Spirit Ascension Platform

Days passed one by one.

Ye Xinglan came more and more often, sometimes twice a day.

She would finish fighting in the morning, then come again in the afternoon, never seeming tired.

Sometimes Yun Jingheng felt that this girl was not practicing swordsmanship at all. She was competing with him.

But competition was competition; their relationship had grown closer and closer.

At first, she would "fight and leave." Later, it became "eat some buns before leaving." Now, they would "sit and chat for half the day after fighting."

Ye Xinglan did not talk much, but everything she said was interesting.

She talked about things at home, about the Genius Class, and about how Lan Muzi had been driven crazy by them.

Yun Jingheng listened, occasionally adding a few words, though most of the time he simply listened.

He liked it this way.

He had spent his previous life alone in a laboratory. Now, having someone beside him talking was not annoying. It was quite comfortable.

That morning, after Ye Xinglan finished practicing her sword, she did not immediately sit down to eat buns.

She stood by the lake, gazing at the water as though she were thinking about something.

Yun Jingheng waited for quite a while. Seeing that she still would not speak, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Ye Xinglan turned around.

"There's something I want to tell you."

Yun Jingheng looked at her.

Ye Xinglan took a deep breath.

"The Genius Class has a small test in a few days," she said. "We're going to the Spirit Ascension Platform at the Spirit Pagoda."

Yun Jingheng froze for a moment.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform?"

"Mm."

Ye Xinglan nodded. "It's that kind of team trial. You go in and fight soul beasts, and if you win, you can raise the age of your soul rings."

She paused.

"I want to team up with you."

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

Ye Xinglan continued, "We should normally form teams with classmates, but after thinking about it, I still wanted to go with you."

She looked at Yun Jingheng with a serious expression.

"Are you willing?"

Yun Jingheng was silent for a few seconds.

"Does your teacher know?"

Ye Xinglan shook her head. "Not yet."

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Will he agree?"

Ye Xinglan scoffed.

"He'll have to agree even if he doesn't want to."

Yun Jingheng looked at her.

Ye Xinglan added, "You're the Pavilion Master's son. He can't stop you anyway."

Yun Jingheng said, "..."

That actually made a lot of sense.

"Alright."

He said, "I'll go."

Ye Xinglan's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

Yun Jingheng nodded.

Ye Xinglan smiled, and she looked extremely happy.

"Then I'll go tell Teacher Lan."

She turned and ran off, but after taking two steps, she turned back.

"Buns!"

Yun Jingheng pulled an oil-paper packet from his clothes and tossed it to her.

Ye Xinglan caught it, waved, and ran away.

The next day, Lan Muzi appeared by Sea God Lake.

He stood beneath a tree, watching Yun Jingheng eat buns with a somewhat complicated expression.

Yun Jingheng looked up at him.

"Brother Lan?"

Lan Muzi walked over and sat beside him.

They were silent for a while.

"Xing Lan told me," he said.

Yun Jingheng nodded.

Lan Muzi looked at him, opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, then said nothing.

Yun Jingheng waited a while. When Lan Muzi still did not speak, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Lan Muzi sighed.

"Nothing."

He fell silent again for a while.

"You're the Pavilion Master's son," he said. "I have no reason to stop you."

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

Lan Muzi continued, "I just think... it's pretty strange."

Yun Jingheng looked at him.

Lan Muzi thought for a moment, seemingly organizing his words.

"You're the Pavilion Master's son, but you aren't in the Genius Class. Xinglan is a Genius Class student, yet she comes here every day. Now you two are going to team up for the Spirit Ascension Platform, and as the homeroom teacher, I don't even have a reason to refuse."

He paused.

"What do you call that?"

Yun Jingheng considered it.

"Fate?"

Lan Muzi paused, then laughed.

His smile was a little helpless.

"Fine. Fate."

He stood. "Then let it be fate."

After taking two steps, he turned back.

"Be careful at the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Yun Jingheng nodded.

Lan Muzi left.

Three days later, at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

Yun Jingheng stood at the entrance. Beside him were Ye Xinglan and a group of Genius Class students.

Guo Zhen, Tang Bingning, Lu Fengming, and Shi Gandang were all there.

The five of them wore varying expressions when they saw Yun Jingheng.

Guo Zhen grinned. "Yo, you came?"

Tang Bingning nodded.

Lu Fengming glanced at him without saying anything.

Shi Gandang scratched his head, seemingly unsure what to think.

Ye Xinglan stood beside Yun Jingheng. Her expression was calm, but she stood very close to him.

Lan Muzi walked over and glanced at the group.

"Everyone here?"

Guo Zhen nodded.

Lan Muzi glanced at Yun Jingheng again.

That look in his eyes was still somewhat complicated.

But this time, he said nothing and merely waved his hand.

"Let's go."

Inside the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu stood before a window, watching the children below.

A staff member walked in.

