Second Martial Soul

In the small bedroom, two young boys eagerly discussed what had happened today and their hopes for the future.

Ma Hongjun summoned his Martial Soul and asked in confusion, "Brother Yu, what exactly is my Martial Soul? Master Chu said it's a Fire Turkey, but something feels wrong. It's like... deep down, I'm rejecting that name."

Ming Lunyu crouched halfway in front of Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul, examining it with utmost care.

Fiery red feathers, long tail plumes, a sparse yet intricately patterned crest, and that faint, almost imperceptible sense of pressure... It really did not resemble any Fire Turkey. Instead, it looked more like...

"A phoenix?" Ming Lunyu murmured.

Ma Hongjun's eyes widened as he stared at his Martial Soul in disbelief.

"Brother Yu, are you saying my Martial Soul is a phoenix? A legendary Divine Beast!"

Ma Hongjun remembered all sorts of legends about Divine Beasts very clearly.

That was because Ming Lunyu had previously found an ancient book called the Sanhēng Sutra among the old miscellaneous books Hu Dasheng had collected, and it recorded numerous Divine Beasts.

Ming Lunyu had eagerly shared it with Ma Hongjun at the time, immediately sparking Ma Hongjun's interest as well.

The Sanhēng Sutra contained records of the phoenix.

Ming Lunyu studied it carefully again and even pulled out the Sanhēng Sutra specifically to compare them. At last, he reached a conclusion.

"Xiaojun, your Martial Soul is very likely a phoenix!"

Ma Hongjun jumped up in delight.

"Look, look..." Ming Lunyu pulled Ma Hongjun over and pointed at his Martial Soul as he explained. "Do these feathers here not resemble the character for 'benevolence'? And these, do they not resemble the character for 'righteousness'? And here, here... virtue, propriety, trustworthiness. They all match up, exactly as the book describes! So I think it must be a phoenix. And your Martial Soul feels scorching hot to me, so it's probably a Fire Phoenix. It's just... forget it, it's nothing."

Ming Lunyu did not say it aloud. As he stared at Ma Hongjun's little phoenix, he vaguely sensed something strange, as though a flawless crystal contained a trace of impurity.

But he did not know where that feeling came from, so he could only set the matter aside for now.

In truth, he had no ability to investigate it anyway.

Only after being excited for quite a while did Ma Hongjun sit back down. Expectantly, he said, "Brother Yu, I want to see your Martial Soul!"

Ming Lunyu nodded. "Of course."

With a flip of his hand, an exquisite Black Bone White Folding Fan appeared.

Swish!

With a flick of his wrist, the Folding Fan snapped open. Its surface was white as snow and seemed to emit faint points of light.

Ming Lunyu gently fanned himself, and paired with his refined, handsome features, he looked like an elegant young gentleman.

Ma Hongjun clapped nonstop at the sight, repeatedly crying, "Brother Yu is so handsome!"

At that moment, however, Ming Lunyu closed the Folding Fan and looked at Ma Hongjun solemnly.

"Xiaojun, how many Martial Souls do you think one person can have?"

Ma Hongjun was baffled. "Isn't it one?"

Ming Lunyu nodded, his expression becoming even more serious.

"Xiaojun, I'm going to tell you something. Don't tell anyone besides Grandpa. Even with Grandpa, if he doesn't ask, don't bring it up yourself. Do you understand?"

Though he did not understand why, Ma Hongjun still agreed solemnly.

Ming Lunyu said, "Xiaojun, look."

He closed his eyes and stirred another power within his body.

Faint black and white currents rose across Ming Lunyu's body.

"Ha!"

Ming Lunyu abruptly opened his eyes!

Ma Hongjun discovered in astonishment that Ming Lunyu's originally black eyes had turned into a black-and-white Yin Yang Fish pattern.

Ming Lunyu cupped his hands together, and a gray Spirit Pearl entwined with Black and White Qi floated above his palms.

"Th-this..." Ma Hongjun's eyes widened as he watched the scene curiously.

"This is also my Martial Soul. Its name is Inverse Yin Yang. It told me so."

Ma Hongjun happily grabbed Ming Lunyu by the shoulders. "Brother Yu, I knew you were the most special after all!"

Ming Lunyu stared blankly at Ma Hongjun's radiant smile, warmth rising in his heart.

"Don't worry, Brother Yu. I'll keep this secret tightly sealed," Ma Hongjun promised, patting his chest.

Ming Lunyu smiled faintly. "Mm. I believe you."

"By the way, Brother Yu, what abilities does your Second Martial Soul have?" Ma Hongjun asked curiously.

Ming Lunyu sensed it for a moment before speaking with some confusion. "My Martial Soul told me it doesn't need to hunt soul beasts to add Soul Rings. Instead, it gains Soul Rings by forming contracts with other living beings. And contracted creatures will 'reverse yin and yang, transcend mortal form,' while I can also 'seize a thread from heaven, grasp fate in one hand'... What does that mean? I only know it seems to be beneficial."

Ma Hongjun said with a headache, "If even Brother Yu doesn't understand it, then I understand it even less. But it sounds really powerful."

"Right, I have an idea. Brother Yu, why not try forming a contract with me? Wouldn't that tell us what it means?"

"No!" Ming Lunyu sternly cut him off. "How could I use you as an experiment?"

Ma Hongjun pursed his lips and secretly glanced at Ming Lunyu's serious expression. He immediately abandoned the idea.

At some point, the moon had risen, and clear moonlight streamed through the window into the room.

"The moon is so bright today," Ming Lunyu said wistfully, his eyes hazy.

"Xiaojun, what do you think is up on the moon?"

Ma Hongjun stared at the moon for a while but could not make sense of it. Finally, he said, "I think there's probably something tasty up there."

Ming Lunyu could not help laughing. "You little brat, all you ever think about is food."

"Then tell me what's on the moon!"

Ming Lunyu imagined, "I think there must be very powerful soul beasts living on the moon. As long as we hunt one, we'll gain an incredibly powerful soul skill and suppress the entire Douluo Continent!"

Ma Hongjun scratched his head. "Are there really soul beasts living on the moon?"

"I don't know~" Ming Lunyu shrugged. "But if one day I become really, really strong, I'll definitely go to the moon and take a look. I'll go to the sun too. I'll go everywhere on the Douluo Continent. And I'll take you and Grandpa with me!"

Though it was only a beautiful fantasy, Ming Lunyu's tone carried such unwavering conviction that it was impossible not to believe him.

At least, Ma Hongjun believed him.

"Brother Yu, we're going to Soul Master Academy to study the day after tomorrow," Ma Hongjun said.

"What? Are you reluctant to leave Grandpa?"

"Mm, a little..." Ma Hongjun lowered his head, sadness between his brows.

A trace of reluctance flashed through Ming Lunyu's eyes, but he immediately laughed and threw an arm around Ma Hongjun's shoulders. "Don't be so sad. We're only going to learn skills. Once we return as powerful Soul Masters, we'll be able to repay Grandpa properly for raising us. Besides, we have to learn to be independent. We can't make Grandpa worry about us forever, can we?"

After hearing that, Ma Hongjun gradually perked up and nodded vigorously. "I understand! Brother Yu, let's work hard together!"