The person who had suddenly appeared was none other than Shrek Academy's honorary dean, one of the powerful Titled Douluos—Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo regarded Tang San with confusion. At the moment, Tang San looked rather frightening—his hair was a tangled mess, his face was covered in scruffy stubble, and his eyes were threaded through with bloodshot veins, presenting an utterly disheveled and decadent appearance.
"Old Monster, you're back." Tang San managed to squeeze out a faint smile. The Soul Power within his body circulated on its own, loosening his stiffened blood channels, and he steadied himself on his feet.
Dugu Bo asked with puzzlement, "Little Monster, what happened to you? You were perfectly fine when I left—only a few days have passed. How did you end up looking like this? Come on, let's go inside."
He pulled Tang San into the wooden cabin. Dugu Bo's expression had grown solemn; he could clearly see just how poor Tang San's mental state had become. As a powerful Titled Douluo, he understood the cultivation conditions of Soul Masters better than anyone. Tang San's current state was extremely dangerous—if his spirit collapsed, he would either go mad or be utterly broken for life.
"Little Monster, tell me—what exactly happened that could drive you into this state? From what I know of you, you've always been the most monstrous among monsters. Don't tell me you've run into someone even more monstrous than you?"
Looking at Dugu Bo, Tang San's eyes suddenly reddened. His current condition was something even the Great Master could never have anticipated. After all, no one knew that Tang San had lived two lifetimes—his thoughts ran far deeper than those of someone his age, and it was precisely for that reason that he was all the more susceptible to spiraling into obsession.
Dugu Bo's appearance had somewhat restored Tang San's emotions, especially providing a sense of spiritual anchor he hadn't had before.
"Old Monster, can you tell me—if my Soul Power cultivation reaches above level seventy, will I still be able to maintain my lead over my peers the way I have now?"
Dugu Bo's brow furrowed. "Why would you ask that? Little Monster, where's the confidence you used to have? What exactly beat you down like this? You should understand how important confidence is to a Soul Master. If you don't even have the most basic confidence—if you stop believing in yourself—then you can forget about ever making progress again."
Tang San smiled bitterly. "But I don't know what to do. The Martial Soul I'm cultivating right now is just Blue Silver Grass. I've already reached level forty, but as my rank increases, the weaknesses of Blue Silver Grass will only become more and more apparent. Will I really be able to stand against other Soul Masters with this Martial Soul in the future?"
Dugu Bo's eyes flickered with emerald light as he fixed Tang San with a piercing stare. "Keep talking."
Tang San said, "The reason I'm considered strong among my peers right now isn't because my Martial Soul is particularly powerful—it's because I have better Soul Rings than an ordinary Soul Master, and I even have the external spirit bone, Eight Spider Lances. You've also long since seen my second Martial Soul. I won't hide anything from you—my second Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer of the Clear Sky Sect. I keep thinking, if I had been cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer instead, would things be different? I already have level forty Soul Power now. With just four suitable Soul Rings, I could bring the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul's power up to par. It would be far stronger than Blue Silver Grass is now. I'm not even fifteen yet, but I've already invested far too much effort into my cultivation. I don't want to waste all that effort in the future on a trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass. What would be the point of that?"
What manner of person was Dugu Bo? Anyone who had become a Titled Douluo was extraordinarily perceptive. From Tang San's simple yet agitated words, he had gradually come to understand the problem Tang San was facing.
He waved his hand to cut Tang San off, then looked him straight in the eyes and said gravely, "Little Monster, do you know why I've always seen you as the most monstrous among monsters?"
Tang San was momentarily stunned. "Is it because of my knowledge of poisons?"
Dugu Bo shook his head. "That's only a minor part of it. The far more important reason is your Blue Silver Grass."
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. He stared at Dugu Bo, a deep question filling his eyes.
Dugu Bo said evenly, "That's right—Blue Silver Grass is a trash Martial Soul, and the most infamous trash Martial Soul at that. In the past, practically anyone who awakened Blue Silver Grass as their Martial Soul had no chance of cultivation whatsoever. But you? Tell me—what was your situation during Martial Soul Awakening? I heard from the Great Master that you had Innate Full Soul Power. Isn't that correct?"
Tang San nodded.
