First Meeting with Gu Yue

A luxurious sedan slowly pulled up before the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda. A servant opened the door, and the first thing to emerge was an ankle in an exquisite purple high heel. Only then did the rest of her figure appear with elegant grace.

A stunningly beautiful woman with an icy aura quietly stepped out. Her long purple-black hair fell to her waist, and her bloodless porcelain-white face set off her narrow, bewitching purple phoenix eyes, within which a frigid pressure lay hidden. She wore a dark-purple, gold-woven gauze gown. Her figure was slender and cool, yet carried an eerie, imposing charm. At a glance, she resembled a solitary lotus beneath the moon.

Behind her followed a six-year-old girl. She was slender and exquisite, with black hair, black eyes, and a porcelain-white little face. Yet her brows and eyes held a chill and nobility far beyond her years.

Her soft black hair draped over her shoulders, its ends slightly curled. Beneath the loose strands at her forehead were pale violet eyes like glazed crystal. When calm, they were as indifferent as the moon; when she raised her gaze, the pressure of a silver dragon faintly emerged.

By the time they reached the Spirit Pagoda, only Zi Ji and Gu Yue remained.

"Master, what should we do about Na'er? Di Tian and the others still can't locate her for the time being..." Zi Ji said hesitantly.

Gu Yue felt helpless over Na'er's sudden mishap, but her voice remained calm. "Let her be for now. We'll join the Spirit Pagoda first. Remember, we are a reclusive family, and you are my mother now."

Zi Ji said nothing and led Gu Yue directly into the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda.

A knock sounded outside the lounge. Li Chen said,

"Come in."

A staff member opened the door, entered, and said to Li Chen,

"Young Master Li Chen, the Pagoda Master wishes to see you."

"Me?" The boy froze slightly. Why was he being summoned? Could someone from headquarters have arrived?

He followed the staff member into the elevator and arrived at the office of the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda's Pagoda Master.

The moment he entered, he noticed the two figures, one large and one small, on the sofa. His eyes filled with confusion.

"Li Chen, you're finally here." Leng Qiu gestured toward the two on the sofa and introduced them. "This is Purple Dragon Douluo, and this is Gu Yue. Both wish to join the Spirit Pagoda. They are from a reclusive family that is about to enter the world."

"Hello!" Li Chen greeted them politely, though his eyes flashed with gravity. He had never expected that, at six years old, he would encounter half a body containing seventy percent of Silver Dragon Fish's power.

By all logic, that world-shaking intelligence should not have split apart yet. Shouldn't the complete form have appeared in East Sea? Had the God Kings set a trap? Then where had the remaining thirty percent of the power gone?

But those thoughts passed in an instant. He recalled that Douluo Four idlefish. Since that was the case, could he seize the power of the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings through reincarnation and create a counterfeit Dragon God?

After thinking it over, he shook his head. It would be troublesome if Tang San descended like a deus ex machina when the time came. Besides, he could not defeat Silver Dragon Fish. Even half a body was beyond what he could fight at present.

"Hello!" Gu Yue's black eyes turned toward Li Chen. Seeing the dense aura of life and death around him, she immediately thought of the Underworld from the Dragon God's inherited memories.

It was said that the Underworld was part of the universe's operation. Through the cycle of life and death, it maintained the circulation of the entire universe. Yet the existence of gods had broken that cycle. Immortal as they were, they no longer entered the reincarnation of life and death. As powerful individuals, they could also damage the growth of the universe. It was like a perfectly orderly nation suddenly gaining a group of people beyond all restraint.

The war between the Underworld and the Divine Dragon Realm—the God Realm that had preceded the Douluo God Realm—had ultimately ended in the Divine Dragon Realm's victory, with the Dragon God killing Pluto.

Although the aura on him was not yet so pure, she still kept an eye on him.

She would climb to the very top step by step, take the position of Spirit Pagoda Master, seize control of the entire Spirit Pagoda, and control every soul master on the Douluo Continent.

Then she would lead the soul beast race to rise again and ascend to the God Realm once more.

"Hello!" Zi Ji greeted him politely, then turned her gaze back to Leng Qiu. "Pagoda Master Leng, can we continue discussing our joining the Spirit Pagoda? If you cannot make the decision, we can go elsewhere."

