Accidents of fate, convergences of destiny.
The ripples Lin Rong created had already altered the original trajectory of this world.
Tang San and Tang Yuehua had returned to the Clear Sky Clan.
Because of issues surrounding Tang Hao, Tang San clashed fiercely with several of the clan's elders.
At six years old, Tang San was no longer the Level 59 Soul King from the original timeline—he was merely a Level 13 Soul Master.
So, unsurprisingly, the old-fashioned and rule-bound elders gave him a harsh scolding.
Tang Yuehua, with only Level 9 soul power, was powerless to intervene.
Even Tang Xiao, though inwardly disapproving, did not dare speak up against his elders.
This confrontation triggered the worsening of the old clan master's illness—Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Tang Yuehua's father, Tang San's grandfather, who passed away shortly after.
The Clear Sky Clan elders, of course, blamed everything on Tang San.
Thus, before even spending a full day in the Clear Sky Clan, Tang San was driven out.
As for his twin martial souls, one elder sneered:
"Twin martial souls? So what!"
"He's just a mutt. When he figures out how to resolve the conflict between twin spirits, then he can talk!"
Following this ordeal, Tang San originally wanted to return to Tang Hao, but Tang Yuehua stopped him and took him back to Yue Pavilion.
"Little San, from now on, Yue Pavilion is your home!"
Meanwhile, because Tang San never went to Nuoding Academy, he never met Xiao Wu.
And because of that, Xiao Wu was captured by Tang Hao and kept alive in captivity, intended for Tang San to kill in the future, so he could absorb her soul ring and soul bone.
She was sealed within a soul tool capable of storing living creatures, and even her once-daily feedings were tossed inside without ever letting her out.
"Da Ming, Er Ming… where are you? Why haven't you come for me yet?"
Xiao Wu was filled with regret. She never imagined that such a desolate place would have someone stronger than a Soul Douluo.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan
"Young master, the key to practicing split-focus control lies in this… Next, you must…"
"Um, I've been studying for hours. Can I rest for a bit?"
"I'm afraid not, young master. The sect master gave strict instructions—when it's study time, you must study with full focus. Rest time will come soon."
"That's not rest! That's meditation! That's clearly just more cultivation!"
"The sect master said—'Meditation is rest.'"
"…Ugh."
Lin Family Ducal Estate
"Hongjun, here's a training plan tailored specifically for you. Take a look."
Ma Hongjun looked at the densely written characters on the page, and his hand trembled.
"Uncle… about this…"
"No can do, Hongjun. The duke himself said it—your mutated martial soul produces Evil Fire, and high-intensity training is currently the only way to purge it without side effects."
"You don't want to become a fat, bloated mess—or worse, be consumed by your own fire, do you?"
"No! I don't want that! When do we start training?!"
For the sake of a lean figure and handsome looks, he was ready to give it his all.
"Don't worry, Hongjun. We won't train here. The regimen increases gradually. You won't be pushed beyond your limit."
Balak Kingdom — Shrek Academy
Oscar lay sprawled on the ground, bored out of his mind. The warm sunlight bathed him comfortably.
"Sigh… another year with no new students. When will this lonely life end?"
"No cute junior girls. What's the point of this handsome face?"
"Maybe I should just let my beard cover it. When some junior girls finally arrive, then I'll shave."
"Ugh. Shaving is such a hassle anyway…"
Time slipped by like a fleeting horse's shadow.
One year later.
Since awakening his Nine-Curved Vine Dragon martial soul, Lin Rong had ordered a patch of land in the estate to be cleared and transformed into a banyan grove.
This grove didn't just contain banyan trees—it was also filled with a massive amount of accompanying vines.
This area served as his mimicry training field.
For over a year, Lin Rong spent nearly all his time cultivating the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture within the banyan grove to strengthen his soul power.
At the same time—
The banyan trees and vines, nourished by the aura of the Nine-Curved Vine Dragon, had grown exceptionally lush and vibrant, completely unlike vegetation that had only grown for a year.
In turn, the mimicry environment of the grove enhanced cultivation efficiency, gradually improving the results over time.
Deep within the grove, beneath a particularly massive, leafy banyan tree—
"Phew…"
Lin Rong exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes, emerging from cultivation.
"Good. Seven years and three months old, and I've broken through to Level 20."
"The Heart of the Banyan Tree may have increased my total soul power capacity by 50%, but it did slow down my cultivation speed."
"But so what? I still broke through before my eighth birthday."
"In one year and three months, I've gone from Level 15 to Level 20—an increase of five levels."
"That's an average of one level every three months—a yearly pace of four levels."
"I wonder how that kid, Ma Hongjun, is doing. The letter last month said he was at peak Level 16."
"From peak Level 12 to peak Level 16 in fourteen months—that's a gain of four levels, or one level every three and a half months."
"Respectable. Roughly three and a half levels per year."
"Now that a month has passed, he should be Level 17 by now."
Ma Hongjun's martial soul was Phoenix Flame, making volcanoes the ideal mimicry training ground for him.
Fortunately, Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy had a volcanic mountain range.
That place was completely unused by the academy's spoiled noble students, so Lin Rong had no reason to waste the opportunity.
He instructed Guard Xu to bring Ma Hongjun there to live and train long-term, completing his cultivation and all daily assignments there.
Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy had a vast territory and the best facilities of any soul master academy in the empire, far superior to its competitors.
Unfortunately, because it only accepted nobles, student quality was inconsistent. Many were spoiled second-generation heirs.
These so-called "aristocratic prodigies" treated the academy like a private garden, frequently bringing outsiders in to indulge in pleasures.
This left the already-loosely guarded academy filled with security holes.
Thanks to this, Ma Hongjun and his escort had no issues entering the volcanic training grounds using Lin Rong's ducal command token.
Each month, Lin Rong sent people to deliver resources and check on Ma Hongjun's training progress.
Over the past year, Ma Hongjun had shown no resistance at all to the intense, customized training regimen.
Why?
Because Lin Rong had shown him a few grown men who were extremely fat and ugly, and told him:
"If you don't burn off your Evil Fire through intense training, this is what you'll become."
That was all the motivation Ma Hongjun needed—he became fully dedicated and even enjoyed the routine.
Thanks to his hard work, combined with the volcano's mimetic environment—
Ma Hongjun, despite having only Level 9 innate soul power, had achieved a yearly gain of 3.5 levels.
In Douluo Dalu 2, twin martial souls posed no drawback.
But in the original Douluo Dalu, they did.
The only known way to resolve this was through a God's Trial.
Although the original novel didn't directly explain this issue—
Both Bibi Dong and Tang San only began cultivating their second martial soul after inheriting a divine legacy.