Left fist, 687 kilograms.
Right fist, 702 kilograms.
It was downright terrifying.
Xie Xie covered his head with one hand and pointed at Jiang Mingyuan with the other, his voice charged with excitement.
"Is he even human?"
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had expected Jiang Mingyuan's strength to exceed theirs. After all, Wang Jinxi had clearly come off worse when they clashed during the class promotion tournament.
Tang Wulin was the last to be tested. He swung his arm in a full arc and punched the target, actually unleashing a blast of air.
His left and right fists registered 1,156 and 1,348 kilograms respectively.
Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi were utterly stunned. Were they sure their classmate wasn't a soul beast wearing human skin?
What followed was a stretch of dull, tedious training. Without using any soul skills, Wu Changkong whipped Tang Wulin and the others into spinning tops one after another.
Given Jiang Mingyuan's strength, Wu Changkong couldn't handle him. He simply had him practice controlling the fire element off to the side, occasionally treating his companions as they lay on the ground howling in pain.
Early that morning, they left their dormitory and gathered at the school gates instead of going to the classroom.
Wu Changkong was already waiting at the gates. When they arrived, they saw him leaning against the door of a soul guidance car.
"Teacher Wu, you told us after school yesterday to meet at the gates today. What are we doing?" Xie Xie raised his hand to ask, as usual.
Wu Changkong said little. He merely climbed into the driver's seat and spoke coldly.
"Get in. We're going to the Spirit Pagoda."
The Spirit Pagoda in Eastsea City was far more luxurious than the one in Aolai City. As soon as Wu Changkong entered the reception hall, a staff member came over to greet him. He took his identification out of his bag.
"Please follow me."
The receptionist enthusiastically led the way. Clearly, Wu Changkong had already made arrangements with them.
As they walked, Wu Changkong explained, "From now on, you'll have one opportunity each week to enter the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform to train. Make good use of it. This is the greatest benefit the school can offer you."
The Spirit Ascension Platform was a place developed by the Spirit Pagoda where soul spirits' ages could be increased.
After all, no soul master wanted to display a white ten-year soul ring when releasing their soul rings.
Under pressure from the Federation, the Spirit Pagoda naturally couldn't play games with soul spirits, such as refusing to sell them to hostile forces. That wasn't permitted. However, the Spirit Pagoda could restrict access to the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Operating the Spirit Ascension Platform required vast amounts of energy, so each Spirit Pagoda limited the number of people allowed into its platform during any given period.
Only after passing through a corridor did they properly enter the Spirit Pagoda's interior.
Golden light filled their vision. Tang Wulin couldn't help marveling at how truly wealthy the Spirit Pagoda was.
Smooth stone slabs paved the floor, and several towering jade pillars supported the entire tower. Murals painted in dazzling colors adorned the walls.
The staff member took the opportunity to introduce them.
"Honored guests, the murals you see depict the Spirit Pagoda's founder, Spirit Ice Douluo, battling Beast God Di Tian above the Star Dou Great Forest ten thousand years ago. That battle shook heaven and earth. To protect the common people of the Douluo Continent, Spirit Ice Douluo disregarded his own safety and fought the Beast God. That very battle moved heaven and earth, allowing him to attain godhood and ascend."
In real life, forty or fifty years was enough to distort history. Never mind a fantasy world like this, where strength reigned supreme and ten thousand years had passed. Those in power could twist stories from ten thousand years ago however they pleased.
Tang Wulin gazed at the mural of Huo Yuhao battling Di Tian, his heart surging with excitement. What soul master didn't dream of claiming the summit of the continent?
Farther inside, more exquisite murals appeared. They depicted a magnificent, glittering city, where countless soul masters fought the beast tide from the Star Dou Great Forest under Huo Yuhao's leadership.
At last, they arrived before a splendid golden door. A man and a woman were painted on either side, a perfect pairing of a gifted man and a beautiful woman.
On the left was Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, and on the right was Dragon Butterfly Douluo Tang Wutong. Husband and wife reached toward each other, their hands clasped tightly together.
"Hey!" A thought suddenly flashed through Xie Xie's mind, and he pointed a finger at Tang Wulin.
"Tang Wulin, your name is a lot like Dragon Butterfly Douluo's. There's only one character different."
Xie Xie leaned toward Tang Wulin's ear and whispered, "Tang Wulin, don't tell me you're a girl dressed as a boy too?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be a girl?" Tang Wulin protested. To prove it, he rolled up his sleeve. Though his arm wasn't bulging with muscle, it still looked sturdy.
That was how fantasy worlds worked. Unless someone focused entirely on tempering their body, most people showed no obvious changes in physique, no matter how strong they became.
The staff member approached the electronic lock beside the door, entered a password, and pressed a button. The doors slowly slid apart.
It was plainly a lounge, with a huge screen mounted on the wall and divided into dozens upon dozens of smaller feeds, constantly displaying what was happening inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.
"Follow the staff farther inside. I won't be joining you," Wu Changkong said calmly. The Spirit Pagoda had rules: unless someone was entering the Spirit Ascension Platform themselves, they had to wait outside to avoid damaging the precision instruments.
Jiang Mingyuan took the lead, and the others followed him into the innermost room, brimming with curiosity.
More than a dozen coffin-shaped machines stood inside. The staff member enthusiastically explained them.
"The interior of the Spirit Ascension Platform is simulated entirely based on the Ancient Soul Beast Forest. You may do whatever you like inside, but remember: it is your minds that enter the Spirit Pagoda. If your minds are injured inside, your own mental faculties will also suffer damage to some extent. If you encounter danger or any sudden emergency, press the button on your hand immediately, and your minds will be transported out at once."
With the staff member's help, Tang Wulin lay down in the cold metal box, filled with curiosity. Suction cups were attached to his head, body, and other areas.
Gradually, his consciousness grew hazy.
When he opened his eyes again, a tall, thick tree stood before him. Looking around, he discovered that he was in a primeval forest.
Birdcalls sounded intermittently around him, along with rustling from the bushes.
"Brother Mingyuan! Where are you?"
Indeed, even if they entered the Spirit Ascension Platform at the same time, they wouldn't necessarily arrive in the same place.
Tang Wulin discovered that a red button had appeared on the back of his hand. Presumably, this was the emergency escape button.
A gentle breeze brushed past, and the fresh forest air left Tang Wulin exceptionally clearheaded. Since the Spirit Ascension Platform simulated the Ancient Soul Beast Forest as closely as possible, perhaps he could make use of the plant soul beasts here.
A strand of Blue Silver Grass traced with golden patterns rose from his palm. Tang Wulin quietly sensed the ordinary Blue Silver Grass growing throughout the surrounding soul beast forest, feeling the auras emanating from them.
Jiang Mingyuan felt that he was rather unlucky.
He was sitting on a branch of a towering tree, his body swaying gently. More precisely, the entire tree was shaking. He looked down to see a giant bear covered in orange, translucent crystals, swinging its claws and pounding the trunk relentlessly in an attempt to knock the tree down.
Jiang Mingyuan stretched, his joints crackling.
"Stupid bear. You're the one who came looking for this."