Chapter 22 Haodong's Power

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were startled and quickly let go of each other's hands, racing back to the dorm like flying. Their hearts, however, were thumping violently, and of course, it was not because of the phrase "falling in love" that Zhou Yi had shouted, but because of the bizarre changes that had occurred between their Martial Souls!

Once back in the dorm, they exchanged a glance, both seeing the flicker of astonishment in each other's eyes. Indeed! The phenomenon that had just occurred was too peculiar, both for Huo Yuhao, who had learnt much about Soul Masters in the past few months at Shrek Academy, and for the knowledgeable Wang Dong. It was their first time learning of such an occurrence, clearly beyond the realm of a normal Soul Master.

Huo Yuhao couldn't help but say, "It seems that last night's sleep wasn't wasted after all!"

"Tch," snorted Wang Dong, giving him a glare but quickly raised his own long, slender hands, "Let's try again."

Huo Yuhao, eager to verify whether the earlier phenomenon was real, quickly reached out his hands to grasp Wang Dong's.

Their four hands joined, and immediately, the flow of their Soul Power resumed. Their Soul Powers were different—Huo Yuhao's Mysterious Heaven Method's soul power was calm and mellow, naturally flowing. Wang Dong's soul power was much more domineering, with a sharp and noble aura.

If Huo Yuhao's soul power could be compared to a gentle and honest young man, then Wang Dong's would be more like a noble and aloof young lady, haughty and disdainful.

Such distinctly different temperaments of Soul Power were now circling each other, flowing perfectly within their bodies. Moreover, as they circulated, the two types of Soul Power were quietly merging. There was a bit of you in me and a bit of me in you, indistinguishable from each other, without the slightest hint of conflict, as if they were originally one entity.

Huo Yuhao fared rather well, as his Mysterious Heaven Method's soul power was very smooth, whereas Wang Dong was filled with shock, knowing full well how domineering and powerful his soul power was, with a strong exclusivity. The scene before him greatly exceeded the range of his understanding.

Just like this, after circulating for a moment, both felt refreshed. It was evident that if they continued to cultivate while holding hands, they would progress much faster than if they were cultivating separately. Moreover, they both deeply felt that this was just the beginning. If their Soul Powers could merge so perfectly, what they could derive from it was surely much more than simple joint cultivation.

"Let's go, we should start with a run, and we'll study this carefully tonight," Huo Yuhao suggested as he let go of Wang Dong's hand, throwing on his metal shirts and heading outside.

However, Wang Dong hesitated for a moment after hearing his words, his lips twitching slightly. Huo Yuhao's words, coupled with the unexpected embrace as they slept together last night, inevitably gave him a strange feeling. He made a punching gesture behind Huo Yuhao's back before grabbing the metal shirts and following him out.

Running in metal shirts had been ongoing for three months, so by now, they were used to it. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong ran diligently until the bell for the end of class rang, and only stopped when Xiao Xiao came to the field to find them. Xiao Xiao told them that Teacher Zhou had already left.

Huo Yuhao was drenched in sweat, while Wang Dong, whose cultivation was significantly higher, didn't even break a sweat as he deliberately controlled his body.

"How did it go? What did Teacher Zhou say?" Huo Yuhao asked Xiao Xiao, panting.

Xiao Xiao shrugged and said, "Actually, it wasn't much. She just encouraged everyone, instilling a 'Man blocks, kill the man; God blocks, kill the god' spirit, and then analyzed our opponents. Our chances of winning the championship are quite slim. It seems that the round-robin tournament was just a rehearsal, but our Shrek Academy has never lacked for geniuses!"

Seeing her somewhat worried expression, Wang Dong spoke nonchalantly, "What's the matter? Even our Twin Martial Souls genius has lost confidence?"

Xiao Xiao curled her lips and said, "Of course I'm confident. However, I have to say that there really are some people with better talents than us. Teacher Zhou just mentioned that among the other five teams who have won all their matches in the rounds, there are three teams that have a three-ring Soul Venerable. Facing a three-ring, how much confidence can you have?"

