Chapter 141: The Path of Gold (Part 1)
The morning after, one day later. First period.
Furina and Xiao Xiao had arrived at the classroom early, but Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong practically dashed in on the very last echo of the class bell, rushing in frantically.
The two of them looked rather disheveled—hair slightly mussed, clothes a bit rumpled, and their eyes still carried traces of lingering drowsiness, as if they had endured a great battle the night before, or had simply not managed to properly wake up at all.
Seeing this, Xiao Xiao pursed her lips, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she swept a mischievous, appraising look over them. "Yo, you two. What exactly... were you up to last night? To end up looking so travel-worn? Don't tell me... you went and did something you shouldn't have?" She deliberately drew out her tone, the teasing implication in her voice thick and unmistakable.
Wang Dong's cheeks instantly flared bright red. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he immediately shot back, "N-nonsense! What kind of outrageous thing could two big boys possibly... possibly do?!"
Xiao Xiao's grin grew even more impish. She lowered her voice: "You never know. What if it was... that something?" She winked and made faces, hinting at some sort of "special relationship."
"Y-you... stop spouting rubbish! Keep talking nonsense and see if I don't beat you up!" Wang Dong was both mortified and furious, practically about to jump out of his skin.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, his tone earnest as he explained: "Alright, Xiao Xiao, stop teasing. Last night we were just exchanging and verifying some insights from our cultivation. Before we knew it, we'd discussed things well into the night and almost couldn't get up this morning. We rushed over in a hurry and didn't have time to tidy up properly, that's all."
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation, Xiao Xiao finally stowed away her jesting and nodded: "Oh, so that's what it was."
She had always been more inclined to believe Huo Yuhao, feeling that he was honest and upright, not the type to spin lies. As for Wang Dong—truthfully, she also believed they hadn't done anything. She simply found Wang Dong's reactions entertaining. He was so easy to rile up, so especially fun to tease.
Seeing this, Wang Dong pouted and muttered under his breath with a hint of indignation: "Tch. Why is it that when I say it, no one believes me..."
"Alright, alright. It was just a joke. Don't take it to heart." Xiao Xiao waved her hand with a beaming smile.
"Class is starting. Let's focus on the lesson first," Huo Yuhao timely reminded, bringing this brief pre-class bout of playful banter to an end.
Furina sat at the side, taking in the interactions of the three. Her gaze lingered for an extra moment on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong in particular. Judging by how they looked, that embrace last night had undoubtedly succeeded in triggering the aura fusion. And the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had most likely intervened, helping Huo Yuhao seize the dominant position within the fusion.
Only—she wondered—had that concealed strand of Tang San's divine sense taken the opportunity to attempt any tricks? Once class was dismissed, she'd have to find a moment to ask Huo Yuhao privately about the exact details.
For this morning's class, Zhou Yi didn't cover much content. The core focus was entirely on the freshman assessment that would officially begin today. It was nothing more than emphasizing assessment discipline, confirming the group rosters, and going over the points rules and critical notes once more. For Furina and her companions, who had long been thoroughly prepared—their strength even far surpassing their peers—this content truly felt somewhat "irrelevant."
As a result, quite a number of students in the classroom were somewhat distracted, either staring blankly into space, daydreaming, or letting the words go in one ear and out the other, simply waiting anxiously for this "pre-battle mobilization" lecture to finally end.
When the dismissal bell rang, Zhou Yi called aside a few students whom she deemed slightly weaker or whose conditions seemed less than stable and gave them a few extra words of caution.
As for Furina, Huo Yuhao, and their small circle, she merely glanced at them from a distance and said nothing more. In her view, with these kids' strength and mental acuity, the possibility of them losing simply didn't exist. Extra words would be pointless.
During the break after class, the small group gathered near the little grove by the teaching building to catch some fresh air.
Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Dong beside him, who still seemed a bit drowsy, and consulted him for his opinion: "Wang Dong, about what happened last night... Do you mind if I tell everyone?" After all, this involved a shared secret and an extraordinary experience that concerned them both. He wanted to respect Wang Dong's wishes.
Wang Dong rubbed his eyes and nodded. "You can tell them. It's not like any of them are outsiders. Just... just don't mention that one particular thing." He was referring to the secret of him disguising himself as a boy.
Huo Yuhao understood completely. "I get it."
Xiao Xiao's curiosity was immediately piqued. She leaned in and asked, "What thing? So mysterious... Don't tell me something truly 'indescribable' really did happen last night?" She clearly hadn't given up on the teasing.
Wang Dong rolled his eyes at her in exasperation. "N-no! Nothing special!"
Huo Yuhao chuckled and took over the conversation, explaining seriously: "It's actually about our martial souls. Last night, we discovered that the martial soul auras between Wang Dong and me share an extraordinarily rare sense of inherent closeness. We spent some time verifying it, and the result... seems to be that our martial souls can fuse."
"Martial soul fusion?!" Xiao Xiao's eyes instantly flew wide open. She covered her mouth in astonishment. "Are you serious? You two... can execute a martial soul fusion technique? Oh my god! That's a super rare ability! Do you want to... maybe demonstrate it right now?" Her voice brimmed with excitement and anticipation.
Huo Yuhao scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "Ah, well... we're actually not completely certain about it yet. I only have a vague sense that it's possible, but we haven't truly attempted to release it."
Wang Dong added from the side, his face still carrying a hint of bewilderment. "All I know is that our two auras can resonate, and it seems to be very helpful for cultivation. But as for how exactly to fuse, or what the fusion technique looks like... I'm not clear on it either. Later last night, we got too tired. I think... we might have just passed out."
Furina listened quietly at the side, musing inwardly. As expected—the fusion succeeded. The only question is whether that strand of Tang San's divine sense tried any underhanded moves during the process. But with the protective divine seal the God of Destruction planted in advance, plus Electrolux holding the fort, there shouldn't have been any major issues.
After all, the God of Destruction was a veteran God King, his strength and foundations unfathomably deep. In the original "Divine Realm Side Story," had it not been for the Goddess of Life switching sides, Huo Yuhao's intervention, and the God of Destruction being backstabbed by his own subordinate, Tang San and his faction alone would never have found defeating the God of Destruction's side in a direct confrontation to be an easy matter. Dealing with a mere strand of latent divine sense—surely the contingency the God of Destruction left behind was more than sufficient.
What's more, within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, there was still the spirit of Electrolux, largely restored in condition, as well as the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
Though Tianmeng could be unreliable at times, his sheer quantity of spiritual power was staggering. The Ice Emperor was a powerhouse in combat, her experience vast. And Electrolux was the unfathomably mysterious Holy Law God of Necromancy. With a combination like that, plus the God of Destruction's hidden safeguard—if Tang San could still have easily gotten his way, then Tang San would have to have activated some heaven-defying cheat of his own.