Spirit Ascension Platform

Watching Li Ang, Yun Yue was a little bewildered.

Her first thought was that the boy in front of her was angry, or perhaps sulking at her.

But after a closer look, she realized his gaze was fixed on her—or, more precisely, on the blackboard behind her.

For a moment, Yun Yue couldn't figure out what Li Ang was feeling.

Just then, the bell rang. Yun Yue fell silent briefly, then began the lesson.

The lessons in the beginner class were actually quite simple, but Li Ang studied them very earnestly. Even simple knowledge often contained many profound principles.

It was like physics: only by building a solid foundation and learning everything one needed to know could one use a single point to understand the whole.

"Today, we'll be learning about Martial Soul techniques, how to assess Martial Souls, and the different kinds of Martial Souls."

Yun Yue spoke earnestly, but when she glanced around, almost none of the students were paying attention.

This was only a beginner class, and the lessons were all dull basics, so very few of the children were listening.

Most of them were either chatting and laughing with their deskmates, staring at their own hands, or biting their nails.

Even the more capable ones were reading other books on their own or laughing and chattering about who knew what.

Yun Yue felt a little discouraged, but as she looked around the classroom, she did spot a few students listening.

Li Ang, for instance, was sitting at the back with a leather notebook in his hands, frantically taking notes.

The sight left Yun Yue a little stunned, but she still instinctively began to expand on the lesson.

She had graduated from a regular institution of higher learning, after all. This material was simple for her, all basic knowledge, so teaching it was no burden.

Meanwhile, Xie Xie kept glancing back at Li Ang.

Seeing how seriously he was taking things left Xie Xie with a complicated look on his face.

There were only three classes, so the morning passed quickly.

After school, Li Ang reviewed his notes while mulling over forging.

The personal teacher Shen Ming had arranged for him would arrive either today or tomorrow. Li Ang didn't know who they'd found, but the teacher shouldn't be too bad.

Since he knew the story and its timeline, he also knew the Blacksmith Association here quite well.

The strongest blacksmith around was naturally Mu Chen, a Level 8 Blacksmith.

With his ability, he could be the head of a Blacksmith Association even in some of the top-tier metropolises.

So Li Ang felt that his appearance in a major city on the frontier like Eastsea City had to be some sort of plot-mandated setup. After all, there were fewer than twenty Level 8 Blacksmiths in the entire Federation.

A little less impressive was Cen Yue, who should also be a Level 6 Blacksmith. His strength was more in line with Eastsea City's usual standards.

But Li Ang didn't mind which teacher he met. What he wanted was to learn, then see what sort of combat boost his Elemental Mastery—or the Rex Lapis template—could give him.

Lost in thought, Li Ang walked quickly, never noticing Xie Xie behind him.

By the time Xie Xie came out, Li Ang was already far ahead, almost at the entrance.

Watching the boy hurry off, Xie Xie opened his mouth, then couldn't think of what to say.

At the Spirit Pagoda, Li Ang followed Ming Yue to the cafeteria.

After they had a quick meal, Li Ang asked Ming Yue about something he was curious about.

"Auntie Ming Yue, I wanted to ask when the teacher would arrange a blacksmithing teacher for me."

"I'm really interested in forging, and I've heard that the earlier you start learning, the better."

Li Ang looked at Ming Yue and spoke earnestly. Seeing how serious he was, Ming Yue froze for a moment.

A faint smile touched her face, and she gently nodded.

"That's true of blacksmithing. The earlier you start, the more worthwhile it is. The teacher has already arranged someone for you: Cen Yue, vice president of the Haicheng Blacksmith Association."

"He's a Level 6 Blacksmith, but he's out of town right now, so he won't be back until tomorrow. Then he'll be able to teach you forging techniques."

Ming Yue explained everything carefully and earnestly.

But Li Ang didn't care about the details, as long as he got the result he wanted, so he merely nodded.

"Then, sorry for the trouble, Ming Yue. Could you bring me some fruit around one this afternoon? I'm planning to go into the Spirit Ascension Platform and upgrade my Soul Spirit."

As he spoke, Li Ang rose, took a sheet of paper, wiped his mouth, and headed straight for the upper floors without the slightest pause.

One moment Li Ang called her "Auntie," the next "Ming Yue." It left Ming Yue a little confused.

But she was getting used to his odd ways, so she simply stood there quietly.

As the black electronic door slid open, Li Ang looked at the solitary cultivation pod in front of him with curiosity.

He had already read the records, and this procedure wasn't difficult for him. After a quick review, he calmly climbed into the pod.

Lying inside, Li Ang pressed a couple of buttons.

As the air around him was drawn away, he could clearly feel his consciousness growing strange—or, rather, a drowsy sensation washing over him.

When Li Ang opened his eyes again and came to, the surroundings had completely changed. He was in a place utterly unfamiliar to him.

Looking at the forest around him, Li Ang's eyes filled with curiosity.

He sniffed gently and took in his surroundings. The air and everything else felt completely real.

But when Li Ang touched the trees and other objects, he could clearly feel that the sensation was only about ten to fifteen percent as strong as it should be.

Touch and pain were linked. When pain was dialed down, touch would be faint as well.

Most people who came here simply didn't care about that.

After all, pain and touch didn't matter to them. They came to test themselves and hunt Soul Beasts.

In that case, naturally, the lower the pain setting, the better.

"Too bad. If I could set the pain to one hundred percent, this would be a lot of fun."

"This is practically the perfect place. Humans are born afraid of death, but if they got killed dozens or hundreds of times in the Spirit Ascension Platform, would they still be so afraid of it?"

Li Ang muttered as he spoke.

He thought for a moment, then casually raised a hand. Li Liushou appeared in front of him.

The little black dog glanced around and stuck out its tongue at Li Ang.

"What're you staring at? Go find one yourself. Try to hunt Ten-Year Soul Beasts if you can. You're a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, so you should be able to beat a Ten-Year Soul Beast, right?"

After speaking, Li Ang looked at Li Liushou.

The little black dog froze, then nodded earnestly.

Then it transformed. The puppy, which had only been born recently, suddenly grew into a giant black dog nearly a meter long.

As the black dog charged off, Li Ang headed in the opposite direction.