The System Acted Up Again

Bibi Dong suddenly taking a disciple naturally prompted the Worship Hall to investigate.

Golden Crocodile Douluo initially thought Xiao Chen was merely a Twin Martial Souls genius, but after hearing his subordinate's report, he realized he had underestimated Xiao Chen.

Over the past three days, Xiao Chen had participated in battles at the Great Soul Arena within Martial Soul City. Though he wore a mask, he could hardly hide from the Worship Hall's investigation.

His identities as 'Mystic Spear' and 'Absolute String' had both been uncovered by the Worship Hall.

"Sir, Xiao Chen's second martial soul is a long spear, and its spirit rings are also both white!" the black-robed man continued.

"Oh? You're saying Xiao Chen has already successfully attached spirit rings to his second martial soul?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked with some surprise.

The black-robed man immediately replied, "Correct. Over these three days, Xiao Chen fought three battles in the Great Soul Arena under the alias 'Mystic Spear' with his long spear martial soul, and the rings were indeed white!"

"At the same time, under the alias 'Absolute String' with his bow martial soul, he teamed up with the Saintess for Soul Ancestor-level duo battles, though he didn't reveal his ring colors during those fights!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo stroked his beard upon hearing this. "That means this child successfully attached spirit rings to both martial souls without relying on anyone. No wonder Bibi Dong took him as a disciple."

"What were his results?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked further.

The black-robed man said, "Three wins in both singles and duos. Based on my estimation, Xiao Chen can hold his own against a Soul Elder using only his long spear martial soul. As for his bow martial soul, its attack power might be even stronger than the spear's!"

The black-robed man then produced a Recording Crystal and projected footage of one of Xiao Chen's solo battles and one duo battle.

After watching both fights, Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes were filled with shock.

"Both martial souls have white rings for their first two slots, yet he can fight above his rank. Are his rings really white?" Golden Crocodile Douluo could hardly believe it.

The black-robed man immediately said, "Absolutely certain. Xiao Chen was brought back by Chrysanthemum Douluo. Before meeting Chrysanthemum Douluo, he traveled with students from Fabia Academy into the Star Dou Forest. They personally saw Xiao Chen kill a ten-year Four-Eyed Cat Owl and absorb its spirit ring right in front of them!"

"That's strange. Twin Martial Souls are rare, and having four rings at Level 20 is a big advantage, but it shouldn't boost his strength that much—especially with white rings!" Golden Crocodile Douluo said, puzzled.

"I find it strange too. Xiao Chen's spirit ring configuration and combat ability simply don't match common sense. He must have other secrets," the black-robed man said.

He paused, then added, "Should I bring the child to you, sir?"

"No need." Golden Crocodile Douluo waved his hand.

Though he was deeply curious about the secrets Xiao Chen carried, he knew that no one in the world understood the mysteries of Twin Martial Souls better than Bibi Dong.

Since Xiao Chen had already joined Martial Soul Hall, there would be plenty of time to uncover his secrets later.

"Keep this to yourself. Don't mention it to anyone, and don't investigate the child anymore," Golden Crocodile Douluo ordered.

Inside the Pope's Hall, Xiao Chen, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan had just received their training tasks and goals from Bibi Dong.

In addition to daily physical training, Bibi Dong required Xiao Chen, under his 'Mystic Spear' identity, to raise his battle soul badge to the Purple Gold level before the start of the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament.

For Hu Liena and the other two, their solo battles required raising their badges to the Gold Soul level.

The 'String Fox Duo' of Xiao Chen and Hu Liena also needed to reach the Gold Soul badge level.

The same applied to Yan and Xie Yue's duo combination.

As for their four-person team battles, they had to at least reach the Silver Soul level.

Their battles were not limited to the Martial Soul City Great Soul Arena;

Once the four had sufficiently meshed, Chrysanthemum Douluo would take them to all major cities with soul arenas across the two empires for battle training.

At the same time, they would experience life-and-death battles along the way.

Using Gold Soul Coins or treasures to lure evil, greedy soul masters, Chrysanthemum Douluo would use these opportunities to let Xiao Chen and the others temper their combat experience in life-or-death situations and refine their minds.

Xiao Chen and the other three meshed very quickly.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan were all geniuses carefully nurtured by Martial Soul Hall, with solid foundations, outstanding comprehension, and battlefield awareness far beyond their peers.

With the system's help and his deep understanding of Hu Liena and the others, Xiao Chen complemented them perfectly.

They drilled tactics, sparred against each other, and familiarized themselves with each other's martial soul traits, spirit skill rhythms, and combat habits.

From initial awkwardness in coordination, they gradually reached a state where minds connected and movements echoed each other.

In just ten days, the four had shed their initial unfamiliarity, achieving a high level of combat coordination.

Without needing many words, a mere exchange of glances or a slight shift in posture was enough to convey tactical intent. Offense and defense flowed seamlessly, strengths and weaknesses complemented each other perfectly, and they had become a well-coordinated, highly capable elite squad.

Moreover, during this period, the system gave Xiao Chen another surprise.

On the ninth day, Xiao Chen and Hu Liena encountered an extremely powerful duo in their pair battle.

Both opponents were Level 48 Soul Ancestors.

One was an Agility Attack System with the Shadow Spirit Cat martial soul; the other was a Control System with the Illusory Vine martial soul.

The huge gap in spirit power put Xiao Chen and Hu Liena at a disadvantage from the start.

Though Hu Liena immediately released her fourth spirit skill for a wide-range mental interference, she couldn't fully control them.

The Agility Attack System soul master was extremely fast, never giving Xiao Chen a chance to shoot his arrows.

Xiao Chen could only rely on Shadow Step Dash to constantly dodge around the arena. Hu Liena's third spirit skill—Fox Transformation—also boosted her speed, but while they wouldn't lose quickly, the longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became.

Especially when the Control System soul master activated Illusory Vine's fourth spirit skill, 'Mist Haze,' Xiao Chen's speed was restricted.

If not for his sharp eyesight and danger perception, he would have been caught long ago.

Hu Liena's strength was formidable; her wide-range mental interference made both opponents uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Xiao Chen's speed was limited, and the arena was too small. He could only manage an occasional arrow while being chased, posing no real threat to them.

There was no helping it—Xiao Chen's Soul Power Level was simply too low.

On top of that, he couldn't use his Second Martial Soul. Against a combination that could withstand Hu Liena's mental interference, Xiao Chen was nothing but dead weight.

Xiao Chen exchanged a glance with Hu Liena, ready to concede. Just then, the system's voice rang out in his mind.

System: "Host, your rapport with Hu Liena has reached a very high level. It's time to use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

"???"

Xiao Chen's face was full of question marks. He had never imagined he could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with anyone else.

"Host, why be so surprised? Your Martial Soul has been modified by this system. As long as your rapport with another person meets the standard, you can execute a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with anyone," the system said.

Xiao Chen truly hadn't expected that the system-modified Martial Soul would come with such a benefit. He silently gave the system a thumbs-up. "Awesome!"