Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

"Now that we've made our choice, let's not waste any more time."

The gray-robed spirit master glanced at the dark golden ant in Tang Wulin's palm, then turned and walked deeper into the hall.

"Come with me to the fusion room."

Tang Wulin nodded immediately, carefully holding the little ant in his palm, and followed behind him. Tang Ziran also quickly followed, and even now, the tension in his heart had not truly eased.

Choosing the right soul is only the first step.

Whether or not a successful integration can be achieved is the most crucial issue at present.

The fusion room is not large.

Unlike the testing area outside, which was filled with the aura of soul guidance, this place was quiet and almost empty. In the center of the room was a circular platform, inscribed with intricate soul guidance arrays, and surrounded by pale white crystals that emitted a soft and stable light.

"Stand in the middle," the gray-robed spirit medium said.

Tang Wulin followed the instructions and walked onto the platform. He looked down at the little ant in his palm and then subconsciously tightened his grip on the sinking star hammer in his other hand.

The gray-robed spirit master looked at him and said, "Don't be nervous about your first time fusing with a soul spirit. Your spiritual power and martial soul foundation are both very good. Since it has chosen you, the chances of a successful fusion are very high."

"From now on, there's only one thing you need to do."

"Don't resist it; let your martial spirit and it draw closer to each other."

Tang Wulin nodded seriously.

"Yes."

Tang Ziran stood outside the magic circle, looking at his son standing in the center, his fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes. Even though the spirit master had said that "the chances of success are very high," he was not a soul master after all and didn't know much about these things. The more he knew this, the more uncontrollably worried he became.

The gray-robed spirit master didn't say anything more. With a gentle wave of his right hand, the soul guide crystals around the platform lit up immediately.

A soft white light rose from the ground and slowly enveloped Tang Wulin.

"Now, release your Martial Soul."

A flash of dark light.

The Sinking Star Hammer appeared silently in Tang Wulin's palm.

As soon as it appeared, the little ant in Tang Wulin's palm seemed to sense something, and with a slight movement of its six legs, it slowly crawled along Tang Wulin's palm toward the hammer.

Tang Wulin held his breath, not daring to move an inch.

He could clearly feel that the little ant's steps were extremely light yet extremely steady as it crawled. The moment it actually touched the hammerhead of the Starfall Hammer, a familiar yet unfamiliar tremor suddenly spread throughout his entire body along the handle.

"Buzz".

The sinking star hammer gave a slight tremor.

This time, it's not the superficial resonance of the previous chapter, but a genuine response.

Deep within the hammer, the faint, dark gold patterns seemed to be illuminated for a moment. Although it was only a very faint flash, it made the aura of the entire hammer even more profound.

The next moment, the little ant slightly raised its forelegs and, as if without the slightest hesitation, plunged directly into the sinking star hammer.

Tang Wulin's whole body trembled violently.

In that instant, everything in front of him disappeared.

Instead, there was an extremely vast darkness.

This darkness was not cold; instead, it possessed an overwhelming sense of oppression, like an endless night sky or an ancient rock layer pressed deep into the earth. Tang Wulin stood within it, still holding the Sinking Star Hammer in his hand, and not far in front of him, the dark golden Jun Ant hovered silently.

It is very small.

So small that it's almost inconspicuous.

Yet, in this darkness, its presence was inexplicably clear. It did not roar, nor did it unleash any terrifying aura; it simply stood there quietly, yet it possessed a resilience that said, "Even if its body is small, it can still withstand everything."

Immediately afterwards, the burning sensation that he had been intimately familiar with since his awakening also quietly surged from deeper within Tang Wulin's body.

gold.

Gold appears again.

This time, however, the golden light didn't violently tear his body apart as it had before; instead, it was heavily suppressed by something. In the deepest darkness, it was as if an unseen behemoth was slowly opening its eyes. The dragon's ferocity only revealed a sliver of its edge before being immediately suppressed by the hammer shadow, the root patterns, and the deeper seal.

Tang Wulin's body trembled slightly, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Strangely, he didn't feel any pain.

On the contrary, he felt as if he had finally found a place that was meant to be his.

The little ant slowly walked forward.

Step by step.

It's slow, but very steady.

