The Legend Of The Dragon King

by Srtyi

Following the advancement of soul technology, the humans of Douluo Continent conquered the ocean and discovered two new continents. After being hunted by spirit masters excessively, the soul beasts are nearly extinct. After countless years of lying dormant, the King of the Soul Beasts has awakened in the Great Star Dou Forest. It will lead its remaining clansmen in taking vengeance

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Chapter 127 – The Trio Versus the Crystal Bear

"If this was a real soul beast, then you would have been able to absorb its hundred year soul ring directly, but too bad it's not," Xie Xie said as he gave Tang Wulin a thumbs-up.

Tang Wulin said, "It wouldn't have been this easy if it wasn't a dragon-type soul beast."

Suddenly, a delicate voice called out from the side. "It's not exactly a dragon. Now hurry up and help me!"

A silver light flashed and a delicate figure appeared not too far from Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. With a green light beneath her feet, Gu Yue reached them with lightning speed.

A howl came from behind her, announcing the giant figure as it rushed out of the thicket.

"Damn, that Crystal Bear is huge…" Xie Xie went wide-eyed at the sight of the bear, while Tang Wulin stood stunned.

The thousand year Crystal Bear was practically no different from a bulldozer as it barrelled through the thicket. Any small trees unfortunate enough to stand in its way were simply crystallized, then smashed into fine powder. It was simply overbearing.

The silver light flashed again, and Gu Yue appeared right in front of the two. Her face was pale from exhaustion as she mustered her strength one more time and teleported to hide behind Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin swallowed a gulp. His instincts told him that this bear was far stronger than the hundred year Horned Dragon he had just killed!

Squatting down, Tang Wulin grabbed the stiff Horned Dragon and hefted it up with both arms.

The scales on his right arm began to shine brilliantly when Tang Wulin released a roar and threw the gigantic Horned Dragon corpse at the thousand year Crystal Bear.

……

"Heavens, his strength is insane!" Long Hengxu's eyes had widened in shock at the scene of Tang Wulin lifting up the Horned Dragon's corpse.

At that moment, Wang Jinxi awakened from his slumber, his complexion still deathly pale. He couldn't help but shudder when he recalled the feeling of the spider's leg entering his body, and the subsequent chill that had spread throughout him. The residual sensations Wang Jinxi was experiencing were far more severe than what Zhang Yangzi went through.

When Zhang Yangzi watched Tang Wulin kill the Horned Dragon in a single attack, his eyes had already turned dull, for he knew that even with his powerful martial soul and soul skill, he would never have been able to take out the Horned Dragon in one hit. In fact, he doubted he would even be able to penetrate its defences.

Not to mention that now an even more powerful beast had appeared.

A single attack from Tang Wulin's claw had killed the hundred year Horned Dragon, so Zhang Yangzi could only imagine the horrifying scene of himself receiving the claw's attack.

Too terrifying. It was simply too terrifying for him to imagine.

During the tests, Tang Wulin's power had merely been displayed as numbers, but now, Zhang Yangzi could clearly see just how powerful Tang Wulin was.

He had thrown that giant Horned Dragon's corpse so casually… It seemed several thousand kilograms worth of strength really was nothing to scoff at.

Will those three really be able to kill a thousand year soul beast? Zhang Yangzi thought nervously to himself. As he watched the three of them face off against such a powerful soul beast, his grudge against the trio cooled off and he began to cheer for them.

……

"Hou!" The thousand year Crystal bear roared as it grabbed the incoming Horned Dragon's corpse by the legs. Dark golden crystals formed on the dragon's legs, creeping up the upper body of the corpse. In but a moment, it covered over half of the dragon's corpse. The bear lowered its head and threw it down.

Bang! The lower half of the dragon's corpse shattered into a shower of countless crystal shards.

"Damn, it's so ferocious. Just what kind of trouble have you brought us, Gu Yue? Why would you provoke something so powerful…? I think it's actually one of the strongest thousand year soul beasts in the elementary spirit ascension platform." Before he finished speaking, Xie Xie had already been flying toward the bear with his Light Dragon Dagger in hand. He had to prepare to launch a sneak attack at any moment.

Gu Yue was panting for breath as she said, "Who provoked it? It was the one that provoked me, okay?"

Tang Wulin remained silent as the two of them bantered. With Bluesilver Grass attached to his two hammers, he sent them flying toward the bear's head.

Ah, this big guy is so hard to deal with! It might not be as nimble or as quick as the Horned Dragon, but its attack and defense far exceeded the hundred year Horned Dragon.

This, this is a thousand year soul beast? The thousand year soul beasts that produced purple soul rings in the past!?

Tang Wulin wasn't scared at all, rather, he was brimming with a desire to battle. After all, this was the spirit ascension platform. They could escape from the battlefield at anytime and there wasn't anything more satisfying than true combat. He had never encountered a soul beast in the real world, so today could be considered an eye-opener for him.

Bang, bang! The Crystal Bear wasn't particularly quick as it remained in place and simply blocked the two hammers with a raised arm.

The powerful impact of the two hundred-kilogram hammers knocked into the Crystal Bear, making it stumble back a step. However, the Crystal bear had now become infuriated..

A yellow light flashed on the Crystal Bear's body as it charged at Tang Wulin with a roar.

Tang Wulin shouted out, "You two retreat! Xie Xie, what is this thing's weakness?" Although he had also studied soul beasts, Xie Xie was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable amongst the three. After all, Xie Xie had received a strict education since childhood.

"The Crystal Bear's skin is as hard as copper and its bones are as hard as iron, but its weak point is its neck. Its neck is the weakest part of its body and all of its nerves are gathered there as well."

"Got it." Tang Wulin pulled on a strand of Bluesilver Grass, sending himself soaring into the air and out of the way of the Crystal Bear's pounce.

It was good that the beast had a weak point since Tang Wulin wasn't too nimble. And maybe, just maybe, Tang Wulin would manage to defeat it with his Golden Dragon Claw.

In any case, they were in the spirit ascension platform! If they didn't experiment with things in here, then where would they test the Golden Dragon Claw?

"You two distract it and I'll look for a chance to give it a fatal blow." Tang Wulin shouted from the air.

The thousand year Crystal Bear's attack was met with nothing but air. It was smarter than the Horned Dragon though. It tore a small tree out of the ground and threw it into the air at Tang Wulin.

With his hammers already back in his hands, Tang Wulin smashed the tree apart, but was sent flying in the air afterward.

The bear made a beeline for him with its arms spread wide open.

Pu! An invisible blade of light struck its neck, sending a wave of pain throughout its body. The bear growled in rage as it turned to look at its attacker.

Xie Xie shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come if you dare!" He slashed with his Light Dragon Dagger and sent out another blade of light flying toward the bear.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin quickly stopped falling when a green light covered his body. With another tug on the Bluesilver Grass and the aid of the wind element, he soared back into the air.

Over a dozen icicles flew over to provide Tang Wulin with footholds in the air, allowing him to change directions once again.

A halo appeared underneath him as vine after vine of Bluesilver Grass twined around the Crystal Bear's legs.

Tang Wulin didn't expect his Bluesilver Grass to halt and bind the Crystal Bear; he had merely hoped that it would be enough to slow the bear down.

However, a bizarre scene appeared.

The Crystal Bear exerted its strength in an attempt to break free of the Bluesilver Grass twined around his legs. Normally, it would have succeeded, but at that moment, a golden light appeared on the Bluesilver Grass. Although it was for but a split second, it was enough to halt the bear for a second.

It was only a second before the Crystal Bear broke free from the Bluesilver Grass, but that second was all Tang Wulin wished for.

In that second, Tang Wulin's soul power hadn't been depleted like previously. In fact, it hadn't been consumed at all, as his Bluesilver Grass had grown far more tenacious innately after he absorbed the power of the first seal.

Xie Xie took full advantage of the Crystal Bear's momentary stillness to turn around and retreat. His retreating speed, with the aid of Gu Yue's wind element, was simply explosive.

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Chapter 128 – Comrades!

While Xie Xie retreated, a giant fireball exploded on the other side of the Crystal Bear's head. Gu Yue was starting her assault from the side.

The three of them stood in a triangle formation, with the Crystal Bear in the center. It stomped furiously, unable to decide which of the three to attack.

"Xie Xie, attack its belly. Gu Yue, attack its eyes." Tang Wulin loudly instructed as he shot a strand of Bluesilver Grass at a tree branch, pulling on it to quickly fling himself to the Crystal Bear's rear.

This level of coordination was to be expected after all their time spent cultivating together. Xie Xie didn't bother to hide himself at this moment. With a flash of his figure, he brandished his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, one tangible and the other invisible. He slashed the air, sending a pair of light blades at the Crystal Bear's belly.

Pu, pu! The Crystal Bear was furious. It may not have known previously which one to target, but now it did.

It immediately took large strides toward Xie Xie.

At that moment, however, blazing fireballs flew into its eyes. Although these fireballs were smaller than the previous ones, the quantity was far greater.

The Crystal Bear raised a paw in front of itself while lowering its head. When it had received those attacks to its belly earlier, it had already begun to lower its stance. Now, it was forced to hunch in on itself even more.

It was then that Tang Wulin chose to sweep in. The hammer in his right hand was held back while the hammer in his left was positioned in a defensive stance in front of his chest. With a golden brilliance, he released his Golden Dragon Claw as his hammer descended on the Crystal Bear's neck with an earth-shattering force.

Tang Wulin understood that victory or defeat would be decided by this one move. With his current soul power, he only had enough in him for this one attack. He had to bet everything on this attack;if it didn't kill the bear, then the trio would be forced to escape from the spirit ascension platform.

Tang Wulin's attack was accompanied by an ear-piercing whistle as a green wind blade cut through the air and struck the Crystal Bear's belly. Gu Yue had exploded with strength to match Tang Wulin's gambit and conceal the sound of his attack.

Considering the fact that they were still nine-years-old and didn't have any powerful soul skills, what they had achieved so far in this battle was already amazing.

He arrived!

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Wulin swiped at the bear's nape with his Golden Dragon Claw.

A crunching 'kaka' noise came from the bear's neck as Tang Wulin tightly gripped it using his Golden Dragon Claw's crushing effect at its full power. The Crystal Bear's neck had crushed.

It had to be said that Tang Wulin's full strength was over a thousand kilograms! And with the added crushing effect, one could only imagine its tremendous might…

However, Tang Wulin discovered that compared to the hundred year Horned Dragon, the Crystal Bear's skin was exceedingly tough and had actually put up some resistance that prevented him from completely crushing its neck. If he didn't have such immense strength or didn't attack the Crystal Bear's weak point, he feared that the attack likely would have failed.

Is it finished?

Xie Xie stared as the thousand year Crystal Bear fell head first. This sight, in addition to the sound of its neck crunching, were enough to make him jump for joy.

With two soul rings, he had the highest cultivation among them, so the fact that they could actually take down such a powerful soul beast was something to be proud of.

At that moment, a layer of brilliant yellow light suddenly erupted from the Crystal Bear's body.

The scope of this light wasn't too far, only about one meter in radius, but it actually enveloped Tang Wulin completely.

"No—" Gu Yue shrieked as the yellow light immediately crystallized Tang Wulin's body. His body was frozen in its stance. He gradually began to tip over and fall toward the ground.

Crystal was frail and would fracture into shards upon impact. Tang Wulin was about to be shattered! Although this was the spirit ascension platform, there would still be residual effects after experiencing the trauma of shattering into pieces! In fact, it might even result in permanent injuries!

Gu Yue appeared beside him with a flash of silver light. She hastily extended her arms out to hold up Tang Wulin's body.

Not only did Tang Wulin's crystalized form increase his weight, but he was also still holding onto his Heavy Silver hammers. One could not guess how much he weighed now…

Gu Yue was pushed onto the ground by the crystal Tang Wulin. The thud rang out and gave her a bout of dizziness, but she relied purely on her physical strength to keep Tang Wulin from falling onto the floor and shattering.

As long as he wasn't smashed into pieces for a while after the crystallization, the crystals would gradually recede on their own and vanish. It was due to this that the most terrifying time was right after being crystallized by the Crystal Bear.

Tang Wulin's consciousness was blurring, but he felt a stuffiness and a sharp pain in his chest. He couldn't perceive his surroundings, but when he looked within himself, he was astonished to find golden thread-like energy that seemed to have emerged from his stifled state to connect throughout his body.

A dark, yellow energy poured into every corner of his body, but was resisted by the golden threads. He knew that these golden threads were not soul power since he had already consumed all of it when he used his Golden Dragon Claw. He was also certain that the appearance of these golden threads served to alleviate the suffocation he felt.

"Tang Wulin, Gu Yue!" Xie Xie hurriedly rushed over to their side. He carefully lifted Tang Wulin and pulled Gu Yue, who was trapped beneath him, out.

Gu Yue had her eyes closed, her face like a golden sheet of paper and her breathing weak. She had been injured when the crystallized Tang Wulin fell on top of her.

Xie Xie looked around him. He hesitated slightly, before slapping the exit button on the back of Gu Yue's hand. In an instant, she turned into a ray of light and disappeared.

Tang Wulin was still covered in crystals, so it was impossible for him to hit Tang Wulin's button.

Suddenly, the surrounding thicket rustled fiercely. It seemed there were a number of beasts approaching them.

What do I do? Tang Wulin is still crystallized, and I can't send him back. What should I do?

Xie Xie firmly held his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger as he mulled over his options. He should escape now while he still could, since his soul power was nearly depleted, but if he left, then the crystallized Tang Wulin would remain here all alone.

Faced with such a dilemma, he didn't hesitate to choose the harder path. He knelt beside Tang Wulin to conserve what little remained of his strength and began to regulate his breathing. His gaze shone with a resolute light.

His comrade was right beside him, so how could he leave him at such a moment? When he was small, his father had told him that a true man could support both heaven and earth!

He had to be a man who could support both heaven and earth!

Men had to be loyal, face danger head-on, and never abandon their comrades, even at the price of their lives!

This was Xie Xie's first time encountering a situation like this, and despite the fact that he was like a newborn calf, he wasn't gutless at all. Rather, he felt himself getting fired up.

One dark green figure after another slowly emerged from his surroundings. There were at least ten of them. They were wolves with dark green fur on their backs, their amber eyes filled with ice-cold ruthlessness. Slowly, they advanced in Xie Xie and Tang Wulin's direction.

Half of them headed for the remaining Horned Dragon's corpse while the other half continued advancing towards Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, surrounding the two.

Green Wolf, a ten year soul beast. Among the ten year soul beasts, it was considerably powerful, with a violent nature and naturally inclined towards living in packs.

Powerful Green Wolves were able to cultivate to the hundred year level by relying on decaying corpses for food. Frankly speaking, they were scavengers of the forest.

Xie Xie shifted into a defensive stance with his two daggers and watched the slowly advancing wolves. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "You can have the Crystal Bear's corpse, but if you attack me, then don't blame me for being rude!"

He didn't know whether or not these ten year soul beasts could actually understand his words, but his yelling still made them hesitate for a few moments, and that was enough for him. As long as he could delay them for long enough, Tang Wulin would break free of the crystallization, and then they could escape together.

However, the Green Wolves were clearly far more interested in him than the corpse of the Crystal Bear. They didn't understand a single word he said and simply continued to tighten their circle around him. Under the gaze of their grim eyes, Xie Xie's heart couldn't help but race anxiously.

I can't hesitate anymore. I have to take initiative and make the first move.

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Chapter 129 – End of the Spirit Ascension Platform Trials

Xie Xie slashed out a Light Dragon Blade while sliding to the side, rapidly closing the distance between him and another Green Wolf.

Pu! One of the Green Wolves had their neck sliced open by the Light Dragon Blade, uttering a sad cry as blood sprayed out.

Xie Xie agilely moved toward another Green Wolf, but it opened its mouth and released a green wind blade at him.

Xie Xie responded to this attack by bending his body, completely avoiding the wind blade. With his back bent, he pounced on the Green Wolf. After a sweep of his two daggers, the wolf's throat was torn open and he arrived at another wolf's side. With a flick of his wrist, he cut open an artery on the wolf's neck with his Shadow Dragon Dagger, immediately releasing another burst of blood. It only took a moment before life ceased to course through the wolf's veins.

Although his attack had gone according to his plan, causing three wolves to die, the wolves were launching their assault now too. Dozens of wind blades were flying toward him at that moment.

Xie Xie dodged with all his might, but he sustained some injuries on his back and left leg from the wolves he had just engaged with. His jacket was already dyed crimson.

"Bastard!" Xie Xie screamed, then rolled to the side, evading another wind blade as he brandished his two daggers and continued to wage war against this pack of wolves.

He didn't dare to use a soul skill with the meager amount of soul power he had left. His left leg was injured and proved to be a burden on his speed now, while his entire body was covered in scars and bruises. It had only been a few moments, yet he was already soaked in blood.

The scene of their battle could only be described as one of desperation. For every wolf he killed, multiple wounds were inflicted on his body in exchange. Despite being completely soaked in blood, he didn't falter and retreat. From beginning to end, he was moving in circles around the crystallized Tang Wulin, protecting him from the wolves. With his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger in hand, he continued his reckless defense against the wolves' attacks.

The dark yellow energy finally receded, and Tang Wulin's senses gradually began to return to him. The first thing he smelled was the stench of blood.

After a moment, he saw a crimson figure that was barely able to remain standing.

"Wooo!" A wolf howled, drawing an especially large Green Wolf to pounce on the bloody figure.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Xie Xie's crazed roar woke Tang Wulin from his stupor.

The Light and Shadow Dragon Daggers scattered at that moment. The Green Wolf landed on Xie Xie and pushed him down. It opened a mouth full of sharp daggers and bit at Xie Xie's neck.

Bang, bang, bang! A silver light flew over and three booms resounded one after another. The giant wolf cried out in pain as it belatedly realized that its skull had already been cracked open.

Dazed, Xie Xie only felt someone slap the back of his hand, and in the next moment, darkness entered his eyes. He didn't know what was going on anymore.

After crushing the skull of the wolf that was on top of Xie Xie, Tang Wulin took in the bitter scene around him, renewing his determination. He didn't see Gu Yue anywhere and guessed that she had already returned. He hit the button on the back of his hand, and darkness entered his eyes just like the others. After disappearing from the forest, the wind blades shot by the wolves were met with nothing but air.

Darkness was replaced with light as Tang Wulin quickly shot out of the metal box and shouted, "Xie Xie!"

Tang Wulin squinted his eyes to avoid being dazzled by the sudden presence of light as he searched for Xie Xie.

He saw Zhang Yangzi, the twitching Wang Jinxi and Gu Yue, who was sitting pale-faced. Then there was the open metal box beside him.

Tang Wulin rushed over to the box that Xie Xie was in.

"Xie Xie, Xie Xie!" Tang Wulin anxiously called out.

"I, I'm fine. Just a bit sore." Xie Xie said weakly, as he struggled to open his eyes.

Tang Wulin was finally able to relax now that he knew Xie Xie was alright. A wave of exhaustion and the feeling of the crystal's suffocation overcame him. His legs lost strength, making him fall onto his butt.

Wu Zhangkong and Long Hengxu stood to the side. Long Hengxu was thoroughly shocked, while Wu Zhangkong remained as unperturbed as usual.

The Spirit Pagoda staff member exclaimed sincerely, "Geniuses! They truly are geniuses worth nurturing! Are you sure these children are only nine-years-old?"

The gaze of the staff member was burning with expectation, especially when he turned his gaze to Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Gu Yue.

He had watched their whole performance.

The most breathtaking scene was undoubtedly when Tang Wulin had taken down a powerful soul beast in only two strikes. His transformed right hand had clearly possessed strength several times higher than normal. Not only was it able to kill the hundred year Horned Dragon in a single strike, but it had also been strong enough to crush the thousand year Crystal Bear. If they had been a bit more knowledgeable about the Crystal Bear, then they wouldn't have suffered at the end, and their kill would have been considered perfect.

Gu Yue's performance was equally worthy of admiration. Her coordination with Tang Wulin had been amazing. She had used a variety of elements at optimal moments to aid him, and it was also thanks to her that Tang Wulin hadn't been harmed at the end. She had actually used her own body to hold up his crystallized form, which weighed over five hundred kilograms, to prevent it from shattering.

The staff member knew that in situations like those, people normally wouldn't have the time to consider whether things were real or virtual. The fact that Gu Yue had been able to make such a quick decision to save Tang Wulin meant that even in reality, she would have been just as decisive.

They were only nine-year-old children! With such a strong friendship, how could their coordination not be this deep?

No wonder Eastsea Academy is willing to spend so much money to bring them here. Although they weren't in the spirit ascension platform for long, they were faced with the greatest obstacles the whole time!

And Xie Xie at the end… Despite knowing he was no match for the wolves, he had stayed behind for the sake of his comrade! He had continued to protect Tang Wulin until the crystallization disappeared and was finally sent out only when Tang Wulin had been freed!

Although one wouldn't truly die in the spirit ascension platform, the injuries they sustained all felt exceedingly real.

Xie Xie had suffered tens of cuts on his body, yet he had still continued to fight and protect Tang Wulin all the way until the end. During that whole time, he had been minimizing the injuries he sustained while maximizing the number of enemies he killed! He had simply been extraordinary!

This staff member had never seen such outstanding first-time performances from Soul Masters before. Even more so astonishing was the fact that these children only had either one or two rings.

Wu Zhangkong slowly walked over to the five students, his dull voice filling their ears. "From now on, you five are a mini battle squadron. The captain is Tang Wulin, and the vice-captain is Xie Xie. Let's go."

Finished speaking, he began leading them toward the elevator.

The five looked at each other in dismay and shock as a single thought entered their heads. Mini squadron?

Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin, then Zhang Yangzi, whose face was unsightly, but more than that, it was full of shame. Before coming here, Zhang Yangzi had been full of ambition and competitiveness, but after witnessing the events in the spirit ascension platform, his ambitions had been completely washed away from his heart.

Without even speaking of his strength, just his actions in the spirit ascension platform had been severely lacking in comparison with his peers.

Regardless of whether it was Tang Wulin who had killed two powerful soul beasts, the self-sacrificing Gu Yue, or Xie Xie who had fought nearly to the death for his comrade, every single one of them had been remarkable. When compared with those three, he and Wang Jinxi were simply too lacking.

Wang Jinxi had met his demise after encountering a powerful soul beast, but him? He had simply been courting disaster!

On the road home, the five students were still brooding over the events in the spirit ascension platform. Zhang Yangzi was full of remorse, while Tang Wulin pondered over the situation inside of the spirit ascension platform, the battles replaying over and over inside his mind.

What he was certain about, however, was that their battles in the spirit ascension platform today had been incredibly stimulating.

Tang Wulin had a particularly profound impression. I actually fought with a soul beast! So that's what it feels like to battle against a soul beast… Even though I know everything was virtual inside of the spirit ascension platform, I can't help but feel a bit frightened when I recall it. That was the pressure of a battle of life and death. Cultivating in situations like that really is far better!

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Chapter 130 – Spirit Soul Evolution

Tang Wulin suddenly felt warmth spread from his spine to his whole body. At first, it was so faint that he could barely feel it, but the closer they got to the academy, the more apparent the feeling became. As the warmth diffused into his four limbs and seeped into his bones, he felt exceptionally comfortable, but at the same time, exhaustion washed over him.

To his side, Gu Yue discovered that Tang Wulin's entire body was swaying as he stumbled forth. She quickly supported him, worriedly asking, "Wulin, what's going on?"

"I don't know, I just feel really sleepy." With Gu Yue's support, it was like a switch had been flipped. His entire body went weak and collapsed into Gu Yue's arms.

Wu Zhangkong halted mid-step and quickly turned around, astonishment coloring his face. The others had also started to notice Tang Wulin's abnormal behavior.

In a flash, Wu Zhangkong appeared in front of Tang Wulin, quickly taking his wrist.

Tang Wulin's skin shined with a golden-blue layer of light as he lay unconscious, his breathing haggard.

"This kind of situation…" When Long Hengxu arrived and saw the state that Tang Wulin was in, he couldn't help but think of a certain possibility. His gaze grew rapt with attention.

Wu Zhangkong hefted Tang Wulin onto his back. "He's fine, it's just that his spirit soul is evolving."

"Ah?" All four students exclaimed in unison.

Spirit soul evolution?

On their way to the spirit ascension platform, Xie Xie had already explained to Tang Wulin how it was possible to evolve his spirit soul inside of it, but he had only been speaking of a possibility! A spirit soul evolution was so rare that it was like winning a lottery ticket.

The opportunity to enter a spirit ascension platform even once was hard to come by, much less a chance to kill powerful soul beasts. Furthermore, the thousand year Crystal Bear they had encountered today had been an extremely formidable foe, such that even three-ringed Soul Elders would have found it challenging. In fact, they would have needed at least a team of seven people to defeat it.

In such a situation, everyone who had paid a large price to enter the spirit ascension platform would always dispute over who would land the final strike on the soul beast and reap the rewards. However, either way, they would suffer many casualties fighting against such a powerful soul beast.

Under the shocked stares of everyone, Wu Zhangkong spoke calmly. "His spirit soul is naturally weak, so it's easier for it to evolve. For every soul beast you kill in the spirit ascension platform, you obtain one-tenth of its cultivation energy. That energy, in turn, will be spread evenly among your soul rings. In other words, if you kill a ten year soul beast, your spirit soul will gain one year's worth of cultivation energy. If your spirit soul has 110 years of energy, then it will become 111 years of energy. When it accumulates till it reaches 1000, then it will evolve. Tang Wulin's spirit soul is only ten years. He gained at least twenty year's worth of energy from killing the hundred year soul beast, and one hundred year's worth of energy from the thousand year soul beast. Furthermore, since he only has one soul ring, all of the energy was concentrated into that one ring, allowing him to evolve his ten year spirit soul into a hundred year spirit soul. As for the rest of you, you will need to kill at least 18 or 19 thousand year soul beasts to evolve your spirit soul. With this in mind, do your best in the future."

That was right! Apart from Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, everyone else had two soul rings. This meant that the energy they obtained from killing a soul beast would be split between two soul rings, with each ring receiving five percent of the original! Although there would still be some benefits, it was far harder to evolve their spirit soul!

Not mentioning killing a thousand year soul beast, even if it was just trying to find that many thousand year soul beasts in the elementary spirit ascension platform, it was already exceedingly difficult!

So in the end, there were still benefits to having one ring .

After returning to the academy, Wu Zhangkong silently dismissed everyone to return to their dorms and cultivate. They needed to digest today's combat experiences, and Tang Wulin would remain muddle-headed until his spirit soul finished its evolution. An analysis of today's events was better left for tomorrow.

Wu Zhangkong brought Tang Wulin back to his dorm. The only thing was… Wu Zhangkong stayed, even after dropping Tang Wulin off.

For anyone else, Wu Zhangkong wouldn't do such things, but Tang Wulin was different. Tang Wulin had a unique, mutated martial soul. Wu Zhangkong had to ensure that Tang Wulin wouldn't be endangered during his spirit soul's evolution.

Tang Wulin's experience this time was a far cry from when he had broken the first seal. As his spirit soul evolved, he felt as if he was soaking in a warm pond. This warmth penetrated into the bones of his body, gently circulating inside of him. He was completely free of any worries in such a comfortable state. His body was beaten and his spirit exhausted, but his tiredness gradually dissolved under this warmth.

Tang Wulin didn't even want to open his eyes as he basked in this wonderful feeling.

As he continued to soak in the warmth, the golden halo around his body gradually turned blue.

Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass began to extend from his palms, surrounding him.

Wu Zhangkong gently twirled a strand of Bluesilver Grass around his finger. He carefully examined it, eyes brightening with astonishment.

Is this really Bluesilver Grass? It wasn't abnormal for Bluesilver Grass to become vine-like or elastic, but what really amazed him was the fact that he could see energy channels within the Bluesilver Grass.

These energy channels glowed with a faint, golden light. Together with the faint, blue glow of the grass itself, it greatly resembled the golden-blue light that was covering Tang Wulin's body right now.

Moreover, Wu Zhangkong discovered that the faint, vein lines grew more distinct under the light of the energy channels, as if they were some sort of fine imprint. All of these details were noted under Wu Zhangkong's careful observation.

Just as I thought, his bloodline is causing his martial soul to mutate again. From what I can see, this should be a very beneficial mutation. He already has his Golden Dragon Claw, which gives him power beyond his rank. Although it can't be sustained for long and is restricted to close combat, it's still a huge boost to his power. The only thing I'm uncertain of is whether or not his bloodline can evolve further. If it can, that would truly be a sight to behold.

Right at that moment, a faint golden light flashed from Tang Wulin's chest, and Goldlight slithered out. It had grown to be approximately ten centimeters long, and about as thick as Tang Wulin's little finger. Although it was still as slender as before, its golden scales were far more eye-catching now.

The scales on its forehead were a different shade of gold. Compared to the other scales on its body, the gold shined dazzlingly. With each breath it took, the scales grew even more radiant, and its previously murky eyes clearer.

A dim, yellow halo appeared from Goldlight's body, incomparably stronger than its previous white.

It evolved, it really evolved!

It was a hundred year spirit soul now!

Tang Wulin's defective spirit soul had evolved to a hundred year spirit soul due to his hard work in the spirit ascension platform and his bloodline's power! It finally had some value to it.

Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly. Not bad. Tang Wulin has finally made up for his shortcoming. But how will his soul skill change after his spirit soul's evolution? Will its transformation make him even stronger?

As a teacher, Wu Zhangkong couldn't be clearer about Tang Wulin's weak points.

His strong points were obvious; he had innate divine strength, and a bloodline power that allowed him to dominate his peers.

His weaknesses, though, were just as obvious.

When it came down to it, a Soul Master's strength came from their martial soul. If their martial soul wasn't powerful, then they wouldn't be able to walk far on the path of cultivation. Physical strength and bloodline power certainly had their benefits, but there had never been anyone in the entire history of Soul Masters who had climbed to the peak with just these two things.

Tang Wulin wanted to grow stronger, so his martial soul had to grow stronger too. The spirit soul was a part of the martial soul, so any improvements to it would have a significant impact.

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Chapter 131 – Bind Post Spirit Soul Evolution

Tang Wulin's martial soul had already become an extension of his own body, but his control over it during combat wasn't great—he simply used it like rope.

Wu Zhangkong was able to clearly discern these issues, but he didn't talk to Tang Wulin about them because he knew just how amazing Tang Wulin's perception was. He had faith in that Tang Wulin would discover these flaws himself.

Moreover, Wu Zhangkong wanted to see if Tang Wulin's bloodline power would gain any other effects when he reached rank 20.

But now, he didn't even need to wait until Tang Wulin reached that rank. The answer had already presented itself.

If it's like this, then the growth of his martial soul is something to look forward to.

Wu Zhangkong had never believed that Bluesilver Grass was a weak martial soul. After all, the strongest member of the first generation of Shrek Seven Monsters, who was also the strongest Soul Master in history, had eventually ascended to godhood with Bluesilver Grass at the beginning. It was through using Bluesilver Grass that he had taken one step after another on the path toward godhood.

In the last 20,000 years, apart from the Spirit Pagoda's founder, no one else had been able to ascend to godhood.

Thus, Bluesilver Grass wasn't necessarily as weak as one may think.

The radiance emitting from Tang Wulin gradually dim. Little Goldlight opened its mouth wide as if to yawn before lowering its head, disappearing into Tang Wulin's body.

With the evolution now complete, Tang Wulin stopped glowing and entered a deep slumber.

The evolution of a spirit soul would lead to many changes both in the martial soul and the Soul Master. An improvement in one's martial soul also led to gains for the Soul Master as a whole. Whether it be in terms of strength, speed, soul power, reaction speed, or the tenacity of one's body; all of them would be increased.

The evolution had taken a long time and left Tang Wulin exhausted.

That was some great sleep! Tang Wulin woke up the next day feeling incredible.

Ever since he broke the first seal on the Golden Dragon King, he felt as if his whole body were swollen. But now, this feeling had disappeared, leaving a pleasant surprise in its place. His soul power had increased a bit, and though it had yet to reach rank 15, this increase was still something that would have taken far longer had he cultivated normally.

It seems I benefited a lot from yesterday's battle!

"You're up?" The sudden voice gave Tang Wulin quite the scare. He looked over to discover Wu Zhangkong sitting legs crossed on a chair nearby.

"Teacher, you…" After staring blankly at Wu Zhangkong for a moment, Tang Wulin started to recall the events of the previous evening, and of how Wu Zhangkong had watched over him throughout the night. His heart surged with warmth as he quickly got off his bed.

Wu Zhangkong met his eyes and said, "Wash up and go eat breakfast. Your spirit soul has evolved so we can go test the changes that your soul skill gained after that." Having finished speaking, he got up, patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder, then left.

Spirit soul evolution? A spirit soul evolution! My spirit soul evolved!

Tang Wulin stood there stunned. His spirit soul had always been a sore spot for him. His heart would ache whenever he saw his comrades and their hundred-year spirit souls. He compared them with his own mere ten-year spirit soul. With his competitive spirit, it had simply been too demoralizing!

When Xie Xie told him about the possibility of a spirit soul evolving in the spirit ascension platform, he hadn't seriously taken it to heart. After all, it wasn't something he would even dare dream of.

But Wu Zhangkong wouldn't lie to him!

With a flash of light, his Bluesilver Grass appeared and a halo rose from beneath him.

The originally white soul ring had been transformed into a soul ring with a gentle yellow glow!

It was yellow! A hundredyear soul ring!

Little Goldlight slithered out onto Tang Wulin's shoulder. Tang Wulin lifted his hand toward it and it slithered onto his palm. After carefully examining Goldlight, Tang Wulin's eyes became a bit dull as he reminisced for a moment.

Not too long ago, he had been filled with sorrow to the point of wishing for death due to this little Goldlight. It had been a defective spirit soul that represented three years worth of hard earned money. Amidst his despair at that time, it had only been due to his sheer willpower that he had been able to persevere! At last, his source of sorrow had now turned into a source of joy!

Goldlight could no longer be considered trash now that it had evolved. As a hundred-year spirit soul, it could provide him with two soul rings. This meant that he didn't need to purchase another spirit soul for a while longer. With Goldlight's evolution, he could save even more money and buy the spirit items needed to break the second seal.

