Inside the Black World, everyone at Shrek Academy was left in stunned silence.
The Grand Elder's laughter echoed across the heavenly screen, accompanied by Yu Xiaogang's absent-minded murmurs.
"A Martial Soul Possession..."
"...is equivalent to a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"A Martial Soul Possession..."
"...is equivalent to a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
The words repeated endlessly in everyone's minds.
Yu Xiaogang himself also possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
However, unlike the Yu Xiaogang from the parallel world, his was a conventional three-person fusion.
Using Luo Sanpao as the core, he combined his power with Flender's and Liu Erlong's, allowing Luo Sanpao to temporarily evolve into the Golden Holy Dragon.
Its strength was extraordinary.
Back when Yu Xiaogang was only Level 29 and Flender and Liu Erlong were merely Spirit Emperors, the Golden Holy Dragon had already been powerful enough to contend with a Spirit Douluo.
Precisely because he had personally experienced the overwhelming power of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill...
Yu Xiaogang found the scene before him almost impossible to accept.
Why?
Why could the Yu Xiaogang from the parallel world perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill entirely on his own?
He had always needed Flender and Liu Erlong.
Yet that version of himself required no one's help.
How unfair...
Yu Xiaogang stared at the heavenly screen, jealousy and resentment filling his eyes.
Only he knew how much those moments of fusion had meant to him.
Whenever the Golden Holy Dragon appeared...
He could finally experience true power.
But once the fusion ended...
An unbearable emptiness always followed.
He longed for that strength to remain with him forever.
Unfortunately...
That power had never truly belonged to him.
He was merely borrowing it.
More than once, he had fantasized about possessing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill that required no one else.
If such a thing were possible...
He couldn't even imagine how happy he would be.
Now...
It had become reality.
But not for him.
Instead...
It belonged to the Yu Xiaogang of another world.
The dream he had never dared hope for...
Someone else enjoyed every single day.
---
Everyone around him exchanged helpless glances.
No one knew what to say.
A one-person Martial Soul Fusion Skill...
It completely shattered their understanding of martial souls.
Oscar swallowed nervously.
"If the Grandmaster from the parallel world can already perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill by himself..."
"What will happen once he reaches the Titled Douluo realm?"
"Just how terrifying will he become?"
A chill ran down his spine.
Ma Hongjun suddenly looked toward Flender.
"Dean..."
"Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo from Spirit Hall also possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"Do you know how powerful their fusion technique is?"
Flender didn't answer.
He simply stared blankly at the heavenly screen.
"Dean?"
Ma Hongjun called again.
Only then did Flender snap back to reality.
He glanced at Yu Xiaogang before letting out a slow breath.
At that moment...
A realization struck him.
He, Yu Xiaogang, and Liu Erlong had always understood how their Martial Soul Fusion Skill worked.
He and Liu Erlong merely supplied power.
The true core of the fusion had always been Luo Sanpao.
That was why every fusion had to be led by Yu Xiaogang.
Now...
After hearing the explanation from the parallel world's Yu Xiaogang...
Flender understood even more clearly.
He and Liu Erlong weren't actually creating the Golden Holy Dragon.
They were simply restoring Luo Sanpao's missing origin, allowing it to temporarily reveal its true form.
That...
Was the essence of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Which raised a troubling question.
If the Yu Xiaogang of the parallel world had already restored Luo Sanpao's origin...
Would he still need Flender and Liu Erlong?
Flender already knew the answer.
No.
Then another question naturally followed.
Would the three of them in the parallel world still become inseparable friends?
Again...
The answer was obvious.
Impossible.
Back then, when Flender first met Yu Xiaogang...
Yu Xiaogang had already left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
He had been abandoned.
Ignored.
Rejected by everyone.
Only after discovering their shared Martial Soul Fusion Skill had the three gradually become close friends.
Their bond had been built through countless battles fought together.
Without that connection...
Their relationship would never have reached its current depth.
Moreover...
The Yu Xiaogang from the parallel world wasn't a discarded genius.
He had a Spirit Douluo personally protecting him.
His talent was astonishing.
Flender recalled that when they first met, they were only in their twenties.
At that time...
Yu Xiaogang had barely reached Level 20.
Meanwhile, both he and Liu Erlong had already become Spirit Kings around Level 50.
But the Yu Xiaogang from the parallel world...
By the time he reached his twenties...
He would probably already be a Spirit Emperor.
Perhaps even a Spirit Saint.
Would someone like that ever travel alongside Flender and Liu Erlong?
Flender slowly shook his head.
His expression became somewhat lonely.
"I suppose..."
"That future is gone."
"I was hoping the parallel world's Xiaogang might discover some shortcut to cultivation."
"Maybe I could learn something from him and reach Spirit Douluo sooner."
"What a pity."
He sighed softly.
After all...
That was merely another world.
It had nothing to do with his own destiny.
---
Flender merely felt disappointed.
But elsewhere...
The final member of the Golden Triangle had completely lost her composure.
---
Heaven Dou City
Lanba Academy
Dean's Residence
Crash!
A porcelain teacup shattered against the floor.
"Why?!"
"Why does that damned Bibi Dong get everything?"
"Why don't I get anything?!"
The beautiful woman standing in the room wore only a simple dress.
Despite her plain clothing, her breathtaking beauty couldn't be concealed.
Her eyes blazed with anger.
Her chest rose and fell violently as she struggled to suppress her emotions.
She was Liu Erlong...
The Slaughtering Horn of the Golden Triangle.
Everything Flender had realized...
She had realized as well.
At first...
She hadn't cared much about the heavenly screen.
Watching another person's life held little appeal for her.
She preferred living her own.
But as the story unfolded...
Especially every interaction between Yu Xiaogang and Bibi Dong...
The rage inside her continued to grow.
That bitch...
She cursed silently.
Yet beneath that anger...
Another emotion slowly emerged.
Envy.
The Bibi Dong of the parallel world possessed so many beautiful memories.
Liu Erlong couldn't help but long for the same.
Her own life had been filled with disappointment.
If...
Even if only in another world...
She could see another version of herself find happiness...
Perhaps that alone would have brought her some comfort.
So she waited.
Patiently.
Hopefully.
For her own appearance.
But then...
A cruel realization struck her.
Without the Martial Soul Fusion Skill connecting them...
Perhaps the parallel world's Liu Erlong wasn't important to Yu Xiaogang at all.
Perhaps...
She was no different from those background characters whose names were mentioned only once before disappearing forever.
Just like Ye Hengchuan's daughter...
A person who existed only in passing.
Someone who never truly entered the story.
Liu Erlong clenched her fists tightly.
"So..."
"What exactly have I been waiting for?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)