Fusion

Tang Wuyang had no idea how he got home. In his daze, he only heard Tang Wulin say that he was going to the small park.

He held the Soul Spirit ball tightly in his arms the entire time. The Bai Ze Soul Spirit inside seemed very docile, keeping its eyes closed as though it were asleep.

"Yangyang, don't be sad. Dad will find a way."

"Don't worry. Dad will definitely earn enough money soon to buy two suitable Soul Spirits for you."

Determination shone in Tang Ziran's eyes. For the sake of his sons, he had finally made up his mind.

Some things had to be faced eventually.

Tang Wuyang gently shook his head. "Dad, I'm going back to my room first."

Na'er silently followed behind Tang Wuyang and returned to the room with him.

Leaning against the edge of the lower bunk, he sat on the floor, looking at the Soul Spirit in his hand, then at his callused palms.

He bit his lower lip unwillingly, but in the end, tears surged out beyond his control.

When he awakened his Martial Soul and entered the academy, only to be told that his Martial Soul was a malignant mutation, he had not felt much about it. After all, unlike his brother, he had never wanted to become a Soul Master since childhood.

It was only after Na'er arrived and the doors to the world of Soul Masters opened before him that he realized Forging could help ease his parents' burden. That was when he resolved to follow Tang Wulin's path and pursue the goal of becoming a Soul Master.

Even though his Martial Soul was a malignant mutation, even though his classmates mocked it for being worse than Blue Silver Grass and said he had to save up for his own Soul Spirit, he had never felt bitter or wronged, because this was the path he had chosen.

But now, three years of effort and perseverance had all turned to nothing. He could no longer hold back, and silent tears rolled down his face.

A small, fair hand reached out before him and gently wiped away the tears on his face.

Na'er squatted in front of Tang Wuyang, her eyes red-rimmed.

At that moment, her heart seemed connected to his. Watching Tang Wuyang cry silently, Na'er felt as though her heart hurt terribly.

"Brother, don't cry."

The tears kept flowing, impossible to wipe away completely. Na'er simply threw herself forward and hugged Tang Wuyang's head.

The moment he buried his head in Na'er's embrace, Tang Wuyang finally broke into loud sobs.

Only when his tears had soaked the clothes over Na'er's chest did his crying gradually subside.

"Na'er, am I useless? I clearly promised to become stronger and protect you properly." Tang Wuyang raised his head, wiped his tears away, and asked Na'er.

Na'er shook her head hard, her voice soft and sweet. "Of course not. Brother is the best!"

Tang Wuyang looked at the little white beast in his hand. It was still curled up peacefully inside the Soul Spirit ball, as though it were having a wonderful dream.

"Na'er, I'm going to the small park to find my brother and see how he is. When I get back, I'll prepare to fuse with this Soul Spirit." Tang Wuyang spoke bitterly.

Na'er hesitated. "But isn't there something wrong with this Soul Spirit?"

He forced out a faint smile. His trembling hands seemed to reveal the unwillingness in his heart. "Dad and Mom already have it hard enough just supporting us. I can't add to their burden."

"Dad said earlier that he would find money for my brother and me, but our family didn't have much money to begin with. If we borrow more, how will we live in the future?"

"Though its age is low, and it has unknown risks that even the Spirit Transmission Master couldn't determine, it's still a Soul Spirit. At the very least, it can let me advance to become a Soul Master."

"Alright, I'm going to find my brother."

With that, Tang Wuyang stood and walked toward the door.

Watching his back, Na'er murmured blankly, "Brother..."

Tang Wuyang turned back and smiled brightly. "I'm fine. It's just wasting a Soul Skill. I won't give up."

With that, Tang Wuyang opened the door and headed straight for the small park.

When he arrived at the place he had visited often these past two days, a familiar figure came into view.

Seeing Tang Wulin's slightly reddened eyes, Tang Wuyang understood that his brother had cried too, just like him.

"Brother..."

"Wuyang, let's go home and fuse with our Soul Spirits." Tang Wulin spoke first.

Seeing the seriousness in Tang Wulin's eyes and hearing his words, Tang Wuyang knew that his brother had made the same decision. He did not waste any more time. "Alright."

The two hurried home. When they returned to the room, they saw Na'er still sitting obediently on the bed.

"Na'er, my brother and I are going to fuse with our Soul Spirits. Can I trouble you to stand guard outside for us?" Tang Wuyang rubbed Na'er's head and spoke gently.

Looking at the frail Little Grass Snake in his hand, Tang Wulin sat down on the floor. "Wuyang, do you think this is fate? Is it telling us to give up on becoming Soul Masters and focus on becoming Forging Masters instead?"

Tang Wuyang's gaze held a trace of stubbornness. "No, Brother. Dad said diligence can make up for shortcomings. Although our Soul Spirits aren't very good, as long as we put in a hundred times, or even a thousand times more effort than others, I believe we can still become outstanding Soul Masters."

