Thinking of this, Furina spoke up: "Since you feel it's possible, why not try it now? Find a quiet place, let your Martial Souls truly resonate once, and try releasing it to see. That way, if you need it during the New Student Assessment this afternoon, you'll have some confidence in your hearts and won't be caught off guard."
Huo Yuhao thought this made sense and nodded: "Sister Furina is right; practice is the only way to true knowledge."
Wang Dong, however, was hesitant: "Now? Here?"
Huo Yuhao looked at him, his tone gentle but firm: "Yes, right now. Since everyone is here, you can help us look at the effect and offer some suggestions."
"Er..." A flash of subtle embarrassment crossed Wang Dong's face. Asking him to embrace Huo Yuhao closely in public was truly embarrassing.
After all, he was a real girl; even if dressed in men's clothing, this psychological hurdle was hard to overcome. Even if they were two boys, such intimate contact would inevitably be awkward.
Xiao Xiao fanned the flames from the side, giggling as she urged: "What are you afraid of? It's not like you'll lose a piece of meat! A Martial Soul Fusion Skill is so powerful; others would beg for it! Wang Dong, don't tell me you don't want to become stronger? Or is it that... you really have to do something super embarrassing to use the Fusion skill?"
Her large eyes sparkled with gossip.
Huo Yuhao felt helpless and had to explain: "Actually... it's not that complicated. It's just that the two of us need close contact, preferably... hugging, so our Auras can fully merge and trigger the Martial Soul Fusion."
"Pfft—hahaha!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao burst into laughter, bending over and almost tearing up. "Hug, hugging?! Two big men have to hug to use a Fusion skill? Hahaha... this, this is too funny! If this were a man and a woman, according to the storybooks, wouldn't they be fated soulmates? Hahaha..." She laughed without any decorum.
Even Furina, standing to the side, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, her eyes curving into crescents. She could especially empathize with Wang Dong's internal 'collapse'—clearly a girl, yet forced to endure such teasing because of her disguise.
Wang Dong's face turned crimson from the laughter, feeling both shy and annoyed. Finally, he steeled himself and gritted his teeth: "What are you laughing at! Let's just try it! We have to figure it out sooner or later anyway!"
Seeing that he agreed, Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate: "Then I'm coming."
Before the words had even faded, he stepped forward, reached out his arms, and gently yet firmly pulled Wang Dong into his embrace.
The moment he was held by Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong's body stiffened noticeably. Because they had just been running, Huo Yuhao brought with him a faint scent of sweat and the fresh, masculine Aura of a young man, rushing toward him. Wang Dong felt his brain go blank for a split second.
Huo Yuhao's feeling was similar to last night; Wang Dong's body was still incredibly soft, and holding him felt comfortable. But he had no time to savor it. While hugging, he immediately focused his mind, channeled his Soul Power, and quietly activated his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, light golden luster flowing in his eyes.
After a brief moment of distraction, Wang Dong also reacted and hurriedly cooperated by circulating his Soul Power. Behind him, the icy blue, gorgeous phantom of wings slowly emerged and solidified—the Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul, released.
The moment they both released their Martial Souls while embracing, a strange and wonderful feeling swept through their hearts simultaneously, completely different from the feeling of just their Soul Power merging before.
On one side was Huo Yuhao, whose eyes emitted a pale golden light, his Aura calm and steady;
On the other was Wang Dong, whose back was unfurled with dreamlike, icy blue butterfly wings, looking radiant.
The moment they embraced and released their Martial Souls, within a radius of about ten meters centered on them, the air seemed to tremble slightly. A special radiance, indescribable and mixed with pale gold and icy blue, lit up softly, enveloping them.
Immediately after, two huge light phantoms appeared faintly in the air, slowly approaching each other.
During the approach, the light phantoms began to change: Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes phantom became deeper and more restrained, turning entirely into a mysterious blue-purple, all the previously visible golden light retracted; Wang Dong's Light Goddess Butterfly phantom became increasingly dazzling, the patterns on its wings flowing with the Aura of life and light.
When the two light phantoms finally touched and overlapped—
"Hum!"
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's bodies shook violently at the same time! The fused Soul Power within their bodies erupted like a breached dam, instantly draining almost all their strength.
In the air, the Light Goddess Butterfly phantom, burning with blue-gold flames, spread its gorgeous wings, as if filled with endless attachment and tacit understanding, slowly closing in to embrace the deep blue-purple Spirit Eyes phantom.
