Qiangu Zhangting didn't just walk through the Spirit Pagoda; he moved with the shadow of a king. Despite his six-year-old frame, his high-level clearance opened doors that remained locked to the most senior soul masters. Passing through the final security perimeter, he arrived at the exclusive tower floor of the Spirit Treasury.
This wasn't just a vault; it was a museum of legends. Specialized sectors housed everything from ancient soul bones to ores that fell from the stars.
"Oh, little Zhangting? You again?"
A figure materialized out of thin air. Xu Tiansheng, one of the four Spirit Envoys and a Rank 95+ Super Douluo, looked down at the boy with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "Didn't your grandfather just bring you here to pick a soul spirit? Don't tell me you've already had second thoughts and want to swap it?"
"Not at all, Uncle Xu. I'm quite satisfied," Zhangting replied, his voice calm and devoid of a child's nervousness. He reached into his pocket and presented a glowing card. "I'm here to requisition resources. Here is my clearance authentication."
Xu Tiansheng's smile faltered as he scanned the card. It was a top-tier authorization, the kind usually reserved for continent-scale emergencies. "A dual-verification mode? Manual and electronic?" The Super Douluo gulped. "Whatever you're planning, Zhangting, it's big."
The Divine Artifact Strategy
As they walked into the inner sanctum of the treasury, Zhangting didn't waste time. "Uncle Xu, has the Federation opened the purchase channel for the Ice God Pearl?"
Xu Tiansheng nearly tripped over his own feet. "The Ice God Pearl? You mean the Heart of the Ice God? Zhangting, that's a genuine Divine Artifact!"
The Ice God Pearl was a headache for the Federation. It was a source of infinite energy, theoretically capable of powering a Level 12 Fixed Soul Tool Cannon Shell. But in reality, it was an "Isolated Artifact"—no one had found a way to tap into its power. It was a ten-billion-federal-coin paperweight.
"The Federation wants to sell it because they can't use it," Zhangting said, shrugging. "Purchase it now. Record all costs under the 'Body Sect Cooperation Project.' I am the hostage for this project, Uncle Xu. The Body Sect's tempering methods are notoriously violent—they can shatter a person's mind in seconds. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to need a Divine Artifact to stabilize my psyche?"
Xu Tiansheng was speechless. Reasonable? Who uses a Divine Artifact as a mere sedative? It was like using a sun to light a candle.
"Think of the future, Uncle Xu," Zhangting added, his eyes flashing with a predatory ambition. "When my plan for the Body Sect succeeds, the Spirit Pagoda's influence will reach a new peak. I will have enough merit to vie for the position of the next Pagoda Master. Using a few billion coins to secure my path now? No one will dare criticize me then."
Xu Tiansheng realized he was no match for the boy's logic. He processed the requisition, following the "Little Ancestor" as he moved through the sectors, picking up rare metals and spirit medicines with a precision that suggested he had mapped the entire treasury in his dreams.
As Zhangting left, carrying multiple soul tool storage rings, Xu Tiansheng muttered, "I hope the Pagoda Master is right about him. This boy doesn't just want to lead the Spirit Pagoda... he wants to own it."
The Purgatory's Sanctuary
Leaving the metallic cold of the treasury, Zhangting didn't head back to his mentor, Han Tianyi. Instead, he sought out the most mysterious pillar of the Qiangu family: his Great-Granduncle, Qian Gu Qingfeng, the Purgatory Douluo.
Deep within the heart of the steel headquarters was an anomaly—a hidden paradise of courtyards, rockeries, and flowing water. It was a sanctuary of silence, broken only by the ethereal sound of strings.
Tracing the melody, Zhangting found a woman who looked no older than thirty, her features delicate and graceful. She sat before a guzheng, her slender fingers moving with a grace that felt timeless.
"Great-Grandmother," Zhangting called out softly.
The music stopped. The woman smoothed over the strings, bringing the vibrations to a halt with a gentle smile. "Zhangting is here."
Zhangting approached her, his mind already shifting into a new gear. He wasn't here for a social visit; he was here to refine his spirit before the Body Sect training began.
"You look troubled, little one," she said, her voice like a soothing balm. "Is the burden of your talent finally starting to weigh on you?"
"Talent is only a burden if you don't know how to use it," Zhangting replied, sitting beside her. "I'm here to prepare for the trip. The Body Sect will refine my flesh, but I need my mind to be an unbreakable fortress."
The woman sighed, her fingers lightly brushing the strings again. "You are too much like your grandfather, yet far more dangerous. You want to reach the peak before you've even started the climb."
"The climb is for those who don't know the way," Zhangting countered. "I already know where the summit is. I just need the tools to get there faster."
As the sun set behind the glass spires of the Spirit Pagoda, Zhangting sat in the garden, the Ice God Pearl already pulsing in his thoughts. The stage was set. The resources were secured. Now, all that remained was to break his body and reforge it into something that could withstand the weight of a God.