Seeing his younger brother's determined expression, Tang Wulin shook his head and drove the negative thoughts from his mind. "You're right, Wuyang. I won't give up either."

Then, the two smiled at each other. They sat on opposite sides of the room, each holding a Soul Spirit ball quietly in his palm.

Tang Wuyang carefully took out the little beast. Bai Ze looked at him with slight confusion, but as though it sensed something, it affectionately nuzzled against his hand.

Tang Wuyang released his Martial Soul. Seeing the Qilin that was much larger than itself, Bai Ze was not afraid at all. Instead, it stared at it with eyes full of curiosity.

Tang Wuyang let out a breath and closed his eyes to sense Bai Ze. The multicolored light surrounding the Qilin behind him gradually spread outward.

A warm and intimate thought entered Tang Wuyang's mind, and he opened his heart to accept it.

Immediately, the Qilin behind him began to change, while the Soul Power within his body started to surge. He quietly entered a state of Meditation.

Bai Ze gradually became enveloped in multicolored light. Its body slowly solidified, and a pair of tiny wings even grew from its back.

Tang Wuyang's Soul Power fluctuations also began to intensify. The bottleneck he had long sensed quietly opened with a crack, and Soul Power surged forth, continuously battering against it.

The instant the bottleneck broke, Tang Wuyang felt heat spread through his entire body. The Soul Power in his Dantian transformed into countless threads that coursed through every corner of his body.

Just then, Tang Wuyang suddenly felt heat at the base of his spine. Immediately afterward, a scorching sensation spread throughout his body.

The pale golden web-like pattern on his forehead appeared once again and rapidly spread downward, soon covering his entire body.

Golden patterns also began to appear on the Qilin Martial Soul behind him. The scales on the Qilin's body began to resonate with those patterns.

Tang Wuyang had no idea what was happening to him. He only felt hot, as though he were a piece of metal being forged.

After an unknown amount of time, the burning sensation slowly faded, replaced by an unbearable tingling itch. Tang Wuyang wanted to cry out in agony, but he could not make a sound.

Beside him, the Little Grass Snake had already climbed onto Tang Wulin's right palm. The indigo color on its body gradually took on a hint of blue.

Strands of Blue Silver Grass continuously grew outward, turning into vines that wrapped around Tang Wulin's body.

Tang Wulin felt as though he were enveloped by warm sunlight, his entire body pleasantly warm.

Just as he completely immersed himself in that warmth, he suddenly felt as though he had gone from a sunny beach to a blazing volcano in an instant. The comfortable warmth immediately turned scorching hot.

His right hand unconsciously opened, and the Holy Dragon Spear silently appeared.

At the same time, a silver-gray pattern abruptly appeared on Tang Wulin's forehead, then extended toward his limbs.

It seemed to resonate with the Holy Dragon Spear, each reflecting the other.

The little snake that had originally been attached to the Blue Silver Grass underwent additional changes as well.

The indigo color on the Little Grass Snake gradually became streaked with silver-gray. Its scales bulged slightly outward, the barely noticeable bump on its forehead grew a little larger, and its length increased from fifteen to twenty.

Just as the Strange Phenomenon caused by the two fusing with their Soul Spirits disappeared, Tang Ziran returned in high spirits.

When he tried to enter the children's room, Na'er, who was standing guard outside, stopped him.

"Brother and Wulin Gege are fusing with their Soul Spirits. You can't go in." Na'er's little face was full of seriousness, and her eyes were filled with determination as she looked at Tang Ziran.

Tang Ziran froze and blurted out, "What did you say? They've already fused with them?"

Na'er nodded. "Brother said he didn't want Dad and Mom to be put in a difficult position."

Tang Ziran staggered back several steps and collapsed onto the floor. In an instant, his face turned pale, and intense pain surged forth.

He pounded his head hard. "Tang Ziran, why didn't you dare face reality? Why were you so cowardly? It was your cowardice that harmed these two children!"

The large handful of Federation Coins in his hand scattered across the ground. Too late. Everything was too late!

Suddenly, Tang Ziran seemed to think of something and abruptly raised his head. "Na'er, how long have Linlin and Yangyang been fusing with their Soul Spirits?"

Na'er said, "They started not long after Dad left."

Tang Ziran was startled. "There's still no movement? By rights, after fusing for this long, they should already be finished. Quick, let's go in and take a look."

Na'er hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

Tang Ziran gently pushed open the door and immediately saw Tang Wuyang lying sprawled on the floor, as well as Tang Wulin not far away, wrapped in Blue Silver Grass Vines.

"Yangyang, Linlin!" he shouted as he rushed to the two children.

The Soul Spirit balls lay not far from them. The Grass Snake and Bai Ze Soul Spirits inside had already disappeared.

Tang Wuyang lay on the floor with his brows tightly furrowed, his clothes completely soaked through with sweat.

