Birdman · Yu Feng

After class, a youth even more handsome than Osler found him, casually draping an arm over his shoulder.

"Leopard, your new roommate is a bit exaggerated, isn't he? An eight-year-old Soul Grand Master—are you feeling the pressure?"

"Get lost! Birdman!"

Osler pushed him away in disgust. "Don't forget, we're in the same class. If I'm under pressure, you think you're not?"

The handsome youth wore a playful expression. "Honestly, I was at first, but I'm a flight-type Soul Master. The advantage of air superiority is something a ground-type Soul Master like you can't grasp. Besides, why would I compare myself to him? As long as I beat you, that's enough."

Osler's face twisted, veins bulging on his forehead, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Xing Tian whispered to Ye Lingling, "Who is he? What's the deal with these two?"

Ye Lingling replied softly, "His name is Yu Feng, and his Martial Soul is the Wind Bell Bird. Our families are old friends; they even arranged a marriage between us, but who knew both families would have boys, born only days apart."

"The elders thought they would be brothers, but they became bitter rivals. They've been competing since they were small, bickering every time they meet. I've never seen them speak calmly to each other."

"They both work hard to surpass the other, but their Soul Power Level has always been neck and neck. It's just that because Yu Feng is a flight-type Soul Master, Osler has never won a single sparring match."

Hearing this, a cunning glint flashed in Xing Tian's eyes. If I get close to Yu Feng, wouldn't Osler's attention shift to him? Then he wouldn't bother me anymore.

But Xing Tian quickly dismissed the thought. There was no reason other than the fact that the two were so noisy that having just Osler alone was preferable.

A month passed, and the thing Xing Tian dreaded happened: because of Osler, Yu Feng grew closer to him, and a small group of four gradually formed.

It was just a bit too rowdy, and that was entirely one-sided on the part of Yu Feng and Osler.

Fortunately, every time, Yu Feng could deliver a finishing blow to Osler by pointing out that he had never lost a match, effectively ending their verbal wars.

During this time, Xing Tian didn't focus on cultivation but on learning, though the results left him somewhat disappointed.

"This world doesn't seem to have any internal energy techniques. Everything relies on meditation, and while it involves the eight extraordinary meridians and bodily acupoints, it's incomplete and seems aimed only at Soul Power cultivation, lacking a way to train both internally and externally."

"As for external techniques, they rely almost entirely on Soul Skills granted by Soul Rings and Soul Bone. The legacies of some clans are merely systems for attaching Soul Rings; they lack external techniques suited for one's own body—that is, Self-Created Soul Skill."

"Only true top-tier experts have secret arts, such as the famous Dragon Transformation, Seven Kill Sword Technique, Kill Character Seal, Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, and Clear Sky Nine Arts."

Xing Tian instantly lost the desire to spar with those who lacked secret arts, hoping only to face those powerful techniques to gain some insight.

Of course, he didn't come away empty-handed.

It turned out that a person could indeed possess more than one Martial Soul; this condition was known as "Twin Martial Souls."

"It seems I am also a Twin Martial Souls possessor. My second Martial Soul seems... seems to be myself. The teacher mentioned in class that cases where a body part acts as a Martial Soul are called 'Body Martial Soul', but their quality is only considered average, and their Innate Soul Power fluctuates wildly."

"But shouldn't human organs be vital? Especially the skin, bones, heart, blood, and brain? Once lost, one dies. Can the quality of such an existence really only be average?"

"And why didn't I awaken two Martial Souls at the start? Did it only happen after I died and was reborn? Or perhaps, it was because of my death and rebirth that I gained the second one..."

"It's just that the cultivation of Twin Martial Souls doesn't seem that simple."

The Soul Master world currently didn't have a clear understanding of the conditions for the birth of Twin Martial Souls, nor were there clear cultivation methods.

In the last hundred years, there had only been two Twin Martial Souls possessors. The first one died when their body exploded because the two Martial Souls conflicted while they were adding a third Soul Ring to the second Martial Soul.

The second possessor succeeded and became an unprecedented existence: the current Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong.

Although scholars had realized that as long as the body was strong enough to withstand the conflict, one could successfully cultivate Twin Martial Souls, many details remained unknown, and the risks were immense.

First, methods to strengthen physical fitness were rare. As mentioned, Soul Master cultivation relied mainly on meditation, making it hard to train both internally and externally; physical improvement couldn't keep pace with Soul Power growth.

Second, resources to strengthen the body were scarce. The most direct means for a Soul Master to improve physical fitness was absorbing Soul Bone, but they were too rare and expensive. Furthermore, they had to be compatible with one's attributes and of a high enough age, making them even scarcer.

Third, even if physical fitness was strengthened, the age of the Soul Ring that could be added to the second Martial Soul remained ambiguous.

Simply put, when the first Martial Soul could absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, the second might not be able to, and might not even be able to absorb a high-level thousand-year ring. The conflict between the two could not be accurately calculated, making it impossible to determine the age of the Soul Ring the second Martial Soul could handle.

Finally, the conflict between the two Martial Souls wouldn't disappear just because the body was strengthened; it would only continue to accumulate. No one knew when the conflict would reach a limit, causing the Soul Master to explode, as had happened in the past.

"The cultivation of Twin Martial Souls is indeed a big problem, like two conflicting techniques that cannot coexist. Regardless, the Dark Evil Spirit Mantis Martial Soul is enough for me; I won't consider the Body Martial Soul for now."

Beyond learning, Xing Tian also faced his first practical training class, and the teacher matched him against Yu Feng.

Osler was ecstatic, dancing around. "Little Tian, go for it! Pluck the feathers off that birdman and turn him into a ground-walking chicken!..."

"Osler, if you make another sound, I'll send you back to the classroom for self-study!" the practical instructor roared.

Osler made a zipping motion across his lips to show he was shutting up, but his expression remained excited.

Yu Feng said smugly, "Leopard, no matter what, I'm a flight-type Soul Master. Air superiority is absolute. Someone like you who can't fly will never understand!"

Osler didn't speak, only clenched his right fist, extended his thumb downward, and gave it a forceful jerk.

"Both sides, identify yourselves and summon your Martial Souls!"