Star River Xuanyuan

The world of meditation should have been silent.

Within Yun Zhiyu's sea of spirit, the Xuanyuan Sword lay across the void, with the Winged Dragon coiled beside it. Its violet-gold dragon eyes were half-open, half-closed, like an ancient beast that had slept for eons. Ye Xinglan's Star God's Sword intent flowed like a silver-white stream, slowly merging into that vast expanse. It intertwined with the Xuanyuan Sword's sharpness, winding around it and forming a strange harmony.

The change came in an instant.

A faint glimmer rose from the depths of Ye Xinglan's spirit. At first, it was no more than a firefly's speck, yet within a breath, it expanded and burned, eventually becoming a brilliant star suspended directly above the Xuanyuan Sword. The star resonated with the massive sword, releasing a clear, resounding cry, as if some ancient pact had been awakened—or as if two rivers separated for countless years had finally flowed into the same sea.

"This is..." Yun Zhiyu's consciousness trembled.

Ye Xinglan felt it too. Within her sea of spirit, that lonely star was suddenly no longer alone—a violet-gold greatsword descended from the heavens. The Winged Dragon at its hilt opened its eyes, and the majesty within those dragon eyes merged with the star's icy brilliance, becoming a vast yet warm force field unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Two stars and one greatsword slowly revolved in the void.

Their trajectories drew closer and closer until they finally collided—there was no explosion, no tearing apart, only a perfect fusion as seamless as water blending with milk. Like yin and yang joining, like sun and moon shining together, fine star patterns gradually emerged upon the Xuanyuan Sword's blade, while the star's radiance took on a layer of violet-gold dragon breath.

"Martial soul fusion..." Yun Zhiyu murmured in her mind.

She recalled the records from the original work: ten thousand years ago, the Ice Spirit Douluo Huo Yuhao and the Dragon Butterfly Douluo Tang Wutong had possessed four martial soul fusion skills. That had been a miracle of god-tier martial souls, a gift from the Eye of Destiny. Yet now, she and Ye Xinglan, the Xuanyuan Sword and the Star God's Sword, had somehow triggered the same opportunity.

Outside, on the open ground, a sudden change erupted.

The two girls, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, began glowing at the same time.

Yun Zhiyu's violet-gold soul power surged out like a tide, condensing into the phantom of a greatsword above her head. Ye Xinglan's silver-white soul power transformed into countless stars that slowly revolved around the greatsword. The two lights intertwined and fused, eventually forming a brilliant curtain of radiance that enveloped them both.

"Big Sister!" Yun Zhishu cried out first, and the sugar figurine in her hand dropped to the ground with a splat.

Yuanen Yehui's pupils contracted sharply, shock appearing on her grayish-white face. She could feel that pressure—not the fluctuation of a single soul power, but a qualitative transformation born from the perfect fusion of two martial souls. That aura was ancient and majestic, like a god opening its eyes from slumber, or the first ray of light at the dawn of heaven and earth.

The smile froze on Xu Lizhi's chubby face. He instinctively took a step forward, but Yuanen stopped him. "Don't go over! It's dangerous!"

Within the light curtain, Yun Zhiyu and Ye Xinglan opened their eyes at the same time.

Their pupils had changed—silver-white star patterns slowly flowed within Yun Zhiyu's violet eyes, while a violet-gold dragon shadow flickered in Ye Xinglan's black eyes. Their gazes met. No words were needed; some unspoken understanding had already formed deep within their souls.

"Starflash..." Ye Xinglan spoke, her voice carrying a strange echo, as though two people were speaking at once.

"Xuanyuan Slash." Yun Zhiyu continued.

They rose together, their movements perfectly synchronized, like reflections in a mirror—or the left and right hands of the same person. Yun Zhiyu formed a sword gesture with her fingers, while Ye Xinglan held her slender sword horizontally before her chest. Two streams of soul power met in the air. Violet-gold sword qi merged with silver-white starlight, becoming an enormous sword of light suspended above them.

"First Form: Starflash Xuanyuan Slash!"

The sword of light came down.

There was no howling wind, no explosive shockwave—only a nearly silent sharpness. Wherever the sword light passed, the air was cleaved in two. A trench three inches deep was carved into the bluestone ground, its edges smooth as a mirror, as though some transcendent force had forcibly erased a piece of existence.

"Boom—"

A distant parasol tree snapped in response. Its canopy slowly tilted before crashing to the ground with a bang, startling birds into flight throughout the grove.