"Vice Pagoda Master, the people from Shrek have arrived."

Leng Yaozhu nodded.

"That child is there too?"

The staff member froze. "Which one?"

Leng Yaozhu glanced at him.

The staff member understood.

"He is."

Leng Yaozhu smiled.

Her smile was faint, but there was a glimmer in her eyes.

"Good."

She said, "Let's go take a look."

"Next, form pairs and lie down in adjacent machines."

He lowered his head to look.

"First group: Guo Zhen and Shi Gandang."

The two nodded and entered the light gate.

"Second group: Tang Bingning and Lu Fengming."

They went in as well.

Lan Muzi looked up at Ye Xinglan and Yun Jingheng.

"Third group: Ye Xinglan and Yun Jingheng."

Ye Xinglan started walking at once. After taking two steps and noticing that Yun Jingheng had not moved, she looked back at him.

"Come on."

Yun Jingheng nodded and followed.

The two lay down in adjacent machines, and the pod doors slowly closed...

Their vision blurred.

When their sight returned, they were no longer in the Spirit Pagoda's hall, but in a dense forest.

The trees were towering, blotting out the sky and sun, while the light was dim.

In the distance, they could vaguely hear soul beasts roaring. Yet the sound was strange—not one or two, but a whole group.

And they were getting closer.

Ye Xinglan frowned.

"Why does this feel a little off?"

Yun Jingheng looked around. "Could it be because this is a riotous Spirit Ascension Platform, so the corresponding soul beasts have become violent?"

"That's possible... I don't really know much about it. What about you? Do you know?"

"It's my first time at the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"..."

Ye Xinglan was silent for a second.

"Then why did you say all that just now?"

Yun Jingheng thought about it. "I guessed."

Ye Xinglan took a deep breath and decided not to argue with him.

"Let's go," she said. "We'll find some soul beasts first and test ourselves."

They had barely taken a few steps when a black shadow shot out from the woods.

It was a hundred-year Shadow Cat. It was fast and nimble, and its eyes glowed green in the dim light.

It stared at them for half a second, then pounced at Ye Xinglan.

Ye Xinglan raised her hand and slashed with her sword.

The Shadow Cat twisted in midair, evaded the blade, landed, and pounced again.

Yun Jingheng casually unleashed a Crescent Slash.

A mark appeared on the Shadow Cat. The next second, Yun Jingheng was already standing before it.

One strike.

The Shadow Cat fell, dissolving into motes of light.

Ye Xinglan looked at him, her expression somewhat complicated.

"You're still fighting like this?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Isn't it better to be faster?"

Ye Xinglan said nothing and continued forward.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, they encountered the second wave of soul beasts.

It was three century-old Iron-Back Apes, thick-skinned and tough-furred, pounding their chests around a tree. The moment they saw the two of them, they turned and lunged over.

Ye Xinglan met them with a slash, striking one of the apes and leaving only a faint white mark.

The Iron-Back Ape roared in pain and swung a palm at her.

Ye Xinglan dodged, but another had already pounced behind her.

Yun Jingheng's Crescent Slash struck the ambushing ape, and he flashed over to finish it with one sword strike.

The Iron-Back Ape fell.

The remaining two froze for a moment, then charged at them even more violently.

Ye Xinglan gritted her teeth and held them off, retreating as she fought.

Yun Jingheng unleashed another Crescent Slash, flashed over again, and struck with his sword once more.

The second ape fell.

The third turned and ran.

Ye Xinglan caught up and slashed its hind leg.

The Iron-Back Ape let out a miserable cry and ran even faster.

"Don't chase it," Yun Jingheng said.

Ye Xinglan stopped and turned back to look at him.

"Why didn't you deal with the one that ambushed me first?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "I did."

"I mean, deal with that one first."

"That one was closer to me."

Ye Xinglan stared at him for several seconds.

"You really are..."

She did not finish her sentence. Turning around, she continued walking.

Yun Jingheng followed after her.

The third wave of soul beasts arrived quickly.

This time, it was five century-old Wind Wolves. They burst out of the forest and immediately surrounded them.

Ye Xinglan tightened her grip on her sword and swept her gaze around.

"Five of them. How do we fight?"

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

A circle of silver-white light lit up beneath his feet.

Moonlight Protection.

The light spread, instantly covering the area within ten meters.

The five Wind Wolves were about to pounce when their bodies suddenly stalled. Then, they began sliding uncontrollably toward the center.

They struggled, their claws gouging deep furrows into the ground, but they were still dragged bit by bit toward Yun Jingheng.

Ye Xinglan froze for a moment, then understood.

She rushed forward, taking them down one by one with a single slash each.

In less than ten seconds, all five Wind Wolves were eliminated.

Yun Jingheng withdrew the shield.

Ye Xinglan looked at him.

"That soul skill of yours," she said, "is kind of unfair."

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "It's alright."

Ye Xinglan said nothing more and continued forward.