I'm-Magnetic Rod!

But unfortunately, Heaven often didn't grant people their wishes so easily.

Just as the two of them had absorbed about half of their Soul Rings, Xu Yu keenly sensed several powerful auras approaching. They soon appeared within sight.

The moment Xu Yu saw the three of them, his eyelids began twitching instinctively. A strong sense of unease and danger instantly settled over him.

They were three elderly men, each looking well over seventy.

What was astonishing was that the three old men looked exactly alike, and even dressed alike.

They were all thin, with deeply wrinkled faces. Their gray-white hair hung loosely behind their heads, and their eyes were cloudy yellow, giving them a deathly air. Their most distinctive features were their hooked noses and thin lips.

All three wore gray robes and leaned on canes. Each cane was pitch-black, a full zhang long, and topped with a gray gemstone the size of a human head.

As soon as the three old men appeared, their gazes fell on Xu Yu and the others. Their movements were perfectly synchronized: they tapped their long canes on the ground, and their bodies floated forward. They took off together and landed together. After doing this twice, they were already standing in front of Xu Yu.

"An elder leading three little girls," the old man in the middle murmured, frowning. His voice rasped like a broken bellows, unpleasant to the extreme.

"Mm. Two of the little girls are absorbing Soul Rings." The old man on the left stared fixedly at the two who were absorbing their Soul Rings, his eyes clouded.

The old man on the right simply asked Xu Yu, "Who are you people? Where did you come from?"

"We're from the Mingyu Sect of the Sun Moon Empire."

Xu Yu casually came up with the name of a local sect in the Sun Moon Empire and gave it to them.

"So you're from the Mingyu Sect." The old man in the middle frowned, seemingly trying to recall what he knew about the sect. The old man on the left gave a dry chuckle and tried to strike up a connection. "The three of us brothers are from the Sun Moon Empire too. That makes us fellow countrymen."

The old man on the right chuckled. "That's right, fellow countrymen. Since we've met so far from home, there's no need to hide too much from one another. So, please show us your Martial Souls and Soul Rings."

Xu Yu smiled calmly. "You expect me to show you my Martial Soul the first time we meet? Hmph! That depends on whether you're worthy."

As he spoke, the Level 8 Soul Engineer of royal descent raised his right hand and gently pushed it forward, while lifting a Soul Cannon in his left.

The old man on the right glanced down at the Soul Cannon in Xu Yu's hand, then raised his own right hand and met Xu Yu's.

Bang!

A deep thud rang out as a fierce current of air surged into the sky, shaking the canopy overhead. A shower of leaves rained down.

"Oh! You actually have eight rings. No wonder you're from the Mingyu Sect."

The old man on the right watched Xu Yu in surprise. Clearly, though they both had eight rings, his strength was far inferior to Xu Yu's. Fortunately, he wasn't alone—he'd come with his two brothers.

No matter how you looked at it, three against one meant the advantage was his.

Xu Yu's expression remained calm. "Aren't you also an eight-ring Soul Master? Since you're a Soul Douluo-level expert, why bully the weak with superior numbers? I've only brought these children here to obtain Soul Rings. The Star Dou Great Forest is vast. We're hardly in your way."

The corner of the old man on the left's mouth twisted as he let out a "cackling" laugh.

"Whether you're in our way isn't for you alone to decide. How about this: once those two girls finish absorbing their Soul Rings, you'll all come with us. If you help us with a little something, we'll let you go. You should understand that a single Soul Douluo like you has no chance of standing against the three of us."

"Exactly!"

The old man in the middle repeatedly nodded in agreement with his brother, then said, "Help us with this matter, and you'll be free to leave."

As the three brothers pressed forward with ill intent, Xu Yu calmly took a step back and said in a low voice, "If even experts of your caliber need our help, then I doubt it'll be easy. Besides, we came in a hurry and didn't bring much in the way of supplies. If we stay in the Star Dou Great Forest too long, I'm afraid..."

"Hmph!"

Before Xu Yu could finish, the old man on the right snorted and cut him off impatiently. His face chilled as he said, "I'm afraid you don't get a choice. If you plan to stay here forever, the three of us don't mind wasting a little more time on you. Besides, the place where we need your help isn't far from here—just one or two hours away."

The old man in the middle nodded. "That's right. Remember, even if you can escape the three of us by relying on your own abilities, your disciples and their descendants won't."

As he spoke, the three old men released their Soul Rings in perfect unison.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—the standard optimal Soul Ring Configuration for a Soul Master.

Xu Yu hesitated for a moment, apparently wondering whether he should pull the trump card from his Storage Soul Tool and blow up the three old bastards. But after his peripheral vision swept over his princess, he temporarily suppressed the idea of making it a fight to the death.

After a long while, Xu Yu sighed. I have no choice but to give in to these unfavorable circumstances for now.

"Very well. Since the three of you have made up your minds, we'll risk our lives to keep you company!"

"That's more like it."

Seeing how sensible Xu Yu was being, the old man on the left nodded with satisfaction. He exchanged a glance with the old man on the right, then slowly strolled to a spot a dozen or so meters behind Xu Yu.

On the surface, it looked as though they had circled behind Xu Yu to watch their surroundings. In truth, they were using the opportunity to cut off Xu Yu and the others' escape route.

"..."

Xu Yu, born into the imperial clan, couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd suffered such an undeserved injustice. Gritting his teeth, he sat cross-legged beside his princess, planning to call Xu Yan back just before she finished absorbing her Soul Ring.

As long as the princess could get beyond the reach of a Soul Douluo's battle, he'd immediately turn into a "walking magnetic rod" and show those three old fossils what it meant to insult the royal family.

Time ticked by, second by second. Seeing that the princess had entered the final stage of absorbing her Soul Ring, Xu Yu flicked a strand of Soul Power into the jade bracelet hanging from her wrist.