Haodong Palm-We're Finished!

After arriving in the eastern part of the city, Nan Liujing saw a completely different Spirit Pagoda.

Compared to the several-hundred-meter-tall Spirit Pagodas in Star Luo City and Eastsea City, the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda was only barely fifty meters tall.

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Combined with the bustling crowds nearby, one would very likely mistake it for an ordinary office building.

After getting out of the car, Ye Changming explained as they walked, "Heaven Dou City is a historic city. To preserve its original appearance, the authorities have stipulated that no building within the city may exceed fifty meters in height. Even the Spirit Pagoda has to follow this rule."

Nan Liujing listened without speaking, while Na'er wore the curious expression of an inquisitive child.

After entering the Spirit Pagoda, Nan Liujing habitually looked toward the mural that every Pillar-level Spirit Pagoda possessed.

The moment he saw it, his vision went dark.

The mural in the center still featured Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao. Opposite him stood an Evil Soul Master with a ferocious countenance. At that moment, Huo Yuhao's palms were each emitting jade-white light, as though he were unleashing some kind of soul skill.

A lifelike carved silhouette had spread her arms and embraced him from behind, making Huo Yuhao's gaze exceptionally gentle. Yet a teardrop was somehow sliding down from the corner of his eye.

Haodong Palm, forever and ever.

Nan Liujing hurriedly looked away, inwardly horrified.

He could not come to this Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda anymore. It was far too "welcoming."

Na'er was still staring at it when he grabbed the back of her collar and dragged her away.

The Spirit Ascension Platform was located beneath the Spirit Pagoda. Ye Changming took out their entry permits and showed them to the guard stationed at the entrance, and they were smoothly allowed through.

They entered an elevator and quickly descended.

There was no numerical indicator. Two minutes passed quietly, and with a ding, the doors opened.

The moment they stepped out, they saw an exceptionally spacious hall. Silver was its dominant color, and it looked smooth and spotless. Several corridors stretched out behind the hall, leading who knew where.

Apart from the twenty-odd Spirit Pagoda staff members, there were also Soul Masters like Nan Liujing preparing to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform. Most were older people accompanying younger ones.

Ye Changming swept his eyes across the crowd, frowned, and found a staff member to ask a few questions. His vision immediately went dark.

His precious daughter had actually already entered the Spirit Ascension Platform.

No matter how much he spoiled his daughter, Ye Changming was somewhat angry now.

The staff member knew nothing about that. After confirming Nan Liujing's identity, he immediately led the three of them into a corridor behind the hall.

Rows of elevator doors appeared before them. They entered one, and it continued descending.

This time, it did not take long. The doors opened after just over ten seconds.

A small room appeared before Nan Liujing, with three staff members inside.

The room's walls were still made of metal. A massive Soul Guide Screen hung in a circle along the upper walls, flashing with all kinds of images. They all showed green worlds resembling jungles.

Figures occasionally appeared on the screens. They were clearly Soul Masters who had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, either to undergo Spirit Ascension or to temper themselves.

Nan Liujing even saw an unlucky Soul Master encounter a pack of lions wreathed in flames. Just before being torn apart, he turned into a streak of light and vanished, leaving the bewildered lion pack standing there in confusion.

"You should be entering the Spirit Ascension Platform for the first time, right?" The staff member leading them looked at Nan Liujing with interest, mainly because he was so young and alone.

"Yes." Nan Liujing looked at the screen, intrigued. This Spirit Ascension Platform was like the virtual online game novels from his previous life. Put on a helmet, then enter the game world. A typical example was Sword Art Online.

The staff member smiled. "Then I'll need to explain a few things to you..."

In summary:

First: The Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform was a world that was half virtual and half real. It was dangerous inside. If one suffered injuries such as losing an arm or leg, it would greatly impact the brainwaves and could leave the Soul Master with psychological trauma and irreversible mental damage. Therefore, if it felt beyond one's limit, immediately press the distress signal to withdraw.

