"Look," Yao Chuan said calmly, as though he were talking about something perfectly ordinary. "My two Martial Souls can share the Soul Rings provided by a single Soul Spirit."
"So that means..."
He glanced at the Blood Spear in his hand, then at Mu Chen and Mu Xi.
"I only need to absorb one Soul Spirit to give both my Martial Souls Soul Rings."
"The Soul Spirit's power can affect both my Martial Souls at the same time."
"Twin Martial Souls... can actually share the Soul Rings from the same Soul Spirit?!"
Mu Chen was utterly stunned.
His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide as saucers, fixed on the familiar purple Soul Ring beneath the Blood Spear in Yao Chuan's left hand.
His mind couldn't quite keep up.
This completely upended everything he knew about Martial Souls and the Soul Spirit system!
"Th-this is impossible, isn't it?"
He muttered to himself, circling halfway around Yao Chuan as he studied the Martial Souls that had appeared in his two hands and the Soul Ring they shared, unable to believe his eyes.
"One weapon-type Martial Soul... one top-tier Beast Martial Soul... their attributes and forms are worlds apart... How could they possibly share the energy of a single Soul Spirit?"
"How did you do it?"
He looked at Yao Chuan, his eyes full of curiosity and utter confusion.
He could rack his brains all day and still never figure out the principle behind it!
Yao Chuan looked at Mu Chen's thoroughly baffled expression and gave a light chuckle.
He knew the reason, of course.
Maybe... because in that world belonging to "Heaven," this Blood Spear was a weapon Heaven had forged for himself.
Martial Souls came from the depths of the soul, so naturally they carried that connection to their source.
The thought flickered through his mind.
But he only shook his head at Mu Chen, his tone calm and even.
"I don't know either."
"I just had a feeling I could use them this way, so I did."
He couldn't exactly say he was a transmigrator carrying the inherited memories of Black Dragon Heaven and the Blood Spear, could he?
Hearing Yao Chuan's "natural" answer, Mu Chen was still full of questions, but he soon let them go.
The world of geniuses simply couldn't be judged by common sense.
Even now, the special properties of many Martial Souls couldn't be fully explained by theory.
The shock on his face slowly faded, replaced by immense delight!
The heavy worry brought on by the Spiritual Power threshold was instantly flung to the ends of the earth!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Mu Chen burst out laughing and slapped Yao Chuan on the shoulder. He hit so hard that the already-weak Yao Chuan nearly staggered.
"Good! This is wonderful!"
"Yao Chuan, this is the best news imaginable!"
He rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining.
"Sharing Soul Rings! Do you realize what that means?"
"It means the burden of fusing with Soul Spirits in the future will be cut in half!"
"Before, you would've needed to fuse with several top-tier Soul Spirits to meet the needs of both Martial Souls. Now, one or two especially powerful Soul Spirits might be enough!"
"The time and resources you'll save... it's beyond measure!"
The more Mu Chen spoke, the more excited he became.
"That means you can devote more time and energy to tempering your Soul Power, improving your Spiritual Power, and honing your combat skills!"
His eyes burned as he looked at Yao Chuan, as if he could already see the brilliant future awaiting him.
"Just imagine, Yao Chuan!"
"As your teacher, I can hardly wait to see what you'll become!"
"Picture it..."
Mu Chen spread his arms, his voice full of yearning.
"One day, you'll be clad in exquisitely crafted, top-tier Battle Armor, your whole body gleaming with power!"
"And in your hands, you'll grip this peerless weapon of slaughter, its baleful aura soaring and its edge unmatched—the Blood Spear!"
"That imposing figure... tsk, tsk, tsk... you'd be the most dazzling presence on the battlefield, without a doubt!"
Mu Chen patted Yao Chuan on the shoulder, his voice brimming with anticipation.
"I'm truly looking forward to the day you put on your Battle Armor and wield the Blood Spear!"
His words overflowed with pride and boundless faith in Yao Chuan's future.
"Black Dragon Heaven... wearing Battle Armor?"
Mu Chen's excitement had rubbed off on Yao Chuan, and his eyes flickered faintly.
Though he said nothing, a ripple stirred in the depths of his heart as well.
That figure who had stood atop the ancient divine clans, paired with the Battle Armor unique to the Douluo Continent...
The image was truly stirring, filling him with an indescribable sense of anticipation.
But he hadn't had long to indulge that little fantasy.
Mu Chen's excitement had already found a new outlet.
He slapped his thigh and eagerly grabbed Yao Chuan by the arm, ready to lead him out.
"Come on, come on! Don't just stand there!"
"This is such happy news. We ought to celebrate with something meaningful!"
"Come with Uncle Mu to the Forging Room! Today, we'll officially start teaching you how to forge!"
"We need to lay a solid foundation for your future Battle Armor!"
"Huh? Dad!"
As soon as Mu Chen finished speaking, Mu Xi immediately objected.
