Fusion with Life Gold

After Yan Jingzhe teleported away, he appeared directly by Sea God Lake.

A thin mist shrouded the lake. The water was clear and shallow, and small waves crashed against the reefs, scattering cool droplets.

Sea God Lake was the core region of Shrek Academy's Inner Court. The Soul Power concentration throughout the Inner Court was several times higher than outside, and the Golden Ancient Tree was the root cause of this phenomenon.

Yan Jingzhe's residence was there as well: a two-story building of blue bricks and gray tiles. It was not large, but it was quiet.

He had barely come to a stop by the lake before a fiery red figure swept over from the distance.

It was a ball of scorching flame, moving at incredible speed. It reached him in the blink of an eye. As the flames dispersed, they revealed a young girl.

She looked around fifteen or sixteen, tall and slender, with long fiery-red hair draped over her shoulders. Her features were exquisite and striking, and her phoenix eyes tilted slightly upward, carrying an innate sharpness. She wore tight red clothing, and a blazing Soul Power aura radiated from her entire body.

Ma Xiaotao, an Inner Court student of Shrek Academy. Her Martial Soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix, and she was a level sixty-one Soul Emperor.

She was also the personal disciple of Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department. By seniority, she should have called Yan Jingzhe Martial Uncle.

"Martial Uncle?" Ma Xiaotao looked at him in surprise.

"I just got back from outside." Yan Jingzhe glanced at her. "What are you doing?"

"Cultivating." Ma Xiaotao answered as if it were obvious. The flames around her had not fully receded and still danced at her fingertips.

Yan Jingzhe nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul and his Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul shared the same origin but diverged along different paths. In a sense, they were related—both were phoenixes. Ever since his younger brother Yan Shaozhe had accepted her as a disciple, he had praised her often in front of Yan Jingzhe, saying that the girl possessed extraordinary talent and would surely become Titled Douluo in the future.

Yan Jingzhe neither agreed nor disagreed.

She had talent, but her path was a little too wild. If the evil fire of the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was not purified, she could easily suffer cultivation deviation and fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master.

"Has your cultivation been going smoothly lately?" Yan Jingzhe asked casually.

"More or less. Same as always. Because of the evil fire, I can't cultivate without holding back." Ma Xiaotao shrugged, and the flames in her palm flickered.

As she spoke, she glanced at Sea God Lake, a hint of helplessness in her voice.

"Then why don't you hurry up and find yourself a partner?" Yan Jingzhe teased. "All right, go cultivate. Your Martial Uncle has things to do."

Ma Xiaotao curled her lips. "It's not like I can find one just because I want to." She saluted him, then turned and left. Flames gathered behind her into a pair of wings. With a light beat, she had already swept far into the distance.

Watching her retreating figure, Yan Jingzhe said, "It seems I need to visit the Icefire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest as soon as possible. Once I fuse with Life Gold, I can use Immortal Herbs to break through to level ninety-nine, Limit Douluo." He then turned and headed toward his small building.

He pushed open the door. The room was pitch-black.

He did not light a lamp. He crossed the living room and went upstairs to the innermost room. This was a cultivation room he had specially modified. Soul Tool Arrays were embedded in the walls and floor, able to isolate the aura within and without and prevent the disturbances from cultivation from spreading outside.

Yan Jingzhe sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room and closed his eyes.

He did not rush to do anything. Instead, he first circulated the Soul Power within his body once.

His level ninety-eight Soul Power flowed through his meridians like a mighty river. Every acupoint was filled with golden Light Power.

Everything was normal.

Then, he sank his consciousness into his Sea of Spirit.

The Sea of Spirit was a vast golden ocean, the manifestation of a level ninety-eight Titled Douluo's spiritual power. The surface was magnificent and turbulent, its waves surging. Every rise and fall represented his spiritual fluctuations.

At the very center of the Sea of Spirit floated a cluster of gray mist.

The mist was not large, only the size of a fist, but it emitted an aura that made even Yan Jingzhe's heart tremble. It was not powerful, but fundamentally... different.

Yan Jingzhe's spiritual body approached the gray mist.

"You came?"

An aged voice emerged from within the mist. Its tone was calm, without any discernible joy or anger.

The gray mist slowly gathered, taking the form of a vague human figure. The figure was tall and wore a tattered gray robe. His face was aged and imposing, and though his eyes were dim, the sharpness he had possessed in life could still be seen.

Electrolux, Calamity of the Undead, Holy Necromancer.

A visitor from another world, a wisp of a remnant soul.

"Senior has stayed in my Sea of Spirit for so long. It is only right that I come and have a chat." Yan Jingzhe spoke casually, as though greeting an old friend.

Electrolux's phantom fell silent for a moment, seemingly studying him.

"You should count as one of the strongest experts in this world. Why did you go to such lengths to draw this old man here?"

