"Th-they're all dead?"
Although Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin were absorbing the spiritual power of the Man Faced Demon Spider, they had witnessed the whole thing. Both stared in shock, their little mouths hanging open.
They had never imagined that Su Chen was not only powerful, but also so ruthless.
At the slightest disagreement, he had slaughtered them all.
He had even spared none of the young boy, directly crushing his head...
There had been no bloody scene, but the method was still far too vicious and utterly unreasonable.
"Of course. It's virtual, so what's there to hesitate about?"
Su Chen said matter-of-factly, "Besides, I acted fast. At most, they suffered a little mental trauma—basically just one mental attack. They'll be fine in a few days."
"To me, the Spirit Ascension Platform is like a video game. Who would worry about how the little monsters in a game feel..."
"Uh..."
Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin were left speechless.
It felt a little strange, but they couldn't argue with him, because what Su Chen said made perfect sense.
Perhaps it was just a difference in perspective.
Anyway, Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin knew they wouldn't be so ruthless. If there was no blood feud, they would usually give a helpless weakling the chance to activate their SOS Device and leave.
"All right, all right. Let's go. We'll head deeper and see if we can find a stronger Soul Beast."
Su Chen smiled and urged them onward.
"Mm~"
"Mm-hmm~"
At his words, Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin smiled brightly, quickly putting the matter behind them.
They didn't dislike Su Chen.
They had simply been caught off guard by the contrast between his ruthlessness just now and his usual well-behaved manner.
After all, Su Chen was one of their own, and he had done it for their sake.
Naturally, they had nothing more to say.
Outside the platform.
The Spirit Pagoda staff were all dumbfounded by what they had just seen.
They had witnessed plenty of geniuses, but never anyone this outrageous...
"He took down a hundred-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider in an instant. Su Chen looks like he's only seven, and he's just a One-Ring Soul Master..."
"Quick! Send the footage to headquarters. We can't let another faction get to this genius first. We have to bring him into our ranks!"
The staff scrambled to get things done.
Their job was to protect customers inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, but their most important duty was recruiting all kinds of geniuses for the Spirit Pagoda.
The Spirit Pagoda's strength depended in large part on information.
Every Soul Master went to the Spirit Pagoda to obtain a Soul Spirit and ascend. If the Pagoda discovered a genius, it could learn about them first and recruit them before anyone else.
The Tang Sect was far weaker in this regard.
Still, the Tang Sect had strict standards for recruiting talent, and its legacy came from the Sea God, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils from tens of thousands of years ago. What was more, the Tang Sect worked closely with Shrek.
Many Tang Sect members had come from Shrek.
So, in terms of overall strength, the Tang Sect was in no way inferior to the Spirit Pagoda.
The two sides competed fiercely in this area.
The Spirit Pagoda did everything it could to recruit even the most ordinary geniuses.
How much more so for a monster like this?
This information had to be sent to headquarters right away, so they could personally recruit him. Only then could they show their sincerity!
In another room.
"Ah—!"
Screams rang out without end.
The full team Su Chen had killed, along with Xu Xiaoyu, all cried out in agony. Then they sat up in their Connection Pods, their faces full of terror and their bodies drenched in cold sweat.
"Brother! Are you all right...?"
Six-year-old Xu Xiaoyan hurried over to Xu Xiaoyu's Connection Pod and helped him up.
"I... I... huff, huff..."
Xu Xiaoyu gasped for breath.
Whenever he thought of Su Chen's eerie gaze, he felt suffocated, as if he couldn't breathe at all.
The process of dying hadn't hurt in the slightest.
But he would never forget that fear for the rest of his life.
How could there be a Soul Master that terrifying in this world?
His opponent hadn't even used a Soul Skill. He had wiped out their entire team outright.
"Damn it! He cheated! I'm reporting him!"
"That kid was definitely cheating. He's just a little brat, and he didn't even use a Soul Skill. How could he take all of us out in one shot?"
The other six three-ring Soul Elders were cursing up a storm, too.
They were old hands. They often got killed in the Spirit Ascension Platform, so they hadn't suffered any real harm.
But this time, a little kid had wiped out their whole team. They were furious and refused to accept it!
Especially that terrifying Teleportation ability.
Teleportation was one of the most overpowered Soul Skills, and it always came with severe restrictions.
But his Teleportation had seemed to have no restrictions at all. It was ridiculous!
And he had ambushed them, too. No honor at all!
How could anyone accept that?
The frustration was unbearable.
They were all about to advance to Soul Ancestor and had entered the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform to bully weaker opponents. They had also wanted to use the opportunity to boost their Soul Spirits and bring the young master of the Xu Family along, earning a little extra on the side.
They had never expected...
They had only been inside for a few minutes, killed a few Ten-Year Soul Beasts, and then been wiped out.
Forget boosting their Soul Spirits.
They hadn't even earned back the price of admission. They'd lost big.
"Getting killed means you weren't good enough. Cheating is impossible in the Spirit Ascension Platform. If you dare spread rumors, the Spirit Pagoda will pursue the matter to the end."
One of the staff members had had enough and snapped at them coldly.
Even he thought that kid was a little outrageous.
But the Spirit Ascension Platform was the Spirit Pagoda's finest creation. There was absolutely no way anyone could tamper with it!
"But..."
They wanted to say more, but when they saw the staff member's hostile expression, they could only shut their mouths and swallow the loss.
Meanwhile.
In Shrek City, at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
It was the Riot Period for the Spirit Ascension Platform. Leng Yaozhu sat at the head of the room, monitoring the various platforms at headquarters.
She was there to ensure the Soul Masters inside remained safe, but also to assess them. If an outstanding Soul Master appeared, the Spirit Pagoda would extend an invitation.
As the Spirit Pagoda's deputy master, she was responsible for almost all of its recruitment.
The master of the Spirit Pagoda handled the bigger picture.
Just then, one of her subordinates came to report what had happened inside the Spirit Ascension Platform in Eastsea City.
"What? He's seven... and he took out the Man Faced Demon Spider and a three-ring Soul Master team with a single strike, without even using a Soul Skill!"
The news shocked Leng Yaozhu to her core.
She had seen countless geniuses, but she had never heard of anything this outrageous.
"Here are his details, Deputy Master. Please take a look."
Her subordinate had come prepared and immediately brought up all of Su Chen's records.
"Born into a second-rate family, Martial Soul: Soul Suppressing Pagoda... Hmm, wait! A Level 3 Blacksmith, and Mu Chen's sole personal disciple!"
"No wonder. That old Mu Chen has such a keen eye..."
"We have to recruit this kid into the Spirit Pagoda, no matter the cost!"
Leng Yaozhu made her decision at once.
She had clearly recognized Su Chen's extraordinary talent. They had to get to him first, before the Tang Sect or another faction could.
As for Mu Chen...
The Spirit Pagoda and the Blacksmith Association had no conflict. Mu Chen certainly wouldn't object.
"Yes."
The subordinate hurriedly bowed and acknowledged the order.
"Forget it. I'll go myself!"
Leng Yaozhu suddenly waved a hand, then rose and left headquarters.
"Caw—!"
The next moment, a gigantic Fire Phoenix appeared above Shrek City and sped toward Eastsea City.
At Level 98, with a flying-type Martial Soul, she was naturally incredibly fast.
In less than half an hour, Leng Yaozhu appeared inside the Spirit Pagoda in Eastsea City.
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