Leng Qiu nodded. "Of course we welcome you joining our Spirit Pagoda. However, my authority only extends to the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda. I can report this to Vice Pagoda Master Heavenly Phoenix at headquarters, and she will ultimately bring you into the organization."

Zi Ji and Gu Yue exchanged a glance. In that fleeting instant, their eyes conveyed everything. Though it was only one look, it held the meaning of a thousand words.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Zi Ji's eyes flickered slightly as she softly said, "That will be enough."

The three words fell lightly, but Gu Yue had other plans in mind.

She would become Leng Yaozhu's disciple, gradually take control of the Spirit Pagoda through her position within it, then use spirit souls to control all humanity.

Hearing this, Leng Qiu seemed to relax, his shoulders loosening slightly. He turned toward the boy standing nearby and beckoned.

"Xiao Chen! Come here!"

His voice now carried a trace of pride. "This is the super genius our Leng Family recruited this year: Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and an innate Spirit Connection Realm."

The boy stepped forward. Light fell upon his youthful cheeks. His frame was somewhat thin, yet he stood straight as a pine.

"His martial souls possess the unprecedented attributes of life and death. At first, we even mistook them for dark attributes." Leng Qiu continued his introduction with a bitter smile. "He specializes in control!"

At that moment, Gu Yue, who had been sitting quietly at the side, suddenly rose to her feet.

Though she presently had only the appearance of a six-year-old child, her eyes held a depth utterly unsuited to her age.

A question flashed through her heart. Could humans actually awaken attributes so close to the laws of the Underworld as martial souls?

She stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "May I see your martial soul?"

Li Chen nodded and slowly raised his left hand. With his movement, a majestic figure gradually appeared behind him.

Its figure stood tall and solitary. Between its brows condensed innate divine marks and divine patterns, shimmering in and out of light as they linked the great Dao's veins throughout heaven and earth. Its divine eyes were as deep as an eternal river of stars, cold and still. One glance could decide life and death; closing one eye could silence a thousand mountains. Countless cycles of reincarnation rose and sank in their depths, without the slightest trace of mortal warmth—only the ruthlessness and supreme majesty unique to one who had become a god.

Gu Yue's eyes narrowed as she examined it more carefully than anyone else.

Could it be that the will of Douluo had actually placed a trace of the Underworld's aura into this boy's body?

Was it not afraid of inviting a wolf into its home and being struck by the laws of the Underworld, assimilated directly into a land of utter death?

After several waves of tens of billions in subsidies from the Dragon God, the Underworld's remaining undead power had already reached an extreme point. Furthermore, it likely had no ruler now. With even the slightest misstep, the Douluo Plane could be directly assimilated.

At that moment, Leng Qiu curiously asked Gu Yue, "Miss Gu Yue, may I ask what your martial soul is? As a token of goodwill for our first collaboration, we can provide you free access to the Spirit Ascension Platform to raise your soul power."

"The Spirit Ascension Platform? What is that?" Gu Yue asked in confusion.

Leng Qiu was slightly stunned, then explained, "The Spirit Ascension Platform was independently created by the Spirit Pagoda. It is a dedicated place for soul masters to train and improve their strength. Here, soul masters can not only temper themselves, but also personally experience the unique thrill of ancient soul masters hunting soul beasts. More than ten Title Douluo participated in its construction, along with numerous top researchers. The Spirit Pagoda paid an enormous price before successfully completing the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"When soul masters enter the Spirit Ascension Platform, it is like stepping into another layer of space. Under the platform's protection, the risks are manageable, yet they can battle soul beasts within and accumulate practical combat experience. Some exceptionally fortunate soul masters may even perfect their spirit souls within the Spirit Ascension Platform and achieve the effect of 'spirit ascension.'"

"I see!" Gu Yue said. "I am considered a control-type soul master. My martial soul specializes in controlling multiple elements."

"In that case, you can participate in this spirit ascension with Xiao Chen. Things inside the Spirit Ascension Platform do not always go smoothly. One more person means one more source of strength," Leng Qiu said with a genial smile, a glint hidden deep within his eyes.

"Of course." Gu Yue did not refuse. Bringing along a little underling was nothing to her.