Proposal to Enter the Riotous Spirit Ascension Platform

The burly man at the front was bald, bare-armed despite the freezing weather, with dragon tattoos winding across his skin.

He was an old acquaintance—Guang Long.

He had been locked up for two years as punishment back then, but after getting out, he had continued committing evil deeds.

A few months ago, Tang Wulin and the others had just taught him another lesson.

His brother could not cause trouble for Tang Wulin and the others. After recovering from his injuries, he naturally turned his attention to the only weak target in this small shop.

Ziyang looked at Guang Long, coldness flickering in his eyes. "It's you again, you damned bald bastard. So you're not dead yet?"

Guang Long did not recognize Ziyang immediately. Three years was enough for a boy to undergo a complete transformation—to grow taller, mature, become sunny and cheerful, and become even more dangerous.

"It's you!"

Guang Long took half a step back, the flesh on his face twitching. He would never forget the person who had beaten his facial bones out of alignment and made him spend two years wasting away in prison.

Fear and fury surged up at the same time, crashing through his veins.

He waved for the two lackeys behind him to move forward. Soul Rings lit beneath his feet, one white and one yellow, like some cheap decoration.

Ziyang rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on Guang Long. "Austin Griffin, deal with those two lackeys. Leave the big one to me."

The little beast's two heads lifted at the same time. It looked at the two lackeys with complete disinterest; it had the strength to easily destroy them.

Guang Long's expression turned ugly. He could not beat Ziyang three years ago, let alone now. He had no idea how long he would be locked up this time.

Could his brother still get him out?

Those thoughts flashed through his mind before they could fully take shape. Ziyang moved.

He was incredibly fast.

Ziyang's fist glowed white. Guang Long only had time to raise an arm to block before his entire body was sent flying.

"Boom—!"

His body slammed into the alley wall. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the fear in his eyes finally overwhelmed his fury.

He wanted to say something—beg for mercy, perhaps, or threaten them—but it felt as though something had clogged his throat.

Ziyang threw another punch, smashing him straight into the ground, cosplaying as a ginseng root.

"Three years ago, you caused trouble for our dean. I never expected that after getting out, you still hadn't changed that temper of yours and kept doing whatever evil you pleased."

"This time, I guarantee you won't be getting out."

He straightened up, dusted off his knees, and turned to walk back into the shop.

Inside, Austin Griffin had already finished the fight. The two lackeys lay in the corner wearing only their underwear. Everything else had been burned away by violet-black flames. Their skin was charred, but they had not suffered fatal injuries.

Taking advantage of the time, Na'er had eaten another serving of Clay-Pot Beef. She glanced at Ziyang and asked, "It ended that quickly? I barely felt anything."

"Do you want to eat a little longer?"

"Forget it. I want to go eat something else."

Na'er rarely refused food. After Ziyang paid the bill, he led her toward the snack street.

As for those three—

Not long afterward, a Federal Police soul-guided vehicle came screaming in. Guang Long was pulled out of the ground, while the two lackeys were dragged out from the corner.

They made sure those three would never get out again for the rest of their lives.

The three were bound tightly, like a string of livestock awaiting slaughter, and vanished beyond the alley entrance.

Inside the shop, the owner watched Guang Long get hauled directly into custody, his eyes filled with nothing but gratitude toward Ziyang and the others.

As long as Guang Long was locked up, he would no longer have to worry about protection money.

He could finally breathe a little easier.

When Ziyang and Na'er returned to the Spirit Pagoda, it was not yet very late.

Moonlight streamed through the windows into the Spirit Pagoda.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, one light and one heavy, one quick and one slow, still carrying the lingering warmth of the snack street.

Leng Yaoyu's room was on the top floor. The door was slightly ajar, blue light spilling through the gap.

Ziyang raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Teacher, may I come in?"

"Come in."

Ziyang pushed open the door. Leng Yaoyu was seated at her desk, her gaze resting on the light screen before her.

It displayed footage from the Ascension Platform.

A black-haired girl stood in the image, controlling the elements with graceful, beautiful movements.

Na'er stopped in her tracks and recognized her at once. Gu Yue. The Silver Dragon King's other half, holding seventy percent of her power.

"Is this the target of this assessment?" Ziyang asked softly, as though confirming something.

Leng Yaoyu did not answer immediately. Her fingertips tapped the control panel several times, switching the image and changing the angle before enlarging the black-haired girl's profile.

"That's right." Leng Yaoyu nodded. "Come, let's watch her performance together."

Ziyang sat beside the desk, his gaze falling on the light screen. Gu Yue moved swiftly, switching elements with ease.

"She's very strong." Ziyang offered a noncommittal evaluation. Gu Yue from the original story really knew how to act, but the fact that Tang Wulin was still alive was simply a miracle.

Na'er had not made a bet with Gu Yue again.

"Hmph, I'm the strongest." Na'er planted her hands on her hips, her face full of defiance.

Ziyang turned his head and saw two little flames burning in the silver-haired girl's eyes. He deliberately teased her, "That's right. You're the strongest."

"You're just humoring me!"

"I mean it."

"Liar."

"It's definitely true. Believe me."

Leng Yaoyu sat beside them, watching the two children playfully bicker with a faint smile. "You two, stop that. Do you want to go test yourselves against her ahead of time?"

"Teacher, what do you mean?"

"The Riotous Spirit Ascension Platform. Do you want to take part? I already know that Eastsea Academy has arranged for them to enter."

"I'm going. I'll let him see my strength." Na'er stood with her hands on her hips, brimming with confidence.

Ziyang nodded. "No problem."

He knew very well that the Ascension Platform had two riotous periods every year. Initially, they were caused by instability in the energy used to construct the Ascension Platform.

Later, as technology advanced, the riotous periods of the Ascension Platform came under control, and their nature changed in a special way. During a riotous period, the soul beasts inside the Ascension Platform became especially active, and their numbers increased. The danger rose sharply.

During a riotous period, teams could enter the Ascension Platform, but they could not have more than seven members.

After soul beasts were killed during a riotous period, the Spiritual Power they produced took one hundred times longer to absorb.

If they encountered other soul masters during the riotous period, those people would become equally dangerous.

However, the Junior Spirit Ascension Platform's limit was the peak of three rings.

Both Ziyang and Na'er had Soul Power at rank twenty-nine.

Entering the Junior Spirit Ascension Platform would be like a fish taking to water for them. They would have no opponents whatsoever.

What interested him more was that Eastsea Junior Spirit Ascension Platform seemed to contain an External Soul Bone from a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear.

This soul beast was reputed to be powerful enough to fight a ten-thousand-year soul beast at a hundred years old.

Although the Soul Bone's age was not high, an External Soul Bone could grow alongside its soul master.

This item is fated to be mine. It should belong to me.

Leng Yaoyu easily arranged for the two of them to enter the Riotous Spirit Ascension Platform. The eighteen outer pillars each had three hundred slots, but the interior was an entirely different matter.