How Are Those Two the Same?

Mang Tian casually grabbed the blue undershirt tossed on the floor and pulled it over his head, completely unconcerned by the huge tear in its collar that exposed his sturdy collarbones.

He tugged at the wrinkled hem, plopped back onto the sofa, picked up the enamel teacup, and gulped down a mouthful of cold tea, his Adam's apple bobbing with loud gulps.

"So what exactly is a mutation?"

Tang Ziran finally let out a breath of relief, pulled Lang Yue and Na'er back down to sit, and asked impatiently.

Lang Yue also removed her hand from Na'er's eyes. Both of them looked curiously at Mang Tian, clearly having no idea what this unfamiliar term meant.

Na'er hugged the remaining half of her watermelon, blinking her large purple eyes as she looked from Mang Tian to Tang Wulin. Her little face was full of innocent confusion.

Tang Wulin stood obediently to the side with his small hands behind his back, saying nothing.

Jin Qiu had already thoroughly explained Martial Soul mutations to him in the Spirit Sea the night before, even giving several positive and negative examples. So he understood it perfectly—he even knew more about it than Mang Tian did.

"Simply put, something went wrong while the Martial Soul was being passed down."

Mang Tian set down his teacup and used blacksmithing, his greatest specialty, as an example. His rough voice made the explanation easy to understand.

"It's like when I forge metal. I'm supposed to make a kitchen knife according to the mold, but if I mishandle the heat or there's something mixed into the iron, I might end up forging an axe—or maybe just a useless lump of scrap."

"Martial Soul mutations are the same. Some are good, and some are bad."

He paused, his thick fingers lightly tapping against his knee as he continued.

"Some powerful Tool Martial Souls mutate into worthless Martial Souls that aren't even as useful as a hoe, leaving their owners unable to become Soul Masters for life. Others start out as universally acknowledged trash Martial Souls like Blue Silver Grass, but mutate into incredibly powerful plant-type Martial Souls with limitless potential."

After saying that, he pointed at Tang Wulin, his tone incomparably certain and his dark face full of excitement.

"And your Blue Silver Grass is precisely that kind of one-in-ten-thousand beneficial origin mutation."

"Think about it. Ordinary Blue Silver Grass—forget a four-ring Soul Ancestor like me, even a six-year-old child who has just awakened a Martial Soul could snap it with a gentle tug, much less use it to hurt someone.

"But your Blue Silver Grass? Before your soul power is exhausted, I can't tear it apart even if I use all my strength. And without using any soul skills, it can even cut through my skin.

"That would be completely impossible for ordinary Blue Silver Grass."

"Huh? This grass can hurt people?"

Tang Ziran raised his hands in bewilderment and examined them over and over. They were perfectly clean, without even the slightest red mark.

"But I was pulling on it for ages just now. My hands turned red from gripping it, yet nothing happened."

Mang Tian frowned as well, his thick beard bunching together.

That was indeed the part he couldn't figure out.

When he had touched it earlier, that strange purple energy had clearly stung him. Yet Tang Ziran had tugged on it for so long without any reaction at all.

Could the damage recognize people?

He stroked his beard for a long while in deep thought, his brow creasing tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, he sharply raised his head and looked at Tang Wulin, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Tang Wulin, do you know why that is?"

Tang Wulin nodded, his little face completely calm.

"I can actually control it from my side," he said seriously.

After saying that, he gently closed his eyes and concentrated.

A slender strand of Blue Silver Grass slowly floated up from beside him and drifted lazily toward Mang Tian.

The irregular purple veins hidden amid the originally dull golden patterns instantly lit up, releasing a faint purple glow.

A weak, cold, tyrannical aura emanated from the blade of grass, making even the surrounding air seem to turn slightly colder.

Mang Tian instinctively extended his right index finger and lightly touched the strand of Blue Silver Grass.

"Hiss—"

The same sharp pain shot through his fingertip again, exactly like before.

Though the wound was still tiny, that bone-deep chill made him suck in a breath.

Then Tang Wulin shifted his thoughts again.

The purple veins on the Blue Silver Grass instantly went dark, returning it to its original state. That cold, tyrannical aura vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the faint fragrance of grass and plants.

Mang Tian extended his finger again and lightly touched it. This time, he felt nothing at all. Only the soft, smooth texture of Blue Silver Grass reached his fingertip, no different from the ordinary Blue Silver Grass growing everywhere by the roadside.

"Tang Wulin, turn off the damage first."

Mang Tian waved a hand and spoke to Tang Wulin in his gruff voice.

His dark face was full of seriousness. He did not notice at all that the undershirt with its torn collar was hanging crookedly on his body, exposing a large expanse of his muscular chest.

Tang Wulin obediently nodded, and with a thought—

The faintly flickering irregular purple veins on all the Blue Silver Grass floating through the living room instantly dimmed, completely blending into the bluish-green grass blades. Only the fine golden patterns continued to flow slowly, giving off a gentle sheen.

