Golden Behemoth

Spirit Pagoda, 73rd floor, Soul Master Quality Assessment Center.

The room was spacious and bright, its walls inlaid with streamlined soul guidance patterns. Several floating light screens hovered in the surrounding air.

"Before selecting a soul spirit for you, we must first evaluate your physical and mental data," Leng Yaozhu said, standing before the main console. Her wine-red hair shimmered under the glow of the soul guidance lamps.

"Mental power, in particular, determines the level of soul spirit you can bear. Generally speaking, an initial mental power of one hundred points is the mark of a one-in-ten-thousand genius."

Luo Yang nodded.

He was also curious to see what level his physical fitness had reached after experiencing the Plane Blessing and the feedback from purifying the undead.

Following Leng Yaozhu's instructions, he proceeded with the various tests one by one.

Blood Eight stood quietly to the side.

Three minutes later, the detection concluded.

On the largest central screen, lines of clear data were listed.

And then—

Dead silence.

A silence so profound that a falling needle could be heard, lasting for over ten seconds.

Leng Yaozhu stood frozen in place, her crimson eyes, usually devoid of emotion, widened to the point of losing composure as she stared fixedly at the data on the screen.

Even Blood Eight, who had been mentally prepared, drew a sharp breath, a look of astonishment appearing on her cold, beautiful face for the first time.

On the screen, several lines of bold, golden text were particularly striking.

"263 points, innate Spirit Connection Realm, mid-stage..." Leng Yaozhu repeated the test figures, her voice dry.

What was the concept of 263 points of mental power?

For soul masters who awakened top-tier mental-type martial souls, an innate level of 150 points was already considered a peerless genius. Yet Luo Yang, at only six years old and without a single soul ring, had nearly doubled that!

Even more terrifying was his physical fitness.

An A+ rating, matching that of an excellent Soul Elder.

What did this mean? It meant that based on raw physical strength alone, he could go head-to-head with a three-ring soul master!

This kind of talent wasn't just aiming for Limit Douluo; this was clearly the potential to become a god!

Leng Yaozhu's breathing quickened. She lunged toward Luo Yang, stepped up to him, crouched down, and gripped his shoulders with both hands.

Something was burning deep within her crimson eyes—shock, ecstasy, and a kind of near-obsessive fervor.

She had to have this child!

Luo Yang felt a bit unsettled by her gaze.

He was all too familiar with this look.

The Black Empress had looked at him this way, and Blood Eight occasionally wore a similar expression. It was like a hungry wolf seeing fresh meat, or a collector discovering a rare, out-of-print treasure.

He hadn't awakened a Succubus Martial Soul, so why did everyone everywhere have designs on him?

"Aunt Leng," he asked cautiously, "is there... a problem with the data?"

"A problem? The problem is massive!"

Leng Yaozhu laughed, her smile so brilliant it was dazzling.

"So massive that every record in the Spirit Pagoda since its founding will have to be rewritten for you!"

"I have seen too many so-called geniuses—from Shrek, the War God Temple, the great clans... but in front of you, they all pale into insignificance!"

One had to understand that the divisions of mental power were clear.

Spirit Origin Realm (below 100 points), Spirit Connection Realm (100-500 points), Spirit Sea Realm (500-5000 points)... and so on.

Mental power in the Spirit Connection Realm meant the soul master already possessed the foundation to absorb a thousand-year soul spirit!

What was even more terrifying was that this was the mental power of a six-year-old child who hadn't even added a single soul ring!

As for his physical fitness...

Those disciples of great clans who were raised on rare ingredients and gentle medicinal baths might stand out among their peers, but to be this strong was simply unheard of.

To this, Luo Yang smiled slightly.

Because of his martial soul's innate talent, every time he purified an undead, it would provide feedback in the form of mental power and soul power.

Prior to this, purifying the soldiers of the undead army had provided him with a great deal of both.

Not to mention that because he was a transmigrator, his mental power was already different from ordinary people; he felt there was still room for growth.

Blood Eight had recovered from her shock. She crossed her arms, a curve forming at the corner of her mouth.

The little cabbage she was raising was truly the most vibrant in the world!

Leng Yaozhu took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

"Your mental power intensity is sufficient to bear a thousand-year soul spirit. Your physical fitness far exceeds that of your peers. So, next..."