Yun Zhiyu and Ye Xinglan staggered at the same time. That attack had consumed nearly half their soul power. Their bodies felt drained, their limbs weak and their vision darkening. Yet that strange resonance continued, their spiritual power entwining and urging them to raise their swords once more.

"We can... do it once more..." Yun Zhiyu gritted out.

Ye Xinglan did not answer. She merely gripped her slender sword tighter. Her face was pale as paper, but her dark eyes shone with astonishing brightness, like a dying star bursting forth with its most dazzling light at its final moment.

"Starflash Xuanyuan Slash!"

The second sword descended.

This time, the sword light was even brighter and covered a wider area. Violet-gold starlight surged forward like a tide, shearing away a section of the stone railing at the edge of the clearing. Before the shattered stones could hit the ground, the heat within the sword qi melted them into crimson magma, which dripped onto the earth with sizzling sounds.

"Pff—"

Yun Zhiyu spat out blood and dropped to one knee. Ye Xinglan could no longer hold herself up either. Her slender sword clanged to the ground, and she toppled forward. Their soul power was completely exhausted. The resonance in their seas of spirit receded like a tide, and the phantoms of the star and greatsword gradually faded, revealing the empty spiritual seas beneath.

The light curtain shattered.

"Big Sister!" Yun Zhishu screamed as she rushed over, only for a white figure to arrive before her.

Yali.

No one knew when she had appeared in the clearing. Her Wish Angel martial soul was fully released, its six wings spread wide as holy light rushed toward the two girls like a tide.

Yun Zhiyu felt a warm, gentle power enter her meridians, like spring rain falling on parched earth. Her depleted soul power slowly began to recover under the nourishment of the holy light, while her torn meridians healed at a visible rate.

"Mom..." she said weakly.

"Don't talk!" Yali's voice trembled with tears. Her usually gentle, watery eyes were now red. "You two, are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

She held Yun Zhiyu in one arm and pulled Ye Xinglan into her embrace with the other. The Wish Angel's holy light split into two streams, nourishing both exhausted girls at once. Ye Xinglan's deathly pale face gradually regained a trace of color, and her breathing steadied, though she remained unconscious.

"Yali, how are they?"

Yun Ming's voice came from behind them. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Long Yeyue, his black robes whipping in the turbulent soul power. His normally composed face bore rare gravity. He had felt the force of those two strikes even from deep within Sea God's Pavilion—that aura reminded him of a legend from Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago.

"They've overdrawn their soul power, and their meridians are injured," Yali said in a trembling voice. "But... their lives are not in danger. My Wish Angel is repairing them. It will take some time."

Long Yeyue's cane struck the ground with a thud. A sharp gleam burst from her clouded eyes as she walked to the two girls and examined their pale faces. Then she looked at the two shocking sword marks on the ground and the broken parasol tree in the distance. Only after a long silence did she let out a sigh.

"A god-tier martial soul fusion skill." Her voice was hoarse and distant, as if it had traveled from ancient times. "This old woman has lived nearly two hundred years and only heard of such a thing once. Ten thousand years ago, the Ice Spirit Douluo and the Dragon Butterfly Douluo... I never expected it to reappear in Shrek today."

Yun Ming's pupils shrank sharply.

Of course he knew that legend. Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong, four martial soul fusion skills—they had changed the landscape of the continent and written a chapter in the history of the Divine Realm. Yet now, his daughter and that girl from the Star God's Sword Clan had triggered the same miracle.

"Elder Long," he asked in a deep voice, "what does this mean?"

"It means their destinies are linked." Long Yeyue slowly shook her head. "It means Shrek will welcome another new era."

She paused, her gaze falling upon Yun Zhiyu with a complicated scrutiny. "It also means that this girl's road will be harder than I imagined. A god-tier martial soul fusion skill is both a gift and a shackle. If one of them falls in the future, the other..."

She did not continue, but Yun Ming understood.

Yali's hand trembled, and the holy light nearly went out of control. She pulled her two daughters closer, as if she wanted to press them into her flesh and blood and never allow anyone to hurt them again.

"No," she said softly, her voice hoarse from weeping. "I won't let that happen. No one is allowed to take my daughters away. No one."

Within her mother's embrace, Yun Zhiyu gradually regained consciousness. She felt Yali's trembling and the nearly obsessive urge to protect contained within the holy light. A warm ache rose in her heart. She struggled to open her eyes and saw that Ye Xinglan had awakened as well. She was looking around blankly, her black eyes carrying the dazed confusion of one who had survived disaster.