Second: Killing Soul Beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform allowed one to absorb one-tenth of the spiritual energy dropped by the dead Soul Beast for personal use, increasing one's Soul Spirit age. If it exceeded the Soul Spirit's tolerance limit, one could give up absorbing the spiritual energy.

Third: The Soul Beasts in the Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform were mainly ten-year and hundred-year varieties, though Thousand-Year Soul Beasts would occasionally appear.

"I won't go into more detail. The Spirit Ascension Platform is only interesting if you explore it step by step yourself."

After the staff member finished explaining, Nan Liujing nodded to show that he understood.

One of the staff members stationed in the room pressed a button on the console. The wall immediately split open, and a metal cabinet slowly slid out. Inside was a groove shaped precisely like a human body, large enough to lie in.

"Go ahead." Ye Changming gestured.

After rubbing Na'er's head, Nan Liujing quickly lay down inside the metal cabinet.

Very soon, instrument suction pads extended from within and attached themselves all over his body, forming a tight seal.

"The scan might be a little uncomfortable. Bear with it," the staff member's voice reached Nan Liujing's ears.

The next moment, Nan Liujing felt his body go numb. The Soul Power and bloodline within him seemed to be activated by something, becoming incomparably active and naturally producing fluctuations that the instrument pads received.

Gradually, as though he had been injected with anesthetic, Nan Liujing's consciousness abruptly went dark.

"Could you help find a Soul Master named Ye Xinglan? She's my daughter." Ye Changming watched the metal cabinet containing Nan Liujing slide back into the wall, his tone icy.

One of the three staff members monitoring the screens nodded. "Yes."

On the circular Soul Guide Screen, one section changed.

A figure appeared before everyone.

It was a girl, extremely beautiful but still young. Before her stood a lean wolf-type Soul Beast.

Its fur was dark green, and its pure black pupils blended with that fur, making it nearly invisible in the dim jungle.

A Green Bush Wolf. It was an extremely ordinary Soul Beast, one of the lowest-ranked beings even in the Soul Beast-dominated Ancient Era. Yet no matter how ordinary this one was, it was still at the Thousand Year Level.

And the opponent of this Green Bush Wolf was a Soul Master with only one Soul Ring!

Ye Changming's brows instantly furrowed tightly.

Na'er seemed to sense a trace of something wrong, and she involuntarily shrank her neck.

Air carrying a faint bloody scent entered his lungs. Nan Liujing instantly opened eyes as sharp as an eagle's, dark blue lightning Soul Power swirling around his body as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

There was no threat.

What entered his vision was an ancient, lush forest, something rarely seen in modern Douluo Continent.

The trees nearby were generally over eighty meters tall. Their canopies spread wide, their leaves interlocking so densely that sunlight could not penetrate at all. A cold, gloomy aura filled every corner.

It was as though he had entered a land of giants, where humans were as tiny as ants.

He restrained his Soul Power, hiding his edge as he moved. Nan Liujing's gaze quickly locked onto a pool of blood not far away, and he stepped forward to inspect it.

The color was fresh. It had clearly been left behind not long ago.

He looked around, a faint glow flashing through his eyes as threads of Mental Power began helping him find his bearings in the dim environment.

"Knock knock knock."

Suddenly, abrupt sounds of battle rang out in the insect-silent forest. Nan Liujing glanced at the blood on the ground and, without the slightest hesitation, ran toward the source of the noise.

The faint light of his Martial Soul had long been gathering in his right palm, specifically to prevent an ambush by a Man Faced Demon Spider.

After sprinting less than two hundred meters, the sounds suddenly grew louder. Through the shrubs of unknown depth, he could even hear a human voice speaking, though it was unclear.

"Roar roar roar." Another sound immediately overwhelmed the human voice. It clearly belonged to Soul Beasts, and there were quite a few of them.

Nan Liujing cautiously closed the distance. Suddenly, his footsteps halted as he dodged sharply to the side. With a bang, a long crack like one made by an iron whip appeared where he had just been standing.