Tang Wulin released a long sigh as these thoughts crossed his mind. He felt that now, endless possibilities had opened up to him.

"Bind!" With his command, strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out and bound everything in his room.

Along with the evolution of his spirit soul, Tang Wulin discovered that his Bluesilver Grass had grown thicker, become more tenacious, and consumed less soul power than before.

When he used his soul skill, a golden color, the same as Goldlight's color, appeared in his mind.

This had never happened before.

"Goldlight, what's this? You…"

Without even waiting for Tang Wulin to finish speaking, Goldlight suddenly sprang forth and sank into the numerous strands of Bluesilver Grass.

Immediately, several strands of Bluesilver Grass turned golden as they were covered by a fine layer of scales .

This is…

Is this a fusion of the spirit soul and martial soul? It is! Little Goldlight isn't a defective product anymore. He can help me in combat now!

When Tang Wulin tugged on a strand of golden Bluesilver Grass, he immediately discovered that not only was it tougher than before, it was also stronger than the other normal strands of Bluesilver Grass. This strand of Bluesilver Grass felt as if it were an extension of himself, like an additional limb. Although it wasn't nearly as strong as his right arm with the golden scales, it was still only just slightly weaker than his left arm.

This is a hundred-year spirit soul! With how strong my Bluesilver Grass is now, my Bind will definitely be much more impactful from now on!

Tang Wulin's face was plastered with a knowing smile as he rushed out of his room, cheering.

It was still early in the morning and the first glimmers of light had just then creeped up over the horizon. After washing his face, he madly rushed over to the training field.

Evolved. My spirit soul evolved! I'm the same as the others now. I have a hundred-year spirit soul too! With a hundred-year soul ring!

Tang Wulin shouted with excitement in his heart as the wind swept past him, seemingly dispersing the haze within him.

This spirit soul evolution didn't only upgrade his strength, it had also given him peace of mind. He was able to circulate his soul power more smoothly than before, while the power of his bloodline and martial soul seemed to fuse under these bizarre circumstances.

Standing outside the dormitory's doors, Ouyang Zixin stared at the scene in shock. A youngster was running wildly on the training field with his arms spread wide.

What's going on with him? Ouyang Zixin couldn't help but smile at this scene. This boy is really interesting.

After running for some time, Tang Wulin caught sight of a beautiful figure and slowed his pace at last.

"Good morning senior sister!" Tang Wulin wasn't his usual bashful self today and had actually taken the initiative to call out to Ouyang Zixin.

Tang Wulin's large eyes were shining and his cheeks flushed with wildness, showing off his youthful vigor.

"Why are you so happy junior brother?" Ouyang Zixin curiously asked.

Tang Wulin laughed. "It's nothing really. I merely made a breakthrough in my cultivation so I'm pretty happy."

Ouyang Zixin beamed a smile at him. "That's good then. Fight on! Mn. This is how a kid should act. You shouldn't always be so depressed, looking like an old man. After all, you're still only ten years old."

Child? Tang Wulin was stunned and awkwardness filled his heart. So I'm just a child in her eyes…

Tang Wulin's body was feverishly hot by the time the sky had lit up and he went to the dining hall. The first window provided nourishing gourmet food that comforted Tang Wulin's gloomy heart. After all, wasn't a good frame of mind beneficial to his cultivation speed?

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Chapter 132 – Summary

"Tell me about your thoughts on your experiences in the spirit ascension platform yesterday." Wu Zhangkong stood at the lectern and unenthusiastically told his five students.

Wang Jinxi's and Zhang Yangzi's eyes were puffy and dark. Clearly, they hadn't had a good night's rest. The difference, though, was that Zhang Yangzi's restless night was due to depression, while Wang Jinxi's was caused by nightmares. Wang Jinxi simply couldn't forget the chill the Man-Faced Demon Spider instilled in him. That chill had reached to the depths of his very soul. He had felt like he was truly about to die at that moment. It was a terrifying feeling that was permanently etched into his heart.

Xie Xie's complexion wasn't too healthy either. After fighting a bloody battle yesterday and receiving countless injuries, his nightmares were filled with wolves throwing themselves upon him, one after another It had been impossible for him to meditate calmly and recover properly under such circumstances. In fact, he had tumbled onto the ground midway through the night, waking him from his nightmare.

Contrary to the others, Gu Yue was just the same as usual.

Tang Wulin was the only one in high spirits. After all, how could he not rejoice after his spirit soul evolved?

"We'll go in order of yesterday's eliminations. Zhang Yangzi, you first!" Seeing that no one wanted to be the first to speak, Wu Zhangkong singled out Zhang Yangzi by name.

"Yes!" Zhang Yangzi responded in embarrassment and quickly stood up. "My performance yesterday was simply horrible. Teacher Wu, I was wrong."

Wu Zhangkong rebuked him with a wave of his hand. "I don't need you to tell me you were wrong, it's your own life after all. What you can do, however, is use this chance to acknowledge your errors and improve yourself. If you had really been in a soul beast forest yesterday, then all that would have remained of you would be a corpse. In fact, your skeleton might also have been destroyed. So tell me then, what do you think of your experience and of yourself in the spirit ascension platform yesterday?"

Zhang Yangzi's face twitched awkwardly. "The world of the spirit ascension platform is too realistic. I couldn't feel anything unauthentic about it at all! I was really curious about the world when I first entered, so I climbed up a tree to survey my surroundings. With my martial soul's ability to glide, I thought I would be able to fly in any direction I wanted, so I did.

"In the beginning, I didn't do anything wrong. My mistake was underestimating my opponent afterward. I was arrogant and didn't carefully observe my surroundings when I chose to impulsively battle it. In the end, I was besieged on all sides and was quickly eliminated.

"The next time I enter the spirit ascension platform, I will be far more careful and place preserving my life as the number one priority. That way, I'll be able to survive even longer."

Finished with his summary, Zhang Yangzi sat back down.

Without any words of criticism or praise for Zhang Yangzi's assessment of himself, Wu Zhangkong simply moved on to Wang Jinxi. "How about you?"

Wang Jinxi forced out a bitter laugh. "Teacher Wu, right now I can't really remember too much about what happened in there, the only thing I remember vividly is that face falling on me from above and the soul freezing chill that followed it. The way it trapped me still gives me nightmares. I'm not even sure how I should react if I were to face it again in the future."

Wu Zhangkong calmly spoke. "You need to relax your mind and take several days to recover. Your situation is actually a bit special. The Man-Faced Demon Spider is an extremely rare and powerful soul beast. Even at the hundred-year level, it's able to hunt thousand-year soul beasts. Although there's no shame in dying to it, you must remember to immediately press the exit button the moment you encounter such a powerful soul beast next time. You actually faced some danger to your real self when it killed you this time."

Teacher Wu is consoling someone? No way!

"Thank you, teacher."

Wu Zhangkong then turned to Gu Yue.

Gu Yue was prepared and quickly gave her analysis. "The spirit ascension platform is an exceedingly realistic world and I felt that I was truly in an ancient forest during my stay there. I really like it in there. It's great. Battles with soul beasts are really realistic, I can't see a single difference from real combat."

"Is that it?" Wu Zhangkong made a slight frown when he saw Gu Yue sitting down so quickly.

Gu Yue nodded.

Wu Zhangkong prodded her on. "Then explain to me, how were you able to find Tang Wulin?'

Gu Yue was stunned. "It was just by chance."

"Chance?" Wu Zhangkong's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Xie Xie running into Tang Wulin can be considered chance since they weren't too far from each other in the beginning and Xie Xie had only encountered Tang Wulin after running around chaotically. But you, you were quite far from Tang Wulin, yet as soon as you encountered the Crystal Bear, you immediately chose a direction to flee in; and this was precisely in the direction of Tang Wulin. Furthermore, the direction you fled would continuously adjust for Tang Wulin's position when he moved elsewhere. How could you have encountered him by chance? It's simply impossible to be that lucky."

Gu Yue remained silent while Tang Wulin looked at her in shock. How was she able to pinpoint my position?

Tang Wulin didn't have a complete understanding of all the events that had happened yesterday. All he knew was that Xie Xie had fought a bloody battle against a pack of wolves for him. As for Gu Yue, he had no idea how or why she left.

"I'll admit it. I have a way of tracking him by controlling the elements. I can place a marker on the bodies of my comrades by manipulating the elements. This marker let's me find them easily. I thought that being with Tang Wulin would be the safest decision, so I prioritized finding him first." Gu Yue finally gave a seemingly far-fetched explanation.

"I see." Wu Zhangkong didn't pry too deeply and simply moved on to Xie Xie. "It's your turn."

Xie Xie began going over his experience. "I really like it in there too. The feeling of hunting soul beasts in the forest is so invigorating. That sort of forest environment is really suitable for us Agility System Soul Masters, and my ability to survive increases with the improvement of my speed. My final battle against those Green Wolves felt amazing too. I had to carefully avoid any fatal injuries while fighting a battle of attrition. I learned the theory of such battles before, but that was the first time I had actually experienced the bitterness of such a bloody fight. I gained a lot of combat experience this time, and I learned the importance of avoiding injuries to vital parts."

The very last person to go was Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin muttered a few words under his breath, before he began voicing his thoughts. "We were actually really lucky to be able to kill a thousand-year Crystal Bear this time. If we made even the slightest mistake, we would have died. Although I knew that the forest is virtual, it was so realistic that I was no longer able to differentiate it from reality. I subconsciously began treating everything like it were real. Especially the injuries; I could feel all the pains and aches of the injuries I had sustained in there.

The sensation of battling with an actual soul beast is also very helpful to improving my combat abilities. I think that if we could continue to cultivate in such an environment, we will be able to become true Soul Masters. Furthermore, I feel that we need to strengthen our cooperation as a team, so that we'll be able to face even stronger soul beasts in the future."

Wu Zhangkong nodded in approval after hearing their evaluations.

"If I were to score your performances in the spirit ascension platform this time, then: Zhang Yangzi, 0 points. Wang Jinxi, 1 point. Gu Yue, 5 points. Xie Xie, 5 points. And Tang Wulin, 4 points."

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi expected that they would receive low scores, but when they all heard Tang Wulin's score, they were shocked. If Tang Wulin hadn't killed the hundred-year Horned Dragon and thousand-year Crystal Bear, then Xie Xie and Gu Yue would have died far earlier!

"Tang Wulin, do you know why you scored less than Xie Xie and Gu Yue?" Wu Zhangkong's burning gaze locked onto Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin lowered his head and pondered over it. Although he had also been stunned when he heard his score since he thought he'd done the best, Wu Zhangkong challenged him to come up with the reasoning, so he began to consider it seriously. As he continued to mull over the events of the day before, Tang Wulin gradually understood Wu Zhangkong's reasoning.

"Gu Yue's score is higher than mine because of the coordination in our joint attack. It was only because of her excellent control over the elements that we were successful in killing the Crystal Bear. Xie Xie's score is higher because he risked his life to defend me from the pack of wolves."

Wu Zhangkong corrected him. "That's not all of it. If Gu Yue hadn't sacrificed herself to catch you when you were crystallized, you would have shattered into pieces. Although you wouldn't have died in reality, you would have suffered from residual effects like Wang Jinxi and experience some dangers. If we count the minor details, then Gu Yue would actually have the highest score out of all of you.

"As for Xie Xie, his score isn't higher than yours because he saved you, but because of his greater knowledge of soul beasts. You were deducted points because you were crystallized after killing the Crystal Bear. If you had studied more and had known the traits and features of a Crystal Bear, then you would have known that its soul power explodes when it is on the verge of death, crystallizing everything in a certain radius. You would also have known that the stronger the Crystal Bear, the greater the radius of its soul power explosion. Clearly, however, you were lacking in such knowledge."

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Chapter 133 – Before the Final Exam

"If you had been able to kill the thousand-year Crystal Bear without being crystallized, then neither Xie Xie nor Gu Yue would have needed to sacrifice themselves for your sake, and together, the three of you wouldn't have had any problem taking out the pack of wolves. Their sacrifices, were all because of you."

Wu Zhangkong's words seemed especially cold to Tang Wulin's ears at that moment. He had been proud of the battles' results, yet, Wu Zhangkong's words were like a bucket of cold water being poured over him. So the battle was actually like that?

That's right! If it had been a true battlefield, then my mistake would have caused the whole team to collapse and my comrades to die for my sake! How can I consider that a victory then?

Wu Zhangkong continued to speak dully. "You need to strengthen your knowledge and understanding of soul beasts. Don't think that just because soul beasts are rare nowadays, studying them is useless. On the contrary, a deeper understanding of soul beasts will greatly benefit your future cultivation. Research has shown that over 90% of the soul skills we Soul Masters possess have belonged to a soul beast at one point or another, so a greater understanding of soul beasts is the equivalent of understanding your competitors. It will also increase your odds of survival in the spirit ascension platform.

"You all should understand by now that the longer you survive in the spirit ascension platform, the greater the benefits are. You all still have a long ways to go."

Tang Wulin's previous joy from having his spirit soul evolve disappeared completely. That's right! All because I lacked knowledge, I was a burden to my comrades!

Bitterness encroached his heart the moment he realised this. Gu Yue and Xie Xie died because of me!

"In today's morning lesson, I'll be discussing the soul beasts you encountered yesterday. I will explain any special traits they have and their abilities at each level." Wu Zhangkong indifferently announced the day's lesson.

A chill suddenly swept through Tang Wulin's body. He looked to his side to see Gu Yue giving him a nod.

A drop of cold water slid down his neck. He trembled, which immediately cleared and awakened his mind.

"Thanks," Tang Wulin whispered.

"What's up?" Xie Xie looked over and asked.

After their adventures in the spirit ascension platform, the five students tackled studying with renewed vigor, as if their desire to study had gained a soul ability itself. Their desire to improve left no room for Wu Zhangkong to spur them on. In fact, Zhang Yangzi even dropped his grudge against Tang Wulin's trio. All that were on their minds were studying and cultivation.

With a strand of Bluesilver Grass connecting them, Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi attempted to dual cultivate at night. As expected, their cultivation speed was a bit faster than cultivating alone, so both of them found this arrangement to be very beneficial. Furthermore, Tang Wulin's cultivation speed was much faster now due to the evolution of his spirit soul. Even if he had yet to catch up with the other geniuses, at the very least, the gap between them was rapidly closing. Nevertheless, it was impossible for him to overtake them in such a short period of time considering the large gap between their cultivations.

A bustling life made one feel enriched, or, at least, Tang Wulin felt this way.

Tang Wulin would study and cultivate throughout the week and go to the Blacksmith's Association to learn from Mu Chen on rest days.

Mu Chen may have seemed kind on the surface, but when he acted as a teacher, he was extremely fierce. He was actually stricter than Mang Tian and, after a day of forging, Tang Wulin would be left even more exhausted than after a week's worth of studies.

Despite his constant state of exhaustion, Tang Wulin could feel his forging abilities gradually improving under Mu Chen's tutelage.

Mu Chen's style of teaching didn't differ too much from Mang Tian's. He hadn't started teaching Tang Wulin about Spirit Forging yet; instead, Mu Chen focused on solidifying Tang Wulin's foundation and correcting any mistakes he had. Even for the slightest errors he would force Tang Wulin to practice them until perfection.

A perfect foundation! Tang Wulin had never thought that having a perfect foundation was important since he was already a third rank blacksmith, but after a month of studying under Mu Chen, Tang Wulin was astonished to find that he could complete third rank Thousand Refinement missions 10% faster now!

As he continued to forge tirelessly, Tang Wulin gradually started to understand the importance of a perfect foundation. The most important aspect of a perfect foundation was that it would rid him of any useless movements.

Put simply, if a hammer strike was perfect, it would possess its full power, but if it strayed even a little bit, then the results would also suffer! This wouldn't actually affect the refinement process, but just how many strikes did it take to Thousand Refine a metal? If every single strike was perfect, then the Thousand Refinements would be more efficient, thus saving time.

When Tang Wulin told Mu Chen what he felt while forging now, Mu Chen smiled for the first time since he had taken Tang Wulin in as his disciple. He then explained the differences between Thousand Refinements. These differences lied in the number of hammerings a metal received during the Thousand Refinement process. The less strikes it received, the greater the effects of the Thousand Refinements. A blacksmith's ability was representative of their efficiency in Thousand Refinements!

After understanding this point, Tang Wulin studied with greater diligence than before.

It became a requirement for class zero to enter the spirit ascension platform once a week. After entering, the five of them were exceptionally cautious and would only engage soul beasts they encountered after thorough preparations.

However, being cautious did not necessarily mean that they would reap the greatest benefits in the spirit ascension platform. Luck was also essential. If they were unlucky enough to meet an opponent beyond them, then they would be eliminated quickly and ejected.

One time, as soon as Tang Wulin entered the spirit ascension platform, he met an extremely agile thousand-year soul beast. Before he could even make a move, he was heavily wounded and had no choice but to exit.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the first term approached.

"Teacher Wu, do we also need to take a final exam too?" Tang Wulin asked in astonishment.

The other four students also had surprised expressions.

For their class, the first grade's final exam was useless. This wasn't arrogance, but confidence in how greatly they had changed in the last three months.

Gu Yue was already at the peak of rank 19 and was only a step away from reaching rank 20.

Tang Wulin had also reached the peak of rank 15 and wasn't too far off from rank 16. In a short six months, he had improved from rank 11 to rank 15. Tang Wulin hadn't even dreamt of making such progress before coming to Eastsea Academy.

Most importantly, however, was the increase in their combat abilities. Their experiences in the spirit ascension platform had proved useful as it pressured them to cultivate even harder. At the young age of ten, they actually had such unbelievable combat ability.

President Yu Zhen had invested greatly into class zero; they were provided with the best teaching facilities and equipment, as well as entry into the spirit ascension platform. This was the only way for them to raise these little monsters properly.

"Yes, you need to take them," Wu Zhangkong said with his usual stony expression. "Your final exam will test two things. The first is the spirit ascension platform."

Spirit ascension platform?

In these last three months, they had already entered the spirit ascension platform a total of eleven times and were already familiar with it. As long as they weren't unlucky, they would be able to survive for at least one hour each time. The current record for the longest survival time was actually held by Xie Xie, with his stay of three hours.

The more they experienced it, the more they sensed the changes the spirit ascension platform was had on their combat abilities. Whether it was their application of soul skills, combat techniques and so on, they had all greatly improved.

As they now understood the benefits of the spirit ascension platform, they began to greatly anticipate their weekly visits there.

"You must survive for at least an hour to pass the exam. However, this time you will be entering the rebellion spirit ascension platform."

Xie Xie asked in shock, "Teacher, what is the rebellion spirit ascension platform?" He had never heard of it, but it seemed to be a special type of spirit ascension platform.

Tang Wulin and the others all stared at Wu Zhangkong in shock and curiosity. If the spirit ascension platform had already proved to be extremely effective at improving their combat ability, then what about the rebellion spirit ascension platform…?

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Chapter 134 – Rebellion Spirit Ascension Platform?

Wu Zhangkong said, "Twice a year, the spirit ascension platform will rebel. At first, they were caused by the unstable energies that the spirit ascension platform was made of. As the technology progressed, however, they were able to gain control over the rebellion periods and turned them into a special feature of the spirit ascension platforms. During a rebellion period, the soul beasts will grow excited and become more visible, increasing the danger within the spirit ascension platform. The Eighteen Pillars of Heaven imposed a limit of 300 people to enter the rebellion spirit ascension platform each time. This time, you five are fortunate enough to be one of those 300 people after the academy spent an enormous amount of resources to secure five quota spaces for you. You should appreciate just how great of an opportunity this is."

"During the rebellion period, you will be able to enter the spirit ascension platform as a team, but your number cannot surpass seven. Since there are only five of you, so there will be no problems for you to enter together. This will serve to test your coordination as a team. Don't forget though, in addition to soul beasts, you might encounter other Soul Masters. They will pose just as much of a danger to you as soul beasts, because if you are ejected from the spirit ascension platform within the 100 seconds it takes to absorb a soul beast's spiritual energy, the remaining energy will go to the nearest Soul Master. These are the special rules of the rebellion spirit ascension platform."

Zhang Yangzi asked, "So you're saying that other Soul Masters can steal our spiritual energy, and we can steal their spiritual energy too?"

Wu Zhangkong spoke dismissively, "If you're confident you can try, but don't forget that Soul Masters with up to three rings can enter the elementary spirit ascension platform, and those that want to enter a rebellion spirit ascension platform have to pay an enormous price. This means that there is a high chance that three ringed Soul Masters will appear and kill as many soul beasts as they can to try to upgrade their spirit soul. If you truly decide to attack them, then you should be prepared to face a powerful opponent."

Tang Wulin said, "Don't worry, teacher. We will rely on our strength as a team!"

Zhang Yangzi's relationship with the others had mended long ago. After all, they were young and had the temperament of children. How could he hold a grudge considering that? Moreover, as Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi grew closer together, Wang Jinxi had astonishingly advanced two ranks to reach rank 23. On the other hand, both Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie had only just reached rank 22.

"You will enter the spirit ascension platform in three days. You can take the next three days off as a vacation to rest and prepare."

Vacation? Ever since they had entered class zero, they hadn't had any opportunities to rest apart from the one rest day they had every week.

But now they were given three days off! Xie Xie and Zhang Yangzi immediately took the lead to express their joy with cheers.

Tang Wulin turned pensive at the thought of three days of free time. What should I do in these three days? That much time isn't enough to make any improvements for battle.

After school, they all headed back to the dormitory.

"Wulin, what do you plan on doing in these three days? How about we go out to play instead?" Xie Xie mischievously laughed.

"Play? Play what?" Zhang Yangzi looked over and asked.

Xie Xie rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking to you."

Zhang Yangzi laughed. "I'll treat you guys to dinner then, how about it? Will you bring me now?"

Xie Xie said, "I'll have to consider it then. That's right, I just remembered something. Teacher Wu said our final exam has two parts to it, and the spirit ascension platform is only one part! What's the other part then? What do you guys think?"

After pondering over it, they were at a loss and could only shake their heads.

Wang Jinxi answered with a bitter smile, "The rebellion spirit ascension platform is a wonderful opportunity, but it's still a bit early for us. I heard that the competition within the rebellion spirit ascension platform is extremely fierce and there is no room for empathy inside. After all, the chance to evolve your spirit soul is simply too valuable."

Tang Wulin said, "The academy has invested a lot to give us the opportunity to enter the spirit ascension platform this often. I think they want us all to evolve our spirit souls to the thousand-year level by the time we graduate. Have any of you measured and calculated the growth of your spirit soul yet?"

When they heard these words, they all froze in place.

A thousand-year spirit soul? Just what did that signify?

A thousand-year spirit soul, a thousand-year soul ring! Their first ring would become a thousand-year soul ring!

If their first spirit soul was a thousand-year one, then it would be able to provide them with three soul skills and help them conserve some spiritual power. They could then fuse with another thousand-year spirit soul in the future and not need to worry about obtaining their first six soul rings.

The number of spirit souls one could support had always been one of the greatest limitations that prevented Soul Masters from reaching higher levels of cultivation.

If one's spiritual power was insufficient, then any attempts at fusing with a spirit soul would only end in failure. This was one of the reasons why Wu Zhangkong emphasized cultivating spiritual power.

After researching spirit soul fusion for the last 10,000 years, 3000 years ago, the great Soul Master organizations released a report which detailed that a correlation between a Soul Master's spiritual power level and the number of spirit souls they could fuse with existed.

At the basic Spirit Origin realm, only one spirit soul could be fused with. With spiritual power at the Spirit Origin realm, one could support up to a single yellow spirit soul.

At the Spirit Connection realm, one's spirit could then communicate with their spirit soul and gain basic control over their spiritual power. By controlling one's spiritual power, one could support two yellow spirit souls or even a single purple spirit soul.

At the Spirit Sea realm, one's spirit became as vast and as boundless as the sea. It was at this realm that one's spiritual power could be considered high and was a sufficient foundation to become a powerful expert. All Mecha Masters and Souls Masters who reached the apex had reached this level at the very least. At this realm, one could support either five yellow spirit souls, three purple spirit souls or a single black spirit soul.

When one entered the Spirit Abyss realm, their spirit would act like an abyssal prison. If the spirit was the world, then the upper boundary would be heaven while the lower boundary would be hell! Should one have such powerful spiritual power, they would also possess a legendary spirit soul that acted as their foundation. One could fuse with any level of spirit soul at this realm; even orange spirit souls and red spirit souls could be fused with. If one fused with an orange or red spirit soul, then their remaining power would only be at the Spirit Sea realm. However, if one didn't have an orange or red spirit soul, it was possible to fuse with a maximum of five spirit souls of any color. Normally speaking, the Spirit Abyss realm was considered the limit of humans, but there was still the Spirit Domain realm.

Should one reach the Spirit Domain realm, their spirit sense would become a domain, a world unto itself. Their spirit sense would control the domain and their spirit souls become the foundation of their world. Their mind would then be boundless, and their spiritual power able to fuse with spirit souls of any level. In theory, the limit was nine legendary spirit souls, just like the fabled founder of the Spirit Pagoda and creator of spirit souls, the almighty Spirit Ice Douluo.

Then, there was the rumored Divine Origin realm. One would transform into the primordial state, while their spirit sense would become omnipotent and change into the primordial spirit. Spiritual power would convert into primordial spirit power; that was the realm of the gods. With a single thought, one would know everything under the heavens and could peek into the realm of the gods. Once one reached the Divine Origin realm, they could already be considered a demigod. Only a god's inheritance was missing.

For Soul Masters, the first four spiritual power realms were the most important as Spirit Domain realm and Divine Origin realm were only attainable by pure spirit attribute Soul Masters.

The Spirit Origin realm was something everyone possessed innately as soon as they were born. From there, it wasn't too hard to cultivate 100 points of spiritual power and reach the Spirit Connection realm. However, a huge gap existed between Spirit Connection and Spirit Sea, preventing the majority from ever reaching the latter.

The Spirit Sea realm required 500 points of spiritual power.

The Spirit Abyss realm required 5000 points of spiritual power.

The Spirit Domain realm required 20,000 points of spiritual power.

As for the Divine Origin realm, it required a terrifying 50,000 points of spiritual power.

There were rumors that an even higher realm existed: the legendary Godking realm. This was the current extent of Tang Wulin and his classmates' knowledge.

Among the five students of class zero, Gu Yue possessed the greatest spiritual power and would easily reach the Spirit Sea realm in the future. Only after reaching the Spirit Sea realm would it be possible for a Soul Master to have nine rings, assuming these nine rings were all thousand-year rings at most.

As for the other four students, Tang Wulin was second in spiritual power strength since he was already at the Spirit Connection realm. The remaining three were all at the boundary of the Spirit Connection realm and would soon reach it.

Even so, with how talented they were, reaching Spirit Connection would be easy, and considering their young age, it was very likely that they would be able to reach the Spirit Sea realm too.

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Chapter 135 – Closed Door Forging

If they were to actually have a purple thousand-year soul ring as their first ring, then when they reached the Spirit Sea realm, they would be able to have three thousand-year spirit souls. This meant that they would have the chance to become a Title Douluo.

Naturally, this was only a chance. An extremely small chance too, since a Title Douluo with only three thousand-year spirit souls — a total of nine purple rings — had never appeared before; they would be too weak!

Take Wu Zhangkong for example. He currently possessed six rings and had a ten-thousand-year spirit soul. Just how powerful was he?

"It seems like the academy really is planning for that?" Zhang Yangzi gulped. Although his ambitions had always been to become a powerful expert, his nature was actually that of a straightforward and kind person. It was due to these ambitions that he had acted so arrogantly when he'd first met Tang Wulin's trio.

Xie Xie said, "That's probably what they're planning. If this really is true, then that'll be great for us. We will definitely have to treasure every chance we get when we enter the spirit ascension platform."

Tang Wulin said, "I'm not going to go out to play then. I plan on going to the Blacksmith's Association to temper myself a bit."

Gu Yue said, "I'm going to meditate."

Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with grief-filled eyes, forcing Tang Wulin to laugh. "Jinxi, I'll be back at night. Don't worry."

"Ahem! Jinxi, when did you become a jealous woman?" Zhang Yangzi poked fun at Wang Jinxi as he patted him on the shoulder.

Everyone knew that Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi complemented one another when dual cultivating.

Wang Jinxi shot him a glare. "If you can help me cultivate an extra half a rank in three months, then I'll also act like a jealous woman to you too. Wulin, can I go with you? Or maybe I'll pick blacksmithing as my secondary occupation too? Do you think I have any talent for it?'

Tang Wulin said, "I still think it's best if we all have secondary occupations different from one another so that in the future, we'll be able to help each other out when we start making our own battle armor."

Xie Xie said, "That makes sense. I've already decided on my secondary occupation anyway. I'll be a mecha maker! A mecha maker doesn't require too much technical knowledge, but instead focuses on practicing technique. I think it's quite suitable for me. What about you guys?"

Zhang Yangzi said, "I'm still not sure yet."

Gu Yue said, "I think I'll study mecha mechanics."

"Ah? You want to study mecha mechanics? But you're a girl! I thought you would choose mecha designing," said Xie Xie with shock.

Gu Yue coldly said, "Only brainless people would think like that."

"You…"

"Alright, you two hurry up and go back to rest and eat." Tang Wulin could only helplessly look at his two quarreling friends. He'd already gotten used to their bickering long ago.

After getting to know the others these last few months, Tang Wulin discovered that Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had the best relationship, while Xie Xie and Gu Yue were like fire and water. Although Gu Yue seemed gentle on the outside, her real personality was rather haughty, and she kept a distance from the other three.

The funny thing was, everyone had a good relationship with Tang Wulin, so he acted as the team's mediator.

Tang Wulin was grateful for having companions such as these. He had been born with a trash martial soul and his cultivation was the weakest among them, yet he was allowed to enter class zero and study together with these geniuses. He couldn't slack off now that he had found himself in a good situation. Although his cultivation speed was still the slowest among them, he had improved greatly compared to his old self.

Tang Wulin's attitude went through an amazing change ever since he'd come to Eastsea Academy. He no longer compared himself against these geniuses, and simply compared himself to himself. As long as his cultivation speed kept increasing, he would be satisfied.

The final exam was approaching, and it was also a team exam. As the captain and the one with the weakest cultivation, he carried within him an enormous amount of responsibility.

After eating dinner and doing some light exercises, he started meditating. During his meal, he had already decided on his plan for the next three days.

Early morning of the next day.

Tang Wulin ran out of the academy grounds and headed straight for the Blacksmith's Association. He bought a few things from there, then entered a forging workshop and began a three-day period of closed-door forging.

Hammering sounds rang out without pause from within the workshop. For the next three days, Tang Wulin would come here during the day to forge. At night he would return to the dorms, beaten and exhausted, to dual cultivate with Wang Jinxi via a strand of Bluesilver Grass.

"Tang Wulin, come over here for a moment." After he finished forging for the day, he received a call from Mu Chen, summoning him.

"Yes teacher. I'll head over now."

When he arrived at the association, he directly walked toward Mu Chen's office. By now, the association employees already recognized him as Mu Chen's disciple, but they still didn't know that this nine year-old kid was actually a third rank blacksmith.

Under Mu Chen's special orders, all of the tasks that Tang Wulin accepted went through Cen Yue first to hide the fact that he was a third rank blacksmith.

A nine-years-old third rank blacksmith was simply too shocking. Mu Chen instructed Tang Wulin that before he reached the Spirit Forging level, he wasn't allowed to cause a ruckus in the outside world. This was the reason why Tang Wulin never wore his blacksmith's badge, as it would give away his rank.

"Teacher!" The moment Tang Wulin walked in, he saw Mu Chen perusing something.

"Ah, you're here. Come and take a seat." Mu Chen was a mild-mannered person outside of the times he taught Tang Wulin forging.

After Tang Wulin seated himself opposite Mu Chen, he was handed a metal card.

Tang Wulin took the metal card and inspected it. It had unusual complex and fine lines on it. Although Tang Wulin hadn't reached a high enough level yet, he could tell that it likely held a profound soul circuit.

Flipping it over, he saw three familiar words inscribed into it: spirit ascension platform.

"Spirit ascension platform?" Tang Wulin asked in surprise.

Mu Chen nodded. "The spirit ascension platform is about to enter a period of rebellion, and that will be a great opportunity for you to gain experience. This is an invitation card that will let you enter it. But be careful; a rebellion spirit ascension platform is far more dangerous than normal, and you will be under even greater pressure. Of course, the opportunities are just as great. Go participate in it and temper yourself. Temper yourself well."

Tang Wulin was well aware of how few slots a rebellion spirit ascension platform had, so when he saw how carefree his teacher was being, he couldn't help but feel warm within his heart. Ever since he'd joined the Blacksmith's Association, this was the very first time he had received aid from his teacher.

"Thank you teacher, but this is too precious. You should just give it to big sister Mu Xi instead." As he spoke, Tang Wulin returned the card.

Mu Chen revealed a warm smile. "She already has one. You two should look after each other inside there."

Tang Wulin, somewhat awkwardly, said, "The academy has already arranged for us to take part in a rebellion spirit ascension platform as our final exam, so I already have a slot."

Mu Chen was surprised. "Your class zero is actually treated this well? It seems Eastsea Academy really does value you guys!" Although Mu Chen knew that Tang Wulin had joined a class of geniuses, he also understood that Tang Wulin's cultivation was only just barely above average. With his young age taken into consideration, however, his cultivation speed certainly couldn't be considered slow.

For a blacksmith, however, the martial soul wasn't nearly as important. As long as a blacksmith had sufficient soul power, they would be fine. He hadn't expected that this class of geniuses that Tang Wulin joined would actually be treated so well.

Despite this, Mu Chen didn't accept the card back. He simply smiled and said, "You can just keep it then. I obtained two cards anyway. With an extra card, you can go in one more time. After all, a rebellion spirit ascension platform lasts for seven days. Entering it another time will still be a great experience for you."

Entering another time? Tang Wulin's heart stirred at the thought.

"Tomorrow marks the beginning of the rebellion period, So you should hurry back and prepare soon. I don't have any other warnings to give you since you're already far more level-headed than your peers, but if you happen to run into Mu Xi, I hope you two will take care of each other."

