But Wang Dong remained unmoved, and the two sat down on Huo Yuhao's bed. At this moment, Wang Dong immediately felt uncomfortable. The seat was extremely hard, a complete contrast to his own comfortable, cushioned leather bed, but at this moment, he could only grit his teeth and endure. Last night, the two had slept together in his bed. Today, he absolutely could not let this Huo Yuhao continue to take advantage.
Huo Yuhao was not angry for long. After a while, he returned to normal, thinking to himself, "It's fine, everyone has their own habits, and I should respect him a little."
As soon as he thought of this, his remaining anger towards Wang Dong completely vanished.
Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao and saw that he was also looking at him. A wave of confusion and guilt welled up in his heart, and he quickly raised both hands:
"Let's start. Just as you said, let's cultivate until the afternoon and see what the effect is."
Huo Yuhao also raised both hands and grasped Wang Dong's hands. The Soul Power of the two immediately made contact and then merged. That stream of Soul Power circulated once before completely merging, and then began to flow around the bodies of the two... At this moment, the two could be considered to have two different types of Soul Power appearing simultaneously within their bodies.
Although the two had discovered something strange that morning, they had not carefully examined it. Now, as they calmly cultivated, they began to perceive it.
When the two combined their cultivation, the speed of their Soul Power increase was extremely fast. It could be said that at this moment, the cultivation speed of both of them was double that of a normal Soul Master.
In other words, if Huo Yuhao cultivated alone for one hour, his Soul Power would increase by one, and if Wang Dong cultivated alone for one hour, his Soul Power would increase by two. But when the two cultivated together, their two Soul Powers merged, and their cultivation speed immediately increased. After one hour, the Soul Power of both would be three.
Thus, Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed could be considered to have doubled, and Wang Dong's also nearly doubled. At this moment, because Wang Dong's cultivation was significantly higher than Huo Yuhao's, Huo Yuhao received more benefits. Later, when their cultivation levels were similar, the benefits would decrease.
(Translator's Note: Please do not confuse the quantity of Soul Power with the speed of cultivation. The numbers one, two, and three in the example above refer to the quantity of Soul Power, not the speed of cultivation. Because Huo Yuhao's cultivation was low, he benefited from 1 to 3, which is 3 times. Wang Dong went from 2 to 3. Later, when both reach 7 and 8, the benefits received will not differ too much, one gets +8 and one gets +7.
As for the cultivation speed? From 7 to 15 and 8 to 15, it is indeed as the author said, nearly double that of a normal person...)
Cultivation speed doubled! A Soul Master cultivating twice as fast as others was truly astonishing. Huo Yuhao's plan was to reach level twenty before entering his second year, but at this speed, he would likely surpass level twenty in less than four months. And with this cultivation speed, Wang Dong could also break through level thirty by the end of the year.
Three hours passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The two also stopped cultivating and retracted their Soul Power. The two merging Soul Power sources instantly separated and returned to each person's body. Both felt that their cultivation had advanced significantly compared to their normal cultivation.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had an excellent understanding of each other. As soon as they opened their eyes, they immediately saw the surprise and joy in each other's expressions. Regardless of why their strange Martial Soul fusion had formed, this was an extremely good thing, especially for Huo Yuhao at this moment. At this time, his Soul Power had increased much more than Wang Dong's; it could be said that he had made a huge profit.
When the two of them checked the growth rate of their Soul Skills again, they discovered another mystery of Soul Fusion.
Their skills began to grow through Soul Fusion, and the power of this growth was immense, not a simple one plus one equals two. If both of them activated a skill together, its power immediately more than doubled, while the consumption of Soul Power was halved. In other words, when the two of them fused their Soul Power and used a Soul Skill, the consumption immediately decreased. The fused Soul Power of the two could be considered a new, extremely high-grade type of Soul Power.
Their state was not Soul Spirit Fusion, but more accurately, Soul Power Fusion. At this moment, something surprised Wang Dong. Although his cultivation was higher than Huo Yuhao's, after performing Soul Power Fusion, he could not take the initiative.
When their hands touched and their Soul Power began to fuse, Huo Yuhao immediately took the dominant position. As long as their bodies remained in contact, if he wished, he could immediately use the newly fused Soul Power to unleash a Soul Skill, regardless of whether Wang Dong wanted to cooperate. Conversely, if Wang Dong wanted to urge the fused Soul Power to unleash a Soul Skill, he absolutely needed Huo Yuhao's cooperation.
"Unfair, this is truly unfair!" Wang Dong said, extremely annoyed.
Huo Yuhao replied helplessly, "I don't know why either, but don't worry, I'll always cooperate as long as you want."
Although he said he didn't know, he vaguely guessed in his heart that this must be related to the Heavenly Dream Iceworm. Otherwise, how could he, with a much lower cultivation than Wang Dong, take the dominant position?
"Wang Dong, don't be angry anymore. The fused Soul Power also needs a name, how about we use your name?"
Wang Dong blurted out with a laugh, "Called Wang Dong Power? That sounds terrible! How about we combine our names and call it Hao Dong Power?"
