Chapter 61: The Ice Jade Scorpion and Twin Martial Souls
"Ice Jade Scorpion!"
Jing Hongchen exclaimed. Even though he had been the head of Mingde Hall for many years and held a high position in the Sun Moon Empire, he had always been able to remain calm in the face of any situation. However, this time was different.
As Xiao Qiang's teacher, Jing Hongchen knew the young man's terrifying soul guide talent and his exceptional body martial soul. The latter alone was enough to propel Xiao Qiang to the level of Titled Douluo. With Xiao Qiang's ability to craft soul guides across two major realms, it was not impossible for him to create a level 10 soul guide and become a level 10 soul guide at the Titled Douluo stage.
When Xiao Qiang displayed his talent and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his origins, Jing Hongchen immediately saw the opportunity to pull Xiao Qiang onto the chariot of his Hongchen family, hoping to add a powerful soul guide to their family's future.
And now, after such a long time, Xiao Qiang's soul guide talent had not only reached the peak level but his soul master talent had also soared. Jing Hongchen had never seen anything like it.
"In my memory," Jing Hongchen said, his voice steady despite his excitement, "only my teacher, Kong Deming, succeeded in crafting soul guides as a youth, but even he only created ordinary soul guides—not the complex and difficult ones like the milk bottle."
Xiao Qiang's twin martial souls—one being a top-tier martial soul and the other an extreme martial soul—were a complete surprise to Jing Hongchen. He had never even imagined such a combination.
"What's going on? Isn't your martial soul an eye? How come there's an extra ice scorpion?" Jing Hongchen asked, trying to keep his calm, though his excitement was hard to conceal.
"This is a long story, Teacher. Please calm down. I'll explain everything," Xiao Qiang replied, his expression composed.
The two sat across from each other, and Xiao Qiang began recounting the tale as he had learned from Huo Yuhao, crafting a story from what had transpired.
"Do you remember my third soul skill?" Xiao Qiang asked.
Jing Hongchen nodded. "Spiritual Detection. With the enhancement of your martial soul, you can even share what you detect with others. It can almost be considered an innate soul skill."
"How do you view this soul skill, Teacher?"
"A top-tier soul master's ability. I would even be willing to trade my eighth soul skill for this ability, considering how valuable it is. The only regret is that your soul skill is still at the thousand-year level," Jing Hongchen replied thoughtfully.
"Then, Teacher, do you know where I obtained this soul skill?"
"Not in the Sun Moon Empire," Jing Hongchen answered after a moment of thought. "Given the thousand-year soul ring, it must have been from either the Star Dou Great Forest or the Sunset Forest."
"It was the Star Dou Great Forest," Xiao Qiang confirmed. "But do you know why I went there?"
"I don't know," Jing Hongchen said, shaking his head. "You shouldn't have had any reason to go there."
"Right. I'm from the Sun Moon Empire, and my martial soul was awakened here. Growing up, I never had any connection to the Star Dou Great Forest. But when I first awakened my martial soul, my Sharingan inexplicably captured some kind of information."
"At the time, the information was unclear. I didn't understand it fully, but I just had this strong intuition that I needed to reach level 30 as soon as possible and then go to the Star Dou Great Forest to retrieve something. I had no idea what it was, but my instinct told me it would greatly benefit me."
"I followed that feeling, and once I reached level 30, I went there. The result was exactly as I hoped. My original magatama Sharingan evolved into a two-magatama Sharingan after I obtained my third soul ring, granting me the soul skill of spiritual detection. This evolved Sharingan also allowed me to share the results of my detections."
"I see now that trusting my intuition and following the guidance of my Sharingan was the right choice. I not only gained the spiritual detection soul skill but also awakened a new level of soul guide talent."
Jing Hongchen nodded, agreeing with the reasoning. These were all facts that he could easily understand.
"I don't know whether the things my Sharingan sees are related to fate or something else entirely, but this experience has made me trust the visions the Sharingan gives me more and more."
"After my Sharingan evolved to three magatama, it saw something that seemed invisible and intangible. I decided to trust it once again and traveled to the Far North, as it instructed."
"The Far North? That place is dangerous. You should have at least brought someone with you," Jing Hongchen remarked, concern evident in his voice.
