"Haha, back then, it was only because that little girl Wutong was being mischievous that I had no choice but to interfere. It won't happen again in the future."
Tang San laughed heartily, speaking in a gentle tone.
"That's for the best…"
The Goddess of Kindness gave Tang San a faint, indifferent glance, then exchanged looks with the God of Evil. The two of them turned and left together.
A few minutes later—
Once Tang San could no longer sense the presence of the two, the warmth on his face gradually twisted into a hideous expression.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"Their strength is formidable, and they've existed in the God Realm for an incredibly long time, enjoying extremely high status. Even with my current power, it's difficult to contend with them."
"Otherwise… Hmph!"
Tang San let out an irritable snort, then turned his gaze toward the lower realms—
—but could only leave helplessly.
The fact that Kindness and Evil had openly warned him meant they had their eyes on him now. This was no longer like before, when, for the sake of a wager, they would sneak down to the mortal world to seek successors.
For now, he didn't have a single opening…
Time flew by.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
The Shrek Outer Court was buzzing with excitement.
Tomorrow was the long-awaited Freshman Assessment, an event that had every student's blood boiling. Once the assessment was over, all grade levels would be reorganized into new classes.
It was the perfect chance to show one's strength. If the academy took notice, one's name would appear on the Core Disciple roster—bringing with it resources many times richer than before.
Of course, some were nervous about being eliminated. Those who failed would have to return to the intermediate academies they came from, where resources and connections were worlds apart from what Shrek offered.
"In our class, there are ninety students total. You'll be split into groups of three, making exactly thirty teams. For fairness, each team can have no more than one assault-type soul master."
Neuvillette turned around, sweeping his gaze over the young, earnest faces before him, and spoke calmly.
The students who had been expelled by Zhou Yi—except for one who had truly violated Shrek's rules—had all been brought back.
As a result, in this new Class One, even though the students felt Neuvillette always carried a cool, distant air, they respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
After all, he had given them a second chance…
"So, that's the notice for tomorrow's assessment. If you have questions, you can come find me after class."
"For now—class dismissed."
In the office—
The three little ones stood before Neuvillette, looking rather excited.
"Teacher Neuvillette, we've been improving so quickly! Under your special training, we can already hold out for a full three seconds. Shouldn't you praise us a little?"
Wang Dong grinned cheekily.
"And tomorrow's the freshman assessment. You want our class to shine and crush the other classes, right?"
As she spoke, she sidled behind Neuvillette, reaching her fair, delicate hands to lightly massage his shoulders.
"Heh… just say it—what do you three want from me?"
Neuvillette raised his head, his eyes sweeping over the trio: the slightly nervous Xiao Xiao, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, and the lovely Huo Yutong, whose cheeks were tinged with red. He smiled faintly.
"Could you… maybe give us something nice…?"
"Scram!"
Before Wang Dong could finish, Neuvillette reached out and lightly knocked her on the head.
"What do you think I am, a wishing stone?"
"Hehehe…"
Wang Dong rubbed her head, feigning pain, but still laughing.
For some reason, in front of this teacher who was less than six years older than her, she felt no sense of distance—only a natural closeness, an urge to draw nearer.
The gentle affinity of water seemed to overlap with a towering figure in her memories.
She had grown up without "parents," raised under the care of her uncles from the Clear Sky Sect—but it had been hard to find this feeling there.
"However…"
Neuvillette tapped the end of his staff lightly, pondering for a moment.
"The two of you—try holding hands, circulate your soul power, and sense each other's martial souls."
"Huh?"
Wang Dong blinked in confusion.
"Teacher Neuvillette, why?"
"Just try it."
Neuvillette's face remained calm as he signaled to Huo Yutong to do as he said.
"Ah?"
The young girl looked equally surprised, but the two still clasped hands tightly, following his instructions and channeling their soul power.
For a while, nothing seemed to happen.
Neuvillette pressed his lips together. "Embrace while trying it."
"Ah?" ×3
Now, even Xiao Xiao's face turned red. Weren't they here to get some backup for the assessment? How did it turn into this?
"This…"
Huo Yutong shot a conflicted glance at the still-composed Neuvillette, but felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart.
After all… Wang Dong was a boy. For her to…
"Fine."
Wang Dong opened her mouth but didn't object.
In truth, she was a girl in disguise, so hugging another girl didn't bother her.
She pulled Huo Yutong into a tight embrace.
"Channel your soul power."
Neuvillette's tone was even.
Huo Yutong bit her lip and complied.
Gradually, she felt the aura radiating from Wang Dong—a strong, bright light element that warmed her, gently stimulating her soul power to circulate. It was indescribably pleasant.
What shocked her even more was that within that bright aura, there gradually appeared a deeper, richer life force.
Then, layered atop that, came a profound and steady presence.
By the time she sensed the final change in Wang Dong's aura, her soul power had already begun circulating on its own.
This… this is—?!
Huo Yutong's eyes widened, and Wang Dong was equally astonished. As Huo Yutong hugged her tighter, a pale-golden aura began to emanate from her body, shifting to blue-gold, and finally to dark-gold.
A faint chill emerged from her body, yet it carried the sensation of endless life—merging perfectly with the life aura of her partner.
One life force came from the natural world; the other from the endless vitality of ancient ice. Together, their shared, eternal life essence intertwined once more.
By the final stage, when the aura around Wang Dong turned into a dark-gold current, the aura around Huo Yutong shifted from icy-blue to a pale, misty gray.
Light radiated from the two, dazzling even beneath the bright midday sun.
Neuvillette slowly stood up, his expression finally changing slightly.
Inwardly, he marveled:
Even with Huo Gua turned into a little loli, they can still produce a Martial Soul Fusion… Has the convergence line of this world altered things this much?
But it also confirmed his theory—
This Martial Soul Fusion… could truly be God-forged.
(End of Chapter)
PS GOAL: 100- 5 CHAPS.