"Soul Venerable?" Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong almost exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.

Xiao Xiao gave a wry smile, "Exactly. Otherwise, why do you think I would feel so lacking in confidence?"

Huo Yuhao asked, "What did Teacher Zhou say?"

Xiao Xiao replied, "Teacher Zhou also didn't seem too pleased when she mentioned those three groups. It seems she had just recently found out about this as well. Those three classes had never revealed that they had Soul Venerable students before. They, like you, were all specially recruited students."

Hearing this, Wang Dong laughed and said to Huo Yuhao, "Look, we're all specially recruited students, so why is there such a big gap?"

Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless for a moment and then said, "What's the use of talking about this? What we need to think about is how to overcome the enemy and win. That's the key."

Xiao Xiao said, "We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. Those three guys are the leaders of their respective teams and are obviously not easy to deal with. Think about it, for someone to break through to the state of three rings before the age of twelve, how strong must their self Martial Soul be? Plus, they definitely have a family that supports them fully. Their Soul Rings must also be of the utmost degree. Even if they're not as abnormal as Wang Dong, with a Millennium level second soul ring, they can't be far off. I see, even Teacher Zhou doesn't seem to have much hope for us. I reckon we can only aim for fourth place at best."

Wang Dong snorted and said, "So what if they have three rings? Is a Soul Venerable unbeatable? We also have our advantages, your Twin Martial Souls, and my combat power that hasn't been fully utilized yet. Add to that Yuhao's self Martial Soul and Spirit Martial Soul. The three of us working together might not necessarily be weaker than others."

Xiao Xiao said, "Do you think I don't want to get first place? Only the top three get real rewards. Fourth place gets nothing. But the truth is, our overall strength really is lower than theirs! Think about it, a student of Soul Venerable level, their teammates must at least be Grand Soul Masters like us, right? We do have our own advantages, but unless our class leader also breaks through level 20 and possesses a powerful spiritual attribute soul skill, then maybe we'll have a bit of hope."

Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Xiao, then at Wang Dong, and said earnestly, "Don't panic just yet. It's true that our overall strength might not measure up to our opponents, but if we lose confidence now, we won't have even a sliver of a chance. Xiao Xiao, remember how tough it was when we faced the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of sisters Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo? Still, we ultimately won the match. The power of the Fusion Skill they displayed was no less than that of a Soul Venerable level soul skill, perhaps even more powerful. Yet we managed to hold on. Others have their strong points, and we have ours too, and one of our advantages is that we still have hidden strengths. We have only one goal, and that is to be champions."

Encouraged by Huo Yuhao's words, Xiao Xiao nodded slightly and said, "Let's give it a try, and fight with everything we've got. Let's work hard together!"

Huo Yuhao stretched out his right hand. Wang Dong rushed to put his palm on top of Yuhao's before Xiao Xiao, who then could only place her hand on top of Wang Dong's.

"We are the champions, definitely."

Huo Yuhao said, "Xiao Xiao, I'm afraid I'll have to owe you that grilled fish for a few more days. The upcoming elimination rounds are too important for us. No matter what, we need to focus on improving our cultivation these next few days. Even a slight improvement could increase our chances of winning. After the elimination rounds, I'll make sure you have enough grilled fish. I won't set up my stall these few days. Let's focus on cultivation first."

With a giggle, Xiao Xiao said, "Debts are supposed to come with interest. Leader, I'm sticking to you, and from now on, I won't be paying for your grilled fish."

Huo Yuhao laughed heartily and said, "No problem, I can still afford to treat you to grilled fish."

Xiao Xiao said, "Teacher Zhou mentioned that we should gather in the assessment area before the bell rings for class tomorrow. She also asked me to tell you two, not to be late. The first thing we need to pray for is luck. However, Teacher Zhou said, teams like us who have won all their matches in the round-robin competition will have some privileges in the first two rounds of the eliminations, and won't encounter each other. That's the only benefit we get from performing well in the round-robin. As long as we play normally, reaching the top sixteen shouldn't be a problem. What happens after that will depend on us."

