The Uncanny Chaos Void

"For martial souls to fuse one hundred percent, both sides must have martial souls of equal quality and equal number."

Electrolux spoke slowly.

"You now have two martial souls, Spirit Eyes and the Ice Jade Scorpion. If the two of you can successfully fuse, that means Little Mo must also have a second martial soul within him."

"Wait, wait. Wouldn't that still require soul power from my second martial soul? Even if I really do have one, I can't sense it myself right now. How could you determine whether I have a second martial soul just from my soul power?"

"Let me explain that."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm seemed to have finally found his chance to speak. He poked his head out, appearing between them.

"It's actually very simple. As long as you have a second martial soul, it exists whether you've awakened it or not. The only difference is how strong it is. Let me give you the simplest example."

As he spoke, he flew onto Huo Yuyao's head.

"Before she broke through to two rings, Little Yao had only one martial soul and one half-awakened martial soul. But even then, she could already sense the power of the ice element in her soul power while cultivating. It simply hadn't taken shape yet, so it was extremely faint."

"And once she completed her soul spirit contract with Bingbing, her second martial soul fully awakened, becoming what you see now."

As he spoke, he patted the girl's shoulder.

Huo Yuyao obediently controlled her soul power. Within the soul power unique to her, two distinctly recognizable forces intertwined, though most people rarely paid attention to them.

After all... by the time people noticed, they were usually facing the other person's soul skills.

"The reason you didn't discover this when you touched each other back when you both had one ring was that both of your second martial souls were still unawakened. We aren't you, so it was very difficult for us to detect them too."

After hearing the explanation, Lin Mo nodded.

"In short, the next step is to cultivate together and see whether I really have twin martial souls, right?"

"Yes. That's the simplest method available right now, because Elder Yi and I can both sense that your martial souls can blend together. In other words, your martial soul compatibility is very high."

Lin Mo looked at Huo Yuyao, and Huo Yuyao looked back at him.

"Shall we try?" he asked.

"Let's try," she answered.

They exchanged a glance and hit it off at once.

"Then return to your own rooms first, take a bath, and calm your minds."

"Martial Soul Fusion is no game. The slightest carelessness could cause a backlash. Begin in an hour."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm slipped back into Huo Yuyao's Sea of Consciousness, while Electrolux returned to Lin Mo's body.

They each went into their rooms.

An hour later.

There was a soft knock at Lin Mo's door.

He went over and opened it. Huo Yuyao stood outside. She had changed into a clean, plain nightdress, and her still-damp hair hung over her shoulders. A faint, fresh scent of soapberry lingered around her.

Looking at the girl's damp hair, Lin Mo frowned, but said nothing. His mind, however, began turning to other matters.

"Come in."

Huo Yuyao entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

Lin Mo sat cross-legged opposite her. They faced each other, barely an arm's length apart.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

They both extended their hands, pressing their palms together.

Huo Yuyao's hands were small, her fingertips slightly cool. Lin Mo's palms were warm and covered her hands completely.

"Release your soul power."

They closed their eyes at the same time.

Pale blue soul power poured from Huo Yuyao's body, while silvery-gray soul power flowed from Lin Mo's. The two lights met between their palms, probing, colliding, retreating, then drawing close again.

The first two hours passed.

Their soul power merely wound around each other, like two parallel rivers that could never flow together.

"Don't rush."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice sounded in Huo Yuyao's mind.

"Stay steady."

Electrolux's voice also echoed through Lin Mo's Sea of Consciousness.

"This sort of thing requires prolonged exploration. Even if you truly have a second martial soul, it remains unawakened, and its soul power is far too faint."

During the second two-hour period.

The two streams of soul power began to merge slowly. Silvery gray and pale blue intertwined, forming a tiny vortex. It spun faster and faster, its colors shifting from sharply divided streams into a blend where each flowed within the other.

All four of them noticed the change at the same time. Each had their own thoughts, but none spoke again.

