Soul Spirit Fusion

The setting sun shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting several long, narrow patches of golden light across the floor.

The three children's room was small, but it had been kept spotless.

Three little beds stood side by side against the wall, each covered with blue sheets printed with teddy bear patterns.

Na'er's bedside was piled with all sorts of plush toys, the most conspicuous being the little rabbit doll Tang Wulin had promised to buy for her.

Huang Feng'er's bedside, meanwhile, was bare, with only a simple pillow and blanket. All her belongings were neatly stored in the bedside table's drawers.

Tang Wulin sat on his own bed, leaning back against the headboard.

The sunset light fell across his face, dyeing his profile a warm gold.

Two opened Soul Spirit Orbs rested on his lap.

The little earth-yellow grass snake lazily coiled around the back of his left hand, flicking its tiny tongue and occasionally rubbing its little head against his skin.

The verdant Ten-Year Lone Bamboo floated quietly beside his right hand. Its few narrow bamboo leaves swayed gently, giving off a fresh scent of grass and wood.

Looking at the two utterly different Soul Spirits, he asked Jin Qiu in his heart.

["Big Brother Jin, how do I fuse with Soul Spirits?"

"Summon both your Martial Souls, then use each Martial Soul to make contact with the Soul Spirit you want to fuse with. That should do it."

There was a trace of uncertainty in Jin Qiu's voice.

"I've never fused with one of these things either, but the principle should be about the same. It's all energy fusion, after all. Don't worry. With me here, nothing will go wrong."]

Tang Wulin nodded and took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and moved his thoughts.

"Buzz—"

A faint hum sounded.

Countless slender blades of Blue Silver Grass slowly spread outward from him.

The blue-green stalks were covered in fine golden patterns and faint purple veins, glimmering softly in the sunset.

They drifted obediently through the air like soft ribbons.

Immediately afterward, a dazzling golden light erupted from his right palm.

A completely golden spear slowly condensed into shape.

Its shaft was carved with lifelike dragon-scale patterns, while its blade-sharp tip flashed with a cold gleam.

A majestic and tyrannical aura radiated from the spear, making the air in the entire room grow slightly heavier.

The Blue Silver Grass gently wound around the Ten-Year Lone Bamboo floating in midair.

The Golden Sacred Dragon Spear quietly hovered before the little grass snake.

The instant the Martial Souls touched the Soul Spirits, two extremely faint thoughts entered Tang Wulin's mind at the same time.

One came from the little grass snake.

It carried instinctive fear toward a stronger being, but also closeness toward the source of its bloodline and complete dependence. Like a lost child, it cautiously tested the waters, wanting to draw near a warm embrace.

The other thought came from the Ten-Year Lone Bamboo.

It was as calm as stagnant water, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. It simply waited quietly, accepting the fusion that was about to come.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Wulin completely opened his heart and gently accepted the two weak souls.

At once, warm energy flowed from both Soul Spirits into his body.

He felt as though the Soul Power within him had been ignited, instantly beginning to boil and surge.

The Soul Power that had originally flowed docilely through his meridians abruptly accelerated, circulating through his limbs and bones like a rushing river.

He did not panic in the least. He immediately shut his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and silently entered meditation.

The fusion had officially begun.

The room was so quiet that only Tang Wulin's even breathing remained.

From the dining room outside came the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks, along with Lang Yue's gentle voice.

"Na'er, eat slowly. Don't choke."

"Feng'er, have some more fish. This one has few bones."

Na'er gave an indistinct response, her mouth still stuffed full of food.

Huang Feng'er softly hummed in reply, still as quiet as ever as she leisurely peeled a crab shell in her hands.

No one disturbed the fusion taking place in the room.

The little earth-yellow grass snake looked at the Golden Sacred Dragon Spear hanging before it. First, it timidly flicked its tongue, then tentatively bumped its little head against the cold spear shaft.

It sensed no hostility. Instead, an incomparably comfortable attraction from the depths of its bloodline radiated from the spear.

It stopped hesitating, twisted its slender body, and slowly crawled upward.

As it climbed, a miraculous change occurred.

Its body, originally only ten centimeters long, began slowly lengthening at a visible rate.

Its originally dull earth-yellow skin gradually faded away, replaced by dazzling pure gold like sunlight.

Several irregular purple spots slowly emerged from beneath its scales, dotting its golden body and adding a trace of mysterious tyranny.

Its tiny eyes also grew brighter. The timidity in its gaze vanished, replaced by a hint of clarity.

Meanwhile, the verdant Ten-Year Lone Bamboo was quietly wrapped by the Blue Silver Grass.

Countless blades of Blue Silver Grass pressed tightly against the Lone Bamboo's stalk, continuously sending their energy into it.

The golden patterns and purple veins on the Blue Silver Grass spread slowly onto the Lone Bamboo's surface as if they were alive.

The originally emerald bamboo stalk gradually became covered in deep-purple patterns.

Those patterns moved slowly across the stalk like blood vessels, emitting a faint purple glow.

Its original green color instead became an embellishment, hidden between the gaps in the purple patterns.

