Swearing Brotherhood with Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo

"I, Xu Xiao!"

"I, Gui Mei!"

"I, Yue Guan!"

"Today, we voluntarily form an oath of sworn brotherhood."

"We seek not to be born on the same day, in the same month, and in the same year, but we die on the same day, in the same month, and in the same year!"

"The heavens above, the earth below, witness our vow!"

Inside the Sunset Forest, three figures knelt beneath a lush, towering ancient tree.

A small clay statue stood before the tree, holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade—it was unmistakably a statue of Guan Gong.

Three sticks of incense burned before the clay statue.

The three figures bowed three times toward the Guan Gong statue ahead.

From this moment on, the oath was forged, and the three of them successfully became sworn brothers, making them the first sworn brothers on the Douluo Continent, having sworn their oath before a statue of Guan Gong.

This Guan Gong statue had been sculpted by the man named Xu Xiao among the three brothers; though a bit crude, it was undeniably Guan Gong.

Worshiping anyone else did not feel right to Xu Xiao, so worshiping Guan Gong gave him peace of mind.

"Big brother."

"Second brother."

"Third brother!"

"Second brother!"

The three looked at one another, identical smiles blooming on their faces.

Gui Mei walked up to Xu Xiao, hesitated for a moment, and suddenly spoke up. "Big brother, can we go hunt for a soul ring now?"

"For the past three years, ever since we reached level 10, you've kept us from hunting soul rings, always telling us to temper our bodies more."

Yue Guan chimed in, "That's right, big brother, we've been stuck at level 10 soul power for over a year now."

"It's about time you took us to hunt for a soul ring."

The two of them had kept these words bottled up in their hearts for a long time, and now they could finally voice them, no longer afraid that Xu Xiao would beat them up.

Xu Xiao was not a person of this world, having transmigrated here three years ago. When his martial soul awakened, his Innate Soul Power was rank 6, and after three years of cultivation, his soul power had long since reached level 10.

It was simply that he wanted to obtain a better soul ring, which was why he had not gone hunting for one.

Upon learning the identities of Yue Guan and Gui Mei, Xu Xiao knew he had transmigrated early—very early, by many years, though he was unsure of the exact number.

Yet arriving early had its advantages.

As Xu Xiao looked at Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who had yet to become Titled Douluo, the smile on his face never faded.

These were loyal bodyguards, after all; rather than letting Spirit Hall benefit from them later, he might as well claim them for himself right now.

Therefore, Xu Xiao had sworn brotherhood with them.

Seeing the excited expressions on their faces, Xu Xiao knew he really had delayed them for quite a long time.

Even without hunting for a soul ring, soul power still grew, only manifesting fully after absorbing a soul ring.

Xu Xiao smiled and shook his head, summoning his martial soul.

A flawless, pure white small pagoda appeared, emitting a faint white glow that was both immaculate and noble.

"Big brother, are you from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Yue Guan pursed his lips in a pout, looking in disbelief at the small pagoda in Xu Xiao's hand.

In his impression, aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, whose martial soul could be a pagoda, and one that emitted such a holy and pure radiance?

Xu Xiao waved the small white pagoda in front of the two of them. "Look closely, my pagoda has nine levels. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda only has seven."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is nothing compared to this martial soul of mine."

Xu Xiao spoke with absolute confidence. Over the past three years, he had gradually come to understand this martial soul of his, and its might was simply not something the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could compare to.

"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?" Gui Mei blurted out in shock.

Xu Xiao was speechless, giving Gui Mei a light smack on the head. "You're dead set on me being from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, aren't you?"

Yue Guan chuckled. "Big brother, if you were from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, wouldn't we have a powerful backing?"

"Although it can't compare to Spirit Hall or the Clear Sky Sect, it's still a place to go," Yue Guan explained simply.

At the present time, the most powerful factions were Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect. One possessed Tang Chen, the strongest on land, whose presence suppressed everyone so thoroughly they could hardly breathe, while the other boasted Qian Daoliu, the tyrant of the skies with a resounding reputation.

Anyone with even a shred of talent would, in all likelihood, join one of these two factions.

Naturally, Xu Xiao was an exception. At this juncture, he had arrived ahead of time by at least several decades, and these two factions appeared to be at the zenith of their power.

Yet later on, one would seclude itself from the world while the other met a tragic end, with few ending up well.

Still, one could not deny that with them currently at the height of their power, joining them was indeed the best choice.

However, Xu Xiao's martial soul was far too special—so special that he could not join any faction whatsoever.

Xu Xiao said, "If my martial soul weren't so special, joining a faction wouldn't be unreasonable, but my martial soul is simply too extraordinary."

"This is also why I kept the two of you from going out to hunt for soul rings."

The two men grew interested, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Big Brother, what's this about? Could your martial soul be some heaven-defying support type?" Yue Guan had slightly more insight than Gui Mei, and he guessed at the function of Xu Xiao's martial soul.

"This little white pagoda is called the Spirit Pagoda."

"Over the past three years, I've also come to fully understand this little pagoda."

"The little pagoda has only a single soul skill: Soul Attachment."

Hearing this, Yue Guan cried out in surprise, "Just like the Nine Heart Begonia? It can only possess a single soul skill?"

Gui Mei patted Yue Guan. "Third Brother, don't interrupt Big Brother. Let him speak."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei looked at Xu Xiao, and Xu Xiao shook his head. "My soul skill is that I can attach soul rings for the two of you!"

"What?" The two cried out in surprise, then immediately looked around.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged glances. No wonder, no wonder Big Brother kept stopping us from going to hunt soul rings; it turned out he was waiting for this.

The two immediately understood the gravity of the matter.

"Big Brother, don't worry. From now on, this will be our biggest secret."

"Just like our oath: we seek not to be born on the same day, but we ask to die on the same!"

The two instantly grew vigilant. If this soul skill leaked out, it would inevitably attract the covetous eyes of many people.

Xu Xiao smiled. "Of course I trust you two, or else I wouldn't have sworn brotherhood with you, nor would I have told you."

"Big Brother, if it were only adding soul rings, it shouldn't be enough to make you this cautious and serious," Yue Guan continued.

Xu Xiao nodded. "Naturally. This soul skill of mine can attach soul rings to you at a ten-fold multiplier."

The two were puzzled, not quite grasping Xu Xiao's meaning.

Xu Xiao went on to explain, "For example, if my first soul ring is four hundred years old, then I can attach a four-thousand-year soul ring for you."

"Moreover, it will be the most suitable for your martial soul's attributes and the absolute best match."

The two sucked in a breath of cold air. A four-thousand-year first soul ring—four thousand years! Who in the present world has a first soul ring that reaches the thousand-year level?

"B-Big Brother, can we just pretend we didn't hear this? Your martial soul is too defying of the heavens, truly too defying of the heavens."

Yue Guan swallowed hard. He had never heard of such a terrifying martial soul in all his years.

Hiss!

Gui Mei's emotions were also churning. No wonder Big Brother kept stopping us from hunting soul rings; he was truly looking out for us.

"B-Big Brother."

"Many thanks, Big Brother!"

Though Gui Mei was not one for many words, he could still see how much importance Xu Xiao placed on them.

Yue Guan also snapped back to his senses and repeatedly offered his thanks.

If not for this, Big Brother would have had no reason at all to hold them back from hunting soul rings.