I'll Give You Some Face

The black-clad senior before him was Xu Sanshi, ranked third among the Shrek Seven Monsters of the Peerless era in the original story. His Martial Soul was the Xuanming Turtle.

As for why Xu Sanshi knew Xu Xingyu, it was through a matter involving his family.

A few years ago, when Xu Xingyu visited Heaven Dou City with Gu Yuena and the others, he encountered a little girl seeking medicine.

That little girl was none other than Jiang Nannan, the Mad Demon Soft Rabbit, ranked fourth among the Shrek Seven Monsters of the Peerless era in the original story.

Seeing how pitiful the little girl was, Xu Xingyu stepped in and cured her mother's illness. In the process, however, he discovered that Jiang Nannan's mother had actually been poisoned, and the person responsible came from the Mysterious Underworld Sect.

That person was the Mysterious Underworld Sect's grand elder. He had once discovered by chance that Jiang Nannan possessed the Supreme Yin Jade Body, a special physique suited to dual cultivation.

For the future of the Mysterious Underworld Sect, he wanted to create a situation where Jiang Nannan had no choice but to seek medicine from them. That way, they could also demand with justification that she take part in their family's Second Martial Soul Awakening ritual.

The Xuanming Clan's Second Martial Soul Awakening ritual essentially involved intercourse with the opposite sex to stimulate one's Black Tortoise Bloodline, giving one's Martial Soul a chance to evolve into a Black Tortoise.

And if Jiang Nannan, with her Supreme Yin Jade Body, were the partner, then as long as nothing went wrong, a Black Tortoise Martial Soul would surely awaken. That would inevitably bring about the birth of someone in the Xuanming Family who might one day become a Limit Douluo.

Unfortunately, Xu Xingyu discovered the plan. Had he not found out, he might have let the original story play out; after all, he was no saint. But if he had discovered it and still turned a blind eye, he would have looked down on himself.

In the end, Xu Xingyu brought his Soul Beast Clan followers to the Mysterious Underworld Sect and forced them to submit and apologize for what they had done to Jiang Nannan. He also took the opportunity to establish his own sect, the Spirit Contract Pagoda, in Heaven Dou City.

Xu Sanshi had once held complicated feelings toward Xu Xingyu, with a measure of resentment mixed in. After all, no one liked being forced to submit to another faction. But after they submitted to him, the Mysterious Underworld Sect was actually gifted a hundred-thousand-year Golden Hawksbill Soul Spirit.

Not only did this Soul Spirit come with a torso bone, but the Spirit Contract Pagoda was also willing to make this Golden Hat-Wearing Soul Spirit exclusive to the Mysterious Underworld Sect.

That way, after the person who fused with the Soul Spirit died, the Spirit Contract Pagoda would reserve a place for the Golden Hawksbill in the Soul Spirit Realm and allow only members of the Mysterious Underworld Sect to fuse with it. No one outside the sect could fuse with this Soul Spirit.

Moreover, apart from the necessary Soul Spirit Contract fee, they did not have to pay any additional charges. Faced with such benefits, the vast majority of the Mysterious Underworld Sect's resentment vanished as if it had never existed.

As for Xu Sanshi himself, although he had initially been somewhat unhappy about being forced to join, working for the Spirit Contract Pagoda was not so bad. On the contrary, it came with abundant benefits.

Take Xu Sanshi, for example. Because his family worked for the Spirit Contract Pagoda, he received a twenty-percent discount when purchasing Soul Spirits. This gave him the chance to fuse with a Soul Spirit as rare as the Mysterious Serpent as his first Soul Spirit.

Moreover, because he had fused with the Mysterious Serpent Soul Spirit, the Black Tortoise Bloodline in his body had been stimulated without a second Martial Soul Awakening ritual, and he had successfully awakened a Black Tortoise Martial Soul.

As a result, he had also become one of the strongest candidates to be the Mysterious Underworld Sect's next sect master. His father, the clan head, had announced that once Xu Sanshi reached a sufficient level, he could fuse with the hundred-thousand-year Golden Hawksbill Soul Spirit.

Because of this, Xu Sanshi held the Spirit Contract Pagoda in great respect and had vowed to keep relations between his family and the pagoda harmonious.

As for Jiang Nannan, he had also heard about the grand elder's unauthorized actions. He was very sorry and had considered compensating her, but Jiang Nannan had now become the personal secretary of the Spirit Contract Pagoda's young master, putting her somewhat beyond his reach.