Nan Liujing focused his gaze. Ten meters away, a low Soul Beast resembling a slender willow tree was hiding in the darkness and launching sneak attacks. Many long vines extended from its body.

A Plant-type Soul Beast, a Ghost Vine. Judging by the number of branches, it should have been around five hundred years old.

Because the environment was so dark, if his eyesight had not been strong enough, he might have mistaken those branches for snakes.

He grabbed through the air with his right hand, and a dark green Dragon Subduing Staff immediately condensed into existence. Nan Liujing stood still, with only the yellow Soul Ring at his waist emitting an illusory soft glow.

Ghost Vines naturally loved ambushes. Now that it had been exposed, its wildness erupted. In an instant, seven snake-like branches lashed viciously toward him.

Nan Liujing casually swung the Dragon Subduing Staff in his right hand. The branches immediately coiled around it, tightly binding it. A huge force erupted, trying to drag Nan Liujing toward the tree.

If it had been any other Dragon Subduing Staff, that would indeed have been troublesome. But the key was that Nan Liujing's staff was charged with lightning.

Dazzling dark blue electric arcs suddenly burst from the Dragon Subduing Staff.

The dim forest was immediately illuminated, flickering as it reflected Nan Liujing's handsome yet cold face. Along the Dragon Subduing Staff, leaping dark blue electric arcs crawled backward onto the branches. In less than an instant, the Ghost Vine hiding not far away resembled a decorated Christmas tree, its entire body flashing with dense electric light.

Crackling currents madly drilled into the Ghost Vine's interior. Startled, it tried to sever its own branches, but the intense paralysis left it in despair. Soon, clusters of flames whooshed up from its main body beneath the electrical assault. In the darkness, fire and lightning formed a gorgeous blaze, fueled by the Ghost Vine's vigorous life force.

Seven seconds later, the Ghost Vine had burned out.

Piles of spiritual energy motes peeled away from its corpse and were actively drawn in by Nan Liujing.

Like a kill in a game, it left behind spiritual energy while its body dissipated like fine sand.

"I wonder, when comparing Lightning Element intensity, is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon stronger, or is my Thunder Dragon Soul stronger?"

Feeling the warm sensation of spiritual energy motes flowing into his body, Nan Liujing clicked his tongue slightly. His first Soul Spirit's age had increased to eight hundred and fifty years.

But the dangers of the Soul Beast Forest had indeed given him a warning. In the darkness, no one knew what Soul Beast might emerge. If his Mental Power had not been strong enough, he would have fallen for it just now.

"I'm still not alert enough. I need more practice." Nan Liujing summarized this lesson and cautiously headed toward the ongoing battle on the other side.

This time, there was no ambush from some hidden bastard. He smoothly pushed through the dense shrubs, and what entered his vision was a mass of baboon-like creatures besieging two humans.

"Wind Baboons?" Nan Liujing's eyes slightly moved.

These Wind Baboons had brown-yellow or deep yellow fur all over their bodies. Their arms were exceptionally long, their claws tipped with sharp nails, and their canine teeth protruded from their mouths.

An unknown number of brown-yellow Wind Baboons stood guard around the area, howling excitedly. The actual hunters were ten deep-yellow-furred baboons.

Brown-yellow signified ten years, while deep yellow signified one hundred years. The Wind Baboon with the darkest coloring was estimated to be six hundred years old, making it very likely the leader of this Soul Beast group.

The opponents of this Wind Baboon group were two young men who appeared to be under fifteen. They were twins, nearly identical in appearance. Despite being surrounded, they showed no panic. Instead, relying on their tacit coordination, they repeatedly blocked the Wind Baboons' attacks while fighting and retreating, clearly searching for an opportunity to escape.

Nan Liujing lowered his head and glanced at the Dragon Subduing Staff. A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

Though this Wind Baboon group was large, their ages were indeed not very high. They were ideal for practice.

"Roar."

