The black-clothed senior standing before them was none other than Xu Sanshi, ranked third among the legendary Shrek Seven Monsters of the Peerless Tang Sect era. His martial soul? The Black Tortoise.
The reason Xu Sanshi knew Xu Xingyu was… complicated. It all traced back to a matter involving their families.
Years ago, while traveling through Heaven Dou City with Gu Yuena and the others, Xu Xingyu had encountered a desperate little girl begging for medicine—Jiang Nannan, the future fourth-ranked member of the Shrek Seven Monsters, known as the Mad Demon Soft Rabbit.
Moved by pity, Xu Xingyu had healed her mother's illness. But in the process, he discovered something sinister—Jiang Nannan's mother had been poisoned. And the culprit? A member of the Black Tortoise Clan, the Xuanming Sect.
The perpetrator was none other than the Xuanming Sect's Grand Elder. He had discovered that Jiang Nannan possessed the Jade Yin Body, a rare constitution perfect for dual cultivation.
To secure the Xuanming Sect's future, he had orchestrated a situation where Jiang Nannan would be forced to beg them for medicine—giving them the perfect excuse to demand she undergo their clan's Second Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.
This so-called "ceremony" was nothing more than a ritual where a member of the Xuanming Sect would engage in intercourse to awaken their dormant Black Tortoise bloodline, allowing their martial soul to evolve into the true Black Tortoise.
And with Jiang Nannan's Jade Yin Body? Success was guaranteed. The Xuanming Sect would have birthed a future Limit Douluo.
Unfortunately for them, Xu Xingyu had found out.
Had he remained ignorant, he might have let things play out as they did in the original timeline—after all, he wasn't some self-righteous saint. But knowing and doing nothing? That was something he could never stomach.
So, with the might of his Soul Beast faction behind him, Xu Xingyu stormed the Xuanming Sect, forced their submission, and made them apologize to Jiang Nannan. He then used the opportunity to establish his own sect in Heaven Dou City—the Spirit Binding Tower (契灵塔).
For Xu Sanshi, his feelings toward Xu Xingyu had once been complicated, tinged with resentment. After all, no one enjoyed being forced into servitude.
But after their surrender, the Xuanming Sect was gifted a 100,000-Year Golden Tortoise Soul Spirit—one that came with a Torso Bone and was designated as their exclusive soul spirit.
This meant that when a Xuanming Sect member died, the Golden Tortoise would remain in the Soul Spirit Realm, reserved only for their clan. No outsiders could ever claim it.
And the best part? No extra fees beyond the standard contract cost.
Faced with such benefits, the Xuanming Sect's resentment vanished overnight.
As for Xu Sanshi himself? Though he had initially been unhappy about being forced into the arrangement, working for the Spirit Binding Tower wasn't bad at all. In fact, the benefits were insane.
Thanks to his family's affiliation, he enjoyed an 80% discount on soul spirits—allowing him to fuse with a rare Black Serpent Soul Spirit as his first soul spirit.
And because of this fusion, his Black Tortoise bloodline awakened prematurely, evolving his martial soul into the true Black Tortoise—without needing the Second Awakening Ceremony.
This instantly made him one of the strongest candidates for the next Xuanming Sect Leader. His father, the current patriarch, even declared that once Xu Sanshi reached the required level, he could fuse with the 100,000-Year Golden Tortoise Soul Spirit.
Because of this, Xu Sanshi now held deep respect for the Spirit Binding Tower and vowed to maintain a harmonious relationship between his clan and the Tower.
As for Jiang Nannan? He had heard about the Grand Elder's schemes and felt guilty, even wanting to compensate her. But now, Jiang Nannan had become the personal secretary of the Spirit Binding Tower's Young Master—Xu Xingyu.
She was far beyond his reach now.
So, while he maintained a cordial relationship with her, any thoughts of pursuing her like in the original timeline were completely gone.
Xu Sanshi wasn't stupid—he could tell Jiang Nannan had feelings for Xu Xingyu. Trying to steal her away would only bring disaster upon himself and his clan.
After all, he had seen Xu Xingyu fight before. Despite being younger, his combat prowess was monstrous. If Xu Xingyu wanted to cripple him, it would be effortless.
Which was exactly why Xu Sanshi was sweating bullets right now.
This guy's strength and background were both far beyond him. And now, he had to be the one to test Xu Xingyu in the entrance exam?!
Was this a joke?!
Luckily, Xu Xingyu saw his distress and smirked.
"Relax. I'll go easy on you. Just give it your all."