"Yes teacher."

The relationship between Tang Wulin and Mu Xi had never been particularly good because in Mu Xi's heart, she still harbored some rejection toward Tang Wulin. Mu Xi would often say that Mu Chen treated Tang Wulin even better than her, rousing her competitive spirit.

While she went through the hard labor of forging, she was able to control, to some degree, the temperature with her martial soul, which was a skill she had inherited from Mu Chen. She was gifted in forging and had a firm foundation, and was now preparing for the Thousand Refinements. Mu Xi still needed some time, however, before she could reach the third rank.

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Chapter 136 - Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium Vests

After returning to the dormitory, Tang Wulin didn't return to his room first. Instead, he knocked on someone else's door.

"You're back. What's up?" After Xie Xie opened the door and saw Tang Wulin, he said these words somewhat discontentedly. He hadn't seen anyone around these last few days so he had no one to go out and play with. In the end, he could only cultivate in boredom.

"Come over to my room. I have something to tell everyone." Tang Wulin waved, then proceeded to the next room.

It was already late into the evening and everyone had just returned from dinner, so they were all resting in their rooms. It didn't take long for Tang Wulin to round them up and assemble them in his room.

"Mr. Captain, what did you call us all here for?" Zhang Yangzi said in a teasing manner.

Tang Wulin said, "I have something to give all of you. Here, try it on and tell me if I need to adjust it." As he spoke, a pile of metal objects poured out of his storage ring. He then proceeded to distribute them.

"This is…" When they saw the items that Tang Wulin handed out, everyone was shocked.

They were vests, vests forged from metal. This metal vest was made from numerous thumb-sized silver metal disks linked together in an ingenious manner to form a chainmail.

What was even more astonishing was how flexible and light the vest was. It was made in the style of chainmail, and if one inspected it closely, they would discover faint cloud patterns sprawling across the pieces of metal, exuding an exotic aura.

"It's so light. What is it made of?" Zhang Yangzi curiously asked.

Tang Wulin said, "It's made from an uncommon metal called Cloud Titanium. I used the Thousand Refinements to purify it then forged chainmail from it. Although it's light, it's still extremely tough. When we enter the spirit ascension platform, we're scanned and everything on our person will be brought inside, so if we wear this vest when we enter, we'll be able to use it inside and it'll increase our chances of survival.

Wang Jinxi spoke slowly. "Is this considered cheating...?"

Zhang Yangzi said craftily, "How could this be considered cheating? We're just taking advantage of the rebellion spirit ascension platform to improve ourselves."

"Although it doesn't fit perfectly, it doesn't hinder my movements either. It doesn't encumber my agile movements. Jinxi, try punching it." Zhang Yangzi said eagerly.

"Okay." Wang Jinxi punched straight at Zhang Yangzi's stomach.

With a 'bang', Zhang Yangzi was knocked onto his butt.

"Ouch, you should have taken it easier!" Zhang Yangzi complained.

Wang Jinxi cooly said, "What use is there in going easy? Captain really made these well. When I hit it, it felt as if I was striking solid armor or an iron panel. Technically, you were only pushed over by my force, you weren't knocked down."

Zhang Yangzi got up and rubbed his stomach. That's right! My stomach doesn't hurt at all.

Gu Yue looked at Tang Wulin. "Is this the reason you were gone the last three days?"

"Yea. It's just making some preparations before the battle. Jinxi and Yangzi were both correct, this can be considered cheating in a way, but at the very least, we can ensure that everyone won't be as fragile when faced with those soul beasts anymore. As long as we can survive even a minute longer in the spirit ascension platform, it will be considered an achievement in our exam and allow us to hunt even more soul beasts."

Xie Xie looked at the Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest in his hands. He then shifted his gaze to Tang Wulin, a hint of shame filling his eyes. So this is what that guy was doing…

"Hurry up and try them on!" Tang Wulin urged them on.

Everyone started experimenting with their vests. Though Tang Wulin had little experience with making clothes, a vest was simple enough for him to make.

He had also taken Wang Jinxi's martial soul transformation in consideration and made his vest a bit larger.

"Alright, that's all. Let's all do our best tomorrow." Tang Wulin stretched out his right hand. Xie Xie was the first one to pick up on Tang Wulin's intent and quickly placed his own hand atop Tang Wulin's. Afterward, Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Gu Yue took their cue and added their own hands underneath his palm.

The five of them cheered in unison, "Let's do it!"

Early morning. A heavy fog had enveloped Eastsea City during the night, hindering visibility and making it seem like everything were just hazy figures.

Despite the usual lack of cheer haunting the city at this time, the Spirit Pagoda was bustling with excitement. As one of the Spirit Pagoda's Eighteen Pillars of Heaven, it was one of the entrances into the rebellion spirit ascension platform.

A single entry card for the rebellion spirit ascension platform auctioned for over 100,000 federal coins and it had no set market price. The Spirit Pagoda organized the distribution of these cards every year. Even though the chance to achieve spirit ascension was miniscule, everyone would go crazy for that chance.

The moment that the first glimmers of dawn peeked over the horizon, Wu Zhangkong and the students of class zero had arrived at the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda. The earlier they entered, the less likely they were to encounter any competitors.

"You all must remember that at its peak, the spirit ascension platform will be filled with many other people, of whom many will be your enemies. You only have one mission inside of there: survive! Anyone who doesn't pass the final exam will be penalized."

After hearing Wu Zhangkong's warning, Xie Xie couldn't help but ask curiously, "Teacher Wu, what's the penalty?"

Wu Zhangkong shot him a glance. "Your vacation days will be cancelled." After every term was a month-long vacation, so when he heard that their vacation might be cancelled, Xie Xie immediately went wide-eyed in shock. He had been looking forward to the month-long vacation for so long already.

The others also exchanged looks of panic, while only Tang Wulin maintained a calm expression. Even Gu Yue had frowned at the prospect of losing her vacation.

"Let's go."

After the five students handed over their entry cards, they were lead by a staff member to a familiar room. As Eastsea City's only intermediate academy, not only did Eastsea Acaademy have tremendous influence, they also maintained a cordial relationship with the Spirit Pagoda. If not, they wouldn't necessarily have been able to secure spirit ascension platform spots even if they had money.

Eastsea Spirit Pagoda had set up this room especially for them, which allowed Wu Zhangkong to monitor them. This wasn't normal but was actually preferential treatment.

"The spirit ascension platform is highly dangerous during the rebellion period. You have all entered the spirit ascension platform numerous times now and understand what it's like inside, so I don't need to give you any more warnings. Just remember to immediately hit the exit button the moment you are in danger." The staff member gave them a few words of warning.

The more times one had entered the spirit ascension platform, the less chance one would encounter danger like Wang Jinxi had during his first time.

The five students separated and entered their own metal boxes. Under the staff member's control, the boxes closed and the light disappeared. The scan initiated, preparing to send them into the spirit ascension platform.

The staff member inserted five cards into a slot then pressed a big red button. This was a part of the safeguard system for the rebellion period. These cards allowed one to enter into the spirit ascension platform, as well as the designation of the coordinates one would appear at.

After a moment, the five of them them awoke from their daze and were greeted with the sight of a boundless great forest. The forest was no different from the one they were used to, but this time, the five of them had entered together.

The air was fresh and the plants a vibrant green, just like how they remembered it. They couldn't see any difference from the normal, peaceful spirit ascension platform.

Tang Wulin ordered, "Into formation."

He took a few steps forward to stand as the vanguard of the group while Wang Jinxi took position behind him, facing the opposite direction. Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie were arranged on the left and right. They were all facing outward, while Gu Yue was situated right in the center.

A gentle green light flickered, covering the five of them. It was precisely Gu Yue controlling the wind elements to lighten them and increase their agility.

Tang Wulin raised his right hand, releasing two strands of Bluesilver Grass as a yellow soul ring appeared beneath his feet. The two strands of grass were like snakes as they slithered forth and sweeped the surrounding shrubbery, creating a path for them.

"Our number one priority is to survive for at least an hour to pass the final exam, while our second priority is to hunt as many soul beasts as we can. Be careful everyone." Four strands of Bluesilver Grass spread out from underneath his feet, connecting him to his four comrades by their waist. This way, he would be able to save them at a moment's notice.

Zhang Yangzi released his spirit soul, and a little black eagle soared into the sky. Beside the boost to his combat abilities his little black eagle gave him, it was also able to share its vision with him as long as it was within ten meters of him. Like this, they would have another set of eyes with a broader view.

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Chapter 137 – Rebellion Spirit Ascension Platform

They weren't naive and released their martial souls as soon as they entered.

Inside the Spirit Pagoda's monitoring room.

The staff member turned to Wu Zhangkong and said, "These kids are pretty good. Teacher Wu really is very good at teaching."

Wu Zhangkong gave a humble nod. "Let's see how they do first."

Although he had always been the type to suppress his emotions and keep a stony expression, he couldn't help but feel pleased with his disciples.

As he watched them undergo their trials, a 20,000-year-old motto popped into his mind: Shrek Academy only accepts monsters, not ordinary people.

Regardless of the time period, Shrek Academy had never failed to uphold that motto. This motto was engraved into every single student of Shrek, instilling them with a sense of pride.

I wonder how far these brats will be able to go.

In order to become a monster, other than having first-class talent, one also needed unyielding perseverance. From his observations, all five of his students possessed talent, with Gu Yue being the most talented among them. There were no records of her martial soul or anything similar within Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda's history. Miraculously, she was able to control five elements, and despite the fact that her soul skill could only increase how effectively she utilizes her soul power to control the elements, she was still able to combine the five elements into a variety of attacks. What need did she have for extra soul skills then?

Her spiritual power had also reached unprecedented heights, especially when compared to her peers. Just the fact that she was able to reach the Spirit Connection realm at her age, combined with her speed of improvement, meant that by the time she graduated in six years, she might actually reach the Spirit Sea realm. If she actually managed such an unprecedented feat, then her future potential would be limitless, rocking the Soul Master world.

Xie Xie was undoubtedly the second most talented individual. His twin martial souls were a rare and amazing gift, regardless of era, and though his twin martial souls were artificial rather than natural, they were still beneficial for him. No one could say for certain, but in the future, Xie Xie might just be able to…

As for Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi's talent, it could only be considered as decent. Neither the Bone Dragon King nor the Shadow Phantasm Eagle could be considered as peak level martial souls, but the two were compatible. If they could one day perfectly control their fusion skill, their combat strength would then be on the same level as a peak genius.

Although, only time could tell whether or not they perfect their soul fusion skill. After all, their grasp of their fusion skill was still at a rudimentary level.

Lastly, there was Tang Wulin. Wu Zhangkong had appointed him as the team captain because he saw a quality in Tang Wulin's character that couldn't be found in his peers. He was tenacious, his so-called trash martial soul having never discouraged him from cultivating hard. He slowly followed behind his classmates, step by step. He also had innate divine strength, making him the strongest one amongst them and could make up for the deficiency of his martial soul at these lower ranks.

What was even more notable, though, was that he had a variant martial soul and possessed the peculiar Golden Dragon Claw. Out of the five individuals, he was possibly the strongest, but it was still too soon to tell. If his martial soul continued to mutate, then there was a high chance he would become a super genius like Gu Yue.

Tang Wulin's steady temperament made him the best choice for a leader, and he was also a natural at taking care of everyone at his side. The most important point, however, was that he was brave enough to shoulder this responsibility. Wu Zhangkong's greatest hope for Tang Wulin was for him to mature and become one of the geniuses of this generation.

The Thousand Refined hammers also made it clear to Wu Zhangkong that Tang Wulin was a first class genius in the art of forging and that he would not stray in his secondary profession.

Although blacksmithing wasn't as popular as the three great Mecha Master professions, fifth rank blacksmiths and higher were one of the scarcest talents on the continent. Although battle armor designing and crafting were extremely high level skills, blacksmithing was the foundation they built upon. With excellent materials, the designs could be even better and the workmanship of even higher quality, allowing the battle armor to reach the peak.

Wu Zhangkong truly wished for Tang Wulin to travel as far down this path as possible. If he had to choose which of the five students to take the exam to enter his organization, then Tang Wulin would definitely be the most suitable. He couldn't make heads or tails of Gu Yue, but he could tell that she carried many secrets and would have to keep a close eye on her.

Tang Wulin used his Bluesilver Grass vines to part the grass in front of them and create a path, allowing them to advance slowly and carefully.

As this was their end-of-term final exam, their number one priority now was to survive. As such, hunting soul beasts was a secondary priority placed at the back of their minds.

Finding a safe area to occupy was their most important objective now.

"No signs of souls beasts at the rear or sides," reported Zhang Yangzi.

As Tang Wulin nodded in acknowledgement, a Heavy Silver hammer appeared in his left hand with a flash of light. His right hand was empty in case he needed to use his Golden Dragon Claw.

Suddenly, a low growl came from ahead of them, announcing the arrival of a large beast as it leapt out.

It was a giant ape as tall as a human. A faintly fishy odor wafted from its ash-black furred body as it glared at them with crimson eyes.

After his first experience in the spirit ascension platform, Tang Wulin earnestly studied the various species of soul beasts. That, combined with his experiences in the spirit ascension platform, increased his understanding of soul beasts to a level incomparable with before.

With a single look, he identified this ape to be a hundred-year Ironarm Ape, a type of human-like soul beast. It was both quick and strong and possessed arms like steel. The most troublesome aspect, however, was its crowd skill, Threaten. If someone with weak spiritual power was hit by its Threaten, then they would receive its full effect and may even lose their desire to do battle immediately. Thus, the best method of dealing with an Ironarm Ape was to strike first and gain the upper hand.

Whoosh!

Tang Wulin instantly threw his hammer, sending it flying in an arc toward the beast. As it flew through the air, Tang Wulin took large strides forward and charged. Golden scales crept up his right arm as he launched his frontal assault. As he did so, a strand of Bluesilver Grass slithered along the ground, twisting around the Ironarm Ape and binding it.

Xie Xie had also acted the moment Tang Wulin made his move. He dashed forward and stuck behind Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin grabbed one of the strands of Bluesilver Grass tied around his waist and swung it upward, launching Xie Xie into the air. Xie Xie somersaulted beautifully over the Ironarm Ape's head. His Light Dragon Dagger flashing as he stabbed toward the back of the ape's head.

As a humanoid soul beast, the back of the Ironarm Ape's head was a weak point.

A pair of small fireballs with faintly discernable green glows pierced through the air like arrows. This might seem unremarkable, but wind accelerated the fireball. Although the fireballs may have been weak, they were blazingly fast. A silver light appeared in front of the Ironarm Ape at that moment, blocking its view of Xie Xie soaring through the air and over it.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue's coordination was amazing. It had reached a point where it could be said that they were a hair's width away from reaching the peak.

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi hadn't launched their own attacks. Instead, they had gathered together quickly and observed their surroundings. Even though their fusion skill hadn't yet been completed, it would still be a formidable option should they encounter a powerful foe. Their current goal was to guard against any other soul beasts that might appear while the other three took care of the Ironarm Ape.

The hundred-year Ironarm Ape could do nothing in the face of the quick little fireballs; it couldn't even raise an arm in time to protect itself. All it could do was lower its head and knock them away with its hard forehead, sending sparks flying everywhere. At the same time, it swung its arm and met the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer head on.

Bang!

The hammer flew backward, but the Ironarm Ape had also been shaken. After all, that hammer had carried over five hundred kilograms of force. It wouldn't have been easy to receive such an attack, even if the ape had innate divine strength.

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Chapter 138 – Meeting Mu Xi

Tang Wulin was the last to arrive in front of it, yet he suddenly stopped in place and raised the retrieved hammer while a yellow ring emerged from beneath him.

Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass climbed up the ape's body like ivy, binding it completely. Even with its tremendous strength, the Ironarm Ape was unable to break free.

A light flashed behind its head as Xie Xie took advantage of its reaction to the fireballs to quickly stab it in the head.

"Hou!" The hundred-year Ironarm Ape released a roar as its red eyes flashed with an ominous glint. It moved to sweep an arm at the back of its head.

Before it could even raise its arm halfway, however, the glimmer of life in its eyes disappeared, and its large, two meter tall body toppled over with a loud thud.

Xie Xie's first soul ring pulsed with light as a ball of gentle light floated over from the hundred-year Ironarm Ape and circled around him. This was undoubtedly the spirit energy of the Ironarm Ape.

Just as they were told, the spirit energy absorption rate during the rebellion period was far slower than usual. Fortunately, it had only been a hundred-year beast, so it wouldn't take too long to digest.

When Xie Xie had stabbed the Ironarm Ape with his Light Dragon Dagger, he hadn't been able to kill the beast immediately, as after all, the ape's skull was extremely hard. What he did to make up for it, however, was use his first soul skill while his dagger was still in the ape's head. Like that, he was able to shoot his dagger forward into the ape's brain, destroying it.

Tang Wulin gave a thumbs up to Xie Xie and proceeded to recall his Bluesilver Grass when Zhang Yangzi called out from behind him, "Reporting on the left side, it's safe for now."

Tang Wulin did not hesitate in leading the others to the left side. They didn't dare stay in one place for too long after killing a soul beast.

From the moment the Ironarm Ape had appeared to the moment it was killed by the trio, only a dozen or so seconds had passed. During the battle, Gu Yue's only role had been to confuse it, yet it was crucial in allowing them to achieve such an amazing and neat victory with their low cultivations.

This was the result of their three months of combat experience in the spirit ascension platform.

An individual's strength wasn't solely dependent on their cultivation and soul skills; their application and techniques mattered just as much.

There were many gifted Soul Masters, but the ones who lacked combat experience wouldn't be able to display their full power in a battle. As such, Wu Zhangkong's actions had all been for the sake of laying a good foundation for the students of class zero. With the growth of their combat experience, they would be able to display 120% of their strength!

In his experience, combat Soul Masters were meant to battle, not serve as decorations. Thus, the best way for them to improve was through combat!

For example, Xie Xie had used his Light Dragon Blade soul skill while his dagger was stabbed into the ape's head, allowing him to puncture the ape's brain. Only through combat experience could this type of decision making skill be cultivated.

After running to their left side for several hundred meters, they hadn't encountered any other soul beasts, so Tang Wulin ordered, "Stop! We'll rest here for a bit. Yangzi, you're responsible for scouting this time."

"Yes!" Zhang Yangzi affirmed before nimbly climbing up a nearby tree to a vantage spot. From there, he observed one side while his black eagle spirit soul observed the other, allowing him to keep an eye out in all four directions.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were seated cross-legged, intently recovering the soul power consumed in the previous battle.

Although they hadn't used much soul power in that one battle, it was best to maintain their peak conditions in the spirit ascension platform. Only like this could they survive for even longer.

"There are three people approaching in our direction. Two males, one female. They seem to be about 15 or 16-years-old. One of them has three rings while the other two have two rings. One of the ones with two rings seems to be absorbing spirit energy right now."

Zhang Yangzi succinctly reported his evaluation of the approaching group. Without any warning, a red light streaked across the horizon, shooting straight towards the branch Zhang Yangzi was perched on.

I've been discovered!

Zhang Yangzi immediately leapt off the tree and spread his wings while Tang Wulin and Xie Xie shot forth like a bullet.

Xie Xie's figure blurred for a moment and then reappeared in the shadow of a tree. Meanwhile, the other four stood together, waiting for Xie Xie to alert them of their opponents' arrival.

Three people, two male and one female, approached, giving Tang Wulin a shock when he saw them.

There stood one girl in the middle with the two boys to her side. Tang Wulin didn't recognize the boys, but he recognized the girl. It truly was a coincidence; that girl was Mu Xi.

Floating above Mu Xi was a fireball as fiery as the sun. Clearly, she had been the one to shoot that fireball earlier.

Mu Xi's Shining Sun martial soul was powerful and excelled in long distance artillery, with firepower that Gu Yue couldn't even hope to compare with. The truly shocking thing was the fact that Mu Xi now had three soul rings. She actually had three soul rings now!

"It's you?" Mu Xi was equally shocked when she saw Tang Wulin, and her Shining Sun's radiance weakened a bit.

"Senior disciple sister." Tang Wulin hastily took two steps forward and loudly greeted her.

"Mn." Mu Xi nodded at him. "We're going." She immediately turned around and took large strides forward.

Tang Wulin had long since become accustomed to Mu Xi's cold indifference towards him, but what he didn't see was the proud look in her eyes after she turned around to leave. She was quite proud of herself after seeing Tang Wulin's reaction to her third ring, and she also noticed that Tang Wulin still only had one ring.

Aren't you a genius? Weren't you born with innate divine strength? Yet, your soul power is so lacking. You're making quick progress in the early stages of forging, but just wait until you reach Spirit Forging. Then you'll understand the importance of soul power. I'll definitely surpass you when that time comes!

"Senior disciple sister?" Zhang Yangzi gave Tang Wulin an astute look. "So it's like that! Your senior disciple sister is so pretty! Why haven't you ever introduced us to her before? Senior disciple sister, won't it be better if we go together?" His final words were shouted at the departing Mu Xi.

Mu Xi didn't even bother to look back and simply left with the two boys, soon vanishing into the forest.

With her current strength, she was definitely one of the strongest Soul Masters in the elementary spirit ascension platform, so it wasn't worth her time to babysit Tang Wulin's group of one rings and two rings. And besides that, she didn't really want work together with Tang Wulin either.

Tang Wulin said somewhat helplessly, "She's the daughter of my teacher. I don't think she likes me all that much, so we haven't really interacted much."

Xie Xie let out a mischievous laugh. "This senior sister of yours sure is cruel. Yangzi, you can try getting to know her better if you're interested. We'll support you as your classmates."

Zhang Yangzi shook his head earnestly. "Forget about it. I'm not into being subdued, and we're too young for this stuff anyways. We should focus on studying and cultivating right now."

Xie Xie raised an eyebrow at this. "Just what are you thinking? I only said you could try getting to know her better. Stop thinking about it too much. You're only a brat in her eyes anyways."

"Hmph!" Zhang Yangzi proudly raised his head. "Just wait until this big brother is in the fifth grade. I'll definitely have three rings, too." With his current cultivation speed, it wasn't impossible for him to reach three rings by the time he was 14.

Gu Yue asked Tang Wulin, "What are we going to do next?"

Tang Wulin didn't hesitate at all with his answer. "Wait. There aren't too many soul beasts in this area, so we should be able to survive in this area until we pass. After that, we can go hunt soul beasts, so there's no need to be so anxious right now."

The five of them once again moved into position and with the large trees surrounding them, they were able to to maintain a perfect defense.

During the rebellion period, the number of soul beasts in the spirit ascension platform was far higher than normal, and they were also much more aggressive. In a short timespan of twenty minutes, they had encountered over ten soul beasts. Most of them were at the ten-year level, so they were able to make quick work of them. There were also some hundred-year soul beasts, and though they weren't particularly strong, they required more effort to kill. Everyone shared the spirit energy, not for the sake of being fair, but for the sake of quickly absorbing all of it.

Xie Xie had taken about ten minutes to absorb the spirit energy from the hundred-year Ironarm Ape, gaining about five years each for his two soul rings.

Evolving a spirit soul to the next level was a gradual process, and it would be a long time before Xie Xie's spirit soul reached the thousand-year level.

They had already survived for half the necessary time to pass their final exam and were relatively relaxed as they hadn't encountered any strong soul beasts yet.

"The rebellion period isn't that bad after all." Zhang Yangzi had loosened up a lot from his previous nervousness since they had only encountered weak soul beasts until now.

The most dangerous situation for them was to encounter a powerful soul beast that they had no choice but to flee from. In their panic, they may run into one powerful soul beast after another and die.

Although their current course of action restricted the number of soul beasts they could hunt, it was a safe, defensive plan that maximized their survival time.

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Chapter 139 – Reencounter with the Man-Faced Demon Spider

"Captain, should we take the initiative to attack?" Zhang Yangzi asked Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin calmly replied, "There's no need to be anxious, we'll see after one hour passes. All we need to do in this first hour is survive."

Just then, Zhang Yangzi suddenly paled and his body swaying in shock. "Not good, Little Black…"

The five of them simultaneously looked up to see a yellow-green net descending from the sky.

At the same time, they were faced with the shocking scene of Little Black being impaled by numerous limbs. He immediately disintegrated. When a Soul Master's spirit soul was killed, they would suffer from recoil and it would take them a very long time to restore their spirit soul. In a flash, Zhang Yangzi's cultivation dropped by a third.

A violent gale appeared within the formation of the five students. Gu Yue was the quickest one to react with her immense spiritual power.

Yet, against all expectations, that yellow-green net didn't even sway in the face of her fierce gale and directly cutting through it.

"Retreat!" Tang Wulin decisively ordered as dozens of strands of Bluesilver Grass shot up to obstruct the net. However, Tang Wulin was aghast to see that the moment his Bluesilver Grass touched the net, it started smoking from corrosion.

If Little Black hadn't been flying up in the sky, the net would have ambushed and trapped them. It was likely their trials in the rebellion spirit ascension platform would have been cut short there.

A massive figure descended from the sky after Little Black's figure disintegrated completely. Eight long legs were extended like eight spears, surrounding the five.

The five of them took advantage of the few seconds the Bluesilver Grass bought them to escape the range of the net. In their rush to escape, however, their formation had been broken.

Apart from Zhang Yangzi being deathly pale, Wang Jinxi also started trembling once he saw that beast.

Black and white lines ran along a body as large as a millstone. Every single one of its legs were over two meters in length, while its body emitted a strange splendor. They had clearly seen a beautiful human face on its abdomen when it had descended, which only served to increase their fear.

"Man-Faced Demon Spider!" The five of them shouted in unison.

That was right! It was the same Man-Faced Demon Spider that had nearly destroyed Wang Jinxi's mind. Wang Jinxi could even sense that this was the same one that had ambushed him before.

Even with Little Black's extra vision, it hadn't been able to discover this Man-Faced Demon Spider and had been swiftly killed. The Man-Faced Demon Spider truly was a terrifying killer in the world of soul beasts.

Gu Yue shot out a fireball which exploded on the face of the Man-Faced Demon Spider while the others quickly assembled.

Tang Wulin's heart sank. It's a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider. Even though it's only at the hundred-year level, it's far stronger than other beasts of the same level! This guy is going to be really difficult to deal with! Even if I use my Golden Dragon Claw, it would be impossible for me to approach it with those eight legs acting as defence. Its body is also highly toxic and the slightest contact could wipe out my whole team!

Although the battle had yet to truly begin, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi were already shaken. It might not be a good idea for them to fight this battle.

They had originally thought that they were lucky to not have met a powerful foe in their first half hour, but it seemed that their fortune had come to an end.

"Are we running?" Xie Xie asked Tang Wulin.

They had learned a lot about the Man-Faced Demon Spider since their first entry. They knew that even if its cultivation was only at the hundred-year level, it was still a terrifying existence that could hunt thousand-year soul beasts! Moreover, they were currently in the spirit ascension platform, so even if they killed it, they would only gain the spirit energy of a hundred-year soul beast. Simply said, the potential profits did not outweigh the risks.

In their moment of hesitation, the hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider revealed it's might. Two of its legs flashed, destroying all of the fireballs Gu Yue had shot out with lightning speed. All that was left of the fireballs were drifting sparks. The Man-Faced Demon Spider wasn't guarded against them at all; rather, it slowly circled around them, a yellow-green thread of silk dragging along from its spinnerets. Anything that touched this silk would immediately wither.

"We're not running! We're defeating of it!" Tang Wulin ordered without the slightest hesitation.

They had already been here for a while now and had some understanding of the area, so they knew that if they carelessly ran around during the rebellion spirit ascension platform, it would be likely that they would meet some powerful soul beasts. In that situation, it would be very hard to survive for another half hour.

Moreover, Wang Jinxi's fate was linked to the Man-Faced Demon Spider's now. If he didn't kill it, then it would continue to influence him. They had happened to run into it today with their full team of five; if they didn't take advantage of this opportunity to kill it, then a chance as good as this one wouldn't come again.

These were the reasonings that ran through Tang Wulin's mind when he made his quick decision. No matter what, they had to kill the Man-Faced Demon Spider before them now.

Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass slithered along the ground while he grasped his two hammers tightly. His mind went over all that he had learned of the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

Man-Faced Demon Spider. Excels in quick and toxic attacks. Has a strong defense, but not particularly strong physically.

It's the killer of the forest. Whenever it appears, fear strikes the hearts of its prey.

Tang Wulin's greatest advantage was his strength. The best plan would be for him to land attacks on its weak points, so he didn't even think about utilizing his Golden Dragon Claw. In this situation, his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers were the best choice.

"Everyone, stick together, we'll face the enemy head on. Gu Yue, provide assistance. Xie Xie, look for an opening. Yangzi, Jinxi, observe for now and wait for an opportunity to strike."

"I'm fine!" Wang Jinxi's gloomy voice shouted.

Tang Wulin turned to look at him. Although Wang Jinxi was still trembling, his eyes burned with the will to battle.

As he and Tang Wulin cultivated together, Wang Jinxi gradually became influenced by him. His cultivation speed had increased and he had also felt slight changes to his martial soul under this influence.

Dread had filled his heart when he had seen the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but when he heard Tang Wulin say, "We're not running! We're defeating of it!", a surge of courage replaced the dread in his heart.

Tang Wulin's words had caused his blood to boil and fill him with valiance. He felt that as long as Tang Wulin was at his side, he would be able to face any trials that came his way. In a sort of special state, he locked eyes with Tang Wulin, expressing complete trust in his gaze. Rather than trembling from fear, he was actually trembling from excitement.

Even before they had cultivated together, he had felt an affinity with Tang Wulin, but it had never been this strong. This time, faced with the Man-Faced Demon Spider, he felt as if he was about to explode.

Defeat it!

It's merely a hundred-year soul beast. What's there to be afraid of?

The Man-Faced Demon Spider was still circling around them, its silk thread continuously trailing from its spinneret to form a ring.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider was naturally cold, cruel and extremely patient. In fact, it was its patience that made it so terrifying. It would quietly stalk its prey for hours, all the way until an opportunity presented itself.

The five students weren't anxious at all. They would wait for it to slow down. Besides, it had already used up quite a bit of its silk.

Instantly, its thread was wrapped around a large tree. Although the tree began to wither, it still stood tall.

Gu Yue launched a variety of elemental attacks at the spider, but they proved to be uneffective. Toxic spider threads protected it. Even flames had little effect.

"It's creating a prison for us and when it's finished, it'll shrink the prison until we're trapped." Xie Xie said grimly.

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Chapter 140 – Team Battle Against the Demon Spider

"Mn! Wait for a chance." Tang Wulin sternly ordered. From below his feet, strands of Bluesilver Grass arranged themselves into a formation as he continuously supplied them with soulpower. The Man-Faced Demon Spider is giving us a chance, how could he not take it?

Gu Yue silently sat cross-legged in the middle, meditating to restore her soul power. Wang Jinxi stood next to Zhang Yangzi, trembling with excitement. The two were prepared to use their fusion skill at any moment.

Coordination didn't matter anymore in the face of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. What was important, however, was whether they had the power to defeat it.

Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw possessed immense power, but the problem was he didn't know how to approach this gigantic poisonous spider.

"Xie Xie, if I'm unable to break free, then you'll be the acting captain." Tang Wulin warned Xie Xie.

Considering the toxicity of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, the possibility of all of them to constantly evade its attacks were small.

None of them were anxious to attack as this was their final exam. Their chances of passing were more uncertain now that they had to face the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but they still had to fight for as much time as they could get in order to pass their exam. After all, they couldn't truly die in the spirit ascension platform. As long as they were able to persevere for one hour, they would pass their exam.

Naturally, none of them wanted to pass the exam that way.

Tang Wulin's eyes shrunk in shock. Suddenly, he threw the hammer in his right hand straight at the Man-Faced Demon Spider. With a strand of Bluesilver Grass connected to it, it streaked through the air like a shooting star.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider's legs powerfully launched its massive body out of the the web it had weaved.

The hammer smashed into the spider webs, stretching it backwards. The webs were too resilient and elastic though, so not only was the hammer unable to break through them, it even became glued onto the web.

Tang Wulin forcefully pulled to retrieve his hammer but the spider webs caved in and were dragged along with it. The area that the hammer touched the webs had already turned pitch-black. Fortunately, the hammers were Thousand Refined and its internal structure denser so it hadn't been corroded just yet.

These webs… are really strong.

Tang Wulin had only thrown his hammer as a probing attack, yet he had already lost it to the webs. It seemed that the Man-Faced Demon Spider's nimbleness and cunning was far higher than they first thought.

They all knew that it was waiting for just the right moment to pounce on them, and the moment it did, its assault would be as swift as lightning and as powerful as thunder.

The ball of webs tightened continuously around the five students and restricting their movements. Of course, there was a silver lining to their situation. At the very least, other soul beasts could not attack them right then.

"We're still not attacking?" Xie Xie asked in a hushed voice.

"Patience." Tang Wulin sternly said.

Xie Xie didn't utter another word when he saw that Tang Wulin's gaze was intently fixed on the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

Ten minutes later, the original hundred meter radius of webbing shrunk only about a dozen or so meters in radius.

Squatting down next to Gu Yue, Tang Wulin whispered a few words into her ear, to which she nodded in agreement. With their plan settled, the two stood up.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider halted in place when it noticed Gu Yue stand up. With icy eyes that seemed to possess a wisdom far beyond a soul beast, it watched the five while its abdomen began to swell.

"It's preparing to attack." Xie Xie shouted.

On Tang Wulin's signal, Gu Yue's eyes narrowed as a wave of soul power surged from her body and a soul ring rose from beneath her. This was her first soul skill: Elemental Tide!

Pew!

The hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider suddenly turned around and shot a yellow-green net from its abdomen straight at them. After shooting out this net, it screeched and charged straight at them.

This net was far bigger than the first one, and was large enough to cover all of the class zero students this time. They quickly retreated in this cramped space and narrowly avoided the net. There was no room for them to maneuver at all, especially since the walls were toxic. One wrong move and they would meet their end. Now that its net had failed to ensnare the students, the Man-Faced Demon Spider brandished its eight legs as if they were sharp blades.

