Second Awakening

As Dugu Bo spoke, even he grew a little apprehensive. "Good heavens, just thinking about it sends a chill down my spine. Once Soul Rings configured like that are revealed, surely everyone would be shocked and afraid."

"And he has Twin Martial Souls, too. Once the conflict between the two Martial Souls is resolved, the Soul Ring Configuration for his Second Martial Soul will be even more unimaginable—all of them over fifty thousand years old... perhaps even older..."

"What a monster!"

While Dugu Bo grew more and more alarmed the more he thought about it, Dugu Yan only grew more excited. Xing Tian, so handsome and powerful, already belonged to her.

But when she thought of his Twin Martial Souls, Dugu Yan asked, "By the way, Xiao Tian, what exactly is your Second Martial Soul? Why did your body turn silver-white just now? And why did it suddenly change from silver-white to purplish silver?"

Xing Tian explained, "My Second Martial Soul is myself—all of me. My skin, muscles, bones, blood, internal organs, soul, and everything else became my Second Martial Soul. It awakened after I died and came back to life the first time."

Dugu Bo suddenly understood. "A Body Martial Soul. No wonder."

Xing Tian continued, "As for why it turned silver-white, I think my Martial Soul must have mutated after awakening."

"I just felt a surge of power bursting out from every part of my body, and then the silver-white transformation happened."

"As for the purplish silver color, that's because I cultivated a special technique. After my Second Martial Soul mutated, the two fused together on their own in a marvelous way."

After hearing Xing Tian's explanation, Dugu Bo blurted out, "Martial Soul Second Awakening?"

"Martial Soul Second Awakening?"

This was all new to Xing Tian and Dugu Yan. "Can the same Martial Soul awaken twice?"

Dugu Bo explained, "I've never seen it with my own eyes, so I'm not sure whether your situation counts as a Second Awakening. Of course, I can't even be sure that Second Awakening exists. I only learned of it from an ancient book and some rumors."

"The ancient book said that some special Martial Souls can't reveal their full potential when they first awaken, and need to undergo a Second Awakening through special means. It might be a special ritual, a special Soul Ring, or an automatic awakening after reaching a certain level of cultivation."

"As for the rumors, they say that the Xu Family, one of the seven reclusive great families behind the Great Soul Arena, once experienced a Second Awakening of their Mystic Dark Turtle Martial Soul, awakening the bloodline of the divine beast Black Tortoise."

"Whether that's true or not, I can't say. But I think there's an eighty percent chance that what's happening to you is a Second Awakening."

"Every Martial Soul capable of a Second Awakening is a top-tier Martial Soul. It seems the potential of the Body Martial Soul isn't what most people believe it to be."

After Soul Hunting was complete, the three returned to the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.

Dugu Bo asked, "Which Immortal Herb are you going to give Brother Ye and the others?"

Xing Tian replied, "It's a difficult question. I don't recognize every Immortal Herb here. But I've already chosen one. This one!"

Xing Tian pointed to a herb before him. Its entire body was a lustrous jade-white, making it extremely difficult to distinguish among the other white herbs. It had a plain appearance, leaves without any obvious veins, and a stem as slender as a strand of hair.

"This is the Primordial Immortal Herb. It contains the primordial energy of unity and can purify and increase Soul Power to the greatest extent. It's best suited to Support Type Soul Masters who cultivate slowly, so I want to give it to Grandpa Ye."

Dugu Bo nodded in agreement. "It really is a good choice. Brother Ye's Soul Power has already reached level seventy-nine. If he takes the Primordial Immortal Herb, he might break through level eighty in one go and become the only Healing Type Soul Douluo in the world, able to regenerate severed limbs with a casual wave of his hand."

"If only back then... sigh..."

Dugu Bo suddenly seemed downcast. Xing Tian understood—he was thinking of his late son.

Dugu Bo waved his hand, his expression returning to normal. "What else?"

Xing Tian said, "I've also chosen an Immortal Herb for Lingling, but I'm not sure whether she can refine it. So I still need to pick a backup for her. The problem is, I don't recognize all the Immortal Herbs here."

"I want to invite Grandpa Ye over and have him look at the other herbs to see whether he can identify any of them as Immortal Herbs. The Ye Family has been a family of physicians for generations and has a deep foundation. They may have inherited a catalog of Immortal Herbs."

Dugu Bo nodded. "That sounds good."

When they returned to Ye Mansion, Xing Tian found it a little strange. The usually quiet Ye Mansion was especially lively today, with quite a few more people inside.

Xing Tian had deliberately told the servants not to announce his return. He walked straight into the mansion.

Suddenly, he saw a young man sitting beside Ye Lingling, talking to her.

The young man had a tall, straight figure, regular features, black hair, and a fringe swept to one side.

But he kept edging closer to her, making Xing Tian instantly displeased. His expression darkened.

At that moment, Ye Lingling seemed to sense something and instinctively looked toward Xing Tian. Her face immediately lit up with a smile.

Xing Tian's expression changed at once, returning to normal, and he smiled back. Meanwhile, the young man's face darkened.

Ye Lingling quickly stood up and hurried over to Xing Tian. "Xiao Tian, it's been more than three months. You're finally back."

Xing Tian gazed at Ye Lingling tenderly and apologized. "I'm sorry, Lingling. I made you wait so long. As for what I was doing over the past three months, that's a long story. I'll tell you all about it when we get the chance."

"Mm."

Xing Tian asked, "By the way, today isn't a day off from school, is it? Why are you home, Lingling? And who are all these people?"

Ye Lingling smiled and explained, "They came to visit Grandpa, so I asked for leave and came home. They're..."

Before Ye Lingling could finish, the young man walked over to them and said to Xing Tian, "Hello. I'm Lingling's cousin. My name is Ye Wushang, and I'm fifteen."

Ye Wushang greeted him with a smile, but his eyes were as sharp as knives, as if he were searching for a weakness he could drive them into Xing Tian.

"Your cousin?" Xing Tian relaxed a little. At the same time, he used his mental power to probe Ye Wushang. "Level thirty-seven. Not bad."

Ye Lingling continued, "Actually, my cousin's branch and our Nine Heart Begonia branch were originally part of the same clan. The Ye Family only split into two after the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul appeared. Although we're separate branches now, the two families have a good relationship and often visit one another. This time is no different."

Ye Wushang continued, "I'm nothing special, just the son of the Ye Family's head. My Martial Soul is Golden Leaf, and I'm a level-thirty-seven Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. How about you, little brother?"

Xing Tian's displeasure had mostly faded after learning that Ye Wushang was Ye Lingling's cousin. But Ye Wushang's words and tone were clearly a Taunt, and Xing Tian's gaze changed abruptly, his cold stare almost tangible.

Xing Tian gave a cold chuckle. "If you want to know how strong I am, then just come test me! There's no need to beat around the bush!"