Strange Gu Yue

Spirit Pagoda of Ming Capital.

As the branch of the Spirit Pagoda in the continent's premier city, it was not as magnificent as the headquarters in Shrek City, yet it remained sufficiently vast.

The silver-white tower rose from the ground, its octagonal base firmly embedded in the skyline of Ming Capital. The soul guidance array patterns flowing across the tower's surface were more intricate than those on the one in North Sea City, shimmering with a silver-blue halo.

As the Spirit Pagoda branch in the continent's premier city, the quantity and quality of soul spirits circulating here daily were second only to the headquarters, with soul masters from all over the Federation coming and going in an endless stream.

Shen Nanxun stood still in the plaza before the tower, tilting his head to gaze up at the giant silver-white structure. Gu Yue was already waiting at the entrance; seeing him arrive, she merely gave a slight nod.

Gu Yue led him straight through the lobby, swiping a dark red high-ranking deacon card of the Spirit Pagoda. The elevator ascended silently, the numbers ticking up grid by grid until it slowed to a stop at the seventeenth floor.

The silver-white metal door at the end of the corridor slid open to both sides without a sound, and a cold fragrance, accompanied by the mellow sharpness of red wine, rushed to meet them.

The main lights in the room were off, with only a few wall lamps emitting a soft, amber glow. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the silhouette of Ming Capital, stretching toward the horizon in the afternoon.

On the low table in front of the window sat a goblet and a bottle of red wine that was already half empty. Beside it lay a half-read volume on soul guidance theory, a silver bookmark pressed against the cover.

Leng Yaozhu was half-reclined on the sofa next to the low table. She was not wearing a formal gown today, having simply thrown on a loose, oversized white T-shirt. The neckline had slipped loosely to one shoulder, revealing a small stretch of delicate collarbone.

The hem of the T-shirt barely covered the tops of her thighs, and her two long, straight legs were crossed casually over the armrest of the sofa, bare-footed. Her fiery red hair was not tied up, draping lazily over her shoulders and back, with a few strands falling onto the edge of the sofa, swaying gently with her steady breathing.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed—the effect of the alcohol. Her eyes were half-open and half-closed, lacking their usual sharpness and replaced by a lazy, tipsy languor. She had not used her soul power to suppress the alcohol.

As a Titled Douluo, if she did not wish to be drunk, drinking a thousand cups without falling would be a trivial matter. But she clearly had not done so, letting that hint of tipsy fatigue soften the edges of her usual demeanor.

"You're here." Her voice was hoarse, carrying the lingering notes of red wine. She raised a finger to point at the sofa opposite her. "Sit."

Shen Nanxun sat down alone, while Gu Yue stood beside Leng Yaozhu.

She spoke lazily, "I summoned you here today not only for the usual medicinal bath, but also for you and Gu Yue to charge the tower once more. You are nearly at the fourth ring; it is time you had a second soul spirit."

Shen Nanxun nodded. The Soul Spirit Tower was a training facility exclusive to the Spirit Pagoda, similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform yet distinct. The Spirit Ascension Platform focused on practical combat training and improving soul ring quality, while the Soul Spirit Tower was designed specifically for soul masters to acquire soul spirits.

The Soul Spirit Tower was virtual, with various soul beast spirits sealed within. Soul masters had to challenge it level by level, and upon defeating a soul beast, they could absorb its soul spirit. The higher the level, the higher the cultivation and rarity of the soul beast. He was already a level thirty-something Soul Venerable, only a step away from being a level forty Soul Ancestor, so preparing for a second soul spirit in advance was indeed necessary.

Though it's useless, being a little servant for Qian Renxue isn't bad.

"Go. Gu Yue will lead the way." Leng Yaozhu waved her hand and lifted the goblet to her lips for a sip.

The Soul Spirit Tower was located behind the main Spirit Pagoda building, an independent tower dark silver in color, its surface engraved with dense, intricate sealing array patterns.

Gu Yue led Shen Nanxun across the skybridge connecting the two towers, briefly explaining the rules along the way.

The Soul Spirit Tower had a difficulty increase every nine levels. Each time one charged the tower, they could start from the first level and challenge them in sequence, only entering the next level after defeating all soul beasts on the current one.

The two arrived at a circular area resembling an altar. Under the operation of a staff member, the array activated, teleporting them inside.

On the first level, as soon as the two appeared, the metal door nearby swung wide open, and countless monkeys darted out, charging toward them.

"Century-level Wood Spirit Monkeys, pack-hunting soul beasts, about a hundred or so. They are wood-attribute, extremely fast, and skilled at using the dense forest environment for ambushes and encirclements. They will use the trees as cover to harass you constantly, waiting until your soul power is exhausted before swarming you. The standard strategy is to defeat them one by one and advance gradually." Gu Yue analyzed briefly.

