The next morning, before the dew had dried, the valley was filled with the fresh scents of dawn.
Six-year-old Chen Jieqi was a little taller than other children his age.
Dugu Yan was seven years older than Chen Jieqi. Thanks to the significant improvement in the poison from her Martial Soul, she had become lively and cheerful.
The room beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well had already been prepared with a simple yet mysterious awakening array.
"Xiao Qi, are you ready?"
Dugu Bo asked expectantly.
Compared with six years ago, Dugu Bo still wore his usual emerald-green robe. His formerly unkempt hair was now neatly groomed, and a faint smile played on his face.
On closer inspection, his hair and eyes were a little lighter than before. Even the sickly-sweet odor about him was no longer as strong.
"I'm ready, Grandpa."
As soon as he spoke, Chen Jieqi stepped into the hexagonal array and waited.
Dugu Bo smiled faintly. Rather than using Martial Soul Possession, as they usually did when awakening Martial Souls at the Martial Soul Sub-Hall,
he simply waved a hand, sending six streams of potent Soul Power into the six soul stones. Then he said,
"Xiao Qi, relax your mind. Don't be nervous. Close your eyes and feel the power inside you. Let it follow the guidance of my Soul Power and come forth."
Chen Jieqi did as he was told and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
He could clearly feel a gentle yet domineering force of Soul Power flowing from Dugu Bo's palm and slowly entering his body.
It traveled along his meridians, as if awakening some dormant power within him.
"Focus. Don't let your mind wander."
Dugu Bo's voice came from beside him, carrying a hint of anticipation he could barely conceal.
He had watched Chen Jieqi grow up over the past six years and knew the boy was no ordinary child. He was also curious to see what kind of Martial Soul the little one he had taken in would possess.
Dugu Yan held her breath, too, staring intently at Chen Jieqi's right hand, her face full of anticipation.
The next moment, a golden glow rose from the six soul stones, forming a pale gold barrier around Chen Jieqi.
"Hold out your right hand!"
The golden light grew brighter. Chen Jieqi's first sensation was warmth and comfort.
The meridians throughout his body grew active, and the "Holy Light Power" he usually kept contained began to gather.
As golden specks of light poured into him, he could clearly feel something inside him stirring, as if it were about to awaken and burst out of his body.
At last, the golden specks within Chen Jieqi surged toward the top of his head.
A crystal-like structure slowly appeared. At its center was a "core," surrounded by many crystalline shapes. Together, they formed a figure resembling a cross made of interlocking pieces.
It radiated a gentle golden light, giving off an impression of holiness and purity.
This was the crystallized form of holy light energy—the Heart of the Naaru.
At the same time, a pale golden glow shone from his right palm. As the light gathered, a strange longsword appeared, unlike ordinary swords, whose blades were the same width throughout.
Its blade was broad and heavy. Near the tip, on the upper side, sat a huge golden disc. A soft light seemed to shine from the center of the disc, which floated within the blade.
Mysterious runes were etched into the blade, which gradually narrowed toward the hilt. The hilt was red and decorated with gold, giving it an antique, metallic appearance.
This was the Paladin's weapon—the Ashbringer.
With the Heart of the Naaru's appearance, the air around them turned peaceful and filled with a sacred feeling. It seemed faintly on the verge of forming a domain.
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan felt a tingling sensation. Their bodies seemed to grow lighter.
"Is this a Twin Martial Soul?"
"Little Brother Xiao Qi, the golden light from the Martial Soul above your head feels the same as the energy that used to leak from your body. But now it's gathered into crystals. It looks so cool!"
Dugu Yan exclaimed in surprise.
"Xiao Qi, what kind of Martial Soul is this?"
Dugu Bo was less astonished than Dugu Yan as he examined it.
Ever since he had brought Chen Jieqi home, nothing that happened around the boy had seemed strange to him.
Over the past few years, not only had Dugu Yan's condition improved noticeably, but the backlash from Dugu Bo's own Martial Soul had also eased somewhat.
After stepping out of the array, Chen Jieqi activated Martial Soul Possession.
The crystal structure resembling a cross appeared at his brow, while the sword in his palm flashed and formed in his hand.
With his silver hair, he looked even more sacred and imposing.
"Grandpa, Sister Yanyan, my Martial Soul is called the Heart of the Naaru!
"It's a pure elemental Martial Soul, an Ultimate Martial Soul of holiness and light. It naturally counters negative attributes like darkness and poison.
