Xu Sanshi's father, Xu Xuanbei, was a Quasi-Titled Douluo.
The Xuanming Sect occupied a vast territory, encompassing nearly the entire Beicheng Mountain Range. Xu Xuanbei's family residence was hidden deep among its lush mountains and clear waters.
After Xu Sanshi told his father about the deal with his cousin, Xue Yuheng, Xu Xuanbei set down his fishing rod, released the fish in his basket into the stream, and went to Xuanwu Pavilion.
"This junior, Xue Yuheng, pays his respects to the Grand Duke of Xuanming." Xue Yuheng said, leading Xiao Xiao in a slight bow.
The Xuanming Sect was the main source of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family's annual revenue, and it had long held the hereditary title of Grand Duke of Xuanming.
Xu Xuanbei stood before Xu Sanshi, tall and straight in a black brocade robe embroidered with gold thread. His deep blue eyes seemed to conceal the pressure of the ocean depths. Clearly, he had changed into a new outfit before coming.
Xu Xuanbei was handsome, his features as if carved from stone. Dressed in glittering finery, he embodied the Xuanming Sect's immense wealth. He laughed heartily and said,
"Lingxun often tells me about Your Highness Prince Gan's nephew. She says he's been valiant and extraordinary since childhood. Seeing you now, I'd say she was being rather modest.
"But I wonder, Your Highness Prince Gan, does this ancient method... have any drawbacks?"
Xue Yuheng's conditions sounded harsh, but to the Xuanming Sect, it was like being handed a Demi-God Level Martial Soul for free.
After thousands of years of accumulation, no one knew how many treasures the discreet Xuanming Sect had amassed.
Drawbacks to evolving a Martial Soul with the Wordless Heavenly Book?
Were there any? Wu Ming had given nothing but positive feedback.
"The drawback lies with me, the one performing the ritual. I can only use this ancient method once every few years, and it takes a heavy toll on my body.
"If it weren't for the Xuanming Turtle Shell, I wouldn't do this." Xue Yuheng made it up on the spot.
Only then did Xu Xuanbei let down his guard. He had never heard of such an incredible ancient method. If it had no drawbacks, he really wouldn't have believed it.
"I wonder, are there any requirements for the female Soul Masters with Xuanming Turtle Martial Souls?" Xu Xuanbei asked, voicing another concern of his.
A Soul Master with a Demi-God Level Martial Soul could become a future Limit Douluo.
She would have a tremendous impact on the factions within the Xuanming Sect. If it weren't for Xu Xuanbei's own branch, the line of the Sect Master...
"Could Sect Master Xu please summon all the female Soul Masters with Xuanming Turtle Martial Souls in the sect? I'll need to select one." Xue Yuheng explained.
For a female Soul Master to appear in the Wordless Heavenly Book, she had to meet with Xue Yuheng and possess at least Mediocre Talent.
At least in the past dozen days, Xue Yuheng hadn't met anyone who fit the bill. For now, the Wordless Heavenly Book only displayed information about Xiao Xiao and Wu Ming.
Xu Xuanbei and Xu Sanshi set about arranging things.
Time was short; they couldn't afford to delay.
Across the four great empires of the Douluo Continent, there were only a little over a hundred experts at the Titled Douluo level or above.
Every Titled Douluo was precious, let alone a Limit Douluo!
Over the following week, Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao toured the mountains and rivers of the Beicheng Mountain Range, where the Xuanming Sect was based.
Xu Xuanbei and the elders worked at a frantic pace to summon all the direct-line and collateral female disciples from outside the sect.
A new day dawned, and the test Xue Yuheng had described—whether someone had the talent for a Demi-God Level Martial Soul—began.
It was like a massive job interview. More than a hundred beautiful, perfectly proportioned women queued outside Xuanwu Pavilion.
The large private room on the first floor of Xuanwu Pavilion had been converted into an interview room for Xue Yuheng alone.
"If I get a Demi-God Level Martial Soul, I'm going to keep a hundred super handsome guys!"
"Pfft, Xu Xue, that's the best you can come up with? Has the Beiyuan City Lord you married not treated you well?"
"That bastard and I do our own thing now... Enough with the unpleasant stuff. I was just joking. I know exactly how much talent my Martial Soul has. I think this is all just a formality. Even if someone gets picked, it'll be one of the main branch's young ladies..."
"True, but you never know."
The women chatted in small groups. Some of them had married far away and hadn't seen one another in years.
"Next, Xu Xue." Xiao Xiao saw a woman stumble out looking devastated and called out in a crisp voice.
Watching these mature women, all dolled up and dressed to the nines, meet with Xiao Xue in the same room made Xiao Xiao feel uneasy. But she knew it was all for the sake of her Martial Soul.