Huo Yuhao said, "That's actually good news, okay then, I'm all sweaty, I need to go back and take a shower before dinner."

Xiao Xiao said, "Then I won't wait for you two, I'll head to the cafeteria first, see you tomorrow." With that, she waved at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, turned around, and left.

Huo Yuhao turned to Wang Dong with a slight frown and said, "It seems, getting good results in the elimination rounds won't be easy. Let's head back to the dorm first. I'll take a shower and change clothes, and after dinner, we can study the Martial Soul Fusion issue properly."

"Mhm," Wang Dong nodded but seemed somewhat silent, even lost in thought, not knowing what was on his mind. Back in the dorm, Huo Yuhao got his clean clothes and towel and went to take a shower. Wang Dong sat on his bed alone, waiting for him.

"Bang." The door closed. Wang Dong subconsciously looked up at the dormitory door, the blankness in his eyes gradually revealing a hint of complexity.

Because of being late that morning, he hadn't had the chance to settle the matter with Huo Yuhao about sleeping in his bed last night. Huo Yuhao now acted as if nothing had happened, but Wang Dong felt completely different.

I... I actually slept with him the entire night, and, it seems, we even completed the Martial Soul Fusion, and it wasn't just an ordinary fusion.

Wang Dong didn't know what he was feeling at the moment, just that his heart was a bit chaotic, so much so that he didn't know what to do.

While lost in thought, time always seemed to fly by, and soon enough, Huo Yuhao came back fresh and clean from his shower. As he entered, he brought with him a faint fragrance from the bath. Wang Dong looked up just in time to see Huo Yuhao's especially bright spirit eyes.

Huo Yuhao, still unaware of Wang Dong's change in mood, gestured to him, "Come on, let's quickly go have dinner, and after we return, we can study the Martial Soul Fusion. Maybe, our best chance at securing a good result lies with this move." At this moment, he was completely focused on the freshmen elimination assessment.

Wang Dong's somewhat perplexed emotions seemed to find a target as he nodded and said, "Alright." What had happened, happened. Dwelling on it was pointless. It was better to focus on performing well in this assessment. When Xiao Xiao mentioned there were a few Soul Venerable level freshmen, it had also ignited Wang Dong's fighting spirit.

He firmly believed that his potential was no less than those Soul Venerable level freshmen; it was just due to his inherent laziness and his reluctance to cultivate from a young age that he had not reached that level. Level didn't mean everything. Defeating them would prove his excellence.

Once he had realized this, he no longer dwelled on his troubles. He and Huo Yuhao went to the cafeteria and had a hearty meal. Since they went quite late, by the time they finished eating, the cafeteria was already empty.

Back in the dorm, Huo Yuhao locked the door to prevent anyone from disturbing them while they were cultivating and hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside. Each dorm had one of these signs, and hanging it meant that even teachers would not knock on the door lightly since it indicated that the students inside were cultivating.

Yet, Huo Yuhao's usually normal behavior now made Wang Dong feel slightly embarrassed, but he quickly adjusted himself. By the time Huo Yuhao turned around, Wang Dong's expression had returned to normal.

"How do we start?" Wang Dong asked Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao said, "Let's try cultivating together for a while first. This can help us to achieve better fusion effects with our soul power, and become more familiar with each other's abilities. Then we can try to use the fused soul power to amplify each of our soul skills. Tonight, we'll go outside the academy and test our Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Wang Dong curled his lip, "You seem to have everything figured out."

Huo Yuhao laughed, "Of course, I am the class president after all. Isn't it normal for me to be organized? Come on." While speaking, he was about to sit on Wang Dong's bed.

"What are you doing?" Wang Dong pushed him back.

Huo Yuhao asked in confusion, "Cultivating! How can we cultivate if we don't sit cross-legged?"

