Gu Yue was the Silver Dragon King—if she couldn't use something like this, that would be the real problem.
"Indeed, if it were the old me watching this scene, I would probably be tempted to recruit Gu Yue myself… maybe even take her in as a disciple." Qian Gu Bu Bai nodded thoughtfully.
"What, you haven't heard? Gu Yue has already joined the Spirit Pagoda." Nan Fusheng raised a brow.
"No. From what I can tell, Gu Yue has most likely already acknowledged Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu as her teacher. At least here in Tianhai City, I haven't seen a shred of official news about her entering the Spirit Pagoda. It should be that Leng Yaozhu used her authority to lock down the information." Qian Gu Bu Bai analyzed carefully.
Nan Fusheng nodded slightly and didn't press further. Instead, his gaze returned to the arena.
The Heart of Elements was indeed a key distinction in the strength of elemental martial souls. But—if you summoned too many elements through the Heart of Elements yet failed to control them, the backlash could be catastrophic.
That's why spirit masters with elemental martial souls required the highest standards of spiritual power. They had to keep a tight rein on their strength at all times. Otherwise, a single mistake could result in being devoured by their own element.
And Gu Yue's outward appearance looked far too young and tender. A girl of about ten years old—how high could her spiritual power possibly be?
Normally, a spirit master who comprehended the Heart of Elements would immediately cut off its influence once they felt the absorbed elements were nearing their control limit—to avoid backlash. But Gu Yue was only ten years old. Would the Zhou sisters dare to gamble?
Zhou Hanyou and Zhou Tian'er, still children themselves, felt their hearts race in panic at the thought of a potentially life-threatening outburst. Almost instinctively, they made their choice.
"Quick, attack!" Zhou Hanyou reacted first. They knew better than anyone what the Heart of Elements meant, and therefore, how terrifying its eruption could be.
Once control was lost, everyone on the arena stage could be dragged into disaster. Who could guarantee how much control this little girl, Gu Yue, truly had?
Zhou Hanyou reached out her right hand toward her younger sister, Zhou Tian'er, who extended her left. Their palms met—and instantly, their auras shifted.
Behind Zhou Hanyou, a mass of blue light flared. Behind Zhou Tian'er, a green glow rose up. The two silhouettes overlapped and embraced as one, and in that instant, the sisters' aura surged skyward, exploding with astonishing force.
"They really do have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. If nothing unexpected happens, the championship of this Tianhai Alliance Youth Tournament, three-man team division, will almost certainly belong to them.
With power like this, unless Tang Wulin and Gu Yue themselves can unleash a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they stand no chance against those two sisters.
Well, what do you say, Ontological One? Interested in making them part of your people as well?" Qian Gu Bu Bai asked Nan Fusheng.
"Not for now. My Worms of Time are burning through too much energy—I've already parasitized over thirty. I still have to go to Donghai City and take control of the Spirit Pagoda branch there.
Besides, I need to craft a few more special clones, plus work on fusing the Chimera soul beast. I don't have the energy to parasitize a Spirit Elder and a Great Spirit Master, even if they do have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill." Nan Fusheng shook his head.
Qian Gu Bu Bai chuckled. "Fair enough. I was only half-serious anyway. Besides, your clones can't all be men, right?"
Nan Fusheng: "?? You've got problems."
But the battle in the arena wasn't about to wait for their banter. With the Zhou sisters unleashing their Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Forest of Ice and Snow—the temperature across the entire stage plummeted.
Their bodies turned crystalline, translucent like living sculptures. In that moment, they looked less like girls and more like elves, radiant with their own brilliance.
Blue and green light interwove and spread, blanketing the entire stage in a heavy frost.
The growth of Gu Yue's Twin Dragon Tornado of Wind and Fire suddenly slowed because the wind and fire elements on the stage had been almost instantly purged.
The next moment, a brilliant white light erupted from before Gu Yue. Out of it grew a massive tree, glowing with an ethereal white light, its trunk a crystalline blue. It looked as though it were formed of pure ice, yet it radiated overwhelming vitality.
It rose directly where the Wind-and-Fire Dragon Tornado had been, crashing against it in a violent elemental storm. Branches and leaves shattered into icy fragments, while the tornado itself disintegrated into nothing.
From afar, Wang Dongqi, who had been fighting Xie Xie, turned pale at the sight. She immediately pivoted and bolted off the stage with all her might. She knew better than anyone just how dangerous the Zhou sisters' Fusion Skill was.
As she fled, she shouted back to Xie Xie: "Run!"
Xie Xie felt the same dread and dashed after her without hesitation.
With the Zhou sisters' cultivation, they could just barely unleash this Fusion Skill—but controlling it? They weren't nearly there yet. And that was the real reason Wang Dongqi chose to flee.
The Twin Dragon Tornado was shattered. Gu Yue's face went pale. From a distance, the referee bellowed: "Stop!"
But it was far too late.
Bang! Bang! On the viewing platform, the glass of Box Seven exploded, and a white figure shot forth like a great bird, diving toward the arena.
From Box One, two figures followed suit, streaking toward the stage as well.
"Oh? That's Wu Zhangkong. And the other two must be from Hai Lu Academy, right?"
Nan Fusheng watched calmly, his Lingyuan-level spiritual perception easily tracking their movements. And he knew—they were already too late.
On the stage, the Fusion Skill—Forest of Ice and Snow—rushed toward Gu Yue. At the critical moment, Tang Wulin threw himself in front of her, shielding her with his own body. His flesh was pierced again and again, riddled with gaping wounds.
"No!" Gu Yue's cry tore from her throat, raw and inhuman. She clutched Tang Wulin tightly, silver light bursting from her body. At the instant when blood sprayed, the two of them vanished from the onslaught.
More figures crashed down onto the stage. Ice-crystal trees erupted skyward, one after another. The first two were massive, towering pillars of ice and snow, while the latter ones dwindled in size. But the air remained bitterly cold, nearly uninhabitable.
Down below the stage—
A flash of silver light, and Gu Yue appeared, cradling Tang Wulin in her arms. His body was riddled with ghastly holes, most concentrated in his upper torso and right thigh. For an ordinary person, these were fatal injuries.
Gu Yue bit down hard, her eyes fierce. She hugged Tang Wulin to her chest, and in the next breath, her body blazed with a dazzling golden radiance.
The light erupted into a cocoon of pure gold, enclosing the two of them, shielding them from view.
"Oh ho, Ontological One… looks like you won't be stealing this one. After going through life and death together like this, their relationship is bound to deepen dramatically."
Qian Gu Bu Bai cackled. With his knowledge as a Title Douluo, how could he not understand the scene before him?
Gu Yue had chosen to burn away her own life force, fusing it with her control over the light element, to release—
The Light of Life's Healing.