The cocoon of light disappeared.
There was no dramatic explosion, nor did it leave any horrific traces. It vanished piece by piece, as if a person trapped in a cocoon had devoured its remains.
Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin opened their eyes at the same time, savoring the martial soul fusion skill they had just used, and then... quickly shook off their tightly clenched hands.
Strange, the sun has barely moved a few steps in the sky, so it shouldn't have been long before their hands are stiff as if they've been clenching for centuries. The two of them thought to themselves at the same time.
Let's go find the teacher first! They looked around for a while and spotted a figure standing at the far end of the rooftop. Huo Dong seemed more relaxed than usual. Seeing that they were awake, he transmitted his voice:
"You two are finally done."
"Huh? How much time has passed, teacher?" Zang Xin was a little surprised. He looked up at the sky again to confirm, and the position of the sun indicated that it was afternoon. "Is it still afternoon?"
“Actually, it’s been three days already.” The teacher’s tone was tinged with helplessness, but he seemed to be in a good mood, because Cao Dezhi keenly noticed the upturn of the corners of his mouth.
"Oh no, I'm doomed." Zang Xin feigned a dejected look. "I'm sorry about the practical exam. We'll definitely do better next time, okay?"
"Does the way the teacher looks make it seem like we missed the practical exam?" Cao Dezhi quickly covered Zang Xin's mouth to stop the bleeding.
"I was about to ask you two," Huo Dong raised his hand to adjust his non-existent glasses, "why did you use your Martial Soul Fusion Technique on yourselves?"
"ah?"
"Your Martial Soul Fusion Skill is similar to a spacetime lockdown technique, but I wasn't the one affected, so I don't know the specific effects," the teacher said, sounding like someone who had been through it all. "Since it's the first attempt, it won't take long. I used some methods to control the flow of time in the vicinity, so only about half an hour has passed in reality." He turned around to face the students in front of him, a light that had never been there before shining in his eyes.
Although the two students still couldn't see the teacher's surrounding emotions, they subconsciously felt that...
That was probably a relief.
"So, teacher... you just stayed with us for three days like this?" Cao Dezhi suddenly realized this question.
"Teacher! I'm so sorry!" Zang Xin apologized while simultaneously pressing his childhood friend's head down as well. "I've kept you waiting, teacher! You must be so bored!"
"Boring?" The two, whose words lasted only three seconds, looked at the cold and sarcastic Huo Dong and saw him reveal a wicked smile they had never seen before. "What are you talking about?"
"After you two applied your Martial Soul Fusion Technique to yourselves, I saw every single thing you witnessed." He winked smugly, and Zang Xin felt that his teacher's true demonic nature had surfaced.
“Teacher, the noble image you held in our hearts has been shattered.” Zang Xin closed his eyes in anguish, then pinched Cao Dezhi’s hand. “Old Cao, say something!”
"Teacher, I just beg you not to tell anyone." Faced with a teacher he couldn't possibly beat, Cao Dezhi decided that it was better to give in than to resist.
"Image is something dispensable to me," Huo Dong retracted the Great Demon King's fangs, regaining his usual indifferent expression. "Let's get down to business. There's an exam tomorrow, so go back and recover your soul power." He gazed wistfully into the distance, then looked away and said to them:
"Let's think of a good name for your Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"But we didn't see what it looked like at all," Zang Xin explained helplessly. "Could the teacher describe it to us?"
The young, elderly man stood with his back to the light, his overcoat billowing in the strong winds of the rooftop. He didn't answer the question immediately, but simply watched them silently for a while longer.
“I think,” the sunlight was so bright they couldn’t see the teacher’s face, “you should focus more on the actual feelings it brings than on its outward appearance. A profound emotional experience cannot be described by just hearing or seeing.”
Although Cao Dezhi felt that what he said made sense, he sensed the implication: "It's just that its appearance is too plain and unadorned, isn't it?"
"Ha, that's not what I said." Huo Dong said as he approached them. When he reached their sides, he lowered his head as if to whisper something. The two men pricked up their ears, thinking it was some important instruction—
"Anyway, it's not as good-looking as my Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"Teacher!!!" Zang Xin felt that he had been toyed with at least three times today by this teacher who was impossible to beat and impossible to reason with. "Does he have to treat us, the flowers of the alliance, like this?" He looked like he was about to cry.
"Who told you bunch of idiots to keep messing with me with home appliances every day?" Huo Dong retorted with a look that suggested he was worse than dead. "When I was registering this afternoon, I happened to run into Leng Yulai filling in her agility-based class." He straightened up and continued walking towards the stairwell. "How innocent I am! I was just kicked away by Phoenix Grand Luck because I opened the office door."
The teacher was changing the subject again, as Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi, being elite members of Shrek Academy, thought to themselves. "Teacher, when will we be able to see your Spirit Fusion Skill with someone else?"
"We'll talk about it another time?" Huo Dong didn't turn around, he just waved his hand.
"Go back and get some rest."
Zang Xin wanted to ask a few more questions, but Cao Dezhi stopped him and shook his head.
Well, at least they now know that besides being able to influence time, their teacher also possesses a Martial Soul Fusion Technique, which is some additional information. The two decided to stop there and focus on preparing for the practical assessment the following day.