At that moment, however, Gu Yue stood up and released a yellow radiance from the center of their formation. From this radiance, a giant obelisk with a diameter of approximately a foot long skyrocketed out of the ground and pierced into the sky.

The spider webs that had been woven into a net were extremely strong, but fortunately for the students, it possessed no attacking power. The obelisk shot at just the right spot, piercing through the peak of the toxic spider web dome.

At that moment, the Man-Faced Spider was finally upon them.

Xie Xie rapidly climbed up the obelisk while Zhang Yangzi used his first soul skill, covering him in a pitch-black fog.

The strongest point of Zhang Yangzi's Curtain of Darkness was the fact that it could differentiate between friend and foe, so it only obstructed those he was hostile towards. Moreover, its coverage was directly proportional to the amount of soul power he expended.

As soon as the Curtain of Darkness descended, the Man-Faced Demon Spider lost all traces of the five students. It had no choice but to slow its pursuit.

Suddenly, a strand of Bluesilver Grass shot up from the ground toward Man-Faced Demon Spider while a figure valiantly flew into the sky. Astonishingly, Wang Jinxi had been thrown into the air by Tang Wulin.

A pair of soul rings shined brightly on Wang Jinxi's body. Using his first soul skill, Bone Dragon Claw, his right arm quickly transformed while the rest of his body also transformed to a lesser degree under the effects of his second skill, Bone Soul Transformation. His transformation finished just in time for him to smash into the Man-Faced Demon Spider midair.

It was at this moment that the Man-Faced Demon Spider was forced to reveal the grace of a super soul beast.

Faced with the Bluesilver Grass shooting up from below, it spun its body while unfolding its eight blade-like legs.

Although Tang Wulin's Bluesilver Grass was tenacious, it was no match for the Man-Faced Demon Spider and was promptly cut into pieces. It didn't have a the slightest chance of binding the spider.

As Wang Jinxi descended upon the Man-Faced Demon Spider, it spun around and shot out a yellow-green spider web at him. The web this time was smaller than before, but it was still more than enough to cover Wang Jinxi.

They exploded into battle, starting at the climax from the very beginning. Victory or defeat would be decided at any moment.

Suddenly, the Bluesilver Grass tied around Wang Jinxi's waist pulled him back toward the ground.

Meanwhile, a single strand of Bluesilver Grass had managed to wrap itself around the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Right then, it turned gold. The corrosion and toxicity of the spider was no longer effective against it, while the spider's body abruptly became sluggish. The binding of the Bluesilver Grass was finally beginning to bear fruit.

At that instant, a golden whirlwind appeared out of nowhere.

Its target was the Man-Faced Demon Spider's rear!

Clang!

The golden whirlwind of light ferociously landed a sharp blow on the spider's rear, issuing an ear-piercing screech as an explosion of sparks showered from the collision.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider shrieked in pain as it shook the figure off of its back. Yellow-green blood oozed from where its carapace had been cut open.

The second figure who had appeared was precisely Xie Xie with his Light Dragon Storm!

Wang Jinxi had used his two soul skills for the sole reason of catching the Man-Faced Demon Spider's attention and drawing its second attack. After taunting it to use up its spider web, he was pulled back into the Curtain of Darkness by Tang Wulin.

Xie Xie took advantage of that moment to launch his assault. Although his Light Dragon Storm wasn't strong enough to tear the Man-Faced Demon Spider to shreds, its powerful penetrating power could still wound the spider.

Bang!

The golden Bluesilver Grass finally snapped from the Man-Faced Demon Spider's frantic struggles. To be more precise, however, it snapped after it had lost its golden color.

Suddenly freed from the restrictive force, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was unable to adapt. Its eight legs which were using their utmost power suddenly felt no resistance, causing them to slip outwards, and its whole body to sink down. Two lumps of earth opportunely shot out, knocking against two of its legs and setting it off balance, creating a small crack in its defense.

A figure quietly passed through the crack in its defenses, thrusting a golden claw at the human face underneath its abdomen.

Pu!

The Golden Dragon Claw stabbed into its abdomen, causing yellow-green blood to gush out.

A layer of ice rapidly covered Tang Wulin's body, preventing the blood from touching him. He used his Bluesilver Grass to bind the Man-Faced Demon Spider once more while he retreated back into the darkness.

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Chapter 141 – True Control

The Man-Faced Demon Spider's giant body shuddered as yellow-green blood continuously gushed from its abdomen. It wanted to attack, to shoot some spider threads, but they only flew a few meters before hitting the ground. They were completely unsuitable to use as an attack now.

It continually struggled like this as it grew weaker by the minute. Simultaneously, a yellow light shot out from the Curtain of Darkness.

The darkness gradually vanished while the yellow light lingered on the pale-faced Tang Wulin. His arm had already transformed back to its normal human form, with only golden scales covering it now. Thanks to those scales, he hadn't suffered any corrosion from the Man-Faced Demon Spider's blood.

Hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider, killed!

Xie Xie had already been pulled back awhile ago, so the five of them stood there, exchanging looks of astonishment from prevailing over such a calamity. Wang Jinxi couldn't help but embrace Tang Wulin with an ardent expression that overflowed with passion.

This battle had fully displayed the team's ability and was the culmination of the knowledge and experience they had gained. In the end, the formidable Man-Faced Demon Spider had died by their hands!

From start to finish, there had been no room for luck. They had claimed this victory purely with their own strength.

Even as they blatantly stared at the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider that was a few meters away from them, they still couldn't believe that they had succeeded. Tang Wulin was the most surprised of them all; he had been prepared to sacrifice himself in their plan, yet they had actually achieved victory.

If his Golden Dragon Claw had been unable to resist the toxins, or if Gu Yue's ice had been incapable of shielding him from the corrosion of the spider's blood, he would have died.

Fortunately, the two of them were able to give a perfect performance. His Golden Dragon Claw proved its might once again with its immunity to the toxin's corrosion, while Gu Yue's control of ice had been able to isolate the toxic blood for a few moments. These two elements had combined to give him enough time to break away from the corpse and toxins.

Every single moment of their battle had been ridden with extreme danger.

……

The Spirit Pagoda staff member stared at the screen dumbstruck. He was completely speechless.

Just how perfect were their tactics!? That was actually a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider that even four or five ring Soul Masters would avoid! They wouldn't even dare to engage it without thorough planning. Yet, this group of kids, who at most have two rings, actually performed a miracle and defeated the Man-Faced Demon Spider! This is unbelievable!

Even Wu Zhangkong was a bit shaken by this. A smile had actually appeared on his ice-cold face.

"He meets the requirements of a Control System Soul Master," he quietly muttered under his breath.

He's also the one who has made the most progress in the last three months.

This battle had tested not only the limits of their strength but also the breadth of their knowledge. During their battle, Wu Zhangkong took note of every single detail with his experienced eyes. Even if the students were baffled, Wu Zhangkong observed the events with clarity. It wasn't until Tang Wulin appeared beneath the Man-Faced Demon Spider that he suddenly realized Tang Wulin's intentions.

"Teacher Wu, are these children thinking about joining the Spirit Pagoda? If I send a recording of this battle to the higher-ups, I think an exception can be made to accept these children as members. Their potential is simply astonishing."

The Spirit Pagoda staff member finally snapped out of his daze, but his eyes were still filled with shock and admiration.

As a staff member of the Spirit Pagoda, he had a comprehensive knowledge of various soul beasts as well as Soul Master battle styles. Yet, after witnessing the unconstrained battle style of class zero, every single inch of his body was in awe.

He could only describe the battle as 'shocking.'

To prevail over the Man-Faced Demon Spider, the first thing the students needed was a deep understanding of it.

At first, he assumed the children to be foolishly standing still, letting the Man-Faced Demon Spider weave its webs and continuously tighten it around them. After their remarkable performances in their previous battles, it came as a disappointment. He'd been anticipating just how these children would deal with a powerful soul beast such as the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

The staff member thought that the best course of action would have been to immediately flee. Although the Man-Faced Demon Spider was fast, it was lacking in long-range attacks; as long as they were ahead of it, they would have a chance at escaping. The second best choice, in his opinion, was for one of them to sacrifice themselves in order to allow the others to escape. This way, they would minimize their losses.

There was once a team of Soul Masters who similarly encountered the Man-Faced Demon Spider in the spirit ascension platform and had verified that these two choices were indeed the best.

Yet, the response Tang Wulin initiated with his team today had widened the staff member's horizons.

Gu Yue hadn't revealed her control of the earth element until this battle. Against the Man-Faced Demon Spider and its toxic spider webs, it wasn't her other elements, but her use of the earth element, that had the greatest impact on the battle.

As the Man-Faced Demon Spider continuously decreased their area of mobility, thinking them trapped, it was, in truth, the one to have been tricked instead. Soul beasts were also living creatures, and so they shared some similarities with humans. Once it felt that its victory was all but assured, it subconsciously relaxed a bit.

None of their soul power fluctuations were particularly strong, and they were trapped in a cramped space. To the hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider, they were as good as dead. It didn't consider any other possibility of survival remaining for them.

At that moment, it decided to shoot out its largest spider web net, minimizing the maneuvering space of the five opponents.

Thus, the five students were forced to attack the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Clearly, it never imagined an obelisk would suddenly shoot out of the ground to block the spider web though, as it had been stunned for a split second.

Then there was the Bluesilver Grass which had shot up from the ground and bound both the spider and Wang Jinxi, who had appeared out of nowhere. Just this was enough to praise their coordination.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider responded amazingly as well. It effectively used the sharp points of its legs to resist the Bluesilver Grass and bought it the time necessary to shoot out another spider web.

Yet in the end, it was tricked. Wang Jinxi was pulled back by a strand of Bluesilver Grass, and the spider web it shot out was met with nothing but air. Then, Xie Xie's Light Dragon Storm appeared out of nowhere to begin the first wave of their assault.

It was at that moment that the staff member began to shower them with praise. After all, who wouldn't exclaim in admiration of children who could reach such a level? At the very least, they had secured a chance at victory.

There was also the vital golden strand of Bluesilver Grass, which was the result of fusing it with a spirit soul. Tang Wulin controlled it perfectly to trap the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

However, how could he have imagined the miraculous scene that occurred after? That strand of golden Bluesilver Grass had broken with meticulous precision and timing. Thanks to the strand's pulling force, that final moment caused the Man-Faced Demon Spider to stumble as the child dragged himself under its body. At the same time, Gu Yue had manipulated the earth to propel him even further, ensuring he slid beneath the spider completely.

When the staff member saw Xie Xie unleash his Light Dragon Storm on the spider's rear, he thought the children didn't have the necessary understanding of the Man-Faced Demon Spider's weakest point on its underside.

He was proven wrong, however, in but a few moments. It turned out that the chain of attacks didn't stop with Xie Xie, and the final attack was the most marvelous and shocking one.

Covered in ice to protect himself from the toxins, Tang Wulin pulled himself underneath the spider, his toxin resistant golden claw ready to attack.

A total victory, it had been a total victory! They hadn't lost a single member. These children who had two rings at the most were actually able to kill a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider! If anyone heard this, they would find it completely unbelievable!

Was the Man-Faced Demon Spider stupid? Of course not. This was all due to the meticulous planning of these five students. The staff member couldn't help but stare at the handsome, young teacher. This is the man who taught them!

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Chapter 142 – Massacre of the Toxic Spider Web

As a side effect of exhausting his soul power, Tang Wulin felt fatigue wash over him as he sat down on the ground.

Right. That feeling of controlling everyone had left an indelibly deep impression upon his heart. This sense of satisfaction just couldn't be gained elsewhere.

He had used little Goldlight to strengthen his Bluesilver Grass, but there were no benefits that didn't come with a cost. During the time his grass had been strengthened, his soul power had also been rapidly consumed.

It wasn't that he didn't want to keep the Man-Faced Demon Spider bound the whole time. If he could do that, he would be able to easily kill the Man-Faced Demon Spider with his Golden Dragon Claw, regardless of whether he struck a vital spot or not.

However, the soul power consumption was simply too great for him to sustain. He had no choice but to recall Goldlight from his Bluesilver Grass in order to preserve enough soul power to use his Golden Dragon Claw.

Although his actions seemed to have been in perfect concert with Gu Yue at that final moment, in reality, it was simply that everything had gone according to their plan. Of course, no one would actually believe this. All of their actions incorporated a deep understanding of one another. In fact, even Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were surprised by the depth of their mutual understanding.

"That was an incredible victory!" Zhang Yangzi exclaimed, giddy with excitement and admiration. His words echoed everyone's thoughts at that moment.

"Everyone, rest here and recover your soul power," Tang Wulin said weakly, before taking the lead and closing his eyes to begin meditating.

As for the issue of safety? Why did they need to worry about that now? They were surrounded by the highly toxic spider webs of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, preventing both humans and soul beasts from approaching. They were in a perfectly safe position to rest right now.

The five sat in a circle with Tang Wulin in the center. Although they had been acting as a team for several months already, it wasn't until a few moments ago in their triumph that they truly acknowledged Tang Wulin as their team captain.

Tang Wulin had controlled their entire battle against the calamity known as the Man-Faced Demon Spider, and had even fought with it face-to-face. Even though he may have potentially suffered torturous pain at the hands of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, he had not backed down from his duty. His unyielding will had truly been admirable to them.

Not only had he fulfilled his duties as the team captain, but he had also demonstrated the Bluesilver Grass' power over control. Regardless of whether they were friend or foe, the degree of control would be unparalleled and would likely be even more amazing if his soul power had not been so weak.

The dim yellow light of spirit energy was slowly being absorbed into Tang Wulin's body. Despite its outward similarities to other yellow spirit energies, the energy from the hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider was far different from those of ordinary soul beasts. The thousand-year soul beast's energy they had killed before hadn't been like this either. Due to it currently being the rebellion period, the energy was even more rich and distinct.

The benefits of killing a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider soon appeared. As it was currently the rebellion period, there were more soul beasts actively roaming the forest than usual. Very quickly, soul beasts began to appear.

Not all soul beasts possessed sharp senses and different soul beasts possessed different ways of perceiving the world. As such, they were all taking a detour around the remains of the chaotic battle.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider possessed a terrifying toxin within its body, as well as its webs. Furthermore, its webs were extremely tough, to the point that even large soul beasts might not be able to break it if they charged into it. And after that… they would only be met with tragedy.

Ten-year soul beasts would be killed in a flash by the toxic spider web while hundred-year soul beasts would only be able to struggle for a few moments, before they too, met their demise.

As long as one was ensnared by the spider webs, there was no hope for survival. Those with keen senses could avoid the webs, but those with dull senses could only fall prey to the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

Spirit energy overflowed from the soul beasts that died within the webs. If it were the normal spirit ascension platform, the energy would quickly disperse, but it was currently the rebellion period so the dispersion rate was much slower. Not too far from the spider webs, the five students of class zero meditated in the only calm of the webbed chaos. They were subconsciously slowly absorbing all of the spirit energy of the beasts that fell prey to the webs.

In the beginning, there were only a few weak soul beasts that died, but gradually, the number and strength of soul beasts increased. More and more spirit energy drifted over to the five students.

……

"This… how can this be? There must be some issue with the spirit ascension platform." The staff member stood there, dumbstruck as he watched the spirit energy surrounding the five coalesce and grow stronger and stronger. His expression was almost as if he had seen a ghost.

Could he say the five of them were cheating? Absolutely not! However, the amount of spirit energy the five would be able to absorb would only increase as time passed. This spirit energy didn't come from thin air either, its origin the Spirit Pagoda's greatest secret. Yet, it was being consumed rapidly right now.

It could be said that the students of class zero had accidently exploited the strength of the Man-Faced Demon Spider to obtain such a wonderful opportunity.

"Teacher Wu, I'll definitely have to report this situation to the higher-ups," the staff member solemnly stated.

Wu Zhangkong merely glanced at him. "What rules have my students broken? They defeated the Man-Faced Demon Spider and now they're just meditating and recovering. Everything happened naturally. With my impression of the spirit ascension platform, you shouldn't have the power to change any of this either. The spirit ascension platform runs by itself; you can only provide maintenance, nothing more."

Beads of sweat dripped down the staff member's forehead. "Yes, the spirit ascension platform cannot be easily altered. But if this continues on, your students will also experience difficulties. Can their spiritual power and body bear the pain of their spirit soul evolving to the thousand-year level? Especially the two children with only one ring, their pain will be even greater. They will definitely be in danger if their spirit soul's level surpasses what they can handle."

That was right. In their current situation, their spirit souls were continuously undergoing small evolutions and eventually, their bodies would meet the limit of what they could support. Fortunately, they were still quite far from meeting their limits.

As for whether a one-ringed Soul Master could support the rebound of gaining a thousand-year spirit soul… there was not one bit of worry in Wu Zhangkong's heart. Tang Wulin's body was far stronger than an ordinary Soul Master and he was also at the Spirit Connection realm, so a thousand-year spirit soul would be no problem for him. He was even less worried about Gu Yue. She was on the boundary of reaching rank 20 and gaining a second soul ring while both her body and spiritual power were superb.

These brats have really gone above and beyond this time for their final exam!

Seeing Wu Zhangkong void of any sort of reaction, hesitation crept into the heart of the staff member. Still, he picked up the communicator and dialed a number. Anyway, the original reason why they existed was to ensure that the spirit ascension platform operated normally.

Tang Wulin's body felt bloated after he finished recovering all of his soul power. When he opened his eyes, he was met with a frightening scene.

An extremely thick yellow light surrounded him and his comrades. Is, is this spirit energy?

A bit further away was a pile of soul beasts corpses. Some of them had already been dissolved by the spider web's corrosion, but many were still mostly intact, and there were even some that were still in their last moments of struggling for their life.

He had exhausted the most amount of soul power, so he was also the last one to awake from his meditation. Everyone else had long awakened and were all staring dully at the scene outside.

"What…, what's going on?" Tang Wulin quietly asked.

It's the toxins, the Man-Faced Demon Spider's toxins," the normally quiet Wang Jinxi said with an odd expression.

Tang Wulin quickly understood their current situation. The Man-Faced Demon Spider truly was worthy of being called a soul beast killer; its toxic spider webs had killed numerous ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts. Moreover, all of the beasts' spirit energy had been absorbed by them. Their spirit souls had continuously evolved in such a fortunate situation.

Without any conscious thought, Tang Wulin looked down to see Goldlight on his chest shaking its head. Its body had expanded by a whole circle.

"If we continue like this, won't our spirit souls…" Tang Wulin said in shock.

A bitter smile forced its way onto Wang Jinxi's face. "Not really. There's only so much our bodies can bear right now. Those of us with two soul rings definitely can't do it. At the very least, I know for certain that I can't support two thousand-year soul rings with my current level of spiritual power. I estimate that my limit is five hundred years for both my soul rings. Yangzi's limits should also be similar, maybe just a bit better actually. Only you and Gu Yue haven't gotten your second rings yet, so you two might still have a chance at obtaining thousand-year soul rings."

Tang Wulin immediately made an awkward expression. Considering their current situation, if their spirit souls grew saturated with spirit energy, then they wouldn't be able to enter the spirit ascension platform anymore and battle soul beasts. There was also the potential danger of their spirit souls exploding due to their insufficient spiritual power.

"You guys don't need to look so confused. The Man-Faced Demon Spider's webs will disappear soon. We need to prepare to depart." Gu Yue's voice cut in.

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Chapter 143 – Another Chance at Spirit Ascension

Tang Wulin swept his gaze over the spider webs in his surroundings and sure enough, they were beginning to weaken. There were even some cracks visible in the webs now. Although the Man-Faced Demon Spider was extremely toxic, there was still a limit to its toxicity. Once the protection of the webs disappeared, they would no longer be safe to rest in this spot as after all, they, too, were afraid of the toxic spider webs!

Tang Wulin asked, "How much spirit energy do you all think we've absorbed?"

Gu Yue frowned. "We all should have absorbed four to five hundred years worth of spirit energy. You and I have it all concentrated in our single soul ring, while the others have increased each of their two soul rings by about two hundred years. There should also still be about one or two hundred years worth of spirit energy in our surroundings, but it'll take us too long to absorb it. We'll need to be especially careful of other Soul Masters after we depart. They're a much greater threat to us now than soul beasts."

Gu Yue's deduction was correct. A thick air of spirit energy currently hung around their bodies, and if another party of Soul Masters saw them, they might immediately be targeted. After all, there were no true deaths in the spirit ascension platform, and who wouldn't want to absorb such rich spirit energy?

Tang Wulin responded with a calm smile, "Take it easy. In one move, we've already passed our final exam and absorbed far more spirit energy than usual. Even if we encounter a powerful foe and get ejected from the spirit ascension platform, that's okay, too. Everyone's recovered now, right? Let's go then."

Tang Wulin's words had injected vigor into everyone's minds. He took out his hammers once more and reminded his comrades, "Everyone, pay attention to how much your spirit soul can bear. If you feel like you're approaching the limits of how much it can absorb, then immediately press the button to exit the spirit ascension platform. Don't be greedy, or else your body or your spiritual power might collapse, and then you'll really be in trouble."

Although he himself was beginning to feel a bit bloated, he hadn't reached the limits yet. According to Gu Yue's assessment, he should still be able to absorb a lot more spirit energy, so he didn't have to worry about it for now.

After all, the strength of his body and spiritual power was directly related to how strong of a spirit soul he could support. There was no need to even speak of his body's strength and his spiritual power growth rate. They were both outstanding, allowing him to already reach the Spirit Connection realm, so he certainly had the capabilities to bear a single thousand-year spirit soul.

A thousand-year spirit soul… Would he truly be able to walk this path?

Tang Wulin led his team out, carefully avoiding the toxic webs. They left their miraculous, safe heaven and once again returned to the dangers of the forest.

The chaos of an assortment of noises soon entered their ears. There were the sounds of collisions, the roars of soul beasts, and occasionally, some wretched screams from Soul Masters.

It truly was a rebel period!

Tang Wulin mulled over their choices for a moment before he decided to have everyone absorb the remaining spirit energy in the area. Normally, they would have to kill countless soul beasts before earning this much spirit energy. Though it would take awhile to absorb all of this energy, it was a rare opportunity for them. Wu Zhangkong could help them out in the matter of combat experience, but not in evolving their spirit soul. This was the most important goal in entering the spirit ascension platform after all!

A sudden realization dawned on Tang Wulin. Those with fewer soul rings actually have an advantage in the spirit ascension platform. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie all have two soul rings. Furthermore, Xie Xie's rings come from two spirit souls, and they'll need to evolve all of their soul rings to the thousand-year level in order to evolve their spirit soul. In other words, the more soul rings someone has, the more spirit energy necessary to evolve the spirit soul!

The strength of a Soul Master's spiritual power and body also determine how much spirit energy they can bear to absorb.

Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi can't handle having two thousand-year soul rings then. Their spiritual powers are both too weak.

Having come to this realization, Tang Wulin's heart began to stir. If it's like this, then isn't being a one-ringed Soul Master the best for the spirit ascension platform? If my spirit soul actually evolves to the thousand-year level, then once I hit rank 20 and get a second soul ring, that ring will also be at the thousand-year level. And when I get my third, it will be at the thousand-year level, too! Wouldn't I save a lot of money like that?

Tang Wulin's heart sped up at this discovery, but he soon calmed himself at the thought of the rare situation they were in.

First of all, the spirit ascension platform was strictly monitored by the Spirit Pagoda, and they had already calculated the maximum level of spirit soul a one-ringed Soul Master could bear to be a little over four hundred years. Basically, it was impossible for a one-ringed Soul Master to attain a thousand-year spirit soul. However, the spirit energy they absorbed would be split when they reached rank 20 and gained a second soul ring.

Tang Wulin's current situation could be said to be truly marvelous. One reason was that he coincidentally found himself such a wonderful cultivation environment while the other was that his body was far stronger than normal people's, allowing him to absorb more spirit energy. These two factors combined to allow him to potentially obtain a thousand-year spirit soul.

Following this line of thinking, his original guess that the academy wanted them all to obtain thousand-year spirit souls was wrong. The others wouldn't even be able to support two thousand-year soul rings even if they wanted to! At most, they would only be able to absorb enough spirit energy until they reached their current limits.

In the future, as he grew stronger and gained more soul rings, it would only grow increasingly harder to evolve his spirit soul. This was the reason why spirit evolution was rarely seen in the spirit ascension platform. Ordinary Soul Masters with ten-year spirit souls wouldn't even be lucky enough to enter the spirit ascension platform, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to defeat any soul beasts. Those with the means to directly obtain a hundred-year spirit soul wouldn't opt for such a convoluted method of evolving a ten-year spirit soul either. As for those who wanted to evolve their hundred-year to a thousand-year spirit soul, the vast majority had bodies that were too weak to bear it.

Everything was clear to him now and more importantly, he had found the path he would travel from now on. Others might not be able to evolve their spirit souls, but I can! My body is far stronger than normal, and my spiritual power is high too. Though, I can't even compare myself to Gu Yue.

With his current circumstances, he could absorb as much spirit energy as he wanted, until his body reached the saturation point.

He wasn't clear on the strength of his body after absorbing the power of the Golden Dragon King's first seal, but he knew he was about as strong as an ordinary Soul Master with three or four rings. With this in mind, he deduced that he would have no problems obtaining a thousand-year spirit soul. After this was over, he planned on having Wu Zhangkong assess him.

Then there was the matter of his spiritual power. The level his spiritual power attained would determine just how much spirit energy he could absorb in the spirit ascension platform.

Teacher Wu said that if I joined his organization, I'd be able to obtain a cultivation method. It seems I should really consider joining it now…

As for talent, my comrades are all far more talented than me. After all, my martial soul is just Bluesilver Grass. Tang Wulin had no way of knowing whether or not his Bluesilver Grass would continue to mutate as he broke the seals on the Golden Dragon King, but a Soul Master's spirit souls and soul rings were directly representative of their strength!

If I can evolve my spirit soul once more, then I'll have paved the path for my next two soul rings.

Even if I absorb as much spirit energy as my body can handle, my body will strengthen again when I break the next seal on the Golden Dragon King, and then I'll be able to absorb even more spirit energy. I need to have two rings before I break the next seal, but what if I break it when I'm only approaching two rings? Will I be able to survive it?

Countless possibilities continuously appeared within Tang Wulin's mind, as if numerous, brilliant doors were slowly opening up to him.

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Chapter 144 – Ice Staff Siblings

Tang Wulin was unaware that his current thoughts and ideas were laying a foundation for his future. A path never traveled before was quietly opening before him thanks to the power of the Golden Dragon King.

"Careful!" Xie Xie's warning jolted Tang Wulin out of his exciting train of thought. He instinctively responded by activating his Bind skill to send out a mass of Bluesilver Grass at the lean leopard in front of him.

Xie Xie reacted in a flash, his Light Dragon Blade streaking across the sky and slashing the ten-year soul beast.

"Sorry everyone, my mind was wandering just now," Tang Wulin bluntly apologized while a cold shiver ran down his spine. This is still the spirit ascension platform. Instead of being preoccupied by my ideas, I must focus on absorbing the remaining energy here. That should be my main goal for now.

Zhang Yangzi gently chuckled. "My mind was wandering just now, too. After all, the events just now changed the way we think about the spirit ascension platform. In any case, our harvest this time is already quite good. Even if we're to be eliminated, it'll still be fine."

Tang Wulin sternly said, "Don't think like that. Since we've been blessed with luck this time, we have to do our best to secure the opportunity and not let it slip away! Otherwise, we'd be letting down the expectations of the Heavens. Everyone, let's all do our best."

He'd prepared these words to say at the moment of their departure. With their distracting thoughts dispelled, Tang Wulin took the lead once again, ready to intercept any potential dangers.

Soon, a roar announced the presence of a monstrous, six-armed python ahead of them.

"A hundred-year Six-armed Fire Snake. Everyone, be careful," Tang Wulin grimly ordered.

Suddenly, a bright, white light flashed from far ahead of them and heavily wounded the Six-armed Fire Snake. A bizarre ice wheel fluttered in the breeze, its points dripping with the blood of the soul beast. Although the Six-armed Fire Snake couldn't be considered a powerful soul beast, especially with regards to its defense, it was still shocking that it had been cut up so easily and quickly by that ice wheel.

A figure with three soul rings underfoot appeared before them, quickly absorbing the spirit energy of the fallen Six-armed Fire Snake.

It was a youth, about seventeen or eighteen years old. Two yellow soul rings and one purple soul ring coiled around his body, identifying him as a Soul Elder. In his right hand, he held a snow white staff which was topped by an icy, blue crystal. His expression was cold and arrogant, and the yellow aura around him was similar to that of the five students of class zero.

Powerful!

The five teammates could already tell how powerful this Soul Elder was just by his aura.

Not only that, he actually wasn't alone!

A girl seemingly around the same age as Tang Wulin's group popped her head out from behind the youth. Her blue hair was styled in twintails, and she looked as if cut from jade. Her beauty was stunning and far exceeded that of Gu Yue's. In her hand was a staff nearly identical to the youth's, only hers being a bit smaller. A single yellow soul ring flickered beneath her, illuminating her frightened expression in the face of such killing.

The male youth's gaze immediately fell upon the students of class zero. When he saw the rich aura of spirit energy surrounding them, his eyes brightened a bit and he started taking large, decisive strides towards them.

Tang Wulin's eyes narrowed as he signaled with his left hand to those behind him.

"Withdraw from the spirit ascension platform voluntarily and leave behind your spirit energy. Then you'll be spared from some pain," the youth with the ice staff stated, as if it was only natural.

The corner of Xie Xie's lips curled in disdain. "Is he some sort of soul beast in human form? Apparently, this human-shaped soul beast can even speak now. It's done a good job evolving."

The youth's eyes sharpened as a cold light flashed through them. He pointed his ice staff at Xie Xie, and immediately, an ice wheel shot straight toward him.

Xie Xie wouldn't take it lying down, as he swiftly responded with a slash of his Light Dragon Dagger, shooting out a Light Dragon Blade.

Tang Wulin and the others didn't make a single move. Their opponent had three soul rings, with one of them even being a thousand-year soul ring, so they couldn't underestimate his strength. It was best to let Xie Xie probe him first.

The ice wheel flew through the air, slashing in a bizarre arc and easily avoiding the Light Dragon Blade. Then, it sped up, transforming into a whirlwind that appeared in front of Xie Xie in a flash.

It changed directions and sped up! Such formidable control!

This was Tang Wulin's first impression. Xie Xie was also given a fright, but he quickly adapted. He simply lowered his body to let the ice wheel fly over him.

Just as he was about to launch his counterattack, Gu Yue shouted, "Let me try!"

A sparkling icicle shot forth and hit the ice wheel precisely on its core, smashing it into pieces.

The youth was stunned for a brief moment. The weakest point of his ice wheel was the center, but it was extremely difficult to hit it due to its rapid spin and his precise control. Moreover, his opponent had accurately hit it with a mere icicle. This keenness of eyesight and level of control couldn't be considered weak at all!

Gu Yue walked forward from beside Tang Wulin, who was shocked to see that Gu Yue didn't just have one soul ring anymore, but two!

That was right, during the battle with the Man-Faced Demon Spider, Gu Yue had made a breakthrough! Although none of them knew what her spirit soul was, there was no doubt that it had already provided her with her second soul ring.

A pair of yellow soul rings twinkled on her body, making her seem even more imposing than before.

Even with a single soul ring he had been able to defeat a two-ringed Soul Master, as well as causing the twin-souled Xie Xie to cower in fear. Just how powerful was she now that she had two soul rings and had absorbed all that spirit energy? It was impossible for Tang Wulin to even guess.

"Let me take a shot at him," Gu Yue told Tang Wulin.

"Okay!" Tang Wulin understood her intentions; she wanted to verify what her current strength was, now that she had two rings.

The youth looked at Gu Yue and frowned. After seeing her attack with an icicle, he had come to the conclusion that she had a martial soul similar to his own.

It was normal for Soul Masters with similar martial souls to feel an affinity with each other.

"Ice attribute?" the youth asked.

"You'll find out in a moment," Gu Yue indifferently said as she raised her right hand to shoot another icicle while a bright light suddenly exploded out of her left hand.

The youth was blinded and cried out in alarm.

Bright Light technique—an application of the light element.

The youth unleashed his strength. Despite his temporary blindness, he wasn't disoriented. He raised the staff high, releasing a series of dazzling blue lights from its peak. Everyone was bathed in the light, including the young girl beside him.

The icicle rapidly dissolved in the light, leaving not even a drop of water.

Although Gu Yue's teammates had also been bathed in the blue light, they were further from the source and were able to vaguely make out the youth's shining, second soul ring.

Taking advantage of her opponent's momentary blindness, Gu Yue activated both her soul rings. With the activation of the first, it only seemed as if her aura had grown stronger, but when the second began to shine, they couldn't sense any changes to her.

In a silver flash of light, Gu Yue suddenly appeared behind the youth. Countless lights covered the sky and flew forth, some of them attacking, while some shot straight into the sky instead.

There were fireballs, wind blades, icicles and rocks. Water, fire, earth and wind. She brilliantly controlled all four of these elements simultaneously. In another moment, the sky was painted with these elemental colors.

Is she even human? The youth had nearly recovered from his blindness when he heard the girl beside him cry out in fear, "Big brother, big brother, I can't see anything. What do I do? I can't see."

"Don't panic. Just close your eyes, and you'll be able to see again in a few moments." The youth's vision had already returned, only to find that his opponent had disappeared, leaving her teammates behind.

Xie Xie kindly pointed behind the youth who automatically turned his head to look and was greeted with the sight of the magnificently brilliant Gu Yue.

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Chapter 145 – The Powerful Gu Yue

A green tornado gradually whipped up as Gu Yue waved her hands in a mystical rhythm mid-air. Its viciousness increased as numerous icicles flew inside

The youth wielding an ice staff thought he was going to lose his mind. He simply couldn't figure out what this lady's martial soul was. If he said that her martial soul was of the ice attribute, then what was with that bright light? And then, what about this current tornado…

As the icicles merged with the tornado, Gu Yue's aura grew at an insane rate. Even though the youth was a fair distance away from her, he could sense just how crazy this soul skill of hers was. It's a dual attribute soul skill. So powerful!