Xiao Qiang shook his head. "No, I had to go alone. That's what my Sharingan told me."
"Because of my past experience, I didn't hesitate this time. I made the journey alone after preparing a few things just in case."
"Once I arrived, my intuition and the Sharingan were proven right. I encountered a scorpion—a green one. As soon as I reached the Far North, my spiritual detection allowed me to sense a dying scorpion."
"Ice Jade Scorpion? Wait, your second martial soul is the Ice Jade Scorpion?" Jing Hongchen asked, realizing the connection.
"Yes. To be more precise, it became my second martial soul," Xiao Qiang confirmed.
"Soul beast turning into a martial soul? Is that possible?" Jing Hongchen asked in disbelief.
"Normally, it isn't. But… I guess I'm an exception," Xiao Qiang replied with a small grin.
"Go on," Jing Hongchen urged, eager to hear more.
"When I first saw the giant scorpion, its aura was overwhelming—stronger than even Teacher Jingyun's. My first instinct was to flee, but then my Sharingan gave me a warning. It felt like my Sharingan wanted me to connect with the scorpion's spirit."
"After some hesitation, I chose to trust it again. I used my simulation ability to hide my presence and then used spiritual sharing with the scorpion."
"Through spiritual sharing, I could clearly feel the consciousness of even a thousand-year-old soul beast. For one stronger than ten thousand years, the thoughts were clearer, almost as if it were speaking a language we could understand."
"And what did it say?" Jing Hongchen asked.
"Save me, I don't want to die," Xiao Qiang said, his voice soft.
Jing Hongchen was taken aback. "A dying soul beast's desperate plea to survive? That's… unexpected."
Xiao Qiang nodded. "At that moment, I knew what the Sharingan's vision meant. It guided me to offer the scorpion a way to survive."
"I used mind-sharing to convey to the scorpion that it could continue living as my spirit ring and martial soul. My Sharingan would ensure that it wouldn't lose its consciousness even after becoming a soul ring."
"Can the Sharingan really do that?" Jing Hongchen asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes. More specifically, my Sharingan has this ability. At the moment, I'm the only one with a three-magatama Sharingan," Xiao Qiang explained.
"Then it's inside your sea of consciousness now? Is that safe?"
"Yes, it's safe. My sea of consciousness is my domain. Even if the scorpion's mental power were ten times stronger than mine, in my sea of consciousness, it would have no power. If it were less, I'd have complete control."
Jing Hongchen let out a breath of relief, but then a new concern crossed his mind. "Wait… if this Ice Jade Scorpion is stronger than Jingyun, that means its age must be over 50,000 years. Can you absorb a soul ring that powerful?"
"Normally, I can't," Xiao Qiang replied, "but the scorpion was more desperate than I was. She was worried that I might die, so…"
Xiao Qiang raised his arms, and his palms glowed with a gem-like green light.
"Soul bone! And not just one soul bone!" Jing Hongchen gasped.
"That's right. Using my Sharingan to ensure the scorpion's consciousness would remain intact, she created soul bones to merge with me first and then became both my soul ring and martial soul."
"The Sharingan's ability combined with the scorpion's desperation allowed me to create twin martial souls. This has to be a first, even in Shrek."
"Perhaps not a first, but it's certainly a unique case. It took more than just the Sharingan's ability—it also required the scorpion's exceptional power and determination."
Jing Hongchen looked at Xiao Qiang in awe, the light of admiration in his eyes. The young man's talents were extraordinary, and now, with twin martial souls and the potential for even more, Xiao Qiang was more than just a genius—he was someone who could reshape the future.
"Xiao Qiang, I heard your parents are gone?"
"Yes," Xiao Qiang replied.
"Poor child. It's not easy to carry on alone at your age," Jing Hongchen said sympathetically.
"I'm alright now, Teacher. I have your support," Xiao Qiang replied gratefully.
Jing Hongchen nodded, then removed the mask he'd worn for so long, revealing his true face.
"Don't worry about that anymore. Though you may have lost your parents, you'll always have me. You can rely on me as your father from now on."
Xiao Qiang was silent, his thoughts racing as he processed the words.