"What kind of Soul Beast is a Golden Hawksbill? Old Xu, why are you frozen?"
Xu Tianxi stood still for a moment after recognizing the Soul Beast. Xiao Hongchen, finding this strange, stepped forward to ask curiously, while also examining the large turtle.
It doesn't look like anything special, just a big turtle.
"You uncultured oaf."
Xu Tianxi sighed, rubbing his forehead, his face full of disdain for the illiterate:
"The Golden Hawksbill is an emperor among terrestrial turtle Soul Beasts, the king of all turtles, known for its longevity.
It's considered an Auspicious Beast.
Their kind possesses auspicious aura; any Soul Beast near them will receive good fortune and find their cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. You don't even know this? You really haven't read enough."
Xiao Hongchen pouted, muttering softly:
"I'm a Soul Engineer, not a Soul Master. Why would I read so many books about Soul Beasts? This information isn't available in the Sun Moon Empire's texts, so it's useless for me to read, no different from wasting time.
"Besides, isn't your Martial Soul the Illusory Moon Mystic Eyes? Why are you so excited seeing this guy? Could it be that this big turtle has strong Spiritual Power, suitable for your Soul Ring?"
Xu Tianxi thought as he walked, shaking his head and saying, "The Golden Hawksbill's Spiritual Power isn't very strong; its defense is.
Let me tell you, you uneducated fellow, the Invincible Shield was developed by referencing this guy's innate ability. Bringing it back as the Academy's Guardian Beast would be quite impressive. I can't believe you don't even know this—"
"The Invincible Shield was learned from this guy?"
Xiao Hongchen's spirits lifted. Just as he was about to rush over and ask, he felt a gust of wind sweep past him. It was Xuan Ziwen, who had shot forward.
"Tianxi, you should have said so earlier! This guy has too much research value—"
As a research fanatic, Xuan Ziwen had a huge interest in any Soul Guided Device. Hearing that the Invincible Shield was related to the Golden Hawksbill, his speed surpassed Xiao Hongchen's imagination.
He and Xu Tianxi arrived in front of the Golden Hawksbill almost simultaneously, one on each side.
"Hello there, Brother Turtle. I hear your Golden Hawksbill clan is the smartest among land turtles. Would you be interested in moving in with us?"
Xu Tianxi greeted the Golden Hawksbill with a smile, secretly hoping it was the same Golden Hawksbill Xu Sanshi encountered in the original work.
That Golden Hawksbill of Xu Sanshi's was thirty thousand years old. It absorbed the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's life force to reach the hundred-thousand-year level. Later, its greed got the better of it, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. It snuck into the Lake of Life and bit off a piece of Gold of Life, leaving itself on the verge of death and forcing it to form a Soul Spirit Contract to survive.
This one here looked listless, clearly ailing. If it really was the Golden Hawksbill from the original work, it would be a huge gain.
"Mew~ Mew."
The Golden Hawksbill half-opened its eyelids to glance at Xu Tianxi and Xuan Ziwen, then immediately retracted its head into its shell.
Boring humans. You know our clan is smart, yet you still try to trick this King. Clearly, you want to steal a Soul Ring. This King won't play with you.
It wasn't worried about its safety. Although it had little life force left, it could still unleash powerful defensive abilities. With its ten-thousand-year cultivation, even a Ferocious Beast couldn't break through its defenses in a short time.
If it weren't for a special reason preventing it from contacting other powerful Soul Beasts, finding a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast to protect it would be effortless.
Xu Tianxi wasn't disheartened by the cold shoulder. He simply delved into his consciousness and communicated with the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
"Brother Tianmeng, how is this guy's condition? His life signs seem very weak."
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm released its Spiritual Power from afar to sense, and question marks quickly popped up on its forehead:
"Indeed, this guy is about thirty thousand years old, which is prime age for a Golden Hawksbill, but his life force is severely draining. That shouldn't be happening at all—
"If it continues to drain like this, he might not survive another ten years. I've never seen such a strange Golden Hawksbill, it's as if something is absorbing his life force.
"But his condition is different from Brother's tragic experience. Brother was having his life force sucked out by those hateful Ferocious Beasts, while he seems to be consumed from within. That's even stranger—"
Consumed from within? That pretty much confirms this guy is the Golden Hawksbill from the original work, Xu Tianxi nodded to himself.
However, he wouldn't form a Soul Spirit Contract now, nor did he have a reliable way to retrieve the Gold of Life swallowed by this guy. He should first figure out a way to bring it back. This guy seemed to have lived for thirty thousand years without a partner...
Just then, a surprised gasp came from the gray mist in a corner of his Sea of Spirit.
"How does this little turtle have Gold of Life inside it?"
The spiritual body of Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up.
His consciousness returned, and Xu Tianxi's eyes darted around as an idea struck him. He smiled and patted the Golden Hawksbill's dark golden shell:
"Brother Turtle, you are so elegant, mighty, and handsome. We're here to make friends, not to kill you for a Soul Ring. How about this, to show our sincerity, I'll make you an offer: after we bring you back, I'll find you a beautiful female turtle to keep you company. How does that sound?"
Xiao Hongchen, who had just walked up to Xu Tianxi, immediately burst out laughing, gasping for breath:
"Old Xu, you're too ridiculous! You're actually finding a partner for a big turtle. It'd be a miracle if it listened to you, hahahaha..."
"Smack!"
Xuan Ziwen slapped the back of Xiao Hongchen's head, annoyed. "Xiao Hongchen, quiet down! Let's see who's more ridiculous!"
"Huh? No way—"
Xiao Hongchen turned his head, his eyes suddenly going blank.
