After observing the Crescent Moon Mark on Xu Tianxi's forehead for a while, seeing it absorb the falling moonlight and project a pea-sized Moon Shadow in mid-air, Xu Fu was absolutely certain that this was the state of a Star-type Martial Soul during cultivation. He was overjoyed.
In the Soul Master world, there are several types of Martial Souls widely recognized as powerful. For example, Dragon-type Martial Souls. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, hailed as the strongest Assault Type beast Martial Soul in the world, is a True Dragon, and the Light and Dark Sacred Dragons are even more powerful among True Dragons.
Then there's their Xuanming Sect's Profound Tortoise Martial Soul, which possesses the Black Tortoise Bloodline of a divine beast and a Body Martial Soul with the ability of a Second Awakening; and Ultimate Attribute Martial Souls, which are truly super Martial Souls.
While Star Martial Souls are slightly inferior to these, they are still synonymous with top-tier Martial Souls. The Imperial Family of the Sun Moon Empire inherits exceptional Sun and Moon Martial Souls; the Sun Martial Soul is even said to be close to the Ultimate Fire Martial Soul.
The Star Crown Martial Soul of the Xu Family, part of the Star Luo Royal Family, is extremely powerful. Many Titled Douluo in the Star Luo Empire possess Star Martial Souls. Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu, who has the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star Martial Soul, is only at Level Ninety-One or Ninety-Two, but his strength can rival a Level Ninety-Five Super Douluo.
The strongest individual in the Dou Ling Empire, Heavenly Sun Douluo, whose Soul Power reached Level Ninety-Seven, achieving such a level also demonstrates the power of the Heavenly Sun Martial Soul.
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Star Martial Souls are so formidable not just because of their inherently high quality, but primarily because they can draw upon the power of celestial bodies for combat and cultivate by borrowing power in special environments, producing unexpected effects.
In Xu Fu's perception, during Xu Tianxi's unconscious cultivation, although his Soul Power circulation speed didn't change significantly, his Spiritual Power was slowly but steadily increasing.
Every time the Crescent Moon Mark on his forehead reflected a sliver of Moonlight, his Spiritual Power would imperceptibly strengthen by another fraction.
Although the process wasn't obvious, it was still a pleasant surprise, and Xu Fu certainly wouldn't complain. A little at a time is good; many drops make an ocean.
With this talent, plus good things like Whale Glue, he no longer had to worry about Xu Tianxi encountering issues during Soul Ring absorption where his physical strength met the requirements but his Spiritual Power couldn't withstand the resentment from a deceased Soul Beast.
He squinted and smiled for a long time. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. Xu Fu immediately leaned closer, wide-eyed, carefully examining the flickering Crescent Moon Mark on Xu Tianxi's forehead.
"I can't be happy too soon. While Star Martial Souls are incredibly powerful, they sometimes have drawbacks. I need to observe more. I hope Tianxi's Martial Soul won't have any problems…"
As the Xuanming Sect Master, Xu Fu knew many secrets of the Soul Master world. Remembering the peculiarities of certain Star-type Martial Souls, worry quickly rose in his heart.
The Star Crown Martial Soul of the Xu Family, part of the Star Luo Royal Family, is immensely powerful, but it can only absorb starlight for cultivation at night. Even releasing Soul Skills requires pre-absorption of starlight, much like a Soul Guided Device that needs to be charged beforehand and is depleted after one use.
Not only is cultivation arduous, but it also causes the Soul Master's daily routine to be completely inverted, making the early stages of cultivation very difficult.
Heavenly Fiend Lone Star Huang Jinxu was even more tragic: his mother died at birth, his father at eight, and all his relatives and friends perished. Rumor has it that if Huang Jinxu wanted to kill someone, he would befriend them, guaranteeing that his enemy would be thoroughly annihilated…
Xu Fu didn't understand the principle behind this Heavenly Fiend Lone Star, but he prayed devoutly that Xu Tianxi's Illusory Moon Mystic Eyes Martial Soul wouldn't be associated with something like the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star. He still wanted to live for many more years.
Staring blankly for over an hour, Xu Fu counted all the stars in the sky and finally confirmed that the mark on Xu Tianxi's forehead only absorbed Moonlight Power and wasn't connected to any strange stars.
Moreover, during his observation, he noticed that the outline of the Moon Shadow projected by the Crescent Moon Mark gradually became clearer, transforming from illusory to concrete.
This made Xu Fu very happy. The moon is good, the moon is wonderful! Even if they turn into night owls like those from the Star Crown Sect, it's still much better than the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star.
And from what he could see, if this mark on the forehead absorbed enough moonlight, the projected Moon Shadow would definitely bring about unexpected changes.
This, of course, couldn't be a third Martial Soul, but rather an external manifestation of the Illusory Moon Mystic Eyes Martial Soul's power. Xu Fu had a premonition that once this Moon Shadow absorbed enough moonlight and fully formed, it would certainly bring unexpected surprises.
Moreover, he clearly sensed that this seemingly real yet illusory Moon Shadow appeared to possess sentience, with a very strong spiritual aura, intertwined with Soul Power, giving off a distinct flavor of Spiritual Power and Soul Power merging.
