Before the Shi family's reception hall lay a considerable garden, adorned with all manner of flora and many rare specimens. This garden bloomed with flowers throughout the four seasons, its intoxicating fragrance never dissipating.
As Shi Yan approached the garden, his eyes immediately fell upon Zuo Shi, who was surrounded by several young men.
Amidst the hundred blossoms, Zuo Shi stood gracefully tall, her straight, elegant legs exceptionally long and beautifully shaped.
In the sunlight, her skin, as white as snow, possessed an almost ceramic luster, while her exquisite face was dotted with eyes like polished jewels—clear, without a trace of impurity.
Though he had known Zuo Shi was a beauty, seeing her in person made Shi Yan’s eyes gleam; he felt a genuine sense of awe.
This Zuo Shi was truly a beauty on par with Mu Yudie, yet Zuo Shi was taller, with even longer, more striking legs.
Zuo Shi, positioned centrally like a moon surrounded by stars, casually held a small watering can, tending to the flowers amidst the greenery. A hint of helplessness flickered in her clear gaze, as if she disliked being the focus of such special attention.
Shi Yan merely glanced from a distance, then averted his gaze, walking past the garden straight toward the reception hall at the rear.
“Shi Yan!”
A young man called out loudly, and the attention of all the youths surrounding Zuo Shi shifted in unison toward Shi Yan.
“Is something the matter, Big Brother?” Shi Yan paused, turning his head to ask.
“Where have you been these past few days? I heard you returned long ago, so why haven’t I seen you?” Shi Tianxiao called out, waving a hand toward Shi Yan. “Shi Yan, come over here for a moment. Xiao Shi found a tortoise shell inscribed with strange archaic script. Aren’t you quite knowledgeable about ancient texts? Come take a look for her.”
Zuo Shi, standing among the group of youths, finally seemed to show a flicker of interest at Shi Tianxiao’s words. Standing about ten meters away, her lake-clear eyes settled on Shi Yan.
“I’m busy. Great-Grandfather needs to see me. I’ll look at it when I have time.”
Shi Yan’s expression was aloof as he casually refused, then moved on without further pause, heading directly toward the reception hall behind the garden.
“Uh…”
Shi Tianxiao’s expression turned strange, and after a moment of stunned silence, he managed an awkward, strained smile as he explained to Zuo Shi, “Shi Yan has an odd temperament, not very talkative, and not interested in martial arts. He’s been running around everywhere these past few years; I have no idea what keeps him occupied. Don’t mind him; I’ll drag him over for you to look at the script later.”
A sliver of confusion crossed Zuo Shi’s bright eyes. She stared at Shi Yan’s retreating back for a moment, then asked curiously, “If he has no interest in martial arts, how is his cultivation higher than yours?”
“Wh-what?”
Shi Tianxiao jumped in alarm. “Xiao Shi, are you sure you aren’t mistaken? For seventeen years, I have never seen him cultivate martial arts. How could he have any cultivation?”
Zuo Shi’s beautiful face registered a touch of dismay; she paused, then said seriously, “He clearly possesses the cultivation of the Innate Third Heaven Realm. How could he never have practiced martial arts? The ‘Divine Eye Technique’ that old man taught me allows me to discern a person’s realm instantly. His realm is not higher than mine; I cannot be wrong.”
“Innate Third Heaven!”
Shi Tianluo beside them exclaimed, shaking his head, repeating in disbelief, “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! In these seventeen years, that brat Shi Yan hasn't practiced martial arts for a single day. Could he have reached the Innate Third Heaven Realm overnight? That’s absurd!”
Seeing that none of them believed her, Zuo Shi simply shook her head gently and did not elaborate further, picking up her watering can and moving to another section of the garden.
…
“Great-Grandfather, you sent for me?”
Entering the reception hall, Shi Yan first bowed respectfully to Shi Jian, Han Feng, and Zuo Xu in turn. After paying his respects, he finally spoke.
Shi Jian nodded, stepped forward, and gripped Shi Yan’s arm, pulling him to stand before Zuo Xu. “Brother Zuo, take a good look, see what’s going on with this boy’s Martial Soul. Your Zuo family has collected so many texts concerning Martial Souls; your understanding of them must be far deeper than mine. If I can’t make sense of it, you certainly can.”
Zuo Xu, around sixty, with silver threading his temples, sat in his chair without any overbearing arrogance, exuding a scholarly refinement. He looked less like a family patriarch and more like a professor in an academy.
