Li Ang wasn't stupid. This feeling was awful. If that stupid system were still around, maybe it could help him gradually grow stronger.
But now the system was gone, and he had absorbed the template it left behind.
The Geo Archon Rex Lapis Template had begun transforming his planet—or, to put it another way, the entire Douluo Planet, which was also his Martial Soul.
It was transforming Douluo Planet into something more powerful, but the process took time.
For now, he had only mastered the two most basic abilities of Geo Archon Rex Lapis.
One was the Jade Shield, and the other was Heavenly Motion Eternal Treasure.
Both abilities were naturally powerful, but the problem was that, aside from those two, he had no other special traits at the moment.
"This is such a pain. After fusing with the template, I can't even open it."
"It feels like I have Geo Archon Rex Lapis's basic qualities now, but how am I supposed to test them?"
Li Ang muttered, a thoughtful look on his face.
After pondering for a long while, he suddenly shut his eyes, then opened them again.
"According to the story, Geo Archon Rex Lapis's greatest strengths are his combat ability and his command of the elements."
"Although I've only mastered the Rock Element so far, my elemental abilities clearly aren't that strong."
"But my physical abilities have been growing stronger and stronger, constantly nourished by the power of the planet."
As he analyzed the situation, Li Ang looked down at his hands.
When he clenched his fists, the crackling scrape of bone against bone rang out.
He could feel that the power within him far exceeded anything anyone could imagine.
It was a power bestowed by Douluo Planet and the template together, and the improvement it brought was beyond imagination.
But as he kept thinking, Li Ang got hungry again.
So he silently stood up and went straight to the floor below to eat.
As time passed, it wasn't until evening that Xiao Zhou brought him outside and up to a higher floor.
A woman stood beside Shen Ming. She smiled faintly at him.
Shen Ming introduced the woman to Li Ang.
"This is Ming Yue, my assistant."
"She'll be responsible for your daily needs and routine from now on. If you need anything, tell her first, and she'll pass it on to me."
"Of course, if there's anything you're unhappy with, you can tell me directly."
As Shen Ming spoke, he gestured toward the woman. She was very beautiful, about 1.7 meters tall, with long black hair loosely gathered into a bun.
She wore a professional suit, her gentle eyes resting on Li Ang.
"Hello, Young Pagoda Master. My name is Ming Yue. I'll be taking care of your daily needs and anything related to your cultivation from now on."
Ming Yue spoke and gave a slight bow.
Li Ang glanced at her and calmly nodded.
A thoughtful look crossed his face. Thinking of the possibility that had occurred to him that afternoon, he turned directly to Shen Ming.
"Teacher, can I get a Soul Ring now? And if possible, I'd like to test my physical attributes."
"If you can, could you find me a teacher to show me how to train my body?"
Li Ang looked at Shen Ming and spoke plainly, making his requests without hesitation.
Shen Ming thought for a moment, then nodded. His gaze shifted to Ming Yue.
Ming Yue bowed and gestured for Li Ang to follow, then led him to an even higher floor.
This was where Soul Spirits were stored. Everything there was either produced by the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda or acquired from headquarters. They were all hundred-year Soul Spirits.
Li Ang glanced at them and calmly walked inside.
Several rows of Soul Spirits stood before him. There was even a search device that could find the Soul Spirit best suited to him.
Even Shen Ming couldn't make sense of Li Ang's Martial Soul.
He couldn't determine what kind of Martial Soul it was, so in the end, he had decided to leave the choice to Li Ang and let him do as he pleased.
Li Ang was also considering which Soul Spirit to choose.
But the more he thought about it, the less it seemed to add up.
His Martial Soul was Douluo Planet itself. What could grant Douluo Planet a Soul Ring?
Only Douluo Planet itself.
Normally, he should be able to grant himself a Soul Ring.
But that seemed wrong—completely illogical, like a contradiction.
Li Ang had thought about it all afternoon before finally figuring out that he really could provide himself with Soul Rings.
The purpose of Soul Spirits was even simpler: the Douluo World could produce Soul Beasts, and so could he.
As he thought it over, Li Ang calmly stepped forward.
He merely glanced around before picking up the nearest Soul Spirit Ball.
Inside was a small dog with pitch-black fur.
Looking at the somewhat bewildered little dog, Li Ang calmly held the Soul Spirit Ball and activated the power of his Martial Soul.
As the Douluo Planet Martial Soul trembled faintly, all kinds of genetic information began appearing in Li Ang's mind.
As he had guessed, his Douluo Planet Martial Soul didn't need Soul Rings provided by an external source.
Instead, it could provide Soul Rings for itself.
For now, Douluo Planet was restricted, so the effects of the Soul Rings it could grant itself were simple.
They were single, straightforward traits, such as Elemental Affinity or a divine physique.
They were a combination of passive and active abilities. In any case, Li Ang was quite satisfied.
But as he looked at the black dog in his hand, he gave it some thought.
He raised his hand, and the traits of all the Soul Beasts in the Douluo World began to gather and take shape as he slowly selected them.
He was already quite powerful at this stage.
With the Geo Archon Rex Lapis Template, as long as he grew steadily and transformed all of Douluo Planet into the Geo Traveler Star, his strength would reach an unimaginable level. By then, whether it was Tang Hao or Tang San, they'd both be waiting to die.
But at this stage, Li Ang also needed a henchman, and it had to be strong.
Or, at the very least, it had to grow in Soul Power and strength fast enough.
In that case, the traits to choose were obvious.
This hundred-year-old Little Black Dog could be given two traits.
Li Ang only had to think for a moment before settling on them.
For defense, he chose the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
Its bloodline also came with Berserk as an innate ability, making it a bloodline with formidable defensive powers.
For growth, Li Ang chose a creature called the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, selecting its devouring ability.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger could grow stronger by devouring Soul Beasts. Likewise, Li Ang's Little Black Dog could grow stronger by devouring Soul Beasts on the Spirit Ascension Platform, as well as humans in the real world.
As for why he didn't choose the powers of the Silver Dragon King and Golden Dragon King, or the Dragon God who existed in this world—
Li Ang could only answer that he couldn't.
He couldn't choose the traits of the Dragon God, Silver Dragon King, or Golden Dragon King.
The reason was probably that these three creatures hadn't originated in the Douluo World. They had come from somewhere beyond it, so Li Ang couldn't choose them.
Of course, if he obtained their true bloodlines, perhaps he could choose those bloodline traits.
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