"So that's how it is. The knowledge and intricacies of the Douluo Continent are vast," Chen Xiaojun sighed with admiration.
"That's right. When your brother chose his third soul ring, he picked a type of Gale Wolf precisely for the speed enhancement from the Azure Gale Wolf or the Hurricane Wolf, as well as the cutting and charging capabilities.
But the Electric Wind Lightning Roc is even better. Besides having the speed boost and wind-type cutting and piercing power, it also carries the destructive force of lightning."
"So my brother's path is the strength-based Power Attack type? The first two rings are state or enhancement skills, and although the third soul ring appears to be an attack skill, it's another enhancement skill," Chen Xiaojun mused aloud, his tone carrying clear affirmation.
"Very good. I'm glad you've reached this realization. Any other doubts?" Chen Yu looked at him with approval.
"Uh, I do have one question, but I'm not sure if I should ask."
"Go ahead. What can't be asked between us grandfather and grandson?" Chen Yu clasped his hands behind his back, smiling warmly at Chen Xiaojun.
"Well… wasn't Great-Uncle Yunxiao a bit sensitive yesterday?"
"Haha, you child—smart people tend to overthink. That's their strength and their weakness. Your great-uncle is the same. It's nothing serious. Once we talk things out and let him feel our sincerity, it'll be fine. After all, we've shared decades of friendship."
"He's the adopted son of your great-great-uncle, and he and your Grandma Hanxin were truly childhood sweethearts. He's one of our Chen family, through and through," Chen Yu said sentimentally.
Chen Xiaojun scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "So, why does Uncle Chen Chen share our surname, 'Chen'?"
"Haha, that has to do with something called the Martial Soul Inheritance Affiliation Treaty. You see, in the Douluo Continent, high-level or top-tier martial soul clans like ours don't usually allow their women to marry outside the clan.
Because these clans typically have strong backing—either as sects, aristocratic families, or noble houses—they have enough internal talent to maintain the martial soul lineage. As long as the child born inherits the martial soul, they can return to the main clan line.
But there are always exceptions—due to arranged marriages, alliances, or true love. Some women will indeed marry outside, which gave rise to informal agreements.
Over time, these became formalized into a treaty to handle such situations. The core idea of the treaty is balance and fairness.
Here are the specific terms:
Clause 1: If the child awakens the father's inherited martial soul, they join the father's family. If the child awakens the mother's inherited martial soul, they're allowed to return to the mother's family and take her surname. This protects the mother's clan's martial soul lineage.
Clause 2: If the child's martial soul mutates and the mutation favors the mother's line, it is treated as inheriting the mother's martial soul. If the mutation favors the father, it belongs to the father's family.
Clause 3: If the child's martial soul is a new mutation unrelated to either parent's line, the family affiliation is decided case by case—though preference is generally given to the father's family.
Clause 4: If the father's family, for any reason, does not want the child to join, the mother's family may choose to accept them instead.
Clause 5: Special cases are to be discussed separately.
Your great-uncle's case falls under this treaty. He grew up in the Chen family, that's true. But back then, the Windcloud Fan was also a very renowned martial soul. While your great-great-uncle was still alive, they had already agreed that if Yunxiao wanted to marry your Grandma Hanxin, he would follow the terms of the treaty.
Any woman from a high-level martial soul family he wanted to marry would've had to go through this same process. He understood that clearly.
Later, when Chen Chen awakened the Seven Killing Sword, he took Chen's surname. Meanwhile, his younger son inherited his Windcloud Fan—so it worked out well for both families."
"Ah, so Great-Uncle Yunxiao has another son?" Chen Xiaojun asked in surprise.
Chen Yu gently patted his head and smiled, "Yes. The Seven Killing Sword doesn't work as effectively with female cultivators—our Chen women don't progress as fast or reach as high. The killing aura is much less corrosive to their bodies than it is to the men.
Your grandparents married young—they were childhood sweethearts, after all. Your Grandma Hanxin married at twenty-nine.
