Although Soto City is a city on par with a major city, in Xu Mingxi's eyes—having once been to Heaven Dou City—his purpose in coming here this time was not for sightseeing.
Even though Xu Mingxi's clothes weren't luxurious, the fabric looked expensive, so it was only natural that no one was foolish enough to bother him.
He slowly walked toward the city. He didn't stay in the twins' room at the Rose Hotel, nor did he go to the Soto Spirit Arena. Instead, he went directly to the commercial street of Soto City.
A row of street vendors, the fragrant smell of street food, and a dazzling array of beautiful clothing in the shops lining both sides of the street—none of it made Xu Mingxi stop until he arrived in front of a small shop.
There was a circular symbol drawn on the sign above, with two icons inside—a sword and a hammer—and traces of something having been erased beside it.
"Seven Kill Sword and Clear Sky Hammer? I didn't expect that even though the Sanshang Sect has changed leaders, they would still keep the symbols of these two sects."
Xu Mingxi walked in. There was only one person in the shop. A few old items hung on the walls. They didn't look very valuable, but there was a faint fluctuation of soul power coming from them.
When the shop owner heard the sound, he got up from his recliner and approached Xu Mingxi. When he saw his clothing, his eyes lit up, and a slight cunning gleamed in them.
Xu Mingxi also looked at the shop owner in front of him—or rather, the Cat Owl Flanders—a man in his fifties with a crooked nose, square-rimmed black glasses, and a sly look in his eyes.
"Your visit truly brings honor to our humble shop. May I ask what you are looking for?"
Xu Mingxi turned to look at the wall. There was a transparent crystal the size of a human head, with a large yellowish-brown stain. That was also one of the reasons for his visit.
"I want this crystal."
"You have good eyes, sir. I obtained this crystal from a treasure ground after much hardship. It is indeed a rare treasure in the world."
"Name your price."
"One thousand gold soul coins."
"Deal."
Xu Mingxi tossed a pouch of gold soul coins onto the table, took the plate crystal, and left. Although Flanders was known to overcharge his customers, wasting time over a few gold soul coins was pointless.
Flanders, standing in the shop, stared at Xu Mingxi's back as he left, then looked at the large pouch of gold soul coins on the counter, stunned.
Where did this sucker come from? He bought the item at a price many times its actual value without even bargaining. But as long as he could make money, who cared?
After Xu Mingxi left the shop, he stored the plate crystal in his soul guide, intending to seal it permanently. He wouldn't use it himself, but he also didn't want it to fall into Tang San's hands.
He then wandered over to an information booth in Soto City, and after confirming the direction of Shrek Academy, he disappeared and reappeared above Shrek Academy.
Looking at the simple training ground, the shabby school buildings, and the lack of proper training facilities, Xu Mingxi shook his head. To be able to nurture talent in such an environment, one could only rely on the students' exceptional natural ability.
He looked around and finally spotted a silver-haired boy standing in a corner of the playground, practicing his soul skill. The charm of his peach blossom eyes was already beginning to show.
Next to him stood a plump soul master wearing a chef's hat, mumbling to himself as if he were instructing something.
These two were the targets of his journey, especially the silver-haired boy, Oscar—a rare food-type soul master with innate full soul power on the Douluo Continent.
He no longer hid his presence and descended from the sky. Shao Xin quickly noticed the situation. He immediately shielded Oscar behind him and watched Xu Mingxi descend from the sky warily.
"I don't know why you're here, sir."
"I happened to pass by and saw this silver-haired boy training. He's very talented. I wanted to know if you both have any strength. How about joining my sect?"
"May I ask which sect you belong to?"
"The Star Crown Sect. If you're willing to join, I can offer you the position of elder. How about it?"
Shao Xin felt a chill in his heart as he sensed the powerful pressure emanating from the man before him. He knew this man was clearly more than just a Soul Sage; his aura was far stronger than that stingy old Flanders.
But he had ended up in this situation because he didn't want to be restricted. Otherwise, as a level 69 Food-type Soul Emperor, he would be a valued guest anywhere.
"Sir, I really don't want to join any power… Very well, sir, I will join."
Shao Xin was no fool. He felt Xu Mingxi's aura and the increasingly obvious killing intent. He knew what this man was thinking: if he failed to recruit them, he would kill them.
Freedom? All trivial compared to death. He hadn't lived long enough yet, so how could he bear to die? After all, he hadn't seen Oscar become a Titled Douluo yet.
As soon as Shao Xin agreed, Xu Mingxi immediately withdrew his aura and looked at him and Oscar behind him with a gentle smile.
"Little friend, would you like to join my sect? We'll provide you with gold soul coins and various resources. We can even give you a spirit bone."
Oscar was very mature for his age. He knew the person in front of him was someone even Teacher Shao Xin dared not offend. He also knew this might be an opportunity. However, since he was adopted by Dean Flanders, he didn't actually want to leave this place.
"Senior, thank you for your kindness, but I still want to stay…"
Oscar hadn't even finished his sentence when Shao Xin covered his mouth. He hadn't assessed the situation at all and shouldn't have spoken such suicidal words.
"Sir, this child is an orphan picked up by our dean. He grew up with the dean since he was young. Naturally, he's reluctant to leave. Could you wait until our dean returns and let him persuade the child?"
Shao Xin was simply hoping to stall until Flanders returned and see if he could deal with the man before them. If not, they would have no choice but to accept their fate and join the Star Crown Sect.
Remembering the murderous aura he had just felt, he couldn't help but shiver. This person truly intended to kill.
"When will your dean return? I don't have much time to wait."
"Today, today. Don't worry, Your Excellency. The dean will be back tonight."
"Fine. I hope you don't disappoint me. By the way, no one is allowed to leave this academy before you leave with me."
Feeling the murderous intent coming from Xu Mingxi that he couldn't resist, Shao Xin knew the man was serious. He took Oscar and went to find the other teacher and student in the academy—Ma Hongjun.
They would need to work together to persuade Oscar and Flanders. Otherwise, Shrek would truly be finished this time.