The morning sunlight fell across the land.
But no one had any thoughts to spare for the sunlight anymore.
Today's competition wasn't particularly important.
It was simply a competition organized jointly by several bigwigs from the Spirit Pagoda.
Its main purpose was to let Qiangu Zhangting show off his strength. It was a showcase match.
In fact, most members of the Qiangu Clan didn't know about this competition.
But the higher-ups in the Spirit Pagoda all knew.
At present, aside from the top Spirit Transmitters, there were only three true vice tower masters.
One was Leng Yaozhu, who was in charge of some of the Spirit Pagoda's core affairs.
Another was Zhang Geyang, who was in charge of all affairs concerning the Star Luo Empire.
The third was in charge of all affairs concerning the Dou Ling Empire.
However, this person kept a very low profile.
Even in the final stages, this vice tower master never appeared.
So, apart from the disciples of the three vice tower masters, several Spirit Transmitters' disciples were also participating.
The average age of this group was around ten.
Chen Zhou was definitely the youngest here.
But if you asked about his strength, he wasn't the weakest.
After fusing with a Soul Ring, an ordinary person's Soul Power Level increased by only one or two levels on average.
But because Chen Zhou had fused with a divine authority, his Soul Power Level could generally increase by three or four levels.
His current Soul Power Level had already reached level 25, though most people didn't know it.
Everyone thought he had only just broken through, and that his Soul Power was around level 21 or 22.
But his strength had already reached level 25.
If he wanted to, it would take him just a month at the shortest, or a few months at the longest, to reach level 30.
In the hall, Qiangu Zhangting stood at the very front, his face brimming with confidence and pride.
With nearly level 40 Soul Power, the inherited Soul Spirit Evil Dragon, and the top-tier Martial Soul Coiling Dragon Staff, he considered himself the strongest of them all.
Neither the disciples of the other two vice tower masters nor the Spirit Transmitters' apprentices
could possibly match his strength.
At that moment, Chen Zhou had also arrived at the Spirit Pagoda's main tower, led by the man in black.
However, he didn't meet Qiangu Zhangting. Instead, he calmly took the elevator straight to the private room on the 40th floor, which had been set aside for them.
Each of them had a private room for this test. This entire section of the Riot Spirit Ascension Platform had been cordoned off, and entry was forbidden to everyone else.
As the man in black opened the door, Chen Zhou walked in calmly.
Compared to Qiangu Zhangting, who was full of swagger, his expression was much calmer, but his gaze was ice-cold.
It was good to know how to hide your sharpness.
But with benefits at stake, showing his strength and clearly choosing a side was what Chen Zhou needed to do right now.
If he had any interest in becoming the Spirit Pagoda's tower master, he had to take action.
Among the three vice tower masters and the several top Spirit Transmitters, the only person who could help him was Leng Yaozhu.
After all, Leng Yaozhu was the strongest among them. Before long, she would become a Limit Douluo—the Spirit Pagoda's fourth Limit Douluo.
With Leng Yaozhu's help, his path to promotion would be much smoother.
If he hesitated now, hoping to play both sides, things would definitely end badly for him.
Since Chen Zhou understood this clearly, he had to make a show of it.
His goal this time wasn't just to hunt down those rampaging Soul Beasts. More importantly, he intended to defeat the disciples of those vice tower masters, as well as Qiangu Zhangting, the tower master's own grandson.
A wave of dizziness washed over him, but Chen Zhou's expression didn't change in the slightest. After all, this wasn't his first time here.
When Chen Zhou closed his eyes and opened them again, his body had already arrived inside the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform.
It was a special ecological environment, completely unlike any Spirit Ascension Platform Chen Zhou had visited before.
This place was filled with a sense of chaos and destruction, as if it were the simulated Spirit Ascension Platform created during the Spirit Pagoda's attack on the Star Dou Great Forest.
Feeling the destructive aura all around him, Chen Zhou remained perfectly calm.
He took a light step forward, and an immense force slowly gathered around him.
Behind him, his enormous Water Dragon Martial Soul coiled into view.
The Water Dragon Martial Soul circled around him.
As a terrifying force surged, a complete, watery barrier slowly formed around him.
Even he was being cautious.
Although he currently had a two-ring cultivation base and could fight on par with ordinary three-ring and four-ring Soul Masters,
and although his displayed strength was far beyond what ordinary people expected because of his immortal body,
he wasn't willing to reveal anything unusual about himself in front of so many Qiangu Clan higher-ups.
As he thought this, he kept walking, slowly making his way deeper into the Spirit Ascension Platform.
The surroundings were desolate, but as Chen Zhou ventured farther in, rustling sounds could still be heard.
The sounds came quickly, but Chen Zhou reacted even faster.
However, the moment the sounds arose, something happened.
Three black giant wolves, their fur singed and their blood-red eyes blazing, charged straight out of a nearby patch of grass.
The three giant wolves stared fixedly at Chen Zhou.
Their fur was either burned or curled back to expose their flesh, and their eyes were filled with fury and malice.
Then they charged at him in a frenzy.
Chen Zhou remained calm as he looked at the three giant wolves.
He raised his hand, and two purple Soul Rings lit up around him.
His First Soul Ring suddenly flashed, and a massive stream of dragon breath erupted.
Although Clear Stream Dragon Breath was still only a thousand-year Soul Skill,
the Water Dragon Martial Soul had not only evolved into the Water Dragon King, but had even begun evolving toward the Primordial Dragon.
The destructive property carried by Clear Stream Dragon Breath had grown even stronger.
The moment the three giant wolves charged in, the terrifying dragon breath blasted into them, instantly melting all three.
As specks of starlight appeared, countless points of light—or rather, spiritual power—flowed into Chen Zhou's body.
"So this is the Riot Spirit Ascension Platform? This Riot Spirit Ascension Platform, specially enhanced in this way, absorbs spiritual power incredibly fast."
Feeling the age of his Soul Ring rise rapidly, Chen Zhou's eyes held a rare trace of surprise.
His Soul Ring was currently around 7,000 years old. The remaining 3,000 years would normally take at least several months to gain.
But in a place like this, on this special Riot Spirit Ascension Platform,
Chen Zhou felt that this one trip alone should be enough to raise his Soul Spirit to ten thousand years.
At the thought, Chen Zhou's eyes flickered faintly, and a glimmer of watery light passed through his deep blue eyes.
Using his sensory connection with the water element, he spread his perception wildly through the surrounding area, seeking to locate the Soul Beasts nearby as well as the other people.
Chen Zhou's perception was actually quite limited.
But with his powerful mental strength, perception, and overall abilities,
he wanted to quickly scan the area and find the others.
That was difficult, but it wasn't difficult at all.