vncnus Chapter 7 Twin Martial Souls: Xuanyuan Sword
Chapter 7 Twin Martial Souls: Xuanyuan Sword
Yan Zu's eyes narrowed.
He knew that his father had begun to have doubts.
A five-year-old child can produce a hundred gold soul coins, a potion that alters one's origin, and a peerless martial arts technique... How could "Grandpa Whitebeard" possibly explain this?
But Yan Hu did not press the matter.
He simply placed his rough, large hands gently on his son's shoulders: "Grandpa, I don't care what secrets you have. I just want to tell you that no matter what secrets you have, your father and mother support you."
Yan Zu's eyes were slightly warm.
"Father..." He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Yan Hu smiled and patted his son's head: "Go and cultivate."
He stood up, turned around, and went back into the house.
Under the moonlight, Yan Hu's silhouette appeared exceptionally tall.
Yan Zu stood in the courtyard, motionless for a long time.
He knew he had underestimated his parents. Though simple and honest, they were not foolish. They were fully aware of whether their child was acting strangely.
They simply chose to believe, to support, and to keep their son's secret hidden in silence.
"Father, Mother," Yan Zu murmured in his heart, "I will not let you down."
He returned to the cabin and silently ordered, "System, check the consecutive days of check-in."
[Consecutive days of check-ins: 729]
[Note: Tomorrow is day 730, and the annual critical hit rewards are ready.]
Yan Zu's eyes narrowed.
It's been two years.
Tomorrow marks two consecutive years of signing in.
At midnight, the system notification sounded precisely on time.
[Ding! Signing in for two consecutive years has triggered the annual bonus!]
[Congratulations, host, on unlocking your second Martial Soul: Xuanyuan Sword (unawakened, already compatible with innate full soul power)!]
[Martial Soul Characteristics: Sword of Civilized Tradition, Evil-Slaying, Intimidation, Luck.]
[Bonus Reward: Martial Soul Synchronization Technique]
[Explanation of the cultivation method: This method perfectly resolves the conflict in the circulation of soul power between two martial souls. It can operate automatically after the martial soul awakens, or it can be comprehended in advance.]
boom--!
Yan Zu felt a deafening roar from the depths of his soul, as if something had been forcibly cleaved open and then instantly reformed.
In his spiritual world, besides the jade-colored Qilin phantom, there was now an ancient longsword.
The sword was about five feet long, entirely black, with no decorations on its blade, yet it exuded a chilling aura of power. It was a profound sense of weightiness originating from the very source of civilization, as if this sword had witnessed the vicissitudes of time and carried the weight of countless ages.
Faint golden patterns appeared and disappeared around the sword, and each flash made Yan Zu's soul tremble.
"So powerful..." Yan Zu murmured, suppressing the fear that gripped his soul.
He could sense that although this sword was currently only a phantom, its essence was unimaginably noble. Even the so-called god-level martial spirits in the original work would pale in comparison to this sword.
He immediately checked the panel:
[First Martial Soul: Auspicious Beast Qilin (Unawakened)]
Second Martial Soul: Xuanyuan Sword (Unawakened)
Yan Zu understood and began to comprehend the "Martial Soul Synchronization Technique".
This mental cultivation method was far more profound than he had imagined. Its core lay in transforming the soul power circulation of the two martial souls into a "yin-yang complementary" model, with one as the main force and the other as the auxiliary force, one for offense and the other for defense, complementing each other.
Yan Zu became increasingly alarmed as he looked at it.
He discovered that this cultivation method was not only applicable to dual-spirit masters, but also extremely valuable for single-spirit masters. If it could be widely adopted, the entire cultivation system of the Douluo Continent would undergo a revolutionary change!
But he quickly suppressed the thought.
He's not in a position to think about these things right now.
"Take care of yourself first."
He silently recited the incantation, attempting to simulate the soul power circulation of the two martial souls within his body.
With the foundation laid by the Nine Yin Manual, simulating it wasn't too difficult for him. Soon, he constructed two virtual "soul power cores" in his dantian, one primarily yin and the other primarily yang, intertwined and complementing each other.
"It's done!"
Yan Zu opened his eyes, and deep within his pupils, the phantom of a small sword and a Qilin flashed by.
He could sense that the two illusory martial spirits were slowly rotating around the "vortex" formed by the Nine Yin Soul Power in his spiritual world, and the resonance between them was becoming stronger and stronger.
This response boosted his cultivation speed once again!
If before it was a trickle, now it is two streams converging, flowing endlessly.
In June, the edge of the Soul Hunter Forest was sweltering with heat.
There is only one year left until Yan Zu's martial soul awakens, but a real problem has been placed in front of Yan Zu: how to awaken it.
According to the custom in Douluo Continent, the awakening of a six-year-old child's martial soul is handled by a steward dispatched by the Spirit Hall. This service, which provides free martial soul awakening for commoner children, serves both as a screening process for potential soul masters and as a way for the Spirit Hall to consolidate its rule.
