The Thousand-Catty Heavy Profound Ruler

"No swearing!"

Mu Xi bristled the moment she heard the words "trash Soul Elder," reaching out to give Su Chen a light pinch on the cheek.

Su Chen had called him a useless Soul Elder.

If that were the case, then she and Ouyang Zixin, who were only at the first ring, would be even more useless than useless...

"Ouch... Senior Sister, I didn't mean it like that. You and Senior Zixin are definitely not..." Su Chen hurriedly explained.

"Hmph, that's more like it..."

About an hour later, Su Chen neared their destination.

In the distance, a tower so towering it was suffocating appeared at the edge of his vision.

That was the East Sea Spirit Pagoda.

As one of the eighteen major branch pagodas established by the Spirit Pagoda organization across the Douluo Continent, these eighteen massive structures were revered as the "Eighteen Heavenly Pillars," symbolizing the unshakable status and power of the Spirit Pagoda in the world of soul masters.

Even from a great distance, its majestic aura was enough to awe the heart.

The tower stood over a hundred stories tall, visually exceeding four hundred meters. Like a pillar supporting the heavens, it stood proudly—a landmark building beyond reproach.

The base of the tower was a massive octagon, covering an astonishing area, as if it were the foundation of a small mountain.

The tower did not rise straight up; instead, it followed a unique rhythm, tapering slightly inward every ten stories or so. This gave the entire silhouette a stable, conical shape that finally converged at the spire pointing toward the firmament.

Just looking at it from afar, one could not help but feel a sense of reverence.

"Wow... every time I see the Spirit Pagoda, I feel so overwhelmed." Ouyang Zixin leaned against the car window, gazing at the massive tower drawing ever closer, unable to hold back an exclamation.

Mu Xi's eyes also shimmered with anticipation.

The soul-guided sports car pulled to a stop at the edge of the vast plaza outside the tower's base.

The three of them stepped out, instantly drawing quite a few gazes.

"Let's go, we're heading in." Su Chen ignored the stares and spoke to Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin.

His demeanor was calm and composed, as if the competitors around them, radiating powerful soul power fluctuations, did not exist.

This composure, far beyond his years, made Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin look at him with new eyes.

Although Su Chen was mischievous in private, he could project such a poised aura in front of outsiders.

Even though Su Chen was young, he looked about the same age as the thirteen or fourteen-year-old youths around them.

Even if no one here knew Su Chen's identity, anyone who saw his confident and collected appearance at this moment would be unable to stop themselves from offering a silent compliment: a young hero.

They entered the Spirit Pagoda.

The three verified their identities, were led by staff through a corridor, took an elevator, and arrived at a special room.

The room was circular and contained three cabins, with screens covering the surrounding walls displaying images of a forest...

"Miss Mu Xi, although this is not your first time entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, we must still repeat the safety precautions..."

The staff member spoke respectfully, detailing the guidelines.

The most important thing was the distress device on their wrists, meant to prevent death.

Although everything inside was virtual, dying would cause trauma to the spirit, requiring a great deal of time to recover—a loss that outweighed any gain.

The three entered their cabins, and soon, their consciousnesses drifted into a blur.

The three woke up.

They found themselves appearing in the middle of a vast forest.

This was actually Su Chen's first time entering; whether it was the sense of smell, sight, or touch, everything felt incredibly real.

The soul-guided technology of this world has actually developed to such a degree, Su Chen sighed inwardly.

"Little Chen, don't space out. It's very dangerous here." Mu Xi reminded him quickly, simultaneously releasing her martial soul, "Blazing Sun," to stay vigilant at all times.

Ouyang Zixin also released her martial soul, "Gale Spirit Colt."

Her martial soul could fight, but it was actually better suited for running away.

"If we really run into danger, you two can ride on me... I'll carry you and run..." Ouyang Zixin seemed to think of something, her face turning slightly red.

She had never let anyone ride her before.

But if they were truly in danger, she wouldn't be able to worry about anything else.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Su Chen did not release his martial soul; instead, he pulled out a pitch-black metal heavy ruler.

This was a weapon Su Chen had specially forged for himself—the Heavy Profound Ruler.

It weighed 23,333 kilograms, but to Su Chen, it was barely manageable.

At this moment, Su Chen felt he understood Tang Wulin a little better.

Those with excessive physical strength are ill-suited for blades and swords, as such weapons are far too light for them, making them cumbersome to wield.

Only heavy weaponry like hammers, rulers, or staves are truly appropriate for him.

Since hammers offer too few attack patterns, Su Chen forged this Heavy Profound Ruler for himself; it can be used for slashing and hacking, allowing him to adapt sword and blade techniques to it quite effectively.

"So that's what you were secretly building those past few days—this thing. It's crafted entirely from Thousand-Refined Deep Silver; just how heavy is it?"

Mu Xi was somewhat shocked.

This weapon alone was something an average Soul Elder couldn't even lift, and might even be crushed to death by.

If one were to be struck by this ruler, even if they didn't die, they would be smashed into a pulp.

"What a monster..."

Ouyang Zixin was stunned. Although she didn't know the material of the weapon, it was so large and so black...

It had to weigh at least several thousand catties.

With such terrifying strength, even without using his martial soul or soul skills, he could likely face a thousand-year soul beast with ease.

The two had previously harbored a mere 1% distrust toward Su Chen.

Seeing Su Chen's terrifying power now, that final shred of doubt vanished completely.

"Whoosh, whoosh—"

Just then, a sound echoed from the distant jungle.

"Careful, there's a soul beast!"

Mu Xi let out a low shout, her soul power surging almost reflexively as a scorching halo of light grew increasingly dazzling.

Ouyang Zixin's reaction was just as swift.

At the same moment Mu Xi spoke, a faint cyan airflow swirled around her body, and her martial soul, the Gale Spirit Colt, had already possessed her. She spread her slender legs slightly, lowered her center of gravity, and prepared to dodge or dash at any moment.

Her eyes were filled with vigilance, locked onto the swaying shadows of the trees ahead.

"Hiss—!"

Accompanied by a sharp, ear-piercing screech, a massive black shadow violently tore through the bushes ahead, lunging out with a nauseating, fishy stench!

It was a hideous and terrifying spider-type soul beast.

Its body exceeded three meters in length, its eight spear-like legs glinting with a metallic, ghostly light. Most chilling of all was the twisted, pained human face on the front of its abdomen, which looked exceptionally horrifying.

"A hundred-year Man Faced Demon Spider!!"

Ouyang Zixin gasped, her pretty face turning deathly pale in an instant.

The Man Faced Demon Spider was notorious among soul beasts.

Highly venomous, swift, and extremely cunning, it was the nightmare of countless soul masters.

A hundred-year Man Faced Demon Spider could contend with an ordinary thousand-year soul beast.

Furthermore, the venom of a Man Faced Demon Spider could severely injure even a Soul Ancestor or a Soul King upon contact.

As for the three of them, they were only one-ring soul masters; even if they were merely grazed by a strand of its silk, they would undoubtedly be wiped out.