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Above the dark night sky, a silver moon hung high, casting a thin silver veil over the earth, making it seem exceptionally mysterious.
Tang Chuan slowly pushed open the door, looking a bit tired and covered in dust. As he stepped into the room, he heard light and somewhat hurried footsteps.
"Are you alright?" Xiao Ruier asked, a faint worry etched on her brows. Her eyes swept over Tang Chuan, as if to confirm he wasn't injured.
Tang Chuan shook his head slightly. "I'm fine."
Xiao Ruier didn't let it go. Her tone was serious as she pressed, "Who was that person? I feel like his strength seems very powerful."
A complex light flashed in his eyes. After a moment of silence, Tang Chuan finally spoke softly. "Just an old acquaintance."
"An old acquaintance?" Xiao Ruier repeated in a low voice, her brows slightly furrowed. She looked at Tang Chuan with a half-understanding expression but didn't press further. She gently helped Tang Chuan sit down and carefully leaned beside him.
"I never thought our Spirits could actually undergo Fusion and even unleash a Spirit Fusion Skill," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of surprise and admiration.
"I remember that to use a Spirit Fusion Skill, the compatibility between the Spirit Masters' Spirits must be high enough. But we've only known each other for a short while..." Tang Chuan's expression froze for a moment, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes. He smiled. "I truly didn't expect a Dragon and grass... could actually undergo Fusion."
Xiao Ruier snorted lightly and gave him an annoyed look. "What's wrong with a Dragon and grass undergoing Fusion? Who says these two Spirits can't be compatible? Maybe our Spirits can undergo Fusion because of other reasons."
"Other reasons?" Tang Chuan was stunned for a moment. He looked at Xiao Ruier's serious and stubborn expression, a sudden jolt in his mind as if he remembered something. He thought to himself: Could it be because we exchanged parts of our memories? Or is it influenced by the Eye of Destiny?
When you're lost in thought, time always passes quickly.
Suddenly, Xiao Ruier let out a long yawn, rubbed her eyes, and said tiredly, "I'm a bit sleepy... I'm going back to my room to sleep." As she turned, Tang Chuan suddenly raised his hand, blocking her path.
"Wait a moment," he said, his tone not heavy but carrying a hint of seriousness.
Xiao Ruier stopped and looked at him in confusion. After a moment of contemplation, Tang Chuan looked into her eyes and slowly began, "Although our Spirits can undergo Fusion, it was clearly not skillful enough when we used it before. A Spirit Fusion Skill is indeed powerful, but if not controlled well, it could lead to a backlash. What do you think... should we take some time to practice?"
"Now?" Xiao Ruier tilted her head, looking at Tang Chuan and blinking, a puzzled expression on her face. "How do we practice in the room? There's no one to fight us."
Tang Chuan coughed awkwardly, then said seriously, "That's not what I meant. I was thinking... we could try to cultivate together through meditation, holding hands, feeling each other's spirit power flow, to see if we can achieve a smoother Fusion."
"What you're saying does seem to make some sense," Xiao Ruier said, slightly startled. She stared at Tang Chuan for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled, a mix of scolding and amusement. "Then let's try it. But if it doesn't have much effect, I'm really going to sleep."
A few minutes later, the lights in the room slowly went out, leaving only the moonlight from outside filtering through the curtains, faintly illuminating the room and adding a touch of tranquility and mystery to the night. The two silently went to the bed, sitting cross-legged facing each other. The bedding slightly dipped, and they were so close they could almost feel each other's breaths intertwining.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Chuan slowly extended his hand. Xiao Ruier glanced at him, then unhesitatingly placed her hand on his. Their palms met, their fingertips trembling slightly. Spirit power seemed to subtly fluctuate at this moment.
"Let's begin," Tang Chuan said in a low voice. As his words fell, they both closed their eyes and entered a state of meditation. The room was silent, with only the sound of their breathing and the gentle rustle of the wind outside the window.
As time passed, a strange energy converged in their palms, flowing slowly like a fine stream, following their meridians, intertwining and colliding. At the same time, faint golden and cyan glows flickered around their bodies.
In their combined state of cultivation, their spirit power increased rapidly. Simply put, their individual rates of improvement were equivalent to the sum of their usual cultivation rates.
That is to say, if Tang Chuan cultivated for one hour by himself, his spirit power would increase by one point. If Xiao Ruier cultivated for one hour by herself, her spirit power would increase by one point six.
So, when they cultivated together, their two types of spirit power mixed and increased. Not only did it increase the speed of spirit power circulation, but after one hour, their individual spirit power increases were both two point six.
In this way, Tang Chuan's cultivation speed was more than doubled, and Xiao Ruier also saw nearly a double increase. Undoubtedly, Tang Chuan benefited more. Because Xiao Ruier's cultivation speed was faster than his, if the gap between their cultivation levels narrowed in the future, then the benefits of cultivating together would become closer.
Spirit power slowly flowed between their palms, the fluctuating fusion acting like an invisible pull, gradually drawing their breaths and heartbeats closer. Initially, it was just fingertips touching, but gradually, it became knees touching and shoulders leaning. After an unknown amount of time, that tide-like attraction continued.
The two subconsciously yielded to this comfort, slowly drawing closer, eventually leaning against each other. As their spirit power was continuously consumed and fused, a final wave of fatigue washed over them. They simply held each other and fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed without a word, and dawn gradually broke.
At this moment, on the streets of Soto City, the night had not yet fully receded. The cool morning breeze swept through the quiet streets, gently lifting the fallen leaves from the ground. The Yu Xiaogang and Flender stood at a secluded street corner, surrounded by an eerie silence.
"Xiao Gang, you haven't found any trace of those two degenerates either?" Flender wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked at the Yu Xiaogang beside him, whose expression was solemn, and asked in a low voice.
The Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "No. Last night, Little San and I almost covered the entire western district of Soto City but found no clues whatsoever."
Flender was silent for a while, seemingly weighing his words, then his eyes flickered as he said, "Oh, right, last night when I was tracking those two degenerates, I discovered something strange."
"What is it?" The Yu Xiaogang turned to him, puzzled.
Flender lowered his voice, a hint of solemnity appearing on his face. "I received news that not long ago, something happened at the Spirit Hall branch in Soto City. The Bishop of the Soto City Spirit Hall branch, and all the Spirit Masters stationed there, are all dead.
Their deaths were extremely gruesome—all of them were turned into a pulp of flesh, as if they were brutally crushed by some powerful tool Spirit."