The next moment, the Light Goddess Butterfly phantom gradually faded and dissipated, while the Spirit Eyes phantom suddenly burst into brilliant light.
Dazzling and sacred blue-gold flames erupted on the Spirit Eyes phantom. It seemed to possess life as it slowly descended, gently guarding Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, who were still tightly embracing on the ground, in the center of the light.
The huge Spirit Eyes phantom appeared incredibly deep; looking closely, it seemed to contain endless worlds and stars. Then, a terrifying yet breathtakingly beautiful three-colored beam—a mixture of blue, purple, and gold, like a dreamlike aurora—shot out from the center of the Spirit Eyes.
The beam shot straight into the depths of the forest. Wherever it passed, the air emitted a faint humming sound. The weeds, low shrubs, and even some small stones on the ground were silently reduced to the finest dust the moment they touched the light, leaving behind a straight, smooth, strange path with a faint metallic luster, like a "Golden Road" paved out of thin air!
The power of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill was immense, and the consumption was equally astonishing, especially for them, who were trying it for the first time and had not yet adapted. The double overdraft of Soul Power and mental state caused Wang Dong, who had already consumed more, to go dark before his eyes, his body falling backward limply.
Huo Yuhao's Soul Power, Physique, and mental force were far superior to Wang Dong's. Although he also felt a wave of intense weakness, he could barely hold on. He hurriedly reached out to support the fainting Wang Dong and asked anxiously: "Wang Dong! What's wrong with him?"
Furina walked up, checked Wang Dong's condition, and breathed a sigh of relief as she explained: "It's nothing, just excessive consumption from performing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill for the first time. His body and spirit couldn't adapt for a moment, so he passed out. Practice a few more times, and he'll get used to it. You didn't faint because your Physique is stronger than his, your Soul Power is deeper, and your foundation in all aspects is more solid."
Only then did Xiao Xiao recover from the shocking and beautiful scene just now. Looking at the striking and strange "Golden Road" in the forest, her eyes were full of amazement: "So... so powerful! And so beautiful! With this move, our chances of taking the champion or runner-up have increased!"
She turned to Huo Yuhao excitedly, "Have you named this Fusion skill yet? Wang Dong has fainted, why don't you think of one on his behalf first?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the path and mused: "Hmm... how about calling it 'Wither in the Brilliance? Golden Road', what do you think?"
Xiao Xiao and Furina heard this and simultaneously showed subtle expressions.
Furina even secretly slapped her forehead, recalling the long and chuunibyou names from the original work, such as Huo Yuhao's 'Blazing in the Extreme Cold? Heavenly Emperor Hammer', 'Truth in the Void? Soul Storm','Solo Dance in the Frost? Light's Neon Costume'... Sure enough, aesthetics were sometimes hard to change.
Xiao Xiao expressed her opinion directly: "It's... it's too long, isn't it? And a bit of a mouthful."
Furina also nodded in agreement and suggested: "It's better to be concise. In my opinion, just calling it Golden Road is fine; it's intuitive and has Aura. The modifier in front... can be omitted."
Xiao Xiao immediately expressed agreement: "Yes! Just call it 'Golden Road', simple and direct, how good! Why make it so complicated?"
Seeing that both companions were so insistent, Huo Yuhao followed their advice and nodded, smiling a little embarrassedly: "Alright, then I'll listen to you both and call it Golden Road. When Wang Dong wakes up, I'll tell him."
"Yes, it's settled then." Xiao Xiao said happily.
Afterwards, Huo Yuhao carried the still unconscious Wang Dong on his back and sent him back to the dormitory to rest.
After settling Wang Dong down, he found Furina, who was alone, and told her everything about the detailed situation during the Martial Soul Fusion process last night, especially the process of Electrolux detecting and expelling the foreign Divine Sense, as well as the manifestation of the God of Destruction's divine seal.
After hearing this, the last bit of worry in Furina's heart was put to rest. She affirmed Huo Yuhao's judgment and handling of the situation, and urged him not to worry too much about any potential small moves by Tang San; with Electrolux there, the mental level was safe enough.
At the same time, she also encouraged Huo Yuhao, while learning Necromancy from Electrolux, to consult this knowledgeable teacher to see if it was possible to research some more cutting-edge topics, such as... the possibility of artificial spirit ring.
The sunset glow sprinkled on the roads of Shrek Academy, stretching their shadows. The prelude to the New Student Assessment was about to begin, and they already possessed more confidence and chips to face the future.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"