Soon, they entered the third two-hour period.

The vortex abruptly contracted, then swelled violently, becoming a mass of gentle light that enveloped them both.

Lin Mo's consciousness suddenly sank.

He opened his eyes and found himself standing in a boundless void. Countless stars glimmered beneath his feet, while a gray-white expanse of chaos stretched overhead.

"Brother Xiao Mo."

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Lin Mo turned and was startled to discover that Huo Yuyao had also entered this strange space.

"Little Yao, why are you here too?"

"I don't know either. After that strange, warm light wrapped around me, I arrived here the very next moment. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw you standing in front of me with your back turned."

Looking at the unfamiliar, somewhat eerie scenery around them, Huo Yuyao instinctively ran to Lin Mo's side and clutched his forearm.

"So where are we, Brother Xiao Mo?"

"Honestly, I don't know either."

"Where the heck have we ended up? Is this still the dorm?"

Bewildered, he even reached up and pinched his own cheek.

"It doesn't seem like a dream. I can actually feel pain."

Deciding that standing around would yield no information, he simply took Huo Yuyao's hand and started walking in one direction.

Even a blind cat could stumble upon a dead mouse.

But just as he was about to take a step, he felt an invisible ripple sweep toward them. Before he could react, his entire body froze in place.

"Hey, isn't it rather presumptuous of you to barge into someone else's territory? Even I can't do that."

Someone's here?

He discovered that although his body could not move, he could still think. He could tell that the voice came from behind him to one side, but he could not turn his head.

He tried to speak, only to find that he could not utter a word.

"Did you come for your second martial soul? You do indeed have one, but the time has not yet come. Leave."

The moment that ethereal voice faded, everything went black before the two of them, who had still been frozen stiff.

"Wah!"

"Mm!"

The two cultivators involuntarily toppled backward. Fortunately, they had been cultivating on the bed, or their skulls would have taken a painful knock.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux, who had been watching the whole time, both looked puzzled.

From their perspective, the cultivation had indeed succeeded. Their martial souls had truly fused. Yet while everything had been going smoothly, the speed of their soul power suddenly dropped by half. Moments later, this happened.

Lin Mo and Huo Yuyao both rubbed their heads, then sat up.

"Little Yao, are you all right? What exactly happened just now?"

"What happened? Little Mo, did something go wrong?"

Unlike the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's questions, Electrolux's approach was much more straightforward. Once he saw them both sit up, he placed a hand on each of their heads.

It was the very spell he had previously taught Lin Mo to check Huo Yuyao's body for injuries.

In less than two seconds, he withdrew his hands.

"How is it, Elder Yi? What happened to them?"

Electrolux merely shook his head.

"There is nothing wrong with either their souls or their mental states."

As his awareness gradually cleared, Lin Mo shook his head, then looked at Huo Yuyao sitting opposite him.

Then he looked at the two watching them with concern and gave a complete account of everything he and Huo Yuyao had just seen and experienced.

"So you're saying you just encountered someone who seemed incredibly powerful, who told you that you really do have a second martial soul, but that the time hasn't come yet, and then kicked you out? And it sounds as though you entered their territory?"

"Male or female?"

"Did you get a clear look at their appearance?"

They both answered the ensuing questions by shaking their heads.

"When they appeared, we were both immobilized. Neither of us could turn around; we could only think. We couldn't really tell from the voice alone either. It was so ethereal that we couldn't distinguish whether it belonged to a man or a woman."

After hearing Lin Mo's answer, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was completely lost in a fog.

Electrolux, meanwhile, pondered beside them.

"Teacher, do you have any thoughts?"

Unfortunately, this time Electrolux could only shake his head helplessly as well.

"There are too few clues, and they're all too vague. My examination found nothing wrong with your minds or souls, so I'm even less certain how you appeared in that place just now."

