Xiao Mu brought up the Periodic Table in front of himself and said, "Come on, give me one ton of each to start."
Gu Yue stared at the incomprehensible text and blinked. She had no idea what this was.
"This was researched by a Grand Elementalist. Aren't you an Elementalist? How can you not conjure it for me?"
Though Xiao Mu had known from the start that Gu Yue couldn't do it, that didn't stop him from getting under her skin.
Gu Yue muttered to herself, standing there in the wind, "What is this stuff? Weren't you talking about elements? And what's a Grand Elementalist?"
She lowered her head, her fingertips passing over the unfamiliar symbols. Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium—she knew each character, but strung together, they meant nothing to her.
"Are you messing with me?" Gu Yue's voice turned cold.
"Messing with you? Why would I do that? I'm asking for things that are much more practical." Xiao Mu smiled and put away the Periodic Table. "This is science. Hydrogen is the lightest element. One ton of hydrogen could blow a giant ship sky-high."
"And oxygen is essential for life. Without it, you'd suffocate. Carbon is the skeleton of life, and iron carries oxygen through the blood—"
He paused, looking at Gu Yue's bewildered expression. His smile deepened.
"You didn't know that?"
Gu Yue clenched her fists and stubbornly insisted, "Who says I didn't?"
"Then give me the elements." Xiao Mu held out his hand, utterly brazen.
Gu Yue fell silent. She really couldn't produce them, and she had a feeling the things Xiao Mu wanted were dangerous.
Xiao Mu stopped teasing her. He turned to greet Na'er, who had been standing quietly nearby, then turned and walked away. Na'er followed at his side, suddenly tilting her head, making a face, and sticking out her tongue playfully.
"Gu Yue, you're not as smart as me."
With that, she hurried to catch up with Xiao Mu. The two of them gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving Gu Yue standing there in the wind, utterly flustered.
Then she thought of Na'er's last words. The more she thought about them, the angrier she got.
How could she be inferior to Na'er? Wasn't it just knowledge of the human world? She'd go learn it right now!
There was no way she was worse than Na'er.
And that Xiao Mu—what exactly was he researching? Stones that glowed but didn't give off heat.
So he liked shiny things, did he?
She could find them too.
She would definitely figure out what Xiao Mu was trying to do.
As she thought it over, she realized what she needed to do. She left at once to find Di Tian.
Future Xiao Mu would say that Gu Yue was the toughest dragon he had ever met. Everything she made either glowed without giving off heat or gave off heat without glowing.
She was very good at enjoying blessings.
Though for Gu Yue, this wasn't much of a problem.
The next day, Tang Wulin ran into his senior again, in high spirits.
Wu Zhangkong wasn't teaching today. Instead, he was taking them to the Spirit Pagoda.
Everyone present, except for Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, who were a little confused, had a general idea of what they were going to do.
Xiao Mu also knew what this was about, but he thought it would be faster to head straight to the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform, take a couple of turns, and kill two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts to raise his Soul Ring's age.
As long as he did it while he still had his first Soul Spirit.
Xie Xie was explaining to Tang Wulin what the Spirit Ascension Platform was.
"The Spirit Ascension Platform was built by the Spirit Pagoda. It's a place provided for Soul Masters to hone their skills and improve their individual strength. It's also a place where they can experience the charm of the Soul Master world in ancient times."
"When Soul Masters enter the Spirit Ascension Platform, it's like stepping into another space. But the platform itself protects them, so the danger isn't too great. They can fight Soul Beasts inside and improve their combat experience. Some especially lucky Soul Masters can even refine their Soul Spirits in the Spirit Ascension Platform and achieve ascension."
"Xie Xie, that's not the whole story." Xiao Mu added, "What you call raising the age of a Soul Ring means hunting Soul Beasts. The ratio is ten to one. For example, if you kill a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, you can gain ten years of age, but that increase is divided among all your Soul Rings."
"So, Tang Wulin, you're the one among us who can raise your Soul Ring's age the fastest."
Tang Wulin nodded. He knew his Soul Ring was inferior to the others', and his Soul Power was weaker too. It was the unvarnished truth.
It just stung a little.
