Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Auspicious Jade Rabbit

That night, at the Martial Soul Mimicry Training Ground.

"Are you ready?" Yan Zu looked at Xiao Wu. After two years of cultivating together, their compatibility had reached 99%. Tonight was the time to break through.

"Mm!" Xiao Wu nodded and activated her Phantom Jade Rabbit Martial Soul Possession.

Yan Zu likewise released his Qilin Martial Soul, and Little Jade became a figure of jade-colored light over three meters tall.

"Begin!"

The two moved at the same time, their Soul Power fluctuations gradually falling into sync. The Auspicious Beast Same-Heart Talismans on their chests lit up together, emitting a warm jade glow.

[Compatibility: 99%... 99.5%...]

"Xiao Wu, trust me. Let down your mental defenses completely!" Yan Zu said in a low voice.

"All right!"

In an instant, their spiritual seas connected completely.

Yan Zu saw Xiao Wu's memories-the moonlight in the Star Dou Great Forest, her mother's tenderness, the pain and anticipation of taking human form; Xiao Wu also saw Yan Zu's grand vision-the fire of civilization, a world united in harmony, and the opening of a new heaven with a mortal body.

That feeling came again.

It was stronger than ever before. Their spiritual frequencies resonated wildly amid the crisis, and the Qilin's auspicious origin and the Phantom Jade Rabbit's nimble Soul Power were like two raging rivers, meeting, colliding and merging in the void!

This time, there was no obstruction.

One hundred percent compatibility!

[Ding! The host's External Beast Martial Soul, "Auspicious Beast Qilin," and the bonded target Xiao Wu's Martial Soul, "Phantom Jade Rabbit," have reached 100% compatibility. Special fusion mode triggered!]

[Congratulations! Unlocked: Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Auspicious Jade Rabbit (beginner level)!]

[Fusion skill effect: Xiao Wu takes on the "Auspicious Jade Rabbit" form, increasing all attributes by 80% and gaining "Auspicious Domain" (all allied attributes within the domain +30%, all enemy attributes -15%).]

[Combination skill currently unlocked: Jade Rabbit Treads on Clouds (area impact + mental intimidation).]

Multicolored light burst forth, completely enveloping Xiao Wu!

Within the radiance, Little Jade merged into Xiao Wu's figure, and Xiao Wu underwent an astonishing transformation.

Her long pink hair stirred without wind, its tips taking on a lustrous jade halo; on either side of her head, a pair of antlers quietly emerged, crystal-clear and forming a charming contrast with her pair of rabbit ears. Ribbons of interwoven pink and jade light swirled around her, and behind her, a magnificent image of a Qilin's auspicious clouds overlapping with a jade rabbit's moonlit silhouette could faintly be seen.

Her presence rose steadily, an auspicious weight shining through her delicacy, like a mythical being born of moonlight and auspicious clouds.

"This feeling... it's so wonderful..." Xiao Wu, in her fused form, murmured to herself. Her voice seemed to carry overlapping echoes, retaining her own clear tone with a hint of Little Jade's childishness.

She clenched her fists, feeling the vast power surging within her, far beyond anything she had felt before, and the exceptionally clear, remarkably resilient mental connection between her and Yan Zu, who stood not far away.

Yan Zu's face was slightly pale because the Qilin had temporarily left his body, but his eyes were bright. Through their mental connection, he could clearly sense every detail of Xiao Wu's condition in her fused form and could also guide the power of the Qilin's origin. "Xiao Wu, the domain!"

"Understood!" With a thought, Xiao Wu, in her fused form, cried out, "Auspicious Domain, activate!"

A halo of pale gold mixed with the silvery radiance of moonlight spread rapidly outward from her, covering a thirty-meter radius!

Within the domain, Yan Zu immediately felt the pressure on him ease, his strength recover faster, and his Soul Power flow somewhat more smoothly.

"Next, let's try our combination skill!" Yan Zu concentrated and channeled Soul Power through Little Jade.

