"A millennium-aged Spirit-Tuned Turtle, especially one whose shell has sprouted plant life, grants only a single soul skill to soul masters. Within the soul master community, this skill is known as: a Sign of Martial Soul Fusion."
Upon hearing the term "Martial Soul Fusion," the first thing Tang San thought of was the phrase "Martial Soul Fusion Technique," which he had come across while flipping through books.
Since he had yet to awaken his martial soul, and the descriptions in the books were vague, Tang San's understanding was quite simplistic: combining two martial souls results in a synergy greater than the sum of their parts.
However, Zhou Qing explained, "A Martial Soul Fusion Technique isn't just a simple combination. It's about fusing two martial souls into an entirely new martial soul—kind of like combining steamed buns and meat to make a filled bun or meat pie."
"Oh, I get it."
Tang San nodded thoughtfully. So it's like combining dough and meat to create a bun or pie—makes sense. The Martial Soul Fusion Technique works just like that.
A bun or a pie is obviously tastier than plain steamed bread or raw meat.
Translated into soul master terms, it means two martial souls fuse into one, significantly enhancing either offensive or supportive capabilities—much stronger than a single martial soul on its own.
"But there's a prerequisite for using the Martial Soul Fusion Technique: Martial Soul Compatibility—that is, the two martial souls must be able to resonate with each other. Right now, we haven't even awakened our martial souls, so we can't tell yet..."
At this point, Zhou Qing steered the conversation back to the Spirit-Tuned Turtle. "The soul skill from a millennium Spirit-Tuned Turtle—this Sign of Martial Soul Fusion—functions to enhance the connection between a soul master's martial soul and others'. Even two completely unrelated martial souls might develop a slight degree of compatibility."
"Of course, that doesn't mean a successful fusion is guaranteed. After all, raising compatibility from 0% to 0.0001% is still technically an improvement—but practically useless."
"Still, even that tiny possibility is enough for many soul masters to take a gamble."
"Spirit-Tuned Turtles with over ten thousand years of cultivation are virtually nonexistent. For most soul beasts, ten thousand years of cultivation doesn't mean they've lived that long. But Spirit-Tuned Turtles are different—their cultivation is measured by actual years lived. This is true for most turtle-type soul beasts, according to research from Spirit Hall. That's why it's nearly impossible to find a ten-thousand-year Spirit-Tuned Turtle."
"So, the upper limit of a Spirit-Tuned Turtle's age, for practical purposes, is one thousand years. And once a soul master obtains its soul skill, they must choose one person to bond with for Martial Soul Fusion—no second chances. Because of this, the skill later came to be associated with ideas like loyalty and fidelity."
Zhou Qing felt the urge to ridicule that sentiment—but didn't know where to begin.
Romance…
Even in this world of Douluo Continent, it gets praised and romanticized—somehow even tied to Spirit-Tuned Turtles.
"Ahem, let's leave that aside," Zhou Qing said, returning to the topic. "I personally believe that the millennium Spirit-Tuned Turtle's soul skill not only enhances soul resonance between martial souls, but might also help prevent conflict between a soul master's own soul skills."
"Soul skills can conflict?" Tang San was stunned. But thinking deeper, he realized that since soul masters hunted various types of soul beasts, the soul rings they acquired couldn't possibly all come from the same species. And since all skills were released through their martial soul, naturally, some skills might not be compatible.
Unlike his Tang Sect techniques—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, Purple Demon Eye—which were all compatible with the internal circulation paths of the Xuan Tian Record, capable of unifying the upper, middle, and lower dantian...
Looks like I'll need to consider potential conflicts between soul skills and Tang Sect abilities after I awaken my martial soul… Hmm, if my martial soul really is Blue Silver Grass, it'd be best to stack vitality-enhancing soul skills!
"Of course they can conflict," Zhou Qing replied. "You've read some soul master books too, right? Even soul master tournament battles are documented. Usually, each soul skill is released by activating one soul ring at a time. High-level soul masters might be different, but I suspect most can't release multiple soul skills simultaneously. They have to calculate the most effective timing to use each skill during combat."
Tang San frowned slightly. He realized that while soul techniques might be powerful, their continuity and integration fell far short compared to the Tang Sect's Xuan Tian Record.
After all, the Xuan Tian Record could support simultaneous execution of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, and Purple Demon Eye. In other words, those skills could be used in tandem.
But soul skills needed to be used one by one!
Though this didn't mean soul masters were weak, Tang San still found it baffling—like in his past life, someone practiced multiple powerful martial arts, but each required a different internal technique to activate. That could easily cause their body to explode!
Yet in this world, that very risk was the norm—and commonly accepted. Fortunately, due to the stabilizing nature of martial souls, soul masters didn't need to worry about their bodies bursting apart.
It was only during the soul ring absorption process that there was real danger…
"Martial souls really are miraculous," Tang San sighed.
"Yeah, they truly are," Zhou Qing nodded, not quite understanding what Tang San was pondering, but still agreeing. He then continued, "Soul masters who acquire the millennium Spirit-Tuned Turtle soul ring tend to find that their soul skills become easier to release. And the transition between one skill and the next becomes more seamless."
"That's why I believe the turtle's soul ring helps enhance the cohesion between a soul master's various soul rings, soul skills, and their martial soul."
"After all, the Spirit-Tuned Turtle is an animal, yet it coexists with plant life. This very trait may transfer to the martial soul through its soul ring. That's also why some plant-type soul masters choose a millennium Spirit-Tuned Turtle for their ring—not just for the Sign of Martial Soul Fusion, but because this non-elemental trait has a chance of integrating into their martial soul. Spirit-Tuned Turtles also have astonishing vitality. And plant-type martial souls aren't actually plants."
"A plant-type martial soul can choose soul rings from animal-type soul beasts, but only if their attributes are compatible—otherwise it's not optimal. Still, rings from plant-type soul beasts are definitely best for plant martial souls. Those who opt for the Spirit-Tuned Turtle either seek the Martial Soul Fusion skill and smoother soul skill execution—or they're ordinary civilians who, by luck, managed to cultivate to rank 30 or 40 without much real understanding of martial souls."
Tang San nodded slightly, pointing at the aquatic grass on the back of a 200-year-old Spirit-Tuned Turtle. "So… did this turtle plant those plants on its back in advance?"
"Most likely."
Zhou Qing wasn't completely certain, but shared his theory anyway. "The books I got don't go into much detail, but I suspect that before reaching the millennium stage, Spirit-Tuned Turtles mainly focus on accumulating spiritual energy. Since even a 100-year-old one can grant the Sleep soul skill, it likely has to do with its own mental focus. Perhaps only with sufficient spiritual power can it monitor the plant growth on its shell at all times."
"Like how villagers have to weed their fields and tend crops every day—it takes a lot of energy. The Spirit-Tuned Turtle, planting vegetation into its shell and flesh, must constantly monitor root growth and be alert for external threats."
As for the turtle before them—
Zhou Qing guessed that its shell had been shattered fifty years ago by a strong man from a nearby village. Severely injured, it had to halt its mental cultivation and began prematurely growing plants on its back instead.
That 20-meter-long section of deeper stream? Dug out by the turtle itself to serve as its home.
As for the giant white carp it was probably being farmed by the Spirit-Tuned Turtle!