It worked! Watching the scene before him, Lin Xi couldn't help making a victory gesture in his mind.
His request for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Huo Yutong to touch foreheads had actually been a spur-of-the-moment idea.
In the original story, this event had happened after the first tournament, while Huo Yuhao was obtaining his third Soul Ring. With this, Huo Yutong had pulled a full two years ahead of Huo Yuhao in one stroke.
The earlier an event that enhanced talent like this happened, the better. With an awakening twenty levels early, if she was lucky, Huo Yutong might even switch from the spiritual type to the fate type.
As for why he hadn't touched foreheads with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion himself... according to her, his power of fate was far stronger than hers. He felt the result would instead be the Three-Eyed Golden Lion gaining benefits from him.
Besides, if they shared memories, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion would see right through him, down to his underwear. Who knew how she would react after learning the truth behind his "foreknowledge" and his identity as a transmigrator?
The risk was too great, and he might even take a loss. He wasn't doing that kind of business.
Looking at the dazed Three-Eyed Golden Lion before him, Lin Xi gave a smug smile.
"Well? Do you understand my plan now?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked at him somewhat blankly and slowly nodded.
"Oh... mm, I never imagined that big worm was scheming like that. A Wisdom Soul Ring... that's certainly unprecedented. No wonder you brought this weak human here."
"Then what are you planning to do?"
"Huh?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion blinked in surprise.
The impact of Huo Yutong's memories had been rather great, and her mind couldn't quite catch up for a moment.
"I'm asking what you plan to do next." Lin Xi smiled meaningfully. "You know my plans now, too. Well? Want to come with me?"
In the original story, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had sneaked out of the Star Dou Great Forest not long after obtaining Huo Yuhao's memories. Clearly, the human world had made quite an impact on her.
It would happen sooner or later anyway, so why not simply let her stay by his side?
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked somewhat tempted, but after pondering for a while, she ultimately shook her head.
"No, I want to digest her memories first. I'll consider what comes next afterward."
"Is that so? That's fine." Lin Xi shrugged, took paper and a pen out of his Storage Soul Tool, signed his name, and handed it to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "In that case, if you decide you want to visit the human world later, go find the people from the Unlimited Blade Works Chamber of Commerce. They'll arrange an identity for you. How about Lin Qiu'er for your name?"
"...Thank you."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion took the slip of paper, hesitated, and asked:
"You don't seem to think very highly of Shrek, so why did you still choose to go there?"
After viewing Huo Yutong's memories, she had discovered that Lin Xi was full of complaints about Shrek, with almost nothing positive to say. It practically made one suspect his ancestors had a feud with Shrek.
Yet according to those same memories, Shrek was precisely where Lin Xi intended to go next.
Why was that?
"Because there's nowhere else to go." Lin Xi smiled helplessly. "There are a few opportunities in my plans that I can't miss, and to get my hands on them, I need to belong to one of the continent's top factions at the very least. My own faction hasn't developed yet. After weighing the pros and cons, I still think Shrek is the best fit."
In truth, with his qualifications, he could develop in any faction.
A twelve-year-old Soul Elder, and one who could fight opponents dozens of levels above him at that-once that got out, every faction would absolutely scramble to claim him.
But after turning it over in his mind, he had helplessly discovered that Shrek was currently his best destination.
There was no helping it. He could only blame the factions of the Douluo Continent for all being so absurd. Though none were absurd in quite as refreshingly unique a way as Shrek, they weren't much better.
The Holy Spirit Cult was the first to be ruled out. He didn't consider himself a good person, but he wasn't so utterly depraved that he would mingle with Evil Soul Masters. Besides, judging by the Holy Spirit Cult's attitude toward its two holy maidens in the original story, he didn't think joining them would end well for him.
The same went for the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Considering how closely the manifestations of his Martial Soul resembled those of Evil Soul Masters, along with Nana's experiences in the original story, there was an extremely high chance the Holy Spirit Cult would set its sights on him if he went there. Besides, if his plans went smoothly, he might genuinely have little regard for what technology Mingde Hall possessed.
The Body Sect was somewhat better than the previous two, but it still wouldn't do. It was too arrogant, and even more hidebound than Shrek, which was nicknamed the Great Qing of Douluo. It was extremely opposed to Soul Tools and lacked a top-tier expert capable of counterbalancing a Limit Douluo. Overall, it couldn't offer Lin Xi many benefits.
After going through them in detail like this, going to Shrek and following the main storyline was still the best choice. At least the risks were low, the entry requirements were low, and the returns were predictable.
"I see..." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lowered her head thoughtfully, an unreadable emotion flashing through her eyes. "Then, since you have nowhere else to go-how about coming to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"..." Lin Xi stared at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, dumbfounded, then couldn't help laughing aloud. "Hahahaha, are you sure about that?"
"What's wrong with that?!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's embarrassment turned into anger. "Are you looking down on our Star Dou Great Forest?!"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Lin Xi shook his head with a chuckle.
Objectively speaking, the Star Dou Great Forest really was the strongest faction on the continent.
According to the setting of Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, almost every Ferocious Beast was a Limit Douluo, and there were countless Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old as well. In terms of fighting strength alone, there was presumably nothing in Douluo II that could contend with it.
He had only failed to hold back his laughter because he hadn't expected Huo Yutong's memories to have such a powerful influence. Before this, he could never have imagined the Three-Eyed Golden Lion saying something like that to him.
"Thank you, but I'll pass." Smiling, he stroked the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's leonine head. "At the end of the day, I'm still human. I can cooperate with you Soul Beasts, but I won't abandon my identity as a human to join you."
How would that be any different from those people who ran off to become spies for the sake of wealth and luxury?
Lin Xi didn't want to become a traitor to humanity, so it was still too early to formally approach the Star Dou Great Forest's forces.
Once he had sufficient strength, he would pay an official visit to the core region and meet the true strongest being on this continent.
"Tch, forget it, then." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion clicked her tongue irritably, shook off Lin Xi's wandering hand, and closed her eyes. "I want to take a good look at this little girl's memories. Stay away from me. I don't want to see you for a while."
"All right, all right."
Lin Xi shrugged, picked up Huo Yutong, and walked away.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was bound to feel confused after suddenly receiving so many memories. Even if she hadn't said anything, he had been planning to give her some time to digest them.
He had already gained enough tonight. One couldn't be too greedy.
After Lin Xi disappeared from view, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion quietly opened her eyes and looked in the direction he had left.
"That guy... just where did he come from..."
She had seen so very much in Huo Yutong's memories, witnessing the prosperity of a human world she had never seen before.
It had dealt an unimaginable shock to her mind. Though it hadn't made her pass out like Huo Yutong, it had still caused her emotions to be involuntarily influenced by Huo Yutong.
The greatest change was probably her attitude toward Lin Xi. She found it difficult to get angry with him now.
Huo Yutong's feelings for Lin Xi were simply too intense. In the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's impression, every nook and cranny of her memories was filled with Lin Xi, and he could practically do anything.
Someone bullying her? Lin Xi stepped in and beat them with ease. No money for food? Lin Xi secretly brought them feasts every few days. Couldn't afford a teacher? Lin Xi's summons taught swordsmanship and Magecraft. Lacking experience of the world? Lin Xi took her traveling around it.
One could say that, in Huo Yutong's eyes, Lin Xi was little different from a god.
Likewise, to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, this fellow was also beyond the norm.
Could she accomplish the same things he had if she were in his place?
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion didn't want to think about it, because the answer was obvious.
"Lin Xi, huh..."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's voice drifted through the forest at night.
She was destined to get no sleep tonight.