He saw the Golden Hawksbill's huge, dark golden head, which had previously retracted, emerge from its shell again. It spoke in a deep, booming voice:
"You said you wouldn't kill me and would find me a pretty female turtle. Do you keep your word?"
It can talk. Is this guy a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast? Xiao Hongchen and Xuan Ziwen were startled.
Xu Tianxi wasn't surprised that the Golden Hawksbill could speak. He raised a finger to the sky, as if taking an oath. "Of course, I swear on my Martial Soul."
The Golden Hawksbill's gaze softened considerably. It nodded, then asked suspiciously, "I believe what you said, but what about your companions? How can you guarantee they won't kill me?"
"And how can you guarantee you have the ability to find me a beautiful female turtle?"
"You can rest assured on the first point. I am currently the Millennial First Genius of the Sun Moon Empire, one of the four great human empires. Our academy's Dean values me highly, so I have the authority to protect you as an Auspicious Beast."
Xu Tianxi chuckled and then pointed to Xiao Hongchen and Xuan Ziwen respectively. "This is the previous Millennial First Genius of the Sun Moon Empire, the grandson of our academy's Dean. And this teacher is our academy's Chief Researcher, a disciple of the Sun Moon Empire's strongest individual."
As he finished speaking, Xiao Hongchen responded with a dark expression, while Xuan Ziwen replied without changing his expression.
"They have no need for your Soul Ring. We all know you're an Auspicious Beast, blessed with good fortune. No normal person would harm you. And to be frank, your species has no offensive power, so your Soul Ring isn't suitable for most Soul Masters, is it?"
The Golden Hawksbill nodded slightly.
Xu Tianxi pressed on, "As for the second question, our academy is the top academy in the Sun Moon Empire, so our strength is absolutely guaranteed. Also, Brother Turtle, are you interested in finding some sea turtles? I have special connections."
The Golden Hawksbill proudly lifted its head. "Ordinary sea turtles aren't worthy of serving me—"
Xu Tianxi directly interrupted, "My connection is with the king of the sea turtle race, Heavenly Tyrant Bixi. However, contacting them might take a while, and it also depends on their willingness."
Over the past few years, the young Bixi had occasionally sent letters, and he had often replied. The young Bixi had mentioned that some of its kin found lying around for several years boring and wanted to go out and explore, and had asked if he could introduce a safe method.
The Golden Hawksbill's raised head lowered, its eyes fixed on Xu Tianxi, seemingly even breathing heavily. "Is that true? You're not just spouting nonsense to deceive me, are you?"
To think that he, a magnificent Hundred Thousand Year Turtle King, had never had a companion in his past. Was he finally going to find love among sea creatures?
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi, king of the sea turtle race, hmm, very fitting for a magnificent Hundred Thousand Year Golden Hawksbill King like me. It's a pity my life is short. Indeed, turtle life is brief, so I should enjoy myself while I can. "That's naturally true, but let's be clear first. I can only act as an intermediary. If they don't fancy a sickly individual like you, then I'm out of options. After all, they are also a royal lineage."
Xu Tianxi spread his hands, putting pressure back on the Golden Hawksbill.
The Golden Hawksbill grew anxious, sticking out its head in worry. "That was an accident. If I hadn't been so greedy, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
"I also find it strange how you, as a long-lived species, ended up in this state. Why don't you relax? I'll take a look for you." Xu Tianxi smoothly brought up the core point.
"You're just a human, can you really do it?" The Golden Hawksbill was full of disbelief.
"My family has been raising turtles for generations, for over ten thousand years. Also, let me say in advance, my eyes will change a bit when I examine you."
Xu Tianxi took out the Ten Thousand Year Old Turtle Care Guide that Xu Xiaoyun had given him, flipping through a few pages to show his experience.
"Raising turtles for generations? Fine, let's see if you can figure anything out." The Golden Hawksbill lazily stretched out its four limbs, not really believing the other party had the ability to discern its problem.
If a mere human could figure it out, I would have been discovered and killed by Bi Ji and Beast God long ago.
Xuan Ziwen and Xiao Hongchen watched with interest as Xu Tianxi slowly walked forward and placed a hand on the Golden Hawksbill's dark gold shell.
From an angle the two couldn't see, Xu Tianxi's eyes subtly shifted from silvery-blue to gray, and his entire demeanor underwent a drastic change.
He suddenly turned his head and glanced at the two of them. The unprepared pair immediately fell into a daze.
After that glance, Xu Tianxi's gaze returned to the Golden Hawksbill, and he stared deeply into its eyes.
"How is this possible? How can he have such eyes? How high must his Spiritual Power level be?"
The Golden Hawksbill looked utterly shocked. From Xu Tianxi's gray eyes, it saw endless desolation, yet within that desolation was a sacredness it had never witnessed before.
This level of sacredness within desolation was extremely high, giving it an overwhelming sense of pressure that made it uncontrollably tremble with fear, even more so than the Ferocious Beasts it had encountered, including Beast God Di Tian!
A faint gray light shot out like a tangible object, landing on the dark gold shell. The Golden Hawksbill's body stiffened, and a massive surge of life force erupted from within it, emerging from its shell.
"Although I don't know why the Gold of Life was swallowed by you, and you were harmed to this extent, since this old man is here, I shall help you find some relief."
An ancient voice transmitted into the Golden Hawksbill's mind in the form of an idea, like a magical incantation, causing the Hundred Thousand Year Turtle King to calmly settle down and allow it to proceed.
By Azure Wave Lake, countless intense golden rays shot out from the Golden Hawksbill's body. The golden light, mixed with an extremely rich life aura, rapidly spread out, enveloping Xu Tianxi, who was closest, and Xiao Hongchen and Xuan Ziwen, who were a bit further away.