Martial Soul Fusion Skill Failure

After a day of rest, the five members of Class Zero—Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi—gathered again at the Special Training Ground deep within Eastsea Academy. The night was black as ink, the wind bitterly cold, as though heralding the cruelty to come.

Wu Changkong stood with his hands behind his back, his silver hair stirring in the night wind. Instead of holding his usual wooden training sword, he simply stood there, yet a faint pressure radiated from him that seemed to make space itself tremble. This was not deliberately unleashed killing intent, but the natural overflow of a high-ranking Soul Master's power, restrained to its utmost limit.

"Tonight's training assignment," he said, his voice as cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, without the slightest inflection, "is to fight me."

All five felt their hearts jolt. Their chances of beating their teacher were slim, but not so slim as to leave them hopeless.

Yet Wu Changkong's next words instantly cast them into a bottomless abyss. "I will use Soul Skills. And remember, there is no quitting here. You will fight until I tell you to stop, or until all of you are down."

Dead silence fell over the training ground.

Tang Wulin's pupils abruptly contracted. He could clearly sense that the fluctuations of Soul Power from Wu Changkong were as vast as the Sea, unfathomably deep. This was nothing like the presence an ordinary Soul Elder could possess. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head—their teacher was actually a Six-Ring Soul Emperor! He was even only half a step away from the legendary Seven-Ring Soul Sage!

Facing a Soul Emperor who could wield six Soul Skills, these five first-year students who had only just crossed the threshold into Soul Elder were like five ants trying to shake Mount Tai.

"Begin."

At Wu Changkong's command, a terrifying Soul Power pressure descended in an instant. This was more than the pressure of his presence; it was the tangible, crushing force of a domain, as though the entire sky had pressed down upon them. Even breathing became difficult.

"Move!" Tang Wulin roared. At this life-or-death moment, his potential was fully unleashed. The instant the battle began, he activated his first Soul Skill without hesitation—Life Domain!

Emerald light burst out from him, forming a massive dome that enveloped all five of them. Tang Wulin narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing his spiritual power to its utmost as he sensed Wu Changkong's presence through every ripple of Soul Power within the domain. He needed not only to heal his teammates, but also to catch the faintest trace of this powerful opponent's next move, buying the team even a fraction of a second to react.

"I'll take him!" Xie Xie shouted. As the team's speed specialist, he knew he could not let Wu Changkong close in. With the Light and Shadow Dragon Daggers in hand, he moved like lightning. Boosted by the Life Domain, he became faster still, turning into a blur and actually striking first at the very instant Wu Changkong drew his sword!

Clang!

An exquisitely sharp clash of metal pierced their eardrums.

Crossing his daggers, Xie Xie used every ounce of strength to block that seemingly casual sword stroke. Yet an immense force surged through him like a tsunami. His arms went numb at once, the skin between his thumbs and forefingers split, and his entire body flew backward uncontrollably as though struck by a massive hammer. He slammed into the training ground's protective barrier and slid down.

Just one move.

In just one move, before Tang Wulin's Life Domain could even finish analyzing the sword's trajectory, Xie Xie had been sent flying.

Wu Changkong stood utterly motionless, longsword in hand, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust rather than delivered a devastating blow. He looked indifferently at the remaining four, his sword tip angled toward the ground. Deep blue frost began flowing along the blade, heralding the activation of his second Soul Skill.

"Next."

"Gu Yue, cover us!" Tang Wulin roared. Blue Silver Grass Vines formed a cage, working with Gu Yue's furious elemental power to bind Wu Changkong tightly. Though this was merely a mantis raising its forelegs against a chariot, it at least bought those behind them a precious instant.

"It's our turn!" Wang Jinxi gritted his teeth. Watching the three struggling to hold on ahead of them, a glint of resolve flashed through his eyes. He turned to Zhang Yangzi beside him and said in a low shout, "If we can't escape it, let's stake everything on one big move! Use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

"Right!" Zhang Yangzi nodded firmly and spread his arms. His pitch-black Dark Demon Eagle Martial Soul instantly possessed him, its wings blotting out the sky.

Wang Jinxi drew a deep breath, golden light blazing from his body. This time, however, the Martial Soul he released was no longer the familiar Bone Dragon. It was a massive dragon covered in ancient golden scales, radiating the aura of a primordial wilderness—the Ancient Dragon King!

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Dark Eagle Dragon!"

Both roared in unison, trying to merge their powers into one.

In an instant, the black currents surrounding Zhang Yangzi surged madly toward Wang Jinxi, attempting to intertwine with the golden dragon's phantom. But then something changed!

The Ancient Dragon King Martial Soul within Wang Jinxi seemed to have suffered a tremendous affront. Utter contempt flashed through its enormous draconic eyes. A terrifying pressure erupted from the deepest reaches of its bloodline—a sovereign aura that stood above all beasts, and even above ordinary dragons.

"Roar!"

An illusory dragon's cry exploded within Wang Jinxi.

The moment Zhang Yangzi's surging Dark Demon Eagle Soul Power touched the Ancient Dragon King's golden light, it recoiled as though encountering its natural predator. It shrank back and trembled uncontrollably, then even began surging wildly in reverse!

