Heavenly Phoenix Arrives

The metal doors of the training room slowly opened, and the young Li Chen took his final step outside, the faint aura of his just-finished cultivation still lingering around him.

Looking up, he saw the Spirit Pagoda staff at the end of the corridor wearing grave expressions, their breathing hushed as though they were awaiting something of utmost importance. The solemn atmosphere made Li Chen's heart tighten slightly. He knew that his fate might soon reach a crucial turning point.

Almost the instant he stepped out of the training room, Su Yun, who had been waiting by the door, hurried over. His face was full of barely concealed excitement and solemnity. Lowering his voice, he leaned close to Li Chen's ear and spoke with unmistakable expectation. "Tower Master Leng specifically asked me to inform you that an important figure from the upper ranks of the pagoda has come personally to see you. I'll take you there now, and you must seize this opportunity and speak properly. This is your best chance to rise from an orphan to a Core Disciple of the Spirit Pagoda and turn your life around. Understand?"

Li Chen slowly nodded. There was none of a child's panic in his dark eyes, only a calmness that did not match his age.

Seeing him agree, a trace of gentleness flashed through Su Yun's eyes. He raised a hand and gently rubbed Li Chen's head, his gesture full of expectation. Then he took Li Chen's hand and led him toward an elegantly furnished room deeper down the corridor.

The room was not large, but it was simply and exquisitely arranged. Warm, polished Soul Tool ornaments sat atop the table, while ancient paintings of soul beast patterns hung on the walls. Clearly, it was not an ordinary reception room, but a meeting place reserved for the Spirit Pagoda's upper echelon.

The moment the door opened, Li Chen's gaze fell upon the three people seated inside.

In the seat of honor sat a woman dressed in a sky-blue gown. Her features were breathtaking, and her bearing was noble, yet touched with a distant chill. Faint phoenix-attributed Soul Power fluctuations lingered around her. She was one of the true authorities of the Spirit Pagoda, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo—Leng Yaozhu.

Across from her sat a woman in purple robes. Her aura was steady and profound, and the phantom image of a purple dragon seemed to coil faintly around her. She was the Purple Dragon Douluo. Beside her stood a young girl in a silver-white dress, her features delicate and beautiful, her brows carrying a subtle aloofness and pride. She was the "daughter" they had mentioned—Gu Yue.

Leng Qiu had long been waiting nearby. When Li Chen entered, he immediately stepped forward and respectfully guided him before Leng Yaozhu. His voice was respectful, but carried an eager note of introduction. "Family Head, this is the talented youth I told you about. Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and he successfully fused with an Indomitable Soul Spirit. His potential is unfathomable."

Leng Yaozhu lifted her eyes toward Li Chen. Her gaze rested on his lean yet upright figure, and an indescribably complex emotion flashed through her deep eyes.

There was surprise, but even more gravity.

She knew all too well the position of Twin Martial Souls in this era.

Ten thousand years ago, Twin Martial Souls had been the symbol of heaven's favored children, treasures every major power competed to claim. Even Spirit Hall would spare no effort in nurturing soul masters with Twin Martial Souls. But now, the era had long since changed.

The emergence of soul spirits had completely overturned the traditional cultivation system of soul masters. Soul masters no longer needed to absorb nine soul rings to increase their strength. A single powerful soul spirit could provide the power of multiple soul rings and could even directly bypass soul ring limitations to unlock numerous powerful abilities.

The greatest advantage of Twin Martial Souls—having one more martial soul meant having another source of power—had instantly become dispensable.

Not to mention that the cultivation system was constantly improving. Each generation of geniuses rose faster than the last, and the time required for soul masters to break through to Limit Douluo was continually being rewritten. The slight "potential advantage" of Twin Martial Souls in the later stages seemed utterly insignificant before an overwhelming accumulation of resources.

The widespread adoption of Battle Armor dealt Twin Martial Souls an even more fatal blow.

If the two martial souls of a Twin Martial Soul user differed greatly in attribute and form, it was nearly impossible to custom-build Battle Armor compatible with both.

Once a soul master donned Battle Armor in battle, the other martial soul essentially became decoration, incapable of showing any real effect.