"What do we need to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform?" Tang Wulin asked.
"The Spirit Ascension Platform has different levels. Each visit to the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform costs around five hundred thousand Federation coins. But the spots are even more valuable. Each Primary Spirit Ascension Platform only has a thousand entry slots per month."
Xiao Mu said. He did have a few passes for the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, but he couldn't bring any outside items in...
It would be better to sneak into the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform instead!
He could even get a Soul Bone for free.
This item and I were truly destined to meet.
Before long, they took the school bus to the East Sea Spirit Pagoda.
After turning this way and that, they finally arrived in a circular room.
The room was made entirely of metal, and a ring of enormous Soul Guidance Screens hung on the walls. Various images flickered across them, all showing a green world.
The world on the screens was the Spirit Ascension Platform, modeled after the Star Dou Great Forest.
The staff member looked at them and gave a reminder. "The Spirit Ascension Platform isn't a completely virtual world. It's half virtual and half real, because a lot of the virtual data needs real feedback. The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform is essentially the purely virtual part, so your lives won't be in danger."
"But don't assume it's absolutely safe in there. If you experience an extreme shock, the impact on your brainwaves could still put you in danger."
"If you feel you've exceeded your limits, press the emergency signal device immediately to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform. Understood?"
"Understood!" everyone answered in unison, then climbed one by one into the metal pods that seemed to promise promotion and riches.
At that moment, Xiao Mu had more than ten cubic meters' worth of Soul Tools lying in his Storage Soul Tool, ranging from toys he'd made out of boredom to regulated weapons. It had everything.
The metal pod scanned him, and all of it was carried into the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.
His vision abruptly went black.
Before long, sunlight spilled across his face, bringing warmth. Light poured in from every direction, carrying the damp scent unique to the forest.
Xiao Mu blinked, his pupils slowly adjusting to the sudden brightness.
He stood in a forest. The treetops blotted out the sky, and the light filtering through broke into countless golden flakes on the ground.
He raised his left hand. A red button had appeared on its back: the emergency signal device.
Xiao Mu looked around and saw no one nearby.
Then, feeling like wasting some stamina or Soul Power, he looked at the forest around him. The trees were tall, so he thought of a suitable way to move quickly through the forest.
He reached over and took the full set of equipment that had appeared beside him, then quickly strapped it on.
The entire rig was pieced together from black metal and tough leather straps. Two gas canisters stood at his waist, a cable launcher was hidden on his back, and trigger-equipped control grips sat in his hands. Metal anchor hooks were tucked into the gaps in the mechanisms. The belt wrapped around his waist and hips to distribute the impact. The whole design was sleek and hard-edged.
"I made this 3D Maneuver Gear for fun back then. I never thought I'd actually get to use it." Xiao Mu murmured, excitement showing in his eyes.
He summoned Junwu and said, "True Monarch, do me a favor and find Na'er for me."
"You need my help with something this trivial? Your spiritual power should be stronger. Since we're already here, I should take on a lackey and let you witness this monarch's glory."
Junwu's voice brimmed with arrogance. After remaining dormant for so long without showing off its abilities, it had already decided to claim the title of boss of the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.
Its body soared into the air, and it circled once above the forest before calling out, "Three o'clock from your position, about nine hundred meters."
Xiao Mu immediately squeezed the trigger. The metal anchor hook shot through the air and sank into a thick tree trunk. Gas blasted out, the steel cable snapped taut, and he was yanked forward.
The trees raced past on either side as the wind whistled in his ears. Using the gear, he swung and darted through the layers of treetops.
"Awesome! This is way more fun than the Web Shooter!"
Before long, a huge, heavy shadow gradually appeared through a gap in the trees ahead, towering like a mountain.
It was a Cyclops, a rather unusual kind of Soul Beast. Apart from the single eye on its forehead, it looked no different from a human.
They stood two meters tall from birth. By the time they reached a hundred years of cultivation, they could grow to over five meters.
The one in front of him was over eight meters tall. It was clearly a thousand-year Soul Beast.
Xiao Mu was speechless. What kind of buff had he ended up with?
Whatever. He'd just cut the back of its neck!