The core district of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The three arrived at a resplendent courtyard. Behind it stood a three-story pavilion, with jade tiles underfoot and golden nanmu pillars—luxury at every turn.
Even Han Yu, the son of a steward, lived in nothing more than a detached villa. It couldn't compare with this courtyard at all.
"Han Yu, do you like this courtyard?" Ning Fengzhi asked, leaning on his cane with one hand, his manner refined and easygoing. "You'll live here from now on."
"I heard you enjoy studying ancient formation diagrams. I'll have them collect some for you."
Before, Ning Fengzhi had assumed Han Yu's interest in ancient texts like formation diagrams was merely a personal quirk. But after seeing that strange Martial Soul, he'd changed his mind.
"Thank you for your generosity, Sect Master. I like it very much." Han Yu bowed.
"Good. Rest here for now. Tomorrow, Sword Douluo will take you to obtain a Soul Ring." Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded, his eyes narrowing pleasantly.
Ning Rongrong wasn't having it. She planted her little hands on her hips and pouted. "I want to go too! What's so great about Innate Full Soul Power? Unlike my level nine, I'm building my strength steadily. I'm sure I'll get a Soul Ring with a higher age limit."
Ning Fengzhi heard the jealousy in her voice and lovingly stroked his daughter's head.
Han Yu, however, fell into deep thought. There was a secret he hadn't told them.
A higher Soul Ring age limit seemed like a crucial theory, but in the future, it wouldn't be a problem at all. There were many examples of Soul Rings gaining years after they were obtained.
For example, completing each trial in the godhood trials could greatly increase the age of one's Soul Rings, easily raising the first few to the Ten Thousand Year level.
There were also special cases, like Tang San using the healing abilities of Sea God's Light and the Blue Silver Emperor to absorb his own Soul Rings again after stripping them away.
And in later generations, devices like the Spirit Ascension Platform, which any Soul Master could use, artificially increased Soul Ring age by raising the potential of their Soul Spirits.
All these examples pointed to the same truth.
A Soul Ring's age wasn't the most important thing. The key was having a high degree of compatibility with one's Martial Soul, so its abilities could be brought into full play.
And Han Yu's secret was that his Second Martial Soul could support his First Martial Soul.
First, the Mystic Array Disk could make the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords split into sword projections, each with thirty percent of the original's power.
Second, it could nourish them. The Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords would slowly improve in quality, and might even break through to the divine level one day.
But there was a restriction: only when both Martial Souls were at the same level would the number of sword projections increase, and the nourishing effect take hold. If he copied the usual approach for Twin Martial Souls and waited until the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had nine Soul Rings before adding any to his Second Martial Soul,
he'd be giving up the benefits of having the two Martial Souls complement each other. That would be a loss, not a gain.
The question was... should he tell Ning Fengzhi?
Han Yu furrowed his brow.
Simply splitting into sword projections wasn't enough to convince him. But the ability to improve a Martial Soul's quality was far too extraordinary. Han Yu couldn't be sure whether Ning Fengzhi, who had been stuck at the Soul Saint level for years, might develop some ulterior motives.
He had it...
"Sect Master..." Han Yu pressed his lips together, looking troubled.
"Hmm? Han Yu, what's wrong?" Ning Fengzhi hurriedly grabbed his wrist to check him, alarmed and thinking he'd suffered some internal injury during his awakening.
"Sect Master, there's something I didn't tell you. My Twin Martial Souls have a flaw. I can only continue cultivating after both Martial Souls have absorbed Soul Rings."
The excuse was airtight. Martial Souls could take countless forms; no one would dare claim to know every secret behind them.
Ning Fengzhi was startled.
But when he noticed Han Yu's downcast mood, something stirred in his heart. He remembered feeling the same way when he'd first learned of the limitations of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul.
"It's all right. Our sect has suffered under the limitations of our Martial Soul for years, yet we still became one of the Upper Three Sects, didn't we? Nothing in this world goes exactly as you wish. Don't let this discourage you. Just keep cultivating diligently from now on." Ning Fengzhi gently comforted him, lightly patting Han Yu on the shoulder.
He understood what Han Yu meant. This flaw would rob Twin Martial Souls of their greatest advantage: the ability to wait until reaching the Titled Douluo level before adding Soul Rings to the Second Martial Soul, and achieving the feat of having every Soul Ring be ten thousand years old.
As someone who'd been through it himself, he knew how to comfort him.
After all these years, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had finally gained a genius Soul Master.
Even with a flaw, Twin Martial Souls were still two Martial Souls, with potential far beyond that of ordinary people.
"Sect Master, will Sword Douluo still accept me as his disciple?"
"Of course. You're one of us in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Even if you didn't have Twin Martial Souls, Sword Douluo would still accept you as his disciple."
Ning Fengzhi replied unhurriedly, his voice full of a senior's care.
"Han Yu, don't underestimate your own talent."
"Thank you for your guidance, Sect Master. I'll remember it."
Ning Fengzhi waved his hand and led Ning Rongrong, who kept looking back, toward the main hall.
He'd just received word that Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo had returned to the sect. He had to share the good news with them.
The main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
It stood atop the highest peak at the very center of the sect.
Only a handful of stewards and the sect's elders could enter this core building. Meetings were held here only when the sect's safety was at stake.
Usually, only Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Ning Fengzhi held discussions here.
Two tall figures stood before the hall.
One wore strange armor and had long black hair, with a faintly amused smile playing on his lips.
The other wore a plain blue robe. His temples were graying, his back straight as a pine, his features resolute, and his eyes cold.
Ning Fengzhi saw the two familiar faces and smiled, hurrying over.
"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, you're back."
"Fengzhi, where's Rongrong? How did her awakening go today?" Gu Rong asked, unable to hide his impatience.
Chen Xin said nothing, but his gaze was fixed on Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi replied excitedly, "Rongrong has Innate Soul Power at level nine, and awakened the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul."
At his words, the coldness in Chen Xin's eyes softened, and a rare smile appeared on his lips.
Beside him, Gu Rong clapped happily, his eyes curving into narrow slits.
Having worked together in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for many years, the two naturally knew that Ning Fengzhi had spent his life searching for a way to overcome the Soul Saint bottleneck.
The fact that Ning Fengzhi was this excited suggested that Rongrong might truly break through the limitations of her Martial Soul one day.
"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, there's actually more good news."
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and continued, "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, do you remember that child who's so close to Rongrong?"
"Han Yu?"
"That's right. Han Yu awakened with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls: a powerful sword-type Martial Soul and a long-lost Formation Disk Martial Soul. More importantly, the two have an extremely high degree of compatibility, allowing him to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill on his own."
"What!?"
Chen Xin and Gu Rong cried out in shock.
The smile vanished from Gu Rong's face, and his eyes widened.
Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Any one of those was enough to shake the entire continent. Yet the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had produced an unparalleled genius with all three talents.