Junior Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform

In the blink of an eye, a year flew by. Chen Jianshu was seven years old, and his level had reached sixteen.

He had gained an average of six levels in a year. Even excluding the level gained from his Soul Spirit, five levels in a year was already very fast.

During that year, Na'er often came to play, eat, and go shopping with him. Every time, she kept her eyes on him, and whenever she saw he was about to leave, she rushed to pay the bill first.

During that same year, he raised Na'er's affection to a hundred points, and they became very close friends.

After her affection reached a hundred, he obtained another Na'er Character Card. He should eventually be able to collect three and combine them into a two-star Na'er or something like that.

Over the past year, he had been cultivating and improving himself. But for some reason, every time he practiced his swordsmanship, Tower Master Di Tian beat him black and blue with a wooden sword.

The way he looked at him also seemed less than friendly. Perhaps Na'er's closeness to him had made Old Di unhappy.

But could he be blamed for that? The little girl had come running to his home of her own accord. It really had nothing to do with him.

He cried out that he had been wronged, but Old Di wouldn't listen. Instead, he put him through brutal training. With no other choice, Chen Jianshu could only resign himself to it and continue training.

Of course, aside from cultivation and training, he hadn't neglected his forging. He could already forge at the first-grade Thousand Refinement level.

Then there was his Martial Soul. He had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform less often this past year, spending most of his time cultivating and training.

However, he had saved up eighty coins. His Electro Slime, Life Slime, Pyro Slime, Dark Slime, and the others had all been upgraded to two stars, greatly increasing their stats.

He hadn't bought any other trash Character Cards. Of course, he had also gained many more Noble Phantasms, such as... such as Cool Steel, Dawn Divine Sword, Traveler's Handy Sword, Dark Iron Sword, Black Tassel Spear, White Tassel, and Crescent Pike.

There were also Slingshot, Recurve Bow, White Iron Greatsword, Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, a grade-A gemstone, and the like. These were all weapons he had combined from his original few pieces of equipment.

Looking at his arsenal, he was quite satisfied, though he increasingly suspected that his Golden Spatula had something to do with Genshin Impact.

If he hadn't previously combined three Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas into one blue-quality Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, he would have suspected he was playing Genshin Impact Golden Spatula.

After a period of steady practice, his swordsmanship, spear techniques, and Elemental Control had all reached a very solid level.

"Today happens to be the day the Spirit Pagoda's Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform opens. I might as well go take a look."

Chen Jianshu loosened up, preparing to adjust the difficulty and enter the Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform. It was the perfect chance to raise his Soul Ring to the thousand-year level.

Before, his body had been relatively weak, so his Soul Ring had remained stuck at the limit of nine hundred and ninety-nine years.

But just last night, he had broken through to level sixteen, and his body was strong enough for him to raise it to the thousand-year level.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Puzzled, Chen Jianshu opened it and saw a silver-haired figure standing there.

"Good morning, Brother Jianshu!"

The little silver-haired girl greeted him with a beaming smile, and he nodded.

Just as in the original story, the little girl hadn't awakened a Martial Soul and had been heartbroken over it. But with his comfort, she had become lively and cheerful again.

"Brother Jianshu, are you going out to the Spirit Pagoda again today?"

Seeing him dressed and ready to go, Na'er tilted her head slightly and asked curiously. He nodded and replied:

"That's right. The Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform is open for its Turbulent Period today. It's perfect for training."

"All right... Then go ahead, Brother Jianshu. Na'er won't bother you."

Hearing that he was going to the Spirit Pagoda's Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform, she understood that he would be busy today. Rather than making an unreasonable fuss, she obediently said she wouldn't disturb him.

"Once I get back, let's go out and have some fun."

"Okay! Then, Brother Jianshu, shall we make a pinky promise?"

"Isn't that childish? A pinky promise?"

The two were both on their way to the Spirit Pagoda. After agreeing that he would go shopping with her once he came out of the Spirit Ascension Platform, Chen Jianshu slipped into a virtual pod for the Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform with practiced ease.

His consciousness sank into the virtual world. He stretched and loosened up.

Outside, Di Tian and Leng Yaozhu were in the control room of Eastsea City's Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform.

"This year's core disciple selection seems to be starting soon. Perfect. Let's send this kid in to suffer a little."

At Di Tian's instruction, the staff sent a message to headquarters. With numerous staff members working the controls, the Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platforms of the Spirit Pagoda's Eighty-One Heavenly Pillars began connecting.

In the original story, there had only been the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars. The current Spirit Pagoda was on a scale the original couldn't compare with: there were five Spirit Pagodas in the Far North, five in the Star Dou Great Forest, one in Sunset Forest, two in Evil Demon Forest, and some over by the ocean as well.

