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"Golden Dragon Claw!"

A faint phantom of golden dragon scales covered Tang Wulin's right arm once more.

He clenched his fist, turned, and smashed it straight into the Man Faced Demon Spider's lower abdomen.

Bang.

The Man Faced Demon Spider's millstone-sized body swayed, and a small section of its lower abdomen caved in.

Its eight spider legs suddenly kicked off the ground, forcing Tang Wulin back three steps instead.

Useless.

Tang Wulin cursed inwardly.

His soul spirit had only just surpassed a hundred years, and his bloodline soul ring was also stuck at the hundred-year level.

In a head-on clash, he simply could not break through this hundred-year Man Faced Demon Spider's defenses.

The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a shrill screech. Its abdomen writhed, and several strands of green-glowing spider silk shot toward him.

"First Soul Skill, Bind!"

Blue Silver Grass burst from beneath Tang Wulin's feet, blocking the attack in front of him.

The instant the spider silk touched the blades of grass, white smoke rose with a sizzling sound. The Blue Silver Grass was instantly corroded with charred black holes.

He deeply regretted it.

If he had known, he would never have agreed to help Fang Yuan find soul beasts.

They had spent nearly half an hour on this thing. Its speed and strength completely overwhelmed him, and it carried deadly poison. One touch, and he would be done for.

"Fang Yuan! Where are you?!"

"I'm here!"

Tang Wulin shouted toward their agreed-upon location, constantly retreating as he used the Blue Silver Grass beneath his feet to pull himself back.

His spiritual power was nearly exhausted.

He had been in the Spirit Ascension Platform for almost an hour. For his Spirit Connection Realm spiritual power to last this long was already impressive.

If this continued, he would be forcibly ejected before the spider venom could even kill him.

"I'm here."

As the words fell, a small, thin ape swung out of the forest on a vine.

It moved as swiftly as a gust of wind, landing behind the Man Faced Demon Spider in the blink of an eye.

This ape was the Wind Baboon Fang Yuan had transformed into.

"Good, you're here. I'm heading out first!"

Tang Wulin sighed in relief and immediately pressed the evacuation button on his wrist.

A flash of white light passed, and he vanished.

Fang Yuan hurriedly raised his wristwatch and recorded the soul beast's data.

text
[New species recorded: Beast Type · Man Faced Demon Spider]

He had only just finished over here.

Almost at the same time, Xie Xie's cry came from afar, rapidly drawing closer.

"Fang Yuan, get over here! I can't hold on much longer!"

Xie Xie fled in a sorry state, with a thousand-year Wind Howling Azure Eagle chasing behind him.

Its wings flapped, whipping up wave after wave of fierce gale-force winds.

Xie Xie ran while tossing daggers back to harass it, but he could not stop it at all.

Seeing the eagle's claws about to grab the back of his head, he could only shout desperately for help.

"I'm here!"

Fang Yuan landed nearby. His body flickered as he shed his soul beast form and returned to his teenage appearance, raising the wristwatch in his hand.

text
[New species recorded: Beast Type · Hundred-Year Breeze Wolf]

"Scanning complete. You can go now."

"Then I'll head out first, Fang Yuan!"

Xie Xie raised his hand and was about to press the evacuation button.

The Wind Howling Azure Eagle suddenly flapped its wings. Its wings violently struck the air, and several high-speed wind tornadoes instantly formed, hurtling straight toward Xie Xie.

They were too fast.

Before Xie Xie's fingertip could touch the button, the raging wind blades tore apart his spiritual projection.

The Spirit Ascension Platform's protection mechanism activated instantly, and a flash of white light forcibly ejected him.

"Dead."

"This guy really had rotten luck."

Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow and muttered under his breath.

This guy's luck was truly awful; every time, he arrived at the worst possible moment.

He leaped onto a nearby tree trunk and sat down cross-legged.

Now he just had to wait for Mother to appear.

Once he got the DNA of the thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and the thousand-year Shadow Demon Leopard—

the soul beasts in the beginner Spirit Ascension Platform would be considered fully recorded.

Leaning against the tree trunk, Fang Yuan tapped his knee with his fingertips.

Once this was over, he would take those two out for a good meal and help Xie Xie recover from the scare.

A little brother needed some sweetness now and then.

Twenty minutes later.

The white light of the Spirit Ascension Platform faded.

The mental connection pods opened. Gu Yuena and Fang Yuan sat up one after the other and removed the connected devices from their heads.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who had been waiting nearby, immediately gathered around them.

"Boss Gu Yue, you were incredible! Two thousand-year soul beasts! You actually held them off for so long!"

Xie Xie's eyes shone, his face full of admiration.

Tang Wulin nodded along as well, looking thoroughly convinced.

Gu Yuena did not even spare the two of them a glance, turning instead to Fang Yuan.

"Little Fang Yuan, are you tired? Hungry?"

"What do you want for lunch?"

"Are we eating at home or going out?"

"If we're eating at home, I'll have your Aunt Bi Ji cook for you."

Fang Yuan stretched and yawned. "Mother, let's eat out. It's been a long time since we went anywhere."

"Alright, I'll book a table. Shall we go to the same Drunken Immortal Tower as last time?"

Gu Yuena took out her Spirit Guidance Terminal and tapped it lightly with her fingers.

"Mm," Fang Yuan answered.

He turned to the two beside him. "Xie Xie, Wulin, come along. I'm treating you to lunch."

Xie Xie froze on the spot.

Huh?

Fang Yuan had always been indifferent toward them, even carrying a sense of distance whenever he spoke.

Yet these past few days, he had not only invited them to the Spirit Ascension Platform, but was now treating them to a meal.

Could it be that Tang Wulin's constant attempts to chat him up had actually brought them closer?

