Since they couldn’t separate Gu Yue from Tang Wulin, Feng Wuyu, Zhuo Shi, and Holy Spirit Douluo Yali ended up bringing them back to the working student dormitory in one bundle. 

“Yali, are their bodies okay?” Zhuo Shi asked. 

The Holy Spirit Douluo shook her head. “There’s no real problem with their bodies. They’re just exhausted. That transformation was too much for them to bear, so they’ll need time to recover. Truth be told... their soul fusion skill is quite strange. Generally speaking, a soul fusion skill can be used when both soul masters have at least three rings. But it looks like the soul fusion skill of these two is far more demanding. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that it’s exceedingly powerful. It simply consumed too much of their energy. Fortunately, they have good foundations, so they just need time to rest and recover now. They’ll need a full month of rest.” 

“One month?” Hearing this from Shrek Academy’s most powerful healer left Feng Wuyu and Zhuo Shi flabbergasted. The value of a soul fusion skill that required a month’s rest after using it was dubious. However, this also served as proof to just how overbearing Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s soul fusion skill was. 

“They didn’t actually complete their soul fusion skill either,” Yali said. “Yet I felt my heart race when they used it. The more compatible two people are, the more powerful their soul fusion skill is. Even if we searched all of history, it would be hard to find more than a handful of people whose fusion rate exceeded eighty percent. The highest fusion rate ever recorded is that of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao and his wife, Dragon Butterfly Douluo Tang Wutong. They both had twin martial souls that enabled them to use a total of four soul fusion skills. They are praised as the strongest duo in all of history. It’s been said that their fusion rate even approached one hundred percent compatibility! 

“Some historians whose research focused on Huo Yuhao and his wife stated that any soul fusion skill capable of reaching one hundred percent fusion rate would be considered a divine fusion. If both soul masters were at a sufficiently high enough level, using such a soul fusion skill would allow them to exhibit power on par with a god! Although I only have an inkling of a suspicion, the soul fusion skill of these two children might be on par with a divine fusion soul skill. I can’t imagine any other reason why their soul fusion skill would be so powerful. We'll need to keep a close eye on them. If my suspicion turns out to be correct, then Shrek Academy will have picked up a pair of real treasures.”

Feng Wuyu and Zhuo Shi looked at each other in dismay, both sharing a bitter smile. 

It was impossible to examine Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s soul fusion skill at the moment. One use alone left them bedridden for a month. This was too high a price to ask the two children to pay. They were in the spring of their youth. The amount they could grow in a month was enormous. 

☀ 

Blood essence bubbled, surging forth like a raging river. Tang Wulin opened his eyes to find himself within his spiritual world. It stretched out before him like a sea of stars. Countless specks of gold floated, suspended in space. The golden hall from before was nowhere to be seen. 

Then he looked up. To his astonishment, an enormous golden dragon floated above him. It was too large for him to even fathom. Its body seemed to stretch on forever. There were eighteen rings of light around the dragon’s body. Three glowed a soft blue, while the rest were a blazing red. 

Is this the Golden Dragon King sealed within my body? Those rings of light must be the seals then, right? 

Tang Wulin began to collect his thoughts, but he couldn’t quite recall what happened before he woke up in this spiritual world. All he remembered was the warmth of Gu Yue’s body when she hugged him, his blood essence surging with power, and himself subconsciously unleashing a punch. His mind had already been a haze by then. The last thing he could recall was the moment when the translucent scales began covering his body. 

Everything after that was blank. 

“Old Tang, are you here?” Tang Wulin shouted. Maybe Old Tang can explain what happened.

However, only silence answered him. Old Tang was nowhere to be found. 

The golden dragon floating above Tang Wulin suddenly stirred. It raised its head and unleashed a heaven-rending roar. A wave of dizziness struck Tang Wulin, stars dancing in his vision. Then the scene before him blurred and changed. He saw an enormous dragon with a seven-colored aura floating in midair. Countless beasts on the ground below it and in the air around it roared in respect, shaking Tang Wulin down to his very core. The horde of beasts then began rushing in one direction like a giant wave. 

A thundering voice boomed in Tang Wulin’s head, so loud that it felt like a spiritual attack.