Huo Yuhao said, "That sounds a bit better."
Wang Dong stood up and rubbed his backside. "Your bed is too hard. Tonight, let's cultivate at my place. What Hao Dong Power? Clearly, you're getting the better deal. You're paying for dinner tonight."
With that, he clasped his hands behind his neck and walked out.
Seeing Wang Dong's posturing, Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. Although this guy was stubborn and arrogant on the outside, his personality was actually very good.
"Invite then, invite. Anyway, all my money comes from selling fish. If I run out of money, I'll just freeload off you."
As he spoke, he chased after him.
After Hao Dong Power appeared, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both felt that the relationship between them had changed. In Huo Yuhao's heart, Wang Dong was no longer just a friend or classmate, but had become a brother, and he believed Wang Dong thought the same. As for what was in Wang Dong's heart? Only heaven knew...
During dinner, Huo Yuhao also had some doubts about the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's explanation. According to the Heavenly Dream Iceworm, as long as his body could withstand it, the more origin power he received, the higher the quality of his Soul Rings would be, and his Soul Skills would become increasingly powerful.
But why, when he teamed up with Wang Dong to activate Hao Dong Power, did the power of his Soul Skills increase so much, to the point where his body could still withstand it, yet the Heavenly Dream Iceworm didn't upgrade his Soul Skills?
"Idiot!"
While he was still wondering, the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice echoed in his mind.
"Brother Heavenly Dream is awake?" Huo Yuhao asked happily.
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm snorted, "Of course I'm awake. Do I look like I love to sleep that much?"
Huo Yuhao grumbled to himself, "Brother, you've slept for a million years, and you dare say you don't like sleeping."
Tian Meng Bing Can said, "The matter you're worried about is actually very simple. I didn't raise your soul rings to be on par with your body's limit because I didn't want to turn you into an overinflated ball. There's a type of fish called a pufferfish. It has many spines on its body, and whenever it's attacked, it inflates itself, extending all its spines outward, making it impossible for enemies to attack it. One could say that when in danger, it can inflate its body to its absolute limit.
"During that time, the needles on its body are indeed extremely dangerous, but what if a sharp object pierces it? What situation would occur? You are the same. If I were to raise your soul rings to be on par with your body's limit, once you encounter an opponent who is too strong or an unexpected event, you would become an air balloon that could explode at any moment. When I say raising your soul rings according to your body's capabilities, it means raising them according to your endurance without harming your body. When you and Wang Dong merged your soul power, this new soul power helped you improve your bodies. I also helped perfectly merge the two sources of soul power, considering it a favor I granted to the two of you.
"One could say that after your soul power merged, both your bodies became much stronger due to enduring the two sources of soul power, and the power of your soul skills also greatly increased. This is the benefit of merging soul power. This is also where you differ from other soul masters who merge different martial souls. As long as the two of you continuously combine your cultivation, both your physiques will become stronger and stronger. At some point, both your bodies will be at the pinnacle of humanity, and your cultivation speed will also become the fastest.
"Of course, this process requires a very long time. If you can truly combine with each other effectively in the future, the results will be even better."
Huo Yuhao asked suspiciously, "What does 'truly combine' mean?" (DG: I know, hehe :131:)
Tian Meng Bing Can was momentarily stunned. "I don't know too much about human matters. The two of you just continue. As long as you continuously merge your martial souls, there will be no shortage of benefits. You'll understand yourselves later."
Tian Meng Bing Can's voice suddenly fell silent.
"Hey, hey, you should pay attention when eating. Rice got into your nose!"
Wang Dong saw Huo Yuhao staring blankly and waved his hand in front of him.
"Huh..."
Huo Yuhao was startled and touched his nose, seeing Wang Dong's mischievous smile.
"What are you thinking about that you look so spaced out?"
At this moment, Wang Dong found Huo Yuhao's dazed expression very amusing.
Huo Yuhao replied, "Of course, I'm thinking about Hao Dong Power. I'm wondering why the two of us can merge soul power. If we look back at the history of the continent, there's only one explanation: the compatibility of our soul skills is extremely high."
Wang Dong's eyes lit up. "That's right, that makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, why would soul power fusion appear? Eat quickly. Let's go out and try to see if we can use a martial soul fusion skill. But... do you know how to use a martial soul fusion skill?"
Huo Yuhao was surprised. "Huh, I thought you could just use it if you wanted to?"
The two of them stared at each other with wide eyes, then both gave a bitter laugh. Indeed, they had heard about martial soul fusion skills in class, but the teachers had only explained it simply, without teaching them how to use it. After all, people who could use martial soul fusion skills were very rare.
Wang Dong said,
"Just leave it for now. We'll try tonight. If it doesn't work, we'll ask Teacher Zhou Yi tomorrow."
"Mm."
Huo Yuhao nodded, his heart continuously calling out to the Heavenly Dream Iceworm. After all, this old fellow had lived for a million years and would surely have accurate guidance.
"You idiot, why do you need to ask about something so simple? Just do what you did yesterday, it's so annoying."
