Chapter 10 – Twin Martial Souls? Reckless Theories and A Tang Sect Assassin’s Instinct

"Dialogue": Represented in double quotes for conversations between characters.

'Thoughts': Represented in single quotation marks, indicating the characters' internal reflections.

[Diary]: Represented in square brackets, used for messages intended for the heroines or entries written by Tenshin.

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'This reckless child... It's not the best time for you to speak out. Tang San clearly reacted to my words.' Although his expression remained neutral, Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered briefly with a trace of annoyance. Yet, as he heard Tenshin mention the possibility of his martial soul being a mutated one, a spark of curiosity stirred within him. Mutated martial souls were rare phenomena, and if Tenshin's soul truly was mutated, it could provide a valuable subject for research. More importantly, it might be an opportunity for him to showcase his knowledge before Tang San.

Turning this over in his mind, Yu Xiaogang reorganized his thoughts. He then cast a deliberate, unhurried glance at Tenshin, his voice soft and measured, "Oh? Then, summon your martial soul."

Tenshin gave a slight nod, raising his hand. A moment later, a book materialized in the air before him, floating delicately in his grasp.

Yu Xiaogang leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing as he examined the book. His posture straightened as he nodded, his expression unreadable. "Is it... an array?" he murmured.

He studied the book more closely before stepping back with a slow nod. "Indeed. This mutation seems beneficial. The key lies in the matrices on its cover—this design is reminiscent of the matrices found in soul storage guides. On the surface, these matrices might not appear to have any inherent function, but they could have an effect on you."

After a brief pause, he continued, "I've encountered individuals who awakened books as their martial soul. Although they lacked offensive soul power, their intellect and capacity for learning theoretical concepts were slightly enhanced. This suggests your martial soul possesses a beneficial mutation trait."

He hesitated, as if contemplating his next words, then went on, "However, given the nature of this mutation—and the fact that it originated from a book typically devoid of soul power—there's an unusual quality to it. It seems quite worn, almost... dusty. Awakening with innate soul power at level seven is nothing short of a miracle. If the mutation were linked to intellect or comprehension, the martial soul's quality could have been higher, possibly even leading to innate soul power at level eight or nine."

Yu Xiaogang's gaze drifted for a moment, lost in thought, before he added, "Your book martial soul, unfortunately, doesn't seem suited for direct combat. Its mutated trait appears designed to boost your intellect rather than provide raw offensive power. If I may offer a suggestion—seek out soul beasts with toxic attributes."

Tenshin's thoughts screamed with frustration, but outwardly, he merely nodded, keeping his expression respectful. 'F** you! Are you blind? Seriously, what the hell? This is clearly a book martial soul! You even said it would probably improve my intellect, so it has to have mental attributes, right? Then why on earth are you telling me to attach a venom-attribute spirit ring? What, am I just some test subject for your crazy theories? Do you think I'm going to waste the potential of the Celestial Book, like Tang San will with his Blue Silver Grass, by adding venom-attribute spirit rings?'

Despite the anger bubbling beneath the surface, he responded smoothly, "Master, so the mutation of a martial soul must stem from a particular characteristic becoming more pronounced, then?"

Yu Xiaogang, inwardly pleased by the child's sharpness, nodded, though he couldn't help but feel a hint of disappointment. 'He's clever—he can draw conclusions from limited information—but his martial soul lacks any real combat potential. If only it had some practical use, perhaps he could have assisted me with my Spirit Master Theory research.'

"Exactly," Yu Xiaogang replied, his tone steady. "In most cases of martial soul mutation, it's because one specific characteristic becomes overwhelmingly dominant. This characteristic might manifest as an additional feature, or it could significantly enhance a certain quality, making it stand out far more than in other martial souls of its type. Alternatively, an attribute might undergo an unusual transformation. For example, a lightning attribute could shift to fire, or water might change to ice."

He met Tenshin's gaze. "When these changes occur, it's immediately clear that the martial soul is no longer ordinary. Take a sword-based martial soul—if the sharpness is unusually pronounced, it sets it apart from other swords. The nature of the mutation can vary, but generally, martial souls mutate when one trait overtakes the others."

Yu Xiaogang's thoughts momentarily darkened. 'Of course, there's also the possibility that an exceptional martial soul could degrade... a dragon's form turning to that of a pig, thunder to mere noise.' He thought briefly of his own martial soul, Luo San Pao, a flash of bitterness flickering in his eyes. But he pushed it aside—there was no need to bring up personal matters now. First impressions were too important.

