Chapter Ninety-Two: Resonance

“Have you recovered yet?”

Gao Wu, with nothing else to do, wandered next door to check on Song Mingyue. The girl's complexion was pale, her once rosy lips devoid of color, and even her beautiful eyes had lost their shine.

Seeing her so sickly, Gao Wu felt a pang of sympathy. Poor child, her frail body wasn’t made for such ordeals.

Song Mingyue leaned against her pillow, turning her head to look at Gao Wu. She didn’t speak, but her dim gaze made her meaning clear enough: If you have something to say, just say it.

“Hehe…” Gao Wu’s laughter eased the awkwardness between them. He asked, “Hey, good friend, how do you control your sword like that? Can you teach me?”

“I’m a mental adept,” Song Mingyue replied slowly, her voice weak and drained, which made Gao Wu feel guilty—she was in this state, and he really should let her rest.

But he couldn’t help himself; he needed answers.

Ignoring any sentimentality, Gao Wu pressed on, “What’s a mental adept?”

“It’s a special talent. It allows one to convert spiritual power into mental force that directly influences reality.”

Though her breathing was labored, Song Mingyue patiently explained, “A warrior uses spiritual power as a core to condense source force. At the warrior master level, one can project spiritual power outward.

“But this projected spiritual power is rarely able to interfere with matter. Only at the martial master level can one use visualization methods to project spiritual power outward and affect physical reality.

“A mental adept, however, directly manipulates matter with spiritual power—the focus is on spiritual strength, not martial cultivation. Mental adepts are born, not made. I can’t teach you.

“If spiritual power is like waves on different frequencies, ninety-nine percent of people are stable on one band. Mental adepts are different.

“They possess unique frequencies of spiritual power—some can manipulate objects, others control flames, or even use microwaves to make blood boil. Each adept is unique…”

Song Mingyue looked at Gao Wu. “Actually, you’re a mental adept too. You can directly release spiritual power to attack others’ consciousness. Even a warrior’s source field can’t defend against it, which is a formidable force.

“Once a warrior condenses a source field, they can resist the intrusion of a mental adept’s power. For example, a mental adept can use their force to freeze water, but not a warrior’s blood. Generally, mental force can’t penetrate a source field’s protection.”

“I understand now.” Gao Wu truly grasped it this time. Once a warrior forms a source field, any external force must break it first to cause harm.

His Thunderbolt Transformation was clearly special, able to easily pierce through source fields, which is why Wan Cangsong and Huang Hai fell so easily to him.

From this perspective, he was indeed a mental adept.

The upgrade of his Vermilion Bird Divine Light Spell had greatly boosted his spiritual power, allowing him to wield a sword with his spirit—making him a true adept.

Song Mingyue also emphasized the most important point: being an adept is all about talent. Mental force can only be cultivated personally; it can’t be taught.

It’s like birds are born to fly and fish to swim—it’s determined at birth.

With this understanding, Gao Wu stopped worrying. Though his spiritual power was strong, he clearly couldn’t manipulate external objects, unlike Song Mingyue.

He handed the cup of water on the table to Song Mingyue. She opened the lid and took a few small sips. Before she could act, he took the cup, closed it, and put it back.

Song Mingyue glanced at him, signaling he could continue asking questions. Gao Wu laughed, “You’re just sitting here anyway—talking keeps your spirits up.”

He changed the topic, “What exactly was that thing Huang Hai used?”

He’d asked before, but Song Mingyue had been in such poor shape that her explanation was brief.

“A bird-headed, human-bodied creature is a death angel. To keep a death angel stable in the real world requires an intermediary.

“This wing of death is likely a special material, transformed through blood rituals and otherworldly blessings, guided by demonic power to change its properties and become an intermediary.”

No matter what the wing of death was, Song Mingyue summarized, “You don’t need to worry too much. Demonic power is very difficult to enter the real world. The rituals and spells of demonic cultists can be seen as martial secrets, not directly connected to the demon itself.”

She paused, emphasizing, “The White Crow King is said to govern death, with powers related to death and cold. There’s a particularly unique power of devouring, said to consume flesh and consciousness—very domineering.

“Items blessed by demons might have supernatural traits, showing abilities beyond normal physical laws.

“In other realms, it’s possible to connect with the demon, so caution is needed…”

Gao Wu nodded. Little Song was clever—she’d guessed that the strange item had ended up in his hands. She didn’t know about his Vermilion Bird Divine Light Spell.

Through repeated refining with the Divine Fire, any otherworldly or evil object could be completely purified. If anything was amiss, his spirit would sense it, and he had the Infinite Merit Book to check his own condition.

He brought all this up mainly to set the stage for what he wanted to say next.

He and Song Mingyue had just survived a life-and-death battle together. Though they won decisively, the process was extremely perilous.