His second soul skill receded as his purple soul ring lit up.

Tang Wulin's group watched the battle raptly. A thousand-year soul skill!

They had never witnessed the might of a thousand-year soul skill before. Furthermore, a thousand-year soul skill was already considered high-end in the current era of Soul Masters. As for ten-thousand-year soul rings… Tang Wulin had only ever seen the one Wu Zhangkong had.

Extremely pure ice energy erupted from the peak of the ice staff, slowly coalescing into a spear.

Fury of Ice! A powerful soul skill attack!

The ice spear grew to two meters in length. Faint magic patterns shone in its shaft. The students of class zero could instinctively sense its power just by looking at it. They were certain that none of them could survive a single strike from that spear.

This thousand-year soul skill is so powerful!

"There's still time for all of you to voluntarily withdraw," the youth said to Gu Yue. His expression wasn't as cold as before. In his eyes, the fact that Gu Yue was able to release such powerful elemental waves despite only having two rings made her worthy of praise. Although he had always been prideful, he now felt a bit of pity for her.

The corners of Gu Yue's lips curled. It wasn't a smile, as only one side of her mouth curled up. It was clearly a derisive smirk.

The youth's eyes dulled with frost as he pointed his staff at Gu Yue once again. The ice spear shot forward in a flash, piercing toward Gu Yue like lightning.

But in that split second, the icicle tornado in front of Gu Yue crumbled apart and she disappeared in a flash of silver.

Space attribute soul skill? Is it that legendary teleportation skill, the godly skill that can evade the lock-on of another soul skill? How can this be!?

Countless possibilities flashed through the youth's mind in a single moment. His Fury of Ice had already flown off into the forest and disappeared.

"Big brother, what's that above us?" The young girl beside him suddenly pointed at the sky.

The youth looked up. He stared, dumbstruck, at the sight of brilliant fireworks raining down upon them from the sky.

Even though his soul power had reached rank 35 and he was the strongest amongst his peers, it still didn't change the fact that he didn't have enough time to prepare another thousand-year skill attack which drained so much soul power.

How can this be!?

As that last thought ran through his head, he moved to hit the button on the back of the girl's hand. He couldn't let his little sister suffer. Immediately afterward, he was baptized in water, fire, earth and wind…

Two lights flickered one after another, then disappeared.

Only, one of them had been sent out by the button, while the other had been destroyed by the four elements.

Tang Wulin muttered, "That guy's actually decent. He knew to protect the person at his side first." As he finished muttering, Tang Wulin abruptly felt as if there was something wrong with the atmosphere.

When Gu Yue turned back to her team, she saw Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi standing there frozen, as if they were statues. Their faces looked even weirder since their emotions were in chaos..

"What's wrong with you guys?" Tang Wulin asked, puzzled.

Xie Xie respectfully bowed to Gu Yue. "Big sister. From now on, you're my big sister. I won't ever argue with you again."

Zhang Yangzi hastily mimicked Xie Xie's actions. "Hello, big sister."

Of the three, only Wang Jinxi remained as he was, bashfully staring at Gu Yue with eyes filled with both admiration and fear.

Gu Yue silently walked over to Tang Wulin's side and dully said, "What's so amazing about defeating that arrogant guy? Come on, let's go."

As she spoke, the spirit energy that had surrounded the ice staff wielding youth flew over to them like a storm. Of course, the one who absorbed most of it was Gu Yue, followed by Tang Wulin who was standing next to her.

The spirit energy released from a Soul Master was no different from the energy received from killing soul beasts. After losing its host, the spirit energy would be absorbed by the closest being to it. On top of that, the closer one was to it, the more one would absorb.

Tang Wulin finally understood why the other three had reacted like that.

That was right! That was a three-ringed Soul Master, and not just any three-ringed Soul Master; it was one with a thousand-year soul ring! That meant he had two spirit souls at the very least. They had seen just how powerful of a Soul Elder he had been when he had instantly killed the Six-armed Fire Snake. Yet, Gu Yue had only needed a few minutes to defeat him! They could only imagine how strong Gu Yue was now that she had two rings…

Tang Wulin's heart began to race as he guessed what Gu Yue's second soul skill was. Her first soul skill was Elemental Tide, which strengthened her ability to attract elemental energy, but in the previous battle, she had been able to launch numerous low-level attacks as well as a icicle tornado. Using those attacks, she had provoked her opponent to use his thousand-year soul skill, giving her an opening to kill him with a mass of low-level attacks afterward. This level of control was simply too powerful and was definitely impossible to attain with just her spiritual power. If it wasn't for her second soul skill, then just how had she managed to cover the sky with low-level elemental attacks?

Although neither of Gu Yue's soul skills were directly related to attacking, did she really need them to be? She could control six elements! With this array of elements, she could not only fight in countless styles, but also constantly change her tactics. And then there was her powerful spiritual power… Among the students of class zero, she was undoubtedly worthy of being called the strongest!

It was no wonder that Xie Xie no longer had any dreams of defeating her. How could he even possibly be a worthy opponent for the powerful Gu Yue?

Although, Gu Yue had been right. That ice staff wielding youth had been careless and hadn't even bothered trying to understand her abilities. If he had been more cautious and immediately used his second soul skill to defend, he likely wouldn't have lost so easily. Furthermore, Gu Yue couldn't possibly match him in a battle of attrition.

"Do you want to rest for a while?" Tang Wulin asked Gu Yue.

Gu Yue shook her head. "Let's go."

Without the protection of the Man-Faced Demon Spider's webs, it was extremely dangerous for them to stay in place for an extended period of time.

"Soul beasts are approaching." Zhang Yangzi, who was in charge of reconnaissance, urgently informed them. "There are a lot. It seems to be a group of soul beasts, and there are at least thirty of them. They seem to be Blazing Demon Lions."

Horror took over everyone's faces when they heard his words.

Lions were one of the strongest types of soul beasts that lived on land. Generally speaking, the greater a soul beast's individual strength was, the greater its inclination toward being independent. That way, they would be able to obtain even more resources. Only lion-type soul beasts were unique in this aspect. With a single leader lion as the head of a pride of lionesses, they formed a powerful force regardless of whether they were in the forests or the prairies. Even soul beasts that were far stronger than the head lion wouldn't dare to provoke the pride lightly. The combined power of the whole pride was simply too fearsome.

"Run!" Tang Wulin shouted the order without the slightest hesitation before turning around to flee.

Gu Yue waved her hands and enveloped them in a green light. Its effects were stronger than before and now they felt as if they were light as feathers, giving them a large boost to their speed.

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Chapter 146 – Successive Eliminations

The greatest and most powerful advantage of Gu Yue's control over the elements was the fact that she could use them to attack, defend, and control, making her strong in every aspect of combat. Now that she had gained her second soul ring and become a Soul Grandmaster, her strength had received a massive boost, firmly cementing her position as the strongest member on the team.

Xie Xie took the lead and scouted for a path ahead while Zhang Yangzi continued to direct his little Black Eagle spirit soul to watch their rear. During his meditation, he had restored his spirit soul enough to come out again, but it was still too weak to contribute in combat and could only share its vision with Zhang Yangzi. If he wanted to completely restore it, he would need to meditate for several more days.

A roar rumbled behind them. Soon, numerous red figures could be seen madly rushing toward them.

Soul Masters weren't the only ones who could absorb spirit energy; soul beasts could too. It was precisely due to the powerful waves of spirit energy emanating from their bodies that had attracted the soul beasts. Blazing Demon Lions were one of the strongest soul beast races and could easily sense the student's spirit energy fluctuations, spurring their rapid pursuit.

Run! If they could run for even a moment longer, then it was a moment longer they would live. Even a fraction of a second more would allow them to absorb a bit more spirit energy.

They stood no chance against a whole pride of Blazing Demon Lions. Perhaps if they all possessed three soul rings, they might have had a glimmer of hope.

In a previous trip into the spirit ascension platform, they had been unlucky enough to encounter a pride of Blazing Demon Lions and were met with a deadly fate. That horrific slaughter was still fresh in their memories.

The Blazing Demon Lions had surrounded them, and despite their best efforts to resist, they had been slaughtered within moments. For the rest of that day, they were plagued by the sensation of being burned alive.

This pride of Blazing Demon Lions was definitely an existence that stood at the very apex of the elementary spirit ascension platform. Though the Man-Faced Demon Spider was extremely powerful as an individual, even it wouldn't be able to survive an onslaught from a pride of wild lions. In such a scenario, its only choice would have been to flee.

The head lion of a pride of Blazing Demon Lions was equivalent to a thousand-year soul beast. As for the remaining lionesses, every one of them had the cultivation of a hundred-year soul beast at least, if not a thousand-year level. They were able to become so powerful simply because they had very few natural predators in this forest. Regardless of whether it was an individual Soul Master or a group of them, it was practically impossible to defeat the Blazing Demon Lions with only three soul rings.

This was the reason why Tang Wulin had immediately given the order to flee the moment he heard that they were being chased by Blazing Demon Lions. The only thing they could do now was to run until they either lost the lions or perished.

Of course, there was a silver lining to this. The roars of the Blazing Demon Lions scared off all other soul beasts. After all, the lions were just as terrifying to soul beasts as they were to humans! Regardless of which lion species, they all shared one thing in common: they were carnivores! They hunted both humans and soul beasts alike.

As such, not a single soul beast dared to block their way in their mad escape. Even if a soul beast were to appear before them, they would soon flee in fear when they heard the declarations of the lions' hunt.

Despite their best efforts to flee, however, the Blazing Demon Lions were natives and were able to traverse the great forest far more quickly than humans.

Coordination was useless in such dire circumstances.

Surprisingly, the slowest one among them was Wang Jinxi. Just as the lions were about to reach him, he helplessly slapped the button on the back of his hand.

Wang Jinxi disappeared in a flash of light, the spirit energy he had yet to fully absorb drifting over to the remaining four Soul Masters.

The next slowest person was Gu Yue. Although she could enhance her speed with the wind element, she still couldn't hope to match Agility System Soul Masters or Tang Wulin, who had been born with innate divine strength. She was the second one to hit the button on the back of her hand. Perhaps it was due to her meticulous planning, but after she disappeared in a flash of light, all her unabsorbed spirit power flew toward Tang Wulin with barely any dispersion.

The remaining three were too preoccupied with the Blazing Demon Lions drawing closer and closer to question her control over the spirit energy.

For the time being, they were able to gain a little breathing room thanks to Gu Yue as she had cast a giant blizzard at the pride behind them before she exited, slowing them momentarily.

"Captain! I have an idea," blurted out Zhang Yangzi.

"What?" Tang Wulin urgently asked as he continued to madly flee. His method of running was different from Xie Xie's and Zhang Yangzi's as he wasn't an Agility System Soul Master, and lacked their raw speed. Instead, he possessed tremendous power. He would launch off the ground like an artillery shell, leaving a deep imprint in the ground each time. Every leap was filled with so much momentum that he didn't even bother dodging the branches. Instead, he plowed straight through them, just like a bulldozer. Tang Wulin's actions simply left Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie speechless.

This wasn't the point though. The important thing was that with this method, Tang Wulin was actually a bit faster than the other two! In fact, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie could enjoy a clear path as long as they stayed right behind Tang Wulin.

"There should definitely be some soul beasts flying in the sky. I'll try and lure them down here, and maybe they'll attack the Blazing Demon Lions."

"Don't go, It's too risky." Tang Wulin immediately rejected the proposal.

Provoking the soul beasts in the sky was an easy matter, but with one mistake, Zhang Yangzi would die.

Zhang Yangzi smiled mischievously. "This is the spirit ascension platform; we won't really be in danger. If worst comes to worst, I'll just be a bit shaken for a few days. We've already made enough gains to make up for the losses this trip anyway. I haven't contributed much this time, so let me try this at least." After he finished speaking, without even waiting for Tang Wulin's reply, Zhang Yangzi kicked off a tree branch and swiftly climbed up the tree with the aid of his wings.

Zhang Yangzi had yet to forget his first experience in the spirit ascension platform. His failure that time had brought to light many of his shortcomings. It was then that he had truly understood he wasn't the most outstanding student in his class anymore.

As he approached the top of the tree, a shocking scene filled his eyes.

In his first trip into the spirit ascension platform, he had only seen a single green bird flying, but this time, he witnessed flocks of all kinds of flying soul beasts that covered the sky.

There were a few green birds among the mass of beasts and were in a chaotic battle against each other. Every once in awhile, a killed soul beast would drop from the sky and into the forest thicket.

"What, what is this?!" Just as he was about to reach the tree's peak, he saw a giant nest with several pitch-black eggs within.

The eggs were large, each similar to the size of a large ball.

"These should be a flying soul beast's eggs. Big brother is really apologetic, but I'll have to crack you." Zhang Yangzi quickly picked up an egg and lifted it overhead. Utilising his second soul skill, Eagle Soars the Sky, he rushed into the sky.

"Hey, whose egg is this? Quickly come claim it!" Zhang Yangzi shouted at the top of his lungs.

The nearby flying soul beasts turned their gazes to this newly ascended human. A moment later, a gigantic black soul beast released a sharp cry full of wrath.

"Hehe. Catch!" While saying this, Zhang Yangzi threw the egg toward the speeding red specks on the ground. After provoking the flying soul beasts, he slapped his escape button with lightning speed.

Mission accomplished!

Zhang Yangzi disappeared in a flash of light while dozens of gigantic flying soul beasts dove into the forest.

As the spirit energy contained within Zhang Yangzi's body began to disperse, the flying soul beasts arrived just in time to absorb it.

I stole your egg, but you're gaining so much spirit energy that you're profiting from this. Of course, you still need to survive the battle with the Blazing Demon Lions. These were Zhang Yangzi's final thoughts as he disappeared from the spirit ascension platform.

The last two remaining heard a cacophony of twigs breaking and leaves rustling from behind them. Following that, the pressure of the lions' pursuit dissipated. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged a knowing look. They knew that Zhang Yangzi had succeeded.

"Nicely done!" Xie Xie couldn't help but praise their fallen comrade.

Zhang Yangzi had given up on absorbing more spirit energy in order to create an opportunity for his teammates to survive.

"Although, I don't think he had enough spiritual power to absorb much more spirit energy anyways. Haha!" Xie Xie heartily laughed as he sped up once more.

Tang Wulin couldn't help but crack a smile too. Although he was absorbing more and more spirit energy, he had yet to reach his limits. As for his teammates with two rings, however, they were probably feeling awfully bloated by now.

Suddenly, a dark golden radiance flashed ahead of them.

Xie Xie wasn't able to stop his mad dash forward in time, so his body was instantly sliced up into pieces and scattered onto the forest floor.

Xie Xie's corpse then disappeared in a flash of light.

Tang Wulin's scalp began to tingle. Without any hesitation, he shot Bluesilver Grass out of his hand toward a tree, forcefully changing his direction.

Another dark gold light flashed by and an ear-piercing hissing sound came from where he had been standing just a split-second ago. Three lines in the air could be made out.

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Chapter 147 – The True King

Half of Xie Xie's spirit energy flew toward Tang Wulin while the other half flew in another direction. As he watched the energy fly away, a giant figure emerged.

It was an enormous bear, its fur dark-gold in colour. Standing over three meters tall, it had thick arms and its majestic shoulders, akin to a great wall. Four golden claws of at least one meter in length extended from each paw.

Xie Xie! Tang Wulin screamed in agony within his heart, for he knew just what sort of backlash Xie Xie would experience after being slashed into pieces. Although dying in the spirit ascension platform did not signify a true death, Soul Masters would still face powerful mental backlash from their death experience. Though they all had plenty of experience in this by now, it was still Xie Xie's first time being killed in such a gruesome manner.

Tang Wulin could instantly recognize the formidable soul beast before him. As a matter of fact, it would be impossible for him to not recognize it; it was simply too famous in the world of Soul Masters.

Reputed to be the strongest soul beast in the world, the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear.

It was rumored that the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear was one of the most powerful bears within history and when mature, it would not need to fear any predator, not even true dragons. Should a battle between titans come to pass, the outcome would be difficult to guess.

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear preferred to to live independently. Whether it be attack or defense, it possessed overwhelming power in every aspect. It truly was an existence that stood at the apex of the soul beast world.

If the Blazing Demon Lions were said to be one of the top predators in the elementary spirit ascension platform, then when faced with the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, all they would be able to do was beg for their lives. The reason was simple. Throughout the ages, the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear had always been an existence that stood at the very peak!

This Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear before his eyes was only three meters tall, but should still be at the hundred-year level, if not higher. In comparison to other hundred-year soul beasts, if it was said that a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider could kill a thousand-year soul beast, then a hundred-year Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear could make even ten-thousand-year level soul beasts run away in fear! That was just how frightening it was.

Never in his wildest dreams did Tang Wulin expect to run into this legendary bear within the rebellion spirit ascension platform. After all, wouldn't such an amazing beast appear in the higher leveled spirit ascension platforms instead?

Fight it? You have got to be joking with me.

Tang Wulin threw his hammer straight at the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear before turning around and fleeing.

Clang!

A metallic note rung out as the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear tore the hammer apart with one swipe. Furthermore, it had already completely absorbed the spirit energy left behind by Xie Xie.

Such a powerful claw!

At this moment, a bizarre thought popped into Tang Wulin's mind. Is my Golden Dragon Claw stronger, or its Duskgold Dreadclaw?

Pressured by the dangerous aura behind him, Tang Wulin felt as if the entire forest had darkened. As soon as the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear had appeared, the entire forest fell into a complete silence. Not even the chirping of birds could be heard.

Having dealt with the unexpected troubles from the sky, the Blazing Demon Lions roared and rushed toward Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin knew that it was impossible for him to escape. He clenched his teeth and run headfirst into the pride of lions. Regardless of who kills me, you won't get off lightly either.

He didn't immediately hit his ejection button. To him, even a little bit more spirit energy absorbed could lead to a wonderful situation. He wanted to hold out and absorb as much energy as possible.

The head lion stood over four meters tall and had a fiery red mane like a flickering flame. Its entire body was coated in an orange fire. A domineering aura emanated from its body, which was only bolstered when it roared wrathfully as if it was proclaiming its sovereignty. It was telling all the surrounding soul beasts that it was the ruler of this forest.

With one glance, it spotted Tang Wulin, his rich aura of spirit energy instantly catching its attention. The Blazing Demon Lion snarled a command to its lionesses, who quickly split up and surrounded Tang Wulin while it pounced directly at him. With such a fat slab of meat in front of it, how could it share with others? Its strength would leap substantially if it absorbed all of Tang Wulin's spirit energy.

At that moment, however, Tang Wulin suddenly leapt up. A strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out. Pulling on it, he instantly changing his direction.

A dark-gold light flew out, announcing the arrival of the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear.

Its speed was completely uncharacteristic of its gigantic body. It hadn't made a single noise while running.

Aflame with arrogance and wildness, the thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion took one look at the bear and, as if a switch had been flipped, it immediately pressed down on all four legs and skidded to a halt. The flames on its body blew out and even its fiery mane had become dull. It flipped over a few times and landed in front of the bear with its tail between its legs. Rather than immediately trying to flee, it crawled on the floor and let our some sad cries.

"This, this is the Blazing Demon Lion King? Is it really a thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion?" Tang Wulin was dumbstruck as he witnessed such a shocking scene. Isn't that guy just a little kitty now?

That was right. In front of the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, the thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion and its lionesses were merely kittens. All their fires had extinguished as they crawled on the floor, swishing their tails as they begged for pity.

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear didn't even put them in its eyes. Its icy gaze had been fixed on Tang Wulin the entire time.

Tang Wulin urgently raised his right claw just as a dark-gold light flashed, filling his heart with panic. He immediately pulled on the strand of Bluesilver Grass he had shot out and swung in another direction.

A gigantic dark-gold figure destroyed everything in the place he had been just a split-second before.

That was right! Everything!

There wasn't even any rumbling as the trees, bushes and even the earth were torn to shreds.

Duskgold Dreadclaw… That's a real Duskgold Dreadclaw! It could even tear open a dragon's body!

The humongous Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear soared into the air with a terrifying leap, overtaking Tang Wulin in a flash.

I'll risk it all!

A golden light twinkled in Tang Wulin's eyes as he directed all his soul power into his right arm. A wave of golden scales covered his arms and his Golden Dragon Claw appeared.

Compared to the huge Duskgold Dreadclaw, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw was simply tiny. He fiercely slashed at the Duskgold Dreadclaw with his dragon claw.

While attacking, Tang Wulin adjusted his posture in the air, keeping his head away from the bear. Even if his Golden Dragon Claw was torn apart and his body was cleaved into two, it would be fine as long as his head wasn't destroyed immediately. If it were, the split-second of pain he would experience would leave many residual effects.

He had just decided on this retaliation, because if he didn't test the true might of his Golden Dragon Claw, he would regret it.

Clang!

The Golden Dragon Claw met with the Duskgold Dreadclaw in an explosive collision.

In the brief moment that their two claws had clashed, Tang Wulin felt all his soul power being drawn out and his blood boiling. In particular, a spot between his eyebrows was burning as a faint golden light appeared.

As the Duskgold Dreadclaw swept past, it not only missed his head, but also his entire upper body. Unfortunately, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw disappeared in the next moment while the Duskgold Dreadclaw continued to slash across his body.

Xie Xie had been torn in half vertically, while Tang Wulin was cleaved in half horizontally. The last thing he felt was his lower body separating from his upper body.

An icy numbness washed over him as darkness enveloped his mind.

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Chapter 148 – Full Marks and 99 Points

"Hurry! Quickly go save him! Does this child not recognize the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear? Why didn't he hit the ejection button!"

An anxious voice echoed in Tang Wulin's mind as he gradually regained consciousness, the icy numbness fading from his body at the same time.

A metallic friction sound rang out and in the next moment, light filled his eyes.

I'm back. I'm fine. Those were Tang Wulin's first thoughts, but then he noticed something strange about his state. Why do I feel fine?

His body had been shredded into pieces so he should be experiencing strong residual effects, and yet, he didn't feel anything in particular.

"How are you doing?" Wu Zhangkong's face appeared above the metal box.

Staff members also came over, prodding Tang Wulin's body with a sort of popsicle-looking thing. "Are you conscious? Do you feel cold?"

"Yes," Tang Wulin answered.

"He's awake and has feeling. This is odd! He recovered this quickly?"

Tang Wulin grabbed the edge of the metal box and slowly pulled himself up.

A burst of weakness struck his brain, as if his mind had tired. Apart from this, everything else felt normal for him.

"Teacher, I'm fine." After confirming that his body had no abnormalities, Tang Wulin got out of the metal box.

Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Gu Yue were waiting at the side. Standing right beside his box, Gu Yue only let out a breath of relief when she saw Tang Wulin sit up.

However, the box next to his was bustling with people.

Xie Xie, that's Xie Xie's box.

Xie Xie should be fine, right?

Tang Wulin anxiously asked, "How is Xie Xie's state right now?"

Wu Zhangkong said, "He managed to avoid having his head destroyed at the final moment, but the spiritual backlash for the rest of his body is still great. He's currently unconscious, but he should wake up after resting a bit. Oh, he's conscious."

A long sigh of relief escaped from Tang Wulin after hearing that Xie Xie was awake. The most important thing after exiting the spirit ascension platform was waking up. As long as one was able to wake up, the body would be able to slowly recover. After all, they hadn't truly sustained any injuries.

Tang Wulin quickly reached Xie Xie's box and peered inside. Xie Xie's complexion was pale and his body was twitching. Abnormal twitching of the body was a typical residual effect from dying in the spirit ascension platform.

Twitching is normal after dying in there, but there aren't any effects in my body at all. Why aren't I twitching too?

Tang Wulin wasn't the only person thinking of this question. Within Wu Zhangkong's heart, he was asking himself the exact same question. It was obvious, however, that Tang Wulin was unable to answer this question.

"As long as everybody is fine, then that's good." Wu Zhangkong dully said.

"Wulin, thank you." Xie Xie's weak voice called out from the metal box.

"Huh? What are you thanking me for?" Tang Wulin smiled bitterly.

Xie Xie forced out a difficult smile. "Thank you for your Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest. If I hadn't worn it on my shoulders, helping to block some of the attack and giving me enough time to react, then my head might have been shredded too. That would have been truly troubling."

It was only then that Tang Wulin understood Xie Xie's words. Although it had seemed to him that Xie Xie had been sliced apart, the vest had still slightly protected him. With his sharp reflexes as an Agility System Soul Master, he had just been able to narrowly avoid having his head destroyed.

Come to think of it, it was also like that when the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear tore me apart from the waist down. It's just that I was already dodging at that time.

"You guys cheated." Wu Zhangkong's cold voice suddenly cut in as he stood there holding a vest. That vest was undoubtedly Xie Xie's, stripped off during his post-ejection medical inspection.

Tang Wulin immediately blushed with embarrassment and awkwardness. "Teacher Wu, that shouldn't be considered cheating, right? I only made it because I was afraid everyone would suffer like Wang Jinxi the first time."

Wu Zhangkong handed the vest to Tang Wulin and indifferently commented, "The craftsmanship is not bad. You can already Thousand Refine?"

"Ah?" Tang Wulin was stunned.

"Yes!"

Wu Zhangkong said, "For the first part of your final exam, everyone gets full marks except for you, the captain. You get points deducted because you cheated and encouraged your teammates to cheat. Your final exam score is…"

Tang Wulin listened anxiously for the final verdict, his heart racing.

"Just 99 points."

"Huh?"

Ninety-nine points? That's not a huge difference from one hundred though? At that moment, Tang Wulin was at a loss as to how to react. The Zhang Yangzi at the side had already started yelling, "Long live Teacher Wu!"

Wu Zhangkong coldly responded, "Don't get so excited just yet. There's still one more section to your final exam. You will need to pass this section too in order to pass your exams."

A staff member brought out a machine to stabilize Xie Xie's conditions. This machine sent electric currents into his body to alleviate the side effects of the spirit ascension platform.

Xie Xie had suffered from many residual effects after being killed, so it took him over an hour before he was able to muster enough strength to sit up.

Everyone else had already recovered and were all waiting for Xie Xie. Tang Wulin walked to Wu Zhangkong's side and softly asked, "I still have another entry card for the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Am I actually able to go in again?"

"Mn?" Wu Zhangkong stared at the card in Tang Wulin's hand, a trace of astonishment flashing through his eyes.

"The Blacksmith's Association gave this to me." Tang Wulin didn't bother trying to hide it.

Wu Zhangkong's impression of Tang Wulin changed. He then shook his head and said, "You don't need to go in again. There's no meaning in it for you. As the rebellion period progresses, the spirit ascension platform will grow increasingly powerful, and even more rabid soul beasts will emerge. If you go in right now, you won't be able to survive for long at all. You can just hold onto the card for now and use it during the next rebellion period. The card itself is also worth a lot. You could auction it off for quite a sum."

Tang Wulin had originally wanted to return to the rebellion spirit ascension platform to absorb more spirit energy, but after hearing Wu Zhangkong's words, he understood that his thoughts had been too naive.

"Teacher Wu, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's possible to achieve or not. It's about the spirit energy we absorbed. This time we…"

Just as Tang Wulin was about to explain, Wu Zhangkong's hand shot out and covered his mouth. Wu Zhangkong's eyes shifted to the nearby Spirit Pagoda staff members then whispered, "We'll discuss this when we get back."

Tang Wulin realized his error. That's right! We had absorbed so much spirit energy this time that we must have surpassed the average. I really shouldn't talk about this in front of the Spirit Pagoda members.

"Yes!"

Xie Xie was piggybacked by Tang Wulin all the way back to the academy. Although Xie Xie was recovered now, he still didn't have full control over his body and all his movements were uncoordinated. According to a Spirit Pagoda staff member, he would need at least a day to recover from this state. Fortunately, there would be no lasting effects. As for whether a shadow had been cast over his heart, only Xie Xie could answer that.

"I'm fine? I didn't even see what soul beast killed me, so why would I have a shadow over my heart?" Xie Xie said, all thick-skinned.

"That's good then." A faint smile appeared on Tang Wulin's lips after hearing such a typical response from Xie Xie.

Xie Xie grumpily complained, "It's so unfair. You were slashed apart too, yet why are you completely fine?"

Tang Wulin shrugged. "I don't know either. Anyways, I'm just happy I made it out alright. Perhaps it's also related to your body strength. Your body is still too weak. How about you come with me on morning runs from now on? It'll increase your constitution and strength."

Xie Xie teased, "Alright! I can go meet that senior sister with you then."

Tang Wulin blushed crimson. "What meeting with the senior sister? Stop talking about things you don't know about."

Gu Yue's gaze instantly locked onto Tang Wulin, while Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi cast curious glances in his direction.

Tang Wulin said dismissively, "It's nothing. There are a lot of people going on runs in the morning so naturally I've met a few seniors."

Even though the words he spoke denied it, a delicate face appeared within his heart.

It was just as Xie Xie had said; every day he would be able to see Ouyang Zixin on his morning runs. Although he only greeted her each time and occasionally spoke a few words with her, the more he ran, the more familiar he had grown with her.

Moreover, he was so accustomed to seeing her every morning that disappointment would fill his heart if she wasn't there one morning.

"Go back and rest properly. We'll be summarizing your experiences tomorrow. Tang Wulin, come to my quarters." Wu Zhangkong immediately issued out these commands the moment they arrived at the academy.

Tang Wulin first delivered Xie Xie to his room and laid him down to rest before heading over to Wu Zhangkong's office.

"Wulin, you must remember that in the future, regardless of whether it be the spirit ascension platform or the Spirit Pagoda, you mustn't speak of any ideas. Instead, wait until you come back. Understood?" Wu Zhangkong advised.

Tang Wulin nodded. "Understood, teacher. But why? If the spirit ascension platform has a problem, shouldn't I tell the Spirit Pagoda?'

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Chapter 149 – It's Possible In Theory

Wu Zhangkong said, "You're still young and there are some things you needn't know about just yet. As long as you remember my words, you'll be fine. The Spirit Pagoda doesn't think the same way you do. They possess so much power that even the Federation is afraid of them. Moreover, the Spirit Pagoda spans across to other continents too."

Tang Wulin was stunned. Other continents? The Star Luo Continent and the Heaven Dou Continent?

"Teacher, have you ever been to the other two continents? Do you know what's different about them?" Tang Wulin curiously asked.

Wu Zhangkong calmly answered, "There are many different kinds of places in this world, and you'll know what they are like when you visit them in the future, but for now, you shouldn't be thinking about that. Now tell me, what did you feel in the spirit ascension platform today?"

Seeing that Wu Zhangkong didn't wish to talk about the other two continents, Tang Wulin wisely chose to drop the topic and quickly began explaining his thoughts.

"Teacher Wu, after absorbing all that spirit energy today, I realized that it'll be extremely hard for my teammates with two soul rings to evolve their spirit souls. In fact, it's practically impossible for them to evolve them to the thousand-year level since the spirit energy is split between their two rings evenly. Even if they did evolve their spirit souls to the thousand-year level, their bodies wouldn't be able to bear two thousand-year soul rings, not to mention that neither Wang Jinxi's nor Zhang Yangzi's spiritual power is strong enough to handle a single thousand-year spirit soul yet. Isn't this the reason it's so hard for Soul Masters to evolve their spirit souls in the spirit ascension platform?"

Wu Zhangkong nodded. "The fact that you've arrived at this conclusion shows just how seriously you have been thinking about this. Not bad. Even if you had enough resources to enter the spirit ascension platform more times, there is still a limit to what your body can handle. In the end, your chances of success would still be tiny. What you really should be considering isn't that."

"Mn." Tang Wulin nodded in understanding. "I think my situation is actually a bit special. My body is stronger than an ordinary Soul Master's so I'm actually able to support a thousand-year soul ring despite only having one ring. I'm not restricted to an up to four-hundred-years ring like other one-ring Soul Masters. My spiritual power is also at the Spirit Connection realm, so if I absorb enough spirit energy, I should be able to gain a thousand-year spirit soul, right?"

For a moment, a glimmer of surprise twinkled in Wu Zhangkong's eyes before he nodded and said, "It's possible in theory, but you will have to absorb enough spirit energy to evolve your spirit soul before you gain a second soul ring. Moreover, your body will need to be able to bear two thousand-year soul rings when it comes time for your second soul ring."

Wu Zhangkong's words immediately reminded Tang Wulin of something. That's right! If I evolve my spirit soul to the thousand-year level, that means my second soul ring will also be at the thousand-year level. It's no problem for me to handle one thousand-year soul ring right now, but will I be able to handle two thousand-year soul rings by the time I become a Soul Grandmaster?

Wu Zhangkong continued, "How about this, we'll run some tests on your body later and figure out just how much you can bear. We already know your spiritual power can support a single thousand-year spirit soul, so all that's left to determine is whether or not your body can bear two thousand-year soul rings. You'll really be a unique case if you can."

"Thank you, teacher."

Teacher Wu isn't the only person I can ask about how much my body can bear. I can also ask… Old Tang!

After Tang Wulin left, Wu Zhangkong sat there in deep thought. There really is something special about Tang Wulin. I think he'll actually be able to do it.

Should he actually obtain a thousand-year spirit soul, then even though his martial soul is weak, it will be enough to make up for it and make him strong! This set of circumstances is even rare in Shrek Academy.

However, this isn't a certainty. After all, I've never entered the land of the true monsters of Shrek.

He should only be a step away from evolving his spirit soul once more. It seems I'll need to conduct some special tests on him.

Wu Zhangkong narrowed his eyes. It's best to keep this matter a secret from the Spirit Pagoda.

At the very least, this can't be revealed until he's stronger.

As his train of thought traveled along this path, a series of plans began to form.

He had never expected these children to make such a great harvest this time in the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Without a doubt, having survived the longest, it was Tang Wulin who had benefited the most. He had absorbed the most spirit energy with Gu Yue in second place. She had suddenly broke through to become a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, gaining enough power to even defeat a three-ringed Soul Elder who had two spirit souls and a powerful martial soul! It was true that her opponent had been careless, but it would have been impossible to grasp victory without her insane control over the elements!

Nobody knew just how strong Gu Yue's spiritual power was after gaining her second soul ring. This little girl had a chance of reaching the Spirit Sea realm by the time she turned fifteen!