Hearing this, Xu Sanshi stopped hesitating. His martial soul erupted as he declared:
"Xu Sanshi. Martial Soul: Black Tortoise. 37th-Rank Soul Elder. Let's begin."
Yellow. Yellow. Black.
Three soul rings shimmered around him as he prepared to unleash his skills.
The proctor's eyes widened.
Xu Sanshi was one of the top talents in Shrek Academy's outer court. His third soul ring, fused with a 10,000-Year Black Serpent Soul Spirit, made him nearly invincible among his peers.
Even Bei Bei, the Sea God Pavilion Master's descendant, lost to him more often than not!
(The reason Xu Sanshi could absorb a 10,000-Year soul spirit was due to the Spirit Binding Tower's unique sealing method, which suppressed part of the soul spirit's power to make fusion easier.)
Yet despite all this… he was treating this examinee like a threat?!
According to the registration form, this kid was just the grandson of the Star Luo Empire's Star Saint Duke.
A decent background, sure, but was it enough to make Xu Sanshi this cautious?
Then—
BOOM.
A brilliant, sovereign-like star materialized behind Xu Xingyu, its purple-gold radiance exuding an aura of imperial dominance.
"Xu Xingyu. Martial Soul: Polaris. 35th-Rank Soul Elder. Let's begin."
Purple-Black. Purple-Black. Purple-Black.
Three soul rings—all beyond the norm—floated around him.
The proctor's jaw dropped.
Sure, Xu Sanshi had one higher-ranked soul ring, but the other two were inferior.
And given Xu Xingyu's aura… his soul spirits were clearly not ordinary.
The truth?
Xu Xingyu's soul spirits weren't from Douluo Continent at all.
They were Void Star Spirits—an extraterrestrial race invited by the Star Sovereign of Douluo to purge the parasites infesting the world.
They were also former subordinates of Xu Xingyu's past life, making them more than willing to aid him.
The one he had fused with?
Star Whirl—the daughter of the Void Star Spirit's leader, once a Celestial Official before her power was sealed.
Her soul rings should have surpassed any soul beast's (except Gu Yuena's). The only reason they appeared as near-10,000-Year purple-black rings was that Xu Xingyu's body couldn't handle their full power yet.
With both combatants ready, the battle began.
Xu Sanshi charged, his soul rings flaring.
First Soul Skill: Black Tortoise Tremor!
Third Soul Skill: Black Tortoise's Might!
His tortoise-shell shield resonated violently as dark energy coiled around it.
The proctor could feel it—this strike would overwhelm any Soul Elder.
How would Xu Xingyu counter?
A faint smile curled on his lips as he whispered:
"Polaris Divine Barrier."
***
After Xu Xingyu uttered the words "Polaris Divine Barrier," an unexpected circular shield of purple-gold light suddenly appeared, instantly trapping Xu Sanshi—the black-clad senior who had already unleashed his full offensive.
Xu Sanshi did not stop his assault. Instead, he lifted his turtle-shell shield and slammed it forcefully against the impenetrable barrier confining him. But at the very moment his shield struck the barrier, a tremendous recoil force violently bounced Xu Sanshi's own attack back upon himself.
Taking the brunt of his own reflected attack, Xu Sanshi staggered, hastily adjusting his stance. Unwilling to accept defeat, he tried again to break free by unleashing more soul techniques. Yet no matter how he pushed, the barrier held firm, refusing to shatter.
In fact, the unique rebound effect of the Polaris Divine Barrier inflicted considerable injury upon Xu Sanshi himself.
After roughly a minute passed with Xu Sanshi still trapped, the examiner overseeing the test reluctantly called it off and declared Xu Xingyu the winner.
The outcome left the examiner stunned. Xu Sanshi was known as one of the elite senior students of Shrek Academy's outer court. His combat power was far superior to most others of the same soul master rank.
Though Xu Xingyu and Xu Sanshi shared the same soul master level, the examiner had initially believed Xu Xingyu's chances of victory were slim.
Yet Xu Xingyu subdued Xu Sanshi with a single technique.
This alone confirmed that Xu Xingyu was a top-tier control soul master, gifted far above ordinary peers in the same specialty.
With proper training at Shrek Academy, his future was truly limitless.
The examiner quickly handed Xu Xingyu the uniform and dormitory key befitting a new student, then hurried away to report this extraordinary talent to the academy's senior administration.
Watching the examiner's retreating back, Xu Xingyu realized the teacher had left too hastily and forgotten to tell him where his dormitory was.
He turned back to Xu Sanshi, still trapped inside the shimmering Polaris Divine Barrier.
