Tian Lin kept writing and drawing all morning, even forgetting to go out for lunch. It wasn't until Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo pushed the door open and entered that he finally stopped.
"Tian Lin, what are you doing?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
He glanced at the paper Tian Lin had been writing on, seeing things like "Fire + Thunder = Sword Qi Burning Thunder" and "Earth + Fire = Earth Fire Summons Moon," but he couldn't make any sense of it.
"Uncle Ning, this is the development plan for my martial soul. To strengthen my martial soul, I need to add soul rings with various attributes. For that reason, I'm comparing different combinations to carefully plan out each future soul ring," Tian Lin explained without hesitation.
"Oh, a sword that grows stronger by accumulating attributes? I'm curious to see what it will eventually become," Chen Xin said with growing interest. At the same time, he became even more satisfied with Tian Lin, who was always focused on improving himself without wasting a moment.
"But you still need to eat. Nutrition is very important for someone at your stage. Don't let this happen again."
"Yes, teacher!" Tian Lin didn't find Chen Xin's nagging annoying at all. He knew that concern came from care. If someone didn't care about you, they wouldn't bother reminding you about things like eating.
"However, teacher, honestly, even if I skip a meal or two, it's fine because I have another martial soul that constantly provides me with energy!" As he spoke, Tian Lin revealed the Holy Spirit Pearl in his left hand.
Earlier in the morning, with Ning Rongrong around, it was unrealistic to expect a child like her to keep secrets. So, Tian Lin had concealed it. He believed the fewer people who knew about his twin martial souls, the better. Now that only Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were present, he decided it was safe to reveal the secret.
"Twin... Twin Martial Souls!" Ning Fengzhi's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Then, as if realizing something, he called out, "Sword Uncle!"
Sword Douluo waved his hand, and all the doors and windows instantly shut. At the same time, he unleashed his Seven Kill Sword and activated the Seven Kill Domain.
This was Sword Douluo's domain. Within it, even intangible things like light and sound could be severed by his sword energy. This ensured no eavesdropping or spying, whether through spirit abilities or other means.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan might be the second-strongest in the world, but the sect couldn't have any spies within it. The secrecy of Tian Lin's twin martial souls was of utmost importance.
"Uncle Ning, teacher, this is my second martial soul, the Holy Spirit Pearl. It can serve as both support and offense. It comes with an innate spirit skill, the Holy Breath Domain. Within the domain, all allies can continuously recover soul power. Additionally, during cultivation, it can also accelerate the process," Tian Lin explained.
"Another innate spirit skill? And this one is practically the prototype of a domain! Normally, top-tier martial souls only have a chance of developing a domain at level seventy when they gain their martial soul avatar, or at level ninety when they become a Title Douluo. But this pearl awakened with a domain-like skill. Could it be... a legendary God-level Martial Soul?" Ning Fengzhi was stunned.
It was often said that Grandmaster was the foremost authority in theory, but Ning Fengzhi seemed no less knowledgeable—perhaps even surpassing him. After all, generations of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan leaders had likely delved deeply into martial soul theory in their efforts to evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"There's no mistake, Fengzhi. This is indeed a God-level Martial Soul. My father once fought the Spirit Hall's God-level Martial Soul, the Seraphim. According to him, God-level Martial Souls inherently suppress top-tier martial souls. When I sensed it, my Seven Kill Sword trembled in the presence of this pearl!" Chen Xin's voice was filled with awe.
Aside from Spirit Hall and the legendary Sea God Island, God-level Martial Souls hadn't appeared on the continent. Who would have thought the third one would emerge in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? What incredible fortune!
Ning Fengzhi tried to calm himself and gave a solemn warning: "Xiao Tian, regarding your twin martial souls, I will inform Uncle Bone later. He is trustworthy. Other than the three of us, you must never reveal this second martial soul to anyone else—not Elder Yin Yang, not Rongrong, and not even your parents. You must hide it completely. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand." Tian Lin nodded seriously.
"Good. From now on, you will train your sword martial soul exclusively with Sword Uncle. Until you become a Title Douluo, do not add any soul rings to that pearl," Ning Fengzhi instructed. His thinking aligned with Grandmaster and Tang Hao—he wanted to create a prodigy with all soul rings above ten thousand years.
Tian Lin knew Ning Fengzhi had his best interests at heart, so he agreed to everything.
Ning Fengzhi nodded. He needed some time to compose himself—the day had been too overwhelming. After leaving Tian Lin's room, Chen Xin expressed his concern.
"Fengzhi, Xiao Tian's talent is extraordinary, but you should know twin martial souls have their drawbacks."
"I understand, Sword Uncle. Don't worry. If Xiao Tian were in another sect, they might not be able to develop his twin martial souls to their full potential. But he's fortunate to have joined our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. When it comes to theory, aside from Spirit Hall, no other sect can compare to us. I'm confident I can overcome the drawbacks of twin martial souls," Ning Fengzhi said confidently. One day, Tian Lin would become the pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
That afternoon, Chen Xin returned to teach Tian Lin how to cultivate using meditation techniques.
Once mastered, meditation could replace sleep. For a soul master aiming for the pinnacle, enduring hardships like these was necessary.
With the guidance of a master, Tian Lin quickly understood what he hadn't before and soon entered a meditative state. Unfortunately, since he was only at level ten and lacked a soul ring, no matter how hard he cultivated, he couldn't break through.
But Tian Lin knew the soul power he cultivated wasn't lost; it was simply dormant. Once he obtained a soul ring, it would all manifest at once.
That night, Tian Lin didn't relax. He meditated all night and woke up the next day feeling refreshed. Meditation restored his energy just as well as sleep.
"Good, you're in great shape. Let's go. I'll take you to get your first soul ring," Sword Douluo said. Opening the door, he picked up Tian Lin and flew toward the Soul Hunting Forest on his sword.
For a first soul ring, a ten- or hundred-year-old spirit beast would suffice, so there was no need to venture into dangerous places like the Star Dou Forest or Sunset Forest. The Soul Hunting Forest would do.
With Sword Douluo's flying speed, they reached the entrance of the forest in less than two hours.
The Soul Hunting Forest wasn't a natural forest but a place where Spirit Hall and the two empires raised soul beasts for low-level soul masters. Most of the beasts there were ten- to hundred-year-old, with a few thousand-year ones and almost no ten-thousand-year beasts.
At the entrance, soldiers stood guard. Chen Xin stepped forward and presented a token—the Heaven Dou Sixth Emperor Token, the highest-level token of Spirit Hall. Only a few existed, and there were only three in use outside Spirit Hall, held by the Title Douluos of the Upper Three Sects.
The moment the soldiers saw the token, they immediately opened the gates without asking any questions. Someone who could present such a token was undoubtedly a major figure, far beyond their authority to question.