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm seemed to have just woken up from a nap, grumbling a bit before falling silent again.
Last night? What did they do? Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment before he immediately understood: they hugged!
After dinner, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong excitedly left the academy. Today, Huo Yuhao wasn't selling grilled fish, so as soon as he exited the gate, he was met with resentful glares from everyone. He had to constantly explain that he needed to cultivate and study to pass the assessment before he could get past the crowd.
"Let's speed up!"
Wang Dong shouted softly, his toes lightly touching the ground before he shot off like an arrow.
Three months ago, Huo Yuhao probably wouldn't have even caught a glimpse of his back, but after intense training, the results were significant. Huo Yuhao's legs exerted force, and his speed immediately increased. Although not as effortless as Wang Dong, his speed was not slow. Each time his feet touched the ground, they left a deep imprint, and his body quickly caught up to Wang Dong.
Soul Power circulated throughout his body, continuously replenishing his stamina.
The fresh air rushed against his face. At this moment, he felt as if he was gliding on the wind, unconstrained by the Iron Armor, his body light and refreshed, his speed reaching its peak.
Wang Dong's speed was still considerably faster than Huo Yuhao's. When the distance between them was nearly three hundred meters, he slowed down, waiting for Huo Yuhao to catch up.
"Tsk tsk, a Control System Soul Master, not skilled in direct combat, yet you have this speed. You're not too bad."
Wang Dong immediately put on airs when he saw Huo Yuhao approaching.
Huo Yuhao laughed heartily:
"We've gone quite a distance. Let's enter the forest."
"Mm."
Wang Dong nodded. Both of them looked around, confirming that no one was nearby, then immediately left the main road and entered the forest, stopping only after going several hundred meters deep.
"This is far enough. What do we do now?"
Wang Dong asked Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao said:
"Let's use Hao Dong Power to restore our Soul Power first."
As he spoke, he extended both hands towards Wang Dong.
Wang Dong raised his hands and took his. By now, their movements were incredibly familiar. Hao Dong Power began to restore their stamina and Soul Power. The growth rate of their Soul Power also increased slightly, but not as much as during their previous cultivation.
"The effect isn't bad, that's enough!"
A moment later, Wang Dong was fully recovered.
Huo Yuhao nodded and spread his arms:
"Come here!"
Wang Dong was startled. Instinctively, he covered his chest with his hands and asked cautiously:
"What do you want?"
Huo Yuhao was completely natural:
"To hug, what else?"
"You…"
Wang Dong's face turned pale. He shouted loudly:
"I can't believe you, Huo Yuhao, are such a person! Do you believe I can beat you so badly you won't be able to eat?"
Huo Yuhao was caught between laughter and tears:
"You idiot, what are you thinking? Don't you remember what we did at first to make the Martial Soul fusion happen? Our Soul Power has already fused. If we want to fuse our Martial Souls, just do what we did yesterday!"
Only then did Wang Dong understand, his face changing from ashen to crimson. Although the sky was quite dark at this moment, with his Spirit Eyes, Huo Yuhao could still clearly see Wang Dong's face even in pitch blackness.
"You didn't explain clearly, then told me to hug you. You're deliberately trying to annoy me, aren't you?"
Wang Dong feigned anger to hide his embarrassment.
Huo Yuhao replied helplessly, "Who knew you had such perverted thoughts? What can I do to you, two boys together? Hurry up, the sooner we finish, the more time we'll have to cultivate."
Wang Dong hesitated for a moment, "This wilderness is so desolate. Will we end up falling asleep again like last night?"
Huo Yuhao was a little exasperated, "No, today's situation is completely different from yesterday. Why are you dawdling like a girl? If you're not going to hug, then let me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately stepped forward and put his arms around Wang Dong's neck.
(DG: See? :48: I told you! :48: I knew it! :48: Huo Yuhao is just pretending to be dumb, he's not actually dumb :48: He pretends to be dumb so he can hug a girl without fear :48: Who dares to call him dumb now? :48:
M2: I know, I know, you've said it a million times, you're deafening me! :48:)
Wang Dong's body stiffened. When Huo Yuhao hugged him, his mind went blank. Because Huo Yuhao had run with all his might earlier, there was still a faint scent of sweat on him, a masculine smell that hit Wang Dong.
Wang Dong's body was incredibly soft, and the feeling of holding him was very comfortable, but at this moment, Huo Yuhao had no desire to enjoy it. As he hugged Wang Dong, he also began to circulate his Soul Power and activate his Spirit Eye Martial Soul. After a moment of stunned silence, Wang Dong also began to calm down.
The two bodies were in intimate contact, and their Soul Power quickly transformed into Hao Dong's power. Huo Yuhao's eyes shone brightly, and a golden light flashed.
At this moment, Wang Dong also hurriedly activated his Martial Soul.
In an instant, both of them felt a strange sensation. Hugging each other and then releasing their Martial Souls was completely different from when they cultivated together, assisting each other to activate Hao Dong's Power and then releasing their own Martial Souls.
When Wang Dong's two blue wings unfurled, both of their spirits felt a little flustered.