Entering the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

Xiao Mu displayed the Periodic Table before him and said, "Come on, give me a ton of each to start."

Gu Yue stared at the characters she couldn't comprehend, blinking her eyes, completely clueless as to what this was.

"This was researched by a Grand Elementalist. Aren't you an Elementalist? How can you not conjure these up for me!"

Although Xiao Mu knew from the start that Gu Yue couldn't do it, that didn't stop him from being annoying.

Gu Yue muttered to herself in the wind, "What is this nonsense? Isn't it supposed to be about elements? And what is a Grand Elementalist?"

She lowered her head, her fingertips grazing the strange symbols. Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium—she recognized every character, but when strung together, she had no idea what they meant.

"Are you playing with me?" Gu Yue's voice turned cold.

"Playing with you? Why would I do that? I want things that are actually practical." Xiao Mu smiled and retracted the Periodic Table. "This is science. Hydrogen is the lightest element; a ton of hydrogen could blow a giant ship to the sky."

"And oxygen is essential for life; without it, you would suffocate. Carbon is the skeleton of life, and iron transports oxygen in the blood—"

He paused, watching Gu Yue's blank expression, and his smile deepened.

"You don't actually know, do you?"

Gu Yue clenched her fists, stubbornly retorting, "Who says I don't know?"

"Then give me the elements." Xiao Mu reached out, demanding them with supreme arrogance.

Gu Yue fell silent. She truly couldn't produce them, and she felt that whatever Xiao Mu wanted was dangerous.

Xiao Mu didn't tease her any further. He turned to greet Na'er, who was standing quietly to the side, and walked away. Na'er trotted along by Xiao Mu's side, suddenly tilting her head to wink and playfully stick out her tongue.

"Gu Yue, you aren't as smart as me."

After saying that, she hurried to catch up with Xiao Mu's retreating figure. The two drifted away, leaving Gu Yue in a state of disarray in the wind.

Then, thinking back to Na'er's final remark, the more she dwelled on it, the angrier she became.

If she was inferior to Na'er, wasn't it just because of knowledge from the human world? She would go learn it right now!

There was no way she could be worse than Na'er.

And that Xiao Mu, what on earth was he researching? A rock that glowed but didn't emit heat.

So he liked shiny things like that, did he?

She could find them herself.

She would definitely figure out what Xiao Mu was up to.

With that thought, she knew what she had to do, so she left immediately to go find Di Tian.

The future Xiao Mu would note that Gu Yue was the most stubborn dragon he had ever met; the things she created either glowed without heat or emitted heat without glowing.

She was quite the expert at enjoying radiation.

Though, for Gu Yue, that stuff didn't really matter much.

The next day, Tang Wulin met the senior student again, feeling quite pleased.

Today, Wu Zhangkong wasn't holding class; instead, they were heading to the Spirit Pagoda.

Aside from Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, who were somewhat confused, everyone else present roughly knew what they were going there for.

Xiao Mu also understood the purpose, though he felt it would be faster to just head to the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform, kill a couple of ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and ascend his spirit.

He only needed to go while his soul spirit was still at the first stage.

Meanwhile, Xie Xie was explaining what the Spirit Ascension Platform was to Tang Wulin.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform is a place created by the Spirit Pagoda to provide soul masters with a training ground. It's used to improve a soul master's individual strength and a place to experience the charm of the ancient soul master world."

"When a soul master enters the Spirit Ascension Platform, it's like entering another dimension. You are protected by the platform itself, so the danger level is low, but you can still fight soul beasts inside to improve your practical combat experience. Some lucky soul masters can even perfect their own soul spirits within the platform, achieving a spirit ascension effect."

"Xie Xie, your explanation is incomplete." Xiao Mu added, "The so-called increase in soul ring age comes from hunting soul beasts. The ratio is ten to one. For example, if you kill a hundred-year soul beast, you can gain a ten-year age increase, but that age is divided among all your own soul rings."

"So, Tang Wulin, you are the easiest among us to ascend."

Tang Wulin nodded, knowing his soul rings were inferior to the others, as was his soul power. It was a completely honest statement.

It just stung a little.

