As Lin Feng's words fell, three voices rang out in rapid succession.
Among them, a male voice stood out particularly loud.
Father Ye instantly rose to his feet, his gaze burning as he stared at Lin Feng.
The man who had been sitting quietly and listening to their conversation with a gentle smile was no longer silent.
In a flash, he appeared before Lin Feng and gripped his arm tightly.
His usually warm and composed face had turned unusually solemn.
"Xiao Feng, you must not deceive me about this."
If an ordinary person had brought up such a matter, the three members of the Ye family might not have reacted so strongly, dismissing it as a joke.
But this was someone brought by Ling Yuan—clearly not the type to speak carelessly.
Even if it was just speculation about the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul, it must have been the result of deep contemplation.
For Father Ye, nothing was more important than his wife.
Watching the love of his life approach her final days was nothing short of torture.
No matter how much he tried to maintain his usual calm demeanor, he could no longer suppress the turmoil in his heart.
What if... what if this young man truly had some insight worth exploring?
Lin Feng patted Father Ye's trembling hand and gently lowered it.
"To be honest, it's just a personal observation.
"While sensing Sister's martial soul skill earlier, I noticed something peculiar.
"The Nine-Hearted Begonia is indeed worthy of being called the strongest healing-type martial soul, but its origin has been locked in place."
Mother Ye frowned, her gaze fixed on the Nine-Hearted Begonia in her right palm.
"Origin?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"Exactly—origin. A martial soul, as the most fundamental aspect of our being, often reflects a person's inherent nature.
"For example, soul masters with fire-attribute martial souls tend to have more unrestrained and free-spirited personalities.
"Healing-type soul masters are generally gentler."
"This is because the most intrinsic attributes of a martial soul share the same roots as our own selves—it is a reflection of who we are."
Ye Wanqing, holding Ye Lingling's hand, asked anxiously,
"Then what do you mean by its origin being locked?"
The Innate Treasure Pearl in Lin Feng's hand emitted a soft glow.
"Although the Nine-Heart Begonia possesses the most powerful healing martial soul skills at the pinnacle of their kind, the variability of these skills has been confined to a singular characteristic."
"This is a case where the martial soul's origin has been anchored in place."
Father Ye furrowed his brows.
"I still don't quite understand what you're saying."
"To put it simply, the Nine-Heart Begonia is a martial soul suppressed by the laws of heaven and earth."
"The sheer power of its soul skills has caused it to be restricted by the rules of this world."
"This world denies the Nine-Heart Begonia any possibility of advancing further, while also limiting the number of soul masters who can awaken this martial soul."
Father Ye and Mother Ye exchanged glances and sighed.
They both returned to their seats at the head of the table.
"We've actually had similar suspicions before."
"Take the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's martial soul, for example—it's quite similar to ours in that it cannot break through the Soul Sage realm.
"But our situation is even more severe."
Ye Lingling blinked, confused by the conversation.
"Auntie, what are they talking about? Lingling doesn't understand."
Ye Wanqing gave Lin Feng and the others an apologetic look before leading Ye Lingling out of the room.
When it came to matters of martial souls, it was better not to expose Lingling to them too early.
Lin Feng patted Ling Yuan's hand reassuringly, giving her a comforting glance.
"You've all experienced my martial soul skill earlier."
"Though its potency can't compare to the Nine-Heart Begonia's, the intrinsic nature of the skill is remarkably dynamic."
"You should have been able to sense that this skill adapts to my will, capable of focusing on external injuries or internal meridians as needed."
"My ability to achieve this is actually tied to a cultivation method I practice and a heavenly treasure I've absorbed."
"These have allowed me to elevate my control over the deeper laws of origin embedded within soul skills—transcending the shackles of natural law."
Mother Ye's pupils contracted slightly.
"So you're saying... Xiao Feng, you truly have a solution?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"Actually, I have two approaches to solving this problem."
"The first is martial soul evolution—elevating the martial soul's rank to break free from the suppression of heaven and earth."
"The second is mastering one's own origin power to shatter the martial soul's constraints."
"For the second method, my cultivation technique happens to be capable of this—it allows soul masters to truly come into contact with the laws of origin."
