Chapter 21

Please collect, please give recommendations. I'm feeling soft-hearted writing this. However, a child's growth always needs setbacks; failure is the mother of success. (^o^)/~

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Crying is indeed the best way to vent emotions. As Tang Wulin's tears soaked Nuer's shoulder, his sobs gradually subsided.

"Nuer, am I very weak?" Tang Wulin lifted his head, wiped the tears from his eyes, and asked Nuer.

Nuer shook her head vigorously.

Tang Wulin looked at the soul spirit in his hand, where the small grass snake was moving carefree inside the soul spirit sphere.

"Nuer, you go out first. I'm going to fuse with the soul spirit," Tang Wulin said with a bitter smile.

Nuer hesitated for a moment, "But, isn't this not good?"

Tang Wulin smiled bitterly, "It's already hard enough for Dad and Mom to support us. I can't add more burden to them. Dad said he would help me raise money to buy a new soul spirit, but we don't have much money at home. I can't let Dad and Mom bear more burden for me. Although it's not very good, it's still a soul spirit. At least it can help me advance to a Soul Master. If I fuse with it, Dad won't have to worry about me anymore."

Nuer looked at him blankly, "Brother..."

Tang Wulin smiled, "I'm fine. Let's just treat it as a dream. Perhaps, a Forgemaster is indeed the most suitable profession for me."

At this moment, his smile was deeply etched in her heart. It was a smile of freedom, helplessness, acceptance, optimism, and deep sorrow.

Watching Nuer walk out of the room, Tang Wulin bit his lip and looked at the small grass snake again, feeling a mix of emotions.

He knew that by fusing with this soul spirit, he would probably never achieve his dream of becoming a powerful Soul Master. But what else could he do if he didn't fuse with it?

He reached into the soul spirit sphere and gently touched the small soul spirit. The soul spirit itself was not a physical entity, especially this low-level one.

His fingers easily passed through the small grass snake's body. It seemed to sense something and coiled up, wrapping around Tang Wulin's fingers despite its ethereal form. It even affectionately flicked its forked tongue, as if trying to lick him.

Bringing his hand in front of him, Tang Wulin could clearly see the small brown eyes of the grass snake soul spirit. Its eyes were dull and lifeless, somewhat confused and even a bit fearful.

It has a life too, right? If I don't choose to fuse with it, it will disappear forever after 24 hours.

A weak and defective martial soul paired with a defective soul spirit, it seems quite fitting, Tang Wulin thought with a self-deprecating smile. He turned his palm, and the soft soul power in his body began to flow under his mental command. The soft blue light of the Blue Silver Grass slowly emerged from his palm.

Instinctively, the small grass snake immediately sensed the presence of the Blue Silver Grass and climbed along Tang Wulin's fingers, quickly reaching the small Blue Silver Grass.

The originally soft light of the Blue Silver Grass instantly became intense, transforming into blue rays that entangled the small grass snake. The small grass snake also emitted a faint earthy yellow glow, complementing the blue light.

This was Tang Wulin's first time fusing with a soul spirit, but in class, Lin Ximeng had already explained the precautions and sensations during the fusion process.

A faint thought entered Tang Wulin's mind, a feeling of familiarity and fear, yet full of dependence.

Tang Wulin opened his heart and accepted it. Instantly, the Blue Silver Grass in his palm began to change rapidly, and his soul power surged.

Closing his eyes, he entered a meditative state. The fusion officially began.

The small grass snake wriggled slightly in his palm, but after the initial thought, it did not transmit any other emotions. This was the behavior of the lowest-level soul spirit. The more powerful the soul spirit, the higher its intelligence. Soul spirits of the purple level and above could even communicate with their hosts. According to legend, even higher-level soul spirits could directly help their hosts in battle.

But for the current Tang Wulin, those were just legends.

The earthy yellow color of the small grass snake gradually took on a hint of blue, and the Blue Silver Grass, which began to grow rapidly, also changed.

The originally fragile leaves curled inward, gradually transforming into finger-thick, vine-like shapes. Upon closer inspection, one could see fine, scale-like patterns on the leaves. The Blue Silver Grass itself was dull, just like the grass snake. Although it had grown thicker, it still looked fragile.

The body of the grass snake grew a bit longer, reaching about eight centimeters, and its scales also took on a hint of blue. The fusion was proceeding smoothly.

The spirit of the grass snake was too weak to resist at all. Although the Blue Silver Grass was a defective martial soul, Tang Wulin's intermediate Spirit Essence Realm mental power dominated the fusion process.

The Blue Silver Grass began to grow continuously, transforming into vines that coiled around his body.

Tang Wulin's own soul power fluctuations also became more intense. The bottleneck he had just reached quietly cracked, and soul power surged out, breaking through the barrier as his martial soul evolved.

Tang Wulin felt a sudden lightness in his body. The ball of soul power in his dantian instantly transformed into countless threads, spreading to every corner of his body. Every cell in his body seemed to be awakened, filled with vitality. The lightness and comfort finally alleviated the depression in his chest.

At this moment, Tang Wulin suddenly felt a slight warmth at the base of his spine. Immediately, a burning sensation spread from his spine to his entire body, and his aura changed slightly.

The already evolved Blue Silver Grass and the small grass snake both froze, as if solidified in place.

Faint golden grid patterns appeared again, quickly extending downward from Tang Wulin's forehead. Inside his clothes, a thin golden line rapidly ascended from the base of his spine to the top of his cervical vertebrae, converging with the golden grid extending downward from his head.

This time, the golden color was more distinct than before. The golden grid not only spread over Tang Wulin's body but also extended to the newly evolved Blue Silver Grass and the small grass snake.

The originally dull Blue Silver Grass began to sprout fine golden lines at its roots, which extended to its tips. Under the influence of these golden patterns, it began to undergo a second transformation.

The originally dull, vine-like leaves, as if infused with bones, became tough. The dullness on the surface of the leaves gradually turned lustrous, and the faint blue glow and golden lines complemented each other, making it particularly eye-catching.