Spirit Ascension Platform

An Lan and Na'er followed Bai Haoze and Bai Zhicen, the sisters, into an elevator that took them straight to the eighty-eighth floor of the Spirit Pagoda.

"An Lan, Na'er."

The four of them stepped out of the elevator, and a voice rang out right on cue. Three figures emerged from the depths of the Spirit Ascension Room.

"Her Excellency Heavenly Phoenix, Her Excellency Purple Phoenix, Her Excellency Judgment."

Seeing the three women, the twin sisters bowed respectfully.

"Aunt Leng."

An Lan greeted her with a smile, then hurried over to the two teachers and looked up at them, acting spoiled. "Teacher."

Leng Qingning and Le Lingzhao bent down, one on either side, and pinched An Lan's cheeks with warm smiles.

Le Lingzhao reminded her, "Little An Lan, the Spirit Ascension Platform connects through brain waves. If you die inside, your Sea of Consciousness will be struck and injured. If you run into a Soul Beast you can't handle, remember to press the SOS Signal Device and get out right away."

"Got it." An Lan nodded.

Without wasting any time, Leng Yaozhu went over a few things Na'er needed to keep in mind, then led everyone into the Spirit Ascension Room.

Two metal cabinets, both resembling coffins, had been waiting in the center of the room for quite some time.

Leng Yaozhu said, "Na'er, An Lan, you're about to enter the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform. It's mostly home to ten- and hundred-year Soul Beasts, though thousand-year Soul Beasts appear from time to time. I'll say it one last time: you only have one ring, so don't overreach. If you encounter a Soul Beast you can't defeat, press the SOS Signal Device immediately and leave."

"Understood," An Lan and Na'er replied in unison.

An Lan lay down inside a metal cabinet. A series of instrument suction pads quickly emerged, fitting snugly against her body.

The metal cabinet slid into the wall, and her journey on the Spirit Ascension Platform began. The last thing An Lan saw was her mischievous teacher Le Lingzhao blowing her a kiss. Then everything went black.

At almost the same moment, the Soul Guidance screen in the room, which had been broadcasting the lush green scenery inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, switched to An Lan and Na'er.

Two streaks of light, one red and one silver, descended from the sky and landed perfectly.

Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

The excitement still lingered on Na'er's face from the thrill of free-falling, but An Lan had already turned to survey their surroundings.

Towering ancient trees thrust up from the earth, their branches interwoven overhead like a canopy. Thick moss and fallen leaves blanketed the ground, soft and silent underfoot. Life energy, so dense it was almost tangible, flowed slowly through the forest, carrying the fresh scent of plants and soil.

She took a deep breath and felt the warm energy seep into every meridian, soothing her from head to toe.

There were no traces of human activity, only endless green and the calls of insects and beasts rising and falling all around them.

Ten thousand years ago, this would have been just another ordinary scene in the Star Dou Great Forest. But now, it was a true "primeval forest," a sight that could only be seen on the Spirit Ascension Platform.

"Na'er, which way?"

An Lan asked for Na'er's opinion while secretly watching her for a reaction to scenery so much like the Star Dou Great Forest.

As it turned out, she had been overthinking it. The silver-haired girl's face was full of wonder. She looked just like an ordinary person traveling somewhere new and encountering a beautiful view she had never seen before.

And just as An Lan had thought, though Na'er had only spent three days in the human world, she had already cut herself off from Soul Beasts in her heart. She considered herself a dignified member of the Spirit Pagoda.

As for the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest that wanted to rip her limb from limb and use her as material to fuse with the Silver Dragon King, they didn't even count as poor relations to her.

Loyalty!

Na'er had been admiring the scenery, so different from the "steel forest" of Shrek City. At An Lan's question, she glanced around briefly, then casually pointed in a direction. "This way."

With that, she stepped into the dense forest.

Since she didn't know which way to go either, An Lan had no objections and followed her.

Outside, Leng Yaozhu, Leng Qingning, Le Lingzhao, and the White Sisters—five people in all—watched An Lan and Na'er on the Soul Guidance screen. So even though Leng Yaozhu had cleared out the entire eighteenth floor of the Spirit Pagoda, the Spirit Ascension Room wasn't exactly empty.

The Spirit Ascension Platform was a semi-real, semi-virtual space built by the Spirit Pagoda. It was home to countless Soul Beasts, providing Federation Soul Masters with a place to hone their skills in battle—and, incidentally, making a little money on the side.

Besides gaining combat experience, Soul Masters could absorb ten percent of a Soul Beast's energy after killing it on the Spirit Ascension Platform.

An Lan was a one-ring Soul Master. If she killed a hundred-year Soul Beast, her First Soul Ring could gain ten years of cultivation. At two rings, each of her two Soul Rings would gain five years; at three rings, four rings, and so on.

So, as long as a Soul Master's body and Spiritual Power could contain higher-ranked Soul Rings, the earlier their Soul Spirit advanced, the easier it was.

However, An Lan's First Soul Ring had a starting age of 1,200 years, and Na'er's was 990 years. So even if they advanced, they wouldn't gain many more years.

Therefore, Leng Yaozhu's goal this time wasn't to advance An Lan and Na'er's Soul Spirits, but to observe them in combat, get a clear sense of their abilities, and tailor their training accordingly.

On the screen, An Lan stood tall as a pine, her right hand gripping the Red Edge Spear, which glowed with a scarlet light. Beside her, Na'er's silver hair fell lightly around her shoulders. She held the Silver Dragon Spear at an angle, its tip gleaming faintly with silver light, its killing intent concealed but ready.

The young man and woman moved side by side through the forest, their steps light but cautious as they kept watch on their surroundings.

An Lan came to an abrupt stop and raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping toward the depths of the forest to her left. Her Soul Power quietly tensed. Na'er sensed something amiss as well, her eyes sharpening.

The other five were drawn to the screen too. Then they spotted a series of dark green eyes gleaming in the forest's shadows, and their brows furrowed.

"Purple-Striped Demon Wolves... a pack!"

More than thirty pairs of dark green eyes glimmered in the dim forest. They belonged to a pack of lithe demon wolves, their bodies covered in deep purple fur and their backs marked with winding, strange dark gold patterns. Their teeth and claws were sharp, and their eyes fierce; they were clearly aggressive.

"A God-Slaughtering Clan? Interesting!"

An Lan's expression remained calm as she instantly recalled the information about the Soul Beasts before her.

The Purple-Striped Demon Wolf was the strictest father Wind Baboons could have.

Ten thousand years ago, in his first battle, Huo Yuhao, the second-generation God of Emotions, would have been killed by a Wind Baboon if Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hadn't arrived in time.

Wind Baboons, the God-Slaughtering Clan, were on the Purple-Striped Demon Wolf's menu. That made the Purple-Striped Demon Wolf the God-Slaughtering Clan's predator.

"A pack of Purple-Striped Demon Wolves..." Na'er's expression turned solemn. Then the corners of her mouth lifted as she exclaimed, "What good luck!"

She really was lucky. If she killed all these Purple-Striped Demon Wolves, she could raise her Golden Hou's cultivation by at least three hundred years.

Her goal this time was to raise the Golden Hou's cultivation to 1,200 years. She would exceed her target outright.

A smile curled across An Lan's lips as well. Purple-Striped Demon Wolves and Wind Baboons both roamed the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest. Though they were the Wind Baboons' absolute betters, they weren't much stronger. They weren't even worthy of being an after-dinner snack for top Soul Beasts like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

"Awwooo—!"