Naturally, its scale was staggering. Now, all the geniuses entering the Spirit Ascension Platform's Turbulent Period would gather together, fighting one another to seize spiritual power. Those who performed exceptionally might even catch the eye of the Spirit Pagoda's upper echelon and become core disciples.

"Demon Spirit, move that kid to the very center and send a few top-ranked geniuses his way."

Di Tian spoke toward the screen. Demon Spirit, knowing he couldn't survive the three-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation, had long since become a Soul Spirit.

He had turned himself into the core computational spirit of the Star Dou Spirit Pagoda branch, something like the AI in a soul-guidance computer. The Evil Emperor was much the same, except he was alive and not in the form of a Soul Spirit.

Meanwhile, inside the Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform, Chen Jianshu loosened up, completely unaware, and prepared to get some good training in.

The next second, Soul Power fluctuations came from the distance. He paused. It seemed someone had started fighting, so he immediately headed over to watch the excitement.

He soon arrived at the scene of the battle, where a Soul Master with the Radiant Sacred Dragon was fighting a thousand-year horned dragon.

His opponent was about the same age as him, perhaps a little older. His Soul Power fluctuations were around level twenty, the level of a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.

Using his bloodline suppression, he successfully tore the thousand-year horned dragon apart with his bare hands. After soloing the thousand-year Soul Beast, he immediately grinned.

"The Spirit Pagoda's core disciple spot is mine for sure!"

Chen Jianshu broke into a slight sweat. How had he run into a top-tier Martial Soul like the Radiant Sacred Dragon right off the bat? Whose kid was this? Mu En's or Bei Bei's? Come to think of it, Radiant Sacred Dragon Soul Masters were a bit too common in this era.

There was Shrek's Long Yeyue and the Star Luo Continent's Holy Dragon Douluo, and now this person in front of him. He suspected some "Fed-to-the-Brim Douluo" was responsible.

And looking at Long Yeyue and Long Chen, both were surnamed Long. The former probably also possessed twin Sacred Dragon Martial Souls, so they were probably the offspring of Mu En and Long Xiaoyao.

While he was thinking, another person charged out ahead. The newcomer held an enormous Dark Demon Scythe and had pale skin, giving him a rather frail appearance.

Two Yellow Soul Rings likewise circled him. The two exchanged a glance, fighting intent flashing in both their eyes.

"State your name! I, Long Chen of the Long Family of Tianlong City, do not kill nameless nobodies!"

"Mingdu, Xu Family, Xu Yucheng."

Long Chen pointed at his opponent and demanded his name. The other slowly gave it, and battle was about to erupt.

The Radiant Sacred Dragon roared, and the Dark Demon Scythe swung into motion. A golden light and a black one collided. The Dark Demon Scythe seemed to have the upper hand; it was a super Martial Soul, after all.

Chen Jianshu's gaze turned subtle as he looked at the spiritual power on the two of them. He immediately took a deep breath and said:

"What tremendous karma! Fellow Daoists, keeping this karma on you will bring a hundred harms and not a single benefit. Allow this poor Daoist to settle it for you!"

He rubbed his hands together, ready to reap the fisherman's profit. As the saying went, the mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it—and behind the oriole lurked a sneaky bastard.

"Holy Dragon's Wrath!"

"Dark Demon Triple Slash!"

Their battle entered its fiercest phase. The two fought evenly, trading blows to their hearts' content. Finally, Chen Jianshu saw his chance and struck.

"Go! Noble Phantasm Projection!"

At a point of his finger, two Prototype Archaics shot through the air. The two fighters, engrossed in battle, were startled and immediately looked toward him, cursing at the top of their lungs.

"Despicable sneak!"

"You have no martial virtue!"

The next second, the two, still locked in a stalemate, tried to separate, but it was too late. The greatswords pierced their heads, killing them on the spot.

All the spiritual power on them flew into him. Just as he was secretly rejoicing, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several arrows shot through the air. He immediately tilted his head to dodge, and the arrows lodged in the nearby trees, coating them with a thin layer of frost.

Chen Jianshu turned and saw a figure about eight years old, with two Yellow Soul Rings circling his body and a blue-and-gold longbow in his hands. The figure drew his bow again, and arrows wreathed in extreme cold shot out once more.

He immediately performed a sideways flip to evade the three incoming arrows, then waved his hand, sending three Iron Swords flying straight at the archer.

The Iron Swords cut through the air. His opponent immediately changed position, drawing and firing his bow as he put distance between them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Bang, bang, bang!

Arrows and Iron Swords collided repeatedly in midair, and Chen Jianshu successfully analyzed his opponent's bow, turning it into a Noble Phantasm of his own.

[Light Feather Divine Bow] Three stars.

+30 attack.

