As the seconds ticked by, the vehicle slowly came to a stop. Li Ang stepped out and entered the Spirit Pagoda.
Ming Yue wasn't waiting at the entrance, and Li Ang didn't linger.
He slowly rode the elevator straight to the top floor.
Li Ang's expression was complicated. After all, he had no idea what awaited him inside.
He reached the doorway and saw Ming Yue standing there. She quietly gave him a reassuring look.
As the doors opened, the scene inside came into view.
Leng Yaozhu stood to one side, with an ordinary-looking girl beside her.
The girl's appearance was unremarkable, but her black eyes held a deep, solemn air.
The moment Li Ang entered, the girl's eyes fixed on him. Their gazes met.
Li Ang calmly looked away. He wasn't interested in Gu Yue—not in the slightest.
Leng Yaozhu, standing nearby, also turned her gaze on Li Ang when he came in.
As the terrifying spiritual pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo swept over him, Li Ang remained standing calmly.
There were things he kept hidden that Leng Yaozhu couldn't miss. After all, she was simply too powerful.
But the truth was, Li Ang didn't care much for hiding them anyway.
His steps slowed for a moment, then he stood there calmly.
He let Leng Yaozhu's spiritual sense examine him. Nearly three minutes passed before she finally lifted her head.
"Your strength has grown quickly. No wonder you're my disciple. In such a short time, you've already reached the third ring, and your body is astonishingly powerful."
When she said "powerful," Leng Yaozhu paused. Her eyes held a truly complicated look.
She could see the young man's true combat strength, and she could also sense his terrifying physique.
Li Ang's body was like that of a muscle-bound monster, constantly expanding. Yet some kind of force seemed to restrain his body, keeping it from collapsing.
Leng Yaozhu didn't understand this secret art.
But there was only one sect in the world capable of restraining such terrifying power: the Body Sect.
Leng Yaozhu hadn't paid much attention to Li Ang before, so she hadn't noticed his connection to the Body Sect.
Now that she had noticed it, however, she didn't care much.
The Body Sect had long since fallen into decline. Their sect master was only a Super Douluo, and they were no match for the Spirit Pagoda.
Li Ang bowed to her in greeting. Leng Yaozhu stood up silently.
Her gaze swept over her three disciples, then settled on Li Ang and Gu Yue.
"Let me introduce you. This is Gu Yue, my new disciple. From now on, she'll be your junior sister."
"I called you here for a simple reason. I want you to test Gu Yue's strength."
Leng Yaozhu looked at Li Ang, a trace of interest in her eyes.
Li Ang was taken aback. He didn't understand what she meant.
Leng Yaozhu could take on a disciple if she wanted; that had nothing to do with him. So what was the point of having him test her?
Although Leng Yaozhu was his teacher, the only person Li Ang truly recognized as his teacher was Shen Ming.
After all, Shen Ming was his teacher, and he had been the one looking after the orphanage all these years.
When Li Ang looked toward him, Shen Ming nodded without hesitation.
"Sister Leng, let Li Ang handle this. He's a very talented child, and he's strong now too. He's the perfect person to test Gu Yue."
Shen Ming spoke with a fawning smile. The resources Leng Yaozhu could offer were beyond imagination.
Once the test was over, whether Gu Yue stayed or left, they would still receive a generous supply of resources.
That was what Shen Ming wanted.
Li Ang was badly in need of resources now, and the thousand-year resources he'd been seeking—thousand-year spirit herbs and medicines—were nearly insufficient for his cultivation.
It would be best if he could get resources that were ten thousand years old.
After hearing Shen Ming say that, Li Ang fell silent for a moment, then stepped forward and cupped his hands in a slight bow.
"Of course, Teacher. Please give me this opportunity. I can test Junior Sister Gu Yue's strength."
Li Ang spoke calmly and naturally.
Hearing his reply, Leng Yaozhu nodded. She didn't particularly care either way.
When she looked toward Gu Yue, Gu Yue likewise cupped her hands in greeting.
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother Li Ang. I'd also like to see just how strong you are right now."
Gu Yue's gaze passed over Li Ang, curiosity glimmering in her eyes.
She was curious about everything concerning Li Ang, from his strength to every other aspect of him.
Even back when she had been Gu Yuena, she hadn't spent much time with Li Ang.
So when it came to Li Ang, she felt a strange sort of curiosity, yet couldn't get to know him in any real way.
Gu Yue had even guessed that the reason she'd come here instead of going to the boy with the Golden Dragon King Bloodline was that this kid had something even more important than that bloodline.
She just had no idea what that something was.
So Gu Yue had no objections to this opportunity. She wanted to use it to test Li Ang.
The group slowly made their way to the Arena on the floor below. The massive platform locked into place, and the two of them took their positions upon it.
Gu Yue looked at Li Ang and gave a slight nod. She raised her hand, and fireballs slowly gathered.
Blazing flames churned across the surface of the fireballs.
Meeting Gu Yue's gaze, Li Ang also cupped his hands slightly, but he didn't rush to attack.
Nor did he hurry to summon his two Guardian Beasts. Instead, he went straight into his second form.
His second form wasn't as strong as his first. After all, the two Guardian Beasts in his first form could unleash tremendous power.
Whether it was the Little Black Dog's powerful healing and devouring abilities, or the Crystal Butterfly's ability to transform into Battle Armor for him, they were all trump cards.
The Crystal Butterfly could now cover nearly his entire body, forming a complete set of Battle Armor.
But Li Ang's strength wasn't enough for that—or rather, he still couldn't design a complete set of Battle Armor.
He'd designed many parts, but still hadn't finished the whole set.
So at this stage, Li Ang didn't plan to reveal any of that. He would fight using his second form.
Once both of them were in position, Leng Yaozhu raised her hand. A massive protective barrier rose around them, completely sealing the two inside.
They faced each other. Gu Yue struck first, sending four enormous fireballs crashing down from behind her.
As the fireballs fell, Li Ang raised a hand, and a shield appeared around him.
Gu Yue's fireballs struck Li Ang—or rather, they hit the shield—and exploded with a thunderous boom.
As the blast slowly dissipated, everyone looked inside and saw Li Ang standing there calmly.
There wasn't even a scratch on his shield.
At the same time, Li Ang calmly raised his hand. Countless Rock Element crystals slowly gathered around him.
The crystals began to pulse faintly before gradually taking shape as a long spear of dark gold.
Gripping the spear, Li Ang stared straight at Gu Yue. Then he took a step forward and thrust it sharply.
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