However, Yan Zu knew that he possessed two super-god-level martial souls, the Qilin and the Xuanyuan Sword, within his body. Once exposed, they would inevitably bring endless disasters.
Only by being awakened at home can we keep the secret.
"Father, Mother." Yan Zu stood up and walked to Su Qing, who was drying medicinal herbs.
Su Qing turned around and smiled gently, "What's wrong, Grandpa? Are you thirsty? I've made you some plum juice."
"No." Yan Zu shook his head, his gaze sweeping over his parents, and said seriously, "In another year, I'll be six years old, and it'll be time for my martial soul awakening."
Yan Hu stopped what he was doing, straightened up, and said, "Yes, in another year, our great-grandfather will become a Soul Master. The Spirit Hall people will come to the village to awaken their powers then; Father has already inquired about it."
But Yan Zu shook his head: "I don't want the people from the Spirit Hall to awaken."
Yan Hu and Su Qing were both taken aback.
"Why?" Su Qing asked hurriedly, her voice filled with confusion. "The Spirit Hall's awakening ceremony is the most formal, with special awakening stones and methods. How can you awaken at home? Besides... it's free."
The word "free" was like a fine needle, gently pricking Yan Hu. This towering man's brows instantly furrowed, and the muscles in his face twitched almost imperceptibly. Su Qing seemed to realize something as well; her face paled slightly, and she instinctively tightened her grip on her husband's arm.
Yan Zu took in his parents' sudden change of expression. It wasn't just surprise; it was more like a stiffness born from the touching of old wounds, a mixture of anger and lingering fear. A chill ran through him, and the question about the "subsidy" resurfaced in his mind.
"Father, Mother?" Yan Zu called out tentatively.
Yan Hu snapped out of his reverie and forced a smile: "It's nothing, Father's just thinking about what to have for dinner..."
"No," Yan Zu interrupted him, his dark eyes fixed on his parents. "Father, Mother, you're hiding something from me."
His tone was so calm, so composed, that it didn't sound like that of a five-year-old. Yan Hu and Su Qing were both stunned.
Su Qing's eyes suddenly reddened, and she turned her head away without saying a word.
Yan Hu remained silent for a long time.
The air inside the room seemed to freeze.
Finally, Yan Hu sighed deeply, as if he were releasing years of pent-up emotions. He knelt down in front of Yan Zu, his rough hands resting on his son's thin shoulders.
"Ah-zu," his voice was a little hoarse, "your father is asking you, why do you insist on awakening at home?"
Yan Zu's mind raced. He gave his prepared reason: "Grandpa Whitebeard reminded me that my martial spirit might be special, awakened by the Spirit Hall, and that being seen by too many people could pose unknown risks. He said that as long as I have an awakening stone, I can complete the awakening at home."
These words were spoken cryptically, but both Yan Hu and Su Qing's bodies trembled slightly at the same time.
Yan Hu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a bitter smile.
"You child..." He shook his head, his voice filled with an indescribable feeling.
He stood up, walked to the door, and gazed at the deep night outside the courtyard. The moonlight outlined his broad back; the man who was usually carefree and laughed without a care in the world stood there with his shoulders and back taut.
"Grandpa, you need to know, the Spirit Hall is a good place, but the people there... aren't all good people." Yan Hu's voice came from the doorway, muffled. "Your father and mother didn't go to the Spirit Hall to collect their subsidies."
Yan Zu's heart skipped a beat, but he showed just the right amount of doubt on his face: "Why? Isn't there a monthly subsidy? A Great Soul Master gets ten gold soul coins a month, and my father and mother together get twenty a month."
"You know quite a lot." Yan Hu turned around and glanced at him, his eyes filled with surprise and satisfaction.
He walked back and knelt down in front of his son. Moonlight slanted in from the doorway, casting interplay of light and shadow on his face.
"Grandpa," Yan Hu's voice was low, as if he didn't want the wind to hear, "I have something to tell you."
"A few years ago, your mother had just broken through to level 20, and your father had been stuck at level 24 for a long time. We thought we'd go to the Spirit Hall branch in Notting City to update your mother's level, and also... collect the subsidy. At that time, you had just been born, and the family needed money." Yan Zu listened quietly, his heart starting to beat faster.
"Your mother went alone that day. Your father had to go into the mountains to hunt spirits and couldn't leave." Yan Hu's fist slowly clenched, his knuckles turning white. "When your mother came back... her face was as white as paper, and she sat alone in the house for the whole afternoon without saying a word."
Su Qing lowered her head beside her, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Yan Hu took a deep breath, his breath filled with suppressed anger and humiliation:
"Later, Father found out that the deacon of the Notting City Spirit Hall branch was named Matthew. That old bastard... that day, seeing that your mother was young, he... he got the wrong idea."