Ye Tianming had never imagined that Long Chen would awaken a Dark Night Demonic Lute Martial Soul with an Evil Attribute—and that he would have Innate Level 10 Full Soul Power.
Learning that he had Innate Full Soul Power right after awakening his Martial Soul, Long Chen was shocked too. He silently thought to himself:
Looks like I, a Reborn One, have at least a little good fortune after all. I finally have a chance to avenge my father.
His father in this world had been an ordinary man who had raised him for only a year, but Long Chen remembered everything his father had done for him.
He had always hoped he would awaken a powerful Martial Soul. Only then would he have a chance to avenge his father.
Now, that wish had finally come true.
Ye Lingling clapped her hands excitedly.
"Long Chen Bro, you're amazing! You have Innate Full Soul Power!"
Ye Tianming patted Ye Lingling's head, then turned his gaze to Long Chen.
"Xiao Chen, there are only a handful of people in the world with Innate Full Soul Power, and every one of them is a genius. Now you're one of them, too. People with the Dark Night Demonic Lute Martial Soul belong to the Control System. They can use the Demon Qin Sound to control and attack their opponents. But..."
"Uncle Ye, what is it?"
"It's nothing. I'll tell you another time."
"Okay. Then let's awaken Lingling's Martial Soul first."
Ye Tianming nodded.
Ye Lingling then repeated the steps Long Chen had just gone through and awakened her Martial Soul.
When points of light gathered in Ye Lingling's hands and formed a pink Begonia Flower, a trace of barely perceptible sorrow flashed through Ye Tianming's eyes.
He knew that at that very moment, Ye Lingling's maternal grandmother had reached the end of her life.
The innocent Ye Lingling knew nothing of it.
Looking at the Begonia Flower, with its white and pink petals, she was overjoyed.
"Long Chen Bro, I awakened the same Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul as my mom!"
"Mm. Congratulations! You can become a powerful healer."
After steadying his emotions, Ye Tianming smiled.
"Lingling, come test your Soul Power."
"Okay."
Father and daughter placed their right hands on the blue crystal ball at the same time.
A pleased smile appeared on Ye Tianming's face.
"Level eight Soul Power, one level higher than your mother had when she awakened her Martial Soul."
"Lingling, you're amazing too."
Long Chen gave Ye Lingling a thumbs-up in praise.
Ye Lingling was delighted. She looked at Ye Tianming and asked:
"Dad, does this mean I can go to a Soul Master Academy with Long Chen Bro?"
"Mm. There's no rush. We'll talk about it after your mother gets back."
"Okay."
Ye Lingling beamed, clearly looking forward to her upcoming school life.
Long Chen knew that Ye Lingling would soon enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
As for whether he himself could get in, that remained uncertain.
He had sensed that Ye Tianming seemed to have some unspoken concern, apparently related to his Dark Night Demonic Lute Martial Soul.
Before going to bed that night, Long Chen released his Martial Soul, curious to see what it could do.
Black light emanated from the Dark Night Demonic Lute, carrying a mysterious power. A stream of information silently entered his mind, as if telling him how to control the lute.
I'll try controlling the lute's sound with my thoughts.
Long Chen fixed his gaze on the cup on the table and lightly plucked a string.
Bang!
A wisp of Soul Power shot from the Demon Lute, like an invisible blade of air, and shattered the cup.
"This seems pretty powerful. I wonder what kind of Soul Skills I'll get later."
Long Chen was excited and looked forward to obtaining his first Soul Ring.
The next day, Ye Susu returned to Ye Manor with bad news: Ye Lingling's maternal grandmother had passed away.
When she learned the cause of her grandmother's death, Ye Lingling was heartbroken. She shut herself in her room and refused to eat or drink.
Ye Susu came to find Long Chen and told him about the fate of the Nine Heart Begonia Clan.
"Xiao Chen, Lingling won't be able to accept her grandmother's death for a while, but this is the fate of our Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master clan. She listens to you more than anyone else. Go talk to her."
"Okay. Don't worry, Auntie. I'll go see her."
Long Chen went to Ye Lingling's room and knocked on the door.
"Lingling, it's me. Open the door."
With a creak, Ye Lingling opened it.
Her eyes were brimming with tears, and they were already swollen from crying.
Long Chen felt a pang of sympathy. He gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Lingling, I know what happened. What's done can't be changed. Don't be sad anymore. Your grandmother wouldn't want you to be like this."
"Waaah..."
Ye Lingling began crying again.
"Long Chen Bro, I don't want to be a Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master. I caused Grandma's death. I don't want to go to the academy, either."
"Lingling, this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."
"Waaah..."
"All right, don't cry. Whatever happens in the future, I'll stay by your side and protect you."
Ye Lingling cried against Long Chen's shoulder for a long time. Only when she had no strength left did she finally begin to calm down.
"Lingling, you haven't eaten all day. I'll get you something to eat, okay?"
"Mm."
Long Chen brought her some food and watched her finish it.
"Lingling, be good and go to the Royal Academy. Uncle Ye has already arranged everything."
"What about you?"
"I might go with you. But first, I have to get my first Soul Ring."
Long Chen knew that Immortal Herbs could increase a Soul Master's cultivation speed, and some Top-grade Immortal Herbs could even promote the evolution of a Martial Soul.
The Aromatic Silk Beauty at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was a Top-grade Immortal Herb. It could help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia was also a support-type Tool Martial Soul. If she could take that Aromatic Silk Beauty, perhaps her Martial Soul would evolve.
Getting into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, which Dugu Bo had seized for himself, would be no easy task.
However, he could start with Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
As events unfolded according to the timeline, Ye Lingling would become Dugu Yan's teammate.
Ye Lingling had to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy for Long Chen to have a chance to carry out his plan.
No matter what, he couldn't let those Immortal Herbs fall into Tang San's hands.
By now, it was dark.
After getting Ye Lingling to sleep, Long Chen left her room and went to find Ye Tianming and his wife.
"Uncle, Auntie, Lingling's asleep."
"Xiao Chen, thanks for your effort. You spent the whole day comforting her."
"Auntie, you're too kind. By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask. Is there really no way to change the fate of your Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master clan?"
Ye Susu sighed.
"There is, but it's too difficult. It's said that once our Soul Power breaks through level ninety, the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul will evolve into the Sacred Hearts Begonia. Then it will no longer be restricted by the Martial Soul, and we'll be completely free of the shackles of fate."
"Level ninety?"
"Yes. Healing-type Martial Souls have limited room to grow, so it's difficult to reach a high level. And with only one successor in each generation, along with the restrictions on when we can have children, reaching that distant level ninety is practically a fantasy. As far as I know, the strongest Soul Power ever attained by an ancestor of our clan was only level seventy-nine."
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