Like a mother hen protecting her chick, she darted in front of Yao Chuan, spread her arms to block her father, and glared at him with furrowed brows.
"What's gotten into you?"
"Why are you always trying to get Yao Chuan to learn forging?"
She looked at her father, her tone full of confusion and complaint.
"Forging is hard, tiring, and boring. I'm going to inherit your legacy anyway, so isn't that enough?"
"How old is Yao Chuan? He's only just awakened his Martial Soul. He's still a child!"
"And he has Twin Martial Souls! He has to work more than twice as hard as other Soul Masters!"
"He needs to cultivate Soul Power, train his Spiritual Power, and practice Soul Skills... How could he have so much time to waste swinging a hammer?"
The more Mu Xi spoke, the more convincing she sounded, her cheeks puffed up with indignation.
"Besides!"
She puffed out her chest and spoke as if it were only natural.
"Even if Yao Chuan really needs Battle Armor someday, so what?"
"He can handle the design and come up with the ideas!"
"I, Mu Xi, can take care of the forging!"
"I'm your daughter, and I'll be a forging master one day! Making his Battle Armor will be no problem at all!"
Mu Xi thumped her chest, confidently making a promise about her future.
After hearing his daughter Mu Xi's words, old father Mu Chen felt as though someone had shot an arrow into his knee.
It left him feeling a little strange.
It wasn't as if he opposed Mu Xi and Yao Chuan being together.
In fact, part of him even wanted to bring them together.
After all, he had watched Yao Chuan grow up.
The boy was absolutely trustworthy.
But!
His daughter was saying things like, "He can handle the design, and I'll do the forging," and "Don't make Yao Chuan suffer."
Why did it sound so strange?
It was as if she couldn't wait to bundle herself up and send him off, while worrying he might think it was too much trouble.
The more Mu Chen thought about it, the stranger his expression became.
He could grumble to himself all he liked.
When it came to young people's feelings, there wasn't much a father could say.
All he could do was explain with an awkward smile.
"Xi'er, Dad isn't making Yao Chuan learn forging just to give him a hard time."
"First, forging is a craft passed down in our Mu Family. Of course we should pass good things on to our own people."
"Second—and most importantly..."
Mu Chen looked at Yao Chuan earnestly.
"Forging itself is an excellent way to train your Spiritual Power."
"Of all the secondary professions, it's the best for improving Spiritual Power."
"And that's exactly what you need most right now, isn't it?"
Yao Chuan immediately nodded in agreement.
"Uncle Mu is right. I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm willing to give it a try."
Seeing the calm sincerity in Yao Chuan's eyes, Mu Chen's unease immediately melted away.
This boy really was sensible.
"Good! That's the spirit!"
He patted Yao Chuan's shoulder with approval.
"Come on, come on. Let's not waste time. We'll head to the Forging Room now!"
Mu Chen waved his hand and led Yao Chuan and Mu Xi toward the forging area.
Mu Xi was still a little reluctant, but seeing that Yao Chuan was willing, she said nothing more.
She just followed behind with a pout.
The Forging Room blazed with fire, and the temperature was much higher than outside.
The air was thick with the distinctive smell of metal and furnace flames.
Mu Chen pointed to the forging platform and began explaining the most basic hammer grip and techniques for applying force to Yao Chuan.
"Remember, your waist is the pivot. The power starts from the ground..."
Mu Xi listened nearby, yawning.
She'd heard this stuff so many times her ears were nearly growing calluses.
Watching Yao Chuan listen so attentively, Mu Xi's eyes suddenly lit up.
I've got it!
She eagerly ran over to a box in the corner.
She rummaged around inside for a while.
Then she huffed and puffed as she carried out two dark, heavy hammers.
"Yao Chuan, here!"
Mu Xi shoved the hammers into Yao Chuan's hands.
"These are the hammers I used when I first started learning to forge—the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers!"
She patted the handles, looking proud.
"Each one weighs eighty pounds! They're really heavy!"
"I used them for Hundred Refinement purification back then, and it took a lot out of me. They'll be perfect for you to practice with!"
Mu Xi thought it would be rather special to teach Yao Chuan with the same hammers she had used herself.
Yao Chuan took the hammers and weighed them in his hands.
They were certainly heavy.
But his brows drew together slightly.
He casually swung his wrists.
Then he looked up at Mu Xi.
"These hammers... are far too light."
His tone was perfectly calm.
As though he were stating the most ordinary fact.
"I'm not used to them."
Mu Xi: "Huh?"
She froze.
Each hammer weighed eighty pounds. Together, they weighed a hundred and sixty!
And Yao Chuan was saying... they were light?
And that he wasn't used to them?
When she'd first started forging, swinging these hammers had worn her out.
"Light?"
Mu Chen was shocked, too.
He immediately pointed to a Strength Tester in the corner nearby.
"Yao Chuan, go on! Give it a test! Hit it twice with all your strength!"
He had to find out just how strong this kid was.
Before you continue