Wang Dong stood up, pointed to Huo Yuhao's bed, and said, "Go cultivate on your own bed."

Huo Yuhao was speechless, "If you don't mind a sore butt, I don't care."

Wang Dong clearly saw that Huo Yuhao's face had turned slightly unpleasant. Indeed, Huo Yuhao was a bit unhappy. In his view, after being friends for so long, Wang Dong was still being petty, which seemed rather small-minded to him.

Yet, Wang Dong insisted on his own way, and the two sat down on Huo Yuhao's bed. Once seated, Wang Dong felt somewhat dejected. Indeed, compared to his own bed, which was laid with fur mattresses, this simple hard plank bed couldn't be more uncomfortable! But he could only endure it. Last night the two of them had accidentally slept on his bed, it wouldn't be right to ask Huo Yuhao to go to his bed again.

Huo Yuhao was quite generous. After a brief moment of dissatisfaction, his emotions soon returned to normal. He thought to himself, let it be. Everyone has their own living habits and we should respect each other. With that thought, the slight resentment in his heart also dissipated.

Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao and realized he was also looking back. He felt a little flustered and somewhat apologetic, so he quickly raised his palms and said, "Let's start. Just as you said, we'll cultivate till dinnertime and see what the effects are like."

Huo Yuhao also lifted his palms to meet his, and as soon as they made physical contact, their soul power immediately began to attract each other and fuse. The two types of soul power circulated within them for just one cycle before they completed the fusion process. Afterwards, what flowed within their bodies was a mix of their differently attributed soul powers.

That morning, when they discovered this remarkable occurrence, there wasn't enough time to experience it carefully. Now, as they settled down to cultivate and gradually began to feel different sensations.

Indeed, just as they had felt before, the speed at which their soul power increased while jointly cultivating was extremely fast. To put it simply, the speed of their individual improvements was equal to the sum of their usual solo cultivation efforts.

In other words, if Huo Yuhao cultivated alone for two hours, his soul power would increase by one unit, and if Wang Dong cultivated alone for the same duration, his soul power would increase by 1.2 units. But now that they were cultivating together, their fused soul powers were enhancing each other's increase. Not only did the mixing speed up the circulation of soul power, but after two hours, each of their soul powers would have increased by 2.2 units.

This meant that Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed had increased by more than double, while Wang Dong also enjoyed a near doubling of his rate of improvement. Without a doubt, Huo Yuhao was reaping more benefits as Wang Dong's cultivation was originally higher. However, once the difference in their cultivation levels narrowed in the future, the benefits they would gain from joint cultivation would become more balanced.

For any Soul Master, doubling the cultivation speed was astoundingly advantageous! According to Huo Yuhao's original plan, he intended to strive to reach level 20 by the time he graduated from the first grade. But with the current pace of cultivation, within three to four more months, it was possible he could achieve that level. As for Wang Dong, if he continued cultivating at this rate until the end of the year, breaking through level 30 wasn't out of the question.

After three rounds of continuous cultivation, when the outside world gradually darkened, they awoke from their meditative state. Their soul powers retreated back into their bodies, and the intertwined different soul powers immediately became clearly separated once more. They both tangibly felt that their cultivation had increased much more than it usually did when practicing alone.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong opened their eyes simultaneously with tacit understanding and immediately saw a look of surprise in each other's eyes. No matter where this state of Martial Soul Fusion came from, it was a great thing for them! Especially for Huo Yuhao, the speed of his improvement was much greater than that of Wang Dong's; he could be said to have gotten the better deal.

The two of them couldn't wait to start trying to amplify their soul skills again, and this time, they discovered another mystery after their Martial Souls had fused.

Each of their skills could be amplified through their fused Martial Souls, and the power of the amplification was immense, not merely as simple as one plus one equals two. When they launched a skill together, not only would the power more than double, but the consumption of Soul Power would be halved. In other words, after they completed the fusion of their two types of Soul Power within their bodies, the consumption when using soul skills would be reduced. This was equivalent to their fused Soul Power becoming a new, highly advanced type of Soul Power.

