Another seven or eight minutes passed before Sun Kong finally spoke up, interrupting the inseparable pair.
The three soon entered a private elevator requiring identity verification. As it rose, the floor numbers on the screen kept changing.
With a ding, the elevator stopped. Once the doors opened, Sun Kong stepped out first. Before them was an exceptionally spacious room dominated by pale silver.
Nan Liujing and Wu Sidao had just followed him out when they heard a hearty laugh.
"Only you, Sun Kong, could get this old man to make the trip. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have bothered."
"Greetings, Elder Yuan." Sun Kong's burly body bent slightly. After paying his respects, he stepped aside.
Only then did Nan Liujing and Wu Sidao clearly see the speaker.
He was an old man with snow-white hair, a well-proportioned build, and a simple long robe. His face was rosy and full, his qi and blood abundant, and his eyes bright and spirited.
"Are these the two children here to obtain Soul Spirits?" the old man asked.
"Liujing, Si Duo, hurry and greet Elder Yuan," Sun Kong said.
"Greetings, Elder Yuan."
Nan Liujing and Wu Sidao respectfully bowed.
Elder Yuan smiled and gave a soft hum. His gaze lingered over the two of them as he said gently, "I imagine you can hardly wait any longer. We'll first test your physical strength and mental power, then quickly choose your Soul Spirits."
Two drone-like devices flew down from the ceiling and stopped before Nan Liujing and Wu Sidao respectively. They then projected beams of light, scanning each of them twice from head to toe.
Elder Yuan lightly waved his hand, and two projections descended from the ceiling.
Sun Kong immediately looked over. The first set of data belonged to Wu Sidao.
"Physical strength: Level Eighteen. Mental power: seventy-five. Not bad." Sun Kong nodded approvingly.
Both of Wu Sidao's Martial Souls were Beast Martial Souls, and her White Tiger Martial Soul was even a top-tier Beast Martial Soul. Naturally, their enhancement to her body was considerable. As for mental power, because she possessed Twin Martial Souls, she had been born with far more than an ordinary person.
Combined with her family's support, she had won right at the starting line.
Elder Yuan, meanwhile, examined Nan Liujing's physical data item by item. He merely nodded slightly without saying anything. For instance, Nan Liujing's physical strength was comparable to that of a Level Twenty-Two Strength-Type Soul Grandmaster.
For someone from an ordinary family, that was difficult to comprehend.
But given Nan Liujing's family background, he had been fed spiritual medicines suited to his age until he was full. It was easy to lay a solid foundation early on; what was truly difficult was later growth.
However, when Elder Yuan looked at the most important mental power value, even his normally unruffled expression changed slightly. "Two hundred and twenty? Mid-stage Spirit Connection Realm?"
Wu Sidao was also looking at the light screen. At Elder Yuan's surprised exclamation, disbelief immediately filled her pair of gorgeous heterochromatic eyes. Even though she already regarded Nan Liujing as a friend, as fellow possessors of Twin Martial Souls, she still had no shortage of competitive spirit.
Seventy-five and two hundred and twenty—the gap was enormous.
Looking at those two numbers, Wu Sidao pressed her red lips together. Her gaze quickly became resolute. A large gap did not mean she could not catch up.
Nan Liujing himself was somewhat stunned. He remembered that when Tang Wulin obtained his first Soul Spirit, his tested mental power had only been thirty-eight. Nan Liujing's was several times higher.
"Sun Kong." Elder Yuan quickly recovered. The gentleness on his face turned serious as he transmitted, "You should understand what this means."
Sun Kong's expression turned solemn as he transmitted back, "Please rest assured. Boss has already made arrangements for this child's future."
Elder Yuan nodded and said nothing more, but his gaze toward Nan Liujing became increasingly kind.
"Take a seat first."
Sun Kong motioned for Nan Liujing and Wu Sidao to sit with him on the sofa.
With an operation Elder Yuan performed without them knowing how, more than a dozen projections gathered in midair.
Arrayed before them was information on all kinds of Soul Spirits. By selecting one, they could directly see its activity within the Star Dou Great Forest simulated by the Spirit Ascension Platform.
[Hundred Year Soul Spirit Shadow Leopard: Cultivation of four hundred and fifty years. Characteristics: Possesses a Shadow Attribute mutated from wind and darkness attributes. There is a certain chance of causing the fusion user's Martial Soul attributes of the same type to evolve beneficially. Even with different attributes, it can grant additional similar abilities.]
