Cultivating Together

He dropped onto the ground, tilted his head back at the sky, and gulped down breaths. "I gave it everything I had with those Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes, and I still couldn't even make you take one step back. What kind of monster are you...?"

Bing Yekong walked over and looked down at him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his lips. "Your Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes are already quite powerful, and the final few slashes have enough force behind them. But your charging time is too long. If your opponent doesn't give you the chance to charge up, you won't even be able to unleash the sixth slash."

Feng Xiaotian froze at those words, then a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

"You mean... shorten the charging time?"

"Exactly." Bing Yekong nodded. "The advantage of Gale Demon Wolf's Thirty-Six Slashes lies in its accumulating power, but its weakness is that it takes too long to set up. If you can charge while fighting and incorporate the first few slashes into your ordinary attacks, then this move can truly be considered a killing move."

Feng Xiaotian fell silent for a long while before suddenly leaping to his feet and grabbing Bing Yekong by the shoulders.

"Brother! You're my real brother!"

His eyes reddened slightly, yet his voice was full of laughter. "From now on, you're under my protection! Whoever dares touch you, I'll break all his bones and grind them into powder!"

Bing Yekong could barely breathe from his grip. Annoyed, he pushed him away. "You should beat Senior Yang before saying something so big."

Feng Xiaotian scratched his head and chuckled twice, then wiped the smile from his face and looked seriously at Bing Yekong.

"Yekong, thank you. Whether it's the pill or your guidance, I'll remember this favor."

Bing Yekong waved a hand. "We're even. I'm not paying you back for the grilled fish, so deal with it yourself."

Feng Xiaotian blanked for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.

Morning light completely filled the training grounds, and the shadows of the two youths overlapped on the ground, stretching long and far.

When Bing Yekong left the Feng Family, he was clearly in a much lighter mood than when he had arrived.

Feng Xiaotian could be foolish and reckless at times, but his nature was not bad. He was straightforward in his dealings and would not easily change his mind once he had set it on something. A person like that was worth befriending.

He walked through the streets of Element City as the morning breeze tousled the loose strands of hair before his forehead. The sounds of everyday life came from all around him. Breakfast vendors shouted their wares, several children laughed as they chased and played, and next door, a storyteller in a teahouse slapped his wooden clapper and began the day's first tale.

Bing Yekong stopped and looked up at the clear blue sky.

There were still several years before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. During that time, he still had many things to do: help Shui Bing'er find her fourth Soul Ring, completely cure Dugu Bo's toxins, and firmly tie Yang Wudi and the Po Clan to his side.

And there was also that inexplicably compatible sensation of Soul Power fusion between him and Shui Bing'er.

He lowered his gaze and continued forward.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, steady and composed, as though every step landed upon the path he had already planned.

By the time he returned to the Shui Family, it was already noon. The moment Bing Yekong stepped through the gate, he saw Yang Wudi squatting outside the alchemy room, basking in the sun with a bowl of freshly cooked hot noodle soup in his hands, slurping away with relish.

"Senior Yang, why do you have time to come out and eat today?"

Yang Wudi glanced up at him and replied indistinctly, "The pills are finished. Can't I take a break? Where did you run off to, brat? I haven't seen you all morning."

"I went to deliver a Creation Mystic Soul Pill to the Feng Family."

Yang Wudi gave an "oh" and did not ask further. He had never liked meddling in other people's affairs. Since the pill belonged to Bing Yekong, he would not interfere with how Bing Yekong distributed it.

Afterward, Bing Yekong told him about the Soul Power fusion that had occurred between himself and Shui Bing'er.

"Well..." Yang Wudi took a sip of noodle soup and looked up at Bing Yekong. "That girl from the Shui Family has Ultimate Ice now, right? If you want to develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, merely fusing Soul Power isn't enough. You need to find an opportunity for the wills of your two Martial Souls to resonate as well. I don't know much about this, but when this old man traveled far and wide in his younger days, I heard that Soul Power fusion is only the first step. True Martial Soul fusion depends on the two people's..."

He scratched his head and racked his brain before finally finding a word. "Tacit understanding."

Bing Yekong had previously been the one to explain the concept of Ultimate Ice to Yang Wudi.

Bing Yekong nodded thoughtfully.

"Tacit understanding..."

That night, Bing Yekong once again stood outside Shui Bing'er's door.

His hand rose, then fell; fell, then rose again. After repeating that three or four times, he finally took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in."

Shui Bing'er's gentle voice came from inside.

Bing Yekong pushed open the door and saw Shui Bing'er sitting by the bed, reading the same old book on the application of ice-attributed Soul Power. She had changed into a nightgown, her long hair cascading freely over her shoulders, making her seem far gentler than she had during the day. When she saw that it was Bing Yekong, she paused slightly before closing the book.

"Little Yekong? It's so late... what is it?"

Bing Yekong walked up to her and, somewhat unusually, rubbed his nose with a hint of embarrassment. "Um... Sister Bing'er, I have an idea I'd like to discuss with you."

Shui Bing'er blinked and quietly waited for him to continue.

"When you absorbed the Ice Spirit Pill during the day, didn't our Soul Powers show signs of fusion?" Bing Yekong organized his thoughts. "I kept thinking about it after I went back. Senior Yang said that Soul Power fusion is only the first step. To develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, we also need tacit understanding between the two of us."

He raised his eyes and looked earnestly at Shui Bing'er. "So I was thinking... could you cultivate with me every night? Like when there was a problem with your Martial Soul before, we can circulate our Soul Powers together and slowly seek out that feeling of tacit understanding. Maybe, over time, the degree of our Soul Power fusion can go even further."

After hearing him out, a thin flush visibly spread across Shui Bing'er's cheeks.

Naturally, she understood Bing Yekong's intention. Cultivating together basically meant being alone in a room every night, their palms pressed together as their Soul Powers intertwined.

Such a thing was not considered particularly improper among Soul Masters, but when she thought of Bing Yekong being the other person, her heartbeat simply would not settle down.

She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Do... do you think it's necessary?"

"I do." Bing Yekong nodded, his tone serious. "Our Ultimate Ice Soul Powers can fuse on their own. That is rare even in the history of the Soul Master world. If we can make good use of this advantage, perhaps we can develop something extraordinary. Of course..." He paused, softening his tone. "If you feel it would be inconvenient, then forget it. Pretend I never mentioned it."

Shui Bing'er fell silent for a moment.

She looked into Bing Yekong's earnest, clear eyes, and the shyness and hesitation in her heart suddenly faded considerably. He was always like this. Whatever he did, he had his reasons, and he never forced others to accommodate him.

She nodded gently. "All right. I'll cultivate with you."