The others' spirit souls had also made some progress, but now they were faced with a problem. They couldn't enter the spirit ascension platform again for a while, otherwise they might accidently absorb too much spirit energy which would negatively influence their bodies.

He had never expected they would make so much progress in a short six months. According to the original plan they had for class zero, they shouldn't be this powerful until the third grade.

It seems I'll have to adjust the originally planned curriculum.

……

"Old Tang, now that I have fully absorbed the power of the first seal, how many soul rings and spirit souls can my body handle?" The moment Tang Wulin returned to his room, he began meditating to call out Old Tang.

Old Tang's body was still bathed in a golden light, but for some reason, Tang Wulin felt as though the light had grown a bit more resplendent than before. Old Tang also no longer seemed as transparent to him.

Old Tang asked, "Oh? What do you mean? Is there a problem with your soul rings?"

Tang Wulin didn't know why, but he placed an immense amount of trust in this mysterious Old Tang that dwelled within his body. He didn't bother to hide anything as he explained what had happened in the spirit ascension platform, as well as his thoughts on the spirit soul evolution he had already experienced.

After hearing his explanation, Old Tang suddenly blurted out, "I understand what you're thinking. You're worried that your body won't be able to absorb that much spirit energy, correct?"

"That's right! That's what I'm worried about." Tang Wulin hurriedly added, "So what level of soul ring do you think my body can bear right now? And my spirit soul?"

Old Tang said, "This is actually a very simple matter since there's no one more familiar with your body than I. Your spiritual power is gradually increasing, but your job to find a way to improve faster. It would be best for you to find a spiritual power cultivation method that will help you increase your spiritual power improvement rate. With your current level, you should be able to support a single thousand-year spirit soul or two hundred-year spirit souls. As for soul rings, you need not worry. Having absorbed the power of the Golden Dragon King's first seal, it'll be no problem for your body to bear two thousand-year soul rings."

Tang Wulin said, "Then, is it possible for me to break the second seal before I reach rank 20? And what level will my body reach after absorbing the second seal's power?"

Old Tang answered, "Based on your body's current condition, it should be possible. However, you will need to find the items I told you about first. You can only break the second seal after obtaining those items. You will also need to strengthen your body further by that time. Actually, if you really can evolve your spirit soul and soul ring to the thousand-year level, it will provide you with an overall improvement to both your body and essence, so I fully encourage you to evolve them before you reach rank 20. When that time comes, I'll give you some new advice. Just remember though, the earlier you break the seals, the higher the chance they will break on their own in the future and so your period of safety will become even smaller."n

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Chapter 150 – The Xu Clan's Siblings

"The seals will break on their own? They can do that?" Tang Wulin doubtfully asked.

Old Tang said, "Of course. If you grow old enough or accidentally run into something that purifies the Golden Dragon King's essence, then there's a chance that a seal might break forcefully. Should that happen, you'll be faced with great danger. More importantly, the latter seals will become even firmer. Basically, the more seals you break by yourself, the lower the chances are that the following seals will break automatically and endanger your life. It would be best you if they never break by themselves, otherwise…"

Old Tang didn't finish his sentence, but the grim tone in his voice made his meaning clear.

"Thank you, Old Tang. I'll definitely do my best! My goal now is to first evolve my spirit soul to the thousand-year level!"

"That's right. Do your best."

……

"You all scored highly on yesterday's exam, and this can be attributed to each of you doing exactly what was necessary. It seems that the last three months haven't been a waste after all. At the very least, you are now a functional team." Strangely enough, although Wu Zhangkong was clearly praising his students, his voice was still as icy as ever. The five students were doubting whether they should be happy or ashamed.

"Tang Wulin, your control has obviously made much progress. Good work, and continue to do your best. Unfortunately, every one of you has absorbed too much spirit energy yesterday, so once the final exam period is over, we'll run some tests again and figure out just how much more spirit energy your bodies can bear. Keep in mind that it is absolutely crucial that you do not absorb energy beyond your limits."

Based on his initial observations, Wu Zhangkong proceeded to summarize the battles from the previous day and gave them his assessment.

The five students couldn't help but beam proudly as he talked about the rebellion spirit ascension platform, especially when he mentioned the Man-Faced Demon Spider. A sort of wonderfully unfathomable feeling still lingered in their hearts at the thought of that battle.

Although Gu Yue had not yet broken through to two rings at the time of that battle, her tactics had been absolutely perfect.

"Tang Wulin, I have a question for you. Was it part of your plan to use the Man-Faced Demon Spider's toxic webs after its death to kill even more soul beasts?" Wu Zhangkong's burning gaze bore into Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin ardently shook his head. "I was thinking that if I let it spin its web, then it would lower its guard and we would be able to use the webs as a protective barrier after it died. I'd never imagined that the webs would actually kill so many soul beasts for us, letting us absorb so much spirit energy."

Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nod. "While your coordination control was exceptional, you must keep in mind that the essence of a Control System Soul Master is to never let your opponent know your intent. This time, your constant, coordinated attacks served to misdirect the enemy's attention, creating a vital opening for you."

At the mention of this, Tang Wulin could only scratch his head in embarrassment.

Wu Zhangkong continued, "But you are still not calm enough! After killing the Man-Faced Demon Spider, it was clear that you all lost your previous tension. Compared to your state of mind from before the battle, the difference was too great! Did you feel satisfied after gaining that much in the spirit ascension platform?"

The students looked at each other in dismay. Even Tang Wulin was no different in that he had harbored the same thoughts at that time. After all, by then, they had already gained far more than they had planned.

Wu Zhangkong said, "Then let me ask you one question. What if you had been in a real forest that time, facing a horde of rebellious soul beasts? Would you still be standing before me now?"

No one dared to utter a word.

Wu Zhangkong continued his lecture, "Remember this: no matter how enticing or how beneficial something is, it cannot compare to the value of your life."

Xie Xie meekly said, "Teacher Wu, I have a question. If we encounter something like the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear in the future, what should we do?"

Wu Zhangkong answered without the slightest hesitation. "Run. If you don't run, then you die."

"Eh…" Xie Xie stared at Wu Zhangkong in shock.

Wu Zhangkong said, "The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear is a special kind of soul beast. From the moment of its birth, it is a king. Its strength simply can't be measured in years, unlike normal soul beasts. But there's no point in continuing this conversation. It would be miraculous for you to encounter a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear in the future, since they have already been hunted to near extinction long ago."

"Is it because they're dangerous?" Zhang Yangzi asked.

Wu Zhangkong shook his head. "No. It's because there's a high chance of collecting a soul bone from them. From the perspective of soul beasts, humanity is the greediest existence in the world. Soul beasts are on the brink of extinction not because they are a danger to us, but because hunting them brings us too many benefits."

Tang Wulin was dumbstruck at these words. For the first time, he was exposed to the true relationship between humanity and soul beasts. When he thought back to all the soul beasts he had killed in the spirit ascension platform, his feelings of triumph couldn't help but turn a bit sour. Those soul beasts had only been illusory existences, but still…

"Big brother, don't be so angry," Xu Xiaoyan timidly begged her brother.

Xu Xiaoyu's distorted expression looked ready to erupt. He couldn't feel anything but anger at the moment. Their clan had paid such a heavy price to obtain entry cards to the rebellion spirit ascension platform for the two of them, yet, due to his moment of carelessness, they had both been eliminated!

The sensation of being annihilated by that elemental attack remained vivid in his mind. It had taken him a full day of rest to recover.

"The only people in the rebellion spirit ascension platform region we entered yesterday should've been Soul Masters from Eastsea City. From their age, they should currently be attending an intermediate academy. Could they really be students of Eastsea Academy?" Xu Xiaoyu narrated his thoughts with an ashen expression.

Xu Xiaoyan remained stunned for a moment. "Really? If that's true, then they should be my seniors."

Although Xu Xiaoyu was the only son in their clan, his stubbornness and arrogance displeased the elders. On the other hand, the gentle and timid Xu Xiaoyan was an absolute treasure in their eyes.

Despite the fact that Xu Xiaoyan was gifted with innate soul power, she didn't like to cultivate. Fortunately, with an outstanding elder brother like Xu Xiaoyu protecting her, no one dared force her.

When she had first awakened her martial soul three years ago, the clan had run tests on her using their equipment, only to discover that not only did she have soul power at rank 17, she also had a martial soul that had undergone a starlight phenomena rarely seen throughout the history of their clan. After this, they realized that she was an even greater genius that the outstanding Xu Xiaoyu.

The Xu family was the largest clan in Eastsea City, and Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan's father was the minister of Eastsea City's financial affairs, which was a position with much prestige and influence. When he found out that his daughter possessed the legendary martial soul of their clan, he was simply overjoyed. He used his power and influence to obtain another entrance card so that his son and daughter could enter the rebellion spirit ascension platform together. Before they entered, he had repeatedly warned Xu Xiaoyu to take care of his little sister and to help her gain as much spirit energy as possible.

Due to Xu Xiaoyan's timidness and her lack of Soul Master training, she had been cowering in fear behind her brother from the moment they entered the spirit ascension platform. She didn't have the courage to kill a single soul beast. Xu Xiaoyu was able to absorb a great amount of spirit power, but his younger sister, with her reluctance to kill, had barely absorbed any.

As he tried his hardest to convince her to at least attack the next soul beast they came across, they accidentally stumbled upon Tang Wulin's team of five. Afterwards, they were met with tragedy…

Upon returning home, not only did he have to suffer the side effects to his body, he also had to endure a lecture from his father. It would have been strange if he was still in a good mood after all that.

"Don't let me find out who they are, otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself!" Xu Xiaoyu said grimly.

Despite his words, Gu Yue's apathetic expression and serene appearance appeared within his mind. Although she wasn't as pretty as his little sister, she possessed an amazing temperament. Just how had she been able to control that many elements?

Even now, Xu Xiaoyu's heart was in turmoil with his doubts and confusion.

"Teacher Wu, the final part of our exam is about to start. Will today's combat class be postponed?" Zhang Yangzi flatteringly asked Wu Zhangkong the moment he entered the room.

This was to be expected of course. With their holidays upon them, it was only normal for students to start feeling a bit lazy.

Wu Zhangkong dully said, "Due to the amount of spirit power you all absorbed this time in the spirit ascension platform, the academy has arranged for you to test your soul ring year levels and your bodies again. Don't think that you can squander your time just because you are young. If you don't put in effort at this age, it'll be useless to begin putting in effort when you grow old. Don't you all have a good understanding of each other? Combat class will still proceed as planned. I've thought about it for a while, and considering your current situations, it wouldn't be suitable for you all to enter the spirit ascension platform again for a while. Your combat classes will actually need to be modified a bit. Follow me." Wu Zhangkong immediately turned on his heel and walked out.

Crestfallen, Zhang Yangzi muttered, "Teacher Wu is so unreasonable."

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Chapter 151 – A Problem Appears

Xie Xie's mouth twitched as he said, "Just be content with how things are. I can't even count the number of advanced department students that want Teacher Wu to teach them."

"Catch up," Tang Wulin cut in.

The five students followed Wu Zhangkong to the academy's training facilities.

These facilities were specially prepared for students to engage in real combat. It was equipped with a soul barrier to minimize the damage caused by stray soul skills.

"Are we being demoted?" Zhang Yangzi covertly whispered to Wang Jinxi. This training facility was frequently used by the ordinary students. After joining class zero for several months, they hadn't come here as much, so it was only natural that Zhang Yangzi was confused. Their combat training had largely been conducted in the spirit ascension platform against the various soul beasts as, after all, they wouldn't be sufficiently challenged otherwise.

Wang Jinxi shot him an annoyed glare. "You really speak a lot of nonsense."

"Eh…"

Wu Zhangkong found the teacher in charge of the building and reserved a training field for them.

The training fields varied in size, ranging from 30 to 50 meters in diameter. The facility had three floors in total. Each floor had four training field of differing sizes, and each field was usually bustling with students from all grades training.

Wu Zhangkong had requested a field on the third floor as it was currently empty. This way, they would be able to train in peace.

Wu Zhangkong brought them to a large training field that reached 50 meters in diameter.

Xie Xie eagerly asked, "Teacher Wu, are we three going to fight against them two? Hehe." Xie Xie shifted his gaze to Zhang Yangzi, a mischievous grin on his lips as he geared up for battle.

"No." Wu Zhangkong said in a cold voice. "The five of you willing be battling me."

"Five against one, that's very unfair… Huh? Against you…" Xie Xie stared at Wu Zhangkong, dumbfounded.

With his usual indifference, Wu Zhangkong said, "Don't forget, this no longer is the spirit ascension platform. You won't revive here in the real world and I might not be able to properly hold back. I will suppress my soul power to the same rank as you all, and I won't amplify my soul rings. This time, however, I will be using my martial soul. Begin."

Without even giving the students a chance to respond, soul rings immediately rose up from beneath his feet.

Two yellow, two purple and two black soul rings appeared. An unstoppable aura engulfed the students for a split second before his soul power rapidly decreased to about rank 20.

An ice blue sword appeared in his right hand. It was as if his usual coldness had condensed into that glacial sword; a rarely seen tender expression graced his face.

White robes and blue sword, sky ice and snow cold!

These words couldn't help but pop into Tang Wulin's head.

The memory of when Wu Zhangkong revealed his martial soul in the battle against Guang Biao was still crystal clear in his mind. He hadn't even been able to make out what sort of attacks Wu Zhangkong had used back then and the battle had already ended in a few brief moments.

Yet today, they were supposed to face his Skyfrost Sword?

"Into formation!" Tang Wulin's thunderous order shocked the rest of his comrades out of their stupor. Gu Yue was the first to respond, appearing behind Tang Wulin in a flash. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie moved into their positions, forming a cross with Gu Yue at the center and poised to face Wu Zhangkong.

Tang Wulin shouted, "Everyone, be careful! I'll restrain him, Gu Yue, you control the battle. The rest of you, focus on attacking. Go!"

Bluesilver Grass gathered in his right hand as he spoke. Tang Wulin had learned from his experiences in the spirit ascension platform and was far more skillful in his control over the vines now.

Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass issued forth, closing in on Wu Zhangkong's position. At his rear, two soul rings sparkled as Gu Yue raised her hands to shoot out a series of blazing fireballs at Wu Zhangkong. With some flying straight at him and others arcing toward him, Wu Zhangkong faced a fiery assault.

Although ice could indeed extinguish fire, fire could also melt ice. After taking into consideration the fact that Wu Zhangkong had lowered his soul power rank to their level, Gu Yue decisively chose to first suppress his attribute.

Dozens of fireballs filled the air, some quick, some slow. Regardless of which, in the end, they all shot toward Wu Zhangkong. The fireballs besieged him from all sides, seemingly impossible for him to deal with the all at once.

Tang Wulin's Bluesilver Grass exploded forth at the same time. A multitude of strands engulfed Wu Zhangkong, binding his body.

Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi dashed forward from different directions, but all three converged towards Wu Zhangkong. With strands of Bluesilver Grass tied around their waists, Tang Wulin was in complete control of them.

The first to arrive were the fireballs. Despite this, Wu Zhangkong's gaze never left his Skyfrost Sword. He took a slow and calculated step to the side as the fireballs seemed to slow down.

In the blink of an eye, the Skyfrost Sword's chilly aura filled the training grounds. Dozens of fireballs extinguished quietly, and as their warm light disappeared, the surroundings returned to its original luster.

For a brief moment, a sliver of emotion made it past Gu Yue's grim expression. She had felt the cores of her fireballs obliterated instantly by Wu Zhankong's move.

The next second, Wu Zhangkong moved in an eerie rhythm, his mystical footwork dodging the bindings of Bluesilver Grass as they shot forth one after another.

At that instant, he was no different from a ghostly general, his body almost illusory. This scene shocked and dazzled the assault team of three to their very bones.

Not good! Tang Wulin pulled ferociously on several strands of Bluesilver Grass as he shouted, "Withdraw!"

It's best not to aim too high against an opponent like Teacher Wu. We need to avoid making any mistakes and prioritize our safety first.

His reaction was swift enough, but his actions were still lacking in power.

Xie Xie had understood Tang Wulin's thoughts from the very beginning, so the moment he heard the order to withdraw, he had immediately changed directions and flown back at his maximum speed.

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi, on the other hand, were a moment too slow. The frost had already crept onto their bodies.

They were not fools though. Having learned from past experiences, they instantly locked hands and were enshrouded in a black light.

Martial soul fusion skill!

Shadow Eagle Dragon!

They didn't dare to hold back against Wu Zhangkong!

Waves of darkness rippled out, unveiling a monstrous scene. Wang Jinxi's aura had clearly grown stronger; however, there was a hint of dissonance between him and Zhang Yangzi. The two of them let out a groan before their bodies quickly separated.

Two cold lights landed on their bodies, causing them to stiffen in place as Wu Zhangkong appeared before them.

"What's going on?" He didn't continue attacking and began to examine the two instead.

Their soul fusion skill failed?

Although they had only partially succeeded in using their soul fusion skill during the Class Promotion Tournament, it was still considered a success. But now, their soul fusion skill had actually failed?

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi paled. They both knew that their martial souls weren't particularly powerful, and it was only because of their soul fusion skill that they had been able to enter the ranks of geniuses with a slim possibility of becoming famous powerhouses in the continent in the future.

Yet, their soul fusion skill had just failed. They were dumbstruck.

"Try it again." Wu Zhangkong moved back and brandished his Skyfrost Sword once again. The chill immediately returned.

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi exchanged a knowing look as they charged at each other once again, their soul powers pushed to their very limits.

A pair of wing unfurled from Zhang Yangzi's back as he swept Wang Jinxi into his arms.

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Chapter 152 – Wang Jinxi's Pain

Wang Jinxi mirrored Zhang Yangzi, and the two collided in the next moment.

A deep dragon's roar rumbled from Wang Jinxi as his Bone Dragon King and Zhang Yangzi's Shadow Phantasm Eagle fused in an instant. They could feel Wang Jinxi's body rejecting the fusion immediately. It was as if his body was trying to push Zhang Yangzi out the moment it saw the Shadow Phantasm Eagle.

Zhang Yangzi stumbled away from Wang Jinxi and landed his butt. Suddenly, he was filled with rage as he shouted, "Wang Jinxi, what is the meaning of this?! Why won't you fuse with me?!"

"I, I didn't do anything!" Wang Jinxi stared at him in confusion. He couldn't comprehend what was going on either.

Wu Zhangkong knitted his brows and turned to Zhang Yangzi. "Calm down. This isn't something Wang Jinxi can control. I fear that there really might be a problem with your soul fusion skill now."

Zhang Yangzi got up from the floor, breathing heavily. On the other side, Wang Jinxi's eyes clouded with apprehension as a vague reason formulated within his mind.

Wu Zhangkong went silent for a moment. "Jinxi's martial soul has probably mutated, so now your two martial souls aren't compatible enough to use your soul fusion skill anymore."

Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with a conflicted expression.

Similarly, Tang Wulin also wore odd expression. Is it possible that his Bone Dragon King was influenced by our dual cultivation?

His gaze alternating between Wang Jinxi and Tang Wulin, Zhang Yangzi began to have an inkling as to the cause. After all, he was a bright kid. "Could it be because the two of you are cultivating together?"

Wang Jinxi let out a sigh that was filled with all his pent up emotions. "I can't think of any reason other than that."

Wu Zhangkong said, "Today's classes will end here. Tang Wulin, Wang Jinxi, you two follow me. I need to examine your martial souls."

"Yes."

It was a very simple process to examine their martial souls; Wu Zhangkong simply used his own soul power to scan their bodies and observe any changes that had occurred when they used their martial souls.

"Jinxi, I am almost certain that the problem was caused by Tang Wulin's influence on your martial soul. As an individual, it's something fortunate since your martial soul is mutating to a higher level under the influence of Tang Wulin's bloodline. As for how far it will mutate, I have no way of knowing. The one thing I can be certain of, though, is that if you continue to cultivate with Tang Wulin, your martial soul will continue to mutate, but you will likely no longer be able to use your soul fusion skill with Zhang Yangzi. That is the drawback of this situation. You need to carefully think things over and decide which direction you want to develop in."

Wang Jinxi stilled, completely dumbstruck. "Then, will I return to normal if I stop cultivating with Tang Wulin?"

Wu Zhangkong grimly said, "From what I have seen so far, it should be possible. You two have only cultivated together for a few months and his soul power is weaker than yours, so he hasn't influenced you much. As a result, your martial soul mutation is still not firm, and you should be able to slowly return to normal if you stop cultivating with Tang Wulin. His bloodline's influence affects similar martial souls within a certain range though, so if you choose to stop, I will rearrange your rooms further apart from each other."

Wang Jinxi raised his head to look at Tang Wulin, his eyes flickering with conflicting emotions.

"I'm sorry, Jinxi! I didn't know things would turn out like this." Tang Wulin earnestly apologized. He was well aware just how important a soul fusion skill was to Soul Masters.

Wang Jinxi shook his head. "How can I blame you for this? No one could have predicted it. Teacher Wu, is it fine if I return to my room and think about this before deciding?"

Wu Zhangkong nodded. "Of course. This is an important decision. It's best for you to go back and think about it carefully."

Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with a deep gaze before giving him a curt nod.

Wu Zhangkong said, "There's something else I must remind you. From my current observations, Tang Wulin's bloodline is actually gradually growing stronger. If you continue to cultivate with him, your martial soul could potentially grow even stronger than a soul fusion skill. Furthermore, that would purely be your strength as an individual. This is an important point to consider."

"Thank you, Teacher Wu."

Sadness and bitterness found its way into Tang Wulin's heart after Wang Jinxi left. He had never expected that their mutually beneficial cultivation method would have such a large drawback.

Wang Jinxi was still benefiting either way, but what about Zhang Yangzi? Without Wang Jinxi, he would no longer be able to use their soul fusion skill.

Tang Wulin hated to see a situation such as this, but it had already happened, and the decision rested in Wang Jinxi's hands. It wasn't his place to try to influence Wang Jinxi's decision.

A strange mood fell over class zero from that day onward.

Zhang Yangzi became uncommunicative while Wang Jinxi was even more taciturn than usual.

Two days quickly passed and the second part of their final exam was upon them.

"Follow me. We're going to take the second part of the exam now." Wu Zhangkong said with his usual indifference.

"Teacher Wu." Wang Jinxi suddenly stood up.

"Hm?" Wu Zhangkong gave him a curious look. Tang Wulin also turned to stare at Wang Jinxi, a hint of dread welling within his heart as he anticipated what would happen next. Wang Jinxi hadn't been cultivating with him these last few days, and the moment they were dismissed from class he would immediately return to his room and not come out.

"Teacher Wu, I've decided. I won't cultivate with Tang Wulin anymore." Although Wang Jinxi spoke quickly and monotonously, his voice was resolute.

Stunned, Zhang Yangzi stared at Wang Jinxi with wide eyes.

Wu Zhangkong gazed at him for a moment before asking, "And you have really thought this over carefully?"

Wang Jinxi earnestly nodded. "While I might be able to reach even greater heights in the future if I continue cultivating with Tang Wulin, only I would benefit that way. I grew up with Zhang Yangzi, and we're the closest of childhood friends. We played with each other everyday. We're inseparable and are practically brothers. I can't abandon him for my own sake, otherwise I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Besides, we're already two-ringed Soul Grandmasters and have a soul fusion skill, so we can definitely be considered geniuses already. This is why I choose to cultivate with Zhang Yangzi."

At this point, Wang Jinxi took a moment to stop and swept his gaze at Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue. He took in a deep breath, beating the drums of courage as he readied his next words. "Also, Teacher Wu, thank you for this semester's guidance. I also thank my comrades as well, but I'm sorry; I want to transfer academies. I'll transfer schools together with Yangzi. Wulin's bloodline influence is just too much. As long as I stay within this academy, I'll continue to be influenced by him. Even during the last two days where I haven't been cultivating with him, I still felt oppressed by him. The only thing I can do now is leave."

Tang Wulin was rendered speechless at these words. He had never expected that his mere presence would force Wang Jinxi to transfer academies.

"Jinxi, I can try to keep myself away from you if my effect is really that strong. You won't have to transfer academies then…" Tang Wulin hastily interjected.

Wang Jinxi relaxed as he let out a deep breath. A gentle smile found its way to his lips as he shook his head. "Don't be silly. Wulin, you can't blame yourself for this. This decision isn't related to you at all. These changes happened to my body, not yours. You also could never have predicted that your bloodline would have such great influence either. This change won't affect our friendship at all, we just can't cultivate together any longer. It's not just my martial soul that's being affected; my mind is as well. Maybe if I leave you and go cultivate somewhere else for some time, I'll be able to return to normal. Ever since the Class Promotion Tournament, I've felt this mental pressure, but I just never wanted to acknowledge it until now. Yangzi and I can still cultivate properly together, so you don't have to worry about us."

"Teacher Wu, I'll have to trouble you to handle the contract with the academy. I have already discussed things with my father and we've decided to pay for the resources that were used on Yangzi and I this semester. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Wang Jinxi bowed deeply before Wu Zhangkong, expressing his deep regret. Tang Wulin saw two water droplets fall to the floor as Wang Jinxi bowed.

How could Wang Jinxi actually want to leave? They hadn't just become friends after a semester together, they had reached a rarely seen level of tacit understanding between Soul Masters! They had come together to form a squad; a squad that was able to kill a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider! How could he be willing to part with his cherished comrades now?

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Chapter 153 – Leaving

It was just as Wang Jinxi said. If he continued to stay here, he would inevitably be influenced by Tang Wulin and reap many benefits by cultivating together. During the two days they had been apart, however, Wang Jinxi discovered just how deeply he had been affected. He could no longer sleep soundly at night and he wasn't even able to meditate properly. His heart was in turmoil.

It was only after contemplating his situation deeply these last two days that Wang Jinxi realized that if he continued to cultivate with Tang Wulin, he might not be able to part with him. In fact, he might subconsciously become Tang Wulin's vassal.

Regardless of which type of martial soul, it was a fact that bloodlines and martial souls would affect each other. The stronger one's soul power was, the stronger their bloodline would be. Currently, he was a level higher than Tang Wulin, yet he was already being influenced so greatly; then what would happen if Tang Wulin overtook him in the future? He feared just how much he would be affected then.

Despite his young age, Wang Jinxi clearly understood this terrifying concept. Furthermore, in consideration of his relationship with Zhang Yangzi, he had finally arrived at this decision. It was a hard decision, and although it pained him to do so, he had no other choice.

"Jinxi!" Zhang Yangzi suddenly rushed over and embraced Wang Jinxi. He couldn't hold back anymore; tears began to stream down his face.

Hadn't he also been suffering these last few days? Losing his soul fusion partner would leave him as nothing more than an ordinary Soul Master. His cultivation speed would take a hit, and his clan would no longer place as much value on him. After all, strength was what decided his position within his clan.

Yet, Wang Jinxi's staunch words had washed away all the worries within his heart. Friendship truly prevailed over all and his heart was touched by such a deep friendship.

Wu Zhangkong still stood there like an unfeeling statue, but Xie Xie had noticed it. For just a brief moment, a tinge of sadness had flashed across the depths of Wu Zhangkong's eyes.

"Fine then. Since you have already decided on this, you don't have to worry about the rest. I will settle things with the academy and handle it with your clan. Perhaps this really is the correct choice." Wu Zhangkong's reply was utterly simple. "Then, do you two still want to take the second part of the final exam?"

Wang Jinxi could only force out an awkward smile. "Teacher Wu, I'm sorry. I don't think Yangzi or I am in any frame of mind to participate in the exam today. Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, good luck! Please don't let our decision disturb you. You three are amazing. We'll meet again in the future; at that time, we might even be challenging you then. The two of us will definitely become strong soon. We won't let you leave us behind."

Tears fell down Wang Jinxi's face as he spoke with a bright smile and clenched fists. It took all his willpower to just wave goodbye at Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin suddenly charged over and brought the two of them into his embrace, letting out a few quiet sobs.

"We will conduct the exam tomorrow." After stating this, Wu Zhangkong left the classroom with large strides.

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi returned to their rooms to pack up their belongings. Tang Wulin didn't know what agreement their clans and the academy had made. What he did know, however, was that class zero only had three students left.

Wei Xiaofeng was the first to leave, and now Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi are leaving too. Mom and dad left me. Na'er left me too. Why do the people I hold dear always leave me?

Tang Wulin looked out the window, staring listlessly at the field outside as sorrow and dejection welled within his heart.

His heart pained from the loss of his friends, as well as self-blame.

"Hey! What's up with you?" A pleasant voice suddenly called out from the field.

Tang Wulin turned toward the voice. It was the pretty Ouyang Zixin, and she was waving at him.

"Senior sister." Tang Wulin blankly stared at her. He didn't know why, but for some unfathomable reason, his mood instantly uplifted the moment he saw her.

"You're so big already yet you're still snivelling like a child?" Ouyang Zixin said with a teasing smile.

Tang Wulin touched his cheeks, completely unaware that he had been crying.

Now that he noticed his tears, he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve, embarrassed. "I'm fine, senior sister."

"Come down here." Ouyang Zixin beckoned him.

"Oh…" He climbed onto the window sill. With a strand of Bluesilver Grass attached to the window, he jumped from the fourth floor which was dozens of meters tall, and landed gently.

"Wow! So cool!" Ouyang Zixin beamed sweetly at him.

Tang Wulin awkwardly scratched his head. "No way! I'm just…"

Ouyang Zixin giggled. "Okay, okay. You don't need to explain yourself. It's normal for children to like showing off. So, why were you crying? Come tell senior sister."

Tang Wulin bravely shook his head. "It's nothing much. Two of my classmates are just transferring academies, so I'm a bit sad."

Ouyang Zixin said with an air of maturity, "You're such an emotional kid; it's not like you won't see them again in the future. They're simply transferring academies, that's all. Alright then! Life is just like this and the world is ever-changing. Who would know what tomorrow holds for them? As long as you live, then live each day happily! Go pursue your goals and your own happiness. You'll be fine as long as you do that."

She rubbed Tang Wulin's head as she spoke. "Come on, I'll take you out for some good food." She grabbed his hand and immediately began dragging him toward the academy gates.

Ouyang Zixin's hand felt soft and delicate over his own, and as she pulled him forward, he was able to catch her fragile fragrance.

Warmth filled his heart for a brief moment. He had always devoted himself wholly to cultivating his martial soul and blacksmithing, but at that moment he was in desperate need of affection.

Both his parents and Na'er had left him. All the people he held dear had also left him without a single trace. All he could do was throw himself into cultivating to numb the pain. Yet, it was precisely because of this that Ouyang Zixin's gentleness made him warm; it was the feeling of being loved.

"Big sister will bring you out for some barbecue skewers and grilled fish."

A normal person's appetite would grow when they were in a good mood and Tang Wulin was naturally no different.

Ouyang Zixin's beautiful eyes simply stared in shock as Tang Wulin continued to stuff more and more barbecue skewers into his mouth.

There was a mountain of bamboo skewers in front of of Tang Wulin, attracting curious glances from the surrounding customers.

Ouyang Zixin was on the verge of crying. "Junior brother, big sister brought you here to comfort you, but do you hold some kind of grudge against me? You've already eaten a week's worth of my food budget!"

"Huh?" Tang Wulin finally noticed just how much he had eaten. He looked up and was instantly attacked by Ouyang Zixin's lovable pout. His appetite today was a bit bigger than normal, especially since he hadn't eaten much in the morning with the matter of Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi's still weighing down on his mind.

"Ah, sorry! Senior sister, I'll pay today. A man should treat a lady anyways." Tang Wulin hastily put on the airs of a gentleman. In any case, he had more than enough money to pay for food with all the forging he had been doing.

Pa! Ouyang Zixin hit his head with a karate chop. "What do you mean by man? You're still just a child. What kind of big sister brings her little brother out to eat and actually lets him pay? Come on, eat, eat. Even if you eat away all my money, I'll just have to rely on the academy's dining hall then. Oh right, could you be the rumored Super Rice Bucket of the lower grades? I heard that even the academy fears your appetite."

"Eh… That's probably me…" Tang Wulin said with a hint of shame.

"Seriously though, you can eat so much! Your future wife is going to be worked to death cooking for you!" Ouyang Zixin teased.

"Zixin," a voice suddenly called out.

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Chapter 154 – The Arrogant and Pampered Ice Staff Guy

Ouyang Zixin turned toward the voice, her eyes lighting up when she saw who it was. Hastily standing up, she walked over and greeted, "Senior brother, are you here to eat?"

Tang Wulin's vision was obstructed by her body, so he could only make out that the person she was talking to was a tall male youth.

"Yeah! I brought my little sister out for a nice meal. It's only been two weeks since the last time I saw you, and you're even prettier than before," the youth said with a bright smile.

Ouyang Zixin held her face as she bashfully said, "Really? Thank you for the compliment, senior brother. Ah, there aren't any free tables right now. Do you want to eat with us?"

"Sure!" the youth said with a laugh.

Tang Wulin didn't know why, but a feeling of dissatisfaction crept into his heart when he heard Ouyang Zixin speaking to the youth with such a tender voice. An inkling of hostility grew within him, but he didn't raise his head, instead choosing to wallow in his bitterness.

"Damn, you guys really ate a lot!" the youth exclaimed in astonishment.

Ouyang Zixin proudly explained, "That's right! My little brother here has quite the big appetite. Senior brother, please, I'll treat you today."

The youth revealed a gentlemanly smile. "How can I let a girl pay for me? Boss, I want to order some more food. I want to order one dish of broiled cod and one dish of roasted chicken wings. Xiaoyan, is there anything else you want?"

"I want some barbeque skewers. Lamb skewers and beef skewers. Big brother, can I have some beer too? I like it, and it'll be refreshing." A melodious voice attracted Tang Wulin's attention.

However, he could only stare in shock at the two people who sat across from him.

Just how small is the world that I managed to run into you here! Isn't this the arrogant and pampered ice staff guy and his little sister?

That was right. The one Ouyang Zixin called senior brother was actually Xu Xiaoyu, and naturally, the girl at his side was Xu Xiaoyan. He had been in a bad mood these last few days, so he wanted to bring his little sister out to eat some good food to cheer up. Yet, who would have thought that he would run into Ouyang Zixin and Tang Wulin.

