Xu Yuan's Bottleneck (Please Keep Reading!!!)

Xu Shengqun frowned.

Xu Yuan's words had snapped him out of his thoughts before, and he now realized that if Xu Yuan entered Shrek, his greatest purpose would no longer be seeking protection. Instead, it would be tempering himself on Shrek's stage, where genius Soul Masters gathered.

However, one reason he had not wanted Xu Yuan to apply this year was his concern that Shrek's ideals might influence Xu Yuan at such a young age.

Xu Shengqun frowned and pondered for a long time before finally discarding his previous concerns.

Setting everything else aside, Xu Yuan's words just now had already proven that there was nothing wrong with his character or values.

Besides, everything came down to weighing the pros and cons.

Xu Shengqun had previously leaned toward letting Xu Yuan take part in admissions three years later because of Shrek's potential influence on him, but other factors had also affected that decision. Now that those other concerns had been resolved, this one reason alone was no longer enough to make him completely favor waiting.

In fact, from other angles, he began to argue against that idea. Even if Xu Yuan was influenced, what would be so bad about it? Was there really anything about Shrek's many styles that did not suit Xu Yuan?

That was human nature.

A change of heart could happen in an instant.

"Xiao Yuan, since that's what you want, your uncle will help you register."

Other Soul Masters might still have to consider the issue of application slots. After all, Shrek Academy was a sacred place in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent. Who wouldn't want to apply? If just any Soul Master could register, the pressure on Shrek's admissions would be immense. The current Shrek did not yet have the technology to support continent-wide open selection, nor had the right opportunity arisen to launch such a system.

Therefore, they could only allocate a fixed number of slots for each admissions cycle.

Every three years, Shrek's entrance examinations gave various factions a certain number of application slots.

Other Soul Masters might have to hesitate and deliberate, but Xu Yuan did not.

The slots were all granted by Shrek anyway. Whether there was one more or one less made little difference to Shrek.

After all, recruiting one more genius would not do Shrek any harm.

As long as Xu Shengqun spoke up, it would not be difficult for Zhuo Shi to give Xu Yuan the qualifications to apply.

All that could be said was that rules made by a group of Shrek people who were the least likely to follow rules did not need to be taken too seriously.

As for why they did not obtain a slot from factions such as the Skysea Alliance? There was only one week left before Shrek's admissions officially began.

After deciding to apply, Xu Yuan obtained Inner Courtyard admission qualifications from his uncle in just one day.

"There are still a few days before the examination, so we don't need to leave in a hurry." Xu Shengqun said, "Once you pass the assessment, you'll most likely enroll directly and cultivate in the Inner Courtyard. By then, if you want to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform, you'll only be able to do so at Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, and that will inevitably be troublesome. Take advantage of these next few days to visit the Spirit Ascension Platform a few times first."

Xu Shengqun was a Spirit Transfer Envoy, so it was not difficult for him to obtain access to the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform. But at headquarters, there would always be three people above him, especially Qian Gu Dongfeng. They would inevitably interfere.

It was not that he could not obtain access there, but it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Xu Shengqun was not from Shrek, and he did not share the belief that those who dared not cause trouble were mediocrities.

Skysea City Spirit Pagoda.

"Spirit Transfer Envoy, sir."

Xu Shengqun brought Xu Yuan all the way to a floor high up within the Spirit Pagoda.

"These are Spirit Ascension Platform facilities reserved for internal Spirit Pagoda personnel. They connect to the same Spirit Ascension Platform, but the slots are only circulated internally and exchanged with Contribution Points. They differ from the slots available outside, and there are vacancies here all year round."

Xu Yuan's lips twitched.

Vacancies all year round?

These were probably slots reserved for people like Spirit Transfer Envoys and Pagoda Masters.

Xu Yuan had not entered with his eyes covered. There were other rooms on this floor as well, likely Spirit Ascension Platform facilities for internal personnel. They seemed quite busy, while only this innermost room was empty.

Moreover, strictly speaking, Xu Yuan was not an internal staff member.

It could only be said that rules were often made by the strong.

To be honest, Xu Yuan had never entered a Spirit Ascension Platform before.

"Lie down." Xu Shengqun directed Xu Yuan into an enclosed pod.

"Remember, if you encounter danger in the Spirit Ascension Platform and are certain to be killed, press the button and withdraw voluntarily. You still have Shrek's examination to take. If you're killed in the Spirit Ascension Platform and your spirit is damaged, it will affect your assessment."

"Got it." Xu Yuan nodded.

The pod door closed. Xu Yuan shut his eyes and felt a peculiar force within the chamber drawing his Spiritual Power into fusion, extracting his consciousness in a unique manner.

His consciousness left his body, and amid a dizzying whirl, he arrived in an illusory world.

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Xu Yuan landed.

He put away the red emergency exit button and adjusted to this body.

"It's not a real body after all. Though it nearly perfectly replicates my real body through my consciousness, there are still some differences."

Xu Yuan's Spiritual Power was very strong, allowing him to sense the difference in his current condition.

Reality was his best state, with the physical body as the foundation and consciousness in command. Yet in this space within the Spirit Ascension Platform, everything was centered on consciousness.

"This body is my consciousness. More precisely, I have no physical body here. It's merely my consciousness taking the form of a body." Xu Yuan found the peculiar nature of the Spirit Ascension Platform fascinating.

The person who invented the Spirit Ascension Platform was truly a genius.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform's predecessor was probably some kind of combat space technology used to hone battle techniques." Xu Yuan guessed.

The Tang Sect had its Hall of Heroes, while the Federation had developed technology similar to a Virtual World. Both seemed to share some similarities with the Spirit Ascension Platform.

However, the Spirit Pagoda had developed this technology into the Spirit Ascension Platform. Its defining feature was that one could improve one's Soul Spirit while fighting. The Tang Sect's Hall of Heroes simulated the abilities of powerful Soul Masters who had existed before, allowing people to battle Projections of historical powerhouses and temper themselves. The Virtual World developed by the Federation focused on accessibility and aimed to spread throughout the Federation.

After his brief reflection, Xu Yuan quickly adapted to his body and paid attention to the sounds around him.

The Spirit Ascension Platform simulated a primordial Soul Beast forest, mostly modeled after the former Star Dou Great Forest.

The region simulated by the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform was the outer area of the former Star Dou Great Forest. Most of the Soul Beasts were ten-year Soul Beasts, hundred-year Soul Beasts were relatively scarce, and Thousand Year Soul Beasts were almost nonexistent.

"Hundred-year Soul Beasts are scarce. I could avoid them if I wanted to, but I need to ascend my spirit. Killing hundred-year Soul Beasts is the fastest way."

That was right. Xu Yuan wanted to ascend his spirit.

When he first fused with his Soul Spirit, his Spiritual Power had already broken through to the Spirit Connection Realm, reaching as high as one hundred and thirty points. Now, a year later, after opening up his Sea of Spirit, his Spiritual Power had gained a foundation and progressed more steadily. In one year, it had increased by a full eighty points, reaching two hundred and ten.

An increase of eighty points in one year.

That was not Xu Yuan's limit. It was the limit of how much Spiritual Power his developing body could bear.

That was right. Xu Yuan's growth in Spiritual Power had already reached a bottleneck.