Ye Tian's eyes widened as he stared outside, his gaze fixed on the enormous, menacing spider. For a long time, he didn't blink.
The Death Spider Emperor.
As far as he knew, only one person possessed this Martial Soul: Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall Pope who had gone mad after Qian Xunji locked her away.
But his Dong'er definitely wasn't Bibi Dong.
Ye Tian remembered clearly that in the original story, Bibi Dong had been discovered by a Soul Master from Spirit Hall and had gone straight to Spirit City to study.
Dong'er and Bibi Dong were definitely not the same person.
Deep down, Ye Tian didn't want to consider one possibility: his arrival had introduced a variable, and Martial Soul inheritance was unique to each person unless it was passed down within a family.
Lord Mo left the orphanage in high spirits. Dong'er, meanwhile, had supposedly been "frightened," so Aunt Lan had specially granted her the day off. She didn't have to study.
Once she was alone in the dormitory, Dong'er softly called out to Ye Tian.
"Brother Ye Tian, just now, when I awakened my Martial Soul, I felt like there was something in my left hand too."
Ye Tian looked at the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor in Dong'er's left hand. His head started to itch, as if something were about to sprout from it.
Heh.
Twin Martial Souls.
The Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor.
The little girl before him really was Bibi Dong, who would go mad after turning eighteen.
No!
Once he calmed down, Ye Tian caught a flaw in his reasoning.
In his world, the story of Tang Hao striking the Pope, Qian Xunji, with his hammer and leaving him gravely wounded had spread far and wide. And less than a year after Qian Xunji was injured, Bibi Dong had successfully risen to power.
There were also rumors circulating about the love story between Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang.
In other words, the Bibi Dong in his world and the Dong'er before him weren't the same person. Was he currently in a parallel version of Douluo Continent?
Ye Tian asked the system about it, but all he got was, "Please investigate on your own, host."
The system's response confirmed Ye Tian's deduction.
This was a parallel version of Douluo Continent. Otherwise, why would time pass so much faster here for Dong'er than in his world?
Since this was a parallel world, he could let a few things slip.
"Dong'er, you've awakened Twin Martial Souls, a gift found in only one in a million. Remember, you mustn't add a Soul Ring to your second Martial Soul until you become a Titled Douluo."
"You mustn't tell anyone else this secret. Got it?"
"Mhm! Brother Ye Tian, am I a genius?"
"Of course. Dong'er, you're the best!"
Praised by Ye Tian, Dong'er laughed like a tinkling silver bell.
"Dong'er, today I'll tell you a story about the Pope in my world."
Dong'er immediately sat up straight, all ears.
"That Pope awakened Twin Martial Souls just like you. The previous Pope took her in as his disciple, and she practically grew up in a bed of roses."
"When she grew up, she had a face that could make fish sink and geese fall, charming all who saw her. But she didn't know how treacherous people could be. When she was eighteen, a man came along and, with nothing but his silver tongue, made the Pope fall head over heels for him. She even planned to abandon her position as the next Pope and elope with him..."
"She was so stupid," Dong'er bluntly judged the unnamed Pope.
"What does Dong'er think the Pope did wrong?"
"Her master devoted more than ten years to raising her, but instead of being grateful, she resented him for stopping her from finding true love."
"And, Brother Ye Tian, you said that man was a good-for-nothing who would never break through level thirty in his cultivation. Clearly, he approached the Pope with ulterior motives, yet she couldn't even see that."
"You're right about everything, Dong'er." Ye Tian patted her head as a reward. "That Pope of ours was just too sheltered. She didn't know how treacherous people could be."
"Brother Ye Tian, don't worry. I'll never turn into that foolish Pope!"
"I believe you, Dong'er."
Early the next morning, Lord Mo, who had only left the day before, showed up again. A rather delicate-looking man followed behind him.
Lord Mo looked at the man with great respect, but there was still a trace of disbelief in his eyes. He hadn't expected that this distinguished lord would be the one to come after he submitted his report.
"Aunt Lan! Aunt Lan!"
"Please call Dong'er over!"
When Dong'er came out, Lord Mo immediately introduced the important figure beside him.
"Dong'er, this is Lord Yue Guan from Spirit Hall. He's an eighty-level Soul Douluo!"
"Lord Yue Guan." Dong'er followed Lord Mo in bowing to him.
Yue Guan gently helped the little girl to her feet and said calmly, "Are you Dong'er? Hold out your right hand. Let's test you once more."
When Dong'er placed her hand on the crystal, yesterday's scene played out again.
Yue Guan watched the strange phenomenon in the crystal ball and praised her repeatedly. His gaze toward Dong'er grew warmer.
"Dong'er, would you be willing to join Spirit Hall and study there?"
"If you join Spirit Hall, you'll receive the finest resources and be trained by renowned teachers."
"Spirit Hall has the strongest top-tier forces on the entire Douluo Continent."
"I'd like to!"
"Good, good, good!"
Having secured an Innate Full Soul Power genius for Spirit Hall, Yue Guan was in excellent spirits. Dong'er's enrollment would earn him a substantial reward, and with her talent, perhaps one day they'd fight side by side.
Then the bond they forged today would become a safeguard for the future.
"Little Mo, starting this month, increase the orphanage's funding by 200 Gold Soul Coins."
"Thank you, Lord Yue Guan!" Aunt Lan said excitedly. Even Dong'er's eyes lit up with delight.
"There's no time to lose. Dong'er, you'll move to Spirit City to study tomorrow."
Noticing the reluctance in Dong'er's eyes, Yue Guan smiled and added, "The school in Spirit City has two breaks each year. If you miss home, you can come back and visit whenever you like."
"Mhm, thank you, Lord Yue Guan."
Aunt Lan took Dong'er back inside to help her pack. Once everything was ready, Aunt Lan took out a purse and pressed it into Dong'er's hand.
"Lord Yue Guan said I wouldn't need money at the school, Aunt Lan." Dong'er tried to refuse, though she wanted to accept the older woman's kindness.
"If you don't take it, I'll be angry."
Aunt Lan deliberately put on a stern face and looked at Dong'er. They remained at an impasse for a while before Dong'er finally accepted it with a helpless sigh.
A smile returned to Aunt Lan's face.
She held Dong'er close and gently patted her back. "Silly child, as if you could get by without money."
"Child, keep this money for emergencies. If it isn't enough, write to me and I'll find a way."
"Thank you, Aunt Lan."
"Why thank me? I'll be happy if you come back to visit me often once you're grown."
"Mhm." Dong'er looked at Aunt Lan and nodded firmly.
Once Dong'er had finished packing, Yue Guan took her—not toward the city, but outside its walls.
"First, I'll take you to obtain your first Soul Ring." Seeing Dong'er's confusion, Yue Guan took the initiative to explain.
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