Chapter 14: Fusion! The Millennium Soul Ring!
At that moment, endless darkness erupted from Luo Ling's body, and his eyes turned completely crimson—no longer the faint red glow of the Soul of Desire, but true, bloody red.
A terrifying aura spread through the forest, so overwhelming that even Bibi Dong and the two Title Douluo beside her felt their hearts tremble.
"What kind of martial soul does Luo Ling have?" Bibi Dong murmured in shock.
The Raven Shadow Puppet and Soul of Desire had merged completely, just as Luo Ling had described—Twin Souls of the Same Origin.
Too powerful to exist as one, they had been forced to split into two at birth. But now, the two martial souls had returned to a single, complete entity.
A phantom shadow—sinister and demonic—loomed behind Luo Ling's body, radiating the aura of an abyssal spirit. Beneath that oppressive power, the two soul rings surrounding him slowly merged into one.
An hour passed. When the fusion finished, Luo Ling was left with only one ring—not a yellow century-level ring, but a deep purple millennium soul ring!
As his eyes snapped open, they gleamed with excitement. His soul power had risen to level thirteen—but that wasn't what thrilled him the most.
He looked at the violet ring around him and immediately activated his new soul skill.
Before the astonished eyes of Bibi Dong and the others, Luo Ling's body gradually vanished.
"What… what happened? Where's Little Brother Luo Ling?" Hu Liena exclaimed, rushing to where he'd stood.
"He must have gained the Phantom Ghost Bird's ability," Bibi Dong said, brow raised slightly. "Likely an invisibility-type skill."
"Teacher truly knows everything," Luo Ling's voice came from thin air. His figure shimmered back into view beside Hu Liena. "It's called Spectral Veil—an invisibility ability granted by the Phantom Ghost Bird's ring."
"Ah!" Hu Liena jumped, slapping his arm. "Little Brother Luo Ling, you scared me!"
Luo Ling chuckled, then turned toward Bibi Dong. "So, Teacher, what do you think?"
"Remarkable," Bibi Dong admitted. "Even I couldn't sense your presence."
A first soul skill capable of completely hiding from a Title Douluo's perception—such a feat defied common sense.
At that moment, Bibi Dong had to acknowledge the terrifying potential of Luo Ling's martial souls.
Even as a one-ring Soul Master, if he wished, he could conceal himself beside stronger enemies and assassinate them before they even noticed.
"Your soul rings… they fused together?" Bibi Dong asked suddenly.
"Yes," Luo Ling nodded. There was no need to hide it; everyone had seen the process clearly.
"When my two martial souls fuse, their respective soul rings merge as well," he explained calmly. "Both soul skills remain, but their ring levels stack, enhancing the power of each ability."
"When I separate them again, the rings revert to their original state, and the power of the soul skills returns to the century level."
As he spoke, he released his fusion. The Raven Shadow Puppet detached from his body, appearing quietly beside him, while the purple ring on him dulled back to yellow.
"So you're saying that whenever you fuse your martial souls, your ring levels double—and you gain twice the number of skills as other soul masters? If you absorbed two 50,000-year rings, your fusion would create the strength of a single 100,000-year ring?" Chrysanthemum Douluo blurted out.
"More or less," Luo Ling said with a shrug. "But soul ring fusion consumes far more energy. Two fifty-thousand-year rings might not even be enough to form a true one-hundred-thousand-year ring."
"You're… a monster," Chrysanthemum Douluo exhaled, staring at him in disbelief.
"Heh… I'm just a little stronger than most," Luo Ling said modestly. "After all, I do have twin martial souls."
"That's more than 'a little,'" Bibi Dong said with a rare smile. "Even twin martial soul users can't wield both martial souls at once—they must switch between them to use different abilities. You, however, can use both simultaneously."
"Teacher flatters me," Luo Ling replied humbly.
"Enough for now. Since you've acquired your ring, we'll leave the forest." Bibi Dong turned, raising her scepter.
"Are we heading back to Spirit City?" Luo Ling asked, stepping beside her. In truth, he was curious about the place that had produced so many powerful figures.
"No, we won't return yet," Bibi Dong said, shaking her head. "Our next stop… is Notting City."
"Notting City?" Luo Ling froze.
…
Three days later, aboard a carriage.
They finally reached Notting City.
Over the journey, Luo Ling came to understand the true reason for their trip.
It was his doing—his scheme in the Fasno Province that had turned Yu Xiaogang into a scandal had given Bibi Dong a lead on his whereabouts. That was what brought her here.
To Luo Ling's surprise, she had told him everything openly, including her personal history with Yu Xiaogang.
All these years, she had still been searching for him—something unknown to Luo Ling before.
"You know about my relationship with Yu Xiaogang," Bibi Dong said quietly as the carriage neared the city gates. "Tell me, should I see him?"
For the first time, the commanding Pope of Spirit Hall sounded… uncertain.
Watching the city appear through the window, she felt her chest tighten with emotion. Yu Xiaogang's image flashed again in her mind, tangled now with the doubts Luo Ling had planted earlier.
Is this really the same ruthless woman the world fears? Or is it the Soul of Desire affecting her emotions? Luo Ling wondered silently before responding with careful tact.
"Teacher, this is something only you can decide," he said slowly.
Bibi Dong sighed but offered no reply.
Soon, they entered the Spirit Hall's Notting City branch.
Upon showing her token, the guards nearly collapsed in shock and rushed to report inward. Moments later, a middle-aged soul master hurried out from the hall.
"Ma Xiu Nuo greets Her Holiness the Pope! Greetings, honored Elders!" He bowed deeply, his forehead damp with sweat.
As a mere level-thirty Soul Lord, facing the Pope and two Title Douluo was beyond terrifying.
"I'm here for certain matters," Bibi Dong said coolly from within the carriage. "Prepare accommodations for us—and keep our presence quiet."
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
The carriage rolled into the branch compound, and soon the group entered the meeting hall.
Bibi Dong took her seat at the central throne. Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo stood on either side, while Luo Ling and Hu Liena sat below.
Ma Xiu Nuo remained standing at the bottom, head bowed, not daring to glance up.
"I've heard that someone at Notting Academy has been practicing forbidden techniques. Is that true?" Bibi Dong asked, her tone light yet commanding.
"Your Holiness, the rumors are indeed widespread," Ma Xiu Nuo answered quickly. "It's said that the so-called 'Grandmaster' has been dabbling in dark arts."
"Explain—everything," Bibi Dong ordered.
"Yes, Your Holiness," he replied, swallowing nervously.
"This incident occurred about ten days ago. One night, a teacher allegedly found the Grandmaster and another man completely naked, embracing in the office."
"The man in the Grandmaster's arms had been drained of all life and spirit energy. The Grandmaster's… lower body was also reportedly mutilated."
"Many students witnessed the scene themselves, which is why the rumors spread—that the Grandmaster succeeded in practicing a forbidden art but was crippled in the process."
"And afterward? Did he deny the accusations?" Bibi Dong asked sharply.
Ma Xiu Nuo shook his head. "No, Your Holiness. The Grandmaster has been hiding in his office since, refusing to meet anyone. Rumor has it he recently accepted a disciple—and left for the Spirit Hunting Forest a few days ago."
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10