Chapter 3: The Fusion
Ji Lin smiled calmly as he raised his gaze toward Tianmeng Iceworm.
Alright then… big sister.
He slowly raised his hand before him, and in the very next moment, threads of light quietly began flowing between his fingers.
Those threads moved smoothly through the air before gradually intertwining around one another, weaving a complex pattern of glowing ancient symbols.
The instant those symbols appeared, a mysterious aura spread throughout the surroundings.
As for Tianmeng—
She froze for a moment.
Her entire transparent body lit up with powerful golden light while her enormous head tilted slightly and her golden eyes widened visibly.
This…!
For the first time, genuine shock filled her voice.
This isn't an ordinary spirit ring fusion.
She stared at the glowing symbols before her for several short seconds before slowly speaking again, as though unable to believe what she was seeing.
It's… a Spirit Contract.
A faint smile appeared on Ji Lin's lips while the symbols continued rotating around him.
Exactly.
Then he calmly raised his eyes toward her and added:
It's far better than becoming nothing more than a spirit ring carrying consciousness.
His gaze lingered on her briefly before he continued in a calm tone carrying faint amusement.
Don't you agree…big sister?
Tianmeng laughed lightly, her gigantic body trembling slightly along with her laughter.
Yes…little brother.
Her eyes became noticeably brighter than before, as though her excitement had suddenly increased.
This truly is much better.
But after a brief moment, her golden eyes narrowed slightly while she looked at the ancient symbols surrounding him.
But… how did you obtain this contract?
Ji Lin answered calmly without changing his expression.
It's a legacy passed down from my clan.
The threads of light slowly moved around his palm while he continued:
A technique developed and refined over ten thousand years.
Then he breathed calmly before adding in a natural tone:
But it's better if you don't ask too many questions.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Agreed?
Tianmeng stared at him for several long moments, as though trying to determine how much truth existed within his words, but in the end she slowly nodded her enormous head.
Alright…little brother.
And in the very next moment, the contract process officially began.
The ten golden rings above Tianmeng Iceworm's body lit up simultaneously, and enormous waves of golden light erupted from them, sweeping across the entire surrounding forest.
Then that light began flowing toward Ji Lin like a river.
But suddenly, Tianmeng's voice changed inside his mind.
Wait… your current body can't withstand my full power.
At that same instant, the spiritual pressure rose to a terrifying level.
Ji Lin's bones trembled violently while his muscles completely stiffened. Even the air surrounding him became so heavy that breathing itself turned difficult.
Tianmeng immediately sensed the danger.
And so, she made her decision without the slightest hesitation.
The immense power she had accumulated over a million years of cultivation began compressing rapidly within her body, layer after layer, as though an entire ocean was being forcibly condensed into a single point.
The golden light gradually gathered until it became unimaginably dense before surging directly toward the deep Sea of Spirit within Ji Lin's mind.
Inside that spiritual space, a massive seal of golden light formed, containing the majority of Tianmeng's power within it.
Then her voice echoed through his mind once again.
I've sealed most of my power inside your Sea of Spirit.
Her voice became calmer this time as she continued:
This power will gradually be released as you become strong enough to withstand it.
Then she laughed lightly as usual.
But don't worry, little brother. Even the tiny portion I've left for you now is enough to make any Spirit Master your age die from jealousy.
In the next moment, the golden light completely wrapped around Ji Lin's body.
Then, beneath his feet, a spirit ring slowly began to form.
Its color was neither red.
Nor black.
Nor even violet.
It was entirely pure gold, radiating an ancient and majestic aura that caused the surrounding trees to tremble silently.
A spirit ring representing the power of a complete million years.
Yet its true strength remained sealed within his Sea of Spirit.
After several moments, the light gradually calmed, and the forest returned to its former silence.
Meanwhile, inside the Sea of Spirit, Tianmeng Iceworm's body slowly began taking shape clearly.
But she was no longer merely a spiritual consciousness like in the original history.
She had become a complete contracted Spirit Soul.
A true existence capable of manifesting her original body whenever she wished, rather than simply being a spirit living inside the spiritual sea.
Her transparent body moved slowly within the Sea of Spirit while a satisfied smile appeared across her face.
Then she looked toward Ji Lin and spoke in a voice filled with excitement.
From this moment onward… I am your contracted Spirit Soul.
She paused briefly before adding with obvious pride:
And the very first true Spirit Soul in the history of the Douluo Continent.
Then she laughed lightly as she continued:
Little brother… let's begin our journey together.
Tianmeng Iceworm's spiritual power erupted instantly within the Sea of Consciousness, transforming into an enormous golden storm that violently swept across the spiritual space.
The entire Sea of Spirit trembled as her power surged toward that mysterious intruder, attempting to crush it and expel it from Ji Lin's body.
But deep within the Sea of Consciousness, a vague shadow slowly began to form.
An indistinct figure emerged amidst the gray mist, as though its very existence stood apart from this world itself.