"Xinglan," she called hoarsely.

Ye Xinglan turned and met her gaze. That strange resonance surfaced again between them, but it was far gentler than before, like the peace of two swords returned to their sheaths, like the stillness after stars had fallen to earth.

"We..." Ye Xinglan began, her voice dry. "We did it?"

"We did," Yun Zhiyu said with a faint smile, though her face remained pale as paper. "A god-tier martial soul fusion skill. From now on... we'll train together and grow stronger together."

"Together..."

Ye Xinglan murmured the word, and suddenly felt her eyes grow hot.

She remembered her lonely childhood, the cold faces within her clan, and the pride and bitterness she had always carried alone whenever she drew her sword. But now, someone was telling her, "Together." Someone shared the same miracle with her. Someone would entrust their back to her and point their sword toward the same direction.

"Mm!" In the end, she only answered softly, but her hand quietly clenched.

Yun Ming and Long Yeyue exchanged a look, each seeing solemnity and expectation in the other's eyes. Yun Ming stepped forward and drew his wife and daughters into his arms. His black robe spread like wings, sheltering them all within its shadow.

"What happened today," he said in a deep voice, "must not be spread outside. Zhiyu, Xinglan, unless it is a critical moment, you must not use your martial soul fusion skill lightly in the future."

"Why?" Yun Zhishu peeked out from behind Yali. Tears still marked her amber-gold eyes, but they could not hide her curiosity. "Big Sister's sword was so powerful!"

"Because powerful things attract covetous eyes." Yun Ming's voice carried a father's sternness. "Zhiyu and Xinglan are still young. They cannot protect themselves yet. Only when they have grown up and become strong enough can they let the whole world know."

He looked at Ye Xinglan, with a trace of apology in his gaze. "Xinglan, I will also inform your clan about what happened today. But rest assured, Shrek will protect you until you are capable of protecting yourselves."

Ye Xinglan froze for a moment, then lowered her head in salute. "Thank you, Uncle Yun."

Yali's holy light continued. The two girls had recovered thirty to forty percent of their soul power, and color gradually returned to their faces. Leaning against her mother's embrace, Yun Zhiyu felt that warmth and suddenly remembered the nine sword forms that had appeared in her sea of spirit during the martial soul fusion.

Star River Xuanyuan: Myriad Swords Suppress the Firmament.

They had already used the first form, Starflash Xuanyuan Slash. Its power was astonishing, but so was its consumption. With their current soul power, even exhausting everything they had would only allow them to use it twice before they were completely drained. As for the remaining eight forms, from Sword Fixes the Star River to One Sword Fixes the Primordial Wilderness, every one required greater soul power, stronger coordination, and deeper resonance between their souls.

The road ahead is still long, she silently thought.

Ye Xinglan seemed to sense her thoughts and turned to look at her, the same determination in her black eyes. The two smiled at each other. No words were needed; a certain promise had already been forged deep within their souls.

As the sun slanted westward, the sword marks in the clearing glimmered with a faint violet-gold light in the dusk, like ancient inscriptions recording the miracle that had occurred on this autumn afternoon. The broken parasol tree lay to one side, its leaves still rustling in the autumn wind, as though playing the first accompaniment for two swords that had just sounded their first cry.

Yun Zhishu picked up the half-melted sugar figurine from the ground and carefully held it before her sister. "Big Sister, the sugar figurine melted..."

Yun Zhiyu accepted the sticky lump of melted sugar. Looking at the faintly discernible dragon-shaped outline within it, she suddenly smiled. She broke off half and handed it to Ye Xinglan. "It doesn't matter if it melted. It'll still be just as sweet."

Ye Xinglan froze for a moment, then accepted the piece of sugar and placed it in her mouth. Sweetness spread across her tongue, carrying the rich fragrance of malt and a faint warmth that seemed to belong to autumn itself.

"Sweet," she said, a rare curve appearing at the corner of her lips.

Yuanen and Xu Lizhi stood nearby, watching the scene. Gentle expressions appeared on both the grayish-white face and the chubby face. They did not understand god-tier martial soul fusion skills, nor did they understand Myriad Swords Suppress the Firmament, but they knew that from this day onward, a bond had formed between these two girls—one that no one else could ever enter.

And that bond would become the strongest anchor through every storm to come.