Steam Engine Ye Lingling

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Of course I know about it. What's wrong?"

Dugu Yan froze, not knowing why Ye Lingling had suddenly brought this up.

But soon, Dugu Yan's eyes widened. She looked in the direction Qing Mu had left, then at Ye Lingling, and said in shock, "Lingling, don't tell me you mean..."

Ye Lingling nodded. "Just what you're thinking. I suspect that person from earlier and I might have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

The inexplicable attraction emanating from Qing Mu, coupled with the sense of closeness from her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, left Ye Lingling no choice but to consider the possibility of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

After all, aside from a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, what other ability could make a Martial Soul react so strongly?

Even the few treasures her mother had mentioned could not possibly attract her that strongly. That was a phenomenon that could only occur if it could make up for the flaws in her Martial Soul.

Though those treasures could allow some relatively ordinary Martial Souls to evolve, her Nine Heart Begonia was already one of the most powerful support Martial Souls. There was even the restriction that only two Nine Heart Begonia Spirit Masters could exist in the world at the same time.

This restriction was even more outrageous than the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's seven-ring limit, directly preventing the Nine Heart Begonia from ever growing stronger as a lineage.

By comparison, although the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could not break through to Soul Douluo, it did not stop them from becoming a top-tier force known as one of the Upper Three Sects, forming a stark contrast with the decline of the Nine Heart Begonia.

"Hiss... It's actually true."

After hearing Ye Lingling's answer, Dugu Yan could not help sucking in a breath.

A Martial Soul Fusion Skill! This was something no Spirit Master could refuse, even more enticing to Spirit Masters than a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.

After standing there blankly for a moment, Dugu Yan came to her senses and hurriedly grabbed Ye Lingling. Somewhat anxiously, she said, "Then why aren't you chasing after him? If you let him get away, it'll be almost impossible for you to find another person who can perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with you."

But Ye Lingling hesitated. "But I'm not familiar with him..."

"Stop!"

Before Ye Lingling could finish, Dugu Yan interrupted her.

Dugu Yan smacked her forehead and looked at Ye Lingling speechlessly. "Lingling, has your brain been fried? That's a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!

"If I had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with someone, I'd tie him up and drag him back even if I had to!

"As for feelings and all that, they can be developed later. The most urgent thing is not letting him get away. Otherwise, it'll be a huge hassle to find him later.

"And if anything unexpected happens in the meantime, you'll definitely regret it for the rest of your life."

"This..."

After Dugu Yan's round of persuasion, Ye Lingling no longer hesitated. She nodded and said, "You're right, Yanyan. This really isn't the time to think about those things."

A Martial Soul Fusion Skill was something one could only hope to encounter by chance. Regardless of the other person's character or personality, she should at least get to know him first.

If her current hesitation caused her to miss this opportunity, Ye Lingling felt that she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"That's more like it."

Seeing that Ye Lingling no longer hesitated, Dugu Yan nodded in satisfaction.

Dugu Yan then moved behind Ye Lingling, grasped her shoulders with both hands, and whispered into her ear, "Don't worry. Even if Qing Mu refuses, I'll help you catch him and bring him back."

The moment those words were spoken, Ye Lingling's face turned bright red, and wisps of white steam rose from her head.

Meanwhile, Qing Mu arrived at a stall and looked at a palm-sized black crystal displayed there.

The black crystal had been casually tossed into a corner by the stall owner. It was dull, uneven, and rather shabby-looking. No one would probably want it even if it were given away for free.

"Boss, how much is this black crystal?"

Qing Mu picked up the black crystal, which was even larger than his palm, weighed it in his hand, and asked the owner with feigned curiosity.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man in his forties and also a Spirit Master. As for his level, because of Douluo Continent's peculiar rules, Qing Mu could not tell without the man making a move.

But sometimes, not being able to tell was information in itself.

At Qing Mu's current level, ordinary Spirit Masters could not hide from him. Moreover, because his Spiritual Power was stronger than most people's, even Soul Grandmasters were not beyond his perception.

Yet he could not see through the stall owner's level at all. That alone was enough to prove that this owner was at least a Soul Elder or above.

The stall owner glanced at Qing Mu and noticed that although Qing Mu was not dressed extravagantly, the Soul Power fluctuations around him had actually reached Soul Grandmaster level. His heart immediately leaped with joy.

What genius brat had run out from some family this time? Perfect for swindling... no, perfect for teaching him how dangerous the world was.

The stall owner quickly said, "Customer, this isn't some cheap black crystal. It's extremely rare Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly. Just swallow a fingernail-sized piece each time, and you'll be full of vigor for an entire night."

As he spoke, the stall owner winked repeatedly at Qing Mu, wearing an expression that clearly said, You know what I mean.

Children on Douluo Continent generally matured early, especially Spirit Masters. Quite a few experienced such matters in their teens. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were ready examples.

"Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly?"

After hearing that, Qing Mu could barely keep his expression straight. He immediately retorted, "Do you think I'm young and easy to fool? Whale Jelly comes from the brains of whale-type Soul Beasts in the deep sea. Hunting a Ten Thousand Year whale-type Soul Beast would require at least a Soul Saint to lead the team. Even then, in the dangerous ocean, there's no guarantee they'd return safely.

"Besides, Thousand Year Whale Jelly is already more than enough. Unless someone happened to need the Soul Ring of a Ten Thousand Year whale-type Soul Beast, who would risk hunting one?

"If something that rare were real, why would you be selling it at a stall here? You even casually tossed it into a corner. You really don't even bother drafting your lies first!"

After pausing for a moment, Qing Mu continued, "And shouldn't Whale Jelly be golden? Yours is black to this extent. Even if it really is Whale Jelly, it's probably expired and defective. Eating it might cause some side effects."

The stall owner had his lie exposed so directly that he could not help feeling awkward.

But he was, after all, an experienced stall vendor and had encountered such situations before. After a brief moment of embarrassment, he immediately said, "It seems this little brother knows quite a bit about Whale Jelly. Then I won't hide it anymore. This is a piece of Thousand Year Whale Jelly. As for why it isn't golden but black, that's because it has weathered.

"However, although it has weathered, it has no side effects. The only consequence is that its effects have weakened considerably, but it's still much more effective than ordinary Hundred Year Whale Jelly.

"If you're interested, little brother, name a price. If it's suitable, I'll sell it to you."