Douluo Continent,
The golden sun sets in the west, the moon rabbit rises in the east.
Xu Xiaoyun and Xu Fu, both showing signs of fatigue, rose simultaneously. They helped Xu Tianxi and his brother lie down to rest, gave a few instructions to Yue Lao and Chen Wu, then steadily ascended to the upper floors of the pavilion.
At this moment, night had fallen. The Xuanming Sect's estate, nestled by the mountain and water, was brightly lit, resembling a field of stars against the night sky, dazzling and magnificent. In the distance, mountain ridges rolled with swirling mist, resembling a fairyland.
Xu Xiaoyun and Xu Fu, the two most important figures of the Xuanming Sect, gazed at the tranquil and grand view of the sect's interior, nurturing their inner energy.
Suddenly, Xu Fu's hesitant voice broke the silence.
"Great-Grandfather… Tianxi's talent surpasses all expectations. Should we still send him to the Sun and Moon Empire?"
Xu Xiaoyun shook his head, then nodded slightly, opening his calm eyes and speaking in a steady tone:
"Of course we must send him. Didn't we already agree on this? Dispersing our clan members is precisely the method by which the Xuanming family has preserved its legacy to this day."
"But Great-Grandfather, Tianxi's original martial soul—his twin ultimate martial soul—is unprecedented. Given a few decades, he might cultivate to a level not inferior to yours, perhaps even break into the peak Douluo realm. Then, Xuanming Sect's supreme status will be secured for three hundred years!"
"More so, we can attempt to replicate the path of Shrek back then, letting Tianxi turn the tide in a critical moment, leading the Three Kingdoms allied forces to crush the Sun and Moon Empire. Then our Xuanming Sect would reign supreme over the three kingdoms!"
Xu Fu's voice trembled, his eyes burning with fanatic ambition.
Back then, the Shrek Academy's dean, who turned the tide, was a strong cultivator with an ultimate fire martial soul. Xu Tianxi's talent surpasses that person; how could he not become the second person to command the world?
Xu Xiaoyun glanced sideways at him, sighed, and said softly:
"There are several huge hurdles in cultivating an ultimate martial soul. The training speed between level 30 and 70 is extremely slow. Even with our full support, it would take at least thirty years for him to become a titled Douluo."
"This thirty-year growth period is extremely dangerous. If Tianxi's talent is exposed while standing with the Three Kingdoms, the Sun and Moon Empire will certainly exert all their efforts to strike him down, never allowing him to grow."
"If a peak Douluo or a large group of top soul masters attack, even if I risk my life, I might not be able to protect him. It could even bring disaster upon the Xuanming Sect."
"This…"
The fanatic expression on Xu Fu's face froze, then he reluctantly said:
"Didn't you tell me before that you had a close relationship with Long Xiaoyao? Besides, he's a respected elder of the previous generation; surely he wouldn't harm a junior like Tianxi, right? We can still cooperate with the original sect and Shrek—I believe they wouldn't ignore this."
"Hehe…" Xu Xiaoyun laughed twice, the sound filled with helplessness.
"When have I ever told you that there is only one peak Douluo in the Sun and Moon Empire? How much face do you think Long Xiaoyao would give me? Another lunatic there doesn't even recognize this old face of mine."
"As for outside help… The old poisoner from the original sect is a formidable figure, but even if I join forces with him, we would at best perish together with one peak Douluo. If we're all dead, who can protect Tianxi?"
"Mu En of Shrek has only a few years left to live. When he dies, are we supposed to rely on that old fool Xuanzi to fend off enemies? Hmm?"
Xu Xiaoyun cast a questioning look at Xu Fu. Xu Fu recalled the tragic scene of his wife's funeral, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Indeed, that old bastard Xuanzi had already killed his wife—could he let his child suffer the same fate? That old waste cannot be trusted to protect the next generation.
And judging from Great-Grandfather's words, there's a second peak Douluo in the Sun and Moon Empire?
No—peak Douluos barely ever appeared in the Sun and Moon homeland. Which old relic in the Three Kingdoms has defected?
"Great-Grandfather, is it really necessary these days to defect so hastily? And both are peak Douluos? Are you sure?"