"No need for such trouble." Shen Nanxun raised his hand, golden light condensing in his palm as the Angel Holy Sword fell into his grip. Spreading the wings behind his back, brilliant golden holy flames ignited along the blade.

He swung the Angel Holy Sword, burning with Sun True Fire, down in a single strike toward the center of the dense monkey pack.

The Sun True Fire spread madly in a ring from the point of impact. Those Wood Spirit Monkeys didn't even have time to scream before they were swallowed by the golden holy flames, and all hundred-plus soul beasts were burned to nothing just like that.

One strike, one level cleared.

Gu Yue raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing. Entering the second level, the environment shifted from a dense forest to a cavern.

The ore on the cave walls glowed with a dark red light, making the entire space look like an underground furnace. Four massive century-level Lava Lizards lay in the four corners of the cave, each the size of a calf, their bodies covered in dark red scales with a row of barbs along their spines, emitting low, rumbling growls. The moment Shen Nanxun and Gu Yue stepped into the center of the cavern, the four lizards' dark red eyes lit up simultaneously.

Gu Yue straightened up from a tree trunk and raised a hand to signal Shen Nanxun to step back.

"This level, I'll take." She walked into the center of the cavern.

The four Lava Lizards lunged at her at once. She raised her right hand, her five fingers slightly spread. Ice elements condensed in her palm into four extremely thin, long ice needles, and then, with a light flick of her fingertips, the ice needles shot out silently, pinning themselves precisely into the center of the four lizards' brows.

Four ice needles, one strike, one kill. It was chillingly clean and efficient. The massive bodies of the four Lava Lizards froze in mid-air before crashing to the ground with a boom.

Shen Nanxun glanced at Gu Yue. She was retracting her hand, the ice elements dissipating at her fingertips, her face still wearing that unchanging, indifferent expression.

"What are you looking at me for? Third level, fight it yourself."

From the third level on, Shen Nanxun truly did not let her intervene again.

Fourth, fifth, sixth levels.

The Sun True Fire of the Angel Holy Sword ignited time and again within the Soul Spirit Tower, clearing the field with a single sword strike on every level. Occasionally, a few stray soul beasts attempted to ambush him from the flanks, but before they could even get within three feet of him, they were pierced by golden holy flames splashing from his blade, turning into white light and dissipating.

Gu Yue followed behind him the entire time, arms crossed, only raising a hand to finish off a soul beast when its attributes happened to be countered by her own.

For instance, on the seventh level, against those ice-attribute Frost Wing Bats, she simply tossed a fireball, and the flock of bats, along with the entire ice wall, was steamed into white mist.

By the eighth level, the environment switched again, becoming a marshy wetland. Thick moss floated on the muddy water, and the air was filled with the scent of humus. Three massive thousand-year-level Swamp Poison Lizards slowly emerged from the mud, each the size of an adult crocodile, their dark green scales covered in a layer of sticky venom that hissed whenever it dripped onto the water.

Shen Nanxun was about to swing his sword, but Gu Yue suddenly raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't use Sun True Fire. The venom of these Poison Lizards will vaporize into toxic mist upon contact with high heat, and the range would be enough to cover the entire swamp. It won't kill you, but it's very troublesome."

As she spoke, she spread her five fingers, and earth and ice elements condensed in her palm simultaneously. The ground at the edge of the swamp rose abruptly, forming a circular stone wall that trapped the three Poison Lizards inside.

Immediately following, ice elements poured down, freezing the swamp within the stone walls along with the Poison Lizards into a solid sheet of ice. The three Poison Lizards were frozen in the ice layer, unable to move, their dark green scales covered in white frost.

"Now you can."

She retracted her hand and took half a step back.

Shen Nanxun slashed down with his sword, shattering the ice surface as the three Venomous Rock Dragon Lizards dissipated into points of light.

On the ninth floor, there was only one Soul Spirit. It was a massive, thousand-year-old Iron-Armored Rhino, its entire body covered in dark silver metallic scales. Its four limbs were as thick as stone pillars, leaving deep indentations in the ground with every step. Its defense was incredibly high; Shen Nanxun struck it several times, yet he only left shallow white marks on its scales, while the Angel Holy Sword hummed from the recoil.

Gu Yue observed for a moment. "Its scales have metallic properties, so physical attacks aren't very effective. I'll control it, you attack."

This time, she made her move. Fire and wind elements erupted simultaneously. The wind fueled the fire, forming a high-speed rotating fire tornado around the Iron-Armored Rhino, trapping it within.

The Iron-Armored Rhino let out a deafening roar amidst the flames, its metallic scales beginning to glow a faint red under the intense heat.

Seizing the moment when it opened its mouth to roar, Shen Nanxun condensed the Sun True Fire into an extremely thin, sharp beam of golden light, piercing precisely into its mouth and through its skull. The Iron-Armored Rhino's massive body swayed twice before crashing to the ground.

The tenth floor.

The difficulty had undergone a qualitative change.