[Hundred Year Soul Spirit Ghost Tiger: Cultivation of five hundred years. Characteristics: Combines the explosive power of tiger-type Soul Beasts with the agility of cat-type Soul Beasts...]
[Hundred Year Soul Spirit Phantom Cat: Cultivation of four hundred and seventy years. Characteristics...]
[Hundred Year Soul Spirit Wind Shadow Beast: Cultivation of five hundred and twenty years. Characteristics...]
The long string of Soul Spirits was dazzling to look at.
Elder Yuan said to the absorbed Wu Sidao, "girl, your Martial Souls are the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat. But with your current mental power, you can only add a Soul Spirit to one Martial Soul. Which path do you plan to take first?"
Wu Sidao reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the light screen and subconsciously looked at Sun Kong.
Sun Kong did not hesitate at all. "Choose a Soul Spirit for the Hell Spirit Cat first."
Wu Sidao immediately looked toward Elder Yuan and nodded.
"Very good." Elder Yuan first removed the Soul Spirits unsuitable for the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul, then said, "Now you may choose. Every Soul Spirit on the screen is an Inherited Soul Spirit created from a genuine Soul Beast, and all are relatively rare among the Hundred Year level. Whichever one you choose will provide a good enhancement."
Soul Spirits were divided into Defective Soul Spirits, Artificial Soul Spirits, Inherited Soul Spirits, Unyielding Soul Spirits, Companion Soul Spirits... Since they had used connections, the Soul Spirits on display naturally could not compare to the ones ordinary people could directly buy with money.
Wu Sidao still sought Sun Kong's help. In the end, she chose the Shadow Leopard as her first Soul Spirit.
The Shadow Attribute the Shadow Leopard possessed through mutation suited the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul extremely well. Its enhancement was not simply one plus one equaling two.
There was not much to say about the absorption process. Wu Sidao's temperament became even more aloof—or rather, colder—and she grew slightly taller as well.
"Congratulations," Nan Liujing said.
"Thank you."
Although Wu Sidao was unwilling to have her mental power value so thoroughly crushed, she was also quite open-minded. It was only a temporary inferiority.
Now it was Nan Liujing's turn to obtain a Soul Spirit.
But this time, Elder Yuan did not bring out a pile of Soul Spirit illustrations for Nan Liujing to choose from. Instead, he stood and walked deeper into the room. "Follow me."
Nan Liujing was puzzled. After seeing Sun Kong nod at him, he could only suppress his curiosity and hurry after Elder Yuan.
The two soon arrived at a room suffused with silver light. At its center stood an energy pillar, within which floated a special ball of light.
After only one glance, Nan Liujing's expression changed slightly. Whatever was inside that sphere of light would be immensely beneficial to him.
Elder Yuan glanced at the sphere. "For a Soul Master, the first Soul Spirit is often the most important. As the host improves, its growth will far surpass the Soul Spirits obtained later, and it is more capable of developing spirituality. Thus, it is called a Destiny Soul Spirit."
"Your Martial Soul is a Dragon Subduing Staff possessing a Thunder Dragon Soul. It is incomparably fierce, but excessive hardness is easily broken. Therefore, the Soul Spirit you obtain must not only possess tremendous resilience, but also a top-tier Lightning Attribute and explosive power."
"Originally, the Spirit Pagoda did not have a Soul Spirit within your absorption range that suited you so well. But someone found one for you."
Someone found it for me?
Nan Liujing silently wondered. Could it have been Uncle?
Actually, he had wanted to choose one himself, mainly in hopes of finding something unaffected by the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings. Otherwise, when he faced Tang Wulin in the future, he would be suppressed beyond belief.
"Elder Yuan, what is this Soul Spirit called?" he asked respectfully.
Elder Yuan pressed the button beside the pillar. A white light scanned over Nan Liujing, followed by an electronic voice.
"Identity verification successful. Designation 'Thunderclap' has been delivered."
Buzz—
As the voice sounded, the layer of light coating the sphere within the pillar slowly dispersed. Under Nan Liujing's gaze, the object hidden inside revealed its true form, and his pupils abruptly contracted.
Its main body resembled a newly sprouted bamboo shoot, but more than eight pale purple, bamboo-jointed vines extended from its surface. Fine patterns covered them, and occasional electric light flashed across them. At its peak was what appeared to be an unopened dark purple flower bud. It looked simple, yet Nan Liujing faintly sensed an extremely terrifying fluctuation emanating from it.