Xu Xiaoyan was excitedly picking out what foods she wanted to eat while Xu Xiaoyu was turned toward the restaurant owner, so neither of them had noticed that Tang Wulin had raised his head yet.

"Hey, little guy, slow down a bit! You're going to frighten the others." Ouyang Zixin took this as a chance to scooch closer to Tang Wulin and whispered this warning into his ear.

Indignance instantly attacked his heart. Could senior sister actually think of this arrogant and pampered ice staff guy that way? Although Tang Wulin was young, he wasn't ignorant to the affairs between men and women after all the things Xie Xie had told him.

Tang Wulin lowered his head once more. It's best if they don't notice. Otherwise, there'll be some trouble. I'll just focus on eating then.

Finished ordering food, Xu Xiaoyu turned back to see the sweetly smiling Ouyang Zixin and said, "Junior sister, is this your actual little brother? Or does he attend our academy?"

Ouyang Zixin laughed. "He's not my actual little brother, I just treat him like one. Ah, that's right! This little brother of mine is actually a genius. He's in the newly created class zero!"

"Eh? Class zero?" Xu Xiaoyu's voice was full of surprise, exchanging curious looks with his little sister.

Ouyang Zixin said, "You know about class zero even though you're in the advanced division?"

Xu Xiaoyu said, "I only started hearing about them in the last few days. My little sister will be attending an intermediate soul master academy starting next year, but father said that he wants her to enroll early and transfer into class zero. I think his arrangements should be nearly finished."

"Transfer student?" Without thinking, Tang Wulin raised his head and asked. The ice staff girl is joining class zero?

His sudden outburst attracted the gazes of Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan. The two siblings were immediately dumbstruck when they saw Tang Wulin.

The gloom that hovered over Xu Xiaoyu had originated from Tang Wulin and his friends, so there was no way he wouldn't recognize Tang Wulin. His gaze immediately sharpened. "It's you!"

Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth as she cried out in surprise, "Ah! You…"

Realizing that he had exposed himself in his excitement, Tang Wulin could only show an abashed expression.

Ouyang Zixin directed a puzzled glance at him, before turning to ask Xu Xiaoyu, "Senior brother, do you know my little brother?"

Xu Xiaoyu was about to say yes, but after thinking about it once more, he realized that it wouldn't be too good for his reputation if Ouyang Zixin found out he had been beaten by a bunch of brats in the spirit ascension platform. He still wanted her to have a good opinion of him.

"I don't know him. It just seems like our meeting is fated," Xu Xiaoyu coldly said.

"Big brother, isn't he…" The pure Xu Xiaoyan was quickly cut off with a nudge from her brother.

With her cleverness, Ouyang Zixin could immediately tell that something was off, but since Xu Xiaoyu didn't want to speak about it, she wouldn't pry. Instead, she cheerfully said, "I'll introduce the two of you then. This little guy is from the first grade's class zero, Tang Wulin. Wulin, this senior brother is our academy's most outstanding genius. He's in the advanced division's second grade's class one; our senior brother, Xu Xiaoyu. He's already a three-ringed Soul Elder, and he might even make a breakthrough to four rings by the time he graduates. And then he'll be a Soul Ancestor! Pretty girl beside him is his little sister, Xu Xiaoyan."

Upon hearing Ouyang Zixin's introductions, Xu Xiaoyu felt his face grow hot, as if he had been slapped in the face. If not for the presence of Ouyang Zixin and his junior brother, he wouldn't have been able to restrain himself from making a scene.

"Hello, senior brother," Tang Wulin said as he forced himself to offer a handshake.

Xu Xiaoyu snorted. "This junior brother sure is capable! Could your class zero be the ones I ran into the other day? Or was it someone else?"

Tang Wulin's scalp numbed. Is this guy out for revenge? Gu Yue might have defeated him that day, but that was only because he was acting so despicably! The terrifying memory of the Fury of Ice skill was still fresh in his mind, so he didn't dare utter a word to contradict him.

Ouyang Zixin quietly prodded Tang Wulin. "Senior brother asked you a question."

Shifting his gaze toward her, Tang Wulin realized that Ouyang Zixin's gaze had never left Xu Xiaoyu even when she was speaking to him. A repressed tenderness exuded from her eyes.

"Senior sister, I'm full now. Let's go." Tang Wulin took a napkin and wiped his fingers, then got up to leave.

"Wulin, what's going on with you?" Ouyang Zixin hastily scolded him before quickly turning back toward Xu Xiaoyu. "Sorry, senior brother! I'll take him back first. You two go ahead to eat, I'll be back in a bit."

Xu Xiaoyan watched with curiosity as Ouyang Zixin chased after Tang Wulin. "So he's actually from class zero. It seems class zero is really powerful! That big sister can even defeat you, big brother!"

A dark frown instantly settled on Xu Xiaoyu's face as he lightly smacked Xu Xiaoyan's head. "Can't you keep quiet about that?"

Feeling wronged, Xu Xiaoyan cried out, "You hit me! I'm going to go tell dad!"

"How can that be considered hitting? It was just patting, okay, patting!" Xu Xiaoyu helplessly denied.

"Wulin, what's going on with you?" Ouyang Zixin finally caught up to Tang Wulin to ask him.

Tang Wulin had already regained his senses from the chilling winds. He realized that he had acted inappropriately. His senior sister had been so kind to treat him to a meal yet he had actually run out like a little kid.

"I'm sorry, senior sister," Tang Wulin apologized. "I haven't been in my right mind these last few days. Let's go back."

Ouyang Zixin shook her head. "Forget it. I'm already full from watching you eat. Why don't you just head back first? I'll go keep them company for a bit longer."

"Huh?" He finally understood when he saw the look in Ouyang Zixin's eyes as she gazed back toward the restaurant. Xu Xiaoyu occupied a larger place in her heart than he did.

"Okay. Thank you, senior sister, for treating me today. I'll return the favor some day," Tang Wulin said with the utmost courtesy.

"Eh, forget about it. It's fine. We can talk about it next time. I'll be going back to the restaurant now. You be careful on the road back." With these parting words lingering in the air, Ouyang Zixin quickly rushed back toward the restaurant.

Tang Wulin laughed in self-ridicule. He still liked Ouyang Zixin, but there was still the gap in their ages.

Huh, but is there really going to be another student joining class zero? Xu Xiaoyan doesn't seem that strong though! She didn't even have the courage to attack that day. All she did was hide behind that arrogant and pampered ice staff guy.

I'll just go back and ask Teacher Wu. If we don't get another classmate, then we'll really be a small class with just me, Gu Yue and Xie Xie…

Once he got back to the academy, instead of returning to his room, he went over to Wu Zhangkong's room and knocked.

"Come in." Wu Zhangkong's cold voice penetrated through the door.

Knowing that the door was unlocked, Tang Wulin opened it and walked in to see Wu Zhangkong clad in white, as per usual, sitting cross-legged on his bed as if he had been meditating.

"What's the matter?" Wu Zhangkong dully said.

Tang Wulin asked, "Teacher Wu, I met someone today who said that they're going to join class zero. Are we really getting another classmate?"

Wu Zhangkong suddenly opened his eyes, a purple light flashing through them for a split second. "This isn't something you should be concerned about right now. Instead, you should be thinking about how you will pass the second part of your final exams. Let me remind you, the exam was originally prepared for the five of you to take together, but now you're down to two people. That means the three of you will be taking a test meant for five."

"Huh?" How can this be called reminding? I found out just now!?

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Chapter 155 - You have the scent of a woman on you!

Tang Wulin stared at Wu Zhangkong, dumbstruck. He felt dazed as a thought popped into his mind, So there really exists someone this unreasonable!

Wu Zhangkong continued, "If there isn't anything else, you may leave now."

"Oh." Tang Wulin left the room dejected, but could not wait inform Xie Xie and Gu Yue of what Wu Zhangkong had said.

"If it's a test for five, then it's a test for five." Gu Yue was unperturbed by this revelation. On the other hand, Xie Xie was a bit nervous, but he knew that it was useless to worry about things they had no control over.

"Wulin, actually, there's something I want to try with you," Xie Xie mischievously whispered into Tang Wulin's ear.

Tang Wulin eyed him suspiciously. "What is it?"

Xie Xie said, "I was thinking, when I stabbed you with my dagger back when you were still unable to control your bloodline, you suddenly exploded with power. Now that you're able to control it, do you think even more power will burst out?"

After a moment of astonished silence, Tang Wulin answered, "I don't know either."

That mischievous smile returned to Xie Xie's lips. "Then, do you want to test it out?"

"Unacceptable! Why don't you go stick a knife in yourself?!" Gu Yue smiled brightly while kicking Xie Xie away.

Xie Xie groaned out, "I knew you would be overprotective of him! Jeez, can't you be a bit more unbiased, Gu Yue? We got to know one another at the same time, so why do you favor Tang Wulin so much?"

Gu Yue's smile grew wider. Her smile was beautiful, giving a sense of homeliness. Despite its beauty, though, all it did was strike panic and fear into Xie Xie's heart. "What, what are you smiling about?"

"You want to know why I treat Tang Wulin better than you? The answer is very simple; he's more handsome than you!" Gu Yue said maliciously.

"Eh… How can you be like this!" Xie Xie's voice was filled with indignance.

Tang Wulin couldn't help but chuckle at their banter. "Settle down, you two. Let's figure out how we're going to tackle the exam first."

Gu Yue said, "We'll just do things the same way we moved in the spirit ascension platform. We have the best coordination between just the three of us anyway, so we should just adapt to the situation as we see fit. Besides, Teacher Wu wouldn't give us an impossible test."

Tang Wulin nodded in understanding. "I think Teacher Wu will target our usual arrangements. How about this then, we'll change things up a bit. Xie Xie, you'll still be our main assault-support force. Gu Yue, you'll also join in the assault this time. I'll be in charge of defense and control."

Gu Yue nodded. "Alright. I'm fine with anything."

"Okay, we'll go with that then." After the two of them left Xie Xie's room, Gu Yue pulled on his arm before he could return to his room.

"Wait."

"What is it?" Tang Wulin asked, puzzled.

Gu Yue moved closer to him and circled around him once, sniffing the whole time. "There's the scent of a woman on you. Speak; what you were doing earlier?"

Tang Wulin was astonished. "Your nose is so sensitive! You're actually able to distinguish the scent of a woman over the smell of barbecue. Amazing, so amazing!"

"Don't try to change the subject. Out with it already," Gu Yue fiercely interrogated.

Tang Wulin awkwardly smiled. "It's nothing much! I wasn't in a good mood today, so senior sister Ouyang treated me to some barbecue. Can you guess who I met there?" He explained how he had went out to eat with Ouyang Zixin and had run into the Xu siblings.

Even after she heard his explanation, Gu Yue still eyed him suspiciously. "So you're telling me that this senior sister Ouyang likes that arrogant and pampered ice staff guy?"

Tang Wulin grudgingly said, "It seems so. Oh right, Xu Xiaoyan is probably joining class zero. What do you think about that?"

"I don't mind!" Gu Yue's answer was normal, considering her usual attitude of indifference. "That Ouyang girl is no good, valuing love over friendship. You should distance yourself from her."

Tang Wulin frowned. "Don't talk about her like that. She was kind enough to treat me to a meal. Senior sister Ouyang is a kindhearted person!"

Gu Yue said, "Kindhearted? If she was kindhearted, then she would have walked you back. The restaurant you guys went to was so far away, and you're still so small…"

"Where am I small?!" Tang Wulin asked in dissatisfaction.

Placing her hands on her hips, Gu Yue retorted, "Anyway, just don't meet her so much in the future. One look and I could already tell that she wasn't any good. Go get some sleep." Having proclaimed her decree, she quickly turned around and left.

Tang Wulin couldn't make any sense of what had just transpired. Choosing to forget about it, he returned to his room to focus on cultivating. Although his day had been full of gloom and suspicions, becoming a powerful expert was still his ultimate goal so he couldn't stray from his routine just because of a small psychological attack.

After returning to her room and closing the door, Gu Yue's eyes seemed to twinkle with an unusual light. She walked over to the window by her bed and opened it, basking in the cool night air.

As her hair fluttered in the evening wind, her eyes gradually changed from their usual black and began to emit a faint purple light.

She held out her palms, letting several lights dance within her palms. Blue was water, yellow was earth, red was fire, green was wind, silver was space and gold was light. Yet, a dark purple light also danced about. In the next moment, it disappeared.

Dawn of the next day.

Tang Wulin was jogging on the fields per usual when a familiar figure entered his sights.

"Good morning senior sister," Tang Wulin called out to Ouyang Zixin in greeting.

Beaming her usual smile, Ouyang Zixin said, "How are you? Are you in a better mood now?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head in embarrassment. "I'm good now. No problems at all."

Ouyang Zixin giggled at his embarrassment. "That's good then. Oh right, it was senior brother Xu who paid the bill yesterday. You should go thank him when you get the chance."

"He paid the bill?" Once again, gloominess shrouded his heart immediately.

Ouyang Zixin said, "Yeah. He paid the bill to give me face. Ah, this sister is just joking with you. You can treat me next time instead. Come on, let's pick up the pace. Let's see if I can beat you this time."

It was clear that Tang Wulin held the advantage as they sped up. Ouyang Zixin was by no means slow, but there was definitely a gap between her and him. Tang Wulin, however, restrained himself to maintain a pace that matched Ouyang Zixin's.

Finished with their run, Ouyang Zixin went back to wash her face as she always did. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin went about his usual routine too; rushing off to attack the dining hall with his one man Rice Bucket Brigade.

Unexpectedly, the second part of the final exam was also not conducted on the academy's grounds. Wu Zhangkong led them out of the academy and onto a soul bus that headed to the outskirts.

"Teacher Wu, can't you at least give us a hint of what today's test is about yet?" Xie Xie asked with a grin.

Wu Zhangkong merely glanced at him. "You'll know when we get there. It's similar to the spirit ascension platform, but not really."

"Eh…" Xie Xie gave a slight nod.

Although Tang Wulin had already lived in Eastsea City for over half a year, he hadn't really explored anywhere else besides the academy, the Blacksmith's Association, and their vicinity. He was unfamiliar with the rest of the city.

Unfamiliar scenery flitted past them as the bus entered the suburbs.

Although it was still crowded and bustling with activity, the suburbs were clearly more spacious than other parts of the city.

After getting off in the outskirts, Wu Zhangkong brought them to a gigantic park called Eastsea Soul Technology Park.

The park was filled with greenery and buildings that had a variety of styles. Every single building had its own unique characteristics, but the majority of them were made of metal.

"Do you know what this place is?" Tang Wulin quietly asked Xie Xie.

In a similarly hushed voice, Xie Xie answered, "I heard that Eastsea City's best tech companies are based here. Apparently, they even have a mecha factory here."

"Mecha?" Tang Wulin's eyes instantly lit up at this word. Although Wu Zhangkong had explained to them that high-end mechas were battle armors, they had never seen one yet, so in Tang Wulin's mind, mechas were still the coolest!

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Chapter 156 – Eastsea's Little Zhangkong

The park was enormous, so it was only after half an hour did Wu Zhangkong lead them to a smaller park within the park.

They were greeted with a wide expanse of greenery. There was a small building in the center, tiny in comparison to the other buildings they had seen on the way there. Along with the vast emptiness that surrounded it, the scene looked disproportionate.

When they reached the building, the students were surprised to see that it didn't have a name plaque. They couldn't make heads or tails of just what this place was. Is the second part of the exam really being conducted here?

The building was dark blue, and its walls shimmered like a mirror, each wall seemingly cut from a block of glass. There was a bizarre sense of beauty to this reflective-like quality. Every angle refracted the light in a different way. It was breathtaking.

No one guarded the dark blue double doors that were also made of glass. Wu Zhangkong walked up and pressed onto the glass.

A blue light suddenly appeared. It projected an image that was accompanied by an amused voice. "Oh, long time no see! It's Eastsea's Little Zhangkong!"

Wu Zhangkong coldly said, "Open the doors."

The voice answered back willy-nilly, "You're still so boring."

With a crisp ring, the doors wordlessly opened up.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue stood there dumbfounded. Eastsea's Little Zhangkong? What in the devil?

Zhangkong is Teacher Wu's name, and 'Eastsea' should be referring to Eastsea City right? But… this way of calling him is just… Ahem.

Entering the door, they saw the same dark blue walls, but there was now a shining white floor and gentle fluorescent lights overhead. They came together to paint a scene of calm and order, further emphasizing the lack of people. A circular metal platform holding three metal wristbands hovered over.

"Put them on," instructed Wu Zhangkong.

Xie Xie curiously asked, "Teacher Wu, what does it do?"

Wu Zhangkong answered back, "It's to identify you. If you wear it, you won't be considered an enemy by the defense systems here."

Xie Xie gasped. "So high-tech!"

Without wasting any more words, Wu Zhangkong lead the trio over to another dark blue glass door. A bright blue light swept out once more, but without the voice this time. After scanning them and taking note of their wristbands, it quieted down.

Past the door was a long tunnel with several bends in it. As Wu Zhangkong lead them through the tunnel, he passed through another glass door and disappeared in a flash of light.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue instinctively stopped. This is…

"Spatial technology?" Xie Xie exclaimed. He had been born to a large clan so it was only natural that he had a deep understanding of just how advanced the continent's technology was now. He clearly remembered that spatial technology was still in its development stage, and was far from being implemented into practical uses. Yet, what they had just experienced was the result of spatial technology!

"Forward." Wu Zhangkong's voice resonated from all sides.

Exchanging glances with his two companions, Tang Wulin lead the way forward.

After entering the area Wu Zhangkong had just been in, an odd feeling swept over them. Tang Wulin felt as if his whole body was being wrapped up in pure energy. In the next moment, he found himself in a completely different place.

It was a dark blue space. Dark blue stalagmite and stalactite crystals surrounded him. The walls were made from a silver-white metal. The crystals and metal came together to refract light in astonishing ways.

Shortly after, Xie Xie and Gu Yue appeared by his side with two flashes of light.

"Wow! It really is spatial technology! Our final exam location is so high-tech!" Xie Xie's voice was full of awe.

Wu Zhangkong was leaning against a wall. A moment later, some unknown mechanism seemed to have been activated as one wall suddenly split open to reveal a large screen with a myriad of symbols on it. A keyboard popped up and Wu Zhangkong began typing. The sounds of his typing was like the pitter-patter of rain that struck down with lightning speed.

"Identity confirmed. Eastsea's Little Zhangkong."

"Test difficulty: medium. Participants: three. Commencing in ten seconds."

"Ten…"

"Nine…"

"What's going on? Why is it starting a countdown?" Xie Xie asked, startled.

Wu Zhangkong turned to stare at them. "Don't tell me you still want more preparation time? Just go do what you always do."

"Eight, seven, six… Three, two, one. Begin!"

Three blue lights descended onto the trio and in a flash, they disappeared.

Tang Wulin felt that energy wrapping him up again. This time, though, the feeling was far stronger and lasted longer.

Tang Wulin hastily circulated his soul power and sped up his blood flow when he felt the sensation that he was being pulled apart. He could now clearly hear his own heartbeat continuously accelerating.

Each powerful beat of his heart fended off the pain, allowing him to calm down and steady himself.

After some unknown period of time had passed, another light flashed and Tang Wulin lost control of his body. He was enveloped with a sense of weightlessness.

Not good!

He didn't hesitate to release and shoot his Bluesilver Grass downwards to latch onto something while he frantically took in his bearings.

The first thing he felt was the world spinning around him. He then felt a strong pull on his body. His Bluesilver Grass had finally attached itself to something. As two other lights descended near him, he hastily exerted all his strength in controlling his Bluesilver Grass to slow his fall and act as a spring for his other two comrades.

The elastic force of the grass disappeared just as he gently landed on the ground.

Xie Xie and Gu Yue were nowhere to be found. He was alone now, and astonished to discover that this place was somewhat familiar to him. The ground was white and there was no sky, yet, there seemed to be no boundaries to this world.

This place resembled the world he had met Old Tang in. It was different, of course. This place had far more things present and couldn't possibly be the space within his consciousness.

This…

Just what is this place?

"Welcome to the Hall of Heroes. First trial, medium difficulty. Name: Tang Wulin. Age: 10."

"Test objective for the first round: survive for thirty seconds."

Without even giving Tang Wulin a second to understand what was going on, a beam of light appeared in front of him, revealing a pretty girl. She had gentle eyes and wore a kind smile.

"Begin!" The electronic voice announced.

The girl's eyes lit up and a powerful light enveloped her body. As the light grew brighter, a yellow ring rose from beneath her feet.

Tang Wulin saw her figure flicker and in an instant, she appeared right in front of him. She struck out a palm straight toward his stomach.

This footwork! It's similar to Teacher Wu's!

Having experienced Wu Zhangkong's strange footwork before, Tang Wulin was prepared when the girl charged him. With a wave of his hands, dozens of strands of Bluesilver Grass shot out in front of him to create an all-encompassing defense.

A three-legged cauldron materialized in front of her all of a sudden. Too quick for Tang Wulin to even react, the cauldron descended with an eruption of black gas.

The ground trembled and a loud rumble resounded, jolting Tang Wulin into launching his Bluesilver Grass net upward. He was completely powerless to resist his opponent.

Taking advantage of the opening, a delicate palm struck out.

It was too late for Tang Wulin to even attempt to dodge. The moment her soft palm pressed into his stomach, he felt an attractive force. Combined with the sudden straightening of her arm, it delivered an explosive strike that sent him flying.

Fortunately, he was wearing the Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest. When the palm had struck him, every piece of the vest had locked together and distributed the palm's force evenly. Even after distributing the force, Tang Wulin felt as if his stomach had been struck by a battering ram.

Of course, with a body far stronger than that of his peers, he could endure it.

He wasn't given a chance to even stand up, however, as the black cauldron was already rushing toward him. Tang Wulin simultaneously noticed that there was a purple light within the girl's eyes. A bout of dizziness struck him, and his attempts to remount his defense paused.

The black cauldron struck like thunder, but Tang Wulin retaliated with an explosive right punch.

A golden-scaled punch met the cauldron, their collision creating a rumbling boom.

He had long since activated his bloodline power. Even while he was dazed, he had managed to force his fist forward.

However, it was impossible for him to exert his full strength in such conditions, so he was sent flying once again.

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Chapter 157 – A Formidable Opponent

After a vigorous shake of his head, Tang Wulin realized how shocking his opponent was. They both had one ring. They both only had one ring! Yet, her combat prowess was so great!

He couldn't let himself be shaken though. Taking a moment to compose himself, Tang Wulin waved his arms in flurry, sending Bluesilver Grass shooting toward the black cauldron. For now, he wanted to try binding his opponent's martial soul.

Falling short of his expectations, the girl didn't mind her martial soul at all. Instead, she chose to accelerate her charge at Tang Wulin.

She wants to fight me in close quarters?

Tang Wulin sucked in a deep breath as a wave of golden scales covered his right arm. He stood there, as steady as a mountain. He could tell from their previous exchange that her attack possessed tremendous power. Other than attacking with her soul power, she also seemed to have other tricks up her sleeve. Since Tang Wulin couldn't beat her in speed, he chose to steady his person and meet her head on.

A subset of the Bluesilver Grass Tang Wulin had shot out split apart and returned to him, assembling protectively around his body.

The girl's figure flickered again and then disappeared without a trace. This time, however, when she reappeared, she was everywhere around him. The only thing Tang Wulin could do to resist was to lash out with the few strands of Bluesilver Grass he had, trying to stop her.

Suddenly, a phoenix's cry pierced the air.

A flute had appeared in the girl's hands all of a sudden. The moment the harsh note attacked Tang Wulin's ears, he felt as if his entire world had slowed down, which was clear from the sluggishness of his Bluesilver Grass. In his sluggish state, the cauldron was easily able to escape the entrapment of the grass as it soared high into the sky before crashing into Tang Wulin.

Bang!

Tang Wulin was felt a jolt which was promptly followed by numbness. He had been sent flying with greater force than before. Meanwhile, the girl had pulled apart his Bluesilver Grass defense using her jade-like hands. His defenses having been broken, the girl reached Tang Wulin in a flash before moving to attack his stomach, this time using both hands.

I'm finished!

Despite the intense threat he felt from the girl in that instant, only one thought occupied his mind. Twin martial souls. This girl has twin martial souls!

And she can even use them both at the same time! She doesn't need to switch between them at all!

The moment her white-jade-like hands landed on his body, Tang Wulin trembled as a bizarre power rushed into him, washing away his numbness.

Tang Wulin only had enough time to sweep his right arm out in front of him.

Bang!

A bone-breaking force met his right arm, leaving it in tatters. It rebounded back into his chest, pushing him back even further.

This time, however, he didn't fly too far back. As he crashed into the cauldron which was right behind him, darkness filled his eyes. Drawing strength from who knows where, the girl continued to chase after Tang Wulin. She struck out with her right hand which possessed some sort of attractive force, sending Tang Wuling flying back towards her, while her left hand curled into a fist as she punched towards his chest.

Although his right arm was in acute pain and Tang Wulin was being continuously beaten, this had actually roused his blood.

He let out a deep roar as his right hand transformed into the Golden Dragon Claw in a splendid burst of light. Meanwhile, he lashed out with a vine of Bluesilver Grass that Goldlight had slithered into.

This strand of golden Bluesilver Grass was just like a spear as it pierced into the ground. Using all the strength his body could muster, Tang Wulin suddenly changed directions and barely evaded the girl's palm attack.

Taking advantage of the attractive force of the girl's attack, he rushed toward her and soared over her head, taking this chance to grab her head with his Golden Dragon Claw.

This had been the first time since the start of the battle that he could launch a counterattack.

Another note of a phoenix's cry rang out. Tang Wulin immediately froze in place while a wave of dizziness assaulted his senses.

As the girl descended from the air, she pointed one finger at Tang Wulin, commanding the black cauldron to smash him.

Tang Wulin forced his Golden Dragon Claw to move, brazenly smacking it into the black cauldron.

Bang!

The black cauldron was smashed into pieces, completely falling apart. The girl's body was still swaying from the rebound when Tang Wulin descended.

At that moment, Tang Wulin had figured her out. As he withdrew his Golden Dragon Claw after smashing apart her cauldron, a strand of golden Bluesilver Grass shot out from the ground, propelling him forward and into the air like a bullet.

Haven't thirty seconds passed yet? They should almost have.

The girl stared at him blankly for a moment. She charged forward in pursuit once again, but when she arrived before the golden Bluesilver Grass, she hesitated for a moment.

In reality, Tang Wulin wasn't in a good condition either. He was already running low on soul power after using his Golden Dragon Claw and golden vine.

The Bluesilver Grass propelled him further away from her. Meanwhile, the golden Bluesilver Grass vanished as Goldlight returned to him.

He was currently maximizing his time airborne to open up the greatest distance he could between him and the girl.

"Thirty seconds have passed. First trial over."

The long awaited voice appeared once more. He rolled when he landed to mitigate the force, then stood up and looked behind him.

"The second trial begins. Defeat your opponent or survive for another thirty seconds." Tang Wulin was speechless at the ball-breaking objective the electronic voice announced.

Just before, he had been forced to use two-thirds of his soul power just to survive the short battle against her. Yet now, he had to survive another thirty seconds?

Seemingly unaffected by the electronic voice, the girl charged toward him once more. This time, however, she only wielded the flute.

What do I do?

Run? I'm nowhere near as fast as her. My footwork can't compare with hers. I can't run.

A battle of attrition?

If she really is only a one-ringed Soul Master, then there shouldn't be a big difference between our soul power capacities. She's a bit stronger with her twin souls, but using both their soul skills consumes a lot of soul power too. Assuming my guess is true, then I need to engage her as much as possible now. Even if I can't beat her, I should be able to survive another thirty seconds.

Arriving at this conclusion, Tang Wulin turned around and ran. A second less spent in combat meant a second more of survival.

Though he was low on soul power, his physical strength was in no way affected. With every stomp of his feet, he shot forward like a cannonball. With this method, he was oddly quick.

Yet, the girl was still a bit faster than him. Fortunately, it wasn't that easy to catch up to him. With one fleeing and the other pursuing, ten seconds had soon passed. Just as the girl was about to catch up to him, Tang Wulin suddenly leaped with all his strength while summoning his two Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers.

"Wu~"

Here it comes again…

Tang Wuling turned sluggish, and a sense of dizziness overcame him, so he hadn't been able to fully turn his body as he wanted to. He had only managed to turn halfway when the girl arrived before him.

This time, she didn't immediately attack him. She instead reached out and grabbed his right shoulder and pulled him toward her while kicking his calves with her right leg.

Tang Wulin was immediately thrown off balance, dropping onto the ground.

He waved his arms in an attempt to fight back, but the girl was jumping about like a fairy, dodging every single one of his attacks. Even while evading his attacks, she had somehow been able to land two more punches into his stomach.

Bind!

"Wu!"

Slowed!

Once again, his Bind soul skill was slowed down. In fact, the slow effect was so great that the girl grabbed a strand of Bluesilver Grass and threw him up.

All Tang Wulin could do now was go into a fetal position in an attempt to protect his head and vital organs.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

He was like a human punching bag, getting pounded from all directions.

After some time, the electronic voice appeared once more. "Thirty seconds has passed. Second trial over."

Tang Wulin felt as if his whole body had lightened and the aching of his bones had been washed away.

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Chapter 158 – Tang Sect

Tang Wulin rejoiced that he had the Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest to protect his body. He also realised that the strength of the girl's attack lessened as her soul power ran out. A single glance at her martial souls made it clear that she wasn't a Power System Soul Master, but rather a Control System Soul Master. It was shocking, however, that a Control System Soul Master was able to display such attack power. If I hadn't shattered her cauldron, would I have been able to endure?

Tang Wulin crawled up from the ground. The girl had already disappeared, but he was still in the same space as before.

It's already been two trials. Is it possible that the test isn't finished yet? Tang Wulin harbored this suspicion in his heart.

"Advanced test, first trial. Get ready." Advanced? It's been upgraded to advanced now?

A figure appeared with a flash of light. Surprisingly, it was the same girl as before. This time, she appeared to be slightly older. Tang Wulin felt aggrieved as he saw two soul rings rise from her feet. He knew just what he was in for now.

Tang Wulin stumbled out of a flash of light, his face green and purple from bruises. He truly made for a sorry sight.

When he looked up, he saw Xie Xie standing relatively close, his appearance even more haphazard than his own. Xie Xie's complexion was truly unsightly.

"How many trials did you pass?" Tang Wulin asked him thoughtlessly.

Xie Xie's face darkened. "One trial. This test is too hard, my opponent was way too powerful! There wasn't anything I could do against her. She surpassed me in both explosive power and speed, and even in close combat ability! I was helpless to defend against her even with my twin martial souls."

"What about Gu Yue? She still hasn't come out?" Tang Wulin asked.

Xie Xie nodded. "In the end, she's the strongest! How many trials did you pass?"

A bitter laugh escaped Tang Wulin's lips. "Just two trials. I passed the second trial only because I'm good at taking a beating."

From when they had entered until now, Wu Zhangkong hadn't moved an inch from his previous position. The screens here were different from those of the spirit ascension platform; they didn't show everything that had occurred within the test, so all he could do was wait patiently.

Another minute passed before a pale-faced Gu Yue stumbled out of a flash of light. Tang Wulin, who just happened to be standing right in front of her, saw shock in her eyes.

"How many trials did you pass?" Xie Xie asked.

"Advanced, two trials. The final level was too hard, And I was defeated in the first trial. What about you guys?"

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stood there, utterly speechless. They truly felt that comparing themselves to others could only lead to madness!

Wu Zhangkong turned towards the trio and nodded. "Come here."

The trio approached before him. Having the worst results, Xie Xie hung his head low, his heart filled with self-deprecation.

As these thoughts surged in his mind, a bright light flashed, and the trio disappeared in a spatial wave.

With another light flash, they found themselves in an expansive office. It was at least 200 square meters in area. Off to one side, there was a large office desk and a white sofa across from it.

"Take a seat. There are a few matters I need to discuss with you three," Wu Zhangkong said as he pointed to the sofa.

Confused, the three sat on the sofa nonetheless.

Wu Zhangkong took a seat across from them.

"Each of you must have felt that today's test was strange. You all had different opponents who, at some point in time, were all Soul Masters that had lived on this continent. Unfortunately, only seventy percent of their true strength can be replicated by the simulation. How did you compare to your opponents?"

They were real Soul Masters?

Tang Wulin immediately recalled that girl with twin souls, while Xie Xie recalled the tall and beautiful girl whose waist seemed as flexible as a bow.

As for Gu Yue, she recalled the black-haired youth whose eyes twinkled with a bizarre splendor. He had easily defeated her in the ultimate level trial. She shuddered at the memory of their battle.

"I brought you all here for two reasons. First, you are nearing the limits of how much spirit energy you can absorb in the spirit ascension platform. After entering a few more times, you'll reach that limit, so you need another place to gain real combat experience. Compared to the spirit ascension platform, the Hall of Heroes can provide even better combat experiences as the injuries you receive in there are all real. Of course, you'll automatically be ejected when you're injured to a certain degree. There also won't be any mental rebounds like you received in the spirit ascension platform when you had your bodies destroyed. In other words, the experience you gain in the Hall of Heroes is even more valuable than in the spirit ascension platform.

"Second, this test is actually unrelated to your final exam. Your final exam had already ended in the rebellion spirit ascension platform and your scores have already been given. The test here is instead an entrance test to an organization. If you become a member of this organization, you'll be able to accumulate points in the future to use the Hall of Heroes again."

Organization? This word, coupled with the memory of his opponent's footwork from earlier, made Tang Wulin realize immediately that this was the organization that Wu Zhangkong had told him about before. The very organization he had originally refused to join.

Xie Xie and Gu Yue stared at Wu Zhangkong with curiosity while thinking, So Teacher Wu is actually part of some organization.

"Teacher Wu, what does this organization do?" Xie Xie asked. He was from a large clan, so he couldn't casually join any organization; the fact that this organization was able to have a base here in Eastsea City's technology park, however, meant that its background should be nothing to laugh at.

Wu Zhangkong asked, "Have you heard of the Tang Sect?"

