Laura, the City Lord, indeed came as promised.
Although she had been avoiding Eddie since rescuing Mother Grace, she didn't hesitate to teach Eddie the feigned death technique when he needed her assistance.
Despite the girls suspecting Eddie of being a womanizer, they couldn't deny his martial arts genius. Sophia hadn't even grasped a tenth of the technique when Eddie had already mastered it.
Eddie, needing Sophia's cooperation for the Gemini Temple, decided to reveal the concept of a "fusion technique" he had learned, claiming it was taught to him by his mother in his childhood.
Jean was the first to suspect Eddie's motives, wondering if he was just trying to take advantage of everyone.
"Eddie's fusion technique is really useful. By holding my hand and transferring spiritual energy, I can summon treants effortlessly," Sophia defended her brother, believing in the utility of the technique without any doubts.
Laura and Jean looked skeptically at Eddie, suspecting him of favoritism towards his sister.
Rue tried to divert the conversation to the details of Eddie and Sophia's battles in the Gemini Temple. After discussing, they decided to let Eddie demonstrate the "fusion technique" on them.
"You're overthinking it..." Eddie awkwardly defended himself, but the women were even more convinced of his ulterior motives.
After experiencing the true energy transfer of Eddie's fusion technique, they gathered to discuss its effectiveness and couldn't deny its benefits.
However, they felt awkward about how intimate the energy transfer felt, as if Eddie could see inside their bodies.
Laura and Jean were somewhat comfortable with the idea, harboring feelings for Eddie despite their outward denials.
Rue, being his cousin, found herself in a more awkward position.
Refusing could raise suspicion and miss out on a rare cultivation method, but accepting felt uncomfortable due to their familial relationship.
Ultimately, Laura was the most open-minded: "Let's not overthink it. Cultivation is just cultivation. As long as we approach it with pure intentions, there's nothing wrong. We can't miss out on a technique lost for thousands of years."
Her words reassured Jean and Rue.
They agreed that working together in combat as a family was nothing to be ashamed of.
They all accepted the fusion technique, agreeing to keep it a secret to avoid awkwardness.
While Eddie explored deeper into the technique, Laura wrote a letter, possibly to the mysterious book-loving woman, refusing to let Eddie read it, which only piqued his curiosity further.
The fusion technique was profound, with later stages designed for intimate partners or married couples, something Eddie wasn't ready to disclose.
He only shared the basic, introductory aspects of joint cultivation with Sophia, demonstrating to the women.
Sophia, with her innocent mind, didn't think much of it.
Sophia easily entered a state of meditation, allowing Eddie to control her body within seconds, making her the most successful and effective among the four women.
Laura also did well, succeeding after several attempts and, with Eddie, created a power that enhanced their strength tenfold, making Jean incredibly envious.
Rue, after more than thirty attempts, managed to summon healing waters with double effectiveness through their combined effort.
Her innate talent was elevated from a level two "Gurgling Spring" to a level three "Spirit Fountain," significantly speeding up everyone's energy recovery and reducing the summoning interval for their beasts.
However, this was of little consequence to Eddie, whose summons were already exceptional, with the Spirit Fountain mainly helping him gradually master the power of Yin Water.
Jean, with her strong sixth sense and accustomed to controlling her own body, found Eddie's energy transfer uncomfortable and failed five hundred times before succeeding.
When successful, Jean became an invincible humanoid weapon under Eddie's command, with their combined abilities showcasing remarkable synergy.
However, she refused further physical contact with Eddie afterward.
Eddie, who had been subtly enjoying their discomfort, praised Sophia's cooperation amidst the tough training.
Despite their playful complaints, Laura and Jean seriously submitted to Eddie's rigorous training, even Rue overcame her awkwardness to actively participate.
They realized training with Eddie for a day yielded progress equivalent to a month's solo effort, underscoring his exceptional martial prowess.
As the Elite School Competition approached, Eddie decided to challenge the Gemini Temple again before returning to the competition, feeling unresolved without conquering it.
At the gateway to the Zodiac's Gemini sector, Jean surprisingly advised caution and suggested consulting the book-loving mysterious woman for her intellect if needed.
Eddie was confident, believing the key to overcoming the Gemini Temple lay in understanding the significance of "Gemini."
Eddie realized that breaking through the Gemini Temple alone was impossible; success required two individuals with a deep, intuitive connection.
Sophia was the perfect partner for this task due to her unwavering trust in Eddie and her open heart towards him, enabling Eddie to take control of her body and work as a unified entity.
This synergy was crucial for overcoming the Gemini Temple's challenges.
Laura, reflecting on their first encounter at this very location, embraced Eddie with a sense of nostalgia.
The passage of time had transformed their relationship from strangers to lovers.
With a gentle pat, Eddie reassured Laura of his return and success.
Rue, too, hugged her sister Sophia, repeatedly urging her to stay close to their brother in the temple.
Upon their return to the Gemini Temple, everything remained unchanged. Eddie instructed Sophia to close her eyes and enter a state of feigned death, employing the Joint Technique to facilitate this.
He then summoned the Five Elements Gold-Seeking Mice, key to their success, as Sophia collapsed into his arms, her breathing nearly halted.
After a minute, both lay at the temple's entrance, motionless. As Eddie's heartbeat ceased and his consciousness faded, his shadow duplicate vanished, tricking the temple's mechanisms into believing the challengers were dying.
Consequently, Sophia's shadow duplicate also disappeared, leaving behind only a half-smiling, half-crying golden mask at the center of the arena.
The mice, following Eddie's pre-death instructions, diligently retrieved the mask. Without further commands, they waited silently by Eddie's side.
After some effort, they successfully placed the mask on Eddie's face, triggering the opening of the temple's inner sanctum door.
A second, benevolent female shadow duplicate emerged, aiming to prevent challengers from proceeding but without the intent to kill.
Eddie, drawing from Rue's ancestral notes and his observations, deduced that the first shadow represented the malevolent twin, mirroring his own ruthless nature.
The second shadow, the benevolent twin, sought to protect the temple without harming the challengers.
The crux of success involved seizing the golden mask.
Employing feigned death and the mice, Eddie managed to secure the mask, which, upon wearing, prevented the reappearance of the malevolent shadow.
If the mask returned to the arena's central circle and Eddie awoke, the malevolent shadow would reemerge with equal combat strength.
The benevolent shadow, typically guarding the inner sanctum, would then abandon its post if the mask was worn, revealing its sole weakness: its reluctance to harm the challengers.