Core Flame Ignites! Simp Douluo Qiangu Dongfeng!

Leng Yaozhu said nothing more and turned toward the door.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena exchanged a glance, then hurried after her.

The three left the training room and arrived at the elevator.

She stepped inside first, with Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena following close behind.

The elevator doors shut and began descending.

Bai Yuan noticed that Leng Yaozhu had not pressed the floor where the usual Training Ground was located, but one somewhere farther below.

The numbers flickered across the panel. With every change, Bai Yuan felt the air around him grow heavier.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and Leng Yaozhu stepped out.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena followed behind her, setting foot on this floor.

The walls on this floor were silver-gray metal, the lights cold white, and the air carried an oppressive weight.

People bustled through the corridor, all of them staff members dressed in Spirit Pagoda uniforms.

They moved with hurried steps. Some carried thick stacks of files, some operated Soul Guidance Screens at high speed, and some gathered in small groups to speak in low voices.

But the instant Leng Yaozhu appeared, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix!"

A staff member walking down the middle of the corridor spotted her first. He immediately stopped, straightened his back, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed deeply.

As though a switch had been flipped, everyone else turned and saluted in unison.

Their movements varied, but every face bore the same reverence, even a hint of nervousness.

"Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix."

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix, you're here."

Voices rose one after another, greetings echoing through the corridor.

Leng Yaozhu gave a faint nod and passed through the crowd without expression. Her pace was neither hurried nor slow, her gaze fixed straight ahead.

She merely answered the greetings on both sides with a quiet "Mm," or did not respond at all.

Bai Yuan followed behind her, feeling the gazes cast his way by the staff.

There was curiosity, awe, and a trace of speculation about the two children standing behind Sky Phoenix Douluo.

He could not help sighing inwardly.

So this is what power tastes like.

A middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform hurried over, stopped before Leng Yaozhu, and bowed respectfully.

"Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix, this way, please."

Leng Yaozhu nodded and followed him forward.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena trailed behind them closely. They passed through a long corridor and turned a corner, where the space suddenly opened up before them.

A massive circular hall came into view. Its dome soared overhead, its lights were dazzling, and dozens of staff members hurried busily through the hall.

Just then, a voice came from the side.

"Heavenly Phoenix, you're here too? What a coincidence."

The voice was deep and resonant, carrying the calm authority unique to those in high positions.

Bai Yuan turned toward the sound.

A middle-aged man approached from the other side of the hall, dressed in an extravagant golden robe.

Every step he took carried an imposing aura.

His features were sharply defined and deeply sculpted. He must have been quite a handsome man in his youth.

The moment his eyes landed on Leng Yaozhu, they brightened.

Bai Yuan's heart stirred.

Oh, isn't this our Spirit Pagoda's most famous...

Well, how should I put it?

"Second biggest simp"?

Then who's the biggest simp?

His grandson, the Dragon Knight Qiangu Zhangting!

It really is hereditary!

In the original story, Qiangu Dongfeng's feelings for Leng Yaozhu were no secret.

A Rank 99 Limit Douluo, the Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, a Four-Word Battle Armor Master.

Any one of those titles made him a towering figure.

Yet on the road of love, this great man had fallen flat on his face.

He had pursued Leng Yaozhu for years, but her heart had long since ceased to belong to the Spirit Pagoda.

Interestingly, Leng Yaozhu was also deeply devoted.

She and her younger sister, Leng Yulai, had fallen for Sky Pillar Douluo Yun Ming at almost the same time.

One admired Yun Ming's indomitable integrity and open-hearted righteousness; the other liked his handsome stature and formidable strength.

Leng Yaozhu had even been willing to be Yun Ming's woman without a name or status. Her devotion to love was extraordinary.

No wonder Qiangu Dongfeng's attentions had never worked.

No matter how much Qiangu Dongfeng fawned over her, no matter how immense his power, in Leng Yaozhu's eyes, he could never compare to that man who wielded a spear.

Bai Yuan silently sighed to himself.

Qiangu Dongfeng, Qiangu Dongfeng... after chasing her all these years, what did you get?

You couldn't even earn a proper glance from her.

Of course, Bai Yuan only dared think such things in his heart.

Outwardly, his expression remained unchanged. He stood properly in place with lowered eyes, looking every bit like an obedient disciple.

Qiangu Dongfeng walked up to Leng Yaozhu, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.

He then swept his eyes over Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena behind her, a polite smile resting on his lips.

"These are the disciples you've recently taken in? I heard they're quite talented."

Leng Yaozhu answered with a faint "Mm."

"They're decent. They still need polishing."

Qiangu Dongfeng smiled. His gaze lingered on Bai Yuan for an extra second, as though assessing something, but he did not ask further.

He turned back to continue speaking with Leng Yaozhu, lowering his voice slightly. It seemed they were discussing internal Spirit Pagoda matters.

