Young Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect

Xu Xuanbei, the father of Xu Sanshi, was a quasi-Title Douluo powerhouse.

The territory of the Xuanming Sect was vast, encompassing nearly the entire Beicheng Mountain Range, and the estate of Xu Xuanbei's family was hidden amidst the deep mountains and lush waters.

After Xu Sanshi explained the deal with his cousin, Xue Yuheng, to his father, Xu Xuanbei set down his fishing rod, released the fish from his basket back into the stream, and headed to the Xuanwu Pavilion.

"Junior Xue Yuheng pays his respects to the Grand Duke of Xuanming." Xue Yuheng bowed slightly while leading Xiao Xiao.

The Xuanming Sect was the primary source of annual fiscal revenue for the Tianhun Empire, and it had long held a hereditary title of Grand Duke of Xuanming.

Standing before Xu Sanshi, Xu Xuanbei had a tall, upright figure and wore a black brocade robe embroidered with gold thread. His deep blue eyes seemed to harbor the pressure of the abyss, clearly having changed into new attire before arriving.

Xu Xuanbei's face was as handsome as if carved from stone, and he was adorned with jewelry, fully displaying the immense wealth and arrogance of the Xuanming Sect as he laughed heartily:

"Lingxun often tells me about Prince Gan's nephew, saying you have been heroic and extraordinary since childhood. Looking at you now, it seems she was being a bit modest.

I only wonder, Prince Gan, does this ancient method... have any drawbacks?"

Xue Yuheng's conditions sounded harsh, yet for the Xuanming Sect, it was as if they were being gifted a Demi-God Level Martial Soul for free.

After thousands of years of accumulation, the low-profile Xuanming Sect had amassed an unknown amount of treasure.

Drawbacks to evolving a martial soul with the Wordless Heavenly Book?

Were there any? Everything Wu Ming had provided was positive feedback.

"The drawback lies in me, the caster. I can only perform this ancient method once every few years; it consumes a great deal of my physical function.

If it weren't for the Xuanming Turtle Shell, I wouldn't do this." Xue Yuheng fabricated a reason.

Only then did Xu Xuanbei lower his guard. Such a heaven-defying ancient method was unheard of; if it had no drawbacks, he truly wouldn't have dared to believe it.

"I just wonder, does this female Xuanming Turtle soul master have any specific requirements?" Xu Xuanbei asked another question he was deeply concerned about.

A Demi-God Level Martial Soul soul master was a future Limit Douluo.

The impact on the internal factions of the Xuanming Sect would be immense, especially if it weren't for Xu Xuanbei's own main lineage...

"Please, Sect Master Xu, gather all the female Xuanming Turtle soul masters in the sect. I need to select one." Xue Yuheng clarified.

To appear in the Wordless Heavenly Book, a female soul master, in addition to having physical contact with Xue Yuheng, had to possess at least the talent level of [Mediocre].

At least in the past ten days or so, Xue Yuheng hadn't encountered anyone; currently, the pages of the Wordless Heavenly Book only contained information on Xiao Xiao and Wu Ming.

Xu Xuanbei took Xu Sanshi and set out to handle the matter.

Time was of the essence, and there was no room for delay.

In the Douluo Continent today, the total number of powerhouses at or above the Title Douluo level across all four empires did not exceed a hundred.

Every Title Douluo was extremely precious, let alone a Limit Douluo!

Over the next week, Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao toured the mountains and waters of the Beicheng Mountain Range where the Xuanming Sect was located.

Xu Xuanbei and a group of elders were also busy recalling all the direct and collateral female disciples from outside the area.

Another day arrived, and the test to see who possessed the talent for a Demi-God Level Martial Soul, as described by Xue Yuheng, began.

It was like a large-scale interview; over a hundred women with beautiful faces and perfect figures were lined up in front of the Xuanwu Pavilion, waiting.

The large private room on the first floor of the Xuanwu Pavilion had been converted into an interview hall for Xue Yuheng alone.

"If I become a Demi-God Level Martial Soul, I'll just keep a hundred super-handsome men as my playthings..."

"Pfft, Xu Xue, that's all the ambition you have? Did that Beiyuan City Lord you married not serve you well enough?"

"That old woman and I are playing our own games now... let's not talk about these unhappy things. I'm just joking; I know how much my own martial soul talent is worth. I think this is just a formality. If someone is actually chosen, it'll be those young ladies from the main branch..."

"That's true, but what if there's a one-in-a-million chance?"

The women in the queue discussed in small groups; some of them had married far away and hadn't seen each other for many years.

"Next, Xu Xue." Xiao Xiao called out after seeing a woman walk out looking dejected.

Watching these heavily made-up, gaudy, and mature women have physical contact with Xiao Xue in a room always left a bitter taste in her mouth. But Xiao Xiao also knew this was all for the sake of her own martial soul.

The woman called Xu Xue tidied her clothes and asked the collateral sisters beside her if her makeup was alright before walking into the Xuanwu Pavilion like a proud peacock.