With a snap of his fingers, Xu Xingyu dissolved the barrier, and Xu Sanshi collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Ow, ow! Xu Xingyu, your move was downright ruthless!" Xu Sanshi groaned, clutching his ribs battered by the reflected force. "Feels like my entire skeleton might collapse."
Xu Xingyu gave a deadpan look. "Come on, you're not some toddler, right? Yeah, your attack was strong and so was the rebound, but you're ultimately a defensive-type soul master. That recoil barely hurt you."
"Easy for you to say," Xu Sanshi grumbled. "Try getting trapped in a tiny space where you can't move your arms or legs. That alone would trigger panic attacks for anyone with claustrophobia."
"Alright, alright, enough complaining. Do you know where the dorms are?" Xu Xingyu asked.
Xu Sanshi wiped the pain off his face and wiped away the joking tone, nodding seriously. "I can lead the way. But first, let's check your class assignment."
Following Xu Sanshi's lead, the two arrived at the Shrek Academy's notice board.
There, Xu Xingyu found he had been assigned to Class 9 as a freshman, with a class advisor named Mu Jin.
Xu Xingyu vaguely recalled Mu Jin from the original story — apparently, she was the nemesis of Zhou Yi, who was the homeroom teacher of Huo Yuhao's class. Though the two were always at odds, Mu Jin was known for being more responsible toward her students than Zhou Yi.
Back when Xu Xingyu had watched the original story unfold on Blue Star, he never liked Zhou Yi. Strict teachers producing top students was normal, but Zhou Yi was far from ideal as an educator.
She often expelled students for minor infractions, without giving newcomers enough time to adjust to the academy's environment.
School was not just a place to strengthen one's soul power and knowledge; it was also where character was refined.
Students might make mistakes early on, but through guidance from teachers and the school, they had the chance to grow and improve.
Zhou Yi, however, gave no such chance. One small slip-up and the student was out, unless they were a prodigy with exceptional talent.
Why did she behave this way? Simple — fewer students meant more resources per student, making her job easier as the top students advanced on their own.
Under such a system, it was no surprise her surviving students became strong and grateful.
But it created an unfair environment, denying equal learning opportunities and ignoring moral education.
Xu Xingyu believed students who graduated under Zhou Yi's tutelage were more likely to become bullies or hypocrites than noble heroes.
Such a teacher did not deserve to be an educator. The only reason Zhou Yi hadn't been dismissed was because students who benefited from her policies praised her, and because her husband, Fan Yu, held a high position in Shrek Academy's Spirit Conduction Department.
Just as Xu Xingyu was silently criticizing Zhou Yi in his mind, he suddenly felt a soft touch press against his back.
Before he could turn, a gentle and familiar voice whispered in his ear: "Guess who I am?"
Hearing that voice and catching sight of the golden hair behind him, Xu Xingyu immediately smiled.
"Well, who else could it be but my dear Secretary Jiang?"
He turned around to see a golden-haired girl tightly hugging him—none other than Jiang Nannan, the Mad Demon Rabbit of the original story.
Jiang Nannan's smile mirrored Xu Xingyu's happiness. She was clearly delighted to see him again.
Since she had taken a leave from the Contract Spirit Tower to study at Shrek Academy, Xu Xingyu had left the Tianhun branch for some reasons.
Because of this, Jiang Nannan hadn't seen Xu Xingyu for two years.
During that time apart, Jiang Nannan came to understand her feelings toward Xu Xingyu.
At first, her feelings were only gratitude, reliance, and admiration.
After all, Xu Xingyu had saved her mother's life and forced the factions coveting her into submission — the perfect white knight.
Most girls would have been moved by such a story.
Jiang Nannan was no exception, but the large gap in their social statuses made her shy away from these feelings.
Plus, Xu Xingyu already had a lover and fiancée.
Jiang Nannan felt she was unnecessary in his life.
Yet in those two years without Xu Xingyu, she found she couldn't forget him.
Though she saw many talented youths at Shrek Academy, none compared to Xu Xingyu.
With advice from her mentor, Zi Ji, Jiang Nannan finally accepted her true feelings.
She was not just grateful and admiring — she deeply loved the younger boy who had saved her at her lowest.
She would no longer retreat.
Even if Xu Xingyu already had a lover and fiancée, so what?
She knew he had more than one lover.
And Jiang Nannan wanted to claim a place in Xu Xingyu's heart.
Just as Jiang Nannan was about to confess her feelings, an ill-timed voice interrupted:
"Nannan, if you and Brother Xingyu have something to talk about, maybe do it somewhere private? Public places like this aren't exactly the best for PDA…"