The Secret to Ring Fusion

"Thanks for the reminder, Sister Huo Wu. I won't neglect my training, and I'm sure I can learn the Ring Fusion Secret Technique!"

Ling Yun declared confidently. Then he walked over to a boulder, summoned the Five Spirit Lock, and released his Soul Power, controlling his Soul Rings to float slowly above his head just as Huo Wu had.

His powerful Soul Power was like a pair of invisible hands, pressing the two Soul Rings tightly together from above and below!

But simply pressing them together wasn't enough. The most important thing was to make the two Soul Rings fuse perfectly, and that required even more Soul Power—especially since his Second Soul Ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Generally speaking, the higher a Soul Ring's age, the harder it was to fuse it with another.

Even Huo Wu, who had practiced Ring Fusion for years, had expended a great deal of Soul Power when fusing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Ling Yun, whose cultivation was only at level twenty-five, had an even harder time of it.

As the seconds ticked by, Ling Yun's Soul Power was nearly depleted, yet the two Soul Rings showed no sign of fusing.

Seeing this, Huo Wushuang shook his head and sighed. "Ling Yun really is a genius, but even a once-in-a-century genius might not be able to learn Ring Fusion.

"Countless geniuses have emerged on the Douluo Continent over the past century, but fewer than ten Soul Masters have learned Ring Fusion. It's even rarer than Innate Full Soul Power."

Huo Wu chimed in, "That's right. Besides, Ling Yun's Soul Rings have completely different attributes. Trying to fuse Soul Rings with different attributes is practically harder than climbing to the heavens!"

As the two talked, Ling Yun continued pouring out Soul Power. By now, he was drenched in sweat.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and soaked his clothes. The Soul Power in his body was almost gone, yet the two Soul Rings still hadn't fused.

"Damn it, I really am no Five Spirit King. The Five Spirit King can control the five elements as easily as moving his own arms, and can even unite the five elements that generate and counter one another. Yet I'm struggling this much just to practice Ring Fusion..."

"Wait. The five elements generate and counter one another!"

A bold idea suddenly sprang into Ling Yun's mind.

"Sister Huo Wu just said that Soul Rings with the same attribute are relatively easy to fuse.

"My Soul Rings are Wood and Fire. If I can turn my Wood-attribute Soul Ring into a Fire-attribute one, could I fuse the two into one?"

Changing a Soul Ring's attribute sounded utterly far-fetched. But among the five elements, Wood generated Fire. When Wood energy grew dense enough, it could give rise to Fire energy.

Once his First Soul Ring had acquired a Fire attribute, he could use Ring Fusion to unite the two Soul Rings.

"Even if this idea is a little presumptuous, it's worth a try!"

With that, Ling Yun poured all the Soul Power he had left into his First Soul Ring.

In an instant, the Soul Ring blazed with dazzling light. Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang watched his baffling move, their faces full of confusion.

Huo Wushuang asked in surprise, "What's Ling Yun doing? Is he trying to use his First Soul Skill? What does that have to do with practicing Ring Fusion?"

"I'm not sure either." Huo Wu shook her head and said softly, "Maybe he's used up too much Soul Power?"

Just as Ling Yun had expected, once he poured all his Soul Power into his First Soul Ring, the Wood-attribute energy within it grew increasingly dense.

Then, the surging Wood-attribute energy instantly gave rise to Fire-attribute Soul Power.

As soon as the first trace of Fire-attribute Soul Power appeared, the surrounding Wood-attribute energy spontaneously began transforming into Fire-attribute energy.

Now his First Soul Ring had taken on the characteristics of Fire. Ling Yun immediately tried Ring Fusion again.

Since his First Soul Ring now contained some Fire-attribute Soul Power, the fusion went astonishingly smoothly!

Under his control, the First Soul Ring gradually dissolved and slowly merged with the Second Soul Ring...

But just then, Ling Yun's already meager Soul Power finally ran dry. He had no choice but to stop the fusion and slump to the ground, panting heavily as he recovered his strength.

Seeing this, the other two hurried over. Huo Wu asked anxiously, "Are you all right, little brother Ling Yun? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. I've just run out of Soul Power, that's all. It's nothing serious." Ling Yun waved a hand and clutched his chest, gasping for breath.

"Ling Yun, you're a genius—no, wait, you're a monster! A freak!"

A glint flashed in Huo Wushuang's eyes as he said excitedly, "You failed just now, but I saw it clearly. Those two Soul Rings were already showing signs of fusing!

"You've obviously grasped the secret to Ring Fusion. Keep practicing, and I'm sure one day you'll master it and put it to use in actual combat."

Ling Yun scratched his head and grinned. "Thanks for the encouragement, Big Brother Wushuang. I'll definitely learn Ring Fusion!"

After resting for a while, Ling Yun followed Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang to the foot of Fire Cloud Mountain.

Thanks to the lava inside the volcano, the temperature here was higher and the Fire energy more concentrated. Training here helped him recover his Soul Power faster.

Once he had recovered his Soul Power, Ling Yun continued practicing Ring Fusion under Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang's protection.

Just like that, two years slipped by.

During that time, Ling Yun's cultivation rose by five levels, reaching the peak of level thirty. He was only one Soul Ring away from becoming a Soul Elder.

At the same time, in just those two short years, he had completely mastered Ring Fusion and learned to use it in actual combat.

At that moment, Ling Yun was sparring with someone on the grounds of Blazing Academy. His opponents were the siblings Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu.

After two years, the siblings' cultivation had reached levels thirty-seven and thirty-eight, respectively.

Huo Wu was undoubtedly the more talented of the two. She had not only caught up with Huo Wushuang but surpassed him!

"Second Soul Skill: Flame Jet!"

On the grounds, red scales covered Huo Wushuang's body, making him much more muscular. A sharp horn had grown from his forehead.

This was his Martial Soul: the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon!

He threw back his head with a roar, and scorching flames erupted from his mouth, rushing straight toward Ling Yun.

"Heh-heh, Big Brother Wushuang, your flames are plenty hot, but they're too slow. You can't hit me!"

Ling Yun, transformed into a Flame Crane, danced through the air. With a flap of his wings, he effortlessly dodged Huo Wushuang's attack.

"Damn it! Ling Yun, you little brat! If you've got the nerve, stop flying around up there! Come down and settle this with one move!"

"Heh. The higher I fly, the smaller those who can't fly look to me! But..."

Ling Yun suddenly changed his tune. "Since you want to settle this in one move, Big Brother Wushuang, I'll indulge you today. Ring Fusion!"

In a flash, Ling Yun released his two Soul Rings. To Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang's astonishment, the two rings fused in an instant, becoming a brilliant purple Soul Ring that flashed sharply.

Blazing flames surged around Ling Yun. He flapped his wings and swooped toward them like a Fire Phoenix reborn from the flames.

"Flame Crane's special move: Fire Crane Sky Fall!"