Hearing that two peak Douluo had already defected, Xu Fu couldn't help but complain, his face contorted oddly.
He had thought that once Mu En died, Great-Grandfather's strength would dominate the world. The old monster that poison couldn't kill wouldn't surpass him either. But he hadn't expected that there were other peak Douluos in the Three Kingdoms—only that they all defected to the Sun and Moon Empire!
So their Xuanming Sect couldn't even get the upper hand when defecting?
"The other person, don't ask. I haven't seen that madwoman and don't want to, but this was told to me by Long Xiaoyao when I was blocked from investigating the evil soul master's whereabouts. It's true."
"Besides those two, there is also a presence in the Sun and Moon Empire's Tribute Hall that I greatly fear. Their stockpile includes nine-level fixed soul guided shells with power comparable to a peak Douluo's full-strength strike—truly terrifying."
Xu Xiaoyun waved his hand and looked down at the dazzling pearl-like estate with a heavy, wary expression and a hint of helplessness.
After discovering Xu Tianxi's talent, how could he not want the Xuanming Sect to replicate the unmatched glory of Shrek back then?
But thinking of those two peak Douluos in the Sun and Moon Empire, and the fixed soul guided shells capable of bombing the Xuanming Sect to oblivion, he had no choice but to suppress that idea.
Long Xiaoyao still had some conscience and could show mercy, but those nine-level fixed soul guided shells don't care about mercy!
One or two shells dropped, and the Xuanming Sect would be leveled. No one below a super Douluo could survive. He could not risk the lives of all future generations for a single gamble.
Not to mention the head evil soul master in the Sun and Moon Empire—Ye Xishui. Just thinking of that woman made even Xu Xiaoyun shudder—not because of strength, but because of scheming.
As a living fossil of that era, he knew very well how outstanding the Black and White Twin Saints Dragon were in their youth. Ye Xishui before becoming an evil soul master was the only female soul master able to fight them.
More than two hundred years ago, in the continent-wide Douluo competition, the three prodigies all emerged spectacularly and became legends.
Mu En's Shrek team was naturally champion, but second place was not the so-called millennium-old runner-up Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Instead, it was Long Xiaoyao's team, led by Ye Xishui, which even defeated the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
The high quality of that generation's talent was proven: all three team captains are now level 99 peak Douluos, standing at the pinnacle of this world.
Unfortunately, one was crippled, two defected to the Sun and Moon Empire, and the Empire, who lost the competition, became the biggest winner.
When he was young, Xu Xiaoyun wasn't afraid of Ye Xishui; he dared to fight Mu En and Long Xiaoyao. In terms of martial soul, his second awakening of the Xuanwu Shield even surpassed the Black and White Twin Saints Dragon.
In the field of defense-type abilities, he was undoubtedly the number one prodigy of his era.
But the past is the past, and now is now. Those three are all Limit Douluos today, while he has been stuck at this bottleneck for many years without any progress. Most likely, he will never advance further in this lifetime.
He had a relationship with Long Xiaoyao, but with Ye Xishui, it was nothing more than a nod of acquaintance—no friendship to speak of. Besides, he wasn't foolish enough to think he could show any mercy to a soul master of the Evil Soul type.
Over two hundred years ago, countless upheavals occurred. Ever since Mu En and Long Xiaoyao both fell for that woman Ye Xishui, various entanglements of love and hate never ceased.
The Shrek Academy was attacked by the Evil Soul masters. Mu En's teacher, the former Lord of the Sea God Pavilion, perished shortly after that battle. The Black and White Twin Dragons, once sworn brothers and close friends, became estranged for life. Even Long Xiaoyao, once a fierce enemy of evil, became part of the Evil Soul organization…
The only person who could make Long Xiaoyao make such a choice was none other than Ye Xishui—the woman he loved for his entire life.
After all these events, Ye Xishui herself became a Limit Douluo Evil Soul master!
Putting all these incidents together, Xu Xiaoyun felt a chill down his spine. He was even somewhat relieved that, due to his second awakening, he had already found a beloved wife early on.
If he had been involved in those people's mess back then, he feared he might have been destroyed alongside that woman.