Like a volcano, it could erupt at any time.
Elder Yuan looked admiringly at the special "bamboo shoot." "It is called the Thunderclap Nether Vine. Among the ever-changing Plant-type Soul Beasts, it possesses what can be called the strongest offensive power. Most importantly, it is a Lightning Attribute existence, a Soul Spirit every Lightning Attribute Soul Master dreams of."
As he spoke, he extended a wisp of Soul Power from his fingertip and lightly touched the flower bud atop the Thunderclap Nether Vine. As if enraged, the eight pale purple vines immediately whipped about wildly. Amid flashing electricity, more than twenty-four small lightning spheres condensed.
Elder Yuan casually pressed the button beside him, and the lightning spheres immediately vanished.
A light screen appeared before the two of them, displaying a dense forest.
"Watch," Elder Yuan said calmly.
Nan Liujing fixed his full attention on the light screen.
"Rumble!"
Within a dense grove, twenty-four lightning spheres appeared out of nowhere. After trembling for a moment, they erupted with a thunderous blast. Violent dark purple electricity exploded like wave after wave of shockwaves. From the sky, it looked like a stone falling into water and sending layer upon layer of ripples spreading outward.
Within a hundred-meter radius, grass blades turned to ash, while hard trunks and massive rocks shattered into countless fragments that sprayed through the air. As the subsequent lightning ravaged the area, everything was wiped away completely. The attack was so powerful that even the other elements within the forest were torn apart, forming a region of shattered elements.
Before Nan Liujing's astonished eyes, the bombarded area had become a pitch-black wasteland. Yet residual heat remained, and electric arcs occasionally leaped and burst.
What astonishing power. Nan Liujing was secretly shocked.
"This Thunderclap Nether Vine Soul Spirit has an age of eight hundred years. The power of that attack just now is comparable to an Eight Thousand Year Soul Beast specializing in area damage. Once you use the Spirit Ascension Platform to break through to the Thousand-Year level, it will be comparable to a Ten Thousand Year soul skill." Elder Yuan explained the Soul Spirit's characteristics.
Nan Liujing glanced at the Thunderclap Nether Vine, which had become dim and listless, as if its body had been hollowed out.
In his mind, the words of the mysterious person with a Thunder God Wheel behind his head appeared when Nan Liujing had awakened his Martial Soul.
Face the Heavenly Thunder directly and accept its baptism.
The Heavenly Tribulation Pearl would help the weak, but it would not help the cowardly.
The Thunderclap Nether Vine cultivated by relying on Heavenly Thunder pouring into its body. It was so similar to him; this had to be a tremendous stroke of fate.
The opportunity was right before him. He had to seize it!
Moreover, the Thunderclap Nether Vine did not possess Dragon Clan Bloodline and was unafraid of suppression. The only thing worth being wary of was Tang Wulin's potential future identity as a Child of Nature.
Nan Liujing took a deep breath, his gaze becoming firm. "Elder Yuan, please help me fuse with it."
"Good." Elder Yuan nodded slightly.
Weak Soul Spirits could be fused independently, but powerful Soul Spirits were usually assisted by experts whenever conditions allowed.
Elder Yuan softly recited the Soul Spirit Contract Incantation passed down by Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.
Nowadays, Equal Contracts were rare among Soul Spirit Contracts. Most were Master-Servant Contracts.
Nan Liujing sat cross-legged, watching as the Thunderclap Nether Vine, upon which a Master-Servant Contract had been placed, transformed into threadlike currents of electricity and flowed into his body. At the same time, he felt the dense Soul Power surge through his meridians with his dantian as its core. Every cycle seemed to break through another shackle, as if thunder roared through his bloodline. The Soul Power aura radiating from him visibly grew stronger.
The dark green Dragon Subduing Staff appeared once more, floating horizontally before him. Its dense Dragon Scales rose and fell slightly. Taking advantage of the fusion with the Soul Spirit, it continuously devoured the Lightning Element left behind by the Thunderclap Nether Vine in the air.
Several minutes later, Nan Liujing extended his right hand and gently grasped the Dragon Subduing Staff. In an instant, surging Lightning Power burst from around his body. Amid flashing electricity, a bright yellow Soul Ring rose beneath him. Looking closely, there were even special lightning patterns on its surface.
"Strange."