Through this ordeal, Gao Wu had witnessed Song Mingyue’s strength, her resolve, and her loyalty.

In the crisis, she could have used her spiritual power to escape—after all, the death angel was after him.

At the edge of life and death, running for survival might seem selfish, but it’s human nature.

Especially in that situation, with no supervision or future responsibility, there wouldn’t even be any reproach.

Yet Song Mingyue refused to abandon her companion, fighting to the end—a rare and noble quality.

Having passed this trial, Gao Wu trusted her even more.

Seeing her so weak, Gao Wu gently pressed her smooth forehead.

A look of confusion appeared in Song Mingyue’s eyes. Gao Wu asked, “Do you feel a bit better?”

His voice, usually rough and deep, was now deliberately slowed, with a touch of gentle magnetism.

It was his affectionate manner and caring gaze that unsettled Song Mingyue.

They sparred daily, so physical contact was nothing new. Gao Wu had saved her before; a touch on her forehead meant little.

But this time was different. Gao Wu’s gentle gesture seemed tinged with intimacy, making Song Mingyue’s thoughts race, or rather, sending her heart into turmoil. She felt her face growing hotter.

Her spiritual foundation was ruined, making it impossible to control her energy or emotions, leaving her so flustered.

The more she thought about it, the redder her face grew…

Gao Wu had only intended to reinforce her with the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Spell, teasing her a bit, not expecting her reaction to be so intense.

Her once pale face was now flushed, her eyes darting in panic.

Song Mingyue’s shy and delicate demeanor only piqued Gao Wu’s interest. He intentionally asked with concern, “Why is your face red? Are you running a fever?”

He leaned in, touching his forehead to hers—the simplest way to check for fever using his own body heat.

The atmosphere was already a little ambiguous; with this, Song Mingyue could feel Gao Wu’s breath, making her tense all over. Were it not for her self-control, she would have sent him flying with a slap.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m using my mental force to help regulate your state…”

Gao Wu realized Song Mingyue was about to faint from nervousness and dared not tease her further.

After all, they were high school students; learning was most important! If Song Mingyue really developed feelings for him, it would complicate their friendship and hinder their progress together.

Truth be told, he genuinely liked her shy demeanor; in that moment, she was every bit the eighteen-year-old girl—beautiful, adorable, simple, and genuine.

He remembered how she looked after falling into the water, their sparring sessions, her fierce determination as she unleashed the Frost Moon Sword.

But he remembered most the leisure of sharing tea, her blood-stained, disheveled appearance, and her blushing, shy, and endearing face.

These experiences would be etched in his memory, becoming an indispensable part of his life.

Song Mingyue’s mental strength was formidable, and she quickly regained her composure.

Deep within her spiritual world, she sensed a wondrous azure light, like a dragon soaring, radiating vitality and nourishing her parched consciousness. Even the seed of mental force hidden within was being revived…

She felt a surge of joy.

The otherworldly entity had entangled her spiritual power for about a year, its cold and eerie aura corroding her foundation, causing nearly irreversible harm.

Yet that foreign force also spurred her spiritual power to rapid growth.

Meeting Gao Wu had allowed her to temporarily sever the entity, further boosting her spiritual power. But the entity wasn’t eradicated, nor was its corrosive influence.

Yesterday’s battle had stripped away ten years of cultivated spiritual foundation.

For Song Mingyue, it was a devastating blow, but it also completely removed the entity’s damage.

Starting anew, with a decade of hard-earned experience, she could correct all mistakes and lay a nearly perfect foundation.

This time, it would take about a year to fully restore her spiritual power, but the reset could open a smooth path, giving her a chance to join the ranks of seventh-level powerhouses.

Song Mingyue knew Gao Wu had a powerful innate ability that could suppress the entity and even heal her wounded spirit.

Previously, she only sensed this vaguely. Now, with her spiritual world empty except for a seed of mental force, she could fully perceive the mystery of Gao Wu’s azure light—the vibrant energy, the dragon-like presence…

“It’s a dragon… Gao Wu’s spiritual power transformed into an Azure Dragon…”

Song Mingyue suddenly understood. The energy was so subtle and real, as if a true dragon.

She and Gao Wu practiced together every day, often using mental force to observe the fine changes in his Dragon Palm and Sword, as well as his Nine Dragon Forms. She knew his martial aura intimately.

The seed of mental force hidden deep within her consciousness quickly sprouted, transforming into a white serpent that danced with the azure dragon…

Gao Wu was surprised as well. He’d only intended to use the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Spell to help Song Mingyue recover, but unexpectedly, his spell resonated with her mental force.

He’d often used divine spells to remove the entity’s influence, but this was the first time such a phenomenon occurred.

Yet it seemed not a bad thing.

In a haze, Gao Wu felt himself become the Azure Dragon, Song Mingyue the White Serpent, dancing together in the vastness of heaven and earth…