As a collateral disciple, Xu Xue hadn't visited the Xuanwu Pavilion often, even when she lived in the Xuanming Sect as a child. If not for the sect's recall order, she probably would never have had the chance to come here again in her life.

"Xu Xue of Beiyuan City pays her respects to Prince Gan." Xu Xue looked toward the center of the room and saw a noble, handsome youth sitting upright.

Truly a man of talent.

"Let's chat."

"Chat... chat about what?" Xu Xue was a bit confused.

"I just love listening to stories. People call me a friend to all women, so tell me your story." Xue Yuheng, dressed in white, unfurled a four-character folding fan and smiled with gentle elegance.

Xu Xue's story was much like the previous one—just the bitter grievances of a collateral disciple.

After the two chatted for about ten minutes, the Wordless Heavenly Book showed no reaction. Xue Yuheng expressed his regrets and ended the interview.

Xu Xue was somewhat disappointed, but she could accept it; after all, being only a Soul King at forty, she didn't look like someone with the talent for a Demi-God Level Martial Soul anyway.

This interview process took Xue Yuheng a total of two days.

Within the Xuanming Sect, only two people were recorded into the Wordless Heavenly Book; they were the young women with the highest talent in the entire sect.

It was a coincidence that one was from the main branch, while the other was from a side branch.

To avoid arousing the suspicions of Xu Xuanbei and the various elders, Xue Yuheng once again met with ten female soul masters separately, and those two young girls were among them.

In the end, based on their performance, Xue Yuheng chose the timid girl from the side branch.

"Xu Jinrou, if I choose you, what will you bring me?"

The twelve-year-old girl clutched the hem of her small skirt. Recalling the expectant expressions of her parents, a flash of determination crossed her eyes as she replied intelligently:

"Jinrou will become Prince Gan's person."

Xue Yuheng was very satisfied with this answer. Compared to the arrogant demeanor of the young lady from the main branch, this Xu Jinrou was clearly easier to control.

As a college student transmigrator who had stumbled into a stroke of great luck, Xue Yuheng had no ambition to unify the continent, yet he happened to be the Crown Prince of the Heaven Spirit Empire.

In less than fifteen years, the Heaven Spirit Empire would be destroyed by the Sun Moon Empire, and by now, the interior of the Heaven Spirit Empire had likely been infiltrated by the Sun Moon Empire until it was riddled with holes.

For the sake of the royal family, and even more so for himself, Xue Yuheng had to lay down some contingencies in advance to avoid repeating the mistakes of the original story.

Name: Xu Jinrou
Talent: Mediocre
Bone Age: 12
Level: 31
Cultivation: 3-Ring
Martial Soul: Xuanming Turtle (Deduction Complete)
Optimal Martial Soul Evolution Path: Demi-God Level Martial Soul -- Qingtian Xuanwu

Xu Xuanbei was disappointed with Xue Yuheng's selection of Xu Jinrou, especially since his own niece had been among the final ten girls.

What a pity.

Xu Xuanbei even sought out Xue Yuheng privately for this, but the latter did not budge, consistently maintaining the claim that among the entire Xuanming Sect, only Xu Jinrou's martial soul talent met the criteria.

Eventually, under pressure from the elders of the side and collateral branches, the main branch of the Xuanming Sect had no choice but to accept this fact.

That day, with the assistance of dozens of prepared heavenly treasures and the neutralization provided by ten points of Power of Creation, Xu Jinrou's martial soul completed its evolution.

Logically speaking, even if Xu Jinrou became a Demi-God Level martial soul master, it would be difficult to affect Xu Sanshi's position as the young sect master, because the old men of the Xuanming Sect held deep-seated patriarchal views.

But the Qingtian Xuanwu martial soul brought about a change for Xu Jinrou that exceeded everyone's expectations.

It gave Xu Jinrou the symbols of a male, and a line regarding gender appeared on the Wordless Heavenly Book's panel for Xu Jinrou, followed by the word "Deduction."

This also caught Xue Yuheng by surprise.

Qingtian... damn it, so that's what it meant.

After three days of arguing among the elders, Xu Jinrou successfully ascended to the throne of the young sect master.

In the blink of an eye, Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao had been guests at the Xuanming Sect for half a month.

Afterward, aside from the few heavenly treasures he had "embezzled," Xue Yuheng successfully obtained the key item for Xiao Xiao's martial soul evolution.

A forty-thousand-year-old Xuanming Turtle Shell.

The next step was to follow the steps and methods for Xiao Xiao's martial soul evolution as dictated by the Wordless Heavenly Book.

Shatter the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron martial soul, then use the Power of Creation, the Golden Crow True Source, and the Xuanming Turtle Shell to forge a new cauldron body.

The mountain breeze blew gently.

"Xiao Xiao, are you ready?"

Xue Yuheng's expression was exceptionally grave. The two had specifically asked Xu Xuanbei to find them a quiet place for seclusion in the Beicheng Mountain Range.

The summit of Xuanming Mountain was a fine location, and this was the first time outsiders had ever been allowed up there.

Xiao Xiao shed her usual playfulness, adjusting her physical state to its peak using her Innate Soul Power.

"Xiao Xue, let's begin."