"The sword in my hand is a companion Martial Soul. It can't have Soul Rings added to it separately, but it'll grow stronger as the Naaru Holy Light gathers. So it isn't a Twin Martial Soul."
Chen Jieqi was satisfied.
He truly was satisfied. Setting aside the various risks that came with Twin Martial Souls,
their only advantage was that, later on, they could absorb more Soul Rings, speeding up cultivation and raising one's Soul Power Level.
At its core, having two Martial Souls didn't noticeably boost an individual's combat ability or fundamentally change it.
Whether you had one Martial Soul or two, barring special circumstances, the amount of Soul Power at the same level should be about the same.
And with the same amount of Soul Power, your Soul Skills would be similar in power and duration.
So a Twin Martial Soul only gave you more Soul Skills to choose from. It didn't make your Soul Power reserves any deeper.
Some might say that, later on, the Soul Rings chosen for a Second Martial Soul would have much longer cultivation spans, granting far greater attribute and Soul Skill bonuses than those on the First Martial Soul.
That was true!
But it was important to remember that a Soul Master couldn't use both Martial Souls at once. You also had to consider whether your body could withstand the risk of being overwhelmed.
As a result, you might not be able to absorb every Soul Ring for your Second Martial Soul successfully, and you wouldn't be able to bring out its full power.
For that reason, Chen Jieqi was genuinely satisfied with his Martial Soul. It was an Ultimate Martial Soul, and the two souls were one.
After all, flashy tricks were often no match for taking one ability to the extreme.
"Quick, quick... Grandpa, test Little Brother Xiao Qi's Innate Soul Power!"
Dugu Yan urged him.
Dugu Bo, also beaming with excitement, took out the Spirit Power Crystal.
"Come on, let's test your Soul Power!"
As blue light filled the crystal ball, it shone brilliantly, lighting up their delighted faces.
"Innate Full Soul Power!"
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan said the words one at a time.
"Hahahahaha..."
Dugu Bo burst into hearty laughter, then said,
"Fewer than twenty people with Innate Full Soul Power have been recorded over the past century. Xiao Qi makes the nineteenth. The continent is sure to be stirred up.
"As far as I know, the Spirit Hall hasn't had a single youngster with Innate Full Soul Power in this generation.
"As long as nothing happens to Xiao Qi along the way, reaching the pinnacle of the Soul Master world is only a matter of time."
"Congratulations, Little Brother Xiao Qi! Innate Full Soul Power!
"Your big sister Yanyan will be counting on you to protect her from now on~"
Dugu Yan teased him.
Dugu Yan was different now from the girl in the original story, who had only reached level 38 at nineteen.
Her Soul Power had risen by just 31 levels in thirteen years, averaging less than 2.4 levels a year. Whether because of her Martial Soul's poison or some other reason,
that cultivation speed only made her an ordinary genius.
But things were different now. The poison problem with Dugu Yan's Martial Soul had eased and was under control,
and her cultivation speed had clearly improved. She was already level 27 at just over thirteen, so her request for Chen Jieqi to protect her was only a joke.
"Grandpa, Sister Yanyan, don't tease me.
"If you hadn't taken me in, Grandpa, I wouldn't be here today. I'd have ended up in a Soul Beast's belly."
"Sister Yanyan, don't worry. From now on, whoever bullies you will have to step over my dead body first."
Chen Jieqi said solemnly, his young face earnest.
After spending years together day and night, Chen Jieqi had come to see them both as family.
"Then you'd better work hard, Little Brother Xiao Qi. I'll be waiting for the day you protect me."
Dugu Yan said with a grin.
Chen Jieqi looked up at the pride and anticipation in Dugu Bo's eyes, then glanced at Dugu Yan, whose face was full of joy. Warmth filled his heart.
He knew that from the moment his Martial Soul awakened, his journey across Douluo Continent had finally gotten on track. Now he had the strength to decide his own path.
After some joking around, Dugu Bo spoke up.
"Xiao Qi, since you have Innate Full Soul Power, we'll need to arrange your First Soul Ring as soon as possible. Have you given any thought to what you want or need?"
"Grandpa, since my two souls are one, I don't lack offensive abilities in the early stages. I plan to focus on enhancement for my first few Soul Rings.
"That way, I can maximize the enhancement of my Heart of the Naaru and its holy light, while also strengthening the Ashbringer.
"The effects of those early Soul Skills should still be useful later on, so they won't go to waste. Once my Soul Power Level is higher, I can add offensive or control abilities based on what I need. What do you think?"