Xu Jiujiu Experiences the Spirit Pagoda

"A place where even commoner Soul Masters without connections or resources could have a home."

Shen Zhou turned around to face Xu Jiujiu, his gaze calm and resolute.

"Martial Soul Awakening in this era was tightly controlled by the nobility and the sects.

If commoners wanted to awaken their Martial Souls, they either had to pay exorbitant fees or sell themselves to nobles as retainers.

That was not what Martial Soul Awakening should have been."

Xu Jiujiu fell silent.

She knew Shen Zhou was speaking the truth.

The Star Luo Empire's Martial Soul Awakening system indeed had many flaws.

But these were rules passed down for centuries, and even Imperial Brother was powerless to change them.

"So, Dean Shen intended to... change all of this?"

"Slowly, perhaps."

Shen Zhou smiled and returned to the table. "One academy cannot change an entire era, but it can at least change the fates of some people."

As Xu Jiujiu watched him smile, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She could not explain what that feeling was.

It was clearly just an ordinary smile, yet it made her feel warm, reassured, and even a little... moved.

She hurriedly lowered her head and took a sip from her teacup, concealing her loss of composure.

"Princess?"

"It's nothing."

Xu Jiujiu set down her teacup, the proper smile returning to her face. "Dean Shen's breadth of vision is truly admirable."

Shen Zhou waved a hand. "You flatter me, Princess."

Cheng Gang sat nearby, looking from Shen Zhou to Xu Jiujiu, his brows drawing together slightly.

He had spent more than half his life in the palace and had seen countless people.

He had seen the Princess's reaction just now perfectly clearly.

That was neither a princess's attitude toward a subject nor a woman's attitude toward a strange man.

That was...

Cheng Gang did not continue that line of thought, but the caution in his heart deepened.

The scent of the dishes had yet to fully dissipate from the dining hall.

Xu Jiujiu set down her teacup, lightly tracing the rim with her fingertips as her gaze casually swept across the lake outside the window.

The seven-story tower stood quietly in the middle of the lake, its entire body radiating a gentle blue glow. Bathed in the setting sun, it resembled an enormous sapphire.

She could not help looking at it a few more times.

From the moment she had entered the academy, that tower had been drawing her attention.

It was not because of its appearance, though it was indeed beautiful beyond anything mortal, but because of the Soul Power fluctuations it emitted.

Those fluctuations differed from those of any building she had ever seen. They carried an ancient, profound aura, as though they contained a power she could not comprehend.

"Dean Shen."

Xu Jiujiu spoke, her voice far more casual than when she had arrived. "That tower... what is it?"

Shen Zhou followed her gaze, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"The Spirit Pagoda."

"The Spirit Pagoda?"

Xu Jiujiu repeated the name, her brows slightly furrowed. "I've never heard of it."

"That's normal."

Shen Zhou rose and walked to the window, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "There is only one such tower on the entire continent."

Cheng Gang's gaze also fell on the tower.

His senses were far sharper than Xu Jiujiu's, and he could vaguely detect the tower's extraordinariness. The Heaven and Earth Origin Power surrounding it was so dense that it nearly took physical form, making even him, a Titled Douluo, feel a faint sense of alarm.

"Dean Shen, what is that tower used for?"

Cheng Gang could not help asking.

Shen Zhou turned around and looked at them both.

"It raises Soul Ring age."

The dining hall fell silent for a moment.

Cheng Gang thought he had misheard. "What did you say?"

"It raises Soul Ring age."

Shen Zhou repeated himself, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather. "Enter the Spirit Pagoda and kill the Soul Beasts inside. That can raise the age of your Soul Rings.

A hundred-year ring can become a thousand-year ring, and a thousand-year ring can become a ten-thousand-year ring."

Cheng Gang's pupils abruptly contracted.

He was a Titled Douluo who had lived for more than eighty years. What strange thing had he not seen?

Yet he had never even heard of raising Soul Ring age.

Once a Soul Master acquired a Soul Ring, it could never be altered for the rest of their life.

That had been an unshakable iron law of the Soul Master world for thousands of years.

But now, someone was claiming he could break that iron law?

"Impossible."

Cheng Gang blurted out, "Soul Ring age is fixed. How could it possibly be raised?"

Shen Zhou glanced at him without arguing.

"If Elder Cheng doesn't believe it, you can go in and try it yourself."

Cheng Gang fell silent.

Of course he wanted to try.

If it was true, then his configuration of two yellow, two purple, and five black Soul Rings could rise to an even higher level.

For a Titled Douluo who had been stuck at Rank 91 for years, the temptation was simply too great.

But he could not.

He was the Protector Douluo. He had come to protect the Princess, not to improve his cultivation.

"Princess, what do you think?"

Cheng Gang looked toward Xu Jiujiu.

Xu Jiujiu did not answer immediately.

She stared into Shen Zhou's eyes, trying to find some trace of deception within those deep pupils.

But she found nothing.

Those eyes were as tranquil as a pool of deep water. There was no boasting, no exaggeration, not even the slightest emotional ripple.

It was as though raising Soul Ring age was no more than a simple gesture to him.

"Dean Shen, may I go in and take a look?"

Xu Jiujiu asked.

Shen Zhou nodded. "Of course.

The Princess has come from afar and is naturally an honored guest of Martial Soul Academy.

The Spirit Pagoda happens to have three slots today. Princess, you may enter and experience it for yourself."

"Three slots?"

Xu Jiujiu keenly caught that phrase.

"The Spirit Pagoda allows only three people to enter each day."

Shen Zhou explained, "There are two slots remaining today."

Cheng Gang's brow furrowed again.

Only three people per day—this meant the right to use this tower was a scarce resource.

For Shen Zhou to give one slot to the Princess was no small favor.

"Dean Shen, may I ask what price must be paid to enter the Spirit Pagoda?"

Cheng Gang asked.

Shen Zhou glanced at him.

"Elder Cheng worries too much.

The Princess is a guest. There is no price."

Cheng Gang wanted to say more, but Xu Jiujiu raised a hand to stop him.

"Elder Cheng, since Dean Shen is offering so generously, I shall gladly accept."

She rose to her feet, smoothed her skirts, and smiled faintly at Shen Zhou.

"Dean Shen, please lead the way."

The Spirit Pagoda stood in the center of the lake, with a White Jade Bridge linking the shore to the tower's entrance.

The bridge deck was broad enough for three or four people to walk abreast.

The railings on either side were engraved with dense formation patterns that glimmered with a faint blue light beneath the moonlight.

The lake water was crystal clear, revealing fish and pebbles beneath the surface. Occasionally, several glowing Spirit Fish swam beneath the bridge, trailing streaks of silver light behind them.

Xu Jiujiu walked across the bridge with light steps, like a curious young girl.

She was eighteen this year. Though she was a Princess, she had grown up in the imperial palace and rarely had the opportunity to see such scenery.

The lake and mountains, the tower's wavering reflection, the evening breeze brushing her face with the fragrance of spiritual plants—everything felt fresh and beautiful to her.

"Dean Shen, did you build this academy all by yourself?"

She asked.

"No."

Shen Zhou walked ahead without turning back. "A few brothers helped."

"Brothers?"

"Sworn brothers."

Xu Jiujiu nodded and did not ask further.

But she remembered it—Shen Zhou had sworn brothers, and judging by the situation, none of them were weak.

When they reached the end of the bridge, the doors on the first floor of the Spirit Pagoda opened automatically.

The space within the tower was far larger than it appeared from outside.