Chapter 54: Heart-to-Heart Talk on the Mountain Top
The entire mountain outside Heaven Dou City belonged to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. The main campus was built halfway up the slope, while the foot and summit of the mountain were mostly used as simulated training grounds.
After lunch, Yu Tianlin had asked Ye Lingling about her veil, but she had not answered him directly. Instead, she had simply asked him to walk with her.
Yu Tianlin originally thought Ye Lingling would just stroll around the main campus. He did not expect her to lead him all the way to the mountaintop.
From the peak, the view was vast and unobstructed. Behind the mountain lay a sea of dense forest, at its foot shimmered a serene lake, and in the distance, one could faintly make out the outline of Heaven Dou City. The drifting clouds above felt close enough to touch.
The slopes below were covered in lush greenery, but the summit itself was bare and open. As the mountain wind howled past, Yu Tianlin felt as though every pore in his body had opened. It was indescribably refreshing.
Ye Lingling found a rock and sat down. Her long blue hair fluttered in the wind, and together with her black clothes and light blue eyes gazing into the distance, she looked like a fairy who had descended to the mortal world.
Yu Tianlin could not help sighing in admiration. "Sister Lingling, the scenery here is beautiful. No wonder you brought me up."
"When I am in a bad mood, I like to come to the mountaintop alone," Ye Lingling said, her gaze slightly unfocused as she looked down the mountain. "It makes me feel a little better."
So you usually come here alone. Then why bring me this time?
Yu Tianlin felt a bit puzzled.
Ye Lingling suddenly asked, "Tianlin, do you know much about the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul?"
"I know a little," Yu Tianlin replied. "No matter how many Spirit Rings are added to the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, it only has one Spirit Skill, a large-area group healing skill that affects the entire team.
"Even though there is only that one Spirit Skill, it is extremely powerful. As the level increases and more Spirit Rings are added, the range and healing effect both increase. In the later stages, the healing becomes terrifyingly strong."
"I am not asking about the Nine-Heart Begonia's abilities." Ye Lingling shook her head lightly. "I mean, do you know anything about the inheritance of the Nine-Heart Begonia?"
Yu Tianlin pretended not to know. "Is there something special about the martial Soul inheritance of the Nine-Heart Begonia?"
In truth, he already knew, but since Ye Lingling wanted to talk about it herself, he decided to let her say it.
Ye Lingling spoke softly. "The Nine Heart Begonia is an extremely rare Martial Soul that is passed down through a single bloodline. Only after the previous Spirit Master who possesses the Nine Heart Begonia dies will another one appear among their descendants."
"Cough, cough, wait a second."
Yu Tianlin almost choked on her explanation and quickly interrupted, "Sister Lingling, don't make it sound so scary. It gives people the impression that any Spirit Master who possesses the Nine Heart Begonia will die the moment they have children."
The Nine-Heart Begonia bloodline was only passed on to daughters, not sons. At any given time, only two people in the world could possess it, referred to as the first and second generations.
Only when the first generation died would the third generation, born to the second generation, inherit the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul.
So the question was: if the first generation had not died yet, what kind of Martial Soul would a third-generation daughter, born to the second generation, have?
The answer was simple: she would not awaken the Nine-Heart Begonia, but instead inherit a Martial Soul related to her father.
In other words, this was only an issue of Martial Soul inheritance. It did not mean that the second generation could not have children while the first generation was alive, nor did it mean that giving birth would cause the earlier generation to die. It simply meant that the child born at that time would not awaken the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.
Because Ye Lingling's explanation was so vague, anyone who did not know better might really think that inheriting the Nine-Heart Begonia was like the fate of Nuwa's descendants in certain legends, where giving birth would cost one their life.
"You really do know about the Nine-Heart Begonia." Ye Lingling's eyes curved like crescent moons. "You are from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, after all. It is only natural that you understand these things."
So she did that on purpose just to get me to speak, huh.
However, recalling the matter of the Nine Heart Begonia's inheritance, Yu Tianlin suddenly asked, "By the way, Sister Lingling, I have known you for so long, but I still know nothing about your family. Your mother must have had a very high status in the Heaven Dou Empire, right?"
He thought of Dugu Bo as a comparison. Although Dugu Bo's strength was considered near the bottom among Titled Douluo, his destructive power on a large battlefield was terrifying. In the later stages of the original story, he could even wipe out an entire city by himself, making him a strategic-level existence.
A Martial Soul like the Nine-Hearted Begonia was also incredibly influential in large-scale wars. Unlike Dugu Bo, who slaughtered enemy soldiers, the Nine-Hearted Begonia could heal one's own army on a massive scale. Under its healing, the soldiers' lives were better protected, their morale rose, their fear faded, and overall combat strength increased directly.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification was also very powerful, but it was more suited for small-scale battles between Spirit Masters. On the battlefield, it still could not match the Nine Heart Begonia.
Therefore, Yu Tianlin guessed that Ye Lingling's mother must have enjoyed extremely high status, likely a nearly unrivaled existence within the Heaven Dou Empire.
However, the moment he mentioned Ye Lingling's mother, the light in her eyes dimmed.
The previously relaxed atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Ye Lingling glanced at Yu Tianlin and said in a flat voice, "My mother is dead."
Yu Tianlin froze for a moment, then quickly apologized. "Uh, I am sorry, Sister Lingling. I brought up something painful."
"It is alright. I am used to it," Ye Lingling replied, her tone numb.
"After my grandmother passed away, my mother gave birth to me. That is why I possess the Nine Hearts Begonia Martial Soul." Ye Lingling unconsciously drew her legs up, hugging her knees and burying her face against them. "Even though my grandmother did not die because of me, every time I use the Nine Hearts Begonia, I cannot help but think of her. I feel as if I am carrying her life on my shoulders."
"Not long after that, my mother also died. Now, I am the only Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Master left in the world."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Clear Sky Hammer, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Souls of your three upper sects are all very powerful, but none of them have such harsh inheritance limits. Many people can possess them."
"Can you understand this feeling? When I look around the entire world, there is no one whose Martial Soul is the same as mine. It feels like I am some kind of monster."
"Why is it that only we Nine-Hearted Begonia Spirit Masters have no one of our own kind and are destined to be alone forever?"
At this point, Ye Lingling's body trembled slightly, as if she were crying.
Yu Tianlin had been listening quietly. When she finally fell silent, he spoke softly. "Lingling, have you always felt very lonely?"
"Of course. And this loneliness will never end."
Ye Lingling suddenly raised her head. Her eyes were slightly red as she looked straight at Yu Tianlin. "If I have a child in the future, will she also have to endure this same loneliness?"
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