The door curtain was suddenly flung open, and Henry Carter appeared in the outer room once again. This time, however, his face was filled with shock. His eyes were bloodshot, and it seemed he had just been crying.

William Carter did not speak. Instead, just as before, he slowly raised his left hand. This time, instead of blue light, a faint black glow surged from his palm. The light instantly condensed, and a strange object appeared in his hand.

It was a jet-black hammer. The handle was about half a foot long, and the head was cylindrical, looking very much like a miniature forging hammer. However, on the black surface of the hammer, there was a special gleam, and a faint pattern spiraled around the cylindrical head.

For some reason, when this hammer appeared in William Carter's hand, the air in the entire room seemed to grow heavy. William Carter himself seemed unable to bear the weight of the small hammer, barely able to hold it as his arm slowly drooped. His face had turned somewhat pale.

Unlike the Blue Silver Grass, which required almost no consumption of Xuantian Skill, the moment this black hammer appeared, it seemed to absorb nearly all of William Carter's internal energy. He could only barely manage to grip the handle. Although the hammer looked small, its actual weight far exceeded that of a forging hammer.

"This, this is..." Henry Carter almost leapt to William Carter's side, grabbing the hand holding the hammer and bringing it before his own face. Henry Carter's grip was strong—at least now, William Carter no longer felt the hammer's weight straining his arm so much.

When Henry Carter's hand grasped his, a warm, blood-deep connection made William Carter feel especially comforted. "Dad, is something wrong?"

Looking at the black hammer, the excitement that had previously vanished returned to Henry Carter's eyes. "Twin Martial Souls. It's actually Twin Martial Souls. My son, my son."

Suddenly, Henry Carter opened his powerful arms and pulled William Carter tightly into his embrace.

Henry Carter's chest was broad—perhaps from years of being a blacksmith. Though he appeared lazy on the surface, his muscles had not diminished with age. His embrace was warm. The sense of security brought by a father's love was something nothing else could replace.

"Dad." William Carter was a little stunned. In his memory, this seemed to be the first time Henry Carter had hugged him like this.

The little iron hammer in his hand seemed to be growing heavier and heavier. Although William Carter loved the warmth of his father's affection, he was even more afraid of dropping the hammer and hurting his father.

"Dad, I can't hold on much longer," William Carter couldn't help but say.

Henry Carter released him. "Put it away."

The black light faded, and the weight disappeared. William Carter felt strange—clearly, the hammer was formed from his Xuantian Skill mixed with a special power inside him, so why couldn't he hold it? What surprised him even more was that after summoning the little hammer, his internal energy was almost completely depleted.

Chapter 3: Twin Martial Souls (Part 3)

William Carter had never seen his father's expression so complex before. All kinds of emotions flickered across Henry Carter's face. After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, "Remember, in your future, you must always use the hammer in your left hand to protect the grass in your right. Always."

William Carter nodded in confusion. Henry Carter stood up and returned to the inner room without looking back.

While preparing lunch, William Carter pondered the world of Martial Souls he had encountered today. Twin Martial Souls seemed to be extremely rare in this world; otherwise, his father would not have been so shocked. It seemed that his hammer Martial Soul had deeply affected him.

For William Carter, what mattered more was the relationship between Martial Souls and Xuantian Skill. If that spirit ring was the key to breaking through his Xuantian Skill, then no matter what, he had to find a way to obtain a spirit ring and test it.

At lunch, Henry Carter was very quiet, eating much less than usual. His gaze often fell on William Carter, as if he was hesitating about something.

After lunch, William Carter habitually prepared to clear the dishes, but Henry Carter stopped him.

"Leave it for now. Little William, let me ask you, do you want to become a Soul Master?"

William Carter was taken aback and looked at Henry Carter. He didn't want to lie to his father. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

Henry Carter sighed, his face looking even older. "In the end, you still choose to walk this path." With that, he returned to his room.

William Carter noticed that when Henry Carter sighed, his emotions were tinged with disappointment, but even more so with a kind of relief. He understood that in his father's heart, many things seemed to be hidden.