"Master, in that case, I think Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul might also be a mutated one. It reminds me of the peppers grown in the village field—though they all look the same, some taste sweet, while others have an unbearable spiciness. The Blue Silver Grass is everywhere on the mountain, and though it appears ordinary, I've noticed how resilient it is. No matter how many times it gets trampled or eaten by animals, it always comes back stronger the following year. Perhaps Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass is one of those rare varieties, mutated to possess extraordinary vitality."

Tenshin spoke with a sense of excitement, his eyes lighting up as though a new understanding was blossoming within him. But just as quickly, he lowered his gaze, a note of restraint in his voice as he continued.

"Master, Xiao San and I awakened our martial souls in the same room, with many others present. None of us saw him awaken a second martial soul. So... I suppose... it must also be a mutated martial soul, right?"

Yu Xiaogang froze for a brief moment, his mind working through the implications of Tenshin's words. He had never considered the possibility of Blue Silver Grass being mutated. It seemed so mundane, so ubiquitous. Yet, what Tenshin said made sense. There were always anomalies in the world, and if there could be instances of Twin Martial Souls—something that had only appeared twice in the continent's entire history—then anything was possible.

His thoughts shifted back to the records he had accumulated over the years. Most of his information on Blue Silver Grass came from civilians at Nuoding City Academy and spirit master data from the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall's records were vast, covering a wide range of martial souls, and he had never paid much attention to the common or unremarkable ones like Blue Silver Grass. It was possible that, buried within those records, there was mention of a mutated version—something he had overlooked in his haste.

Still, something lingered in his mind. What had caused Tang San's reaction back then? Yu Xiaogang couldn't shake the memory of the surprised look on Tang San's face.

'Tenshin is definitely sharp, and his insight into martial souls is impressive. He could be a fine candidate for my research on spirit master theory—but he's not yet ready for me to take him on as a disciple,' Yu Xiaogang mused, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes flicked to Tang San, trying to read the young man's expression, hoping to uncover some hidden truth or reaction that might confirm his suspicions.

'This Tenshin doesn't seem to believe I have a twin martial soul, and the theory he's derived from the grandmaster's teachings is surprisingly sound—it gives me the perfect reason to conceal my twin martial soul. I never expected this child to be so remarkably quick at learning,' Tang San mused inwardly. In truth, he felt no genuine need to eliminate Tenshin at all.

'As for this so-called Master,' Tang San thought, his gaze subtly sharpening, 'his theoretical acumen is truly profound—an asset that's been instrumental in my early development. Let's see just how far we can push his experiments.'

With that, Tang San lifted his gaze and, with quiet determination, inquired, "Grandmaster, can a Weapon Martial Soul also absorb a plant-system spirit ring?"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes glowed with confident light as he smiled and replied, "Of course you can. This is one of the Ten Great Core Spirit Competencies of the Spirit Master Profession, as outlined in my research—what I term the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory…"

And with that, he launched into his lengthy exposition once again, his voice steady and authoritative, fully immersed in his role as the great theorist.

Looking at Tang San—whose eyes brightened with every word—Tenshin exhaled a quiet, secret sigh of relief while feigning attentive interest and scribbling furiously in his diary.

[Tsk, tsk, tsk—Yu Xiaogang still doesn't realize he narrowly avoided death's door.]

The moment his words about Yu Xiaogang appeared, they seized the attention of the heroines. Their diaries updated instantly with these observations:

[To demonstrate his theoretical knowledge, Yu Xiaogang presented Tang San with an analysis. He explained that, after examining the innate soul power of countless soul masters with blue silver grass martial souls, none had exceeded the first level. With this, he argued that Tang San must possess another martial soul to fill the gap in his soul power—proving that he is, in fact, inherently brimming with soul power!]

[No—he merely guessed by chance. Tang San truly has another martial spirit: the Clear Sky Hammer.]

Blue Tyrant Academy

Liu Erlong's heart surged with pride as she read the passage. 'Xiaogang's theory is flawless,' she thought, her lips curving into a triumphant smile. 'He saw through Tang San's secret immediately. His wisdom truly knows no bounds.'

Yet, as she continued to read, an unsettling doubt crept into her mind. 'Wait... Why did Tenshin say Xiaogang guessed by chance? That can't be right... Can it?' Her brow furrowed, conflicting emotions swirling within her.

Her instinctive loyalty warred with a nagging uncertainty. Xiaogang was a genius—wasn't he? He had dedicated his life to martial soul research. But if his analysis was merely a lucky guess... then how much of his reputation was built on chance rather than true insight?