Bai Yuan stood to the side, looking at his nose and keeping his mind focused, though his thoughts raced.

On the surface, Qiangu Dongfeng was one of the Spirit Pagoda's pillars and among the most powerful figures on the continent. In truth, he was exceedingly scheming.

In the original story, he had colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult and bombed Shrek Academy and Tang Sect headquarters. For power, there was nothing he would not do.

How much of his pursuit of Leng Yaozhu was genuine affection, and how much was an attempt to win over the Leng Family?

Even he himself probably could not say.

But none of that had anything to do with Bai Yuan for now.

After all, he was not yet a threat to Qiangu Dongfeng, and Qiangu Dongfeng would not make a move under Leng Yaozhu's watchful eye.

"Let's go."

Leng Yaozhu ended her brief conversation with Qiangu Dongfeng and turned toward the depths of the hall.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena hurried after her.

Qiangu Dongfeng remained where he was, watching Leng Yaozhu's back vanish at the end of the corridor. His gaze flickered slightly before he, too, turned and left.

The group crossed the hall and came to a row of Soul Guidance devices.

A staff member wearing a dark blue uniform came forward and respectfully saluted Leng Yaozhu.

He then turned to Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena, his tone solemn.

"Young Masters, please allow me to introduce the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"The Spirit Ascension Platform is one of the Spirit Pagoda's most important research achievements."

He raised a hand and tapped the Soul Guidance Screen beside him several times.

A three-dimensional projection of the Star Dou Forest unfolded before them.

"As human Soul Masters continue hunting, the number of Soul Beasts has plummeted, and their habitat has grown ever smaller.

Gu Yuena clenched her fists upon hearing this.

"Disgusting humans! Once I obtain the Golden Dragon King, I'll pen all of you up in enclosures!"

Low-ranking Soul Masters find it increasingly difficult to locate suitable environments for practical combat training. Thus, the Spirit Pagoda built the Spirit Ascension Platform.

A space that exists between virtuality and reality."

Bai Yuan looked at the lush forest in the projection and nodded slightly.

He had seen this thing in the original story, but this was his first time hearing someone introduce it in person.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform simulates the complete ecosystem of the greatest Soul Beast forest of ancient times—the Star Dou Forest.

The Spirit Pagoda has established three levels in total. The Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform corresponds to the outer region, where Soul Beasts are generally around a thousand years old and suitable for low-ranking Soul Masters to train in;

The Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform corresponds to the mixed region, inhabited primarily by thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, each with their own territory;

The Ultimate Spirit Ascension Platform corresponds to the core region, where even the weakest Soul Beasts possess ten thousand years of cultivation, with some exceeding fifty thousand years."

As Gu Yuena listened, her violet eyes flickered faintly, as though she were calculating something.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform has only one core rule.

Only those who personally kill a Soul Beast can obtain one-tenth of that Soul Beast's spiritual power, which can be used to increase the age of their Soul Spirit.

If a team enters together, the spiritual power is divided equally among its members.

The accumulated spiritual power does not take effect directly inside the Spirit Ascension Platform. The final ascension only occurs after leaving it."

Bai Yuan calculated inwardly. One-tenth was not a high ratio, but it could be accumulated continuously.

If one killed enough, theoretically, a ten-year Soul Spirit could be raised all the way to ten thousand years.

"Of course, the Spirit Ascension Platform also carries considerable risks."

The staff member's tone grew more grave.

"Although the Soul Beasts are virtual, the pain of injury is exactly the same as in reality.

If you die inside, you will suffer an extremely severe mental shock and may not recover for several days."

"Additionally, the Spirit Ascension Platform has a special state known as the Riot Period.

During this time, the number of Soul Beasts increases drastically, and their spiritual power far exceeds normal levels, but the danger rises by the same measure.

And—killing other Soul Masters also allows you to seize the spiritual power they have yet to absorb. Therefore, unfamiliar Soul Masters are even more dangerous than Soul Beasts."

Leng Yaozhu spoke calmly from the side.

"This time, you will be entering the Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform. It is just right for Gu Yue's current cultivation.

Bai Yuan will mainly follow along and observe the process."

The staff member bowed.

"Young Masters, I wish you a smooth journey.

Should you encounter an emergency, the device is equipped with an emergency exit button. Press it to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform immediately."

Gu Yuena nodded slightly and walked toward the device.

Bai Yuan followed behind her, his gaze falling upon the intricate spatial device.

The Spirit Pagoda's technology truly was impressive.

To make a virtual world feel this real, it was no wonder they were the continent's most powerful organization.

Leng Yaozhu stood to the side with her arms crossed, her eyes sweeping over the two children. She said nothing more.

The two stepped into the device at the same time. A flash of white light passed, and their figures vanished into the Spirit Ascension Platform.