He Doesn't Even Know the Gap in Their Strength, Yet He Dares to Challenge...

No one could resist the temptation of spiritual ascension. After all, killing a hundred-year virtual soul beast in the Spirit Ascension Platform granted ten years of Soul Power feedback; a thousand-year soul beast granted a hundred years, and so on!

That was also why those powerful experts could obtain outrageously colored soul rings. Take Mu Zhen, for example. Aside from his red soul spirit, his earlier ten-thousand-year soul spirits had all been raised through spiritual ascension.

Although Qiangu Yunling detested Lin Chen, he was the one in the wrong now, so he could only choose to ignore him.

"I promised Mu Zhen. Whatever that brat wants, give it to him. I can't be bothered to care anymore."

Qiangu Yunling had only wanted to disgust Lin Chen a little. He had never truly taken Lin Chen seriously.

Lin Chen was merely a genius with innate level-nine Soul Power. So what if he could cultivate all the way to a Limit Douluo?

The Qiangu Clan already had a Limit Douluo, and they would certainly have more in the future. That was the confidence of a millennium-old clan.

Qiangu Yunling truly was not worried that Lin Chen could bring any trouble to the Qiangu Clan.

If Lin Chen wanted to use the Spirit Ascension Platform, then let him use it. They had taken his money, and only an idiot would turn down a profit.

After comforting himself like that, Qiangu Yunling's mood improved.

Once Lin Chen and Na'er stated their purpose, several Spirit Pagoda masters immediately gathered around them.

Lin Chen looked at the steward. "Help her pick the best soul spirit available. Preferably one with a dragon bloodline. Price is irrelevant."

After saying that, Lin Chen followed another Spirit Pagoda master into an elevator heading underground.

After exiting the elevator, they found themselves in a spacious hall. More than a dozen staff members worked inside, while rows of metal passageways stretched out behind them.

Lin Chen took out the access card he had won at the auction and handed it to one of the staff members.

The staff member said nothing, merely gesturing for him to follow before leading him into one of the corridors.

There was another elevator. After winding through the facility for some time, Lin Chen and the Spirit Pagoda master finally arrived in a circular room.

The room was still entirely constructed of metal, but a ring of enormous Soul Tool screens hung along the walls. Various images flickered across them, all showing a green world—the world within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The staff member turned to Lin Chen and the Spirit Pagoda master. "Will you handle it yourselves, or should I?"

"I'll do it." The Spirit Pagoda master spoke and sent the staff member away.

He had come with Lin Chen specifically for this, after all. Lin Chen was somewhat special.

He operated the Soul Tool screen and pulled up Lin Chen's information.

A large red X was stamped over Lin Chen's handsome profile picture, and all of his information was locked.

The Spirit Pagoda master unlocked the restrictions one by one. Then he looked at Lin Chen, his voice cold. "Come record your basic information. I'm sure you know the rules of the Spirit Ascension Platform well enough."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Of course I do. That's why I need anonymous access."

"Anonymous access?"

"That's right. My family has a great deal of influence, so I need to protect my privacy. After all, a pack of wild dogs has been eyeing me like prey."

The Spirit Pagoda master frowned immediately upon hearing Lin Chen's request.

So-called anonymous access meant that after entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, those with that privilege could not have their specific information viewed by others.

Anonymous access was jointly supervised by multiple parties. Even the upper ranks of the Spirit Pagoda could not casually view the information of those protected by it.

After all, everyone needed to use the Spirit Ascension Platform, but no one wanted to be controlled by the Spirit Pagoda!

Yet once someone entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, all of their data would be scanned and copied, including the items and treasures inside their storage Soul Tools. There would be no privacy whatsoever, and everything would be exposed to the Spirit Pagoda.

To prevent such a thing from happening, the major Federations and Shrek had ultimately forced the Spirit Pagoda to establish anonymous access, with multiple parties overseeing it. Its main purpose was to guard against the Spirit Pagoda.

"This is a rather serious matter."

The Spirit Pagoda master immediately reported it to Qiangu Yunling.

Qiangu Yunling seemed to have expected it. His fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, and after a brief moment of thought, he said, "Give him access. That little bastard has nothing worth looking at anyway.

"Still, although he'll be protected by anonymous access and we won't be able to view his private data, once he enters the Spirit Ascension Platform, everything he does will be monitored. Keep your eyes glued to him. I want to know exactly what he does in there."

"Understood, Tower Master. Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong!"

After receiving Qiangu Yunling's instructions, the Spirit Pagoda master looked at Lin Chen irritably. "Activating anonymous access is extremely complicated. We have to connect to the headquarters' Heavenly Spirit Pagoda, and it will take quite some time."

"It's fine. I can wait."

An hour later, after working for quite a while, the Spirit Pagoda master finally activated Lin Chen's anonymous access.

After all, this privilege was jointly supervised by multiple parties. Once activated, not even the Spirit Pagoda could privately retrieve the information.

In truth, it only protected part of his privacy, because once he entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, he would still be under the Spirit Pagoda's surveillance.

But Lin Chen was already satisfied. Only now did he dare enter the Spirit Ascension Platform. After all, he did not even have a single soul ring!

The safest option would have been to return a year later, but he could not wait that long. Anonymous access was good enough.

Under the Spirit Pagoda master's guidance, Lin Chen soon lay down inside a metal pod. After that, no one else needed to worry about him.

The moment Lin Chen entered, the metal pod automatically began scanning and collecting his bodily data.

Waves of tingling sensation spread through every limb and bone in his body, as though something were continuously passing through him. The Soul Power and bloodline within his body were stimulated and began fluctuating on their own. The tingling sensation grew stronger and stronger, making his whole body feel numb.

He did not know how much time had passed. Lin Chen only felt his body suddenly jolt, and when he instinctively woke from his half-conscious state, he discovered that everything around him had become bright.

He looked around in astonishment and found himself in a soul beast forest.

After seeing the red emergency button on the back of his hand, he knew that his consciousness had connected to the virtual body within the Spirit Ascension Platform. He was now inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Feeling the level-one Soul Power within him and sensing his martial soul, Lin Chen was deeply shocked. This virtual body was truly identical to his real body.

However, what surprised Lin Chen was that the Transcendent Breeding Contract was completely absent, and Di Tian was nowhere to be found.

It seemed virtual simulation was not quite so heaven-defying after all. It could not simulate his cheat ability and could only replicate his martial soul and Soul Power.

Yet Lin Chen could still clearly sense Di Tian's presence, and a smile immediately appeared on his lips. It seemed his guess had been correct.

He really could summon Di Tian's true body within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Then things were about to become interesting.

He was going to start exploiting bugs in this half-virtual, half-real place.

With a thought, Lin Chen began summoning Di Tian.

"Star Dou Great Forest, welcome your king!"