Again? What the heck is the Dragon Rising Pillar

Inside the Spirit Pagoda's Awakening Hall, Qian Jue looked at the ancestral crystal ball shattered into pieces on the floor, his small face showing a hint of apology.

"No need, it was likely just too old..."

Su Jiangtao forced a smile that looked worse than crying and waved his hand, signaling Qian Jue not to worry about it.

He immediately returned to his professional demeanor and asked earnestly:

"Child, are you willing to join our Spirit Pagoda?"

"Given the uniqueness of your martial soul and this level of talent, you will likely be granted the Spirit Pagoda's best resources once I report this."

Su Jiangtao's tone was very serious.

"For a modern soul master, the most important thing is the soul spirit. Without a soul spirit as a foundation, in this era where land soul beasts are nearly extinct, even with the best talent, it is difficult to continue advancing."

"If nothing else, joining the Spirit Pagoda grants you a free soul spirit, which is quite a good deal."

There was no fault in his words; on the surface, that was indeed the case.

From the first installment of Douluo Dalu to the last one he had read, the third, the advancement path for ordinary soul masters didn't seem to have changed in any substantial way—if anything, it had become even more miserable.

In the first installment, as long as you had soul power, even if you couldn't afford to hire a soul master to hunt for you, you could still struggle and kill a ten-year-old bamboo to advance.

But now, sorry, if you don't have the money, don't even talk about it.

Soul spirits had to be bought, and they weren't cheap; a decent hundred-year soul spirit cost a million federal coins, and even a subpar ten-year soul spirit cost a hundred thousand.

Qian Jue remembered that Tang Wulin seemed to have spent three years blacksmithing for Mang Tian just to save enough money to draw a soul spirit, which turned out to be a defective one anyway.

If not for the Golden Dragon King bloodline as a safety net and his status as the son of the God King, this starting point would have been a total disaster for an ordinary person.

As a necessity for soul masters, the pricing power for soul spirits was held entirely by the Spirit Pagoda. For ordinary soul masters, wanting to advance meant emptying their entire family's pockets just for a glimmer of hope.

Sigh.

When the state prospers, the people suffer; when it perishes, the people suffer.

He was an orphan; his parents hadn't left behind any assets when they died, and his maternal grandparents, living far away in the East Sea, were likely too old to provide any money for a soul spirit.

If he had to pay for one himself, he would certainly be strapped for cash. It wasn't as if he could rely on this pretty face to make a living, right?

Or perhaps go beg that crazy woman, Long Yeyue?

Absolutely impossible!

"Uncle, I am willing to join the Spirit Pagoda!"

In Qian Jue's impression, the Federation of this era—Shrek, the Tang Sect, the Spirit Pagoda, and the War God Hall—all seemed quite abnormal, but for now, he didn't seem to have any other choice.

As for the Qiangu family?

I shall take their place!

Su Jiangtao smiled happily and said, "Come, let's test your mental power, and then I will take you to choose a soul spirit."

"Don't worry, since you are joining the Spirit Pagoda now, these procedures will be free of charge."

"Uncle, wait a moment, I think I have another martial soul."

Qian Jue furrowed his delicate brows, and with a thought, a ripple of light emerged from his left palm.

Immediately, a pitch-black pillar rose from the ground.

The pillar was carved with intricate dragon patterns, giving off a sense of ancient vicissitudes.

"Dragon Rising Pillar, this is my second martial soul." Qian Jue instinctively called out the name of the martial soul.

In a trance, he seemed to see ten thousand dragons roaring in unison, surrounding a nine-colored giant dragon as it ascended the broken throne of the Dragon God.

The Dragon God sat high upon the throne, his expression distant, as if recalling something.

Then, he acted.

The essence of the stars across the sky was harvested, the spirits of his kin who had died on the dragon battlefield were summoned, and he even went as far as to extract his own dragon marrow to infuse into it.

In the end, a pillar reaching the heavens stood in the center of the shattered Dragon Realm.

"I, inheriting the will of the previous sovereign, cast this Dragon Rising Pillar. All of the dragon race may achieve bloodline evolution through their own efforts!"

"I hope you all strive hard; may the Dragon God Realm prosper forever!"

The next moment, thunderous cheers shook the heavens:

"Long live the Dragon God! Long live Tiamat!"

From this day forward, the history of the dragon race entered a new chapter.

Yet, no one noticed that the deity sitting high on the throne held endless sorrow in the depths of his eyes.

The vision cut off here, and Qian Jue's consciousness returned to reality.

Through what he had just learned, he had gained a preliminary understanding of the function of his second martial soul.

An auxiliary tool-type martial soul: Dragon Rising Pillar.

Possesses an innate domain: Ten Thousand Dragons.

Activating this domain increases all attributes of all dragon-kin within it by twenty percent and increases bloodline strength by twenty percent.

For every soul ring added in the future, each aspect of the domain will improve by ten percent.

Beyond its innate domain, the Dragon Rising Pillar also possessed a martial soul talent.

When dragon-type soul masters were nearby, depending on the purity of their bloodlines, both parties would experience an increase in cultivation speed during a martial soul connection. For those of lower status, a prolonged connection could even potentially facilitate bloodline evolution.

Its appeal to dragon-clan soul masters was almost equivalent to Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.

WTF, ice!

"Innate full soul power of level twenty, and twin martial souls at that... Child, your future is limitless!"

Su Jiangtao's tone was agitated; he looked even happier than Qian Jue himself.

He seemed to already see the bright prospects of his future life, complete with promotions and pay raises, beckoning to him.

"Let's go. I'll take you to test your spiritual power, and then we'll go choose a soul spirit."

"Alright, Uncle."

Following Su Jiangtao, Qian Jue arrived outside a room. The furnishings here lacked the ancient simplicity of the exterior, instead being filled with a modern aesthetic.

Suddenly, a slender figure walked over from not far away.

Those picturesque features and that exquisite, graceful figure carried a charming halo, making it difficult for anyone to look away.

Accompanying the woman was a black-haired girl. Although her appearance was merely plain, bordering on delicate, her mysterious and aloof temperament largely made up for the lack of striking beauty.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix."

Reverence flickered in Su Jiangtao's eyes as he bowed respectfully.

There was no other reason; the woman's status and personal strength were things he, a mere small-time employee, could only look up to.

Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, four-word battle armor master, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu.

Leng Yaozhu gave a slight nod, glanced at Qian Jue, and asked, "Is this child also here for a spiritual power test?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, yes."

Leng Yaozhu nodded again, then took her disciple's hand, preparing to head in first for the spiritual power examination.

???

She suddenly realized that her disciple's feet seemed to be stuck to the floor with glue; she stood there motionless.

Gu Yue stood in place, staring at Qian Jue behind Su Jiangtao. Her pupils trembled as various images suddenly surfaced in her mind.

This aura—it was absolutely impossible to be mistaken.

The first sovereign of the dragon clan—Tiamat.

As the half-body separated after the Dragon God's death, she had lost many of the Dragon God's memories, and even the cause of her predecessor's death remained unknown.

However, every little detail regarding her predecessor's time with Tiamat had been inherited in its entirety.

She was the Dragon God's half-body; one could say the Dragon God created her, and she had inherited a portion of the Dragon God's memories.

Therefore, from the very moment they met, Gu Yue's favorability had already been maxed out.

Uh...

Can someone tell me what on earth is going on?

Qian Jue stood dazed on the spot, looking at the right hand Gu Yuena had extended, his expression one of utter bewilderment.