Therefore, their condition can't be said to be a Martial Soul Fusion. A more accurate term would be Spirit Energy Fusion. What made Wang Dong speechless was that, after the fusion, it was not the stronger-cultivated him who took the initiative.

Once their bodies came into contact and their Soul Power fused, Huo Yuhao would take the dominant position. As long as he willed it, while his body was in contact with Wang Dong's, he could use the fused Soul Power to activate soul skills and unleash great power, regardless of whether Wang Dong cooperated or not. But if Wang Dong wanted to use the fused Soul Power, he needed Huo Yuhao's consent and cooperation. The distinction between primary and secondary was now clear.

"Why is it like this? It's so unfair." Wang Dong said indignantly.

Huo Yuhao said helplessly, "I don't know either! But rest assured, whenever you need it, I will definitely cooperate with you to the fullest."

Although he said he didn't know, in his heart he had a guess that this situation was probably inseparable from the Skydream Ice Silkworm. Otherwise, why would it be that the less cultivated him ends up taking the initiative after the Soul Power fusion?

"Wang Dong, don't be upset. Since the new type of Soul Power we've created after our Spirit Energy Fusion needs a name, let's name it after you."

Wang Dong chuckled and said, "Forget about it. Call it Wang Dong's Power? That sounds awful. How about we take one character from each of our names? Let's call it Haodong Power."

Huo Yuhao scratched his head and said, "It does seem to sound better."

Wang Dong stood up, rubbing his behind and said discontentedly, "This crappy bed of yours is too hard. Tonight when we practice, let's swap to my place. Since you've gotten such a huge advantage from Haodong's Power, you're buying dinner tonight." As he spoke, he walked out, his head slightly tilted back, hands pillowing his head.

Observing him acting as if he didn't care, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh. This guy, so stubborn and proud, but with a really good heart.

"Fine, I'll treat. After all, my money is all from selling grilled fish. If it runs out, we'll use yours." As he said this, he followed after him.

With their shared Haodong Power, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong distinctly felt the relationship between them change. In Huo Yuhao's heart, he and Wang Dong were not just friends and classmates, but brothers. He believed that Wang Dong felt the same. As for whether he did or not, only Wang Dong knew...

While eating dinner, Huo Yuhao also had some doubts in his heart, stemming from his understanding of the Skydream Ice Silkworm. The Skydream Ice Silkworm had once said that as long as his body could withstand it, it would grant him more power of origin, raising the grade of his Soul Rings and bringing his soul skills to their strongest state.

However, every time he and Wang Dong joined forces to bring forth the Haodong Power, the power of each of his soul skills could be greatly enhanced. Even though he could feel the limits of his body approaching, he was still able to endure. If that was the case, then why hadn't the Skydream Ice Silkworm raised his soul skills to this level?

"Idiot," the voice of the Skydream Ice Silkworm resounded in Huo Yuhao's mind while he was puzzled.

"Brother Heavenly Dream, you aren't asleep?" Huo Yuhao immediately became excited and spoke to him in his mind.

The Skydream Ice Silkworm snorted and said, "Of course I'm not asleep; do I look like I love to sleep?"

Huo Yuhao secretly grumbled, if not loving to sleep, how could one sleep for a million years?

The Skydream Ice Silkworm said, "The issue you're worried about is quite simple. Indeed, I did not enhance your Soul Ring to the maximum limit of your body because I cannot have you become an over-inflated balloon. There's a type of fish called the Tiger Pufferfish; its body is covered in spikes, and when it encounters danger, it will inflate instantly, swelling up so that the spikes are fully extended, preventing the enemy from biting. In this state, its spiky defenses are indeed at their strongest. But what if a needle comes at it in that moment? What would happen? You are the same. If I were to enhance your Soul Ring to the strongest level you can withstand, then once struck or if an accident happens during cultivation, you will burst just like an over-inflated balloon. Therefore, the limit that I spoke of, is one that you can fully withstand without any side effects. And when you and Wang Dong merge your soul power, the combination itself will instantly improve your physiques. That's the biggest benefit of the total merging of your two types of soul power that I helped you achieve last night—reaching one hundred percent integration."