With each step it took forward, Tang Wulin felt the Sinking Star Hammer become "heavier." It wasn't an increase in weight, but rather as if some essence that had always belonged to this hammer had finally been truly completed, with the first cornerstone being laid.

weight.

stable.

Pressure.

Carry it.

At that moment, Tang Wulin suddenly understood why he felt such a strong sense of identification when he first saw it.

Because this spirit is not magnificent, not fierce, not dazzling.

It's so much like how I've come this far.

They were all unremarkable.

They are not noticed at first glance.

But they just can endure it, they just won't back down, they just keep moving forward step by step.

Thinking of this, the last bit of tension in Tang Wulin's heart completely dissipated.

He raised the heavy star hammer in his hand and gently handed it forward.

At that moment, the little ant also quickened its pace slightly and crashed straight into the hammer shadow.

boom.

Outside, the white light on the circular magic circle suddenly intensified.

Tang Ziran subconsciously took half a step forward, almost stepping directly into the magic array area, but was stopped by the gray-robed spirit master raising his hand.

"Don't go over there," he whispered. "The fusion has begun."

In the center of the platform, Tang Wulin was enveloped in white light, the Dark Star Hammer in his hand gleaming with a deep, dark light, while extremely faint dark gold patterns flowed across its surface. The light was not ostentatious, yet it possessed an undeniable sense of oppression.

The next instant, a pure white spirit ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.

white.

Clear and stable.

Its appearance was not spectacular, but exceptionally solid, like a ring that had finally been truly forged, quietly fitting onto the foundation of the Sinking Star Hammer.

The gray-robed spirit medium's eyes flickered slightly, and he gently exhaled.

"It's done."

Upon hearing those two words, Tang Ziran felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and her previously tense shoulders finally relaxed.

It became.

His son did indeed become a first-ring Soul Master.

Tang Wulin, who was in the center of the platform, slowly opened his eyes after a few breaths.

He was stunned for a moment when he opened his eyes.

Because he could clearly feel that he was different.

It wasn't simply a matter of "adding another spirit ring"; rather, the spirit power within him, which had been stuck at the level ten threshold, had finally truly taken a step forward. The Sinking Star Hammer became more stable and heavier than before, and more like a true martial spirit belonging to a strength-type spirit master.

More importantly, the relationship between him and that little ant was no longer one of "seeing" and "choosing".

It is now inside my body.

It was as if he had become a part of the Sinking Star Hammer, and also a part of himself.

Tang Wulin lowered his head and looked at the pure white soul ring at his feet, and for a moment he was in a daze.

Three years.

It has been a full three years since I awakened at the age of six and became a true one-ring Soul Master today.

In the past three years, he has struck countless metals, worn out his hands countless times, shed countless drops of sweat, and endured countless nights of forced meditation. He himself has lost count of how many nights he has spent meditating.

But now, all of this has finally come to an end.

"Dad..." He subconsciously raised his head and looked at Tang Ziran outside the magic circle.

Tang Ziran looked at him, her eyes slightly red, but she still managed to smile and nod.

"Okay." His voice was soft, but a little hoarse. "Okay, that's great."

Tang Wulin opened his mouth, but suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say.

The gray-robed spirit master had already stepped forward. He carefully examined the white spirit ring at the feet of the man and sensed the aura emanating from the Starfall Hammer. A genuine surprise appeared in his eyes.

"It blends very well," he said. "And...it fits even better than I expected."

He looked at Tang Wulin with a rare seriousness in his eyes, as if offering a reminder.

"After you get back, don't rush to show off your spirit rings. Get a good rest tonight and then try to feel your first spirit skill. Your spirit is already biased towards strength and heavy blows, so your spirit skill will most likely follow that direction as well. The more that's the case, the more you need to figure it out first."

Tang Wulin nodded immediately.

"Yes, Spirit Master."

The grey-robed spirit medium nodded slightly, then added:

"From today onwards, you are a true first-ring Soul Master."

As soon as he said those words, Tang Wulin felt a sudden surge of heat in his chest.

A true first-ring Soul Master.

He had heard and pondered these words countless times since childhood. Only now did they truly apply to him.

He lowered his head, looked at the pure white spirit ring, and couldn't help but clench his fist slightly.

This time, it's not just imagination, not just some future day.

But now.

He really has come this far.