Just as Nan Liujing enjoyed the comfort brought by his breakthrough in Soul Power, Elder Yuan frowned.
"Elder Yuan, is something wrong?" Nan Liujing asked doubtfully.
Elder Yuan stared at the Dragon Subduing Staff and said in a deep voice, "Since the day the Thunderclap Nether Vine was discovered by humans, it has been famous for its unruly instincts. It was even extremely difficult to turn into an Inherited Soul Spirit, so it was once simply killed and absorbed for its Soul Ring."
"The only exception is Nether Flame Douluo, who currently serves as Tower Master at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters on the Star Luo Continent. He possesses a Thunderclap Nether Vine Soul Spirit. But that Soul Spirit only formed an Equal Contract because it believed it could not break through the Fifty Thousand Years threshold and wished to survive. Calling it a Soul Spirit is one thing, but it could leave at any time."
"And this one on you is only eight hundred years old. Logically, the difficulty of fusion should be comparable to fusing an Unyielding Soul Spirit. Yet it was so easy, and the Master-Servant Contract was even planted perfectly."
Elder Yuan furrowed his brow. That person had specifically instructed him that this Thunderclap Nether Vine Soul Spirit was rather special, and that he absolutely had to be careful during fusion. If it did not work, there was a backup option. Yet the fusion had gone too smoothly—so smoothly that it made him worried instead.
"Perhaps my Martial Soul is compatible with it, so the Thunderclap Nether Vine did not resist me." Nan Liujing smiled as he sensed the motionless Soul Spirit slumbering within his Sea of Consciousness.
"Forget it. Since the fusion succeeded and you have broken through, that is a good thing." Elder Yuan stopped dwelling on it and led Nan Liujing out of the fusion room.
The moment Wu Sidao, who had been waiting in the living room, saw Nan Liujing, she jumped up from the sofa and rushed over in several quick steps. Grabbing his arm, she widened her big, beautiful eyes and asked, "How did your breakthrough go?"
Elder Yuan paused and teased, "Don't worry, girl. With Grandfather here, nothing will happen during a Soul Spirit fusion."
Wu Sidao froze. What was he talking about? She only wanted to ask what level Nan Liujing had broken through to. If their cultivation levels were equal again, then she would have won back a round.
But when she noticed the teasing smile at the Old Master's lips, how could Wu Sidao fail to understand? A trace of blush flashed over her fair, pretty face, and she hurriedly explained, "I... I only wanted to ask what level he reached."
"I rose three levels. I'm Level Thirteen now." Nan Liujing smiled and diverted the topic.
Wu Sidao blanked out, then helplessly sat back down on the sofa. She had only risen two levels.
She had lost again.
Nan Liujing was speechless for a moment.
"Breaking through three levels in a row—not bad." Sun Kong smiled and patted Nan Liujing on the shoulder. "I thought your fusion would fail. Looks like Uncle misjudged you."
So Uncle really did prepare this for me, Nan Liujing silently thought.
Elder Yuan interjected, "With two hundred and twenty points of mental power, plus a physique comparable to that of a Level Twenty-Two Strength-Type Soul Master, it will be fine as long as the Soul Spirit age does not exceed two thousand two hundred years. I assume you have arrangements for Spirit Ascension, so this old man will not make decisions on his own."
Sun Kong bowed again. "Many thanks, Elder Yuan."
Nan Liujing bowed as well.
Elder Yuan laughed heartily. "All right, I've received an order from headquarters that I need to handle, so I won't keep you any longer. See you tonight at Wu Family Manor."
"Then we shall take our leave as well," Sun Kong said respectfully. He then led Nan Liujing and Wu Sidao, whose resolve had only just strengthened before suffering another blow, out of the Spirit Pagoda.
Some readers are curious why the male protagonist awakened a seemingly abrupt Candy Martial Soul.
That is because this Martial Soul is different from ordinary Martial Souls. It definitely was not created casually.
Thanks to: Gorgeous Iron Fan, Dye Dream, Old Su's Wuling Hongguang, Divine Li Rui, Terror Demon King of the Scourge Legion, Gathering Clouds Strike, Digital Tail Number 5865, Di Shitian Who Loves Spicy Rabbit Head, Liu So-and-so Who Only Wants to Slack Off, Beacon Fire Play Princes, The Very Beginning, Yuxiangrous Dream Dream, Wandering Messenger.
Thank you all for your rewards and monthly votes. May your wealth flow in and your careers go smoothly.
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