Douluo: Children of the Version Gather, but the Era Is Misaligned

At that thought, Bai Chen's eyes could not help but light up.

Mm, it was indeed worth trying.

Just as he figured it out, Zang Xin had already brought him to a parking lot not far from the Spirit Pagoda.

Looking at the towering spire before him, Bai Chen let out a long breath.

He rarely came here. Seeing it up close, it really was quite something.

In a sense, the Spirit Pagoda was the force in the Douluo III Era that came closest to the position once held by the Martial Soul Hall.

In terms of overall strength, it was undoubtedly the Federation's strongest force. In this era, where Soul Beasts were nearly extinct, Soul Spirit technology was simply too important. The Spirit Pagoda, which held all authority related to Soul Spirits, could even be said to influence the entire Soul Master world. Nearly every Soul Master was subject to its restrictions.

Entering the Spirit Ascension Platform

Zang Xin led Bai Chen into the Spirit Pagoda. After showing the relevant identification at the counter, he pulled Bai Chen into an elevator.

A slight sensation of weightlessness came over him, indicating that they were descending deep beneath the Spirit Pagoda.

The elevator did not display any floors. Bai Chen and Zang Xin waited a full five minutes before its doors opened again.

Beyond the elevator was a circular hall. Zang Xin showed the relevant credentials once more, and soon, a staff member hurried over and led them deeper into the hall.

He tapped the wall, and a cabinet automatically slid out. It contained a human-shaped indentation that looked somewhat like a coffin.

The staff member did not immediately ask Bai Chen to lie down. Instead, he smiled and began explaining the precautions for entering the Spirit Ascension Platform.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform is a virtual space developed by the Spirit Pagoda at enormous cost. Inside, your safety will be fully guaranteed. At the same time, the longer you remain inside, the greater the benefits you will receive..."

Although everything he said was something Bai Chen already knew, Bai Chen did not interrupt him. He listened attentively until the end before lying down in the "coffin" at the staff member's instruction.

Bai Chen did not know what the staff member did, but the coffin-shaped cabinet slid back into the wall. Threads of numbness seeped into his body, making him drowsy.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt his body grow light. His previously muddled mind instantly cleared, the darkness around him vanished in an instant, and Bai Chen found himself in a vast forest.

Bai Chen raised a hand and gently clenched his fist, a trace of emotion flashing through his eyes.

Logically speaking, the Spirit Ascension Platform should only be a virtual space. His actual body was not in this world.

Yet this sense of realism was so strong that, if no one had told him beforehand, he would never have believed this world was fake.

It felt no different from the outside world.

Bai Chen did not rush to begin hunting. Instead, he strolled through the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The Spirit Ascension Platform charged by entry rather than time. Theoretically, the longer Bai Chen stayed inside, the more worthwhile this trip would be.

Although the Tang Sect was paying, there was no need for him to deliberately waste money, was there?

This was his first time here, and he wanted to familiarize himself further with this little world.

Unfortunately, the Soul Beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform seemed unwilling to give him that opportunity.

A faint rustling sounded. The grass behind Bai Chen shook twice, and a fiery-red figure shot out from within, springing straight at him.

As the enemy drew closer, a wave of heat rushed toward Bai Chen. Clearly, it was fire-attributed, and its method of attack was ramming.

Judging from the temperature radiating off its body, an ordinary Soul Master would definitely suffer serious injuries if struck by it.

Its luck was simply terrible.

Bai Chen did not even turn around before completing his Martial Soul possession. The Evil God Hook stabbed toward the enemy and pierced through it instantly.

"--"

For an instant, the Soul Beast seemed to let out a scream before immediately losing all strength.

After its life faded away, the flames wrapped around it gradually dispersed, revealing a tiny hedgehog.

Bai Chen did not know what species it was, but based on how it felt, it was most likely a Ten-Year Soul Beast.

Still, even a mosquito was meat. Bai Chen had not forgotten why he had come to the Spirit Ascension Platform. He was here to test whether this place could help him level up. If it could not, there would be no reason for him to return in the future.

Black light flowed as the hedgehog's body instantly shattered. A stream of energy flowed through the Evil God Hook and into Bai Chen's body.

"Hmm..."

Bai Chen's expression immediately turned subtle.

To put it simply, he could cultivate through this method.

After the energy entered his body, he could indeed feel his soul power rise slightly.

But wasn't the increase a little too small...?

On further thought, that was only natural.

A real Ten-Year Soul Beast in reality could create a ten-year Soul Ring from nothing, while in the Spirit Ascension Platform, it took ten Ten-Year Soul Beasts to increase a Soul Ring's age by ten years.

Furthermore, real Soul Beasts possessed actual bodies and extremely powerful vitality. The Soul Beasts here were merely energy constructs, so their total amount of energy naturally could not compare to real Soul Beasts.

After all, Bai Chen had an adult soul. Following a brief moment of disappointment, he quickly calmed himself.

No matter what, being able to level up through this method was a good thing for him.

At the very least, cultivating here required no moral burden and posed no threat to his life. He had nothing to complain about.

Rather than complain about the low quality of the Soul Beasts here, he should think about how to absorb more of them.

"Ah, look! There's a little kid here!"

Just then, a startled cry interrupted Bai Chen's thoughts.

Turning around, he saw three boys and girls around thirteen or fourteen years old standing some distance away.

