"Smooth at the beginning, sudden conflict and backlash later..."
She muttered to herself, lightly tapping her fingers on the table. "It doesn't sound like a simple case of incompatible soul power attributes or insufficient control."
"In such cases, the fusion process would have been extremely difficult from the start, not lasting until the form was nearly complete."
She raised her eyes, looking intently at Dai Chengfeng, this time without any evasion. "Dai Chengfeng, tell me honestly—your martial soul..."
"Or rather, your power—has there been any unusual change recently?"
"Has it merged with something... extraordinarily special, perhaps even possessing strong self-will or extreme attributes?"
Dai Chengfeng's heart jolted sharply!
The Rakshasa divine power!
That primordial divine power attracted by the Asura force, completely beyond his control!
Seeing the subtle change in his expression, Liu Erlong had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.
She sighed, her tone becoming somewhat complex. "The reason the three-soul fusion technique is so difficult isn't just because it requires three martial souls to be extremely compatible. It also demands that the minds, purity of soul power, and even the essence of energy among the three must be highly harmonized, without a trace of 'impurity' or 'discord.'"
"Your situation sounds very much like a... tremendously powerful and exclusive 'essence' has been integrated deep within your power."
"This kind of primordial power might be suppressed under normal circumstances, but during a spirit fusion process that requires complete openness of body and mind and deep integration of soul power with others, it gets triggered."
"It perceives this deep fusion as an 'invasion' or 'contamination,' instinctively resisting and counterattacking fiercely."
"It aims to preserve the 'purity' of your own power—or rather, to maintain its absolute dominance."
"And this repulsion targets not just your partner Zhu Zhuqing, but any outsider attempting to deeply fuse with your power."
Liu Erlong's words were like a key, instantly clearing the fog in Dai Chengfeng's mind!
So that's how it is!
The root cause lies within me!
The invasion of Rakshasa divine power has been subtly altering the essence of my power, making it more aggressive, exclusive, and destructive.
Yet the Netherworld White Tiger requires absolute trust and complete, unreserved fusion.
The 'impurity' and 'exclusivity' of my soul power are precisely the greatest 'poison' to this fusion!
Realizing this, Dai Chengfeng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Liu Erlong truly lives up to her reputation—she excels in everything except romance!
After all, if Liu Erlong hadn't pointed this out, he might have wasted time going in the wrong direction, or even tried again, leading to even more severe backlash.
"Thank you, Senior, for enlightening me!"
Dai Chengfeng bowed sincerely. "If not for your keen insight and understanding of the crux, I would have continued to struggle in vain, or even gone astray."
Seeing his sincere and grateful gaze and upright figure, the discomfort Liu Erlong had just suppressed quietly resurfaced.
She turned her face slightly, avoiding his overly bright gaze, and spoke in as calm a tone as possible:
"It's nothing; I'm glad I could help."
"And stop calling me Senior... always teasing me..."
"But this problem... is hard to solve. Unless you can fully control or purify that exclusive primordial power, otherwise... your path to mastering spirit fusion techniques will be exceedingly difficult."
By the end, her voice carried an almost imperceptible trace of regret and... concern.
"I understand."
Dai Chengfeng took a deep breath, a thoughtful glint flashing in his eyes. "I know what to do. Thank you again, Senior... thank you, Erlong."
The main matter seemed to be settled, and the atmosphere in the room became delicate and quiet once more.
The two fell silent, an invisible tension spreading through the air.
Dai Chengfeng gazed at the fluttering lashes on Liu Erlong's profile under the lamplight and the blush that had risen again, recalling her professional analysis earlier and her rare shyness now. His heart couldn't help but stir slightly.
Seeing his deep gaze fixed on her, Liu Erlong felt even more uncomfortable. She quickly cleared her throat and forcibly steered the conversation back on track:
"Since we've found the root cause, talking more won't help. Ultimately, it comes down to practice."
"Everything... depends on you alone!"
Liu Erlong shook her head. "Never mind, let's stop here. Let's continue the lesson. Sit down."
Dai Chengfeng nodded and sat cross-legged as instructed. Liu Erlong sat opposite him, extending her slender hand, her fingertips trembling slightly as she touched Dai Chengfeng's palm.
This time, however, she remembered the lessons from previous attempts and didn't forcefully infuse her soul power as before. Instead, she carefully controlled her soul power to be extremely gentle and subtle, like a trickling stream, slowly entering Dai Chengfeng's meridians for the most basic guidance and resonance.
The two soul powers made contact again.
And this time, Dai Chengfeng deliberately suppressed the Rakshasa divine power, greatly reducing its aggressiveness and making it much "gentler."
Coupled with Liu Erlong's meticulously controlled flow of soul power, which was as cautious as walking on thin ice, they minimized stimulation and conflict as much as possible.
The soul power began to slowly merge and circulate, following specific meridian pathways, attempting to build an initial, simple cycle.
The process seemed much smoother.
However, this "smoothness" did not bring Liu Erlong any ease.
Even the autonomous flow of Rakshasa divine power caused a... indescribable tingling, warm sensation within Liu Erlong's body.
It was as if a warm current wasn't just flowing through the meridians but quietly permeating into every limb and bone—even...
Stirring her heartstrings.
"Here we go again..."
Liu Erlong lamented inwardly. She could clearly feel that her soul power seemed to have a will of its own.
It greedily absorbed the energy fluctuations filled with decadent vibes transmitted from Dai Chengfeng.
Every bit of fusion made her heartbeat skip, causing her breathing to quicken involuntarily.
Her cheeks began to heat uncontrollably, the originally fair skin flushing with an enchanting red that rapidly spread to her ears and neck.
She could even feel her fingertips trembling slightly, and the small patch of skin in contact with Dai Chengfeng's palm was astonishingly hot.
She tried to focus her mind on guiding the soul power itself, but her thoughts kept drifting involuntarily.
Images of his focused and wise gaze while analyzing the problem earlier flashed through her mind, followed by visions of his upright figure and sincere eyes when thanking her—and even... the earlier scene where he stood protectively in front of her against Yu Xiaogang.
"Calm down! Liu Erlong, what are you thinking about!"
She silently scolded herself, but to little avail.
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