Ye Lingling's eyes suddenly narrowed.
She stared at Yu Xiaolong, her face full of disbelief.
Yu Xiaolong's voice was calm.
"I can awaken Twin Martial Souls for you."
"One... a control-type Martial Soul."
Ye Lingling's pupils widened.
Twin Martial Souls?
Those four words struck like thunder.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, Twin Martial Souls were the stuff of legend.
One might not appear even among ten thousand people.
"Impossible..."
Ye Lingling murmured to herself.
She took half a step back and shook her head.
"Twin Martial Souls are a miracle seen only once in a thousand years."
"How can you just awaken them on a whim?"
Benefactor, you're lying to me.
Her eyes were full of disbelief.
The Seven Heart Begonia family had studied Martial Souls for generations.
Her understanding of Martial Souls far exceeded that of her peers.
Awakening Twin Martial Souls required a heaven-sent opportunity.
It was no feat that human effort alone could accomplish.
Yu Xiaolong offered no explanation.
He simply looked at Ye Lingling in silence.
His gaze was calm, yet carried a peculiar confidence.
"You don't believe me?"
Yu Xiaolong asked.
Ye Lingling nodded.
She was being honest.
Yu Xiaolong smiled faintly.
"Then what will you do if I succeed?"
Ye Lingling fell silent for a long while.
She looked into Yu Xiaolong's eyes.
There was not a trace of humor in them.
"If it's true..."
Her voice was very soft.
"Then I'll take you as my master."
"Wholeheartedly, without the slightest pretense."
Yu Xiaolong nodded.
"Good. It's a deal."
He stepped back and sat down in his chair again.
"Kneel and pay your respects."
Ye Lingling bit her lip.
She was still hesitating.
The whole thing was simply too absurd to believe.
If Yu Xiaolong was lying to her...
But then she thought, what did she have left to lose?
Her grandfather was old, and her family was in decline.
Her marriage had been treated as a business transaction.
It seemed she had never had the right to choose her own path.
But now, someone was telling her:
You can gain power.
You can take control of your own fate.
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance,
she still wanted to try.
Ye Lingling took a deep breath.
Slowly, she knelt.
Her purple skirt spread across the floor.
The girl's back was straight as a sword.
She clasped her hands together before her brow.
Then she bowed her head.
The movement was gentle, yet carried a kind of resolve.
"Master, please accept this disciple's bow."
Her voice was cool, but every word was clear.
Yu Xiaolong looked at the girl kneeling before him.
Moonlight streamed in through the window.
It fell across her shoulders, haloing them in silver.
[ Ding— ] [Successfully took Ye Lingling as a disciple!] [Obtained Martial Soul: Pisces Star Dragon!]
Yu Xiaolong's pupils contracted slightly.
Pisces Star Dragon?
A colossal dragon's shadow appeared in his mind.
A Two-headed Fish Dragon, clad in starlight,
gliding slowly through the void.
It was an exceedingly rare dragon-type Martial Soul.
Its quality was extremely high.
But at that moment, Yu Xiaolong showed no expression at all.
He couldn't let Ye Lingling see that anything was amiss.
Ye Lingling finished bowing and straightened up.
She looked at Yu Xiaolong, waiting for him to say something.
But nothing happened.
Yu Xiaolong didn't move.
Nor did any strange phenomenon appear.
Disappointment surfaced in Ye Lingling's eyes.
So it really was...
A lie?
She said nothing, simply getting to her feet.
Her eyes returned to their usual coolness.
"Benefactor, I..."
Yu Xiaolong raised a hand to stop her.
"It's only natural that you don't believe me."
His voice was calm.
"Nothing happened today."
"But that doesn't mean nothing will happen later."
"After you go back, if you feel any changes in your body,"
"come find me at the Dragon God Temple."
Ye Lingling watched him silently.
The Dragon God Temple?
She had heard of it.
It had recently made a name for itself in Heaven Dou Imperial City.
But she didn't know that Yu Xiaolong was the master of the Dragon God Temple.
"The Dragon God Temple..."
Ye Lingling softly repeated.
Yu Xiaolong nodded.
"That's right, the Dragon God Temple."
"Just give them my name. No one will dare stop you."
Ye Lingling fell silent for a moment.
She bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Benefactor."
"I'll remember that."
She didn't call him Master again.
Clearly, she still didn't believe him.
Yu Xiaolong didn't press her.
He watched Ye Lingling turn and leave.
Her purple skirt flashed once more at the doorway.
Then she was gone.
The door closed softly.
Yu Xiaolong let out a long breath.
He dropped into his chair.
"That Old Man Ye..."
He couldn't help grumbling to himself.
"He actually sent his own granddaughter to offer herself to me."
"What was going through his head?"
Yu Xiaolong shook his head.
How old was Ye Lingling?
Even in this world, she was still a young girl.
"I'm practically a middle-aged uncle already."
Yu Xiaolong touched his face.
Though after transmigrating, this body of his was only in its early twenties.
But his mental age...
He sighed.
And Ye Lingling's personality, too.
Withdrawn, aloof, a woman of few words.
"He's given me a taciturn disciple."
"How am I supposed to teach her?"
Yu Xiaolong rubbed his temples.
But then he thought about it.
Ye Lingling's figure really was...
He remembered the fleeting glimpse he'd caught earlier.
Her fair collarbones, her rounded shoulders.
The gap at her neckline, where he could just make out a snowy curve.
And those long, slender legs.
Yu Xiaolong shook his head hard.
"What am I thinking!"
He stood and walked to the window.
The night breeze drifted in, carrying the fragrance of begonias.
Yu Xiaolong took a deep breath.
He calmed down.
Then he began taking stock of what he'd gained tonight.
Taking Ye Lingling as my disciple had earned me the Pisces Star Dragon Martial Soul.
It was for my disciple to use. I couldn't use it for the time being.
But the other reward...
Yu Xiaolong spread his hands.
A system notification appeared before his eyes.
[Successfully took Ye Lingling as my disciple. Received an additional reward!] [Fourth Soul Ring: Hurricane Black Hand!]
The corners of Yu Xiaolong's mouth lifted.
A fourth Soul Ring. This was a treasure.
The Soul Ring had originally been black.
A ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
But now...
The system notification continued.
[Soul Ring age: 790,000 years!]
Yu Xiaolong's eyes flew wide open.
Seven hundred and ninety thousand years?
A red light bloomed from his palm.
It grew brighter and brighter.
The entire room was illuminated as if it were broad daylight.
A red Soul Ring slowly rose into the air.
It floated before Yu Xiaolong.
The Soul Ring was crimson all over, yet it glimmered with a faint green light.
The green light was like jade.
It flowed across the surface of the red Soul Ring.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Seven hundred and ninety thousand years..."
Yu Xiaolong's voice trembled.
He knew the system would give him a reward.
But he hadn't expected it to be so terrifying.
A 790,000-year Soul Ring.
That was already close to the pinnacle of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
On the entire Douluo Continent, the number of people who could possess a Soul Ring like this...
Could be counted on one hand!
No!
There shouldn't be any!
Yu Xiaolong reached out and touched the Soul Ring.
The red ring of light slowly merged into his palm.
An immense power surged into his body.
Yu Xiaolong felt his entire body tremble.
In his mind, a pair of enormous hands appeared.
Black as ink, wrapped in green patterns of wind.
Hurricane Black Hand.
A Power Attack System Soul Ring!
Yu Xiaolong tried to circulate his Soul Power.
Two enormous black hands took shape behind him.
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