I'm Coming Clean, No More Pretending

The boost from four times his mental power sent Lin Huo's mind racing. In the face of danger, inspiration struck, and he quickly came up with a solution.

First, proving that he was not a Fallen Soul Master was actually very simple.

According to Spirit Hall's research on Fallen Soul Masters, their Soul Power invariably carried a bloody, evil, and chaotic aura full of impurities, vastly different from the Soul Power of ordinary Soul Masters.

So, to prove it, he only needed to display the true nature of his Soul Power.

The real problem was how to reasonably explain his two-level increase in Soul Power within a single day.

As for that, he currently had two possible approaches.

The first was to claim that he had originally possessed Innate Full Soul Power, but severe malnutrition had left his body badly depleted, ultimately reducing his Innate Soul Power to level five.

Now that he had come to Blazing Fire Academy, where the meals and nutrition were adequate, the deficiencies in both his body and Martial Soul had begun to recover. That was why his Soul Power Level was rising at such an extraordinary rate.

This explanation might sound far-fetched at first, but it was not complete nonsense.

There had been cases of people with Innate Full Soul Power ending up with only level-five Soul Power due to malnutrition, then recovering it later through nutritional supplements.

The records held in the Blazing Fire Library did not contain any cases as outrageous as his, but there were still examples somewhat similar to it.

It was just that those cases of Innate Soul Power increasing after birth were generally treated as speculation or suspicion at most.

And in practice, the increase in Innate Soul Power had usually only been half a level to one level.

His sudden leap of three Soul Power levels was truly shocking, not to mention that as long as he continued fighting others, his Soul Power would keep rising.

Thus, this excuse could resolve his immediate crisis, but explaining things afterward would become extremely troublesome.

Of course, this method also came with a follow-up measure.

He could use the massive improvement in physical fitness brought about by consuming large amounts of Whale Rubber.

With that as a foundation, he could absorb higher-age Soul Rings beyond his level. That would raise the speed at which his Soul Power increased and make the rapid growth of his Soul Power seem more normal.

That way, at the very least, his excuse would not be exposed before he reached the Soul King realm.

As for the second method, it was even simpler and more straightforward.

He could reveal Bulbasaur as his second Martial Soul and place his Twin Martial Souls talent directly before Book Elder.

Then he could claim that the Ingrain skill, or the ability to gain experience through battle, was an innate ability of his Martial Soul.

After all, Twin Martial Souls were incredibly rare. When the time came, he could make up whatever he wanted, and no one would be able to expose his story.

Moreover, Twin Martial Souls were a talent with limitless potential. Any force with a functioning brain would choose to recruit and nurture such a person rather than persecute him.

However, this method had one flaw: no sane force would allow a Soul Master with Twin Martial Souls to go to another force.

Once he revealed his Twin Martial Souls talent, he would be permanently tied to Blazing Fire Academy—or rather, to the Fire Clan behind Blazing Fire Academy.

Naturally, the advantages of doing so were equally obvious.

With Twin Martial Souls right before them, as long as the Fire Clan was not foolish, they would surely pour all their resources into helping him grow.

Setting aside the amount of resources, the most important thing was that he would have a qualified protector before he fully developed.

When making a living in the world, background mattered in the end. What was the use of having great potential? If it could not be realized, it was nothing but an empty promise.

If he happened to run into some reckless Soul Master three or four realms above him, one slap could kill him. He would not even have a place to cry about it.

Blazing Fire Academy was, at the very least, one of the continent's top institutions. No matter how weak the Fire Clan behind it was, producing a Soul Saint or Soul Douluo to protect him should not be a problem.

As long as they did not pull something as brainless as Shrek's "those who do not dare cause trouble are mediocrities," his safety would at least be guaranteed until he grew stronger.

Lin Huo weighed the two options in his mind and quickly reached a decision.

Since he had already decided to invest his Soul Ring Age Limit Theory and the information about Whale Rubber's true effects in Blazing Fire Academy, it would be better to make things more sincere.

Lies would always be exposed eventually. Only sincerity and benefits could win people's hearts for the long term.

Having made up his mind, Lin Huo showed no trace of fear. His gaze at Book Elder was firmer than ever as he spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Book Elder, I am not the Fallen Soul Master you think I am. When you grabbed my wrist, I imagine you had already examined the state of the Soul Power within my body."

Book Elder's expression softened somewhat. Just as Lin Huo had said, he had indeed found nothing in Lin Huo's Soul Power that resembled a Fallen Soul Master's.

However, he was undoubtedly extremely curious about Lin Huo's two-level rise in Soul Power within a single day, and he had to uncover that secret.

After all, a method for rapidly increasing Soul Power was simply too tempting. Both he and the Fire Clan behind him desperately needed it!

Book Elder was in no hurry. His level eighty-eight Soul Power gave him incomparable confidence.

As a Soul Douluo, if he could not pry the secret out of an eighth-level Soul Warrior, he would truly become a laughingstock.

"Indeed, you did not use any Fallen Soul Master methods. But this old man is very curious about the secret behind your rise of two Soul Power levels in one day. Little Huo, would you be willing to ease this old man's doubts?"

Book Elder's tone carried an unmistakable threat. He wanted to see exactly how Lin Huo intended to explain this.

Of course, if Lin Huo was willing to reveal the secret, he would offer generous compensation afterward. Even a Soul Bone was not out of the question.

Faced with Book Elder's aggressive pressure, Lin Huo remained unhurried. Smiling, he spread his hands and said casually.

"I'm coming clean. No more pretending. I actually have Twin Martial Souls."

The phantom of Bulbasaur's Martial Soul quietly appeared in Lin Huo's hand. Pale green light dyed Book Elder's wrinkled old face the same color.

Staring fixedly at the Martial Soul phantom in Lin Huo's left hand, Book Elder's eyes nearly went wide with disbelief.

Twin Martial Souls! These were extraordinarily rare Twin Martial Souls! Across the entire continent, only two people with Twin Martial Souls had appeared in nearly a hundred years!

Of those two Twin Martial Souls possessors, one had been unlucky and encountered a problem in cultivation.

He later failed to find a solution, ultimately suffering Martial Soul Conflict and exploding to death.

But the other possessor of Twin Martial Souls who had found a solution had now become a supreme powerhouse in the Titled Douluo realm, holding the esteemed position of the current Pope of Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong, the female Pope who had led Spirit Hall to display its brilliance and made every force in the world retreat in fear.

It was she who had turned the heaven-blessed talent of Twin Martial Souls into a dream every Soul Master yearned for.

The appearance of Twin Martial Souls plunged Book Elder into a long silence, and his hand holding Lin Huo's wrist loosened without him noticing.

Who knew how much time had passed before Book Elder finally pulled himself free from his shock.

With his wits returning, Book Elder also realized another problem.

"No! Twin Martial Souls alone cannot explain how you raised your Soul Power by two levels in a single day."