Spiritual Fusion???

Then the Ice Empress continued.

"What allows the two of them to trigger Martial Soul Fusion isn't just their martial souls, but their spiritual power and part of their souls."

Electrolux nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait. I think my head's spinning again. What exactly does that mean?"

"Some time ago, I examined their spiritual power and souls. That was when I noticed that their spiritual power actually shared similarities, or even overlapped, on certain levels. At first, I couldn't be sure of it. Only after learning more about this world and its system did I realize how unusual that similarity was."

"But what about their souls?"

"That is strange as well. Their souls naturally bear no resemblance to each other, yet they resonate. It is an innate property."

After saying this, Electrolux paused, then added,

"There are only two possible reasons for this. The first is that it occurred naturally, in which case they were lucky to meet each other. The second is that someone of a higher order intervened and placed an attachment on their souls."

"A-a higher order?"

"I... used my divine sense to reach toward this world's Divine Realm, and through that, I learned about its deities."

In truth, Electrolux had never done anything of the sort. Nor could he have accomplished it with his damaged divine sense.

Everything he was about to say had actually come from Lin Mo. But to avoid revealing why Lin Mo knew these things, and thereby exposing the fact that Lin Mo was not from this world, Electrolux chose to conceal it.

"The gods of this world also differ in strength. From lowest to highest, they are divine officers, Third-Level Gods, Second-Level Gods, and First-Level Gods. First-Level Gods are also called principal gods. Above them are Divine Kings. This world has five Divine Kings: Kindness, Evil, Destruction, Life, and Asura."

The two soul beasts were somewhat bewildered by the first part, but their eyes instantly widened when they heard the final name, Asura.

"W-wait, Elder Yi. Do you mean the Asura God?"

"Correct. Tang San, who ascended to become the Asura God ten thousand years ago in your world, is now the Asura God King."

"Elder Yi, at your peak, which level do you think you would have stood at?"

The Ice Empress posed the question that had been burning in her mind.

"Well, probably only above a Second-Level God. However, I don't know how powerful this world's deities actually are, so I can't guarantee that."

The two soul beasts exchanged a glance without saying anything, their hearts filled with astonishment.

In their eyes, Elder Yi was already practically omnipotent. Yet he said that even at his peak, he would probably only rank above a Second-Level God. They dared not imagine how terrifying a First-Level God, or even a Divine King, would be.

"Ah, if only we were lucky-no, if only Little Yao were lucky. Even receiving the favor of a Third-Level God or a divine officer would do."

"With Little Yao's talent, she certainly can."

"Indeed. Although I have remained inside Little Mo's Sea of Consciousness and never gone out to truly learn about this world's geniuses, in my eyes, if these two children have no chance of becoming gods, then no one else does."

"If they truly fail, we can only accept fate. Or perhaps the Divine Realm and the Douluo Plane have already lost their connection."

The three talked for a while longer, though it was mostly the two soul beasts asking about what had happened and how to handle things next.

Time ticked by, and suddenly, a figure appeared in each of the two Seas of Consciousness.

"Little Mo."

"Little Yao."

Both sides called out the names of the new arrivals at the same time.

"Teacher, we succeeded! Huh? What's this?"

"This is wonderful! Sister Tian Meng, Sister Ice Empress, Brother Xiao Mo and I really succeeded! We'll really be able to have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill someday!"

Lin Mo was the first to notice the door, as well as the three people beyond it who should not have been there.

The girl on the other side also sensed the quiet atmosphere and heard that familiar voice, then turned toward the door.

"Huh? Brother Xiao Mo, why are you in my Sea of Consciousness? And Elder Yi, too? Wait, what is this door?"

And so, Elder Yi spent the next while explaining the situation to the two of them all over again.

"So that's how it is. If that's the case, does it mean Brother Xiao Mo and I are destined to be together?"

The two soul beasts' eyes widened slightly at those words.

They wondered whether spending so much time with Huo Yuyao had made them react emotionally before anything else whenever something happened.

"How bold, Little Yao."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm recovered first and could not help teasing her.

Huo Yuyao then caught on as well. Blushing, she waved her hands and said to Lin Mo,

"No, no, Brother Xiao Mo! I-I meant that we can always stay together, that's all... oh, honestly!"

As the girl blushed and kept explaining, one of the two soul beasts waved a hand with a helpless, wry smile, while the other planted hands on hips and looked aside.

Even Electrolux folded his arms across his chest and turned his head slightly, avoiding his foolish disciple's puzzled gaze.

"Of course we'll always be together, Little Yao. What's wrong?"

Lin Mo had not thought much of it. When she said those words, no other meaning had occurred to him. He simply felt that it was perfectly normal. After all, they were each other's only family.

But seeing Lin Mo's reaction, the three onlookers helplessly pressed their fingers to their foreheads and sighed.

Even Electrolux shook his head.

Huo Yuyao, on the other hand, seemed relieved and nodded repeatedly.

"Oh, right. If our Seas of Consciousness are connected, does that mean we can go into each other's?"

Lin Mo's question broke the atmosphere.

"We really haven't tried that."

Seeing that none of them had tried it, Lin Mo gave it little thought and walked straight toward the door.

First, he extended a finger and touched the mirrorlike image.

It felt cool to the touch, just like a real pane of glass. Then he pressed slightly with his palm, and his whole hand seemed to sink inside.

Faint ripples spread across the image, centered on his palm.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Huo Yuyao and the two soul beasts clearly saw a hand slowly emerging through the surface of the door.

Then came the entire arm, followed by part of a lower leg, and finally...

"Wow! Brother Xiao Mo, you really came over!"