"What?!" Zhang Yangzi's eyes widened, his face filled with horror. He felt as though he was not attempting a fusion, but offering himself as a sacrifice to a supreme sovereign—and that sovereign would not spare him a glance!

"No! Don't retreat!" Wang Jinxi clutched his head in agony. He could feel that the incomparably domineering power within him refused to obey him at all. It rejected every outside power, as though intent on utterly devouring and crushing Zhang Yangzi's Soul Power!

Boom!

A violent Soul Power backlash erupted instantly.

Both spat out mouthfuls of blood, their bodies flying backward like kites with severed strings. Zhang Yangzi's Martial Soul collapsed at once. His face was white as paper, his eyes full of terror and bewilderment.

"Why..." Zhang Yangzi struggled to raise his head and look at the equally battered Wang Jinxi. His voice trembled. "Our compatibility was so high. Why... would it reject me?"

Wang Jinxi lay collapsed on the ground, staring at his trembling hands, his eyes filled with confusion and pain. He could feel that although his Martial Soul had become stronger, it had also grown incredibly aloof and savage. It seemed no longer to be his own power, but an ancient tyrant dwelling within him.

Their once-unfailing trump card had now become the greatest joke of all.

Wu Changkong's sword paused, and for the first time, something stirred in his indifferent eyes. He looked at the ancient golden light that had yet to fade completely from Wang Jinxi's body, his brow furrowing slightly. He seemed to recognize something, yet found it unbelievable.

"Stop."

Wu Changkong's voice was quiet, but it carried unquestionable authority, instantly severing the chaotic currents of energy across the training ground. The Heavenly Frost Sword in his hand grew still, and his gaze, sharp as a hawk's, fixed firmly on Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi, who lay in a battered heap on the ground.

"Get up," Wu Changkong ordered coldly. "An attempt at that level didn't even qualify as a warm-up. Try again."

Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi exchanged a glance, a trace of despair appearing in both their eyes. But faced with their teacher's order, they had no way to retreat.

"Again!" Zhang Yangzi bit the tip of his tongue and forcibly summoned another surge of Soul Power. His pitch-black Dark Demon Eagle Martial Soul rose once more, its wings blotting out the sky as he tried to intertwine his power with Wang Jinxi's.

Wang Jinxi's face was contorted with pain, but he could only release the Ancient Dragon King and its primordial aura once more. A phantom of golden dragon scales coiled behind him, its pressure overwhelming all beneath it.

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Dark Eagle Dragon!"

Both roared with all their might, their Soul Power surging wildly.

Yet the outcome was even more disastrous than before.

The Ancient Dragon King Martial Soul within Wang Jinxi seemed thoroughly enraged. The sovereign aura from the deepest reaches of its bloodline erupted. Not only did it reject Zhang Yangzi's power, it even produced a terrifying devouring force.

"Roar!"

A deafening dragon's cry exploded within Wang Jinxi.

The instant Zhang Yangzi's Soul Power touched those golden dragon scales, it collapsed. Then a rebounding force slammed into his chest like a heavy hammer. His entire body flew backward like a kite with a severed string, crashing into the training ground's protective barrier before sliding down, blood spraying wildly from his mouth.

Wang Jinxi fared little better. Forcibly driving that uncontrollable power sent searing pain through his meridians. He spat out a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee, his face white as paper.

They had failed. Utterly and completely.

Watching this, Wu Changkong's brow furrowed into three deep lines. He stared intently at the fading phantom of the Ancient Dragon King behind Wang Jinxi, a glint of understanding and gravity passing through his eyes.

So that's how it is...

Wu Changkong thought to himself. He recalled why he had specifically arranged for Wang Jinxi to cultivate alongside Tang Wulin. At the time, it had merely been an intuition, a judgment based on the unstable aura within Wang Jinxi's Martial Soul. He had vaguely sensed that Wang Jinxi's Martial Soul seemed to crave a particular attribute, or reject one, and that Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass might help neutralize it.

Now it seemed his intuition had been correct.

This Ancient Dragon King Martial Soul was incomparably domineering, with an extremely high bloodline rank. Ordinary Martial Souls could not maintain an equal footing in a fusion with it; they would only be instinctively rejected or even crushed. Though Zhang Yangzi's Dark Demon Eagle was powerful, under bloodline suppression at this level, it did not even qualify as a "partner." It could only be reduced to "prey" or an "ant."

"It seems the path you followed before is no longer open to you."

Wu Changkong's voice broke the dead silence. He looked at the two collapsed on the ground. His tone remained icy, but now carried a touch of dispassionate cruelty. "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill depends on hearts in harmony and complementary attributes. But before an absolute disparity in rank, your so-called rapport is worth nothing."

He turned, sweeping his gaze over the entire training ground before finally settling on Tang Wulin, as though testing a conjecture in his mind.

"Today's training ends here," Wu Changkong announced coldly. "Go back and reflect carefully. When old bonds break, you must find a new foundation if you do not wish to be left behind by the times."