Father Ye's frown deepened as he asked tentatively,
"A cultivation method like this... why have we never heard of it before?"
Lin Feng chuckled.
"I created it myself. It hasn't been made public yet, but it will be soon."
Father Ye clenched his fists slightly, suddenly realizing that Lin Feng's visit today might have another purpose.
Sure enough, Lin Feng continued,
"The heavenly treasures required for martial soul evolution—I have them here."
"The cultivation method to break the shackles of origin—I can lay the foundation for you in advance.
"In return, I have one request."
"Joining Spirit Hall, is it?"
Mother Ye's tone was resigned, but to her surprise, Lin Feng shook his head.
"If Sister is unwilling, there's no need for that."
"All I ask is that you refrain from supporting any other faction."
"As for the path beyond that, I trust you'll make the right choice when the time comes."
Mother Ye nodded. As long as they weren't openly joining Spirit Hall, they could accept this arrangement now.
Not long ago, news had spread that Dugu Bo had taken his entire family to join Spirit Hall.
The Heaven Dou imperial family had nearly coughed up blood in frustration.
Prince Xue Xing had been in a foul mood for days—his plans to win Dugu Bo over hadn't even begun before Spirit Hall swooped in and took him.
At present, the only Title Douluos aligned with the Heaven Dou Empire were the Sword and Bone Douluos of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Dugu Bo, as a powerhouse on the verge of reaching the Title Douluo realm, had been a prime target for recruitment.
Yet he had defected just like that—what kind of joke was this?
As a result, the imperial family's resentment toward Spirit Hall had deepened.
For the Nine-Heart Begonia family, whose roots were firmly planted in Heaven Dou, openly pledging allegiance to Spirit Hall now would undoubtedly spark conflict.
First, they poached a temporarily residing seedling, and now they're coming to plunder again?
Seeing the couple's expressions relax, Lin Feng said,
"My cultivation method will still need some time before it can truly help you."
"The version released to the public won't yet touch upon the laws of origin."
"But the immortal herb that can evolve a martial soul—I can give it to Lingling in advance."
After presenting the two paths to Father Ye and Mother Ye, the couple was deeply shaken.
Unconsciously, they found themselves believing Lin Feng's words even more.
Father Ye reverted to his usual silent demeanor, giving Mother Ye a meaningful glance.
Mother Ye nodded.
"Such an incredible path..."
"Though I feel something might be missing, the effects are undeniably powerful."
"Xiao Feng, we accept your terms—joining Spirit Hall in secret."
"But this immortal herb... what exactly is it?"
After Lin Feng explained the herb's effects, Mother Ye instantly rushed to his side.
She understood perfectly—now that Lin Feng had revealed these two secrets, the Nine-Heart Begonia family was effectively bound to Spirit Hall.
Before resolving the thousand-year-old problem of their martial soul's limitations, everything else had to take a back seat.
Seeing Mother Ye's uncharacteristic excitement, Lin Feng turned to Ling Yuan.
"Go call Wanqing and Lingling back in."
The only immortal herb Lin Feng was certain could resolve the Nine-Heart Begonia family's martial soul issue was the Beautiful Silk Tulip.
As for Mother Ye's problem, it would require him to master the ability to condense soul veins for others.
Only by gaining control over the natural laws embedded within a martial soul could its shackles be broken.
This was a lengthy process—even Lin Feng, after months of familiarizing himself with his second soul vein, had only recently become confident that he could attempt to condense soul veins for others after shaping his third.
Father Ye suddenly asked,
"Xiao Feng, if an immortal herb can already solve Lingling's martial soul problem, why propose that peerless cultivation method as well?"
Lin Feng's expression turned enigmatic.
"The more children, the better, don't you think?"
"I quite like children myself."
"Right, Sister?"
Mother Ye's face flushed as she shot Lin Feng and Ling Yuan a reproachful glare.
Ling Yuan, slightly embarrassed, pinched Lin Feng and whispered,
"Stop being improper."
Then she headed out to retrieve Ye Wanqing and Ye Lingling.
Father Ye coughed lightly, looking somewhat awkward.