"What does Innate Full Soul Power mean? It means the foundation of the Martial Soul. Even my granddaughter, who inherited my Emerald Serpent Martial Soul, only had Innate Soul Power of level seven. But you had level ten. And your Martial Soul was the cultivable Blue Silver Grass. What does that mean? It means your Blue Silver Grass is different from the ordinary. It is not simple Blue Silver Grass. I can also guess who your father is. Think about it—with your father's background and power, would he have joined with a woman who possessed only ordinary Blue Silver Grass? If it were ordinary Blue Silver Grass, would it have produced a little monster like you with a Twin Martial Soul?"
As for Dugu Bo's claim about Innate Full Soul Power, Tang San naturally couldn't accept it, because he had always believed it was the result of his diligent cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, not something bestowed by the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Besides, he had also awakened the Clear Sky Hammer at the time—even if the Martial Soul had granted him some Soul Power, it should have come from the Clear Sky Hammer.
However, the later part of Dugu Bo's words did surprise him. His Blue Silver Grass was indeed somewhat different, especially that feeling from not long ago, when he had come into contact with the wild Blue Silver Grass in nature. That pulse of resonance had originated from his Martial Soul itself. But before him, no one had ever cultivated Blue Silver Grass to this degree, so Tang San didn't know whether this was something Blue Silver Grass was supposed to exhibit. It was the very last thing Dugu Bo said that struck him the hardest—and it had always been an important question in his heart.
His father, as a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect and one of its most outstanding powerhouses—would he have joined with a woman who possessed only the trash Martial Soul of Blue Silver Grass?
"Old Monster, what does the strength of the parents' Martial Souls have to do with having a Twin Martial Soul?" Tang San's breathing had noticeably quickened.
Dugu Bo chuckled. "On this matter, I'm afraid even your teacher doesn't know. Although he's done extensive research on Martial Souls, after all, you were the first person he'd ever encountered with a Twin Martial Soul. Years ago, I once saw a top-secret document in Spirit Hall. It contained the following record about Twin Martial Souls. Martial Soul inheritance generally comes from the parents—tell me, what is the relationship between inheritance and the parents' Martial Souls?"
Having studied under the Great Master for so many years, Tang San answered this kind of question effortlessly. "Generally speaking, Martial Soul inheritance selects the stronger of the two parents' Martial Souls to be passed down."
Dugu Bo continued, "Then what happens when both parents' Martial Souls are equally powerful—or when they share the same Martial Soul?"
Tang San said, "In that case, one side is generally chosen at random to be inherited. The likelihood of a Martial Soul mutation also tends to be higher in such situations."
Dugu Bo nodded. "Worthy of being the Great Master's disciple—your explanation is correct. However, what you don't know is that in this situation, there is also a chance of producing a Twin Martial Soul. The reason Twin Martial Souls are so rare is precisely because the prerequisite conditions are extremely strict. The document in Spirit Hall recorded it this way: the emergence of a Twin Martial Soul has two primary prerequisites. First, the parents' Martial Souls absolutely cannot be the same—the more different they are, the greater the chance of a Twin Martial Soul appearing. At the same time, the closer the quality of both Martial Souls, the greater the chance as well. In other words, if there is a significant gap in quality between the two Martial Souls, it is virtually impossible for a child to be born with a Twin Martial Soul. Even when both prerequisites are met, the probability of producing offspring with a Twin Martial Soul is only one in a thousand—or even one in ten thousand. Do you understand?"
Tang San was exceptionally intelligent. Despite his poor mental state, he quickly grasped what Dugu Bo was getting at. Through this explanation, Dugu Bo was telling him that his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul was anything but ordinary. To possess quality comparable to the Clear Sky Hammer—what kind of Blue Silver Grass could that be?
According to the Great Master's research, a Twin Martial Soul was itself a form of Martial Soul mutation, but the circumstances for its occurrence were exceedingly rare. That was why it virtually never appeared on the continent. Dugu Bo's analysis was not wrong—Tang San immediately recalled the other two cases of Twin Martial Souls that the Great Master had once described. Sure enough, the two Martial Souls possessed by a Twin Martial Soul holder were extremely close in quality.
His once-blazing heart reignited. Tang San's pupils finally began to refocus.
Dugu Bo glared at him huffily. "Even if your Blue Silver Grass isn't of great quality, do you think that really matters? How old are you this year? You're not even fifteen and you're already level forty. What you're worrying about is the future. Since you were able to obtain powerful Soul Rings and spirit bones before to widen the gap between yourself and other Soul Masters of the same level, can't you do the same in the future? No effort is ever wasted. If you can't even muster that much confidence, then you're not a monster—you're trash."
(End of chapter)