She walked to another wall and pressed her palm against it.

The wall rippled like water, revealing a massive circular screen behind it.

The screen lit up, displaying a magnificent virtual landscape.

Forests, deserts, glaciers, volcanoes... countless phantoms of soul beasts darted through various ecological environments.

A Vermilion Clear Ice Toad exhaled frigid mist, a Silver Shadow Beast tore through space, and a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared toward the sky.

"This is the Spirit Pagoda's soul spirit virtual space," Leng Yaozhu explained. "We have simulated the habitats of these soul spirits as they were in life to maintain their vitality."

She paused, her tone laced with reverence. "This is the legacy left behind by the first Pagoda Master, the Spirit Ice Douluo. The soul spirit system changed the entire soul master civilization."

Blood Eight nodded slightly.

Luo Yang, however, watched the screen with a complex gaze.

The soul spirit system was indeed an epoch-making innovation.

But had it truly saved the soul beasts?

After Huo Yuhao ascended to the God Realm and lost his grip on the lower world, the Spirit Pagoda had gradually deteriorated.

Soul spirits had shifted from a mutually beneficial contract to a one-sided plunder. The plight of the soul beasts had not improved because of it.

Who should bear the blame for this? The greed of the Spirit Pagoda? The ugliness of human nature? Or... Tang San, who manipulated everything from behind the scenes?

Of course, Huo Gua's original intention had been pure; he wanted to use soul spirits as a bond to build a bridge for peaceful coexistence between soul masters and soul beasts.

"Luo Yang, next is the selection of a suitable soul spirit for you," Leng Yaozhu's voice pulled him back to reality.

She walked to the console, her hands moving like phantoms as she operated the controls.

The images on the screen switched rapidly, finally settling on a colossal creature.

It was a terrifying beast standing over ten meters tall. Its entire body was covered in dark golden fur, and its muscles bulged like blocks of granite.

Most frightening were its arms, which reached down to its knees; they were absurdly thick, as if a single swing could tear mountains apart.

Its face was ferocious, and its blood-red eyes burned with an unyielding will to fight. Its overall form was similar to a Titan Giant Ape, but its aura was more ancient and far more violent.

"A mutated species of the Titan Giant Ape," Leng Yaozhu's voice carried a hint of admiration. "Tests show that a trace of ancient Golden Behemoth blood flows through its veins."

"Golden Behemoth?" Blood Eight raised an eyebrow.

"An overlord from the ancient era. Legend says it fed on dragons." Leng Yaozhu looked at Luo Yang. "This soul spirit is one of our headquarters' most precious collections. It retains its complete fighting will and is an 'Unyielding Soul Spirit.' To contract it, you must first overwhelm it on the level of willpower."

Blood Eight nodded in satisfaction.

The Titan Giant Ape was already a powerful race at the top of the soul beast pyramid; a hundred-year-old specimen could fight an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast. The potential and power of this mutant, possessing the bloodline of a Golden Behemoth, were beyond doubt.

If she hadn't already filled her soul rings, she might have been tempted herself.

"What do you think?" Leng Yaozhu looked at Luo Yang, her crimson eyes filled with anticipation.

In her view, this was the perfect choice.

A Golden Behemoth bloodline, a top-tier strength-type soul spirit, combined with Luo Yang's terrifying physical constitution—once successful, his starting point would be unimaginably high.

Blood Eight also looked at Luo Yang.

The room fell silent, with only the phantom of the golden giant ape on the screen silently radiating pressure.

Under Leng Yaozhu's expectant gaze, Luo Yang stared at the majestic phantom of the golden giant ape and pondered for a moment.

Then, he slowly shook his head.

Leng Yaozhu was stunned.

"Are you... worried about failure? Or do you think it's too strong to control?"

She felt a touch of disappointment.

She was disappointed; could it be that this child possessed peerless talent but lacked the conviction essential to a powerhouse?

If that were the case, no matter how great his talent, he was destined never to become a true master.

Blood Eight also frowned slightly.

However.

Luo Yang raised his head, looked at the roaring beast on the screen, and calmly said words that left both women frozen.

"No."

"I just think—"

"It's too weak."