"That means, when you merge your soul power, your bodies' endurance will increase because of the integrated soul power, allowing you to carry larger amounts of soul power, and enhancing the potency of your soul skills when used. This is essentially the very secret of Martial Soul Fusion. What differs from normal Soul Masters merging their Martial Souls is that your bodies will continuously improve from the soul power fusion. As long as you continue to practice together, someday, your physiques will become the finest among humans in this world. Your pace of cultivation will also become the fastest."

"Of course, this process of improving your physique will be rather lengthy. If you two can truly merge in the future, the effect will be even better."

Huo Yuhao asked hesitantly, "What do you mean by a 'true merge'?"

The Skydream Ice Silkworm seemed to pause for a moment, then said, "I don't know, I've never tried it myself. Alright, keep experimenting with him. Whether it's soul power fusion or Martial Soul Fusion, both will bring you tremendous benefits. You'll gradually realize this later on."

After saying this, the Skydream Ice Silkworm stopped paying attention and his voice faded away.

"Hey, you're almost eating through your nose," Wang Dong said to Huo Yuhao, who had been daydreaming for quite some time, waving his hand in front of him.

"Uh..." Huo Yuhao quickly touched his nose only to see Wang Dong grinning mischievously.

"What are you thinking about? You're so spaced out," Wang Dong said with amusement. He found Huo Yuhao's dazed expression quite entertaining.

Huo Yuhao said, "Of course I'm thinking about our Haodong Power. I'm wondering why we could experience this soul power fusion. After much thought, there seems to be only one possibility, which is that during our Martial Soul Fusion last night, the compatibility was extremely high, and that must be why this happened."

Wang Dong's eyes brightened, "Right! You make sense. If not for that, why would something that others haven't experienced happen to us? Let's eat quickly and then go out and try if we can execute a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. But do you know how to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

Huo Yuhao said somewhat helplessly, "How would I know? Isn't it supposed to just come naturally?"

The two stared at each other, unable to help but reveal a helpless, wry smile; indeed, while Martial Soul Fusion Skills were mentioned in class, they were an extremely niche ability. The teacher had merely glossed over the topic, let alone explaining how to use them. After all, there were far too few people who could genuinely use Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

Wang Dong said, "Forget it, let's try tonight. If it doesn't work, we'll ask Teacher Zhou Yi tomorrow to see if there's a way to execute it."

"Mm," Huo Yuhao agreed while continuously calling out to the Skydream Ice Silkworm in his mind. He believed that the Skydream Ice Silkworm, with its million years of life experience, would definitely know what to do.

"Idiot, you're bothering me with such a trivial thing. Just do what you did last night! Morons." The Skydream Ice Silkworm seemed to be just about to fall asleep, and was very disgruntled at being woken up by Huo Yuhao, muttering a few words before falling silent again.

Just do what we did last night? Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing what was meant—hugging?

After quickly finishing their dinner, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, with excited and curious hearts, swiftly left the academy. Huo Yuhao didn't go out to sell grilled fish today, and upon exiting the academy gates, he encountered many old customers complaining. He could only apologize repeatedly, excusing himself with the need to prepare for the freshman assessment ranking match.

"Let's race," Wang Dong whispered, his toes tapping the ground as he suddenly sped up, shooting out like an arrow.

If this had been three months ago, Huo Yuhao probably wouldn't have even seen his silhouette. But three months of intense physical training was not in vain. Huo Yuhao fully exerted the strength in his legs, and his speed soared as well. Although he didn't look as effortless as Wang Dong, he was definitely not slow. Each step he took left a clear footprint in the soil as he quickly chased after Wang Dong.