Xu Xiaoyun had never feared anyone in his life, but that did not mean he sought out danger. Facing such a madwoman on the battlefield, he could not confidently guarantee that he could keep Xu Tianxi safe before her.
"In any case, Tianxi's talent is too high. Even with the help of the Benti Sect, our Xu Ming Sect cannot protect him; we must send him to the Sun Moon Empire.
"Long Xiaoyao once said that in the Sun Moon Empire's Offering Hall, there is a very powerful figure whom even he could not guarantee victory against.
"I have investigated the identity of this soul master. He is the guardian deity of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family and the top nine-level soul master of the empire, named Kong Deming. He was the head of the Mingde Hall two generations ago and is known as the 'Father of Nine-Level Soul Masters,' with many disciples under him."
Xu Xiaoyun summarized this with a tone of frustration.
The three Douluo kingdoms always thought soul masters couldn't become major players, believing that once someone reached the title of Douluo, they could easily kill nine-level soul masters. They also believed the Sun Moon Empire had only three nine-level soul masters. Now, how absurd that understanding was!
The three Douluo kingdoms could not find any strong masters to rival Long Xiaoyao or Ye Xishui. The only person with that strength was in the Sun Moon Empire! And he was a soul master, despised by traditional three-kingdom soul masters!
"Kong? Could he be related to Yue'er…" Xu Fu keenly caught the critical information and looked at Xu Xiaoyun with burning eyes.
Xu Xiaoyun nodded and answered Xu Fu's question:
"Yes, he is several generations senior to Yue'er—about three or four generations older. He is probably the only current strong figure capable of protecting Tianxi… sigh…"
After speaking, Xu Xiaoyun could not help but sigh deeply, his eyes filled with profound unwillingness. If it weren't for necessity, who would want to send their own precious prodigy far away? But he had no choice!
If only Mu En weren't a cripple nearing his end, and if Xuanzi could have been more reliable, maybe he would have been willing to take the risk.
But the Shrek Academy was too disappointing. He could not imagine the scene if he, Du Busai, and Xuanzi fought together against the three supreme forces of the Sun Moon Empire.
He and Du Busai desperately hold back two of them, Xuanzi gets taken down quickly, then it's three against two? That's a hopeless fight!
"Sigh…"
Xu Fu also sighed deeply. After a long silence, he asked softly:
"Then, great-grandfather, if we don't notify the Benti Sect, how will Tianxi's Benti soul be cultivated? We have no idea how to awaken the second stage of the Benti soul."
They could teach the defense-type turtle soul themselves. Although Shrek Academy had students with ultimate souls, none of them had the ultimate water soul, so they never needed that.
But for the Phantom Moon Black Eye, the Benti soul, they were truly clueless and inexperienced.
Xu Xiaoyun closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then said slowly:
"This matter is not urgent. I've interacted with the Benti brothers a little. Though I don't know how to awaken the second stage, I at least understand the Benti soul somewhat. If it's impossible, I will research it myself…"
"I will head to the Sun Moon Empire now. You must carefully watch over Tianxi and Sanshi. Also, send a message to your senior brother to gather some powerful tonic medicines by the sea. Tianxi is still growing. Our sect must spare no cost in cultivating the future number one person on the continent!"
Xu Fu nodded in agreement, then curiously asked, "What are you going to the Sun Moon Empire for?"
"To catch an Evil Eye, so it can become the first soul ring for Xu's Kirin child."
Xu Xiaoyun stepped out from the tower into midair, suddenly recalling something. With a flick of his long sleeve, he turned back, his expression grave:
"Tianxi's soul situation must be kept absolutely secret. Externally, we will claim his soul mutated and failed to awaken the normal Xu Ming Turtle, and his innate soul power is around level seven—any lower wouldn't be believable."
"This way, his leaving the sect won't attract attention."
"From now on, not a single word about Tianxi's situation can be leaked. Even when you're with your wife, don't speak the truth! Otherwise, I'll personally lock you away for decades!"
"Yes, yes, don't worry, sir."
Xu Fu respectfully acknowledged and watched as Xu Xiaoyun vanished into the wind.
Above, the bright moon shone high in the sky, casting a pure light that silhouetted the old man's lonely figure disappearing toward the western horizon.