Suddenly, an angry roar rang out. Nan Liujing looked closely and saw that the oldest Wind Baboon seemed to have run out of patience. It fiercely pounded its chest with both arms, opened its bloody maw, and launched a white sphere of light the size of a human head.

The wind-attributed sphere spun in a spiral, moving incredibly fast. As it struck, the Wind Baboons responsible for suppressing the twins quickly scattered, leaving the two young men almost no time to react.

Their expressions changed slightly as they rolled to opposite sides to evade it.

With a boom, a deep crater was blasted into the ground, sending grass and dirt flying everywhere.

"Roar."

In an instant, killing intent flashed through the Wind Baboon Leader's pupils. Wind Element gathered around it, propelling it swiftly forward.

With one charge and leap, it reached the top of the young man on the left. Its equally long arms joined behind its head to form a warhammer shape, about to smash down. If it hit, in the real world, his skull would likely be shattered.

"Eldest brother!" The young man on the right paled. Before his brother could respond, he too encountered trouble. The other Wind Baboons coordinated seamlessly, immediately swarming the young man on the right, intending to tear this human apart as quickly as possible.

The young man on the left's pupils shrank sharply. He could already smell the stench emanating from the Wind Baboon Leader.

Since entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, the brothers had worked together to kill several Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. Their Soul Power was already running low.

Making his decision, he extended his left hand, preparing to press the red distress button on his right arm.

Whoosh!

At that instant, something flashed through the young man on the left's peripheral vision, as if a lingering streak of light were flying toward him. His movement paused.

Bang! A dull impact sounded, and the nearly two-meter-tall body of the Wind Baboon Leader was sent flying directly through the air, landing right in the group of Wind Baboons besieging the young man on the right.

Like a bowling ball, it scattered the beast pack.

The sudden turn of events stunned the two young men, but they did not forget to seize the chance to slip away. When they looked back, they saw a staff covered in fine Dragon Scales suspended in midair, dark blue electric arcs constantly winding around it as a faint, deep dragon roar sounded.

"Roar."

After being blasted away and shocked by lightning, the Wind Baboon Leader let out an enraged growl. It hurriedly climbed up to see who had ambushed it. Its blood-red eyes locked on Nan Liujing, who was slowly walking onto the battlefield.

"Thump thump thump." The Wind Baboon Leader violently struck its chest, spreading the bloodline aura unique to its kind. The nine surrounding Hundred-Year Wind Baboons immediately seemed pumped full of adrenaline, roaring as they charged toward Nan Liujing, completely ignoring the two humans they had just been besieging.

Nan Liujing grabbed through the air, and the Dragon Subduing Staff turned into a streak of lightning as it flew back into his hand. The dark blue Dragon Scales rose and fell like waves, like a giant dragon waking from slumber and preparing to devour everything. Lightning Element between heaven and earth began flowing into it, exuding an extremely oppressive aura.

When the Wind Baboons came within fifteen meters of Nan Liujing, the muscles in his right arm erupted with astonishing power. He seemingly casually hurled the Dragon Subduing Staff in his hand.

The entire Dragon Subduing Staff instantly transformed into a streak of lightning and shot forth.

The Wind Baboon running at the front only felt its vision distort for a moment, as though something had pierced through its chest. It instinctively looked down and saw dark blue lightning flare from its body.

With a boom, Lightning Element continuously compressed by the Dragon Scales exploded within its body like a small bomb. Its entire body instantly shattered into a thick crimson mist, with electric light flickering within the haze.

Bang bang bang!

That streak of lightning pierced every Hundred-Year Wind Baboon except the Wind Baboon Leader at incredible speed, one after another. Dull explosions rang out in rapid succession.

The vast grassland was instantly blanketed in blood mist. Grass blades were stained scarlet, and a thick bloody stench spread through the air, enough to make one retch.

In an instant, everything fell silent.

Passive skill provided by the Thunder Dragon Soul: It could rely on Dragon Scales to draw Lightning Element from heaven and earth into them. It could be used to assist soul skill combat or for direct attacks, comparable to an additional soul skill.