While he was still distracted, Tang Wulin had already agreed readily. "Sure! I'm getting sick of the cafeteria food anyway."

"Then let's go." Fang Yuan jumped down from the connection pod and headed outside first.

The moment they reached the hall, a staff member in a Spirit Pagoda uniform hurried over. He held a blue-covered booklet in his hands, his attitude exceedingly respectful.

"Hello, little friend Fang Yuan. Hello, hello. I'm Li Mo, an officer from the Eastsea branch of the Spirit Pagoda."

The staff member handed over the booklet with both hands, smiling ingratiatingly. "You are a probationary Spirit Master personally approved by Tower Master Ye. We've completed all the procedures. This is the beginner Spirit Master study manual. Shall I go over a few rules with you?"

Fang Yuan accepted the booklet and flipped through it casually. "Go ahead."

"Alright!" Li Mo nodded at once. "You are currently a probationary beginner Spirit Master. During the first month, you'll mainly gain experience at the grassroots level—assisting senior staff with martial soul awakenings and handling some basic soul spirit inquiries."

"At the end of the month, there will be three assessments: soul spirit theory, practical spiritual power application, and standardized awakening procedures. Pass all three, and you'll receive an official beginner Spirit Master certificate."

"Once you get the certificate and advance in rank, you can apply to transfer to other departments, such as soul spirit research, sales, and so on..."

"That's all?" Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes. The early work is all basic stuff. It isn't difficult."

Li Mo smiled politely. "Tower Master Ye specifically instructed that if there's anything you don't understand, you can go directly to his office and ask him."

Fang Yuan curled his lip and stuffed the booklet into his pocket.

Grassroots experience?

What he wanted was the research department. Who had the time to awaken martial souls for children every day?

Still, there was no rush. He would get in first; afterward, there would be plenty of ways to transfer departments.

And if that failed, he could threaten and bribe a few researchers. He could still get the cloning technology.

"Got it. Go do your work." Fang Yuan waved him off.

Li Mo bowed once more before tactfully stepping aside.

"What? Finding the grassroots work troublesome?"

Gu Yuena walked beside him and lightly poked his forehead with a fingertip, amusement in her voice.

"You were the one who cried and begged to join the Spirit Pagoda this morning. You're not allowed to give up halfway."

Fang Yuan rubbed his forehead. "Got it, Mom. It's just troublesome, not impossible."

"Brother Fang Yuan, I actually think the Tang Sect is pretty great too."

Tang Wulin leaned over and scratched his head. "I even applied to Teacher Wu to join the Tang Sect before. He said I wasn't qualified yet... Once I'm qualified in the future, I'll definitely join the Tang Sect."

Fang Yuan ignored him.

The Tang Sect?

Why join an organization that opposed his mother?

If Tang Wulin really became the Tang Sect Master in the future like in the original story and stood against him, then it would be better to deal with him early and save himself trouble later.

After saying a few things and seeing that Fang Yuan was ignoring him, Tang Wulin touched his nose and sulkily fell silent.

The group entered the elevator, and the cabin was utterly quiet.

Gu Yuena's voice suddenly sounded in Fang Yuan's mind through spiritual transmission.

"Xiaoyuan, do you really plan to hang around with these two little ones? Especially that one with the Golden Dragon King bloodline—he's so dim-witted. I don't like him."

"Mom, didn't you say I should treat them like little brothers and order them around?"

"It's perfectly normal for the big brother to treat his little brothers to a meal, isn't it?" Fang Yuan replied.

"But you're being too polite to them."

Gu Yuena's tone carried a hint of disapproval. "What big brother is this easygoing? You need to put on some airs."

"Once they learn that I'm much stronger than they are, they'll naturally call me boss obediently. Being polite now will make the contrast greater later." Fang Yuan's lips curled up slightly.

Gu Yuena said nothing more. She merely reached out and ruffled his hair, her eyes full of affection.

Since little Fang Yuan had put it that way, what else could she say...

She would just let him do as he pleased.

The group walked out through the Spirit Pagoda's gates. A black soul-guided car stood quietly in the parking lot by the roadside.

Di Tian leaned against the car, dressed in black, his face as cold as ice.

The moment Xie Xie looked over, his eyes went wide.

Holy crap?

The newest model of the Lestik noble soul-guided car?

His family was considered fairly prominent in Eastsea City, but even if they emptied half the Xie Family's assets, they might not be able to afford this car.

Just what background does the Gu Family have? They're way too rich, aren't they?

"Young Master." Di Tian bowed slightly. His gaze swept across Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, then paused for half a second when it landed on Tang Wulin, his icy eyes sharpening.

The Golden Dragon King's bloodline.

So the reason my lord brought the young master to Eastsea Academy really was for this.

This boy may look insignificant now, but he'll likely become a major problem in the future.

Tang Wulin's skin crawled under his stare, and he instinctively shrank back. "U-Uncle, why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing." Di Tian withdrew his gaze and raised a hand to press the door button.

The doors on both sides slowly opened. "Young Master, Miss, please get in."

They got into the car one after another.

The interior was even more extravagant than the exterior: leather seats, a full set of soul-guided cooling systems, and a ride so smooth that there was barely any jolting at all.

Xie Xie sat somewhat stiffly, secretly touching the armrest as the shock in his heart deepened.

This kind of extravagance was absolutely not something an ordinary aristocratic family could possess.

Could they be relatives of some high-ranking official at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters?

No, even a Spirit Pagoda higher-up might not be able to afford a car like this.

Di Tian took the driver's seat and smoothly started the soul-guided car.

"Di Tian, we're not going back to the residence today. Go to Drunken Immortal Tower," Gu Yuena instructed.

"Yes, Miss." Di Tian answered, and the soul-guided car silently merged into traffic.