Martial Soul Fusion Skill

Teacher Sun was forced back again and again by the Snowy Sparrow King, several fresh wounds appearing on his body. He shouted at Xue Tianxing and Shui Bing'er:

"Think of a way to run! As long as you leave and I have no one holding me back, I can find a way to escape!"

Shui Bing'er's eyes instantly reddened. She knew Teacher Sun too well—the so-called "way" was merely an excuse to comfort her. Teacher Sun clearly intended to stay behind and hold them off, using his life to buy her time to escape.

Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth. Her Soul Power was already circulating as she prepared to rush forward and fight alongside Teacher Sun.

But Xue Tianxing did not care about Teacher Sun's life or death at all. In his eyes, Shui Bing'er's safety was all that mattered.

Xue Tianxing grabbed Shui Bing'er's wrist and said in a low voice:

"Don't just stand there! Go!"

Just as Xue Tianxing seized Shui Bing'er's wrist and circulated his Soul Power, ready to activate Mysterious Crane Soaring Nine Heavens to take her away, while Shui Bing'er struggled with all her strength to break free and charge toward the battlefield, the Soul Power in their palms suddenly collided—Xue Tianxing's Soul Power and Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix Soul Power, born from the same source, were like perfectly matched gears. They rapidly merged through their clasped hands and instantly intertwined.

"Buzz—" A brilliant blue-white light erupted from around them, completely engulfing them.

Immediately afterward, two enormous phantom Ice Phoenixes soared into the sky from within the light. Each had a wingspan several zhang wide, their crystalline feathers gleaming with biting cold under the light.

The two Ice Phoenixes nestled against one another in the air, circling and dancing. Their movements were graceful, yet they carried a heart-pounding pressure, like a dance forged from ice and snow that instantly drew Teacher Sun's attention.

"This is... a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?!"

Xue Tianxing and Shui Bing'er both widened their eyes in disbelief. Teacher Sun, who had been locked in combat with the Snowy Sparrow King, also abruptly stopped, staring at the two massive Ice Phoenixes in the sky in such shock that he forgot to move.

At that critical moment, Xue Tianxing had no time to think further. A ruthless glint flashed through his eyes—since they had triggered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they might as well resolve the crisis before them directly!

With a thought, Xue Tianxing shouted at the flock of Snowy Sparrows swarming toward them:

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Frost Sky Phoenix Dance!"

The two Ice Phoenixes in the sky seemed to understand his command. Entwining around each other, they dove down and unleashed a terrifying frigid current as they danced.

Wherever that current passed, the air instantly froze solid, and even the wind and snow came to a standstill.

The Snowy Sparrows at the front did not even have time to scream before they were frozen into sparkling ice sculptures. The sparrows behind them tried to turn and flee, but the frigid current caught up with them in an instant. One after another, they froze rigidly in place as though someone had pressed pause.

The ten-thousand-year Snowy Sparrow King sensed the danger and desperately beat its wings, trying to break through the frigid current. But its strength was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot before the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It held out for only a moment before being enveloped by the current, turning into a massive ice sculpture and crashing to the ground.

The entire process took no more than an instant. The once ferocious flock of sparrows was completely wiped out, leaving only ice sculptures scattered across the ground, glinting coldly in the sunlight.

The power of that strike was actually comparable to the full-force attack of a power-type Soul Saint!

Xue Tianxing, Shui Bing'er, and Teacher Sun were all stunned. They stood there without speaking for a long while, with only the howling wind and snow filling the air.

A moment later, Xue Tianxing withdrew his Soul Power, and the Martial Soul Fusion Skill slowly dissipated. The phantom Ice Phoenixes in the sky gradually vanished, and the blue-white radiance faded with them.

Shui Bing'er, however, had exhausted too much Soul Power. Her legs went weak, and she nearly fell to the ground—the Martial Soul Fusion Skill consumed far more Soul Power than an ordinary soul skill. With her level-thirty Soul Power, simply sustaining that attack had already been extremely difficult.

Teacher Sun hurried forward to support Shui Bing'er, a smile of relief after surviving the disaster appearing on his face. Then he turned to look at Xue Tianxing. Beyond gratitude, his gaze held a trace of scrutiny and deeper meaning.

He had lived for most of his life, had seen Martial Soul Fusion Skills, and had read the relevant records. He knew that when people of the opposite sex possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they were usually siblings or exceptionally close companions who could trigger it. For two unrelated people like Xue Tianxing and Shui Bing'er, meeting for the first time and triggering a Martial Soul Fusion Skill between a man and a woman, was simply unheard of.

And he knew very well that when an unrelated man and woman triggered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, it often meant they shared a heaven-ordained bond. In the end, most would choose to be together. Not only was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill powerful, but when the two cultivated together, they could achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Leaning against Teacher Sun, Shui Bing'er panted heavily and followed his gaze toward Xue Tianxing. Her cheeks instantly turned red.

Shui Bing'er also recalled how, after she and her younger sister Shui Yue'er had triggered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill as children, their mother had smiled and said to her:

"Bing'er, if you and that boy can also trigger a Martial Soul Fusion Skill someday, then it will be a bond destined by fate. If you are together, not only will your cultivation speed increase, but the power of your Martial Soul Fusion Skill will grow stronger and stronger."

Back then, she had only thought her mother was joking. But now, looking at Xue Tianxing, who was a head shorter than her yet possessed formidable strength, and remembering how their Soul Powers had merged and the Ice Phoenixes had danced together, her heartbeat could not help quickening. Even the tips of her ears flushed red. She lowered her head instinctively, no longer daring to meet Xue Tianxing's eyes.

Seeing Shui Bing'er's reddened cheeks, Xue Tianxing scratched his head awkwardly. He had not expected to trigger a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Shui Bing'er, whom he had only just met, much less one with such astonishing power.

Looking at the Snowy Sparrows frozen into ice sculptures all over the ground, a flicker of understanding passed through Teacher Sun's eyes. He then said to Shui Bing'er:

"Bing'er, now that the crisis is over, there are Spirit Beasts ready for us here. Pick a Snowy Sparrow of a suitable age and absorb it as your third Soul Ring. I'll stand guard for you."

Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly nodded.

"Alright! Thank you, Teacher Sun!"

She had already reached level thirty and had been worried about finding a suitable Soul Ring. These Snowy Sparrows were all ice-attributed and exceptionally compatible with her Martial Soul. It was practically a heaven-sent opportunity.

Shui Bing'er carefully examined the sparrow ice sculptures. In the end, her gaze fell upon a thousand-year Snowy Sparrow of medium size with the most stable Soul Power fluctuations—its age was roughly fifteen hundred years, just right for someone who had only recently broken through to level thirty. It would neither limit her potential by being too young nor be too difficult to absorb by being too old.

Shui Bing'er raised her hand and condensed a thread of ice-attributed Soul Power, gently tapping the ice sculpture. The layer of ice instantly shattered. Though the Snowy Sparrow still clung to life, it lacked the strength to struggle and was instantly killed by Shui Bing'er's Soul Power.

Afterward, Shui Bing'er sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, and began calming the turbulent Soul Power within her.

She guided the Snowy Sparrow's Soul Ring slowly into her body. The Soul Ring revolved around her, emitting a faint blue glow and resonating intensely with her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.

Teacher Sun stood beside her, his gaze vigilantly sweeping the surroundings as he guarded her with all his strength throughout the Soul Ring absorption process.