Waking Up

Ye Guchen spun the Shark Tooth Sword in his hand, the unyielding ferocity of the vertical strike and the cunning unpredictability of the horizontal strike converging in his heart.

Black and white mist surged as two strands of sword qi spiraled and blended along the blade, gradually forming a blurred Taiji diagram.

The vertical and horizontal forces faintly linked into a web of swords, capable of sealing off an entire realm.

So that's how it is...

He attained enlightenment in his heart.

Vertical and horizontal were originally one; rigidity and softness complemented each other, and the unorthodox and the orthodox generated one another. This was the true Zongheng Sword Technique.

Now that the vertical and horizontal had begun to fuse, Ye Guchen felt like a frog that had just jumped out of a well, seeing the vastness of the sword path for the first time.

Meanwhile, the spiritual sea of his body in the Dou I timeline had begun to unseal, and the soul body, previously ravaged by the Fire Dragon King Soul and Ice Dragon King Soul, was gradually being repaired by that strange bead.

Ye Guchen's consciousness gradually returned to his body, yet he could still sense that world filled with black and white sword qi, as if another breakthrough in his swordsmanship would allow him to return there.

As soon as Ye Guchen's consciousness entered the spiritual sea, he saw those two floating dragon souls. Because the two dragon souls were so immense, amidst his shock, Ye Guchen did not notice the faint connection that had formed between the dragon souls and his bead martial soul.

Ye Guchen immediately grew vigilant and issued a challenge:

"Who are you!"

But the two dragon souls seemed not to hear him, remaining motionless.

The dragon souls were too massive; as Ye Guchen floated above the spiritual sea, he felt like a mere fly compared to the dragon souls below.

Though he did not fear death, the sense of oppression before him remained.

Ye Guchen suppressed the slight fear of the giant entities and arrived before the dragon souls.

He mobilized his spiritual power to amplify his voice.

"Hey! Speak!"

Only then did the dragon souls stiffly look toward the sesame-sized human before them.

"Master?"

Faced with the dragon souls' sudden form of address, Ye Guchen was dumbfounded. "What is going on?"

"You call me Master?"

Both dragon souls nodded in unison, though they appeared somewhat dull and cute.

It was not until he remembered that strange bead that he understood the general situation.

These dragon souls must have come to destroy my spiritual sea, but somehow they were suppressed by that strange bead.

Looking at them like this, their memories must have been wiped.

Upon sensing carefully, he discovered the faint connection between the two dragon souls and the strange bead martial soul.

In the dark, he felt a sense of control over the two dragon souls.

While marveling at the capabilities of that strange bead, Ye Guchen looked at the two mountain-like dragon souls before him and couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

When I was watching videos in my past life, people said the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was the burial ground of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King, and that their remnant souls still existed there, possessing at least semi-god strength!

Thinking of this, Ye Guchen couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

Is this a blessing in disguise?

Ye Guchen looked at the two dragon souls and asked, "Can you shrink a bit?"

The two dragon souls nodded in unison upon hearing this.

"We can, Master."

The two dragon souls then shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye until they were the size of a palm.

Ye Guchen looked at the two dragon souls flapping their wings, floating before him with vacant expressions.

He didn't know what use they had for the moment, but following the principle of naming pets first, Ye Guchen deftly gave them names.

"Alright, from now on you shall be called Xiao Lan and Xiao Huo!"

He had originally wanted to name them Xiao Bing and Xiao Huo, but Xiao Bing clashed with the name of the Ice Jade Scorpion.

"Thank you, Master, for the name!"

The two dragon souls remained dull, but upon hearing they had names, they happily began to circle around.

Ye Guchen hovered above the spiritual sea as the two palm-sized dragon souls flapped their wings, circling him blankly.

"Xiao Lan, Xiao Huo," he called out.

The Ice Dragon King Soul stopped its movements, tilted its head to look at him, and spat out a wisp of cold air that condensed into an ice flower, which drifted slowly toward Ye Guchen.

The Fire Dragon King Soul, not to be outdone, opened its mouth and spat out a tiny thread of fire, tracing a crooked "Master" character in the air before the flames exploded into a sky full of sparks, illuminating the spiritual sea in a deep red.

Ye Guchen reached out to catch the ice flower; a faint chill traveled to his fingertips, yet it was not bone-piercing.

He looked at these two dragon souls whose memories had been wiped, and a plan formed in his mind.

"How much of your power from your previous lives can you still use?"

The two dragon souls nodded in unison. The Ice Dragon King Soul spoke, its voice like clashing shards of ice: "Only the skin and fur remain. Originally, I could have exerted the strength of a demigod, but for some reason, there is still a powerful suppression on my soul. Right now, I should possess the strength of a human around rank ninety-five."