Xu Xue, whose name had been called, straightened her clothes and checked with the collateral-branch sisters beside her to make sure her makeup was in order. Only then did she stride into Xuanwu Pavilion like a proud peacock.
As a collateral-branch disciple, Xu Xue hadn't often visited Xuanwu Pavilion, even when she had lived at the Xuanming Sect as a child. Without the sect's summons, she might never have had another chance to come here.
"Xu Xue of Beiyuan City pays her respects to Your Highness Prince Gan." Xu Xue looked into the private room and saw a refined young man seated upright right in the center.
He was truly a fine-looking young man.
"Let's talk."
"Talk... about what?" Xu Xue asked, bewildered.
"I like listening to stories. People call me a friend to women. Tell me your story." Dressed in white, Xue Yuheng opened a four-character folding fan and smiled with gentle warmth.
Xu Xue's story was much like the previous woman's: little more than the woes of a collateral-branch disciple.
After they chatted briefly for more than ten minutes, the Wordless Heavenly Book showed no reaction. Xue Yuheng expressed a few words of regret and ended the interview.
Xu Xue was disappointed, but she could accept it. After all, she was forty and only a Soul King. She hardly seemed like someone with the talent for a Demi-God Level Martial Soul.
The interviews took Xue Yuheng two days in total.
Only two people from the Xuanming Sect were entered into the Wordless Heavenly Book. They were the most talented young women in the entire sect.
As luck would have it, one was from the main branch and the other from a collateral branch.
To keep Xu Xuanbei and the elders from growing suspicious, Xue Yuheng arranged separate meetings with ten female Soul Masters once more. The two young women were among them.
In the end, based on their performances, Xue Yuheng chose the timid girl from the collateral branch.
"Xu Jinrou, if I choose you, what will you bring me?"
The twelve-year-old girl pinched the hem of her skirt. Remembering the expectant expressions of her parents, a look of resolve flashed through her eyes. She answered cleverly,
"Jinrou will become Your Highness Prince Gan's person."
Xue Yuheng was very satisfied with this answer. Compared to the main-branch young lady's arrogance, Xu Jinrou would clearly be easier to control.
As a college student who'd somehow ended up transmigrating, Xue Yuheng had no ambition to unite the continent. Yet he just so happened to be the crown prince of the Dou Ling Empire.
In less than fifteen years, the Sun Moon Empire would destroy the Dou Ling Empire. By now, the Sun Moon Empire's people had probably infiltrated the Dou Ling Empire until it was riddled with holes.
For the sake of the royal family—and himself—Xue Yuheng had to lay some groundwork in advance and avoid repeating the original story's mistakes.
[Name: Xu Jinrou Talent: Mediocre Talent Bone Age: 12 Level: 31 Cultivation: 3 rings 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 choice of Xu Jinrou. His own niece had been among the final ten girls.
What a pity.
Xu Xuanbei had even approached Xue Yuheng in private about it, but Xue Yuheng hadn't budged. He continued to insist that Xu Jinrou was the only one in the entire Xuanming Sect with a Martial Soul that met the requirements.
Under pressure from the elders of the collateral branches, the main branch of the Xuanming Sect eventually had no choice but to accept this reality.
That same day, with the aid of dozens of prepared heavenly treasures and ten points of the Power of Creation to balance them, Xu Jinrou's Martial Soul completed its evolution.
In theory, even if Xu Jinrou became a Soul Master with a Demi-God Level Martial Soul, she would have little chance of threatening Xu Sanshi's position as young sect master. The old men of the Xuanming Sect were deeply prejudiced in favor of men.
But the Qingtian Xuanwu Martial Soul brought Xu Jinrou an unexpected change.
It gave Xu Jinrou male characteristics. The Wordless Heavenly Book's profile for her also gained a line for gender, followed by the words "Deduction."
This surprised Xue Yuheng too.
Qingtian... damn, so that was what it meant.
After three days of heated debate by the council of elders, Xu Jinrou successfully took the seat of 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, apart from the heavenly treasures he had "pocketed," Xue Yuheng got the key item he needed for Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul Evolution, just as he had hoped.
A forty-thousand-year-old Xuanming Turtle Shell.
Next, they only needed to follow the steps for Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul Evolution recorded in the Wordless Heavenly Book.
They would shatter her 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 drifted gently.
"Xiao Xiao, are you ready?"
Xue Yuheng's expression was exceptionally grave. The two of them had specifically asked Xu Xuanbei to find them a quiet place to cultivate in seclusion in the Beicheng Mountain Range.
The summit of Xuanming Mountain was a good choice. This was also the first time an outsider had ever been allowed up there.
Xiao Xiao had set aside her usual playfulness and used her Innate Soul Power to bring her body to peak condition.
"Xiao Xue, let's begin."
Before you continue