianxi's mouth, whispering sharply in his ear,
"Third Brother, you can say that at home, but don't say it out loud here. It'll cause trouble."
Xu Tianxi was surprised by the strong reaction. "Is what the book says false then?"
"It's true! The book is true! But even if it's true, you still can't say it!"
Xu Sanshi glanced cautiously around to make sure no outsiders were nearby before continuing carefully,
"Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Ever since the Martial Soul Hall fell, the responsibility of awakening martial souls for commoners naturally fell to the two empires, and later the three empires.
But you know how empires rely on nobles to maintain control. In those fiefdoms, nobles are like local despots—they hold life and death over the commoners with a thought.
These nobles have long enjoyed power and privilege. They won't bother to send people trekking through mountains and rivers to awaken martial souls for free. And the empire won't reimburse them either.
So charging fees for martial soul awakening became a natural thing.
Honestly, our fees are very reasonable—commoner families can save up by scrimping and saving for a few months. Besides, our sect doesn't even have the obligation to do this. We're basically doing charity."
Xu Tianxi's eyes widened in surprise. "We charge for this, and the commoners still have to thank us?"
Xu Sanshi nodded naturally. "Exactly. Before our Xuanying Sect took this on, the city lord's manor charged a hundred Gold Soul Coins and limited the number of applicants. We're basically doing charity."
"Our Xuanying City doesn't have powerful nobles—at most a count. With the sect nearby, we need a stable environment for business, so they don't dare go too far.
But in the duchies and marquisates, fees easily reach thousands of Gold Soul Coins, and sudden surcharges aren't uncommon. No one can control them, and lower-ranked soul masters can't resist. They are at the mercy of the nobles."
"Even worse, there might be other demands, like selling oneself into servitude...
I won't tell you the worst of it, but these are things I heard from classmates, many of whom come from noble families and already had wild reputations before enrolling. They don't hold back when bragging in private."
"In short, nobles across all three kingdoms make profits off this. If you openly say the Martial Soul Hall awakens martial souls for free, you'd be breaking imperial laws.
You could be arrested or even killed on the spot—it's legal because the three empires don't recognize that."
Xu Sanshi's vivid description made Xu Tianxi pale. He silently admitted he had underestimated the nobles of the Three Kingdoms.
These people control the commoners' path upward from the source, greatly reducing chances for commoners to rise and thus solidifying their rule.
Under this system, commoner geniuses either join them or... become evil soul masters!
At that moment, Yue Lao suddenly interjected,
"Gentlemen, I recall that in the Sun Moon Empire's national laws, this is not the case. They do organize people to awaken martial souls for commoners, and sometimes it's free."
"That's no surprise. The Sun Moon Empire never saw the Martial Soul Hall, so of course, they don't have that law," Xu Sanshi replied indifferently.
As they talked, they had already entered the courtyard. The person in charge of martial soul awakening saw Xu Sanshi and Xu Tianxi entering arm in arm and was startled.
Xu Sanshi raised a hand to signal silence and led Xu Tianxi away quietly, entering a three-story pavilion with a broad view. Xu Fu and Xu Xiaoyun's figures appeared before them.
The four bowed simultaneously. Xu Fu pointed to the stone formation on the ground with a smile and said, "Come in quickly."
Xu Tianxi replied and briskly stepped into the awakening formation that could decide much of his future fate.
"Whoosh—"
Xu Fu released a stream of soul energy light, and the awakening formation of six black stones rose slowly, surrounding Xu Tianxi.
"Close your eyes and feel it carefully."
Xu Fu said solemnly, then his body trembled, releasing a deep, powerful aura. A three-meter diameter black turtle-shell shield appeared before him. Four soul rings—two yellow, two purple, one black, and one red—also appeared, ensuring the awakening process was foolproof.
In a corner, Xu Sanshi stared intently at Xu Fu's hundred-thousand-year ninth ring, secretly thinking how enviable his father's soul ring setup was. When his own martial soul awakened three years ago, he didn't even have nine rings.
"If you like the red soul ring, then train hard. When you become a titled Douluo, the ancestral spirit will take you to the sea to find a suitable one."
Xu Xiaoyun's cheerful voice suddenly rang out. Xu Sanshi smiled mischievously at Xu Xiaoyun, swallowed, and praised, "The ancestor is wise," making Xu Xiaoyun beam.
This is the advantage of having elders—soul beasts that have lived for a hundred thousand years can even help kill for you.
Xu Sanshi happily thought that that brat Beibei probably couldn't compare in this regard. Haha...
Meanwhile, with his eyes closed, Xu Tianxi sensed some cracking sounds as if shackles were breaking inside his body. A mysterious and profound power surged from his depths, quickly filling his limbs and bones.
"So this is soul power? Feels pretty good."
Sensing strands of mysterious, fine as silk-like energy being guided out along his meridians, Xu Tianxi nodded silently to himself. He now felt strength throughout his body, his mind clear, his six senses transparent—even the distant chirping of cicadas reached his ears.