That faint, cold, tyrannical aura also vanished without a trace.

"No matter what, this is definitely a beneficial mutation."

Mang Tian nodded in satisfaction, casually grabbing another strand of Blue Silver Grass that had drifted in front of him and gently rubbing its soft blade between his fingertips.

"But you need to be careful. You absolutely cannot casually reveal this ability outside in the future.

"And be especially wary of others using this method to drain your soul power—your Martial Soul may be tough, but every time it comes under force, it directly consumes your own soul power."

"For example, look. If I just use a little strength like this—"

Before he finished speaking, Mang Tian's wrist sank slightly, and his soul power-infused fingers abruptly pulled backward.

"Mm!"

Tang Wulin's small body jolted, and he staggered forward uncontrollably, nearly falling straight into Mang Tian's arms.

He instinctively braced himself against the coffee table beside him. His little face instantly turned bright red, and his previously abundant soul power drained away as though a small hole had been opened in a kettle.

"See? I only used this little bit of strength, and you already can't take it."

Mang Tian released the grass and looked at Tang Wulin, who was panting heavily. His tone was stern as he said,

"If you encounter an enemy and they deliberately pull against you, they won't even need to hit you. They can simply tug on your Blue Silver Grass until all the soul power in your body is drained. By then, you won't even have the strength to fight back."

After saying that, he grabbed that strand of Blue Silver Grass again, clearly using more force this time. The muscles in his arm bulged once more, and the veins on it faintly throbbed.

"Look, if I use a little more strength, your legs are going weak already, aren't they?"

"Ahhh—Uncle Mang Tian, you're using too much strength!"

Tang Wulin's face turned even redder, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. His little legs truly began to tremble, and he was nearly unable to remain standing.

He hurriedly waved his small hands and begged in a tearful voice.

"I can't take it anymore! I don't want this! Let go already!"

[At this very moment, inside Tang Wulin's Spirit Sea.

Jin Qiu was leaning against the enormous Starlight Tree, holding a handful of freshly conjured sunflower seeds. He cracked them as he watched the scene outside.

His expression was a perfect recreation of that classic "elderly man on the subway staring at a phone" meme—his brows tightly furrowed, the corners of his mouth turned down, and his eyes filled with disgust and disbelief, as though he had seen something eye-searing.

"Holy crap, what kind of outrageous conversation is this?"

Jin Qiu spat out a sunflower seed shell with a "pfft," rolled his eyes dramatically, and his complaining voice echoed through the Spirit Sea.

"Anyone who heard them would think they were doing something eighteen-plus.

"It's already a sign of good temper that Tang Ziran and Lang Yue didn't throw Mang Tian out on the spot."]

The atmosphere in the living room had indeed become somewhat strange.

Tang Ziran and Lang Yue sat on the sofa, looking at each other with indescribably odd expressions on their faces.

They exchanged a glance and saw the same confusion and embarrassment in each other's eyes.

"What... kind of weird conversation was that?"

Tang Ziran leaned close to Lang Yue's ear and muttered quietly in a voice only the two of them could hear.

He scratched his head, feeling that there had been something strange about Mang Tian and Tang Wulin's conversation just now, though he could not say what exactly was wrong.

"I don't know."

Lang Yue shook her head and answered just as quietly.

She pulled Na'er closer into her arms, afraid that this strange conversation would teach the child something inappropriate.

Na'er hugged the thoroughly gnawed-clean watermelon rind, blinking her large purple eyes. She curiously looked at Tang Wulin, whose face was bright red, then at the stern-faced Mang Tian. Her little face was full of innocent confusion, and she had no idea what they were doing.

[Just as Jin Qiu was happily making fun of them, a pale blue figure silently appeared beside him.

Tang San's divine consciousness was still unchanged from before. It seemed he had obviously taken the opportunity during a gap in the Divine Realm's Spacetime Turbulence to come take a look.

He leaned against the Starlight Tree as well, watching the scene outside. His brows were faintly furrowed too, and his face carried an indescribable gravity.

"Bro, you weren't like this when you were little too, were you?"

Jin Qiu turned to glance at him, raised his brows, and teased him.

"Having your teacher tug on your Martial Soul like that while you shouted, 'I don't want this' and 'I can't take it anymore'?"

"Probably not."

Tang San shook his head, his tone somewhat uncertain.

After all, tens of thousands of years had passed. He had long forgotten all those trivial little matters from his childhood.

"What's wrong?"

Jin Qiu cracked sunflower seeds, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Worried your son might like men in the future?"

Tang San was silent for two seconds, then nodded with complete seriousness.

"It's fine. What are you worried about?"

Jin Qiu patted his shoulder, speaking with an unconcerned expression.

"Didn't your daughter and your mother both like men too? It's called hereditary traits. Totally normal."

"How are those two the same?!" Tang San abruptly turned to look at Jin Qiu, his voice filled with helplessness and exasperation.]