"If I could examine you at the moment you're suddenly transported there, as you described, I might have some way to investigate."

Seeing that even Electrolux was at a loss, the other three could only sigh and abandon their groundless guesses.

After sighing, Huo Yuyao noticed that all three seemed dispirited and quickly waved her hands.

"But we did get some good news! Brother Xiao Mo really does have a second martial soul, and our martial soul compatibility is one hundred percent."

"Yes, that's true. And do you know what that means, Little Yao?"

Quickly shaking off his disappointment, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm pressed a finger to Huo Yuyao's cheek and spoke with a grin.

"I know! A Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"That's right, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill-and not just one. You both have two martial souls. With one hundred percent martial soul compatibility, pairing them in different combinations means you have four Martial Soul Fusion Skills."

"Four!"

"That's so many!"

Does that mean I've taken Wang Dong's place in the story? I've got four Martial Soul Fusion Skills too. Come to think of it, wasn't it said that martial souls of comparable quality also need some connection to produce a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?

No, no. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo's martial souls weren't connected ten thousand years ago, but they could still use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. So perhaps a connection isn't necessary.

Oh, whatever. Having Martial Soul Fusion Skills is definitely a good thing. Still, even I'm curious what sort of Martial Soul Fusion Skills this sword of mine and Little Yao's two martial souls could create.

"All right, look at you two. Martial Soul Fusion Skills are very difficult. You're both only Soul Grandmasters. To release one, you first need to achieve a connection between your thoughts. For now, just focus on cultivating through Martial Soul Fusion and put in some proper practice."

"The little Ice Silkworm girl is right."

Electrolux's steady voice sounded slowly. Hearing that form of address, however, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's expression stiffened slightly with displeasure.

Noticing this, Lin Mo chuckled inwardly.

Come on, Sister Tian Meng. If you were a boy, Teacher would be calling you a big bug.

"You've only just succeeded in blending your soul power. You'll at least need to complete your first Martial Soul Fusion as described in the book before you can consider the first step taken. For now, cultivate together like this for the night."

"Yes, do your best. This young lady is going back to get some proper sleep first."

"Farewell."

After those two remarks, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm zipped back into the Sea of Consciousness. Huo Yuyao looked at Electrolux with some embarrassment.

"Sorry, Elder Yi. Sister Tian Meng is just like that-he does as he pleases. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Hearing the girl suddenly apologize, Electrolux looked puzzled instead.

"There's no need for that. As I am now, I'm no great personage, merely Lin Mo's teacher. The same goes for you; you needn't treat me with such reverence."

"O-okay. Thank you, Elder Yi."

"You're welcome. Besides, that little Ice Silkworm girl is a very good teacher. At the very least, he truly makes a serious effort to teach you everything he knows. From a teacher's perspective, he deserves great respect."

"Yes, Elder Yi. I'll be sure to tell Sister Tian Meng what you said."

Huo Yuyao thanked him excitedly.

Aside from Lin Mo, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been with her the longest and helped her the most. She had long since come to regard him as both family and her benefactor, so hearing the formidable god-level expert before her praise him made her very happy.

After another brief exchange, Electrolux returned to Lin Mo's Sea of Consciousness.

Only Lin Mo and Huo Yuyao remained in the dorm room.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a while before Lin Mo finally spoke.

"Then let's cultivate. The sooner we break through, the sooner we'll get to see the Martial Soul Fusion Skills that belong to us."

"Yes, yes! I'll do my best!"

"They're really impressive. That little bug and that old man deduced quite a bit from such a tiny wisp of soul power. Luckily, my realm is far above that old man's, or they'd have stripped me bare, right down to my underwear."

A helpless sigh sounded within a stretch of empty chaos.

"I really do want this to end too. But if this continues, the entire world will be thrown into chaos. Do your best, Lin Mo. I've put so much effort into this. You can't let me down."

"That child never disappoints..."

Another, distinctly different voice suddenly sounded within the void.