Chapter 7: Confession of the Twin Martial Souls and Heading to the Soul Hunting Forest - Douluo's spirit bead sword
Chapter 7: Confession of the Twin Martial Souls and Heading to the Soul Hunting Forest Tian Lin was engrossed in his writing and drawing, so much so that he even forgot to step out for lunch. It wasn't until Ning Feng Zhi and Sword Douluo pushed open the door that he finally paused. "What are you working on, Tian Lin?" Ning Feng Zhi inquired. He glanced at the notes Tian Lin had scribbled—formulas like fire plus thunder equals sword energy thunder, and earth plus fire equals earth fire calls the moon. To him, it was completely indecipherable. "Uncle Ning, this is the developmental direction of my martial soul. To strengthen my martial soul, I need soul rings with various attributes. I'm doing these combinations to consider each future soul ring carefully," Tian Lin explained without any need for secrecy. "A sword empowered by attributes, huh? I'm quite curious about what it will eventually become," Chen Xin remarked with growing interest, increasingly impressed by Tian Lin's diligence in constantly striving for strength without wasting a single moment. "But you can't skip meals. Nutrition is crucial for you now. Don't let it happen again," he admonished. "Yes!" Tian Lin wasn't bothered by Chen Xin's nagging. Care stems from concern. If Chen Xin didn't care, he wouldn't worry about whether Tian Lin ate or not. "But, teacher, actually skipping a meal or two isn't an issue for me because I have another martial soul providing energy!" Tian Lin unveiled the Holy Spirit Pearl on his left hand as he spoke. With Ning Rong Rong present in the morning, it wasn’t practical to expect a child to keep a secret. Thus, Tian Lin had hidden it away. He always believed that the fewer who knew the secret of his twin martial souls, the better. Seizing this moment with only Ning Feng Zhi and Chen Xin present, he decided not to hide it any longer. "Twin martial souls!" Ning Feng Zhi's eyes widened nearly out of their sockets before he realized the implications and beckoned, "Sword Uncle!" With a wave of Sword Douluo's hand, all doors and windows closed instantly, while his Sword Domain was unleashed. In this field, it was his realm, slicing even light and sound, preventing eavesdropping or probing soul skills. Given that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was the second-largest sect, it was impossible to have no spies within the sect. The matter of twin martial souls was of immense importance and must not be disclosed. "Uncle Ning, teacher, this is my second martial soul, Holy Spirit Pearl. It can assist and also attack strongly, with an inherent soul skill, Holy Breath Barrier. In this barrier, all allies can continuously restore soul power. Moreover, using it during regular training speeds up cultivation efficiency," Tian Lin introduced. "Another innate soul skill! And this skill is practically the prototype of a domain. Typically, top-tier martial souls gain their True Soul Form at the seventieth level or have a slight chance of acquiring a domain upon reaching Title Douluo at the ninetieth level. Yet, this pearl, awakened with a domain—could it be the legendary god-class martial soul?" Ning Feng Zhi was astounded. Rumored to be the foremost in theoretical mastery, Ning Feng Zhi seemed to surpass even that. After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's past leaders, in their quest to evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower, must have thoroughly understood theoretical knowledge. "Make no mistake, Feng Zhi. This is indeed a god-class martial soul. My father once clashed with Wu Hun Dian's god-class martial soul, the Six-Winged Angel. According to him, god-class martial souls suppress top-tier ones. I sensed it; my Sword Domain trembled before this pearl!" Chen Xin's tone was off, for apart from Wu Hun Dian and the legendary Sea God Island, the continent had not seen another god-class martial soul. Who would have thought the third would appear in their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? What a stroke of fortune! Regaining his composure, Ning Feng Zhi cautioned, "Little Tian, regarding your twin martial souls, I’ll inform Gu Shu later. He’s absolutely trustworthy. Beyond the three of us, never reveal your other martial soul to a fourth person—not to Elder Yin Yang, nor Rong Rong, nor even your parents. You must keep it absolutely hidden, understand?" "Understood," Tian Lin solemnly agreed. "Good. Moreover, dedicate yourself to training the sword with Sword Uncle. Do not add any soul rings to that pearl until you reach Title Douluo status." Ning Feng Zhi's vision aligned with that of the master and Tang Hao's; he aimed to forge an elite monster endowed with soul rings of at least ten thousand years each. Knowing Ning Feng Zhi's good intentions, Tian Lin readily agreed. Ning Feng Zhi nodded, needing to find a place to cool down. The day's events were overwhelming. After leaving Tian Lin's room, Chen Xin expressed concern, "Feng Zhi, Little Tian's talent is indeed extraordinary, but you know there are drawbacks to having twin martial souls." "I understand, Sword Uncle. Rest assured, if Little Tian were in another sect, perhaps the twin martial souls couldn't be fully realized. But he's fortunate to have come to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. In terms of theoretical knowledge, apart from Wu Hun Dian, no sect can rival us. I am confident I can address the downsides of twin martial souls," Ning Feng Zhi asserted with full confidence, anticipating Tian Lin's future role as a pillar of their clan. In the afternoon, Chen Xin returned to teach Tian Lin the techniques of cultivating through meditation. After mastering this, Tian Lin could replace sleep with meditation. Aspiring soul masters seeking the pinnacle must endure this rigorous practice. With expert guidance, Tian Lin quickly comprehended parts he previously struggled with, soon entering a state of deep meditation. Unfortunately, at only level ten and without a soul ring, all his diligence couldn't break through his current limit. However, Tian Lin understood that the cultivated soul power wasn't vanished; it simply remained unperceived. Once he acquired a soul ring, the accumulated power would manifest all at once. Thus, he didn't relax for his first night, meditating throughout. By morning, he felt refreshed, his energy fully restored, demonstrating meditation's parity with regular sleep. "Good, your condition is excellent. Let's go, old man will take you to get your first soul ring." Sword Douluo opened the door, lifted Tian Lin, and flew on his sword towards the Soul Hunting Forest. A first soul ring only required a decade or century-old beast, thus there was no need to venture into places like Star Dou Forest or Sunset Forest. The regular Soul Hunting Forest sufficed for their needs. With Sword Douluo's flight speed, they reached the forest gates in under two hours. The Soul Hunting Forest wasn't a natural great forest but a place where Wu Hun Dian and the two empires kept soul beasts for lower-level soul masters. Most within were beasts of ten to a hundred years, rarer were the thousand-year ones, and nearly non-existent were the ten-thousand-year ones. At the entrance guarded by soldiers, Chen Xin approached and presented a token—Heaven Dou Empire's sixth emperor token, one of Wu Hun Dian’s highest, known to few. Only reserved for top figures, outside there were only three, held by the three Title Douluos of the top three sects. Upon sight of this token, the soldiers immediately opened the gates without question. Anyone bearing such a token was bound to be significant, beyond their station to question.