The Fire Dragon King Soul nodded vigorously at the side, spitting out a string of sparks to show its agreement.

Ye Guchen curled his lips in satisfaction. Two Super Douluo combatants were enough for the time being. He then placed both dragon souls into the Bead Space.

It was still the same sentiment: raising soul beasts within one's spiritual sea always felt a bit awkward.

He waved his hand at the two dragon souls.

"You two stay in there for now. When I need you, I will summon you out."

The two dragon souls nodded their tiny heads in unison, looking perfectly well-behaved.

After finishing all this, Ye Guchen still felt a bit dazed. The sudden loss of consciousness and the sudden acquisition of two Super Douluo combatants—everything had happened too abruptly.

After resolving the matters within his spiritual sea, Ye Guchen returned to his physical body in the outside world.

"Phew... I've only been unconscious for about an hour, I hope nothing major happened."

But the moment his consciousness returned to his body, he felt his hands being held tightly.

Filled with doubt, Ye Guchen slowly opened his eyes.

On the side of his Dou I body, the first thing that came into view was Zhu Zhuqing, who was fast asleep while clutching his hands tightly.

He was in an unfamiliar room, and it was only then that Ye Guchen realized he must have been unconscious for far longer than an hour.

Looking at Zhu Zhuqing's exhausted appearance, she must have been guarding him for at least three or four days.

Ye Guchen looked at the girl before him, his eyes filled with tenderness. He didn't rush to wake her, but instead just watched her quietly, letting her get some good rest.

On the side of his Dou II body, his left hand was held tightly by Ma Xiaotao, and his right hand was held by Ye Guyi. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Ling Luochen and Jiang Nannan sitting by the window, along with a large pile of fresh flowers and fruit platters on the table.

On this side, perhaps because they were taking turns, the four people in the room were all awake.

As soon as Ye Guchen opened his eyes, he was spotted by Ye Guyi.

"Xiaochen, you're finally awake..."

As she spoke, her voice carried a hint of a sob.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Ling Luochen and Jiang Nannan hurried to Ye Guchen's side.

Ma Xiaotao was even more agitated, directly pulling Ye Guchen into her embrace.

Looking at the four anxious faces before him, Ye Guchen felt a warmth in his heart and pulled Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao into a tight hug.

Feeling Ye Guchen's powerful heartbeat, Ye Guyi could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face instantly.

"You scared me to death... You are the only family I have left..."

Ye Guchen helped his sister Ye Guyi up, wiped away her tears, and revealed a smile.

"Sister, when did you get back?"

Ye Guyi wiped her tears and managed to squeeze out a smile.

"I came back six days ago. The academy told me you had fallen into a coma, and it scared me to death..."

She paused, her voice trembling again, "I thought... I thought you..."

"Thought I wouldn't wake up?" Ye Guchen took over the conversation with a smile, his tone relaxed, "Sister, don't worry, I'm tough."

Ma Xiaotao looked at Ye Guchen, her eyes darting away. Even now, she still thought it was because she had used too much force.

At this moment, Xiao Bai, sensing its master had awakened, broke free from Jiang Nannan's embrace and rushed into Ye Guchen's arms.

Xiao Bai wagged its tail incessantly; despite being a tiger, it was acting like a dog.

"Alright, alright."

Ye Guchen stroked its fur, soothing it down.

Seeing that Ye Guchen had awakened, Ling Luochen and Jiang Nannan knew he must have a lot to say to Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao.

During the few days Ye Guchen was unconscious, the two of them had also learned of his relationship with Ma Xiaotao.

Seeing Ye Guchen awake, they felt relieved and were preparing to quietly exit the room.

"Sister Luochen, Nannan."

The two paused in unison and turned back.

"Thank you both for staying with me while I was unconscious."

This was a heartfelt expression of gratitude. The more he went through such times, the more he knew who his closest people were.

The look in Ling Luochen's eyes as she gazed at Ye Guchen was somewhat complex. Although she had previously said she would bless him and Ma Xiaotao, now that the two were truly together, she felt a sense of emptiness inside.

After only a few words, Ling Luochen found an excuse to leave.

"I'll go tell everyone you're awake. These past few days, the academy's elders and Dai Yueheng and the others have all been very worried about you."

As she spoke, she had already reached the door and pushed it open to leave.

"Right, right, right. That little boy you brought back the other day has also been coming here every single day to see you."

Ma Xiaotao chimed in with a nod of agreement.

"Your friends have been visiting you quite often these past few days."

Ye Guyi's face was filled with relief, happy that her younger brother had managed to make such a group of friends.

As she spoke, she didn't forget to gesture toward the flowers and fruit platters piled up on the table nearby.

"Those were all brought by them when they came to see you."