She was tall, dressed in a black uniform.
"Welcome to the Spirit Pagoda. Hello everyone, I am Gu Yue's teacher, Leng Yaozhu." The red-haired woman was very gentle in manner. She walked gracefully to Gu Yue's side and gave Gu You a soft smile as she glanced at him.
"Greetings, senior." Everyone greeted her respectfully—except Gu You.
Leng Yaozhu said, "No need to be so formal. You're all the pride of Shrek Academy. It's a pleasure to meet you. I won't delay you further—let me take you to the Spirit Soul Tower."
As she spoke, she turned around and walked ahead, her every step filled with grace and elegance. Her entire being radiated feminine charm, leaving a lasting impression.
"Gu Yue, your teacher is really beautiful," Xie Xie blurted out.
Gu Yue immediately gave him a look that resembled Yuanen Yehui's sharp glare.
Xie Xie shivered and said hastily, "I mean… I didn't mean anything. I won't say another word."
'Leng Yaozhu... Leng Yaozhu...' Le Zhengyu kept repeating the name in his head. He found it more and more familiar, but just couldn't recall why.
Leng Yaozhu brought the seven of them to a golden elevator. She lightly pressed her right hand against the door, which opened immediately. She stepped in first.
The elevator was spacious enough to hold dozens of people with ease. Its interior was lavishly decorated in gold, with faint energy fluctuations in the air.
The elevator gave a gentle jolt, and within seconds, it came to a stop. When the doors opened, a large circular hall appeared before them.
This hall had a diameter of several hundred meters and a ceiling over fifty meters high. The roof was triangular, and a floating gemstone hovered at its peak, radiating a soft golden glow.
At the center of the hall stood a high platform. The area below was hexagonal, with steps leading up to the top. The platform resembled an altar, around a hundred square meters in size, and in its center stood a golden gate over fifteen meters tall.
All around, sophisticated equipment and hundreds of staff were busily working.
Gu You found this setup oddly familiar. 'Isn't this just like the teleportation gate Leng Yaozhu took me through last time to the advanced Ascension Platform? Only… this one is much larger, and there's way more staff handling maintenance.'
Leng Yaozhu's presence didn't disrupt the workers. Those who saw her bowed respectfully before continuing their tasks.
"You can go ahead. Everything is ready," Leng Yaozhu said as she pointed toward the golden gate.
"Thank you, teacher," Gu Yue replied with a smile. She didn't appear particularly deferential, but the tone between them suggested deep familiarity.
Gu You frowned slightly. 'This genius disciple doesn't even pay her any real respect, but gets pampered like that?'
Leng Yaozhu chuckled indulgently. "This is your first time in the Spirit Soul Tower. It's different from the Ascension Platform. Everything you'll encounter here is real. Be careful. I'll personally monitor your progress, and if any danger arises, I'll pull you out."
"Thanks, senior." Gu You smiled warmly as he stepped forward.
Leng Yaozhu returned the smile. "You're welcome."
"Yeah, makes sense," Gu You replied casually.
Leng Yaozhu let out a soft sigh and shook her head. "Activate the Spirit Soul Tower."
Her voice was calm and conversational, but the moment the words left her lips, every staff member in the hall turned to her, bowed, and responded in unison, "Yes!"
Le Zhengyu's eyes suddenly lit up. 'So that's who she is!' Meanwhile, Gu Yue was already leading the group up the altar steps.
One by one, they passed through the golden gate, their bodies swallowed by golden light as they disappeared from view.
Watching their figures vanish, a flicker of emotion passed through Leng Yaozhu's eyes. She murmured, "Back then… weren't we just like this? Watching them feels like seeing a younger version of you and me. Only… in your heart, there's no place for me anymore."
"Ugh, why do I still dwell on this?" She placed a hand against her forehead and looked toward the golden gate. "Those nine old beasts… even he couldn't subdue them when he was young. Can you really pull it off?"
Stepping through the gate, there was no sensation of dizziness like the Ascension Platform. It felt just like passing through a doorway. A flash of gold later, Gu You clearly saw the world in front of him.
It was a massive temple. Giant pillars lined the perimeter, appearing to hold up the entire space. The floor was paved with large grey-blue stone tiles. The space covered at least a thousand square meters and carried an ancient, almost timeless aura.
Just as the seven of them found their footing, the golden gate behind them vanished.
Then their vision blurred. A phantom-like projection appeared before them—a towering pagoda of light floating in the clouds, layer after layer stretching endlessly upward.
The image slowly solidified, then disappeared, leaving only the vast hall around them.
It was an octagonal chamber, at least three hundred meters in diameter. Eight towering metal doors stood around the edges, each more than ten meters tall and over five meters wide. Even just standing in this space gave them a sense of awe.
The seven stood right at the center.
"Do we need to form up?" Gu Yue asked Gu You.
"No need. I can handle it myself." Gu You's pupils turned vertical, and waves of draconic pressure surged from him, fierce and destructive.
"Stay back. The early-stage spirit beasts are manageable, but the powerful ones later might cause collateral damage. You'll have to protect yourselves then," he warned them.
The other six all nodded. They knew the climb was up to Gu You now, and they were curious—would there really be hundred-thousand-year soul beasts inside this tower?
Just then, all eight metal doors in the distance opened at once. Deep growls echoed out.
What they saw first were dozens of glowing green eyes within each door.
Dozens of creatures emerged from each portal—dark green wolves with sharp green eyes.
Wind Wolves. A common soul beast in forested regions. Individually weak and not particularly dangerous, but in large numbers, they became extremely fearsome. Wind Wolves were known to fight to the death once engaged—never retreating, no matter the losses.
From all directions, the Wind Wolves charged. Their numbers surpassed one hundred.
"Wind Wolves specialize in…" Xie Xie had barely begun speaking when a violet flash lit up the room. Explosive blasts thundered around them, and thick metal-smelling smoke filled the air.
When the smoke cleared, Gu You stood calmly, retracting his dragon claw. Blood still dripped from its edge.
(End of Chapter)
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