Looking across the Douluo Continent in the age of Battle Armor, every peerless powerhouse who had reached the peak of Limit Douluo had been a genius deeply devoted to a single martial soul. They spent their entire lives tempering that one martial soul and honing it to the utmost limit before finally reaching the ultimate summit of power.

Twin Martial Souls were destined to divide one's focus, making absolute specialization difficult.

In the end, one often mastered neither and failed to reach the Great Dao. The "god-given Twin Martial Souls" once envied by all had long become a hot potato, difficult to handle from either end, in this era.

Leng Yaozhu carefully studied Li Chen. Within his clear yet sharp eyes, she saw the vigor and edge belonging to youth. It was thriving vitality, irresistible sharpness—the bearing a young man born to stand at the peak ought to possess.

But could this sharpness truly carry him to the end beneath the shackles of Twin Martial Souls?

Her fingers lightly tapped the armrest as the Spirit Pagoda's current situation flashed rapidly through her mind, and her thoughts became increasingly clear.

Twin Martial Souls truly held no advantage in this era, but that was only for ordinary people—for orphans lacking resources and guidance.

But the Spirit Pagoda was different.

The Spirit Pagoda possessed the continent's most abundant resource reserves, the finest soul spirit system, the most complete system for cultivating geniuses, and the experience of countless powerhouses who had specialized in single martial souls. It had more than enough means to avoid the drawbacks of Twin Martial Souls.

Twenty thousand years ago, Spirit Hall had dared to accept Bibi Dong, a Twin Martial Soul user, despite the risk of her body exploding, and she had ultimately become a generation's Rakshasa God. The Spirit Pagoda's cultivation system had long surpassed that of those days. Could it truly fail to cultivate a genius with Twin Martial Souls?

As long as he was worthy, the Spirit Pagoda would dare to pour resources into him! Pour them in until he broke through to Limit Douluo, until he became a pillar of the Spirit Pagoda!

And right now, the Leng Family desperately needed such a genius.

Over the past years, as the Dark Phoenix Douluo had traveled far from home and the old family head had passed away, the Leng Family's influence within the Spirit Pagoda had been steadily suppressed by the Qiangu Family until it could barely breathe.

Qiangu Dieting and Qiangu Dongfeng—who among them was not an influential figure capable of reaching the heavens? The Qiangu Family had operated for generations, its roots deep and entrenched. From the Spirit Pagoda's core seats to the distribution of resources, it pressed the Leng Family down at every turn. The Leng Family had long lost its former prosperity within the Spirit Pagoda.

The Leng Family needed fresh blood. It needed a genius capable of truly holding up its name, someone who could allow the Leng Family to regain its footing in the Spirit Pagoda and perhaps even return to its peak!

Li Chen was that opportunity.

He possessed Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and had successfully fused with an Indomitable Soul Spirit. As long as he was properly nurtured, he would surely become a central pillar of the Spirit Pagoda and the Leng Family's strongest support.

At that thought, the tension on Leng Yaozhu's face gradually eased. The gravity in her eyes faded, replaced by a sharp determination that she was bound to succeed.

She slightly raised her brow, her long fingers ceasing their tapping. Then she spoke unhurriedly, her voice crisp yet carrying unquestionable weight. "Little one, are you interested in coming with me to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters?"

The Spirit Pagoda Headquarters was a place soul masters throughout the continent dreamed of reaching. It was the core of the Spirit Pagoda, a pinnacle where geniuses gathered!

"Yes, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo!" Li Chen immediately answered, his voice clear and firm. He knew this was the greatest opportunity Leng Qiu had secured for him, his only path out of Heaven Dou City and toward a broader world.

"Good child." Leng Yaozhu smiled brilliantly. In an instant, her smile dispelled the chill around her, like ice and snow melting away, breathtakingly beautiful. She then turned toward the Purple Dragon Douluo and Gu Yue, her tone becoming much gentler as she began discussing the cooperation arrangements to come.

Li Chen slowly walked to Gu Yue's side, his gaze falling on this future Silver Dragon King as countless thoughts stirred in his heart.

The Spirit Pagoda Headquarters was located within Shrek City.