So he could only maintain friendly relations with her in private. A move like pursuing Jiang Nannan as he had in the original story was completely out of the question. His emotional intelligence was not low, and he could tell that Jiang Nannan harbored some feelings for Xu Xingyu, the Spirit Contract Pagoda's young master on whom she relied. Trying to steal her love would most likely plunge him and his family into even deeper trouble.

After all, he had seen Xu Xingyu fight before. Though Xu Xingyu was younger than him, his combat strength far surpassed his own. If Xu Xingyu wanted to cripple him, he could do so without any trouble.

That was also why Xu Sanshi was so troubled to see Xu Xingyu. Both his personal strength and his background far exceeded Xu Sanshi's. Having to test a monster like that-wasn't that just asking for years to be shaved off his life?!?

Fortunately, Xu Xingyu saw Xu Sanshi's difficulty and said, "Don't worry. I'll give you some face, so go all out."

Hearing this, Xu Sanshi stopped dawdling. He released his Martial Soul and introduced himself. "Xu Sanshi, Martial Soul Black Tortoise, level thirty-seven Soul Elder. Please advise me."

As soon as he finished speaking, three Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, and black-circled Xu Sanshi, who stood ready to use his Soul Skills against the examinee before him.

This left the teacher in charge of the test deeply shocked. Xu Sanshi was among the top students in Shrek Academy's outer courtyard.

In particular, his third ring came from fusing with a ten-thousand-year Mysterious Serpent provided by the Spirit Contract Pagoda, making him an undefeated legend in Shrek's outer courtyard.

Even Bei Bei, the Sea God Pavilion Master's great-great-grandson, lost more often than he won against him!

As for why Xu Sanshi could absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit, it was because the Spirit Contract Pagoda's unique secret method could seal part of a Soul Spirit's cultivation during fusion, lowering the requirements for a Soul Master to fuse with it.

Yet even he was so wary of the examinee before him. According to the registration form, however, this examinee was merely the grandson of Duke Xingsheng of the Star Luo Empire.

His background was good, but was there any need for Xu Sanshi to be so wary?

In response, Xu Xingyu also released his Martial Soul. A dazzling star appeared, purple-gold in color, giving one the illusion of looking directly at an exalted emperor.

"Xu Xingyu, Martial Soul Zi Wei Star, level thirty-five Soul Elder. Please advise me."

Purple-black

Purple-black

Purple-black

Three Soul Rings appeared around Xu Xingyu, leaving the teacher overseeing the test speechless.

Although one of Xu Sanshi's Soul Rings surpassed his opponent's, all the others fell short.

Moreover, judging by the situation, Xu Xingyu had probably also fused with those so-called Soul Spirits. Thus, the ages of the Soul Rings currently visible were unreliable; their actual ages should be higher than what they currently showed!

The truth was much as the examiner imagined. The Soul Spirit Xu Xingyu had fused with was not a species native to Douluo Continent, but a race from beyond the heavens known as the Void Hun Star Spirits.

The Void Hun Star Spirit race had been invited by Douluo Continent's star lord to deal with certain parasites infesting the continent.

At the same time, this race had also served under Xu Xingyu in his first life, so they were willing to help him in any way.

As for the Void Hun Star Spirit Xu Xingyu had fused with, her name was Xing Xuan. She was the daughter of the Void Hun Star Spirit patriarch and had once possessed the cultivation of a divine officer.

Although she had fallen from the divine level for certain reasons, the Soul Rings she produced should theoretically surpass those any Soul Beast on Douluo Continent could provide, Gu Yuena excepted.

She could currently provide only purple-black Soul Rings of nearly ten thousand years purely because Xu Xingyu, at his present stage, could not withstand such great power.

With both sides' Martial Souls released, the test finally began under the examining teacher's watch.

Xu Sanshi charged at Xu Xingyu, and the Soul Rings circling him began to glow.

First Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Quake!

Third Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Power

The tortoiseshell shield in Xu Sanshi's hand began to emit a resonant hum, and black Soul Power began to wind around it.

The examining teacher could clearly sense that even a Soul Elder of the same level could not withstand this attack. How, then, would the mysterious examinee before him resist it?

Seeing this, Xu Xingyu softly murmured, "Ziwei Star God Barrier."