"The Radiant Heaven Shield... It actually mutated! My son is truly extraordinary!"
Even though Zhang Lingling still wasn't entirely satisfied that Han Feng's martial soul turned out to be a shield, she had nothing but praise for her son. Honestly, even if he had awakened a completely useless martial soul, she would've still celebrated it like it was heaven-sent!
Besides, at least her beloved son's martial soul still bore the signature of her own Crimson Flame—that was enough for her.
Nearby, Han Dang let out a silent sigh.
They both had shield-type martial souls, but while he was just a human punching bag, his son was being praised to the skies. The double standard was real.
Compared to them, Wang Xun appeared much more composed.
After all, it wasn't his son—what was there to get worked up about?
Besides, Han Feng's martial soul didn't reveal anything particularly groundbreaking to him. Sure, it seemed decent, definitely better than his own, but The Radiant Heaven Shield wasn't exactly top-tier. At most, it was impressive, but not unmatched.
And let's not forget—they hadn't even tested Han Feng's innate soul power yet.
Although the shield looked like a positive mutation, you could never be too sure. Mutated martial souls were ultimately judged by their innate soul power. High means good, low means trash. What if this impressive-looking shield was just for show?
While Han Feng was still in a daze, Wang Xun took out a crystal ball and handed it over with a calm voice:
"Young Master Han, next we will test your innate soul power. Just channel the power of your martial soul into this crystal."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Han Feng nodded blankly, placed his hand on the crystal ball, and let the energy of his martial soul flow naturally into it.
"Buzz—!"
In an instant, the crystal ball lit up like a lightbulb!
Even though Han Feng was prepared, the dazzling light still caught him off guard.
"Oh my god! Full innate soul power!"
Wang Xun was the first to react, exclaiming with joy as if he had found a priceless treasure. He held the crystal ball reverently and looked at Han Feng with gleaming eyes.
If he brought this child back to the Spirit Hall, what kind of reward would they give him!?
A strong martial soul and full innate soul power—this was a living treasure standing right in front of him!
What Wang Xun didn't realize was that Han Feng didn't just have full innate soul power—he had Innate Level 12!
But Wang Xun didn't know the difference. To him, if the crystal ball lit up completely, it meant full innate soul power. This time, however, the brightness was even stronger than usual—but Wang Xun had never seen full innate power before, so how could he tell?
"Child, would you be willing to join our Spirit Hall?"
The thought of the reward had Wang Xun's heart burning with excitement. He grabbed Han Feng's hand and asked eagerly.
"Ahem!"
Before Han Feng could answer, Han Dang coughed twice, giving Wang Xun a cold, wordless stare.
Wang Xun instantly panicked!
How could he have forgotten—this boy wasn't some nobody from a remote village. His father was a Soul Sect-level powerhouse! Who was he, just a measly Soul Master, to make decisions for someone like that?
"My apologies! I've overstepped. I'll be on my way."
Wang Xun quickly bowed to Han Dang and turned to leave.
"Don't let me keep you," Han Dang said stiffly, clearly unamused.
Wang Xun, feeling as if he'd just escaped death, fled the Han residence.
"Hmph! Shameless opportunist," Zhang Lingling snorted coldly after Wang Xun left.
It was true—if Han Feng joined the Spirit Hall, he'd definitely receive better resources and a brighter future, given his talent. But to a mother who adored her son more than life itself, how could she bear to part with him right after awakening his martial soul?
Besides, entering the Spirit Hall meant competition—competition meant battles. And from the looks of his martial soul... wasn't he just going to get beat up in every fight?
No way was Zhang Lingling letting Han Feng join the Spirit Hall.
Han Dang understood his wife's thinking all too well. Honestly, he felt Spirit Hall would've been a great path. But first, Zhang Lingling would never allow it, and second... he himself wasn't all that ready to part with his "unlucky" son either.
"Dad! Mom! My martial soul's awakened! It's a fusion of Crimson Flame and Black Armor Shield!"
At that moment, Han Feng ran over with a big smile, trying to please his parents.
Han Dang smiled in return. A powerful, mutated martial soul plus full innate soul power—it was no small feat. As someone experienced, he knew that if his son worked hard, his future held limitless possibilities. Becoming a Title Douluo wasn't just a dream!
Zhang Lingling, on the other hand, was still a little disappointed.
"Too bad it took after your father's shield as the main body…"
Han Feng grinned, "What's the big deal? Didn't you say it yourself, Mom? Both the Crimson Flame and the Black Armor Shield have their own strengths. Now I have both—what's there to complain about?"
Han Dang was pleasantly surprised. "Oh? You've finally come around? I told you—what's wrong with being a defense-type soul master? You'll definitely become the strongest wall on the continent!"
"Hehe!"
Han Feng just scratched his head and laughed.
He hadn't really "come around"—he just discovered that he didn't have one martial soul.
During the awakening, besides the burning sensation in his right hand, he had also felt a chilling cold in his left. If he hadn't reacted quickly, his martial soul might've awakened as a full-on ice-fire dual soul!
From his perception, his second martial soul was True Ice—stronger than typical Ice or Frost Souls, but not quite at the level of Extreme Ice. Probably about on par with his Radiant Heaven Shield.
More importantly, he could use both martial souls at the same time! Unlike Tang San's twin souls, which couldn't be activated together, his Radiant Heaven Shield and True Ice had no such conflict.
With a second martial soul like this, who cared if his first one was a shield? Push him too far, and he'd just whip out the second one—tank plus damage dealer, a true juggernaut!
Han Feng unconsciously curled his left hand into a fist.
This martial soul had to stay hidden. It was his trump card—his ace in the hole.
He didn't plan on telling his parents about True Ice. Not because he didn't trust them—he just knew how much Han Dang loved to brag. If he told him today, half the Spirit Arena would know by tomorrow.
And besides...
According to what Han Feng knew, neither his mother's nor father's lineage had any connection to ice-related martial souls going back three generations. Where exactly did this True Ice martial soul come from?
Sure, one could chalk it up to martial soul mutation. A cat and a tiger having a lion cub, fine. But a cat and a tiger giving birth to a hammer? That's a stretch.
Based on his first martial soul, he was definitely Han Dang and Zhang Lingling's biological son. But for the sake of family peace, he'd rather not raise any awkward questions...
After all, in Han Feng's view, while his dad really loved his mom, he also had a touch of possessiveness—this was the kind of guy who even got jealous of his own son. Who knew what he'd think if some weird connection to ice came up?
One of his former roommates had a girlfriend who wasn't even allowed to keep male relatives' numbers on her phone...
Han Feng genuinely worried his dad might be that guy.
Better to wait and see.
After all—love is always a little selfish.
If there really were people out there capable of truly selfless love, Han Feng wouldn't mind meeting the legendary "Dog of Devotion" and seeing if they could teach his dad a thing or two…