The environment shifted from a swamp to a dry, rocky terrain. The ground was cracked into hexagonal stone tiles, with thin jets of steam occasionally hissing from the crevices.

In the center of the rocky ground, a creature far larger than any previous Soul Spirit lay prone. Its body was covered in dark green scales, a row of spikes ran along its spine, and its dark golden vertical pupils stared coldly at the two intruders. It was a size larger than the Iron-Armored Rhino, with thick limbs, long and sharp claws, a flat snout, and a mouth full of barbed fangs.

Four thousand years of cultivation, with dual poison and earth attributes.

"A Venomous Rock Dragon Lizard, four thousand years of cultivation. This Soul Spirit is also dangerous for its poisonous mist; even a touch can paralyze the entire body." Gu Yue's expression grew slightly solemn; this was clearly a tricky opponent.

The Venomous Rock Dragon Lizard let out a low roar toward the sky, and dark green poisonous mist surged from the gaps in its scales, spreading rapidly in all directions with the beast at its center. At the same time, under its earth-attribute control, the stone tiles on the ground rose up one after another, forming irregular low walls that continuously compressed the duo's movement space.

Poisonous mist and stone walls—environmental suppression and attribute attacks launched simultaneously. A four-thousand-year-old Soul Spirit already possessed a considerable degree of instinctive combat intelligence.

Wind elements exploded beneath Gu Yue's feet, and she swept through a gap in the mist before it could close, moving like a pale cyan stream of light.

She did not attack the Dragon Lizard's body directly; instead, she used wind blades to precisely slice through the key support points of the stone walls. Those newly risen walls collapsed with a crash as she passed, reopening the movement space that had been compressed.

Shen Nanxun did not let this opportunity slip. He unfurled the wings of light on his back, shot into the air, and dove from above the poisonous mist. The Angel Holy Sword ignited with Sun True Fire, slashing at the base of the spikes on the Dragon Lizard's spine.

Although the Sun True Fire could not directly burn the poisonous mist, it could evaporate it from within. As the flames touched the gaps in the scales at the base of the spikes, the surging mist was instantly vaporized by the high heat, turning into white salt grains that fell in a flurry.

The Venomous Rock Dragon Lizard roared in pain and swept its long tail across. Shen Nanxun blocked with his sword, but the force sent him flying sideways, where he only stabilized his stance after smashing through a stone wall.

While the tail was still swinging, Gu Yue condensed the fire elements into a thin, intense fire spear, shooting it directly into the joint connecting the beast's tail to its hind leg, sealing off most of its mobility.

Shen Nanxun rose from the rubble and, seizing the opportunity Gu Yue had created, flapped his wings to dive in once more. With Sun True Fire concentrated at the tip of his blade, he pierced the weakest gap in the scales at the back of the Dragon Lizard's neck. Golden holy flames exploded inside the scales, and the Venomous Rock Dragon Lizard let out one final cry before its massive body collapsed, turning into a cluster of dark green light that drifted toward Shen Nanxun.

Layer by layer, the two worked in perfect coordination.

On the eleventh floor, the environment changed once again. Inside a gloomy stalactite cave, a dragon python covered in dark golden scales coiled atop a giant rock, its vertical pupils glowing with a cold, golden light in the darkness. A four-thousand-year-old subspecies: the Dark-Armored Dragon Python.

Shen Nanxun retracted the Angel Holy Sword into his Sea of Consciousness and reached out his right hand, the Golden Dragon Spear appearing in his palm.

Although the power of the Dragon Prince was formidable, it was also more taxing on his soul power; climbing the tower would inevitably consume a vast amount. That was why he had waited until now to use the Dragon Prince's power.

Gu Yue stood to the side, watching the Golden Dragon Spear, her expression slightly focused as she lowered her head, lost in thought.

He gripped the spear and took a step forward, releasing his bloodline aura without reservation, nine-colored light patterns flowing faintly where he held the weapon.

It was something etched into the deepest part of every dragon's bloodline: the absolute dominion of the Dragon God lineage over all dragons.

The dragon python's vertical pupils contracted sharply, its raised head freezing in mid-air. It felt the most instinctive trembling from the depths of its bloodline.

Shen Nanxun did not hesitate. He thrust the Golden Dragon Spear, the tip entering the python's open mouth and piercing through its skull. Under the suppression of the Dragon God bloodline, the dark golden scales were pierced like thin paper. The python's massive body crashed to the ground, transforming into a cluster of dark golden light.

Just as he was about to absorb the Soul Spirit, his peripheral vision caught sight of Gu Yue beside him. She was leaning against the stone wall, her breathing rapid, her chest heaving violently.

Those eyes, usually so indifferent and black, were now shimmering with a faint purple light, with vertical pupils appearing and disappearing.

Her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural heat that spread from her neck to her earlobes, and even her fingers, clenched into fists, were trembling slightly.