Looking at his own body, which had successfully crossed from one Sea of Consciousness into another, he found the sensation utterly incredible.

"This truly is incredible."

The speaker was neither one of the three watching nor Lin Mo, but Electrolux, who had followed close behind him.

The moment Lin Mo reached out to touch the door, Electrolux had summoned his Undead Staff. Once he saw Lin Mo cross successfully, he immediately followed.

Everyone expressed their amazement at the astonishing sight. Afterward, the two returned to their original Sea of Consciousness.

They had discovered that passing through the door was not without cost. It consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power. After just one round trip, Lin Mo felt that nearly a third of his spiritual power was gone.

Since there was no particular need to touch the others while talking to them, he figured they might as well speak through the door. Or, for that matter, they could simply talk in the real world rather than in their Seas of Consciousness.

"Speaking of which, this session of Martial Soul Fusion cultivation-no, in your case, it should be called spiritual fusion-must have raised your soul power levels considerably."

At Electrolux's words, both reported their current soul power levels.

"Yes, Elder Yi. My soul power level is currently twenty-seven."

"Teacher, my soul power level is twenty-eight."

"Good. Now that you have fully mastered the Spiritual Fusion Cultivation Method, you can try combining it with the Sun and Moon Cultivation Method. Put simply, when you cultivate together, draw the power of the sun and moon into yourselves at the same time, turning your original individual circulation cycles into one shared loop."

"Yes."

Electrolux had explained it very clearly this time. Besides, they already knew both cultivation methods inside out, so even this brief explanation was enough for them to grasp the general idea.

"Wonderful! At your current cultivation, you'll probably reach level thirty in just a few months."

"I have another idea about that."

Just as the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke excitedly, Electrolux interrupted him.

"I hope you won't rush to reach level thirty. Or, to put it another way, I don't want you rushing to obtain your third soul rings."

Everyone looked at Electrolux in confusion, but a single glance was enough for Lin Mo to understand his teacher's intentions.

"You want us to improve the quality of our compressed soul power before breaking through level thirty?"

Electrolux looked at his foolish disciple, who was not quite so foolish after all, and nodded in satisfaction.

"You now possess three cultivation methods: the Sun and Moon Cultivation Method, the Soul Power Compression Cultivation Method, and the Spiritual Fusion Cultivation Method. At first glance, it seems you cannot practice all three together, but ultimately, each works in a different direction."

As Electrolux spoke, he looked at the two of them.

"I will take care of modifying the Soul Power Compression Method so that it can work alongside the other two methods. But during your normal cultivation, you must not forget to keep compressing your soul power."

"Teacher, do you want us to turn our soul power from its original gaseous state into a liquid state at level thirty, before breaking through in total soul power?"

Electrolux nodded.

"Exactly. As for why, you probably already have a rough idea, so I won't elaborate here. In short, I don't think you need to rush to raise your strength as far as possible right now. You can prioritize consolidating your foundations, especially you, Little Yao."

"M-me?"

Huo Yuyao had not expected Electrolux to single her out.

"Yes. There is actually a significant difference between your soul power and Little Mo's."

"Although each of Little Mo's breakthroughs differs from those of ordinary people, the increase in his total soul power remains within the normal range. You are different. Your first soul ring came from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and your second from the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. We can set the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm aside for now, since he provides you with spiritual power. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, however, is different. She gives you an enormous amount of soul power. Compared to Little Mo, you need more time to consolidate its quality."

"So that's how it is?"

Huo Yuyao spoke in disbelief, but upon careful thought, he was not wrong. Although her Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion soul ring was a soul spirit, it was still like stuffing a stone inside an egg.

"That is why I hope you will spend six months, or even eight, continuously improving the circulation and quality of your soul power."

"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."

"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Elder Yi."

The two soul beasts could barely get a word in from the sidelines. They actually understood everything he was saying, but asking them to explain it all themselves was beyond them.

After exchanging a few more words, they closed the door with their spiritual power.

"Teacher, do you want us to condense soul cores early?"

Walking ahead, Electrolux did not turn around. He simply nodded calmly.

"Then, Teacher, at roughly what level do you think we'll obtain our first soul cores?"

That question seemed to genuinely stump Electrolux. Rather than continuing forward, he stopped.

"Little Mo, that is something you should ask yourselves. Everyone's constitution is different, after all. Although your soul power level is close to Little Yao's, her soul power is nowhere near as pure as yours. If that were the only comparison, you would certainly be faster. But that child seems to have very fortunate opportunities, so I cannot say for certain."

"Level fifty," Electrolux said after thinking for a while, ultimately offering his own answer.

"I estimate that Little Yao will condense her first soul core at level fifty, when she breaks through to Soul King."

Lin Mo grew puzzled at these words, and Electrolux noticed his confusion.

"You're wondering why I didn't give an estimate for you?"

"Yes."

"Because I cannot predict it. From what I understand, the most important part of condensing a soul core is gathering and compressing the origin power of your martial soul. But Little Mo, don't forget that your martial soul remains a mystery even now."

Electrolux's words brought him to a realization.

"Your second martial soul has yet to awaken, and your first martial soul is still one that has not evolved. By this world's logic, you have not even fully mastered your own martial soul's origin power. It would be difficult for you to awaken your first soul core."

Electrolux's words plunged Lin Mo into a brief silence.

"If your martial soul evolves early, at level fifty, then you can condense a soul core at level fifty. If it evolves at level sixty, then you can condense a soul core at level sixty."

"I understand, Teacher."

Electrolux nodded, then waved a hand and vanished from the Sea of Consciousness, returning to his divine sense fragment.