Then the voice of an ancient old man echoed throughout the Sea of Spirit.
A majestic and heavy voice carrying indescribable dignity.
I hold the sun and moon within my hands… and pluck the stars from the heavens.
The spiritual space shook with every word that left that voice.
No one in this world can rival me.
Tianmeng froze for a brief moment, her golden eyes violently shrinking.
Meanwhile, the elderly voice calmly continued.
I never imagined… that a fragment of my soul would still remain until now.
The spiritual storm released by Tianmeng intensified even further, her golden power transforming into overwhelming pressure capable of crushing any ordinary spiritual existence.
Yet the ethereal figure remained standing motionlessly in place.
It did not tremble.
Nor did it display any resistance.
As though Tianmeng's entire power was nothing more than a passing breeze to it.
Then suddenly, accompanied by a faint whistle barely audible, the gray body gradually began disappearing.
It transformed into a small stream of mist before directly merging into the back of Ji Lin's head.
Tianmeng's eyes widened violently while her entire body froze in shock.
She had clearly seen what happened.
The instant that gray mist entered the Sea of Consciousness, it rapidly compressed until it became a tiny gray bead roughly the size of a bean.
The bead quietly settled within the Sea of Spirit.
Without movement.
Without any hostile aura.
And no matter how much power Tianmeng directed toward it…
It gave absolutely no response.
As though it were something existing entirely outside the laws of this world.
Tianmeng Iceworm whispered in disbelief while continuing to stare at the gray bead within the Sea of Spirit.
Impossible…
Then her voice suddenly rose with obvious agitation.
I finally found a human possessing such astonishing talent and such rare spiritual power, and now some unknown intruder dares to steal my opportunity?!
Her thoughts surged chaotically while her enormous body moved restlessly within the Sea of Spirit, but after several moments she let out a long sigh filled with bitterness.
Ah…what terrible luck.
Then Tianmeng lowered her head slightly before muttering in a discouraged tone:
Little brother… barely three minutes after meeting you, something like this already appeared…
As for me, I temporarily ignored her complaints and quietly began sensing the changes within my body.
It was over.
I had successfully obtained Tianmeng Iceworm.
But the thing that truly surprised me was not the contract itself, but the power that had awakened inside my body after the fusion.
The Senju bloodline and the Uchiha bloodline had granted me far more than I originally expected.
Because of them, I had awakened from the very beginning with complete innate spiritual power—something nearly impossible for someone who had not even begun cultivation yet.
A faint smile appeared on my lips as I felt spiritual energy flowing through my veins with unprecedented smoothness.
Well then… the next step is obvious.
Slowly, I raised my head toward the dark sky above the forest.
Joining Shrek Academy in this timeline.
I had no intention of entering it for glory or fame.
But for something far more important.
Knowledge.
Everything related to Spirit Masters, spirit rings, spirit bones, and the techniques of this world…
I wanted all of it.
Just one year.
I felt that a single year would be enough for me to understand everything I needed.
But of course…
That was not the only reason.
A faint smile unconsciously formed on my lips as several names passed through my mind.
Ma Xiaotao.
Xiao Xiao.
Wu Feng.
Ning Tian.
And even Tang Wutong.
Honestly, the current generation of the Tang Sect was absurdly full of beautiful girls.
Perhaps even more than the generation from the first Douluo era.
I let out a quiet breath before laughing softly in self-mockery.
In the end, anyone who transmigrates into the Douluo Dalu world always thinks about three things.
Gaining power.
Getting close to beautiful women.
And one day… standing against Tang San.
Of course, I was not foolish enough to think about confronting Tang San right now.
But that did not mean I would ignore his daughter.
Tang Wutong was dangerously beautiful, yet the thing that attracted me most was not her appearance.
But her true identity.
That secret hidden behind her existence made her far more interesting.
And in the end…
Tang San himself was the one who sent her into this world.
So how could I possibly ignore that?
Especially since taking revenge on her in the timeline I came from would become much more enjoyable this way.
Simply imagining Huo Yuhao's reaction was enough to make the smile on my lips widen slightly.
But even so, the people who truly caught my interest were not Tang Wutong.
But Ma Xiaotao, Xiao Xiao, Wu Feng, and Ning Tian.
And from the very moment I arrived in the Douluo World, my true goal was never merely standing against Tang San.
But destroying the Tang Sect completely.
Especially one particular person.
Huo Yuhao.
I wanted to seize every possible opportunity to humiliate him.
It was true that he lived a harsh life in the beginning, but that did not change the fact that he eventually became nothing more than a blind follower of the Tang Sect.
Someone willing to justify anything for their sake.
I slowly let out a breath while a cold look appeared within my eyes.
What always disturbed me most about him was his hypocrisy.
He claimed loyalty and devotion…
Yet his actions were something entirely different.
Even his romantic life was filled with contradictions he constantly tried to ignore.
And in the end, the thing that made me despise him most…
Was that he did not even give his own son the attention he deserved.
As though the child's existence had never truly mattered to him at all.