Shi Jian and he had been close friends for years, and the Shi and Zuo families were staunch allies. Thus, regarding matters concerning Shi Yan, Shi Jian had kept secrets even from many within his own family, but he had not concealed them from Zuo Xu.
Zuo Xu frowned slightly, extending his slightly thin left hand to rest gently on Shi Yan’s wrist. “Petrify your body first.”
Shi Yan immediately complied, hardening his skin into stone.
Suddenly, tens of thousands of bizarre energy filaments, like fine threads, pierced through his wrist! The filaments seemed alive, moving flexibly into every corner of his body without causing Shi Yan any pain, merely a slight itch.
These threads traversed his meridians, burrowed into his marrow, penetrated his five viscera and six bowels, circulating through every part of his system before receding back through his wrist.
Zuo Xu released his hand, his brow deeply furrowed. After a long silence, he stated, “There is no abnormality.”
Shi Jian was overjoyed. “So, this boy’s Martial Soul is completely normal? It can continue to grow in the future?”
“It should be so.” Zuo Xu pondered for a moment, his expression growing somewhat peculiar. “Old Brother, is there… is there another Martial Soul within his body?”
“On what basis do you say that?”
Shi Jian could not contain his delight and laughed heartily first. “Brother Zuo, you truly have skill! This boy does indeed possess another Martial Soul that can self-heal injuries! Hahaha! I was planning to tell you later, but I didn’t expect you to see it first!”
A strange light flashed in Zuo Xu’s eyes, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. After a long moment, he nodded firmly and exclaimed, “Congratulations, Old Brother!”
“Hahaha, mutual joy, mutual joy.” Shi Jian was thrilled, laughing loudly. “Your girl isn’t bad either. She’s already reached the Human Rank Second Heaven Realm. Even that old fellow Chi Xiao is asking you to take her as a disciple. Her future achievements certainly won’t be inferior to that boy from the Beiming family.”
Zuo Xu shook his head with a wry smile, sighing with doting affection, “Her talent is undeniable, but the problem is she is too lazy. If I don’t stare her down and urge her daily, she will never waste time cultivating. If she had the tenacity of that Beiming Ce, her achievements would surely be greater now.”
As he spoke toward the end, a trace of pride surfaced on Zuo Xu’s face; he was clearly proud of Zuo Shi’s potential.
“Your girl’s cultivation speed is fast. But this rascal Shi Yan—he jumped straight to the Innate Third Heaven Realm! He never cultivated at all for the past dozen years. If we talk about cultivation speed, hehe, I truly have never seen anyone faster than him.” Shi Jian tilted his head back, smiling.
Another sharp gleam flashed in Zuo Xu’s eyes. He looked at Shi Yan, nodding with a smile. “A Dual Martial Soul is indeed formidable. It seems the Shi family is guaranteed to win one match in this Martial Arts Assembly.”
“That’s for certain.”
Shi Jian replied without reservation, “I kept this boy confined for so long precisely to give the Mo family a taste of our strength at the Assembly.”
“Old Brother, since Shi Yan possesses a Dual Martial Soul, his immediate leap to the second stage of Petrification can be explained,” Zuo Xu mused. “As far as I know, when two Martial Souls interact within one body, there is a chance for mutation. However, most of these mutations are not beneficial; after mutation, the two souls might influence each other, weakening the power of each. But there is a very small probability that the souls nourish each other and grow together. This boy Shi Yan is incredibly lucky; his Dual Martial Soul is clearly developing benignly, which is why his Petrification jumped directly to the second stage while still in the Innate Realm.”
“…This boy’s fortune is indeed excellent! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given me such a big surprise at seventeen years old.” Shi Jian nodded with a contented smile.
Afterward, the two old men began chatting about trivial matters, seemingly forgetting Shi Yan was still present.
“Ahem, if there is nothing else, I’ll return to the Gravity Room to continue cultivating,” Shi Yan called out, feeling awkward from being left aside.
“Mmm, go ahead. Hurry up, don’t slack off!” Shi Jian instructed sternly.
“Oh, right, I heard you are quite knowledgeable about ancient texts, correct?” Zuo Xu suddenly slapped his forehead as if remembering something. “Xiao Shi found a tortoise shell with some ancient writing on it. She wants to know what those characters mean. After you leave, please help her look at them.”
“Oh.”