Twin Martial Souls?

The golden number on the giant display screen glowed quietly. The number 78 stood out in the empty training room.

Chu Yuntian stared at the number for a full ten seconds in silence. Then he spun around, eyes wide as he looked his son up and down, as if he were some priceless treasure.

"Yan'er, tell your father the truth. Do you have a Second Martial Soul?"

Chu Yan: "...?"

"For example, an eye-type Martial Soul? Or a brain-type Body Martial Soul?" Chu Yuntian hurried over to his son and bent down to examine his eyes up close, his gaze burning as he continued,

"Be honest with me. Is there some special ability you haven't told me about?"

After all, how could a Tool Martial Soul have such high spiritual power?

Chu Yan felt a little uncomfortable under his scrutiny and tilted his head slightly. "Father, I really only have one Martial Soul, the Yan Divine Weapon."

But Chu Yuntian kept staring into his eyes for more than ten seconds, as if trying to judge whether he was lying.

Chu Yan's gaze remained open and honest, without a hint of evasion.

At last, Chu Yuntian straightened up and rubbed his temples hard. He let out a long breath and said, "A Tool Martial Soul... six years old, 78 points of spiritual power, Spirit Connection Realm... Your spiritual power is higher than that of some graduates from East Sea City Intermediate Academy."

He paused, seemingly struggling to absorb the fact. Then, with a hint of self-mockery, he said, "When I was young, I broke through to the Spirit Connection Realm at twenty and thought I was pretty impressive. And you've covered the twenty-year road I walked by the time you're six."

Chu Yan didn't reply. He just stood quietly.

He understood his father's shock, because he knew it was indeed a little outrageous. But his soul had accumulated more than twenty years of experience across two lives—not something an ordinary six-year-old could compare with.

Chu Yuntian paced back and forth twice, then stopped to look Chu Yan over again. In the end, he gave a heavy sigh, as if he had accepted the truth.

"Forget it, forget it. You have Innate Full Soul Power, and your Martial Soul is that strange thing. A little more abnormality in your spiritual power... I suppose it's not impossible to accept."

He waved a hand, resignation in his voice. What a pity—his son didn't have Twin Martial Souls.

"But remember this: you and I are the only ones who know about these results. Don't tell a third person. Not even Xiao Yan, even if she's your future wife."

"I understand, Father." Chu Yan nodded.

The less certain things were exposed, the safer he would be. He had always understood that.

"All right, the test is over." Chu Yuntian patted his son on the shoulder. Most of the shock had faded from his face, replaced by a look of satisfaction. He continued, "Go back to your courtyard and get yourself settled. Later, go see your mother. She said she has something to give you. I have things to do this morning, so I need to go to the Spirit Pagoda. I won't be able to keep you company."

Chu Yan nodded at that.

Then they left the training room together and walked back along the corridor they had come through.

When they returned to his courtyard, Qin Mengyao was already waiting there.

She sat beside the stone table in the courtyard, with a tray in front of her holding several items.

When she saw Chu Yan return, she beckoned him over with a smile. "Yan'er, come here."

Chu Yan walked over and sat on a stone stool, his gaze settling on the tray.

It held three things: a silver-gray badge, a slightly yellowed booklet, and a palm-sized Soul Tool that looked like a bracer.

"What are these?" Chu Yan asked.

Qin Mengyao picked up the silver-gray badge and held it out to Chu Yan.

The badge was about two fingers wide. An intricate design was engraved on its surface, resembling a star wrapped in flames. Fine patterns lined its edges, and it was crafted with exceptional care.

"This badge is a token your maternal grandfather left behind." Qin Mengyao's voice softened, and a trace of reminiscence entered her eyes. "Your maternal grandfather was a retired researcher at the Federal Military Research Institute. He specialized in Soul Tool arrays and energy conduction. This badge was his identification when he worked there. The institute has changed its insignia several times since then, but the badge is still useful through certain channels."

"If you want to learn more advanced Soul Tool knowledge someday, or need permits to purchase certain special materials, this badge can open some doors for you."

Chu Yan took the badge. It felt heavy in his hand, and its material was cool—not like ordinary metal.

He turned it over. A serial number and a line of small text were engraved on the back.

"Federal Military Research Institute · Energy Conduction Department · Senior Researcher."

Chu Yan's heart stirred slightly.

The Federal Military Research Institute was one of the Sun Moon Federation's highest-level research institutions. Soul Tool arrays, Soul Tools, energy conduction, Battle Armor manufacturing... nearly all cutting-edge research related to Soul Tool Technology was conducted there.

If this badge could grant him permits through certain channels, it was indeed a valuable thing.

"Mother, is Maternal Grandfather still at the institute?" Chu Yan asked.

Qin Mengyao shook her head. "He retired five years ago. These days, he and your maternal grandmother live on a small island in the south. He fishes and basks in the sun all day. No one has it easier than he does."

As she spoke, she picked up the yellowed booklet from the tray and handed it to Chu Yan.

"This was written by your maternal grandfather. It contains some of his insights and notes from his years researching Soul Tool arrays. When I visited my parents' home a little while ago, I mentioned that you'd awakened your Martial Soul. He had someone send this booklet back with me and said you could look through it when you had time."

Chu Yan took the booklet in both hands and opened the cover.

The handwriting inside was neat and compact. Page after page was filled with the basic principles of Soul Tool arrays, optimized energy conduction methods, and diagrams breaking down the internal structures of several common Soul Tools. He had added many supplements and annotations in red ink along the margins.

The writing was small, but the explanations were clear and the reasoning rigorous. It was obviously a systematic summary written by a professional.

"Please thank Maternal Grandfather for me." Chu Yan closed the booklet and put it away carefully.

"You can thank him yourself." Qin Mengyao smiled and waved a hand, then picked up the last item from the tray.

It was a palm-sized Soul Tool that looked like a bracer. It was silver-gray all over, with a smooth surface and no unnecessary decorations. There was only a narrow slot on one side.

"What is this...?" Chu Yan took the bracer and examined it.

"A Portable Basic Soul Guidance Array Recorder." Qin Mengyao recited the long name, a hint of pride in her voice. "It's another one of your maternal grandfather's old possessions. He said he took it from the institute before he retired. Its functions are simple: it can record and store structural diagrams of Soul Tool arrays, and perform some basic energy simulation calculations. It's very useful for beginners."

Chu Yan strapped the bracer onto his left forearm. It fit perfectly.

He felt around the slot and discovered a tiny Soul Power Drive Core embedded there. It seemed he only needed to inject a small amount of Soul Power to activate it.

"Thank you, Mother." Chu Yan looked up at Qin Mengyao and gave her a sincere smile.

Being born into the Chu Clan in this life, with parents who loved him so dearly, was a kind of good fortune he never could have imagined in his previous life.

Qin Mengyao watched as her son put away the three gifts and nodded with satisfaction. Then, as if she had just remembered something, she said, "By the way, Yan'er, your father told me a couple of days ago that you don't have much planned for the rest of your time at home besides cultivation and staff techniques, right?"

"Mm, I don't have much planned." Chu Yan nodded.

"Perfect." Qin Mengyao stood up and straightened her dress with a smile. "Go find Xiao Yan this afternoon and spend some time with her. That girl misses you too. Spend more time together while you're still on break. Once school starts, you'll be at the same academy, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll have more time to see each other than you do now."

"I understand, Mother."

"I really like the idea of her becoming my daughter-in-law."