Their second son is named Ling Xinghe. He's about to turn thirty this year. Right now, he's working with your second uncle, Chen Zhang. He hasn't been back in a few years."
"I see… Then will he come back for this year's clan celebration? I've never met him," Chen Xiaojun asked curiously.
"He might come back. Speaking of which, not just Chen Chen—even you are the same. If you had awakened a mutated version of the Seven-Colored Bracelet martial soul, you'd be surnamed Ye instead," Chen Yu said casually.
"Wait, mother comes from a martial soul inheritance clan too?" Chen Xiaojun asked in surprise.
"Of course. The Xiuxin family has been close to ours for generations. The Nine-Heart Begonia Ye Family is a noble clan known throughout the world!" Chen Yu chuckled.
"Nine-Heart Begonia? But Grandpa, Mother's martial soul is the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet—it's an item-type soul, and that doesn't match a plant-type soul at all," Chen Xiaojun asked in confusion.
Chen Yu was surprised that his daughter-in-law hadn't explained this before, and said seriously, "Nine-Heart Begonia is a top-tier martial soul that only two people can possess at the same time across the entire continent. That's far too rare to sustain a family inheritance.
Your mother's Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet is the second-ranking top-tier martial soul in the Ye family. Although it's not as powerful in healing as the Nine-Heart Begonia, it's a dual-type soul: healing and support. It's ranked seventh class—even based solely on healing, it's still among the top ten healing martial souls in the world.
Within the Ye family's direct bloodline, if a child doesn't awaken the Nine-Heart Begonia, they awaken the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet instead. Since the Nine-Heart Begonia is a solo inheritance, the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet has become the family's main line.
With these two martial souls, the Ye family became the leading force in one of the continent's most powerful neutral organizations—the Medical Alliance. They established themselves as the foremost healing clan in the world, commonly referred to as the Haitang Ye Family.
Of course, the Ye family also has other high-level martial souls, like the Diamond Begonia, Iron Cross Begonia, and Pear Blossom Begonia.
And unlike us—who deliberately split off branches with mutated martial souls for safety—the Ye family keeps their mutated lines close."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaojun was deeply impressed. "That's incredible! But Grandpa, there's still something I don't quite understand.
If I follow your explanation, the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet and the Nine-Heart Begonia are both top-tier Ye family martial souls. If a child awakens either, they belong to the family's direct line.
Here's the thing though—the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet is an item-type martial soul. How does it coexist in the same inheritance system as the plant-type Nine-Heart Begonia?"
Chen Yu looked a bit unsure. "That… I don't know. It could be because the Nine-Heart Begonia is limited by the laws of heaven and earth, or maybe because the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet has a special ability."
"What kind of special ability?" Chen Xiaojun pressed.
"Do you know about Beautification of Item Martial Souls?"
Chen Xiaojun nodded. "Yes, I've read that it's a type of martial soul that lies between beast-type and item-type souls. Though categorized as item-type, it can exhibit beast-type traits.
A true fusion of the two is called Item Martial Soul Beautification, where the martial soul has two forms. Typically, the beastified form looks like a beast martial soul, not an item. Though it can revert to item form."
Chen Yu nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Well said. These martial souls—like the Snake Spear of the She family in Spirit Hall, the Snake Staff of the Chao family in the Xilas Kingdom, the White Dragon Spear, the Emerald Demon Dagger, and the Phoenix Luan Flute—are all top-tier examples.
Likewise, there's a similar category called Item Martial Soul Plantification, which blends item and plant-type traits, and they are also top-tier.
Your mother's Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet is the flagship example of that category—so yes, it counts as a Begonia.
Several of her soul skills are quantified versions of the bracelet. You saw them yourself yesterday."
"I see," Chen Xiaojun murmured thoughtfully.
"If you want to know more, go ask your mother directly," Chen Yu said, checking the time. "It's almost time to gather at the ancestral shrine. Come with Grandpa."