Conditions

The Cheng Family was far from the only one. The entire whale oil trade was jointly controlled by several closely related branches, the beginnings of a family clan.

If the Cheng Family could produce a few more Soul Masters, it could quickly grow into a small Soul Master family centered around them, supported by the money earned from whale oil.

One hand held a fist, the other a money pouch. The left fist protected the right-hand money pouch, while the right-hand money pouch funded the left fist. Sects and families were mostly like this.

The Cheng Family had ambitions, but unfortunately, its bloodline had not amounted to much. It had never produced a talented descendant. Cheng Xiao was the first child with Innate Soul Power, yet he was only innately level one, far from enough to raise the family to another level.

And now they were supposed to have the family stake everything and fully support Cheng Xiao? That was impossible when you thought about it. Who would invest resources in a child with only innate level-one Soul Power and an uncertain future?

What if he got stuck at level twenty-nine for the rest of his life?

What would happen to the family? Live on the wind? By then, they really would be back to square one overnight. The entire clan would have to leave Nuoding City, and like those villagers, might never be able to rise again for the rest of their lives.

Who could make up their mind to gamble on such a slim possibility? Even Cheng Xiao's mother did not dare go against everyone's wishes and place her bet on Cheng Xiao.

The two fell silent. For a time, the room was terrifyingly quiet.

After a long while, Cheng Xiao sighed. He could only reveal a little more to put the people at home at ease.

"I have Twin Martial Souls!"

"Even if you had three Martial Souls, it wouldn't... What did you say!?" Cheng Yu waved his hand, only for it to freeze in midair as he stared at Cheng Xiao in astonishment.

"My Martial Soul mutated, which is why I couldn't awaken my second Martial Soul at the Soul Hall. But after eating the Whale Rubber, I awakened my second Martial Soul!" Cheng Xiao attributed everything to the effects of the Whale Rubber.

"Crash..."

Cheng Yu abruptly shot to his feet. His movement was so violent that he nearly overturned the table, sweeping its contents onto the floor. Some fragile items even shattered outright, but Cheng Yu paid them no attention. He simply stared intensely at Cheng Xiao.

"Show me!" Even Cheng Yu's voice trembled.

Twin Martial Souls. If it really was Twin Martial Souls, then the Cheng Family had the chance to rise another level!

What the hell did innate level one matter? What the hell did talent matter? None of it mattered anymore!

With Twin Martial Souls, one could reach level forty even by training with one's head. Two Martial Souls meant eight skills, stronger than even some ordinary Soul Emperors!

If they had enough resources, reaching level sixty and becoming a Soul Emperor was not impossible!

That level of strength would be enough to benefit the entire family!

How could Cheng Yu not be excited?

Given Cheng Yu's knowledge, the highest he dared hope for was a Soul Emperor. He did not even dare dream of a Soul Douluo or a Titled Douluo. Even so, it was enough for Cheng Yu to take a gamble.

Cheng Xiao activated his Soul Power. Ink of the Yin Fish surged forth, and the phantom of the Shadow King appeared behind him.

Then, with a thought from Cheng Xiao, the Yang Fish awakened. Violent Power of Destruction condensed into the phantom of a savage light dragon, replacing the Shadow King.

The instant the light dragon appeared, a wave of intense pain coursed through Cheng Xiao's body. In mere moments, he was drenched in sweat.

"These are my two Martial Souls. One is Shadow King, and the other is Dragon Emperor." Cheng Xiao withdrew the Destruction King, only then feeling a little more at ease as he panted.

"It really is Twin Martial Souls..."

Cheng Yu muttered as he sat back down. His eyes had lost focus, and he seemed utterly dazed. His lips moved soundlessly.

Cheng Xiao quietly waited for him to process the news. He knew exactly how shocking Twin Martial Souls were to an ordinary person, so he did not disturb Cheng Yu further.

"Whoosh..."

Suddenly, Cheng Yu rose to his feet and paced excitedly around the room. As if possessed, he kept muttering, "Twin Martial Souls, Twin Martial Souls..."

"Tap!"

Cheng Yu stopped and turned to Cheng Xiao. His gaze was burning, yet edged with sharpness. "I can pull some strings and persuade your mother and the others! But you must agree to three conditions!"

"Let's hear them." Cheng Xiao raised a brow.

"First, I'll persuade the others to support you with everything they have. The family's assets will all be mortgaged as well, but it will only be enough for this one time. The family won't be able to help you anymore after that. You'll have to figure out your own path from then on!"

"Fine." Cheng Xiao nodded. He knew the scale of the family's assets. Doing this would already squeeze out every last drop; they could not give him any more support.

"Second, when you return this time, you won't go to Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy anymore. Apply to graduate directly. I'll pull some strings to get you into Moonlight Pavilion. You must get acquainted with the children of important figures there, obtain protection as quickly as possible, and provide financial support for the family. Otherwise, if our competitors discover the problem with our cash flow, the entire family will be finished along with it."

Cheng Yu's expression was solemn. "There is no room for compromise on this condition, or I won't be able to get the others to agree."

"Alright." Cheng Xiao did not object. Since he had accepted the family's support, he had to shoulder the corresponding responsibility.

There was no free lunch in this world. Rights and obligations were equal. He could not live off the family and then turn around and ignore whether they lived or died.

Besides, he had an idea. It seemed that Xue Ye's daughter, Princess Xue Ke, was at Moonlight Pavilion. What could be better than living off a woman?

"Third, before you turn twenty, participate in the Soul Master Tournament, win either the championship or runner-up title, and be granted nobility! Let the others in the family see returns on their investment!"

Based on past Soul Master Tournaments, the champions and runners-up would be valued by the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall. If they chose to pledge loyalty, they would surely receive a title and become nobles.

Only by becoming nobles would the family have the foundation to establish itself. Once Cheng Xiao broke through to Soul Emperor in the future, the Cheng Family would be utterly transformed!

Cheng Xiao was speechless. He truly had not expected that even after revealing his Twin Martial Souls, his uncle's vision would still be so limited.

With Twin Martial Souls, any Titled Douluo who learned of it would want to take him as a disciple. Could a mere noble title compare to the status of a Titled Douluo's disciple?

If he were not planning for other opportunities, and joining some faction would place too many restrictions on him, he would have wanted to reveal himself and take Bibi Dong as his master in Spirit Hall.

Just look at the conditions the Clear Sky Sect gave Tang San. Now that was true vision—Soul Rings and Soul Bones, the whole set.

Still, he could not blame his uncle. After all, you could not expect an ordinary person with a useless Martial Soul to understand much about the world of Soul Masters.

He might know that Twin Martial Souls were valuable, but he did not know just how valuable they were. It was a height he would never dare imagine in his lifetime.

"Well? Give me a straight answer!" Cheng Yu urged.

"No problem." Cheng Xiao was helpless and could not be bothered to explain further.

"Then it's settled. When I return this time, I'll start pulling strings for you..." Cheng Yu let out a long breath and smiled. "Our Cheng Family is finally going to rise."