Master and Father

Jiang Li continued, "Your Second Martial Soul is one of the top Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent. The fact that it can coexist with this Martial Soul means your First Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, must be no ordinary Blue Silver Grass."

"Among the Blue Silver Grass Clan, a ten-thousand-year-old one can be called a Blue Silver King. For a Soul Master, a Soul Beast of that level would correspond to a top-tier high-grade Martial Soul, just below a Super Martial Soul."

"However, although a Martial Soul like that is powerful, it couldn't possibly coexist with your Second Martial Soul."

"By the principle that whatever exists must have a reason for doing so, your Blue Silver Grass must be the true emperor of the Blue Silver Grass Clan: the Blue Silver Emperor."

"The reason your Martial Soul looked different from other Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls before may have been that you were malnourished as a child, causing it to regress into that form."

"And the voice that keeps calling to you must be those Blue Silver Kings, calling out to you after sensing the power of your bloodline."

Tang San listened to Jiang Li speak at length and felt that his master's reasoning made a great deal of sense.

He thought back to his childhood. His dad really had left him to fend for himself.

It was fair to say that if he hadn't had the Mysterious Heaven Skill from his previous life, which let him cultivate an unending flow of inner energy within his body as a child, he might have starved to death before his Martial Soul Awakening.

As the saying went, ruining someone's future was like murdering their parents. When Tang San heard that his Martial Soul had regressed because of his childhood malnutrition, he immediately wanted to mark the culprit for death!

But he quickly realized that the one responsible for his Martial Soul's regression was his father in this life.

Marking his father in this life for death would be an extremely unfilial thing to do. He couldn't do that!

For a time, Tang San's heart was a tangle of emotions.

He was frustrated that he had nowhere to vent his anger, yet also relieved that he had been able to take Jiang Li as his master.

He wasn't foolish. His Second Martial Soul was a top-grade one, while his First Martial Soul had been downgraded for some other reason.

If his beloved master hadn't brought him to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to absorb the corresponding Immortal Herbs, then after reaching a certain stage in his cultivation, he might have died from his body exploding because of the disparity in quality between his two Martial Souls.

At the thought, cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

Suddenly, Tang San remembered that his master, like him, had a different kind of Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. If his own Martial Soul could evolve into a Blue Silver Emperor, then his master's Martial Soul...

"But Master, even if my Martial Soul is the emperor of the Blue Silver Grass Clan, I'm still human. Why would the Blue Silver Grasses call to me?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Li was utterly speechless. He couldn't exactly tell Tang San that he wasn't fully human and carried the blood of a Soul Beast in his veins, could he?

If he told his precious disciple the truth now, he was afraid Tang San wouldn't be able to accept who he was. That would have to wait.

"I don't know either, but don't worry, San. Even if it means crossing mountains of blades and seas of fire, I'll protect you on the way!"

"Since your Soul Power has reached the bottleneck at level twenty, the two of us will go to that place next. There's bound to be a suitable Soul Beast for you there!"

Jiang Li spoke with such righteous conviction that Tang San was instantly moved beyond words.

But he quickly realized something else: if his Martial Soul had evolved after absorbing the Immortal Herbs, what about his master, who was even more exceptional than him?

"Master, did your Martial Soul also evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor?"

Jiang Li shook his head calmly and summoned his Blue Silver King Martial Soul. Its veins were still silver, though red and blue threads coiled upward along them. "According to the rules of the Blue Silver Grass Clan, only one emperor can exist in the world at a time."

"Since I'm your master, how could I steal your opportunity?"

At those words, Tang San could no longer hold back his tears.

When had he ever felt such warmth in either of his two lives?

Jiang Li's figure merged again and again with the image of a father he had imagined in his mind, growing ever clearer.

A thump rang out as Tang San dropped to his knees before Jiang Li, sobbing miserably.

"Father!"

Tang San had changed the way he addressed Jiang Li from "Master" to "Father." The difference was only one word, but in Tang San's heart, Jiang Li had truly become like a father to him.

"All right, San. You're a Soul Grandmaster now. How can you act like such a little girl?"

"Don't worry about my Martial Soul. Although the Blue Silver Grass Clan's rules say that only one Blue Silver Emperor can exist in any given era, there are no absolutes. After completing the Ice and Fire Body Tempering, I've already found another path to becoming a Blue Silver Emperor."

Still crying, Tang San got to his feet. He couldn't disobey his father's words; that would be terribly unfilial.

He wiped the tears from his face, then returned the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch Jiang Li had given him earlier. "Father, I'm returning this Martial Soul Soul Tool to you. I've clearly marked how to use all the Immortal Herbs inside."

To be honest, Jiang Li was puzzled by Tang San's choice. With the Human Emperor Banner Martial Soul, the Immortal Herbs were useless to him now. "San, you..."

"Father, my strength is too low. If I carry these Immortal Herbs around, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect them."

"While you were absorbing and refining the Immortal Herbs, I extracted the poisonous herbs I needed. The Immortal Herbs left inside are of no use to me now."

Hearing Tang San say this, Jiang Li nodded and accepted the pouch.

Just as the scene was filled with "a loving father and filial son," a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, a formidable Titled Douluo's pressure approached from afar.

Before the man arrived, his voice came first.

"Ha ha ha ha—"

"Jiang, I'm back!"

As the dark-green phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor vanished, Dugu Bo appeared.

A timid little purple-haired girl stood beside him. She was clearly his precious granddaughter, Dugu Yan.

Dugu Bo looked extremely excited. His eyes practically glowed as he gazed at Jiang Li.

"Huh? Jiang, you're a Soul Douluo now?"

Dugu Bo rubbed his eyes, then adjusted his breathing and carefully sensed Jiang Li's cultivation again...

There was no doubt about it: he was a Soul Douluo.

Dugu Bo then turned his gaze to Tang San beside him and likewise sensed that Tang San's Soul Power had reached the bottleneck of a Soul Grandmaster.

A huge question mark appeared over Dugu Bo's head: What? Had this master and disciple duo cheated?