The thought sent a chill down her spine, her faith shaken. For a moment, she felt as if the ground beneath her had shifted. 'No... It can't be,' she whispered, gripping the diary tightly as if to anchor herself. 'I need to keep reading... I have to understand the truth.'

Spirit City

In Spirit City, Bibi Dong's fingers tightened around the diary's edges, her eyes narrowing as she reread the entry. Her expression remained cold and unreadable, but her heart was a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. 'So, Yu Xiaogang made such a bold claim... And it was merely a guess?'

Bitterness bubbled within her, memories resurfacing unbidden. She had once admired his intellect, his unwavering conviction in his theories. Yet, here it was—evidence of his fallibility, laid bare by Tenshin's detached observations. 'A lucky guess... That's all it was,' she thought, her lip curling in disdain.

And yet, beneath the bitterness, a flicker of something more complicated stirred. Nostalgia, tinged with lingering hurt. How many times had she watched him speak with that same confidence, his eyes alight with the passion of discovery? How many times had she believed him without question?

'Fool,' she muttered under her breath, though she wasn't sure if the word was meant for Yu Xiaogang... or herself.

The other heroines, too, felt similar uncertainties, their minds swirling with questions as they continued to read. Then, their diaries updated once more, revealing even more insights.

[Yu Xiaogang correctly deduced that Tang San possesses twin martial spirits, yet this revelation forces him to walk perilously close to the edge of doom.]

[The instant Tang San's twin martial spirit secret was uncovered, a murderous intent ignited within him. I even saw it—Tang San concealed his right hand behind his back and shot me a secretive glance, as if silently questioning whether he must kill to silence someone. It's truly terrifying.]

[He is ready to eliminate anyone who dares oppose him—typical of the Tang Sect, where even the slightest threat is met with ruthless force.]

[I still remember the admonition from the Xuantian Treasure Record of the Tang Sect: never let those you cannot fully trust know your true strength.]

[And if you are certain that an enemy has a means to kill you, show no mercy; otherwise, you only invite further chaos.]

[Now, Tang San harbors murderous intent. Yu Xiaogang's immediate deduction of his secret has given him a clear reason to act—and perhaps to kill.]

[But what Tang San remains unaware of is that Yu Xiaogang's theory about Twin Martial Souls is, in fact, flawed.]

[As time passed, Tang San began to lose confidence in his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, believing that he might be better off focusing entirely on the Clear Sky Hammer. But just as he was preparing to make that decision, Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, intervened.]

[Dugu Bo, with his usual calm and piercing gaze, shared knowledge he had once read in an ancient tome. According to the book, there were two key conditions for the manifestation of Twin Martial Souls.]

[The first condition was that the martial souls of the parents must have similar qualities, while the second required the martial souls' attributes to be vastly different.]

[Considering this, it was clear that the attributes of the Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer were indeed contrasting, fulfilling one of the conditions. But more intriguingly, the second condition—that the martial souls should possess similar quality—was also met.]

[For, despite its seemingly humble appearance, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was not just any ordinary variant. His martial soul carried the bloodline of the Blue Silver Emperor, though it had yet to awaken fully. This latent potential meant that the Blue Silver Grass, in terms of its spiritual and martial quality, was on par with the Clear Sky Hammer. It was this rare and exceptional combination that allowed for the awakening of Twin Martial Souls.]

[So with all this information, we can conclude that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was not weak at all. The real issue lies in the poor choice of soul rings. As I wrote earlier, one crucial requirement is the compatibility between the characteristics of the soul beast and the martial soul—something Tang San completely overlooked.]

[From my observation, I can conclude with almost absolute certainty that the reason his Blue Silver Grass seemed so weak, despite absorbing a few rings above the "ideal age," was due to this incompatibility.]

[However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Take, for instance, the current Pope, Bibi Dong, whose Twin Martial Souls both belong to the same demonic spider lineage. This clearly contradicts Dugu Bo's theory, as the martial souls of the parents were not supposed to share such similar attributes.]

[Here's where I'd argue that for Twin Martial Souls to emerge, in addition to the similar quality between the martial souls, the attributes themselves need to be either drastically different or, in rare cases, extraordinarily similar. It's this delicate balance that seems to trigger the manifestation of Twin Martial Souls.]

The heroines leaned in eagerly, their eyes wide with fascination. They couldn't get enough of Tenshin's explanations.

[Ahem, I got a bit carried away with the theory. Now, let's return to the topic at hand—Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.]

Girls: "No, don't stop! This is incredible—we want to watch more!"

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