+20% critical rate.

+15% attack.

Effect: attacks apply the ice element to enemies on hit, slowing them.

"Noble Phantasm Projection!"

Chen Jianshu used a large tree as cover. Several arrows struck the tree beside him, and he immediately leaned out, holding a Light Feather Divine Bow identical to his opponent's, with a Prototype Archaic nocked on the string.

"My Martial Soul?!"

His opponent froze at the sight of the Martial Soul in his hands. Chen Jianshu seized the chance to loose his shot. Sensing the threat of death, the other snapped back to his senses, only to see the greatsword growing larger and larger. Then everything went black...

He had eliminated another person. He dispelled the Light Feather Divine Bow in his hand, and then a chill swept over him as an enormous fireball came crashing down toward his face.

Using the movement-speed bonus from Swiftstrider, he shot backward to evade the attack, then waved his hand and sent an Iron Sword flying.

As the Iron Sword shot out, he got a clear look at the newcomer: a blond girl who appeared to be around ten. Two Soul Rings circled her, and she gave off the presence of someone at roughly level twenty-seven...

The Iron Sword collided with the fireball, scattering sparks. Chen Jianshu turned and ran. The commotion from the fighting here had probably drawn plenty of attention, and if they came running over one after another, he would definitely be worn to death.

"Don't even think about running! Hand over your spiritual power!"

Seeing him flee, she immediately gave chase. As he sprinted, he clearly felt many gazes falling on him.

"Noble Phantasm Projection, Slingshot!"

A wooden bow appeared in his hand. It was the three-star bow weapon from Genshin Impact, and he nocked three Iron Swords on its string.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He fired one sword after another in different directions. Wherever an Iron Sword landed, a little commotion followed.

The next second, a figure surrounded by a red-and-white presence attacked, wielding a peacock tail blade that radiated killing intent and striking with it like a longsword.

At the same time, an illusory White Peacock appeared behind her, its entire body radiating red killing intent.

Clang!

The swords rang as Chen Jianshu's Dawn Divine Sword collided with her peacock sword. Two Soul Rings circled her body, and she had long white hair and scarlet eyes.

He had no time to pay attention to that. Someone was coming from another direction! Cyan light flashed, and with a bird's cry, a figure of around nine, with the Wind Chime Bird Martial Soul and two Soul Rings circling his body, charged in.

"Get lost!"

The white-haired woman wielding the Peacock Feather Sword slashed out, scarlet killing intent sweeping in all directions as she severed the wings of the Wind Chime Bird Soul Master who had tried to ambush her.

"Noble Phantasm Projection! Twelve Swords of Punishment!"

Twelve Iron Swords instantly appeared behind Chen Jianshu. Eleven aimed at the white-haired woman before him, while the remaining one killed the Wind Chime Bird Soul Master. A great deal of spiritual power drifted over.

He exerted himself and forced his opponent back with brute strength. The eleven Iron Swords immediately shot forward, driving her back. Meanwhile, the blond woman at the rear came forward and sent three fireballs circling her body crashing toward the white-haired woman.

The white-haired woman unleashed numerous streaks of scarlet sword Qi, smashing the fireballs. The two immediately became locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle.

"Tsk, what a pain. That was almost the end of me."

Chen Jianshu muttered glumly, but the very next second, a figure lunged at him, smashing down with a staff-type weapon.

"Again?!"

He was utterly speechless. He immediately met the attack with the Dawn Divine Sword. Sword and staff collided, and both retreated several steps. He felt a dull ache in the hand gripping his sword.

The newcomer held a long staff carved with dragon patterns. He appeared to be only eight, with two Yellow Soul Rings circling his body.

"Hand over your spiritual power!"

The newcomer, too, coveted the spiritual power on him. Chen Jianshu smiled unconcernedly and said:

"Come and take it yourself if you can!"

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Take this!"

Clearly displeased, his opponent smashed down with his staff again. Chen Jianshu waved his hand and sent three Iron Swords flying.

The other immediately checked his attack, then swung his staff to shatter the Iron Swords. The next second, an identical staff came flying at him.

[Coiling Dragon Staff] Three stars.

+20 attack.

+25% critical rate.

+15% attack.

Effect: strengthens normal attacks. After using a skill, the next normal attack's power increases by fifty percent.

"My Martial Soul?!"

His opponent was startled, evidently not expecting him to pull out his own Martial Soul and attack him with it. Caught off guard, he took the Coiling Dragon Staff squarely to the head and was knocked down.

"Three Swords Fall!"

At the same time, three Iron Swords fell from the sky, pinning him to the ground. The last sword pierced his head, killing him.

P.S. The second and third updates for July 10: a four-thousand-character two-in-one chapter, bringing the total to six thousand characters.