Twin Martial Souls

"I'm not too late, am I?"

Everyone had been waiting eagerly for Zhao Yan to return so he could witness his daughter's martial soul awakening with his own eyes. At last, he hurried back, travel-worn and dusty.

But everyone froze when they saw the three living Soul Beasts he had brought with him.

A Rainbow Dragon shimmering with color.

A pink Rouge Dragon.

And the last was the Seven-Colored Rainbow Phosphorus Serpent that Dugu Bo and his son had searched so hard for!

Of the three Soul Beasts, the Rouge Dragon was the youngest, a hatchling just over five hundred years old. The Seven-Colored Rainbow Phosphorus Serpent was nearing a thousand years; judging by its size, it had to be over nine hundred. The Rainbow Dragon had cultivated for just over two thousand years.

None of them was especially formidable in a straight fight. But they were extraordinarily rare.

"Well, would you look at that!" Lu Xuan stared at the three Soul Beasts on the ground, astonishment filling his eyes. "Uncle Zhao, your luck is ridiculous!"

"Heh." Zhao Yan gently set down the three unconscious Soul Beasts and scratched the back of his head with a grin. "I ran into a twenty-thousand-year Mighty Gorilla and fought him. After I'd beaten him senseless and was about to leave, I found these three had been drawn over."

"I see. Dragons and phoenixes have been natural enemies since ancient times." Dugu Bo understood at once, realization flashing in his eyes. "Those three Soul Beasts mistook the power leaking from your martial soul for a great opportunity they could devour!"

The others nodded, agreeing with his deduction.

But there was little time to dwell on it. They still had something urgent to do.

Dugu Bo turned to Dugu Xin and said gravely, "Xin'er, keep an eye on these three Soul Beasts. It's time to awaken Lingling's martial soul."

Dugu Xin stepped forward and carefully took the three sleeping, precious Soul Beasts away for safekeeping.

Whether it was the five-hundred-year-old Rouge Dragon hatchling, the Seven-Colored Rainbow Phosphorus Serpent with over nine hundred years of cultivation, or the Rainbow Dragon with over two thousand, each was an exceedingly rare creature. Every one of them was irreplaceable; nothing could be allowed to happen to them.

The others gathered around Ye Lingling and stood quietly at her side. Every gaze fell on the girl as they held their breath, waiting for this crucial martial soul awakening.

The Ye Family had already paid too much for this day.

Ye Renxin had tested the medicine on himself, falling into a deathlike slumber.

Ye Qingxian had willingly destroyed her own cultivation, suffering Martial Soul Regression and damaging her foundations to pave the way for her daughter.

And Ye Lingling had taken the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King, using that supreme treasure to cleanse her body and rebuild her foundations.

The whole family had given everything, stacking one extraordinary opportunity upon another, all to help Ye Lingling defy fate and escape the ordinary destiny laid out for her.

After all the human effort and heaven-sent fortune poured into this, if she still could not awaken a top-tier martial soul and gain exceptional potential, her cultivation path would only grow harder. There would be no chance to turn things around.

Everyone held their nerves in check, hoping with all their hearts that everything they had sacrificed would bring about a stunning new beginning.

Zhao Yan stepped forward slowly and looked at his daughter with a solemn expression. "Lingling, relax. Clear your mind and don't resist."

After reassuring her softly, he formed a seal with his hands. Warm, dense Soul Power rose slowly from his palms.

His vast Soul Power, that of a near Soul Douluo, spread gently outward and formed a soft dome of light around Ye Lingling's small frame.

Hum—

A clear, piercing vibration suddenly rang through the area.

Hazy white light burst from Ye Lingling's palm in successive waves, and the phantom of a breathtakingly pure begonia slowly took shape.

Petals layered upon petals, translucent and luminous white. Light flowed across them, and atop the flower, nine stamens lit up one after another, shining brilliantly.

It was the Nine Heart Begonia!

The top-tier martial soul passed down through the Ye Family for ten thousand years, renowned as the pinnacle of healing martial souls and rare beyond measure!

Joy filled everyone's eyes. They had succeeded!

With two generations of the Ye Family still alive, a third Nine Heart Begonia martial soul had awakened among them!

"Thank goodness."

Lu Xuan could not help letting out a breath. Seeing the smiles on Ye Lingling's and Aunt Ye's faces, he suddenly felt that it had all been worth it.

A pure aura of life swept outward, soothing every restless impulse. Even the surrounding plants swayed wildly as they drew in that boundless vitality.

Just as the nine stamens became fully solid and the martial soul was about to finish awakening, something changed.

Boom!

An invisible shackle of heaven descended out of nowhere, and a heavy pressure blanketed the area.

The flawless phantom of the Nine Heart Begonia shook violently. The two outermost stamens dimmed and crumbled away.

The dazzling white light slowly drew inward and settled. Two strands of radiance faded from the nine-petaled flower, until its form finally stabilized.

The Nine Heart Begonia was gone. The Seven-Heart Begonia had appeared.

"No!"

Seeing her daughter's martial soul regress, tears spilled from Ye Qingxian's eyes. She forced herself to stay upright.

Standing beside Aunt Ye, Dugu Yan broke into tears as well.

Over the past few days, she had come to understand everything. Like the Dugu family, the Ye Family had suffered cruelly under fate.

"Ah." Dugu Bo sighed. In the end, the will of heaven was hard to defy. Even their attempt to change her fate had fallen short.

"Wait!" Lu Xuan suddenly said. "There's still hope!"

The moment Lu Xuan finished speaking, another change erupted!

Blue light blazed from Ye Lingling's left palm. The sound of running water suddenly filled their ears, and cold, sharp water-aspected Soul Power surged skyward.

The phantom of a long, straight spear, translucent blue from tip to end, slowly took shape!

Rippling light flowed along its finely patterned shaft. Pure water-aspected Soul Power spread freely, blending perfectly with the Seven-Heart Begonia's gentle aura of life. One was soft, the other fierce, yet neither clashed with the other.

Twin Martial Souls!

When Ye Lingling's martial soul regressed from the Nine Heart Begonia to the Seven-Heart Begonia, the excess energy within her had broken through its restraints and awakened a second martial soul: a spear!

Zhao Yan trembled. Overwhelming joy and emotion surged into his eyes. The weight that had hung over his heart for days finally lifted, and his tightly wound nerves relaxed.

He was not alone. Genuine smiles broke across every face, sweeping away all their anxiety and regret.

The flawless Nine Heart Begonia had regrettably regressed under heaven's shackles. Yet when heaven closed one door, it had opened another, granting Ye Lingling an unexpected blessing.

With one martial soul for attack and another for healing, Ye Lingling's future shone even brighter than it would have with the Nine Heart Begonia alone!

The awakening ended, and the light around Ye Lingling slowly sank into her body. She opened her clear eyes, her little face bright with excitement, then hurried into Ye Qingxian's arms. "Mom! I did it! I have two martial souls!"

Ye Qingxian held her daughter tight and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Her expression was full of tenderness and pride as she said softly, "Yes, Mom saw it all. My Lingling, you're even more remarkable than I imagined."

"Let's go tell Grandpa the good news!"