When Mu Chen faced Xu Sanshi in the Arena, he could unleash his full strength without holding back, because Xu Sanshi was a thirty-eighth-level Soul Elder with enough cultivation to withstand it.
But in the classroom, surrounded by students in their teens, he had to restrain himself.
Wang Dong fell silent for a few seconds, then lowered her head and continued eating.
"At least you've got a little conscience," she muttered under her breath, so softly it was almost inaudible.
Mu Chen heard her but didn't respond. He quietly finished his meal, then waited for Wang Dong to finish as well. The two of them returned to the dormitory together.
Night deepened.
Only one desk lamp was lit in the dormitory, its gentle glow bathing the two beds in a warm halo.
The lights in the distant teaching buildings went out one after another. All of Shrek Academy was immersed in the quiet of night.
Mu Chen and Wang Dong sat cross-legged on their respective beds, facing each other, with less than an arm's length between them.
After spending the entire previous night getting used to it, the two of them no longer found this cultivation posture quite so awkward.
Though Wang Dong still instinctively turned her face away each time she reached out, at least she no longer took several minutes to work up the courage to press her hands against his.
"Ready?" Mu Chen asked.
Wang Dong nodded, took a deep breath, and held out both hands.
Mu Chen held out his hands too, pressing his palms against hers.
Their touch was warm and soft. Wang Dong's hands were a little smaller than Mu Chen had expected, with slender fingers and delicate skin.
Their Soul Power surged forth at the same time.
The deep blue Soul Power of the Ocean Martial Soul welled out from within Mu Chen, carrying the ocean's characteristic depth and vastness.
The golden-blue Soul Power of the Light Goddess Butterfly rose from within Wang Dong, imbued with the warmth and holiness of light.
The two currents of Soul Power met in the air, but didn't repel each other. Instead, like old friends reunited after a long separation, they naturally intertwined.
Blue-gold fused Soul Power formed a perfect cycle between them. Starting from Mu Chen's dantian, it flowed through his meridians to his palms, passed through the point where their palms met and entered Wang Dong's body. After circulating through one complete cycle in her meridians, it flowed back into Mu Chen.
With every cycle, the fused Soul Power grew a little purer.
The rich energy of heaven and earth in the air was drawn toward them, forming an invisible vortex of energy around the two of them.
The butterfly wings behind Wang Dong fluttered gently with her breathing. Each beat drew in a great deal of the energy of heaven and earth, converting it into Soul Power and adding it to the cycle.
Mu Chen closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the flow of Soul Power.
He could clearly sense every detail of the Soul Power moving through Wang Dong's body: the width of her meridians, the density of her Soul Power, and the capacity of her dantian.
This wasn't deliberate probing. It was a natural connection brought about by the fusion of their Soul Power. In this fused state, their Soul Power seemed like the upper and lower reaches of a single river, connected to each other, with no distinction between them.
Through this profound awareness born of their fusion, Mu Chen gained a more precise grasp of his own Soul Power as well.
Some subtle problems he never noticed during ordinary cultivation were magnified and laid bare during their fused cultivation: Soul Power stagnating at a particular acupoint, or flowing too slowly through a certain meridian.
It was like holding up a mirror to his cultivation. In its reflection, even the flaws he normally couldn't see were plain as day.
Wang Dong had clearly felt similar benefits. Her breathing gradually grew longer and more even, her brow relaxed, and she sank into a state of deep cultivation.
Nourished by the fused Soul Power, her Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul grew ever more radiant. The golden patterns on her butterfly wings shone several times brighter than usual.
Time passed second by second.
After who knew how long, Mu Chen suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation.
At the moment when their Soul Power fused most tightly, he vaguely touched a wondrous boundary, like a tightly shut door or a transparent film.
The sensation was faint and fleeting, but Mu Chen was certain it wasn't an illusion. Behind that door lay some kind of immense power, radiating an aura that made his heart tremble, yet inexplicably drew him in.
He tried to guide their fused Soul Power toward the door.
Once, twice, three times.
Each time he touched it, the door trembled faintly, but showed no sign of opening.
Mu Chen could feel the power behind it answering their summons, yet it seemed blocked by something, unable to descend in earnest.
Wang Dong's body trembled slightly. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her breathing grew a little ragged.
It was clear that she, too, had sensed the door's existence, and was instinctively trying to push it open.
The fused Soul Power suddenly accelerated between them, like a rushing river searching for a way through.
The blue-gold light grew brighter still, illuminating the entire dormitory as if it were broad daylight.
The butterfly wings behind Wang Dong beat violently, each flap stirring a faint current of air.
Mu Chen steadied his mind and controlled the rhythm of the fused Soul Power. Unlike Wang Dong, he didn't rush to force the door open. Instead, he patiently guided the fused Soul Power to keep cycling through their bodies, growing more refined with each turn.
Haste made waste. He had said those words to Wang Dong last night, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake himself.
A Martial Soul Fusion Skill couldn't be triggered by brute force alone.
The two Martial Souls had to reach complete understanding and compatibility. Both sides' Soul Power had to meet a certain standard in quality and quantity, and, above all, the right moment had to come. Like a lock and a key, they had to fit together perfectly before the door could open.
After a while, Wang Dong's ragged breathing gradually settled.
She seemed to realize she'd been too impatient. Following Mu Chen's example, she shifted her focus from "pushing the door" back to the basic cycle.
The mysterious door gradually receded, vanishing once more into the depths of their flowing Soul Power.
But this time, both of them clearly remembered where it was. Like a lighthouse glimpsed far off in the darkness, it might be beyond their reach for now, but as long as they kept to the right course, they would reach it someday.
A little over an hour later, they ended their cultivation at the same time.
The fused Soul Power slowly faded, and their pressed palms parted. As they separated, Mu Chen's fingers accidentally brushed Wang Dong's palm. Her hand snapped back as if she'd been burned.
"Y-you, what are you doing?" Wang Dong's voice rose, tinged with panic.
Mu Chen looked at her, baffled. "I'm not doing anything. I'm just pulling my hand back."
Wang Dong parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she swallowed her words. She hid both hands behind her back and turned her face away, her ears so red that they seemed almost transparent in the lamplight.
Mu Chen didn't press her. He got out of bed and stretched his slightly numb shoulders.