Tang Sect?

Hearing these two words, the trio began to tremble with excitement.

The Tang Sect? It's the Tang Sect!

How could they not have heard of it before? There was practically no one in this world who didn't know of the Tang Sect! Legend had it that the Tang Sect had existed from the ancient era until now. It could be said that the greatest historical events of the Douluo Continent all involved the Tang Sect in one way or another.

The Tang Sect's founder was the guardian of the continent 20,000 years ago. It was rumored that he had ascended to godhood!

With the Tang Sect's founder leading the first generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters, Shrek Academy had also risen to power in that era. It could be said that without him, Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect would not have become such legendary existences.

At that time, the Martial Soul Hall had been ambitious in its attempts to conquer the entire continent and unite it under one banner. Against them, the Tang Sect founder assembled the forces of nations and Soul Masters to fight with the Martial Soul Hall in a final, decisive battle. In the end, he stood on the side of victory.

It was said that while wielding the Sea God's Trident, he had ascended as the Sea God.

Tang Wulin had always loved to listen to the Tang Sect founder's story because he also possessed the Bluesilver Grass martial soul!

It was possible for someone on the continent to not know of the Spirit Pagoda, but it was impossible for them to not know of the Tang Sect.

As time went on, the Tang Sect had nearly withered away due to the advancement of soul device technology, when suddenly, another legendary figure appeared out of nowhere. That was right, he was the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, as well as the creator of spirit souls. His mark on history had completely altered the structure of the world of Soul Masters to this very day.

After the Tang Sect's resurgence into power, they had never declined again. Though, it was rumored that, along with the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, they had long relocated to the two other continents. In the last thousand years or so, they were rarely spoken of, but their legend had never been forgotten.

The trio was truly shocked at the utterance of the two words that represented such a legendary organization. Could it be that we're in the Tang Sect right now?

"Teacher Wu, didn't the Tang Sect already disappear? Or move to the other two continents?" Tang Wulin blurted out in disbelief.

Wu Zhangkong shook his head. "No, the Tang Sect never truly disappeared. While it's true that the Tang Sect has founded bases on the other two continents like the Spirit Pagoda, but the Tang Sect has never left the Douluo Continent. The federal government knows of the Tang Sect too, but for the sake of adapting to the current societal norms, the Tang Sect now operates in a low-key manner. After all, the Tang Sect's reputation is truly too great. The building we're in is actually owned by a company under the Tang Sect; the Dazzling Era Tang Sect Technology Company. They developed the Hall of Heroes as a learning system, and the opponents you just fought were once members of the Shrek Seven Monsters."

Tang Wulin was electrified. He recalled his opponent with the newfound realization of her identity. "My opponent… was she in the same generation as the Spirit Pagoda's founder from the Shrek Seven Monsters ten thousand years ago? The possessor of the Three Cycles Soul Cauldron and the Nine Phoenix Flute, Xiao Xiao the Phoenix Flute Douluo?"

The dumbstruck Xie Xie gasped. "Then, wasn't my opponent also from the same generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters, the Demon Rabbit Douluo Jiang Nannan?"

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Chapter 159 – Gu Yue's Decision

Gu Yue's eyes were blank. Wu Zhangkong glanced at her, not particularly surprised at her expression. "Gu Yue, your opponent was the Spirit Pagoda's founder, the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao back when he only possessed two soul rings."

"So you three shouldn't be discouraged. You were defeated by powerful legends after all. If you do well in the Hall of Heroes and keep rising up, you might even get the chance to battle the original Shrek Seven Monsters one day."

Tang Wulin subconsciously swallowed at these unbelievable words. He didn't even need to think about his answer and directly shouted out, "I want to join!"

Having heard the tales of the legendary Tang Sect since childhood, one could only imagine his burning desire to join the organization. These stories, however, weren't the main reason behind his willingness to join—it was his idol, the founder of the Tang Sect who possessed the same martial soul as him! Any previous doubts he held towards joining Wu Zhangkong's organization were blown away after hearing that it was the Tang Sect.

Xie Xie came to a similar conclusion after a moment of hesitation. "I want to join too."

Wu Zhangkong cautioned them, "You don't need to decide so quickly. You can go home and ask your family first."

Xie Xie shook his head. "There's no need. I don't want to miss out on such an opportunity. Teacher Wu, I will join. I'm sure I can convince my family too."

Tang Wulin's and Xie Xie's gazes drifted to Gu Yue. Neither of them knew whether she would join or not, but it was indisputable that her performance was the best out of all of them today.

In reality, their only requirement was to pass the first trial of the medium level to be eligible for membership. The trials after that were to push them to their limits.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Wu. Wulin, Xie Xie, I won't join," Gu Yue said with utmost calm. There wasn't a single shred of regret in the depths of her eyes, as if she was only dealing with a mundane matter.

"Huh, why?" Xie Xie and Tang Wulin asked in unison.

Gu Yue simply shook her head. "There's already another organization that I want to join, so I can't join the Tang Sect."

Tang Wulin wanted to say something, but Wu Zhangkong cut him off. "That's fine. Everyone has their own ambitions, so it's fine as long as you have thought things through properly. Gu Yue, you're very talented and would be able to shine no matter where you go in the future. With this being the case, I'll make some other arrangements for the combat component of your education."

"Thank you, Teacher Wu." Gu Yue curtly nodded.

Still in disbelief, Tang Wulin approached Gu Yue. "But Gu Yue, it's the Tang Sect! The Tang Sect that has traditions from 20,000 years ago and countless mysteries!"

There was a slight change in Gu Yue's expression, but her mind was firm. She shook her head once more at Tang Wulin's words. "I'm sorry Wulin. I had already decided to join the Spirit Pagoda before we came here, and they require that I don't join any other organization."

While Tang Wulin was stunned at these words, Wu Zhangkong's eyebrows jumped up in surprise. When did the Spirit Pagoda approach Gu Yue? They made their move so quickly!

But Gu Yue's excellence had been apparent from the beginning. Regardless of whether it was during the rebellion period or the ordinary spirit ascension platform, Gu Yue had always demonstrated extraordinary strength and potential. Neither Tang Wulin nor Xie Xie could compare to her, especially with her never-before-seen martial soul which could control six elements. Moreover, her control power was formidable, allowing her strength to far surpass her peers. The Spirit Pagoda had undoubtedly paid a tremendous price to rope her in.

It was exactly as she had said. There would be some disputes if she joined the Tang Sect after joining the Spirit Pagoda.

Wu Zhangkong's gaze returned to Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. "What Gu Yue said was correct. Both the Tang Sect and the Spirit Pagoda are top-notch organizations on the continent. An organization isn't like an association; you can only join one organization. If you choose to join the Tang Sect, then in the future, you cannot join the Spirit Pagoda. If you want to leave the Tang Sect, then you'll need to return everything you received from it, including cultivation methods. With this in mind, you two should carefully consider your decision again and tell me at a later time."

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Wulin said, "I don't need to think it over. I want to join the Tang Sect. It's my dream!" That was right, he had dreamed of joining the Tang Sect since childhood.

Though he didn't want to separate from Gu Yue, he had to prioritize his dream!

Xie Xie looked back and forth between Tang Wulin and Gu Yue before nodding to himself. "Teacher Wu, I have also settled on joining the Tang Sect."

"Fine. We'll end today's testing here. After filling in some forms later, you will officially become outer members of the Tang Sect. I'll explain to you at a later time everything you need to know about the organization such as rules, benefits and duties."

On the bus ride home, Tang Wulin stared off into the distance with a lonely expression.

Wang Jinxi had left. Zhang Yangzi had left. Even Gu Yue was choosing a different path from him. His companions were leaving one by one, and he truly felt powerless since he had no basis to influence their decisions. If joining the Tang Sect hadn't been his dream, he definitely would have chosen to join the Spirit Pagoda with Gu Yue. Companions had to stay together after all!

Yet, it was as if fate had decreed that he must be alone. His family and friends were leaving one after the other, and the only one left by his side was Xie Xie. Will Xie Xie leave me too?

Seated beside him, Xie Xie prodded him with a few words. "What's up? Are you feeling down because Gu Yue isn't joining the Tang Sect?"

Tang Wulin shook his head. "I just feel like everyone I hold dear is leaving. My parents and Na'er left. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi left, and now Gu Yue has chosen a different path. Maybe I really am meant to be alone."

Xie Xie heartily laughed. "How can that be? Don't you still have me? I won't leave."

A depressed sigh escaped Tang Wulin's lips. "Maybe you won't have a choice but to leave me in the future too."

"Who said I'm going to leave?!" Gu Yue suddenly appeared beside them. She pulled Xie Xie out of his seat before stealing it to sit beside Tang Wulin.

"You're so emotional," Gu Yue said, displeased.

Tang Wulin was startled by her words. "Maybe."

Gu Yue pressed on. "I only chose not to join the Tang Sect, and it's not like I'm leaving class zero. Whatever organization I join doesn't change the fact that I'll always be together with you guys."

Seeing an opening, Xie Xie took this chance to cut in. "If you just say 'you' instead of 'you guys', he'd be far more moved."

"Go away!" Tang Wulin and Gu Yue yelled at him in unison.

"You guys are bullies!" Xie Xie said with grievance.

Tang Wulin chuckled. "Sorry Gu Yue, I didn't mean to blame you. Everyone makes their own decisions. I just feel a bit frustrated. You were right. Maybe it's because my family left, but I've been very emotionally weak. I'll do my best to fix that."

Poking his head in once more, Xie Xie said, "Just vent your feelings whenever you need to. For example, let me beat you up once."

Tang Wulin snorted. "I'm not so certain I'd be the one getting beat up."

The end of a semester was a joyous occasion for all students as it marked the start of their one month long vacation. They could finally relax and forget about studying or cultivating during this time. Despite their status as prestigious Soul Masters, in the end, they were only children.

After one more trip to the Dazzling Era Tang Sect the next day, class zero also began their vacation. Gu Yue and Xie Xie chose to spend their vacation away from campus.

Naturally, they were both going home to play and relax, leaving Tang Wulin the only one left in the dormitory.

Where can I even go? Back to Glorybound City?

Mom and dad aren't there anymore, so can that place even be called home anymore? Tang Wulin bitterly laughed at his lonesome thoughts.

The only place he had now was Mang Tian's workshop. He hoped that by devoting himself to cultivating and work, he'd be able to forget about his family.

He had already filled out the Tang Sect's registration form and handed it to Wu Zhangkong, who submitted it to the Dazzling Era Tang Sect for review. Only after approval would he officially become a member of the Tang Sect.

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Chapter 160 – The Rules of the Tang Sect

Tang Wulin sighed as he packed what he needed for the next month's stay at the workshop.

"Wulin," a familiar voice called out.

"Teacher Wu."

Wu Zhangkong stood in the hallway, patiently waiting for Tang Wulin.

"What plans do you have for your vacation?" Wu Zhangkong stoically asked.

Somewhat at a loss, Tang Wulin shook his head. "I don't really have any plans yet. I figured I'd just focus on forging and cultivating."

Thinking it over, Wu Zhangkong set out a proposal. "Since you don't have any plans, how about you come with me? I'm visiting another city in order to take care of some business. If you come along, you'll be able to learn more about the world outside of school and relax at the same time."

"Huh?" Tang Wulin stared at Wu Zhangkong in astonishment.

Wu Zhangkong considerately asked, "Do you want some time to think it over?"

Tang Wulin quickly shook his head. "No, I'll go with you." In that split-second, his mood brightened up from his previous lonely depression. I wonder where Teacher Wu will be taking me?

Since Wu Zhangkong didn't say, Tang Wulin didn't bother to ask.

A short hour later, they were waiting for the train at Eastsea City's soul train station.

As usual, Wu Zhangkong was clothed in his white garbs and carried no luggage. Clearly, he possessed a soul storage device similar to Tang Wulin's. As for Tang Wulin, he had packed lightly, only bringing along a few sets of clothes and his two forging hammers.

The white-clad Wu Zhangkong caught the attention of many women in the train station. Regardless of their age, their eyes would naturally drift to Wu Zhangkong. Surprisingly enough, there were quite a few younger girls who chose to eye Tang Wulin instead.

Tang Wulin's appeal was different from that of the mature and handsome Wu Zhangkong's. His large, limpid eyes as well as the calm aura that was beyond his years easily drew the gazes of girls around his age.

Today, Tang Wulin wore white sportswear that he had purchased himself. They were the cheapest of the cheapest clothes he could find. Though he was in no way hurting for money right now, his frugal nature wasn't something he could easily change. He couldn't even imagine what kind of high-quality materials Wu Zhangkong's white robe was made of.

After spending a semester together, it was clear to Tang Wulin that Wu Zhangkong liked silence, so as long as Wu Zhangkong didn't say anything to him, he didn't try to engage him in conversation either. He was resolved to be a quiet and well-behaved child.

The train's arrival was preceded by a low, rumbling noise. At the sight of the train they were to take, Tang Wulin finally realized their destination.

They were headed toward Heaven Dou City.

Heaven Dou City? Didn't that use to be the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire? It was a large metropolis that could still be considered one of the greatest cities on the Douluo Continent today.

The distance between Eastsea City and Heaven Dou City was by no means small!

Wu Zhangkong had bought them economy class seats. Each carriage could seat four passengers, two on each side separated by an aisle in the middle. The cheap price of the ticket was obvious from how cramped the carriage was. Tang Wulin was fine since he was still a small child, but Wu Zhangkong's long legs were already leaning against the back of the seat in front of him.

While Tang Wulin was seated by the window, Wu Zhangkong had taken the outer seat, acting as a human barrier between him and the rest of the crowd. In his isolated space, Tang Wulin felt a sense of security.

"Here." Wu Zhangkong handed him a booklet.

Tang Wulin curiously examined it. There wasn't a single word on its cover, making him assume it was a notebook. When he opened it, however, there were drawings of people alongside many notes.

"What is this, Teacher Wu?" Tang Wulin inquired.

"The Tang Sect's investigation into your background shouldn't turn up with any issues, so I'm giving you this booklet right now. Inside it is the Tang Sect's cultivation technique, the Mysterious Heaven Method. It can also be used to meditate, so you could also call it a meditation method. The benefits you get from it should be far better than what you're receiving now. Later, when you learn other Tang Sect techniques, this Mysterious Heaven Method will serve as the foundation."

The Tang Sect's methods? Tang Wulin's eyes instantly lit up with excitement. So far, he'd been using the basic cultivation methods provided by the academy, but now he would be able to replace it with a method from the legendary Tang Sect! Considering its reputation, he had no doubts about its quality.

However, Wu Zhangkong had to caution him. "When you first join the Tang Sect, you're initially only allowed to learn the Mysterious Heaven Method since it's the foundation of everything. Only after familiarizing yourself with it will you be able to cultivate in the other methods and techniques of the Tang Sect. But in your case, since you entered by passing the medium level test, you can also pick one more technique to cultivate."

"Teacher Wu, wait a minute." Tang Wulin suddenly interrupted Wu Zhangkong and then lowered his voice. "Can we really talk about the Tang Sect's methods in such a crowded place?"

Wu Zhangkong shook his head dismissively. "They won't hear our voices. Listen and see for yourself."

"Huh?" It was only then that Tang Wulin noticed the total silence that surrounded him. The people continued to clamber onto the train, but not a peep could be heard.

As he focused on his surroundings, he observed a thin layer of soul power separating them from the crowd.

"What is this?" Tang Wulin looked back at Wu Zhangkong in astonishment.

Wu Zhangkong casually explained, "This is merely a way of using soul power. You'll be able to do this once you reach a certain level as well. Now back to the topic of Tang Sect techniques.

"There are a total of six: Mysterious Heaven Method, Mysterious Jade Hands, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Purple Demon Eyes, and Hidden Weapons Hundred Separations. Among them, Hidden Weapons Hundred Separations has already fused with the development of soul device technology and is incorporated into the Tang Sect's unique battle armors. As for the other five techniques, you'd still learn them as you normally would.

"You may learn one extra technique after passing the medium level test, the advanced level test, and so on. So right now, you can choose another one in addition to the Mysterious Heaven Method. I personally recommend that you choose Purple Demon Eyes. It's a method to cultivate your eyes' strength while also increasing your spiritual power.

"Eyes are the windows to the mind, and this is the easiest way to increase your spiritual power. You will gain many advantages, so you really should pick Purple Demon Eyes."

"Okay!" Tang Wulin's gaze sparkled. It's a Tang Sect technique!

"Then, Teacher Wu, what obligations do I have to keep for the Tang Sect in return?" Tang Wulin asked.

Wu Zhangkong said, "You must memorize and abide by the rules of the Tang Sect. As long as take care not to break any of them, your status as a member of the Tang Sect will be guaranteed. In this world, nothing comes freely. If you want to increase your position in the Tang Sect, you will have to contribute to the sect. For example, you can complete missions in order to earn some contribution points, which you can then exchange in the sect for many different items that you can't obtain anywhere else. You may also use them to increase your contribution level in the sect.

"As for the matter of documenting your contribution points, even as you spend them, your total, recorded contribution points never change. As such, you can call that total your effective contribution points value.

"I'll explain these things more in detail later, but what you really need to remember right now are the rules of the Tang Sect. If you break any of them, the lightest punishment you will receive is expulsion and having to return everything you received from the sect. In the worst case scenario, there are much harsher and more severe punishments that may follow. As such, pay attention.

"The first rule of the Tang Sect: be filial to the sect and to your teachers. This one is pretty simple. Just don't join any other sects or organizations and you'll be fine.

"Second rule of the Tang Sect: you will not commit rape or robbery.

"Third rule of the Tang Sect: you must not divulge the secrets of the sect.

"Fourth rule of the Tang Sect: It is the duty of everyone in the Tang Sect to uphold virtue and condemn evil.

"Fifth rule of the Tang Sect: you must not deceive others."

"…"

Wu Zhangkong continued to profoundly list off one Tang Sect rule after another, and Tang Wulin took each of them to heart. Though there were ten rules in total, none of them were particularly harsh. The intent behind their regulations could be summarized in one phrase: be a good person who cherishes the Tang Sect.

"Tang Wulin, are you capable of following all of these rules?"

"I am," Tang Wulin solemnly answered.

With a more solemn tone than usual, Wu Zhangkong said, "Remember, this is a lifelong commitment. The Tang Sect's objective is to uphold virtue and condemn evil while supporting the continent's steady development. There aren't many restrictions other than the ten rules, but you must absolutely never break them. As your teacher, as well as the person who recruited you, I will be held responsible for any mistake you make."

Sensing the sudden severity in Wu Zhangkong, Tang Wulin's pulse began to race, and he nodded solemnly.

"Alright then. Return the book to me after you've finished reading it." Wu Zhangkong let out a long sigh, then reclined in his chair and closed his eyes. He was now quietly waiting for the train to arrive at their destination.

Yet, the clamoring of the crowd didn't return, and they were still enveloped in the same peaceful calm as before. Tang Wulin understood that Wu Zhangkong was maintaining the barrier of soul power so that he could read in peace.

The section on the Mysterious Heaven Method wasn't particularly long, and Tang Wulin finished reading it within half an hour. Despite that, he still had some confusion about some of the acupuncture points and things of that nature.

Wu Zhangkong gave him detailed explanations to any questions he asked about the cultivation method and even had him begin moving his soul power along some of the paths outlined in the booklet.

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Chapter 161 – Mysterious Heaven Method

Though the seat was narrow, Tang Wulin was fortunately still a child so there was just enough room for him to sit cross-legged. And with the tall and reliable Wu Zhangkong blocking any prying eyes, he could continue his lessons without any worries.

He gently urged his soul power to slowly circulate through his body. He was still unfamiliar with the complicated pathways of the Mysterious Heaven Method, and he needed to circulate his soul power through meridians he'd never even noticed before. There was one area that proved to be quite a challenge for him, where his meridians were particularly complex. The only thing he could do was slowly explore within himself and build his understanding bit by bit.

Luckily for Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong was present to provide him with guidance whenever he ran into any troubles. Every time he ran into an impasse, a cold stream of energy would enter his body and guide his soul power back onto the right path. Through trial and error and with Wu Zhangkong's guidance, Tang Wulin's understanding of his meridians grew deeper and deeper.

In such a manner, Tang Wulin was finally able to complete one cycle of soul power circulation as outlined in the Mysterious Heaven Method. He gradually tuned out his surroundings and wholly focused on the task at hand. Slowly but steadily, his soul power was on its way to completing another cycle.

Withdrawing his hand from Tang Wulin's stomach, Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nod of approval.

This child's perception is pretty good. He only took two hours to complete his first circulation cycle with my guidance. Not bad. When he was helping Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong was also pleasantly surprised to discover that Tang Wulin's meridians were far stronger than normal. Not even three or four-ringed Soul Masters had meridians that could compare. With Tang Wulin's tough meridians and his soul power at the one-ringed level, he would be able to circulate his soul power quickly without worrying about his body.

This was the advantage of a powerful physique!

The soul train steadily sped along, but even with its high speeds, it would take one day's worth of travel to reach Heaven Dou City. Fortunately for the passengers, there were over a dozen stops at major cities in between, giving them a chance to stretch their legs.

Even though it was Tang Wulin's first time cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Method, he had somehow managed to enter a state of deep meditation, not leaving it once. Wu Zhangkong could feel the soul power within Tang Wulin's body circulating more smoothly and with greater speed.

This was the result of possessing both great perception and a strong body. The deep meditative state he was in was highly beneficial to Soul Masters, but rarely entered. Wu Zhangkong was a bit frightened though; from the looks of things, Tang Wulin might not even wake up when they arrived at their destination.

Entering a deep meditation as soon as he was introduced to the Mysterious Heaven Method meant that he would come out of this meditative state with a complete understanding of the method and the optimal benefits from it. He would not need to familiarize himself with the method any further.

Wu Zhangkong held up a hand to stop a passing train attendant.

"Hello, what may I help you with?" The train attendant's eyes widened a bit at Wu Zhangkong's handsomeness and a blush found its way onto her cheeks. Her voice was clearly sweeter now than when she had been talking to the other passengers.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for the conductor," Wu Zhangkong said in his usual cold tone.

"You're looking for the conductor? She's busy at the moment, so could you tell me what matter you're looking for her first? Perhaps I'll be able to assist you instead?" Although Wu Zhangkong's handsome figure had set her heart aflutter, she still retained her professionalism.

"You won't be able to help me. Please ask the conductor to come here." As he spoke, Wu Zhangkong raised his right hand to reveal several floating halos.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black! Six soul rings rose in this order. They were visible only to the attendant as she was currently positioned in a way that obstructed the gazes of others.

"Ah!" The attendant couldn't help but cry out at the shocking sight.

After the soul rings disappeared in a flash, Wu Zhangkong curtly nodded at her. On the Douluo Continent, this was the easiest way to demonstrate one's strength. Soul rings equalled strength and status after all. Not only was Wu Zhangkong a six-ringed Soul Emperor, he was even a powerful expert that possessed a pair of ten-thousand-year black soul rings! How else was the attendant supposed to have reacted?

"Hey, you, don't use your handsomeness to take advantage of young ladies." A tall and robust man had appeared beside the attendant. He hadn't seen Wu Zhangkong's soul rings, but he had heard the attendant's cry of alarm.

Wu Zhangkong only shot him a glance and remained seated with his signature cold and silent manner.

"Boy, I was talking to you. Stand up!" The tall man clearly had a short temper.

"It's nothing, nothing at all." The train attendant had finally snapped out of her daze and hastily stopped the man from approaching Wu Zhangkong. "I was just surprised at their credentials. They really do have an important matter to talk to the conductor about. Thank you for looking out for me, but you can return to your seat now."

The tall man cast a doubtful look at the attendant before mischievously laughing. "Don't be afraid, little sister. I didn't like that pretty boy from the start. If he dares to try anything with you, just tell this big brother, and I'll help you punish him."

"It's fine, it's fine," the attendant quickly assured. She turned back to Wu Zhangkong and respectfully said, "Please wait a moment. I will immediately get the conductor."

Stating this, she hurriedly left. Perhaps it was because of the attendant's deferential attitude to Wu Zhangkong, but the tall man no longer bothered them.

Not too long after, the attendant returned, followed by a middle-aged woman.

"Hello, I am this train's conductor. What may I help you with?" The train conductor spoke with the utmost courtesy. This was only natural of course. In front of her was a young, six-ringed Soul Emperor. Considering his age and the strength he possessed, she could only imagine how high his status must be and from what great clan he hailed from.

The conductor saw a slight change in Wu Zhangkong's expression before she discovered with alarm that they had been isolated from the clamor of their surroundings.

"My disciple has entered a state of deep meditation, and I don't know how long this will last. May I know if this train is heading anywhere else after reaching Heaven Dou City?"

Deep meditation? For someone who wasn't a Soul Master, these two words didn't have much meaning, but she still answered quickly. "We will be resting in Heaven Dou City for one day before continuing westward all the way to Sun Moon City. This train runs from east to west, across the whole continent. That is why this train is also called the Traveler."

Wu Zhangkong frowned. "Then is it possible to stop in Heaven Dou City for a while longer?"

The conductor made an awkward face. "I'm afraid that's impossible. Many travelers have already bought tickets, so we wouldn't be holding up our end of the deal if we didn't continue on."

Nodding in understanding, Wu Zhangkong said, "Okay. I understand. I'll think of some other way then."

"Alright. Sorry for the inconvenience. If there's anything else I may help with, please notify me," the conductor said with a smile.

After she left, the tall man from before said with disdain, "What kind of farce is this? The conductor came yet you guys didn't even speak a word."

As if he hadn't heard the man's complaints, Wu Zhangkong closed his eyes and ignored him.

Bored now, the tall man didn't continue deriding Wu Zhangkong.

Like this, the soul train smoothly reached Heaven Dou City.

"To all passengers, please make sure to take all of your luggage and exit in an orderly fashion. Due to the cramped quarters, we ask that you watch out for your belongings and your step to prevent any injuries from falling."

Speakers projected the conductor's voice throughout the train.

Passengers stood up one by one to make their way to the exit, but Wu Zhangkong remained still. Tang Wulin was still in a deep meditation.

His brows wrinkled as he thought about his plans.

Not too long after, he and Tang Wulin were the only ones left on the train. The attendant tasked with tidying up the train walked over and politely said, "We've arrived at the station. You must disembark now."

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Chapter 162 – Deep Meditation Troubles

Wu Zhangkong stood up. "I want to bring this chair with me. Here's money to compensate for the cost." He took out some federation bills as he spoke.

"You want to bring this chair with you?" The train attendant had never met such an eccentric passenger before. What did he mean by 'bring the chair' with him?

Very soon, Wu Zhangkong explained the meaning of his words with a simple motion.

A ripple of blue light welled up in Wu Zhangkong's hand as a chill swept through the surroundings. A blue flash later, the train attendant was shocked to see that the chair with the child sitting atop of it was steadily hoisted up by the white-robed man. Carrying the chair with only his left hand, he took large strides towards the train exit.

"Huh?" He really carried the chair away? Heavens! He detached the entire chair.

The attendant hurriedly took out her soul communicator. "Conductor, conductor, over here, there's…"

And at this time, Wu Zhangkong had already left the train while carrying the chair that Tang Wulin sat on.

Since he couldn't force the train to stop here, all he could do was take the chair and Tang Wulin along with him. He isolated Tang Wulin in a bubble of soul power to prevent any distractions, which could lead to deviations in his cultivation. For now, he planned on quickly leaving the train station before looking for an inn to stay at.

Of course, as soon as Wu Zhangkong alighted from the train, he became the center of attention as he single-handedly carried a seated child. The surrounding tourists were all dumbstruck as a single thought crossed their minds: what's going on?

At that moment, an alarm resounded as a group of police officers from the train station came running over with soul laser guns in hand.

"Freeze!" They formed a line in front of Wu Zhangkong, obstructing his path. The head officer stepped forward and gravely said, "Sir, you've vandalized a public train and taken a child. Please come with us and explain yourself."

"Fine." Wu Zhangkong agreed without a hint of resistance.

The officers were stunned at such an icy and tranquil response. Their impression of him changed to one of a strange man, but surprisingly easy to talk to! They were already aware of his status as a six-ringed Soul Emperor—an existence impossible for them to stand against—and they were nearly trembling from apprehension.

Fortunately for them, Wu Zhangkong didn't resist and was actually compliant.

Still carrying the chair that Tang Wulin sat on, Wu Zhangkong was escorted to the police station in charge of patrolling Heaven Dou City's train station.

An officer wearing a captain's badge welcomed them with an even larger entourage of officers accompanied by a pair of gigantic mechas surpassing ten meters in height.

The entire police force in charge of patrolling the train station had gathered here.

"Hello, you are a Soul Emperor, correct?" The captain cut right to the chase.

Wu Zhangkong was expressionless as he dropped the concealment on his aura, six soul rings rising from his feet. Coupled with the two black soul rings, the captain was at a loss in the face of the sheer power of Wu Zhangkong's aura.

"Greetings, revered Soul Emperor," said the captain as he gave a slight bow. Although ordinary people could use soul devices now and possessed some degree of strength, they were still conscious of the insurmountable gap between them and true Soul Masters. And above all, before him was a Soul Emperor!

Even for the police captain, it was his first time meeting an esteemed Soul Emperor. How could he possibly dare be disrespectful? Black soul rings were at the ten-thousand-year level, a realm that could rend the heavens and raze the earth. Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn't dare to offend an expert of this level!

Wu Zhangkong curtly said, "I apologize for troubling you, but my disciple has entered a deep meditative state and must not be disturbed. Because of that, I could only act in such a way. If it's possible, please provide us with a quiet room and some food and water."

An odd expression made its way onto the faces of all the police officers. They had never encountered a suspect so cool that he would actually make demands before the questioning even began.

Yet, what was even more unexpected was how the captain immediately replied. "Alright. Please follow me then. I have already heard of your circumstances from the conductor and have asked the higher-ups for orders, so a quiet room has already been prepared for you. Please excuse me for cautiousness. After all, you are a very powerful individual."

"Lead the way." Wu Zhangkong wasn't one for small talk.

Just as promised, the room prepared by the captain was utterly silent. Even the windows had been sealed with soundproofing material. High-class food and water were soon delivered. There really was no room for neglect when dealing with a Soul Emperor.

In truth, the chief police officer had been quite reassured when he heard that Wu Zhangkong had left a stack of bills with the attendant after slicing apart the chair. The fact that he bothered to pay for damages meant that he harbored no malice. If he indeed possessed ill intentions, the chief would have long called for backup. Although he had two standard mechas greet Wu Zhangkong, they couldn't even be considered a match for a Soul Emperor, let alone one that possessed two black soul rings! A Soul Master powerful enough to possess a black ten-thousand-year spirit soul had a boundless future. At the very least, it was guaranteed that he would break through to become a seven-ringed Soul Sage. At that level, his status would be equal to that of a second-tier city's chief executive.

Tang Wulin was completely unaware of his surroundings as he immersed himself in this state of deep meditation. He felt as if his body was stretching out endlessly to absorb the energy of the heavens and the earth, bringing him an indescribable feeling of comfort. The soul power within him gently undulated as they cleansed his meridians. In return, the meridians gradually absorbed the soul power. His martial soul, soul power, body, and bloodline were all harmonizing together in his state of deep meditation.

This type of situation wouldn't give a major leap in strength by any means, but in this harmonization process, his body basked in a feeling of wonder. It laid the foundation for a stronger body and smoother cultivation in the future.

After some time had passed, Tang Wulin awoke. As he opened his eyes, he immediately felt the changes in his body, as if it had been refined completely.

Letting out a faint, but long breath, a rumble resounded from his body as his soul power squirmed and penetrated into every part of his body. This feeling of freedom was simply impossible to describe.

"So comfortable!" Tang Wulin joyfully exclaimed.

There didn't seem to be any change even after his soul power returned to his dantian. In fact, there seemed to be slightly less than before. Yet he clearly felt that his soul power had solidified by several degrees, giving him the idea that if he used his soul skills or the Golden Dragon Claw now, he would be able to use it a longer period of time.

Where am I?

As his soul power calmed down, Tang Wulin finally took note of his surroundings. It was only a second later that he discovered Wu Zhangkong meditating nearby.

Teacher Wu?

Shouldn't we be on a train? What is this little black room we're in?

"You're awake?" Tang Wulin was able to clearly see Wu Zhangkong's eyes as he opened them in the darkness.

They seemed to contain a vast, starry sky within them. Tang Wulin felt as if his soul was being sucked into those deep eyes.

"Teacher Wu, where is this?"

"We've already reached Heaven Dou City. Since you're awake now, let's be on our way." Wu Zhangkong swiftly stood up. Tang Wulin hastily followed suit and trailed behind him to exit the black room.

A loud rumble came from Tang Wulin's stomach all of a sudden. A crimson blush immediately colored his face, but he still trembled from intense hunger.

"Hungry?"

"Mn." Tang Wulin lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Eat then. You can eat all of the food in the room." Wu Zhangkong pointed to the food.

It was only then that Tang Wulin noticed that there was a pile of food on the floor and several cups of water.

Unable to resist his hunger, Tang Wulin began to gorge himself.

For the first time, Wu Zhangkong was exposed to Tang Wulin's eating habits. A quarter of an hour passed, and even Wu Zhangkong's icy expression had become dull.

Was it really the right choice to bring this kid with me after all? He… he just really eats way too much!

Tang Wulin wasn't aware that he had actually been meditating for a full seven days. All he knew was that he was ravenous and needed to fill himself up.

It didn't take long before the pile of highly nutritious food disappeared into the abyss that was Tang Wulin's stomach. Even when all that was left was the food packaging, Tang Wulin was still hungrily licking his lips. He was actually still hungry after devouring over a dozen boxes of food!

"Let's go," Wu Zhangkong said in a slightly off tone.

"Oh."

A team of guards respectfully escorted them out of the train station.

Taking in the scenery around him, Tang Wulin finally began to understand the difference in scale between an ancient city such as Heaven Dou City and Eastsea City.

Heaven Dou City has existed for over 20,000 years, as early as the era of the Martial Soul Hall. This was one of the greatest cities on the continent and had even held the title of being the greatest city back in the age of the Heaven Dou Empire.

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