Before awakening his Martial Soul, Kong Xuan had not known whether he and his younger sister would be able to cultivate.
But after their awakening, seeing how eagerly Headmaster Fang Sheng wanted them to enroll, he could understand why.
After all, they were geniuses now. It was only natural to fear that another academy might snatch them away.
He went to the academy gates with Teacher Tang Yilin in person and explained things to Uncle Lin Yan, who only then returned to the village with his mind at ease.
Kong Xuan and Kong Ling were now officially students of Shiquan Junior Soul Engineer Academy.
The siblings were assigned the academy's best dormitory, with all expenses waived for the duration of their enrollment.
Moreover, if they needed anything, they could go to Teacher Tang Yilin or Headmaster Fang Sheng at any time.
After moving into the clean, tidy dormitory, Kong Ling looked here and there, her face brimming with delight.
Although the furnishings were simple, this place was far better than the thatched hut they had lived in back in Rock Mountain Village.
"Ling'er, come sit here."
Hearing her brother call, Kong Ling obediently walked over to the bed and sat down.
"Ling'er, release your Martial Soul again and let me have a look."
Kong Ling obediently held out her left hand. The orange-red sphere appeared again, and Kong Xuan could feel the temperature in the dormitory gradually rising.
"Is this... the sun?!"
With that shape and those characteristics, even though Kong Xuan knew little about Martial Souls, he felt his judgment should be correct.
Kong Ling nodded. "After awakening my Martial Soul, I somehow just knew it was the Sun Martial Soul."
Then Kong Ling added quietly, "Brother, I actually have another Martial Soul."
Kong Xuan froze at her words, but Kong Ling had already raised her right hand.
Another sphere appeared above Kong Ling's right hand, but this one was silvery white.
Moreover, Kong Xuan felt that as this Martial Soul appeared, the entire room filled with a chilly air. The temperature, which had just risen because of the Sun Martial Soul, soon dropped again.
Kong Ling said, "Brother, this Martial Soul of mine is the moon."
Kong Xuan was a genius, with innate full soul power and the Atlas Spear Martial Soul.
But his younger sister Kong Ling was even more of a genius. These were twin Martial Souls!
At that moment, Kong Xuan had no time to consider why the Martial Souls of twins like them differed so greatly. His mind was filled entirely with his sister's two Martial Souls.
The Sun Martial Soul-that was the hereditary Martial Soul of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family!
Kong Xuan also knew that the Sun Moon Empire's most powerful Soul Engineer, the master of the Offering Hall, whose title was Silver Moon, had twin Martial Souls, the sun and the moon!
And that master of the Offering Hall was named Kong Deming!
His surname was "Kong" too!
Kong Xuan still remembered Fang Sheng's reaction after asking their names in the headmaster's office.
Clearly, even the Sun Martial Soul alone had been enough to make Fang Sheng think of the master of the Offering Hall.
Without a doubt, if they could establish a connection with Kong Deming, nothing could be better for Kong Xuan and Kong Ling.
Because then they would no longer be orphans without any backing, but would instead make a tremendous leap in status!
"Ling'er, put your Martial Souls away."
Kong Xuan looked at his sister. "Don't tell anyone about your Moon Martial Soul from now on."
Kong Ling nodded obediently. "Mm. I won't tell anyone except you, Brother."
The next day, Kong Xuan and Kong Ling went to see Fang Sheng as agreed.
Logically speaking, since both had innate full soul power, they could already begin hunting for Soul Rings and become true Soul Masters.
But Fang Sheng did not seem to be in any hurry about this and did not take the two of them to hunt for Soul Rings.
He merely taught them how to cultivate through meditation, along with theoretical knowledge about Soul Masters and Soul Engineers.
In fact, just as Kong Xuan had guessed, Fang Sheng believed that the two of them might well be related to Kong Deming, the master of the Offering Hall, so he had already sent information about them to the Offering Hall.
Even if they were not related, two geniuses with innate full soul power were enough to draw Kong Deming's attention.
And as the one who had discovered these geniuses, Fang Sheng would naturally receive a series of rewards. This could be called a deal guaranteed to turn a profit without any risk of loss.
If he carelessly taught the siblings, he might instead incur Kong Deming's displeasure when the time came, losing more than he gained.
So he wanted only the nominal relationship of teacher and students, with no intention of truly imparting his teachings.
That evening, Kong Xuan and Kong Ling sat cross-legged on their dormitory beds, cultivating through meditation.
Kong Xuan suddenly felt the world spin around him, and his consciousness began to blur.
He inwardly realized something was wrong, but had no means of responding. He could only endure it passively, like a lone boat amid violent winds and torrential rain, liable to capsize at any moment.
Kong Xuan felt nothing but darkness all around him, as though some great terror had enveloped him, leaving him unable to breathe or struggle.
But in the blink of an eye, all those negative emotions and sensations vanished, and light filled his vision.
Looking around, he saw a space with no visible boundaries. The sky above was a vast expanse of white, and mist seemed to shroud the distance as well.
Beneath his feet seemed to lie a small lake as still as a mirror, reflecting everything above.
Kong Xuan took two steps, and as his feet landed, ripples spread out around him.
But he could be certain that there was absolutely no lake water beneath his feet.
Just then, a voice came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.
"No need to keep trying. This is your Sea of Consciousness."
Kong Xuan spun around at those words. A figure stood behind him.
The man wore a plain white robe and had a tall, straight bearing, handsome features, and long black hair hanging loose down his back.
He looked only to be in his twenties, with a faint smile on his face, but his eyes revealed the weathered air of someone who had experienced the vicissitudes of the world.
Kong Xuan tried his best to remain calm as he looked at the man and asked, "Since this is my Sea of Consciousness, Senior, why are you here?"
Although he did not know the man's purpose, he did not seem to harbor any ill intent. Even so, Kong Xuan still dared not let his guard down.
The young man smiled. "Because I've been here all along!"
Kong Xuan's brow furrowed deeper. "Please don't joke, Senior. If there's anything you need this junior to do, just say the word."
As though he had anticipated Kong Xuan's reaction, the young man's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Boy, how has my Martial Soul been treating you?"
Kong Xuan froze at those words, a possibility flashing into his mind as his thoughts raced.
He raised his left hand, and the Atlas Spear Martial Soul materialized from an insubstantial form into his grasp.
"Senior, what exactly do you mean by that?"
The young man shook his head. "Boy, there's no need to keep playing dumb. You and I crossed the boundary between worlds together. You were simply lucky enough to possess a body and live another life."
In a flash, he appeared before Kong Xuan and looked down at him. "I know every little thing you've done over these six years. You should know who I am, shouldn't you?"
Kong Xuan's expression changed. His earlier guess had actually been true. He had never imagined that his transmigration had come with a bonus!
Over the past six years, Kong Xuan had talked to himself quite often when he was alone.
And clearly, the young man before him had heard all of it.
Kong Xuan took a deep breath, stepped back, and bowed to the young man. "Greetings, Your Majesty Atlas."
If Kong Xuan's guess was correct, the young man standing before him should be the foremost figure of the Legend of the Dragon King era ten thousand years in the future, the master of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion-Atlas Douluo Yun Ming!