Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao sat on the left and right sides of Wang Feng.
Seeing an opportunity, Wang Feng, hesitating yet filled with curiosity, reached out to gently grasp their hands.
Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao were startled, but they didn't have time to pull their hands away. As Wang Feng held their hands, something extraordinary happened.
It felt as if an invisible thread connected the three of them. A flow of soul power slowly began to move — from Wang Dong to Wang Feng, from Wang Feng to Huo Yuhao, and back again. The flow of energy formed a perfect circle among them.
"What... is this?" Wang Dong whispered, his voice barely audible.
Huo Yuhao, having the lowest soul power level among them, was the one who benefited the most. He felt his body being filled with an abundant amount of soul power, as if every pore of his body was opening up to absorb the energy endlessly. The warm and powerful sensation made his body feel light, as if he could float at any moment.
Next to benefit was Wang Dong. He also felt his soul power becoming more stable, more consolidated. If previously the growth of his strength had felt like stacking grains of sand, now it felt like building a solid foundation of stone. The aura around his body even trembled slightly, signaling an unusual transformation.
Wang Feng, positioned between them, felt something different. His body didn't just act as a connector but also like a filtering center. Every flow of soul power passing through him was refined by the Meteor Tears, making it purer and denser before it was passed back to his two friends. Although he didn't directly receive as much improvement as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, he could feel his own body becoming more harmonized, as if the soul power within him was becoming more synchronized and balanced.
Perhaps if the three of them were at the same level, Wang Feng would have directly experienced a significant boost as well.
They continued holding hands, allowing the energy to keep circulating and strengthening each other.
The warmth kept growing until eventually, their bodies emitted a faint, gentle light — almost invisible unless one paid close attention.
For a moment, it felt as if the outside world completely vanished, leaving only the three of them, connected in a peaceful silence.
Xiao Xiao, who was standing in front of them, watched the three boys with a blushing face, her mind filled with... mature possibilities.
Meanwhile, Wang Feng, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao, completely unaware of what Xiao Xiao was imagining, stayed connected, letting their soul power flow in the silence. They could feel something powerful and indescribable through the bond, but they remained focused on the energy interwoven between them.
However, the moment didn't last long. They suddenly heard loud noises around them and unconsciously opened their eyes.
A crowd had gathered to watch them.
The peaceful atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Wang Feng, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao were stunned to see so many pairs of eyes staring at them. People who had been around them earlier were now gathered, full of curiosity — some looking impressed, others puzzled or even amused.
Xiao Xiao, still standing in front of them, couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Sorry... I couldn't drive them away," she said.
Wang Dong looked the most flustered. He quickly pulled his hand away from Wang Feng and Huo Yuhao, his face flushed red. "What are you all looking at?! It's just... training! Nothing weird!"
Huo Yuhao, still feeling the effects of the energy flowing through his body, looked confused. He stared at the gathering crowd with a puzzled expression. "What exactly happened?" he asked softly.
Suddenly, one of the students shouted, "Hey, if you're going to date, don't do it here!"
The atmosphere grew even more awkward after that comment. All eyes were now on the three friends, who still sat there, faces red and utterly confused. Some students giggled, while others whispered to each other, trying to make sense of what they'd just seen.
Wang Feng, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao could only exchange glances, unsure of what to do.
Wang Dong, who seemed to recover quickest from the shock, swiftly stood up and tried to change the mood. "It's not what you think!" he said, trying to reassure everyone. "We were just practicing soul power control! Nothing weird!"
However, his explanation didn't seem enough to curb the overflowing curiosity among the students. In fact, it only seemed to make some of them even more interested, focusing even more attention on the three of them.
One particularly bold student added, "Come on, you don't have to be shy. If you're already that close, surely there's something... more personal, right?"
Wang Feng sighed, feeling increasingly cornered. "You've misunderstood!" Wang Feng said firmly. "This is only about our soul power, nothing more."
Huo Yuhao, still a little confused about what had just happened, finally spoke in a soft voice, "That's right, we didn't do anything inappropriate."
However, even though they tried to explain, some of the others still couldn't hide their smiles, looking at them with knowing glances.
Suddenly, with a quick decision, the three of them decided to retreat from the growing crowd. Without a word, they turned and walked away, heading toward the dormitory at a faster pace than usual.
Once they arrived at the dormitory, the three of them fell silent in confusion.
Wang Feng broke the silence. "I'm going to take a shower outside," he said, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes before leaving the room.
Inside the room, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao remained silent, trying to process what had just happened. They felt awkward and confused, but they also couldn't ignore the strange feeling that had surfaced after they connected through their soul power earlier.
Huo Yuhao, who was also sweaty, asked Wang Dong if he could use the bathroom first.
"Of course," Wang Dong replied shortly, with a slightly awkward smile.
Time seemed to pass quickly when people were lost in thought. After a while, Wang Feng returned to the room, feeling refreshed after his shower.
The air inside the dormitory felt lighter when Wang Feng came back. Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, who had looked serious earlier, were now laughing lightly about something.
"Ah, Wang Feng! Done with your shower?" Huo Yuhao greeted him with a relieved smile, his face no longer red.
Wang Dong grinned, "You took so long! I thought you ran away out of embarrassment."
Wang Feng sighed and tossed his towel to its place. "Haha, very funny. Like you two, who sprinted back to the dorm earlier."
The three of them sat on their respective beds.
"So... about what happened earlier," Wang Feng started, his voice more serious. "It looks like our experiment last night worked."
Huo Yuhao nodded, his eyes shining. "Yeah, I felt something incredible. The soul power flowed very smoothly, and it felt like there was a strong bond between us. I feel stronger, more stable, like the energy inside my body is more organized and focused."
Wang Dong also nodded in agreement, "I felt it too. Our soul power felt like it merged into a single flow, and I also feel like my soul power became denser."
"How about we try it again?" Wang Feng said seriously but with an enthusiastic tone. "I think we can improve our control and soul power even more now that we know what it feels like."
Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao hesitated. They knew that if they cultivated together, their soul power might increase faster and they could become stronger. But one thing stood in their way — their identities.
Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao exchanged uncertain looks.
In the end, they both nodded in agreement.
"Great! Let's do it now, quickly!" Wang Feng was full of excitement and immediately decided to try it again.
"But where are we going to train?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"Yeah, using just one bed might not be enough for the three of us," Wang Dong pointed out.
Wang Feng immediately got up from his bed, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Let's push our beds together! Just temporarily!"
Wang Feng put his hands on his hips. "This is for the experiment! We need a big, comfortable surface. The floor is too cold and hard, and our beds can be combined temporarily."
Wang Dong still hesitated, glancing at Huo Yuhao. "But—"
"Just for training," Huo Yuhao suddenly cut in, even though his ears were still red. "We'll put them back after we're done."
Wang Feng smiled enthusiastically. "Exactly! Just temporary, for the sake of smooth training."
Quickly, the three of them started pushing their beds together, with Wang Feng's bed placed in the middle. Huo Yuhao helped hesitantly, avoiding Wang Dong's gaze. Wang Dong sighed deeply before reluctantly pushing his bed over.
The three of them then sat on the now-joined beds.
"Shall we start?" Wang Feng asked, extending both his hands for them to hold.
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