"What are the requirements to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform?" Tang Wulin asked.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform is divided into levels. The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform costs about 500,000 Federation coins per entry, but the more precious thing is the quota. For every Spirit Ascension Platform, the primary level only has a quota of one thousand entries per month."

Xiao Mu said this while thinking that he actually had a few qualifications to enter the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, but he couldn't bring outside items...

It would be better to just sneak into the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform!

He could even get a free soul bone out of it.

This item is truly destined for me.

Before long, they took the school bus and arrived at the East Sea Spirit Pagoda.

After several turns, they finally arrived in a circular room.

The room was entirely metallic in structure, but the walls were lined with a circle of massive Soul Guidance Screens. Various images flickered across them, all appearing to be a world of green.

The world inside the screen was the Spirit Ascension Platform, created in imitation of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The staff member looked at them and reminded everyone, "The Spirit Ascension Platform is not a completely virtual world; it is half-virtual and half-real. This is because much of the virtual data relies on real-world feedback to function. The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform is considered a purely virtual part of it, so your lives will not be threatened."

"However, do not assume it is absolutely safe inside. If you experience extreme stimulation, there is still a possibility of danger due to excessive shock to your brain waves."

"If you feel that you have exceeded your limits, press the distress signal button immediately to exit the Spirit Ascension Platform. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" everyone replied in unison, then one by one, they lay down into the metal pods that looked somewhat like coffins.

At this moment, Xiao Mu had a storage soul device with a capacity of over ten cubic meters, filled with everything from toys he had made out of boredom to regulated weapons.

As the metal pod scanned him, everything was brought into the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

His vision suddenly went black.

Before long, sunlight spilled onto his face, bringing warmth, and light poured in from all directions, carrying the damp scent unique to a forest.

Xiao Mu blinked, his pupils slowly adjusting to the sudden brightness.

He stood in a forest where the canopy overhead blotted out the sky, and the light filtering through shattered into countless gold flakes on the ground.

He raised his left hand; a red button had appeared on the back of his hand—the distress signal device.

Xiao Mu looked left and right, discovering that there was no one else around.

Since he was eager to expend some physical strength or soul power, he looked at the surrounding forest with its towering trees and thought of a suitable tool for rapid movement through the woods.

He reached out to grab the set of equipment that manifested beside him, deftly strapping and fastening it to his body.

The entire apparatus was constructed from black metal and tough leather straps. Two gas canisters stood at his waist, a cable launcher was concealed on his back, and he gripped the trigger-controlled handles in his hands. Metal grappling hooks were tucked into the gaps of the main body, and the harness wrapped around his waist and hips to distribute the impact weight, its lines cold, hard, and sleek.

"This 3D Maneuver Gear—I made it just for fun back then, never expecting I'd actually have a day to use it," Xiao Mu whispered to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

He summoned Junwu and said, "True Monarch, do me a favor and help me find Na'er."

"You need my help for such a trivial matter? Can't your spiritual power be a bit stronger? Since I'm already here, I might as well take on a lackey and let you witness the true style of this Monarch."

Junwu's voice was filled with arrogance. Having remained silent for so long without showing his methods, he had already made up his mind to seize the position of boss in this Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

His form soared into the air, circling once in the forest clearing before calling out, "Three o'clock direction, about nine hundred meters away."

Xiao Mu immediately squeezed the control triggers. The metal grappling hooks pierced through the air and embedded into a thick tree trunk. Gas hissed as the steel cables suddenly tightened, yanking his body forward in a swift flight.

The trees retreated rapidly at his sides, the wind whistling past his ears as he used the device to maneuver and dash repeatedly through the layered canopy.

"Awesome! This is way more fun than a Web Shooter!"

After only a moment, a massive, heavy shadow slowly emerged through the gaps in the trees ahead, towering like a mountain.

It was a Cyclops, a rather unique existence among soul beasts. Aside from having only a single eye on its forehead, it looked no different from a human in other respects.

They were two meters tall at birth, and once their cultivation reached the century level, they could grow to over five meters in height.

The one before him was over eight meters tall; it was clearly a thousand-year soul beast.

Xiao Mu was speechless. Had he been hit with some kind of debuff?

Whatever, he would just go straight for the back of its neck!