The Holy Dragon Spear in Tang Wulin's left hand had silently vanished. The Blue Silver Grass in his right hand flickered in and out of sight, only disappearing when Tang Ziran approached.

Unlike Tang Wuyang, Tang Wulin's expression was very calm, as though he were merely asleep. Yet no one saw that beneath his clothing, his limbs were now covered in silver-gray patterns.

Tang Ziran carried both children onto Na'er's lower bunk. Looking at his sons, who still had their eyes closed, his heart was filled with guilt.

Although Tang Ziran was only an ordinary person, he knew that fusing with Soul Spirits should never take this long.

Given the current situation, it was very possible that something had gone wrong while his two sons were fusing with their Soul Spirits. Thinking of what the Spirit Transmission Master had said earlier, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

After carefully examining the two children and confirming that they were unharmed, the heavy weight in Tang Ziran's heart finally eased.

Looking at his two sons' tightly shut eyes, two streams of tears rolled uncontrollably down Tang Ziran's cheeks. He held them tightly in his arms.

They were only two nine-year-old children. How much had they endured? I'm sorry, sons. Dad is sorry. It was all because Dad was incapable.

Na'er stood nearby, silently watching Tang Ziran break down in tears. Confusion surfaced once more in her clear purple eyes.

It was already nighttime when Tang Wuyang opened his eyes, and his consciousness gradually returned.

He abruptly sat up and instinctively sensed the changes in his body.

The previous burning and tingling sensations had vanished. His entire body felt indescribably comfortable.

His clothes had already been changed, and there was not the slightest sticky discomfort.

Tang Wuyang could clearly feel that the Soul Power within his body had grown much stronger. With only a slight movement of his thoughts, a layer of Soul Power fluctuations spread from his body.

Level 11!

Although he had not been tested, Tang Wuyang was certain that he had broken through and officially entered the realm of a Soul Master.

Though the Spirit Transmission Master had said there was something wrong with Bai Ze, it had still provided him with a Soul Ring, allowing him to continue down the path of a Soul Master.

Even if he could not become a powerful Soul Master in the future, with Soul Power supporting him, he could at least become a decent Forging Master.

Thinking of this, Tang Wuyang immediately swung his arm forcefully.

Bang! A sharp burst sounded through the air.

Tang Wuyang was startled to discover that when he swung his arm just now, it felt as though he had pierced through the air.

What was going on?

"Mmph~!"

Before he could try again, Tang Wulin suddenly let out a soft groan beside him.

"Brother!"

Only after Tang Wuyang pulled at him did Tang Wulin completely wake up as he sat upright.

Just like Tang Wuyang before him, the instant Tang Wulin sat properly, he instinctively circulated the Soul Power within his body.

Feeling the clearly strengthened Soul Power, a flash of delight appeared in Tang Wulin's eyes. "Wuyang! We succeeded!"

"That's right, Brother. We're real Soul Masters now!" Tang Wuyang nodded firmly.

Just as Tang Wulin wanted to say something more, the door was pushed open, and four figures—three adults and one child—rushed in from outside.

"Linlin, Yangyang, are you alright?"

Lang Yue was at the front. She pulled her two precious sons into her arms and could no longer stop herself from crying aloud.

Only then did the two, held in their mother's embrace, notice that it was completely dark outside. It was already nighttime.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin remembered that it had still been morning when they began fusing with their Soul Spirits. Had that much time really passed?

Besides Tang Ziran, Lang Yue, and Na'er, the additional figure in the house was Mang Tian, the Forging teacher of Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin.

Neither had come to the workshop all day. Mang Tian had used Soul Guidance Communication to ask about them, and upon learning the reason, he had immediately rushed over.

"Mom, we're fine." Tang Wulin wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and spoke softly.

Lang Yue loosened her embrace slightly. Her eyes were red, and she said firmly, "Linlin, Yangyang, we won't become Soul Masters anymore. We'll just be ordinary people."

Tang Wulin smiled faintly. "Mom, Wuyang and I are really fine. And my Soul Power has already reached Level 11. I'm a real Soul Master now!"

"That's right, Mom. I've reached Level 11 too, just like Brother." Tang Wuyang excitedly swung his arm. "I feel like I've become stronger. That proves the Bai Ze Soul Spirit only has a lower age; there isn't any major problem with it!"

"And the fusion went especially smoothly. If it had been another Soul Spirit, it might not have brought such improvement."

Tang Wulin repeatedly nodded in agreement. "That's right, that's right. I also feel that the Blue Silver Grass has become tougher. It seems Wuyang and I are still very lucky. Our Soul Spirits are both very suitable for our Martial Souls."

Listening to the two clearly trying to comfort her, the tears swirling in Lang Yue's eyes fell once again.

Tang Ziran sighed. Since things had come to this, anything he said would be too late. Once a Soul Spirit was fused, it could never be removed.

If he told them now that he had obtained the money, it would only hurt them even more.