After clarifying the misunderstanding, Xiao Xiao followed Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong back to the clearing in the woods. Her expression was still tinted with guilt, and she kept glancing at the two of them with her large, round eyes to make sure they weren't truly upset with her. However, as she watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong prepare to embrace again, her heart remained completely calm. The previous confusion and sadness had vanished, replaced by a sense of pure curiosity and anticipation. She wanted to see what their Martial Soul Fusion Skill would actually look like.
In the center of the clearing, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stood facing each other. As they embraced once more, their spirit power surged, and that familiar, resonant aura began to interweave in the air. Slowly, a faint blue and gold light started to radiate from their bodies. The glow grew in intensity until it became a shimmering curtain of light that completely enveloped them. Xiao Xiao watched intently, her eyes wide and unblinking.
Suddenly, a giant phantom of an eye appeared behind Huo Yuhao; it was his Spirit, the Spirit Eyes. At the same moment, a magnificent Light Goddess Butterfly manifested behind Wang Dong. These two massive projections floated quietly for a second before they began to move. The Spirit Eyes and the Light Goddess Butterfly rose higher into the air, drawing closer until they merged directly above their heads.
As they touched, both Spirits seemed to vanish. In their place appeared a single, giant vertical pupil adorned with a pair of brilliant butterfly wings. The golden pupil slowly opened, and a beam of golden light erupted from it like a bolt of lightning. The light was incredibly dazzling as it shot across the clearing toward the forest edge. Everywhere the beam touched, life simply ceased to exist. Thick trees, dense shrubs, and lush grass were turned to nothingness, leaving only a deep, straight trench in the earth over a hundred meters long. The edges of the trench were perfectly smooth, shimmering with a pale golden luster as if the ground itself had been melted.
Xiao Xiao stood off to the side, covering her mouth in stunned silence. This was the true power of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. They had actually succeeded.
Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a heavy weight in his arms; Wang Dong's body had gone completely limp. He quickly tightened his hold to keep Wang Dong steady, looking down at his partner's pale face with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. Wang Dong's cheek was resting against Huo Yuhao's chest in an intimate position, but he was too physically drained to feel shy. He panted for air and whispered, "I'm fine... I just used up too much spirit power."
The cost of the skill was clear. While Huo Yuhao was a Rank 45 Spirit Ancestor with vast reserves of energy, Wang Dong was only a Rank 26 Spirit Grandmaster. The nineteen-level gap meant that the drain had left Wang Dong utterly exhausted. It took a long time for him to recover enough for the color to return to his face. He looked out at the golden trench they had created, a flash of surprise in his pinkish-blue eyes. "Is this really our Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" he asked, his voice trembling with excitement. "It's so strong!"
Huo Yuhao gazed at the destruction. He knew from history that this was likely their first fusion skill, "Withered Glory, the Golden Road." Xiao Xiao ran over to them, her face beaming with excitement. "You two actually did it!" she cried, circling them and marveling at the glowing trench. She stopped suddenly and looked at them both. "Wait, shouldn't we give it a name?"
Wang Dong nodded immediately. He lowered his head and began to think seriously about a name that would fit their combined power. "What should it be called?" he muttered. "It should represent both of our Spirits..." He looked up with a spark of inspiration. "How about the Gaze of the Goddess of Light?" He quickly shook his head. "No, that's not right. Maybe Light of the Butterfly Eyes? No, that's not good either..."
Huo Yuhao watched him struggle and felt a bit of a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He remembered the incredibly long, dramatic names used in historical records. Even though he was young, he didn't have a taste for such over-the-top titles. Thinking about those names now actually made him feel embarrassed. He decided to cut Wang Dong's brainstorming short. "Anyone hit by this is covered in pale gold, as if they are frozen in eternity," he said calmly. "Let's keep it simple. Why not call it the Path of Eternity?"
Wang Dong was stunned. He looked at Huo Yuhao and wanted to protest; the name was too simple for his taste. He wanted something more magnificent and grand. However, he kept his mouth shut. For one, Huo Yuhao's strength was so far beyond his own that he didn't have the courage to be stubborn. Second, he knew that arguing with Huo Yuhao was usually pointless anyway. After a moment of silence, Wang Dong forced a small smile. "Path of Eternity... yeah, that actually sounds pretty good."
With Huo Yuhao leading the team, they were already the favorites to win the championship. However, Wang Dong had been desperate to achieve this fusion because of his own pride. He didn't want to just sit back and watch Huo Yuhao do everything; he wanted to feel like a true participant in their victories.
In the matches that followed, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were usually able to win on their own. The only time Huo Yuhao had to step in was when they faced Ning Tian from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was incredible, and it had pushed Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao into a difficult fight. But as soon as Huo Yuhao unleashed a Spiritual Impact, Ning Tian was knocked out of the fight. Without her support, the rest of her team fell quickly.
The Freshman Assessment eventually reached its final stages. Huo Yuhao's team had crushed every opponent to reach the final four. For these last few matches, even Dean Yan Shaozhe showed up to watch. During the drawing of lots for the semi-finals, the team captains went up on stage. As Huo Yuhao walked up, he brushed past Dai Huabin.
Dai Huabin looked calm and arrogant, showing no emotion. Huo Yuhao realized that the boy didn't recognize him at all. It made sense; the weak, bullied child from his past had grown into a powerful figure that Dai Huabin could only dream of reaching.
After the draw, Huo Yuhao returned to his team and sat in silence. Wang Dong immediately sensed that something was wrong. He leaned over, his pinkish-blue eyes searching Yuhao's face. "Yuhao, what's wrong?" he whispered.
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