As though guided by inspiration, Xiao Wu, in her fused form, crouched slightly, then sprang up! Rather than simply leaping straight up and down, she used an abstruse footwork technique, touching down lightly three times in succession in midair. With each step, a jade-colored auspicious cloud bloomed beneath her foot.

The three auspicious clouds descended in a triangular formation, setting her off like an immortal spirit among the clouds.

"Jade Rabbit Treads on Clouds!"

She stamped down from midair!

"Boom-!"

A muffled yet soul-shaking report exploded within the domain! An invisible shock wave swept outward in a perfect ring from beneath her foot! Wherever it passed, the ground cracked inch by inch, and ripples visible to the naked eye spread through the air.

The multicolored light slowly receded, and Xiao Wu landed lightly.

The illusory long jade ears above her head and the ribbons of light around her gradually dispersed, and the jade color at the tips of her hair faded back to pink. Her face turned pale in an instant, and her body swayed; her Soul Power was nearly exhausted.

The streak of jade light flew out of her body and returned, somewhat dimmed, to Yan Zu's spiritual world, where it curled up and fell silent.

Yan Zu hurried forward and caught Xiao Wu as she teetered on the verge of falling. He transferred his remaining Soul Power to her to help steady her breathing. "How do you feel?"

Xiao Wu leaned against his chest. Though weak, her big eyes were astonishingly bright, full of excitement and wonder. "It was incredible... It was like Little Jade became a part of me. No, it was like we became one... And your thoughts were guiding me the whole time, Little Brother A-Zu. That feeling of our minds being connected was ten times clearer than usual!"

She caught her breath and continued, "It just takes too much out of me. I feel completely hollowed out now..."

Yan Zu gently wiped the cold sweat from her temple, admiration and tenderness in his eyes. "You performed the combination skill so perfectly on our first fusion. You've already done very well.

"That proves our bond and understanding are enough to support a fusion of this level."

He looked at the mimicry space, now calm again but in complete disarray, and a stirring of ambition rose in his heart.

The strategic value of the Auspicious Jade Rabbit fusion skill far surpassed that of an ordinary fusion skill, because of its unique mode of "external fusion, independent main body."

Imagine: while Xiao Wu took the form of the Auspicious Jade Rabbit and dominated a battlefield with her powerful domain and control abilities, he, Yan Zu, could attack with the Xuanyuan Sword in hand.

How breathtaking and powerful a tactic would that be? Of course, the demands it placed on his mental strength, his control of Soul Power, and his understanding with his partner would also reach a terrifying level.

Suddenly, Yan Zu noticed that something was wrong with Xiao Wu. Her excitement had passed, and now she seemed to be afraid of something.

"Little Brother A-Zu..." Xiao Wu's voice was as faint as a leaf in the wind, with a barely perceptible tremor. "You... you saw it, didn't you?"

Yan Zu sat cross-legged across from her, Nine Yin True Qi flowing slowly as he recovered the Soul Power he had expended.

He opened his eyes. His dark gaze no longer held its usual calm; instead, it reflected the images he had just seen-the forest beneath the moonlight, the giant Soft Bone Rabbit, pink and white all over, with eyes as clear as rubies, and Xiao Wu's cry of pain as she took human form.

"I saw it," he said softly, his voice so gentle it was as though he feared disturbing something.

"I saw the purest moonlight in the Star Dou Great Forest, and I saw a mother's resolve to protect her child with her life.

"I also saw... a little rabbit who, in order to survive and grow stronger, bravely chose to take human form and face a world full of malice toward her alone."

Xiao Wu jerked her head up, her big eyes brimming with tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall.

"You... aren't you afraid? I'm... I'm a Soul Beast, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form... My mother was what you humans call a 'Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.' She... she was killed, and her Soul Ring and Soul Bone were both taken..."

Her voice choked, and the tears finally broke through the dam.

"I took human form for revenge, and also to survive.