“My fate is mine to decide! Not the heavens!”  

Then he lost consciousness again. 

Some time later, Tang Wulin woke up, the scene of the dragon and the horde of beasts still fresh in his mind. Simply recalling that scene made his heart race. 

He groaned in pain. His eyes shot open. A familiar ceiling told him he was back in the working student dormitory. He tried to sit up but didn’t have the strength. His head immediately fell back onto his pillow. 

Then he noticed a warmth pressing against his body. He heard the gentle sound of breathing. Looking down, he was stunned to find a pair of arms wrapped around him.

Huh? Is that… Gu Yue?

“Ow! My head hurts…” Tang Wulin leaned back and finally noticed that Gu Yue was embracing him from behind. Both of them were still wearing the clothes they had battled in. He tried to pry her arms from him gently. There’s no other way! 

“Don’t move...” A dissatisfied voice grumbled into his ear. An instant later, he felt the arms around him tighten their hold. He felt like he was being constricted by a pair of snakes. Throwing caution to the wind, he hastily separated himself from her. That was when Gu Yue finally woke up. 

“W-what are you doing in my bed?” she cried.

Tang Wulin seized the opening and jumped off the bed. A bout of vertigo washed over him and he stumbled. His body was still weak.  

Gu Yue stared at him, her eyes full of astonishment. 

Tang Wulin felt his throat go dry. “Uh, t-this... is actually my bed.” 

Gu Yue tried to get up, but a wave of dizziness struck her. Tang Wulin rushed to support her. He could smell the freshness of spring wafting from her. She blushed crimson and struggled free from his grasp, then stumbled over to her own bed. 

No one else was in the room. The sun already shone brightly outside. 

It looks like it’s morning, so everyone else should be in class. Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yue, but she averted her gaze and lowered her head. Awkward tension filled the air.

Amidst this strange atmosphere, another bout of vertigo hit Tang Wulin and he had to lay down. Gu Yue seemed to experience the same thing and fell onto her bed as well. The curtain dividing the room was open. Both of them could hear each other breathing. 

A few moments later, Gu Yue managed to compose herself. She drummed up all of her courage, preparing to speak. But then she noticed that Tang Wulin’s breathing had calmed down. 

“That pig!” Gu Yue grumbled. Yet a wry smile appeared on her lips a moment later. Tang Wulin had fallen asleep just as she was about to say something. Perhaps it was due to fatigue. Maybe he just wanted to escape from her.

When Tang Wulin next woke up, the room was bustling with activity. He heard Xu Xiaoyan’s voice first. 

“Big Sis Gu yue, how are you doing?” she asked. “Are you feeling okay? Please take it easy and rest some more. I heard the teachers talking about how the Holy Spirit Douluo said you and Tang Wulin would need a whole month to recover. Please don’t force yourself. You can take this week of classes off.” 

“How long were we unconscious?” Gu Yue asked. 

Xu Xiaoyan stuck out three fingers. “It's been this many days.” 

Gu Yue pouted. “Why was I in his bed when I woke up?”

Xu Xiaoyan snickered. “You were holding onto him so tightly that none of us could separate you! You sure know how to make a move early on, Big Sis Gu Yue!” 

“Stop making stuff up.” Gu Yue blushed crimson. “What does a kid like you understand? Just focus on your cultivation instead of this nonsense.” 

“Hehehe. How am I talking nonsense? Did you forget already? We’ve already moved to the next room over. Why did you choose to stay in this room if you didn’t want to? You could have just walked next door as soon as you woke up!”

“Huh? I… I forgot. I’m telling you, I really forgot!” 

Xu Xiaoyan was correct. Right after Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan joined their group, they became working students and got another room to move all the girls into. Gu Yue couldn’t believe she had forgotten this. 

“Let’s go!” Gu Yue shot to her feet and rushed out the door, the sweet laughter of Xu Xiaoyan following close behind. 

Tang Wulin pretended he was still asleep until he could no longer hear them. Then he opened one eye halfway and took a peek at the room to make sure no one was there. Confident that he was alone, he let out a sigh of relief. 

But then a round face popped out of his blindspot and peered down at him.