Chapter 335: Initial Attempt at Martial Spirit Fusion, Ye Lingling’s Inner Conflict

Ye Lingling said, "I know that to attempt a martial spirit fusion technique, we'll need some level of close contact. I've mentally prepared myself for this over the past few months."

"So… what should I do exactly?" she asked hesitantly.

Since her close friend Dugu Yan was there, Ye Lingling wasn't worried about Su Ming trying anything inappropriate. Still, as she was about to begin, a wave of nervousness overtook her. Su Ming was the first guy she had ever shared such close contact with.

Su Ming nodded, "Good. Since you understand, I won't go over it in detail. The key here lies with you; if you show even the slightest hesitation, the martial spirit fusion technique likely won't work."

"Usually, we'd spend several months getting to know each other first. Ideally, we'd have a friendship like mine with Xiao Wu or the others—then the success rate would be higher."

"But we can try for now; I have to admit, I'm a bit curious too."

Friends? Ye Lingling's face flushed. Did that mean they had to be… that kind of close? But wasn't Su Ming and Xiao Wu's relationship…?

Clearly, her thoughts went astray, and even Dugu Yan gave Su Ming a peculiar look.

Seeing their reactions, Su Ming was puzzled. Did I say something wrong? Why does one of them look like she's blushing while the other is staring at me like I just confessed something outrageous?

"What's wrong? Did I say something out of line?" he asked.

Grinding her teeth, Dugu Yan said, "Su Ming, if I remember correctly, you and Xiao Wu are more than just 'friends,' right? Are you suggesting Lingling should become friends with you in the same way?"

Ye Lingling hung her head, her face buried in embarrassment. She couldn't speak.

Actually, Su Ming was quite a decent person. Based on everything in the diary, he might very well be the best partner she could imagine, but he already had several women around him. And her grandfather had hinted that he intended to match her with Su Ming, though she wasn't sure why he hadn't spoken to Su Ming about it yet.

Hearing this, Su Ming instantly understood. Are things between me and Xiao Wu that obvious? Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both know?

What he'd meant was that he and Ye Lingling weren't yet familiar enough to work a fusion technique. Today's attempt was likely to fail.

Remembering a conversation with her grandfather, Su Ming laughed and looked at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. "What are you thinking? I only meant being close friends. You don't have to be romantic to pull off a martial spirit fusion. Many powerful duos have done it with just deep friendship."

"Not all martial spirit fusion techniques are between lovers—some even involve two male spirit masters."

Hearing this, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both felt relieved. But strangely, Ye Lingling sensed a hint of disappointment. What am I expecting?

Su Ming changed his tone and continued, "Honestly, you're both beautiful, and I like your personalities too. If things developed naturally, I wouldn't be against it. But, you know, I already have Xiao Wu and Rongrong, so I'm not pushing anything."

He glanced briefly at Dugu Yan to hint at what he knew.

Dugu Yan crossed her arms, her face turned away. "Hmph, I know what you're implying. Grandpa told me everything. I need time to think about it. A girl has to mentally prepare for these things."

Su Ming smiled, not pushing her further. He understood that, given her proud and independent nature, she wouldn't accept something like this easily, even if her grandfather was supportive.

Ye Lingling felt her heart race at his words. She had felt a little down, wondering if she had no allure in his eyes. Now, his words made her feel… strangely pleased.

Blushing, Ye Lingling stammered, "Su-Su Ming… I can't respond to that right now… We've only just met, and… and there's Yan…"

Dugu Yan cut in, "Alright, Lingling, let's drop it. It's not like anything's set in stone. Just follow your own heart and don't worry about me. This guy already has two and a half women!"

Su Ming: Two and a half? Who's the half?

Seeing his confused expression, Dugu Yan smirked, feeling like she had won a point. She left Su Ming to wonder.

But after a moment, he guessed her meaning. The "half" was probably Zhuqing.

Taking things further with Zhuqing will take time, Su Ming thought. Unless her ties to the Star Luo Empire are dealt with, she likely wouldn't let herself accept me, even if she's interested. Unless I decide to take the lead…

"Alright, enough talk. Let's try the fusion technique now. Even if we can't complete it, we can at least get a feel for it."

Dugu Yan took a seat and began meditating, casually observing while Su Ming and Ye Lingling prepared.

"Let's sit facing each other and hold hands. Then we'll both release our spirit power and try to merge them. Think you can handle it? It's not exactly the most intimate contact," Su Ming said.

Ye Lingling's face returned to normal as she nodded, saying she was ready.

When their hands touched, each felt differently. Su Ming noticed Ye Lingling's hand was soft and delicate. Women really are made of water, he thought, amused.

Meanwhile, Ye Lingling couldn't hide her shyness, her face quickly turning pink. She wasn't used to touching men, and this was her first experience like this since even in training, she maintained her distance from male teammates. Apart from Dugu Yan, she had always kept to herself.

Seeing her bashfulness, Su Ming found her even more attractive. However, he focused. "Ye Lingling, try to calm down and channel your spirit power to your palms. Let's see if our spirit energies can blend."

After a moment, their energies began merging, a warm sensation filling their bodies, though that was all.

It was a good first step, but Su Ming wasn't satisfied. They needed to merge energies throughout their entire bodies for true fusion.

"Ye Lingling, we're doing well with our palms, so let's go further. Release more spirit power, and let's try channeling it into each other's bodies."

Ye Lingling's eyes closed, and she nodded. She increased her spirit power output, though Su Ming remained the lead.

As Su Ming's energy entered her, it was met with slight resistance—an unconscious guard from Ye Lingling's will.

Su Ming expected this. They weren't close enough to achieve full fusion; this resistance was natural.

"Ye Lingling," he said softly, "you need to fully open up to me. I can't force my spirit power through, or it'll harm you."

She winced and said apologetically, "I'll try my best…"

She tried to relax, but her body instinctively resisted. Why can't I control this?

After another half hour, Su Ming retracted his spirit power with a sigh. He realized it would take time for their bond to deepen before a full fusion was possible.

Ye Lingling opened her eyes, disappointment clear. "Sorry, Su Ming, I—"

"It's fine," he reassured her. "I didn't expect success on the first try."

"But why was my energy able to enter you?" she wondered. "There was only slight resistance, but no fusion once inside."

"Maybe because I'm leading the fusion," Su Ming replied, "and since I'm stronger, I accepted it easily. Plus… I guess you're less of a threat, and it doesn't hurt that you're a beautiful woman," he chuckled.

Ye Lingling rolled her eyes but asked, "What now?"

She's really hung up on this, Su Ming mused. There was one solution he hadn't tried—something similar to what Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had done. But he knew it might be asking too much of Ye Lingling.

"Actually, there's one other way," Su Ming admitted. "But I'm not sure you'd agree to it. It involves increasing physical contact, like… a full embrace. That way, our energies could merge more easily."

Ye Lingling's face turned scarlet.

Dugu Yan looked at him suspiciously. "Su Ming, are you just trying to get close to Lingling?"

Su Ming: Do I look that desperate? Really?

Ye Lingling felt a wave of embarrassment but also a strong internal conflict, almost as if she might combust.

"See?" Su Ming said, "I figured you'd refuse. But it's fine. We just need to keep working on it. As we get to know each other, it'll happen naturally."

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