"I hid in your home because your Qilin Martial Soul could conceal my presence. I... I was selfish at first. I only wanted to use you..."

"I know."

Yan Zu interrupted her, not with a cold declaration, but with understanding gentleness.

He raised his hand, and an illusory image of the Auspicious Beast Same-Heart Talisman appeared in his palm. Its lustrous white runes flowed between them, giving off a warm glow.

"From the first day you were injured at the edge of the Soul Hunting Forest and my parents brought you home, from the moment I fused this Same-Heart Talisman into your body, I knew who you were."

Xiao Wu froze, a crystal-clear tear hanging from her chin.

"The Qilin is an Auspicious Beast, an auspicious totem among Soul Beasts."

Yan Zu stood, walked over to her, and slowly crouched down so they were eye to eye.

"Its closeness to you, Sister Xiao Wu, was no accident. It was the attraction of a shared origin. I know your fear, your sorrow, and the 'Mama' you cry out every night in your nightmares."

He reached out and gently wiped the tear tracks from her face.

"But more than that, I know the Xiao Wu who stood in front of a thousand-year demon wolf to save me, the Xiao Wu who gets up early every day to straighten my collar, the Xiao Wu who said she would protect me for a lifetime-she is just Xiao Wu, the person I, Yan Zu, want to protect."

"A-Zu..." Xiao Wu's voice broke.

"Listen, Xiao Wu." Yan Zu took her cold hand, the warmth of his palm passing through her skin.

"In this world, humans hunt Soul Beasts for Soul Rings, and Soul Beasts attack humans to devour their flesh and blood. That is the law of survival, but it is not the only path.

"My mother, Su Qing, uses her Green Grain Martial Soul to heal the sick and save lives; my father, Yan Hu, hunts Soul Beasts only to provide for his family and never kills indiscriminately. And I..."

His gaze grew deep, as though he could see the distant future.

"The civilization I want to build is not one where humans reign supreme, but one where all things coexist.

"Soul Beasts can have wisdom, they can have dignity, and they can live without being hunted as 'resources.' This path is difficult, but I will keep walking it. And you, Xiao Wu, are you willing to come with me? Not as a Soul Beast, nor as my 'sister,' but as... my Dao companion, the one who walks beside me?"

Xiao Wu gazed at him in a daze, at the grandeur and tenderness beyond his years in the eyes of this nine-year-old boy.

She suddenly recalled the images she had seen during their fusion-Yan Zu standing on a high platform, countless people paying homage below him, a golden longsword in his hand. Where its blade pointed, there was not conquest, but protection.

That was not power, but responsibility.

"I'm willing." Xiao Wu threw herself into his arms, her tears soaking the front of his clothes. But she smiled, smiling like a child who had finally found a home.

"I'm willing to go with you, A-Zu... No, Yan Zu. Not little brother, but Yan Zu. I want to walk with you to the very end. I want to see that world where all things coexist..."

Yan Zu gently embraced her, resting his chin on the top of her head and breathing in the faint scent of fresh grass.

"Then it's settled. Until you're ready, I'll be the only one who knows your secret. The Auspicious Beast Same-Heart Talisman will conceal your presence; even a Titled Douluo won't be able to see through it.

"When the day comes that we're strong enough, strong enough to change the rules of this world..."

"When that time comes, I'll let the whole continent know,"

Xiao Wu raised her head, tears still in her eyes, yet they shone with an unprecedented light.

"Xiao Wu, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form, is the companion Yan Zu is proudest of. Not prey, not an outcast, just... Xiao Wu."

"Just Xiao Wu," Yan Zu repeated, a smile rising at the corner of his mouth.

Outside the window, daylight gradually brightened in the Mimicry Training Ground, and the simulated dawn fell upon the two as they embraced.

The Auspicious Beast Same-Heart Talismans on their chests lit up at the same time, their radiance more brilliant than before, as though bearing witness to a vow that transcended species, life, and death.