The Lone Bamboo's aura also underwent an earthshaking transformation.

It had originally possessed only toughness and freshness, but now it carried a trace of icy dominance and vigorous vitality.

The instant the two Soul Spirits finished fusing, Tang Wulin was just about to sigh in relief when the Soul Power in his meridians suddenly began to churn violently without warning.

The bottleneck that had originally held him at the peak of level ten Soul Warrior, like a tough membrane, instantly cracked beneath the impact of the two Soul Spirits' energy.

The Innate Full Soul Power that had accumulated for so long burst through the crack like floodwaters breaking through a dam, brutally smashing apart the last remaining obstruction.

Level ten!

Level eleven!

His Soul Power continued soaring.

At last, he only felt his entire body grow light. The warm Soul Power that had originally condensed into a mass in his dantian instantly turned into countless fine, warm threads, spreading through every corner of his body along his meridians.

He felt every cell in his body awaken at that moment. His limbs and bones brimmed with inexhaustible vitality, and even breathing became exceptionally smooth.

The two Martial Souls, Blue Silver Grass and Golden Sacred Dragon Spear, trembled faintly behind him, releasing an aura several times stronger than before.

The outline of a first Soul Ring had already faintly appeared around the Martial Souls.

Just as he thought everything was over and prepared to leave his meditative state—

An abrupt change occurred.

An indescribable scorching sensation suddenly erupted from the depths of his dantian.

It was as if a mass of magma sealed away for a long time had suddenly broken free, spreading madly through his body along his meridians.

The heat was astonishing, several times hotter than beside the forge at Mang Tian's Workshop.

He felt as though he had been thrown into boiling molten iron. Every inch of him, from his skin to his bones, was burning.

Sweat instantly soaked through his clothes. Large beads of sweat streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto the sheets, spreading into dark wet patches.

His skin turned bright red at a visible rate, as if it had been scalded by red-hot iron.

Before he could react to the searing heat, an even more violent tearing sensation came from deep within his bone marrow.

It was as though countless tiny sharp blades were cutting back and forth inside his body, intending to tear his bones, meridians, and muscles into thousands of pieces.

This was not superficial pain of skin and flesh, but agonizing pain that penetrated his soul—ten, a hundred times more intense than the pain on the day his Martial Soul awakened.

The golden grid-like patterns from his Martial Soul awakening appeared across his skin again.

Only this time, the patterns were deeper and brighter than before, like red-hot wire mesh tightly constricting his skin. Every line radiated scorching golden light.

He wanted to open his mouth and scream, to use a pained roar to relieve the agony drilling into his bones.

But it was as though something blocked his throat. He could not make a sound. He could only grit his teeth so hard that his lips bled, the taste of blood spreading through his mouth.

His consciousness was incomparably clear—too clear, even.

He could distinctly feel every trace of pain, distinctly feel the power rampaging through his meridians, and distinctly feel his bones being reshaped and tempered bit by bit.

Countless times, he felt he was about to pass out from the pain, but a faint force always held his consciousness up, preventing him from fainting and forcing him to endure every moment of torment.

Na'er's crisp laughter and Lang Yue's gentle voice still drifted in from the dining room outside.

"Why isn't Tangtang out yet? The fruit has already been cut."

No one knew what kind of pain he was suffering behind the closed bedroom door.

["Bear with it. You won't die, so relax."

Jin Qiu's voice rang out in his mind. His tone sounded casual, but his hands did not dare slacken in the slightest.

Standing beneath the Starlight Tree in the Spirit Sea, he rapidly formed hand seals.

Pure golden Dragon Power continuously poured from his fingertips, forming a dense golden net that carefully wrapped around the rampaging forces and firmly suppressed them within a safe range.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his brows were tightly furrowed. He feared that using even slightly too much force would injure Tang Wulin's meridians, while using too little would fail to suppress the rampage.

"What's this little pain? Endure it, and you'll hit the jackpot. Your body strength will rise another level."

He comforted him while controlling the power.

Beside him, Tang San's pale-blue divine consciousness was not idle either.

He stretched out a hand, and gentle blue light enveloped the wildly darting purple destructive power. Like a gentle current, it gradually guided it to flow orderly through Tang Wulin's meridians, preventing it from crashing about and damaging his internal organs.

His movements were calm and precise, every wisp of power controlled perfectly.]

While controlling the Dragon Power, Jin Qiu caught sight of the Life God Seed floating in the center of the Spirit Sea and giving off a soft green glow. His face instantly darkened.

With one grab, he seized the round Life God Seed in his hand.

The green seed looked gentle and harmless, radiating comfortable life energy. But as soon as it neared the Golden Dragon King's golden power and the purple destructive power, it began shaking violently and humming in resistance. The three powers collided back and forth in the Spirit Sea, creating rings of energy ripples. This was the root cause of every power rampage.

["Damn it, sooner or later I'm throwing this piece of crap out."

Jin Qiu gripped the Life God Seed in his hand and cursed irritably, considering throwing the thing out of the Spirit Sea.

