Leng Yaozhu chatted with Juggler for a while, then handed him a Soul Spirit Ball. Afterward, she turned her gaze to Lan Kai, her eyes brimming with interest.
"Is this your personal disciple? He really does possess an extraordinary power of light, and he seems quite compatible with fire-attribute energy as well. No wonder you applied for this Soul Spirit on his behalf."
"Nothing special. His Martial Soul is just a little more impressive, that's all. Your personal disciple is the truly exceptional one. To develop an elemental Martial Soul to this extent is no small feat. My good-for-nothing disciple can't compare."
As he spoke, Juggler patted Lan Kai on the shoulder.
Leng Yaozhu merely smiled at the mutual flattery and said no more. Then she changed the subject:
"By the way, since you're bringing your personal disciple into the Spirit Ascension Platform today, why not have them enter together? There's no time like the present. What do you think?"
"No problem, right, Lan Kai?"
Juggler agreed at once without asking Lan Kai what he thought.
Lan Kai could also tell that if he dared refuse, Butt Grabber would make another appearance.
Beside Leng Yaozhu, Gu Yue had been feeling a little dejected after her plan to complain had failed. Now, she immediately looked surprised.
I'm supposed to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform with this guy?
You've got to be kidding!
She instinctively wanted to object, but then she reconsidered. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Studying the Ultra Slash on her own, she had only managed to make a knockoff that was nowhere near as good as the original, and she still had no idea how to reproduce the Specium Ray.
If she teamed up with Lan Kai inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, she would have a chance to learn more about him and observe his movements when he attacked. Then she could imitate all of his skills,
even the special light shield Lan Kai had used during the Class Promotion Tournament a few days ago.
As for Lan Kai's transformation, Gu Yue had simply written it off as an unusually special Martial Soul Avatar and ignored it with great elegance.
So she immediately put on a polite smile and agreed.
"Teacher Juggler, how exactly did you and Vice Pagoda Master Leng meet? You seem like comrades who share the same ideals. Does she know about the Dark Ring too?"
As the group headed toward the room containing the simulation pods needed to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform, Lan Kai couldn't help asking in a low voice.
"That's a long story. I'll tell you about it another time.
"And Vice Pagoda Master Leng isn't the only one. I've also dealt with Pavilion Master Yun of Shrek Academy, the two hall masters of the Tang Sect, several Federation generals, and those people from the War God Temple."
Juggler didn't seem to want to explain just yet, but he did let Lan Kai know that his connections were far broader than Lan Kai had imagined.
That only made Lan Kai more curious. Since Juggler had met so many people, why had he ultimately chosen the Spirit Pagoda? Could Leng Yaozhu have some unfulfilled ambition that appealed to Juggler?
Soon, they arrived at a room filled with the scent of metal. Inside stood a simulation pod that was clearly custom-made.
It looked much more refined and complex than the other simulation pods, which resembled metal coffins. It had a great many extra tubes and wires, making it look far more futuristic.
"Lan Kai, that's the dedicated simulation pod we prepared for you. Remember, inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, don't transform unless you absolutely have to."
Juggler gave Lan Kai a nudge toward the custom pod and reminded him.
Lan Kai immediately understood that Juggler must have designed it specifically to let him enter the Spirit Ascension Platform.
The stability of the Spirit Ascension Platform's space was certainly important, but if the simulation pod—the "only way" to enter the platform—couldn't withstand the Light of Orb, then Lan Kai wouldn't be able to enter at all.
Making a dedicated simulation pod like this must have taken a great deal of effort from Juggler.
At the same time, Gu Yue lay down in the ordinary simulation pod beside them and gave Lan Kai a complicated look.
Two completely different thoughts were at war in her mind.
One was, He went to all this trouble to prepare a flashy but useless custom simulation pod. Lan Kai must be all show and no substance.
The other was, There must be something unusual about Lan Kai's power of light. It isn't just a simple light element. Otherwise, the Spirit Pagoda wouldn't have made such a grand display of preparing a dedicated simulation pod and reinforcing the space inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.
With her astonishing wisdom, Gu Yue couldn't decide which thought to believe, so she could only let them keep battling it out in her mind.
Perhaps she could develop her ability to think about two things at once. If she could split off her excess emotions and some of her power to create Na'er, then surely she could train herself to produce Hell War God from Sea Tiger.
However, her Hell War God might turn out like that Evil Bai Wunan. Given the chance, he'd probably start an internal fight and take her out first.
Soon, they were both lying flat in their respective simulation pods. As the sensation of weightlessness washed over them, they closed their eyes.
When they opened their eyes again, they had appeared inside the Spirit Ascension Platform. They were standing in a relatively clear patch of grass, with the nearest trees at least ten meters away, forming a rare open space in the forest.
In the Star Dou Forest simulated by the Spirit Ascension Platform, a place like this was hard to come by. Clearly, it was a relatively safe starting point provided by the Spirit Pagoda for Soul Masters entering the platform.
After all, if Soul Masters were ambushed and killed by waiting Soul Beasts the moment they entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, they'd have a miserable experience, and the Spirit Pagoda's reputation would go down the drain.
"...I didn't expect the Spirit Pagoda's technology to have advanced this far. Even the Light of Orb can be used without difficulty. By the looks of it, I could probably fight my way through the entire Primary Spirit Ascension Platform without transforming."
Lan Kai tried condensing an Ultra Slash in his hand, then tossed it upward to slice through several branches. He controlled it until it came apart, then fired an Arrow-shaped Beam at a nearby tree. Feeling how his energy flowed throughout the process, he couldn't help praising the technology.
Then Gu Yue grabbed his arm with both hands.
"What was that move just now? A new Self-Created Soul Skill? How did you do it? How did you get so much power from such a small amount of light element?"
Gu Yue held Lan Kai's hand and stared at him with a curious expression.
The scene looked rather cozy, but Lan Kai only felt awkward.
Then Lan Kai raised his other hand and fired another Arrow-shaped Beam.
The Arrow-shaped Beam flew over Gu Yue's shoulder and accurately blasted the head off a hundred-year-old Green Wolf some distance away.
"Enough talk. Let's deal with these Soul Beasts first."
Before you continue