"Godhood."

"Godhood?"

"Yes, Senior. I know many things. For example, I know you came from another world. I know that attaining godhood in your world means becoming part of the world's laws, while attaining godhood in the plane where I live means truly becoming a god—possessing eternal life and unfettered freedom. And I already know how to attain godhood."

Electrolux's phantom trembled slightly.

"Since you already possess a method to attain godhood, why do you need this old man's help?"

A meaningful smile curled Yan Jingzhe's lips.

"At this point in time, there is a lofty God King controlling everything. He wants to turn Douluo Continent into his own backyard. If he does not nod in approval, no one can attain godhood." His voice was soft, but he enunciated every word clearly. "If I want to attain godhood, I can only ask for Senior's help."

"Afterward, I can help Senior stabilize your Divine Sense, or even attain godhood."

The Sea of Spirit fell silent.

After a long while, Electrolux's voice rang out again, now carrying a trace of seriousness.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Good. Senior, first help me fuse this item." Yan Jingzhe said. "We can discuss the future when there is time."

"Life Gold?"

Yan Jingzhe did not answer, merely nodding.

He took out the carving knife from his storage ring—Life Gold.

"Please help me, Senior."

"I can, but I must absorb some life energy as well to stabilize my remnant soul."

"No problem, Senior. Then I'll begin."

With that, he pressed Life Gold against his forehead, took a deep breath, and prepared to begin the fusion.

However, the instant his spiritual power touched the core of Life Gold, an immense surge of life energy erupted from the crystal. Like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam, it crazily poured into his forehead.

In the original story, this thing could stabilize Electrolux's remnant soul and make Huo Yuhao's vitality soar. The energy contained within it was beyond imagination. What he was attempting now was not simple absorption, but complete fusion—melding the entire piece of Life Gold into his body.

The scale of this undertaking was far greater than he had imagined.

The life energy was like an uncontrollable giant dragon, rampaging through his body. His meridians ached from being stretched to their limits. Yan Jingzhe clenched his teeth and desperately mobilized his Soul Power to restrain the violent energy, but the effect was negligible.

"Senior..." Yan Jingzhe gritted out two words through clenched teeth. "Help me."

"Hold on. This old man is coming."

As the words fell, the gray mist rose from Yan Jingzhe's Sea of Spirit and slowly condensed into Electrolux's phantom. This time, the phantom was far more solid than before. It was no longer a vague outline; his facial features and expression could be clearly seen.

Electrolux reached out and pressed a hand against Yan Jingzhe's forehead.

A cold force poured from his fingertips. It was not an attack, but control. Like an intricate net, that force wrapped layer upon layer around the life energy released by Life Gold. Then, slowly and methodically, it guided the energy into Yan Jingzhe's bodily meridians.

The violent life energy seemed like a tamed beast and gradually calmed down.

The pressure across Yan Jingzhe's body suddenly eased, and he could not help letting out a long breath.

"Don't lose focus." Electrolux's voice was cold and steady. "This old man can only help you control the flow rate. The actual fusion depends on you. Circulate your cultivation method and guide the energy where it needs to go."

Yan Jingzhe did not dare delay. He immediately circulated his cultivation method. Golden Light Soul Power flowed through his meridians, absorbing, assimilating, and fusing with the tamed streams of life energy.

The process was slow, but steady.

Electrolux's control was like a precise valve, keeping the rate at which Life Gold released energy within the perfect range—it would neither be fast enough to burst his meridians nor slow enough to drag things out.

An hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Life Gold gradually shrank at Yan Jingzhe's forehead until it finally disappeared completely.

The last trace of life energy was fully absorbed by him.

Yan Jingzhe slowly opened his eyes. A blue-gold gleam flashed through the depths of his pupils. He felt that his body had undergone some subtle change—not an increase in Soul Power, but a leap in the essence of life itself.

It was like a pond on the verge of drying up suddenly receiving a flow of living water.

More importantly, the gray mist floating above the Sea of Spirit had become much more solid than before.

Electrolux's phantom reappeared within the gray mist, looking considerably clearer than before.

"Thank you, Senior. How do you feel?" Yan Jingzhe asked.

"Much better than before." A trace of exhaustion colored Electrolux's voice. "I absorbed some life energy. At least my remnant soul can remain intact."

"That's good."

Electrolux was silent for a while before suddenly saying, "This old man needs to sleep for a while now and stabilize my remnant soul. If you need anything, simply call for me."

"Understood, Senior." Yan Jingzhe answered respectfully.

Electrolux said nothing more. The gray mist gathered back into a cluster and sank into the depths of the Sea of Spirit.

Yan Jingzhe withdrew from the Sea of Spirit and sensed the surging power within his body. Life Gold had been completely fused, and Electrolux's remnant soul had been initially stabilized.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.