It looked mild and harmless, but it was better than anyone at stirring up trouble.

His Annihilation Law and the Destruction God King's Destruction Law were somewhat similar in nature and highly compatible. They should not have conflicted at all.

But the Life Law was different. It was almost completely opposed to both the Destruction Law and the Annihilation Law.

It was like those people who seemed gentle and harmless on the surface but constantly sowed discord and spread rumors behind everyone's backs. Every time, it was the one in the middle provoking the two powers into repelling one another, ultimately causing a rampage.

If it were not still helping repair Tang Wulin's damaged meridians, he would have thrown it out already, out of sight and out of mind.]

Tang Wulin's fingers clenched tightly around the bedsheet beneath him, his nails tearing through the tough fabric.

His body trembled uncontrollably. The golden grid patterns on his skin flickered in and out, while the heat and tearing pain continued to come in wave after wave.

When the intense pain caused by fusing with the Soul Spirits finally receded, Tang Wulin lay sprawled on the bed like a puddle of melted candy.

Every bone in his body felt sore, numb, and weak, yet every inch of muscle brimmed with unprecedented strength.

The golden grid patterns on his skin had completely faded, leaving only a faint golden halo that soon vanished beneath his skin as well.

The Soul Power in his dantian had stabilized firmly at level eleven. The first Soul Rings of both Martial Souls had completely condensed, quietly floating around them and giving off a gentle glow.

Sunset light spilled through the window onto his face, warm and cozy.

He narrowed his eyes and hummed comfortably, savoring the clear, refreshed feeling throughout his body after the breakthrough.

["Tang Wulin, you still have to go to Mang Tian's place today. Remember?"

Jin Qiu's voice suddenly sounded in his mind, carrying a trace of gloating.

"It's already three fifty. There are only ten minutes until four.

If you're late, Mang Tian said that for every minute you're late, you'll be punished with a week of mopping floors."]

"Holy crap!"

Tang Wulin shot upright from the bed, nearly smashing his head into the ceiling.

He frantically grabbed the electronic clock beside his bed. Squinting at it, he saw the numbers on the screen clearly read 15:51.

It was over, over, over!

Just yesterday, he had promised Mang Tian to his face that he absolutely would not be late. He had only studied at the workshop for three days and was already going to be late. That fierce, bearded uncle would surely punish him with a month of floor mopping!

He did not even have time to pull his socks straight. He shoved his bare feet into his shoes, not bothering to fix the shoe on his left foot even though he had put it on backward.

He carelessly slung his canvas backpack over one shoulder without even zipping it up. Half of his forging gloves stuck out and swayed with his movements.

The only words left in his head were "don't be late." He had completely forgotten that he had just fused with Soul Spirits and his strength had increased tremendously again.

He charged toward the door and threw out a hand, shoving it hard.

"Bang—!"

The heavy solid wooden door flew open under his push and, carrying tremendous force, slammed squarely into the person outside.

"Ah!"

A short cry rang out.

Huang Feng'er had been standing outside the door, her raised hand frozen in midair as she was about to knock.

She was still holding a white porcelain plate with two freshly heated meat buns on it. Lang Yue had specifically saved them for Tang Wulin, worried that he would be too busy forging at the workshop to eat and wanting him to fill his stomach on the way.

Instead, the door suddenly flew open without warning and slammed heavily into her forehead.

The tremendous force sent her staggering backward three steps, her back crashing hard into the corridor wall.

The white porcelain plate in her hands fell to the floor with a clatter, cracking slightly.

The two plump white meat buns, still steaming, rolled out and became covered in dust.

Her short red hair had been knocked into disarray, several loose strands sticking to her forehead.

A large red patch instantly appeared on her smooth forehead, looking especially conspicuous.

Her golden eyes were dazed, and she had yet to understand what had happened.

"I'm going to Teacher Mang Tian's!"

Tang Wulin was frantic with urgency and did not notice that he had hit someone, nor did he see the broken plate or the meat buns rolling away across the floor.

He shouted without stopping, rushing past the doorway like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, he had run into the yard and vanished from sight.

Huang Feng'er was left leaning against the wall alone, clutching her reddened forehead as she looked at the meat buns that had rolled into the corner. The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Sis! Are you okay?!"

Na'er had been gnawing on a slice of watermelon in the living room. Hearing the commotion, she immediately tossed aside the rind and ran over.

Seeing Huang Feng'er's bright-red forehead, she was heartbroken. She hurriedly rose onto her tiptoes, stretched out her soft little hands, and gently rubbed the spot she had bumped red.

"Sis, it must really hurt, right?"

She looked at the injury and said with certainty.

Huang Feng'er lowered the hand covering her forehead and gently shook her head.

That little bump was nothing to her. Her forehead was only slightly numb.

She looked down the corridor toward the courtyard entrance, but Tang Wulin's back had already vanished completely around the alley corner.

"It's nothing."

She said it flatly, bending down to pick up the plate and the dust-covered buns from the ground.

"I'm fine."

"It's just a shame about these two buns."

She silently added in her heart, then ate both buns outright.