The fusion of Soul Power and Spiritual Power is the essence of creating advanced combat techniques.
Xu Fu had to admit that even with his temperament, he felt a little envious and jealous of Xu Tianxi's talent at this moment. This kid's talent was simply unbelievably good.
He was already a Level 93 Titled Douluo, possessing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Theoretically, he could certainly break through to the Level Ninety-Five Super Douluo tier by simply putting in the time.
However, at the final hurdle, he still needed to merge his Soul Power and Spiritual Power to a state of perfect fluidity and complete integration.
He estimated that it would take him three to five years at the fastest, or ten years at the slowest, to take that step. If he had Xu Tianxi's Martial Soul talent, he would be absolutely confident in taking that step within three years.
Such talent was truly too suitable for comprehension.
"The records of the Xuanming Sect state that only a very few mutated Martial Souls or Body Martial Souls can possess this innate gift.
The Body Sect always claims their Body Martial Souls are divine blessings, and that Body Soul Masters find enlightenment more easily and can combine Soul Power and Spiritual Power more readily than other Soul Masters. It seems their words are not unfounded."
Watching his son embark on a clear path to surpass him, Xu Fu muttered to himself, thinking that their Xuan Ming Lineage's Profound Tortoise still had some shortcomings.
He had long known that Body Martial Souls had unique advantages in absorbing Soul Rings, and the boost they provided to a Soul Master's physical constitution and Spiritual Power was unmatched by most top-tier Martial Souls;
The contemporary Body Douluo, Poison Undying, being able to absorb three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, was a testament to this.
Now, it seemed his understanding of Body Martial Souls was still insufficient. This was truly a miracle. Coupled with the Ultimate Water Xuanming Shield that possessed the Black Tortoise Bloodline, he could barely imagine how powerful Xu Tianxi would become decades from now.
"But it doesn't matter. No matter how powerful a Body Martial Soul is, it belongs to my Xuanming Sect. I, the Sect Master, can take this opportunity to thoroughly research it, and it will also accumulate experience for future breakthroughs…"
Xu Fu quickly comforted himself with mental victory. No matter how talented the young master was, he was still his son. He, as the father, could take this opportunity to observe the process of Soul Power and Spiritual Power merging without having to pay anything.
"San Shi said Tianxi spent a long time in the Library Pavilion. He must be someone who likes to read. When he wakes up, I'll have some good things to show him…"
The moon set in the middle of the sky, and the sun was about to rise. Time flowed by unnoticed, and the night quickly passed.
Unable to absorb moonlight, the Crescent Moon Mark on Xu Tianxi's forehead stopped flickering. The Moon Shadow, which had grown to the size of an egg, also transformed into cool, pure white light spots, surging towards the Crescent Moon Mark.
As these light spots entered his mind, Xu Tianxi's consciousness slowly awakened. He felt his brain clearer than ever before, even recalling most of the physics, chemistry, and math knowledge he had learned in high school.
He was terrifyingly strong now, brave enough to re-enter the college entrance examination battlefield!
"Ah-woo~ That was a really comfortable nap…"
Yawning and stretching, Xu Tianxi slowly opened his eyes, then saw Xu Fu's large face, which startled him.
What was with that intense gaze? Was Xu Fu acting a bit strange?
CRACK—
The door opened, and Yue Lao walked in, holding a pot of very pungent soup. He smiled as he ladled soup into a bowl and brought it to Xu Tianxi.
"Young Master, this is an old tonic soup made from several precious ingredients, including millennium Whale Glue. It's excellent for improving physical strength and comprehensively enhancing the endurance of your muscles, bones, and meridians. Please drink it while it's hot; your Son-in-Law specifically sent someone to prepare it."
Xu Tianxi blinked in confusion. Millennium Whale Glue? Was this some kind of ultimate tonic? Was the Xuanming Sect's treatment really this good?
Without much hesitation, he suppressed his aversion to the fishy smell and gulped down three large bowls, letting out a satisfied burp before stopping.
He wasn't one to take things for granted. This kind of top-tier treatment was something many people could only dream of. He knew very well that Whale Glue could directly increase his body's tolerance for Soul Ring years.
After drinking, before he could even express his thanks, Xu Fu chuckled and brought out a stack of books, arranging them in a row. He gestured, saying,
"Come, come, Tianxi, take a look and see which of these books catches your eye. I'll explain their mysteries to you."
Xu Tianxi's eyes darted over the titles, each one sounding extraordinary, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He wanted to speak but held back.
"Ten Secrets to Xuanming Family's Ten Thousand Year Legacy on Douluo Continent"
"Sacrifice for Xuanming, Our Duty to the Family's Legacy"
"The Advantages of Sustained Sect Legacy, Seen from the Dissolution of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Change of Ownership in the Star Luo Empire's Imperial Family"
"Don't Ask What the Empire Has Done for You, Think About What the Sect and Family Have Done for You"
Good heavens, the Xuanming Sect truly was a unique Sect. Perhaps if he proactively offered to invest in the Sun Moon Empire to diversify risk, they would readily agree.
A Sect that wasn't rigidly unbending like this perfectly suited his tastes. He could still slip away to the Sun Moon Empire to escape the Tang God King's clutches.