The blue and black intertwined and overlapped, like an oil painting depicting the starry sky, flowing with brilliance and mystery.
The young girl stepped on the stairs paved with shadows, her snow-white bare feet disappearing into the darkness, as if becoming one with it.
Her long black hair, slightly curled at the ends, cascaded behind her. A ribbon as vibrant as blood red was tied behind her head into a bow, adding a touch of playfulness and liveliness.
Perhaps due to her position, she stood upon the darkness, yet behind her was a hazy expanse of light, as if she were at the boundary between good and evil, light and oblivion. She could calmly step out of the darkness and embrace the light, but at any moment of carelessness, she could fall into the abyss.
"Sui Sui...?"
The Master stared in astonishment at the familiar exquisite face. Even though the young girl had matured considerably, her features were still recognizable to everyone.
Hearing the Master's voice, those enchanting crimson eyes turned towards him. Everyone present felt a sense of danger and an imposing pressure, not inferior to what the young man had given them.
But...
"Then... then aren't you, Xiao, Xiao San?"
Oscar stammered, pointing at the young man whose demeanor had drastically changed and whose features had become even more handsome. The black-haired youth silently watched him, like a knight guarding a princess, silent yet undeniably present, impossible to ignore.
What made the three Soul Sages, Flander, the Master, and Zhao Wuji, even more startled was that they couldn't sense the soul power levels of Tang San and Tang Sui. It was as if... they had become one.
The Master looked at the siblings, whose temperaments were identical, with wisps of black mist swirling around them. A word came to his mind: "Could this be... 'blackening'?"
"What is 'blackening'?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
"I've only seen records of 'blackening' in ancient texts. The cause of 'blackening' is not detailed in the book, only that in the state of 'blackening,' dark light covers the entire body, temperaments become capricious, and one's strength doubles... But Sui Sui..."
The Master hesitated, looking at the siblings whose auras leaned more towards "wickedness."
Tang San's condition could somewhat align with "blackening," but Tang Sui was entirely different. What was this...?
"Whoosh—"
Dark light surged, and black-red radiance covered them. In the next moment, within the ethereal black mist, they separated into two individual entities.
The handsome young man, after separating, reverted to his familiar appearance with short black hair. The Eight Spider Lance spirit bone behind him flowed with wisps of black energy, seemingly having evolved further. Su Dan Novel Network
However, the owner of the spirit bone now had unfocused eyes. Amidst Xiao Wu's cry of alarm, his knees buckled, and he collapsed forward as if drained of all strength. He was caught by Tang Sui, who had also returned to her familiar appearance and demeanor.
"Xiao San!"
The Master and the others rushed over. Flander immediately placed his hand on Tang San's pulse. After confirming that he had merely fainted from exhaustion, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Tang Sui, who also appeared somewhat tired, with lingering fear. "Sui Sui, what exactly is going on with you two? Why couldn't I sense your soul power just now, and... you felt like one entity?"
The Master, deeply concerned about Tang San, paused for half a second. Then, a startling gleam shot through his eyes. He suddenly focused on Tang Sui, suppressing his excitement, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "Sui Sui, did you and Xiao San develop a Spirit Fusion Skill?!"
With her spiritual power significantly diminished and her soul power feeling greatly depleted after the Spirit Fusion Skill, Tang Sui mumbled a nod. She transferred Tang San's weight to Flander, then fell silent. She sat down on the spot, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and began to meditate to recover.
"It's... it's actually a Spirit Fusion Skill! That's amazing!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in admiration.
"But, but Xiao San's spirit and Sui Sui's spirit are vastly different. Can they still form a Spirit Fusion Skill?" Dai Mubai found the world to be quite surreal.
"Are you saying it's not possible if the spirits are vastly different? Don't forget that Tang San and Tang Sui are blood-related siblings. You know that Spirit Fusion Skills between soul masters, besides those that can make spirits resonate, can also be formed between blood relatives."
Zhao Wuji, who had extensive knowledge, was not surprised at all. He was merely astonished that Tang San and Tang Sui's tacit understanding could actually manifest it.
"That's right, as long as the tacit understanding and bond are deep enough, a Spirit Fusion Skill can be performed," the Master affirmed, though he was still very surprised because Tang San and Tang Sui had never practiced it before, nor had they ever considered developing a Spirit Fusion Skill!
The crowd chattered, but they were afraid of disturbing Tang Sui's meditation, so they suppressed their excitement and communicated in hushed tones.
Half an hour later, Tang Sui opened her eyes. Two purple and two black spirit rings floated up from beneath her, encircling and swirling around her.
"Second Spirit Ability, Benevolence."
Interrupting her meditation, Tang Sui cast a single-target healing and a 50% soul power recovery buff onto the still-unconscious Tang San, then closed her eyes again to meditate. Xiao Wu had only just walked up to Tang Sui and hadn't even managed to say half a sentence to her.
The moon hung high in the branches. Since they were still within the poison formation set by Dugu Bo, they dared not set up camp and could only rest on the spot. While Flander and the other four teachers took turns on guard, Dai Mubai and the others, like Tang Sui, occasionally closed their eyes to cultivate their soul power.
When the morning of the second day arrived, the rising sun climbed over the mountain and cast golden sunlight through the dense foliage. Tang San finally slowly woke up.