Bai Chen raised his brows and quietly withdrew his Martial Soul.

Like the Star Dou Great Forest of the previous two eras, the Spirit Ascension Platform followed the law of the jungle. Here, humans were no less dangerous than Soul Beasts.

In fact, because they did not have to worry about death in the Spirit Ascension Platform, some people could behave even more excessively.

He needed to be careful.

The three clearly had no idea what Bai Chen was thinking. They approached him without any guard up, and the girl in the lead asked curiously,

"Little brother, what's your name? Where did the adult who brought you in go?"

Upon hearing the question, several answers flashed through Bai Chen's mind. In the end, he slowly lowered his head and said with feigned sorrow,

"My name is Tang Wulin. I came in with my older brother. We just encountered a powerful Soul Beast, and my brother told me to run first so he could protect me. He stayed behind to hold that Soul Beast back."

"I see..."

Hearing that, a trace of sympathy appeared on the girl's face.

In her eyes, this child's older brother was clearly no longer in the Spirit Ascension Platform. If he had been capable of dealing with that Soul Beast, there would have been no reason to let his younger brother escape first.

After thinking for a moment, she asked her two companions,

"Han Lingyi, Li Shaohan, why don't we take him with us?"

"Huh?"

The boy called Li Shaohan twitched his lips. He glanced at Bai Chen and said unhappily,

"Qingyu, this is the Spirit Ascension Platform. We paid a huge price to come in here. There's no reason for us to bring along dead weight like him. This isn't the place for you to indulge your saintly heart."

"Mm, one vote in favor and one against?"

The girl in the lead did not get angry. She merely nodded lightly before asking the other girl,

"What about you, Lingyi?"

The Wolf Pack

Han Lingyi looked at Bai Chen's adorable face and recalled what he had just said. Her heart softened as she said,

"I think there's no harm in protecting him for a while. For us, it's only a small effort, isn't it?"

"You two... Sigh, fine."

Two votes against one. Although the boy still looked displeased, he no longer had any grounds to object.

He walked over to Bai Chen and squatted down, asking roughly,

"Kid, your name is Tang Wulin, right? What are your Martial Soul and soul skill? Don't tell me you entered the Spirit Ascension Platform without even a single Soul Ring."

Bai Chen blinked and said,

"My Martial Soul is the Dark Demon Tiger. My first soul skill is Scorpion Tiger Hook. It summons a tail with a sharp hook to assist me in battle."

"Oh? Your soul skill is pretty unusual."

Li Shaohan raised his brows but did not doubt him. He said,

"My name is Li Shaohan. Their names are Gu Qingyu and Han Lingyi. Since they both insist on bringing you along, I have nothing more to say. But if you cause trouble, I'll deal with you myself. Understand?!"

"Shaohan."

Gu Qingyu interrupted him helplessly. She gave a light cough and said to Bai Chen,

"Don't mind the way he acts. He's actually a good person, so don't be afraid of him."

"Mm, I know."

Bai Chen nodded with a smile.

"Big brother is only thinking of you sisters. I think big brother is really cool."

Gu Qingyu's eyes widened at his answer. She blinked, then looked at Li Shaohan with a beaming smile.

"Tch." Li Shaohan awkwardly looked away. "Brat, you've got quite the sweet mouth..."

Gu Qingyu said with a laugh,

"Since it's decided, let's get moving. We need to protect this child well."

"Mm."

"Hmph."

Han Lingyi nodded lightly, while Li Shaohan answered with a cold snort.

Bai Chen shook his head helplessly in his heart.

It seemed his luck was not bad. The first group of people he met in the Spirit Ascension Platform was actually rather kind.

Their kindness was meaningless to him, though. If anything, having them beside him only gave him more things to worry about.

His efficiency alone would be far higher than if he followed them.

The facts soon proved his thoughts correct.

Afterward, the four of them encountered several more Soul Beasts, but the three older ones joined forces to defeat them all, not leaving a single one for Bai Chen.

Among the three, Gu Qingyu was a Soul Elder, while the other two were Great Soul Masters.

Considering their age, they were already quite strong.

After killing another century-old porcupine, Gu Qingyu let out a breath and said to the other two,

"If the next Soul Beast we encounter is a Ten-Year Soul Beast, can we let Wulin have it?"

The other two both nodded.

To them, killing Ten-Year Soul Beasts was effortless, and the benefits they provided were minimal. Giving one to Bai Chen did not matter.

What they did not realize was that the next thing they encountered would not be a Ten-Year Soul Beast they could casually deal with, but a powerful enemy capable of driving them into desperation.

"Awooo--"

With a howl, wolves came charging toward them from the distance.

"This is..."

Gu Qingyu's face immediately tightened as she urgently shouted,

"Quick, run!"

Even by rough estimation, this pack contained around a hundred wolves.

Even if they were all merely Ten-Year Soul Beasts, such numbers were enough to put them in danger.

Moreover, Gu Qingyu had learned about this type of Soul Beast in class. They were called Wind Demon Wolves, and the size of their pack was closely tied to the cultivation of their wolf king. For a pack of this scale, the wolf king within might already possess a millennium of cultivation!

Even in a three-on-one fight, defeating a Millennium Soul Beast would not be easy for them, much less with over a hundred underlings surrounding it.

However, it was already too late. By the time they noticed the wolf pack, the wolf pack had long noticed them.