A few seconds later, the soul energy suddenly split: part surged toward his right hand, another part flowed to his brain and eyes above his forehead. Xu Tianxi couldn't help but open his right palm, and his eyes involuntarily opened as well, a flicker of surprise flashing through his gaze.
"What's happening? Is this a Twin Martial Soul?" Xu Tianxi, Xu Fu, and Xu Xiaoyun all thought simultaneously.
In the next moment, Xu Tianxi's right palm emitted a dense, dark black stream of light that instantly enveloped his entire body like a tidal wave, then spread outward.
A black shield about one meter in diameter materialized within the dark light, floating in front of Xu Tianxi. It was a standard Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield, of excellent quality.
For some reason, Xu Fu's body trembled as if electrocuted when the Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield appeared, his pupils suddenly jolting.
Suppression from a higher-level water attribute? How could that be possible!? He himself was a titled Douluo powerhouse, with the Xuanwu bloodline in his martial soul!
At the same time, in Xu Tianxi's newly opened eyes, a barely perceptible gentle, moist hue circulated. Deep within his pupils floated the images of two cold, frosty lonely moons, and a faint waning moon mark appeared on his brow.
Behind his head, it seemed strands of spiritual energy intertwined, real yet illusory, almost impossible to detect by all but the strongest below titled Douluo level.
Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up; he stood with a gulp and applauded,
"So it really is the Xuanying Turtle! I told you, Third Brother would definitely awaken our Xu family's direct lineage martial soul.
Judging by this, his innate soul power is probably at least level nine. From now on, our old Xu family will be a twin star lineage."
"Eh? Ancestor, why the solemn expression? Aren't you happy Xu Tianxi awakened his martial soul smoothly?"
Xu Sanshi caught a glimpse of Xu Xiaoyun's face growing serious, two thick eyebrows deeply furrowed, forming a patch of aged wrinkles.
Xu Xiaoyun glanced sideways at Xu Sanshi and tilted his head with a mischievous grin:
"This Xuanying water is not ordinary. Why don't you come and feel it yourself?"
"Ah? Oh, okay."
Xu Sanshi was momentarily stunned but summoned his martial soul to compare the difference.
However, before he could approach Xu Tianxi, his own Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield inexplicably trembled. The dense water element energy on its surface seemed terrified of something in the world and quickly dissipated.
"Roar—"
The next moment, Xu Tianxi's Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield, like a beast fiercely defending its territory from an intruder of the same kind, flickered with a streak of purple light across its surface. A muffled beast's roar echoed in the air, accompanied by invisible shockwaves striking outward.
"What? What's going on here?"
Amid the beast's roar, Xu Sanshi was pushed back several steps by invisible shockwaves, stumbling backward until he sat heavily on the ground, his face full of disbelief.
Xu Tianxi wasn't even a soul master yet; his cultivation couldn't force Xu Sanshi to retreat. The only explanation for the situation was this—
His martial soul was being suppressed in quality, and severely so!
But that was impossible!
Beibei's Blue Thunder Tyrannosaurus could only match him evenly or was even slightly weaker. Among the entire Shrek outer courtyard, his martial soul was the strongest.
Xu Tianxi's Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield looked identical to his own—how could this be?
The next second, Xu Xiaoyun suddenly appeared before Xu Tianxi and placed his palm carefully on the Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield to feel it, exclaiming in shock and revealing the truth.
"It really is the Ultimate Water. This is an Ultimate Martial Soul!"
A sharp light shone in Xu Xiaoyun's eyes like never before. Having seen Xu Sanshi's martial soul suppressed and personally sensed the elemental difference, he could confirm without doubt that Xu Tianxi's Xuanying Turtle Shell Shield possessed power that surpassed all other water-attribute martial souls in existence!
The ultimate of water attribute is the Ultimate Water!
Nothing else but Ultimate Water could cause the water elements of Xu Sanshi's martial soul—even with the Xuanwu bloodline—to instantly dissolve like this. Not even Ultimate Fire could do it!
Even more impossible was for it to create a subtle yet real gap in elemental level that could be felt by a level 98 super Douluo like him.
That subtle difference was a chasm—an unbridgeable natural moat!
"Blessed be Xuanying! Blessed be Xuanying! Ha ha ha ha! Heaven is not unkind to the Xu family, ha ha ha ha..."
Xu Xiaoyun's loud, robust laughter echoed throughout. Suddenly, he noticed there was an outsider nearby and shot a fierce glance at Xu Fu, who was laughing just as heartily.
This matter was critical—no information could be leaked even slightly!
Xu Fu understood and looked over the three present, finally fixing his gaze on the eldest son Xu Sanshi.
Chen Wu and Yue Lao couldn't leave the Xuanying Sect. Only Xu Sanshi might.
For the future of the Xuanying Sect, they had no choice but to... let him close his eyes and rest for a while.
The martial soul awakening begins its journey.