That Golden Ancient Tree standing within Shrek Academy was the life core of the Douluo Continent, said to possess terrifying, inexhaustible power. He wondered whether he would still have a chance to meet Elder Jin, the Golden Tree spirit, if he went now—after all, it had not yet become a vassal of the Blue Silver Empress A Yin and still retained its most primordial spirituality.

"Stop daydreaming."

Gu Yue's cool voice sounded beside him. She glanced at Leng Yaozhu and the Purple Dragon Douluo, who were conversing pleasantly in the distance, before turning her gaze to Li Chen. There was a hint of curiosity between her brows. "I've always heard them say that you have Twin Martial Souls, but I've never seen your other martial soul. Let me see it."

Hearing that, Li Chen did not hesitate. He slowly opened his palm.

The next moment, a geometric diamond-shaped cube of brilliant gold quietly floated above his palm. Flowing rays of light and tiny particles circled its outer surface, while within it lay two utterly opposing primordial energies—black and white.

Black was ultimate destruction, capable of effortlessly shattering all things; white was ultimate creation, capable of evolving all living beings in the world. The two energies generated and restrained each other, maintaining balance without ever separating. It transcended the shackles of heaven and earth's laws and commanded the universe's most ultimate power—the perfect fusion of destruction and creation.

Gu Yue's gaze landed on the cube, and her pupils abruptly contracted. The chill on her face instantly vanished, replaced by extreme shock.

This shock was several times stronger than when she had sensed the Power of Pluto within Li Chen!

The powers of creation and destruction gathered within one body? And even upon this cube, there was a faint trace of Power of Pluto, pure to the absolute extreme!

Th-this... could he be this era's child of destiny?

A storm surged within Gu Yue's heart. As the continent that had nurtured the Dragon God, the Douluo Continent had been one of the foremost realms even among the many realms of the Divine Dragon Realm. She had initially formed quite a few plans because of the Power of Pluto within Li Chen, but before this cube, all those plans were forced to change.

The Power of Pluto was already exceedingly rare. Combined with the source powers of creation and destruction, this young man's potential was simply unfathomable, far beyond anything she could imagine.

Just then, Leng Yaozhu's gentle voice came from the other side of the room, interrupting Gu Yue's thoughts.

Leng Yaozhu had already roughly grasped the strength of the Purple Dragon Douluo's and Gu Yue's family—at least two Super Douluo guarded it, and there might even be a hidden Limit Douluo. Such strength was enough to protect the Phoenix Family. Cooperation with the Spirit Pagoda would benefit both sides.

The Purple Dragon Douluo quietly followed behind Leng Yaozhu. Once she had fully confirmed the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's pivotal position within the Spirit Pagoda, a satisfied smile quietly spread through her eyes.

Her lord's grand plan to overturn the Spirit Pagoda's structure had now become several degrees more secure.

"You two little ones."

Leng Yaozhu turned around, her gentle gaze falling upon Li Chen and Gu Yue before settling on Gu Yue's face. Her tone was warm, yet carried an intimacy that allowed no refusal. "Come back to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters with me."

As her words fell, she moved gracefully, taking long, elegant steps toward the door. The hem of her sky-blue dress fluttered softly in the wind, like a Heavenly Phoenix spreading its wings.

Gu Yue first nodded a gentle farewell to the Purple Dragon Douluo, then lifted her feet and followed Leng Yaozhu without hesitation.

Li Chen, meanwhile, walked over to Leng Qiu, who had silently cared for him all this time. Looking up at the Spirit Pagoda master who had been working tirelessly for his sake, he spoke sincerely, full of gratitude. "Thank you, Tower Master Leng."

"No need to thank me!" Leng Qiu gently patted Li Chen's shoulder, his eyes full of relief and expectation. "You are a born genius. You should not be trapped in this tiny Heaven Dou City branch. This world is vast, and the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters is where you truly belong. There are the continent's finest young geniuses and the most abundant cultivation resources. Your talent is enough to leave your name in ancient history. Do not waste it."

"I will! I'll definitely cultivate diligently!" Li Chen nodded vigorously, determination shining in his dark eyes. He no longer hesitated. Turning around, he quickly followed Leng Yaozhu and Gu Yue toward the outside of the Spirit Pagoda.

The young man's footsteps were firm and powerful. Every step seemed to turn the gears of history.