The explosive power of his muscles came continuously, and the soul power circulating in his body replenished the physical strength he was consuming.

The air was cool and refreshing in the evening, giving them a thrilling sensation of darting through the wind. Free from the constraints of their metal shirts, they both unleashed their speed to the fullest.

Ultimately, Wang Dong's foundation was much better than Huo Yuhao's, and he quickly gained distance. Only after the gap exceeded three hundred meters did he slow down and wait for Huo Yuhao to catch up.

"Hmm, for a control-class Battle Soul Master who's not good at direct combat, your speed is still decent," Wang Dong said, looking at the catching-up Huo Yuhao as if he were an old man.

Huo Yuhao laughed and said, "That should be enough distance. Let's go into the forest."

"Okay," Wang Dong nodded, and the two of them looked around to ensure no one was nearby. Then they both accelerated at the same time, running into the woods beside the road and continuing for a few hundred meters before stopping.

"This should be good. How should we test it?" Wang Dong asked Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao said, "Let's try the recovery ability of Haodong Power first," and while speaking, he raised his hands towards Wang Dong.

Wang Dong raised his hand to meet his, and having practiced throughout the afternoon, they were quite familiar with operating Haodong Power. Just as they had predicted, Haodong Power did enhance their ability to recover physical and soul power when their soul energies were fused. However, this increase was not as significant as during their cultivation sessions.

"The effect is mediocre! But it still has some use," Wang Dong, who recovered his expended physical strength first, told Huo Yuhao after a moment.

Huo Yuhao nodded, spread his arms, and said, "Come on."

Wang Dong was taken aback and became wary as he looked at Huo Yuhao, "What are you going to do?"

Huo Yuhao said naturally, "Hug!"

"You..." Wang Dong's face changed dramatically, turning from pale to flushed, "Huo Yuhao, I can't believe you. Do you believe I could beat you to the point of being unable to take care of yourself?"

Huo Yuhao, caught between laughter and tears, said, "What are you thinking about? Idiot, have you forgotten how we came to experience Martial Soul Fusion? Now that our spirit energies can fuse, the simplest way to activate Martial Soul Fusion is to repeat what happened yesterday!"

Wang Dong then realized, his face going red with embarrassment, which was clearly visible to Huo Yuhao and his spirit eyes, even in the dark of night.

"You didn't explain and just said you wanted a hug. Did you do it on purpose to embarrass me?" Wang Dong, masking his awkwardness and embarrassment with anger.

Huo Yuhao, feeling helpless, said, "Who knew your thoughts would be so unhealthy? What could we two men possibly do? Hurry up. Get it over with so we can go back and continue cultivating."

Wang Dong hesitated and said, "But we're in the middle of nowhere. We're not going to fall asleep directly like last night, are we?"

Huo Yuhao, speechless, replied, "No, today is different. Why are you fussing like a woman? Here I come." Saying this, he quickly stepped forward and hugged Wang Dong tightly.

Wang Dong's body stiffened, and the moment Huo Yuhao hugged him, his mind went blank. After their full-force run previously, Huo Yuhao was slightly sweaty, and his faint scent engulfed Wang Dong.

Wang Dong's body was soft, and holding him felt as comfortable as it had the previous night, though Huo Yuhao had no intention of enjoying the moment. While hugging Wang Dong, he immediately started to circulate his own soul power and activated his Spiritual Eyes Martial Soul. Wang Dong also came to his senses in the next instant.

The full contact of their bodies quickly transformed the soul power inside them into Haodong Power. Huo Yuhao's eyes were exceptionally bright in the evening dusk, flickering with pale gold light.

After a brief moment of inertia, Wang Dong also hastily activated his Martial Soul.

Instantly, both felt a strange sensation. Releasing their Martial Souls while hugging was utterly different from the way they had assisted each other before when using Haodong Power to execute their soul skills.

The moment Wang Dong's ice-blue wings unfolded behind him, their minds both experienced a brief moment of disorientation.