Evening.
Qian Jue awoke from the warm ocean.
Feeling the comfort that filled his whole body, he was somewhat surprised. 'So this is what it's like to absorb a spirit ring?' There was none of the torment and pain that the Grandmaster and Tang San had described. What he felt instead was endless warmth and comfort. Now that the sensation had faded, Qian Jue even felt a trace of melancholy, as though something precious had slipped away.
"Did it succeed? Well done. So, what spirit skill did you gain?"
Seeing Qian Jue wake up, the Grandmaster's stiff face revealed a faint smile. Although during the entire process there had been no expression of pain on Qian Jue's face—sign that the absorption went smoothly—it was only after seeing him wake that the Grandmaster finally set his heart at ease.
Hearing the Grandmaster's words, Qian Jue returned to his senses. Seeing both the Grandmaster and Tang San looking at him with concern, he gave them a reassuring smile and felt for his first spirit skill.
"Teacher!"
Qian Jue was somewhat excited.
"You were right! My first spirit skill is to condense a Kindred Bow!" As he spoke, he summoned his martial spirit.
The Sheep Spirit possessed him; a mask covered Qian Jue's face. A yellow spirit ring rose at his feet, glimmering faintly. He stretched out his hand, and a bluish glow flickered—slowly condensing into a strangely shaped longbow.
It was the
Its peculiar form, sharp edges and protrusions, black-and-white interwoven patterns. Holding this longbow, Qian Jue swung it a few times, feeling its deep connection with his heart, and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
The Grandmaster carefully observed the bow and nodded. "Indeed, this is the very one in your Sheep Spirit's hand. It seems my deductions weren't wrong. I suppose its effect is to let you fire arrows of soul power."
"That's right, Teacher!" Qian Jue said eagerly. He lifted the longbow in his left hand, aimed at a basketball-sized stone not far away. With a pull of invisible fingers, a milky-white light arrow swiftly formed in the bow's center.
When Qian Jue released his hands, the light arrow tore through the air—*bang!*—striking the stone and blasting it into countless fragments that scattered across the ground.
"Hmm." The Grandmaster nodded.
"The speed and power are both impressive. These should scale with your soul power. As your level increases, both speed and power should grow stronger. But what about soul power consumption?"
"Not much. With my current soul power, I can fire dozens of shots without problem. Only when condensing the longbow itself does it take more—around one-fifth of my energy." Qian Jue was overjoyed with the skill, lovingly stroking the longbow.
"It has more uses than just that."
The Grandmaster stroked his chin, staring at the bow.
"Here, try using the bow itself to strike that tree." He pointed to a nearby trunk.
Qian Jue touched the bow's thin, sharp protruding edge and nodded.
"Hah!"
With force, he slashed the bow toward the tree.
*Shhh!*
The sharp edge of the Qian Jue Bow embedded deeply into the trunk, only stopping when the thicker bow limbs caught against the bark.
Qian Jue pulled it out with strength—the edge remained flawless.
The Grandmaster reached out, touched the bow, and felt its sharpness.
Shaking his head, he sighed. "If you claim this is your martial spirit itself, no one would doubt you. I had thought Tang San's first spirit skill was already excellent, but compared to yours—truly, the gap between martial spirits is vast."
He rubbed his head in slight distress, then glanced at Tang San, a little worried he might be discouraged.
"But Tang San is a Twin Spirit user. His potential lies in the future. When he grows enough to attach spirit rings to his second spirit, that will be when his true strength emerges. Alright, let's make camp here tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll head back."
After encouraging Tang San, the Grandmaster called for them to prepare camp.
Yet Qian Jue didn't move, a strange look on his face as he gazed at the Grandmaster.
"Hm? What's the matter? Do you have another question?" The Grandmaster noticed his odd expression.
"Teacher… we might not be able to go back just yet."
As he spoke, Qian Jue dismissed the Wolf Spirit's Concealment effect. The Wolf Spirit and Sheep Spirit revealed themselves at the same time.
"I feel… I still need to attach a spirit ring to the Wolf Spirit. The Silver Thread Snake's ring was attached to the Sheep Spirit."
"What!"
The Grandmaster cried out and rushed over.
The Silver Thread Snake's ring slowly rotated at Qian Jue's feet. With the Sheep Spirit possessing him, the ring could be said to be under Qian Jue's feet, or under the Sheep Spirit's feet.
"You're certain you didn't sense wrongly? You truly feel your Wolf Spirit still needs a spirit ring?" The Grandmaster pressed for confirmation.
"Teacher, I really feel it. If the Wolf Spirit doesn't gain a ring, my soul power level won't rise." Qian Jue's tone grew solemn, mirroring the Grandmaster's. He didn't know how to explain it, only that this mysterious resonance told him he truly needed another ring.
"One life, two souls… two lives, one soul." The Grandmaster murmured.
"Yes… you also have the Kindred Mark, strengthening your body enough to bear the dual-ring pressure. And your Sheep Spirit and Wolf Spirit, strictly speaking, are one martial spirit—so adding rings won't cause conflict. This is—"
The Grandmaster's thoughts clicked into place. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he lifted his head to stare at Qian Jue.
"A Perfect Martial Spirit! This is a Perfect Martial Spirit! Even Twin Spirits can only use one at a time, and must always consider ring conflicts and tolerance. But you—"
"Xiao Jue."
The Grandmaster grasped both his shoulders, eyes blazing.
"You may be the only one in this world capable of breaking past the Title Douluo limit!"
"What virtue, what merit—how am I worthy of a disciple like this?" Tears suddenly welled in the Grandmaster's eyes.
They were tears of joy.
"Is that so? Then Teacher, perhaps in the future you'll be known as the teacher of a god." Qian Jue, noticing his master's mood, quickly joked to lighten the air.
"Besides, Tang San's talent is also top-tier. I've always felt his Blue Silver Grass isn't ordinary. Think about it—his hammer, just one look and you can tell it's extraordinary. If the Blue Silver Grass were only a weak plant, how could it pair with such a hammer as Twin Spirits?"
The Grandmaster froze.
Indeed! In all history, Twin Spirit users always had spirits of equal tier. Even Bibi Dong's twin Spider Spirits were of the same level. How could a common Blue Silver Grass pair with that hammer?
The Grandmaster turned to Tang San. Tang San, having heard Qian Jue's words, was dazed. He slowly released his Blue Silver Grass from his palm.
As the leaves swayed gently, doubt stirred in his heart.
'Could it be true, as Brother Jue said? That you are not just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass…'
"No… no. I tested it myself. Before he gained his first ring, his spirit's traits were identical to common Blue Silver Grass. His first martial spirit is indeed that." The Grandmaster shook his head after a long pause, trusting his own test.
"As for what Qian Jue suggested, it makes some sense. But perhaps Twin Spirit cases are simply too rare, leaving too few examples to compare."
"Well, I don't know. Maybe."
Qian Jue shrugged. His interruption allowed the Grandmaster to calm his emotions again.
"So now, we must choose a suitable spirit ring for your Wolf Spirit. Let's camp here. Tonight I'll think it over—tomorrow we'll decide."
"Yes, Teacher."
…