Xiao Chen looked at the innocent, bewildered Na'er beside him, who depended on him completely, and could only sigh helplessly in his heart.
As expected, he really could not place too much hope in Na'er's little head.
It seemed he would still have to rely on his own careful management for this newcomer verification mission.
The night passed in a flash.
Early the next morning, the sky above Eastsea City was clear for miles. The sea breeze was gentle, and sunlight spilled over the land, dispelling the morning chill.
The staff at the East Sea Spirit Pagoda branch had made preparations early. Li Qi instructed them to grant Xiao Chen and Na'er the highest level of access to the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Not only had they unlocked full access throughout the Spirit Ascension Platform, but they had also specially reserved a private entrance, sparing them any wait in line.
With the staff handling the arrangements, the two proceeded without obstruction and smoothly entered the East Sea Spirit Pagoda's Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.
The moment they stepped into the Spirit Ascension Platform, the simulated scenery of the Star Dou Great Forest greeted them.
The entire space stretched boundlessly, with mountains, forests, streams, and vegetation all replicated, perfectly simulating the ecological environment of the real Star Dou Great Forest, brimming with life.
Numerous Soul Masters were scattered throughout the vast space of the Spirit Ascension Platform, forming their own teams to train and acquire spiritual energy, while the sounds of clashing Soul Power rose one after another.
Now officially inside the Spirit Ascension Platform to carry out their mission, Na'er's eyes brimmed with curiosity. She looked around, then turned toward Xiao Chen beside her, a trace of bewilderment appearing on her little face.
Na'er asked softly, "Brother, the Spirit Ascension Platform is so big, and there are so many people. How are we going to find Gu Yue?"
The enormous Spirit Ascension Platform stretched far and wide, with countless Soul Masters scattered everywhere. Searching aimlessly was no different from fishing a needle out of the sea, and pinpointing one person would be extremely difficult.
Xiao Chen remained composed and replied, "How else? We'll just take our time looking. There's no rush."
He secretly rejoiced that, before they set out, Na'er's occasionally active, extraordinary wisdom had reminded her to seek out Leng Yaozhu specifically and ask for a photograph of Gu Yue.
That had allowed him to memorize Gu Yue's features in advance. She looked like her depiction in the original comic; it seemed Gu Yue had not gone for the refined-beauty look she had in the original story.
Otherwise, with nothing but a vague name, there was no telling how long it would take to find their target among so many people in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Besides that, he had an even more precise lead.
Thanks to his knowledge of the original plot, he knew clearly that Class Zero of Eastsea Academy had to last one hour in the Spirit Ascension Platform during its riot period for their final exam, and that Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and their companions would clash with the siblings Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan.
As long as he followed this plot clue to pinpoint their location, he could find Gu Yue precisely without searching blindly.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Chen hesitated no longer.
With a thought, the pitch-black, shadowy Wither Martial Soul silently appeared behind Xiao Chen, transformed into a slender streak of dark light, and soared upward, hovering high above the entire Spirit Ascension Platform.
The view from high above looked down in every direction, covering the entire forest.
"Visual Sharing, activate."
Xiao Chen instantly linked his vision with the Wither Martial Soul.
In an instant, the sweeping view from above flooded Xiao Chen's mind. The forest in every direction, the movements of the Soul Masters, and the fluctuations of Soul Power were all perfectly clear; not even the slightest movement anywhere could escape his detection.
Countless images flashed and swept past as Xiao Chen rapidly sifted through them in his mind, precisely pinpointing every location where people gathered and Soul Power clashed.
Within mere breaths, his gaze suddenly settled on a dense stretch of forest.
Within that forest, seven figures stood facing off against one another, their Soul Power faintly clashing and the atmosphere taut. They were exactly the targets he sought!
On one side stood Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi, while on the other were the siblings Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan. The two sides stood locked in a standoff, clearly having already come into conflict.
"Found them."
Certain that these were Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and their companions, Xiao Chen turned toward the curious-eyed Na'er beside him and said softly, "Follow me, Na'er. Our target is in the forest ahead."
Seeing her brother's relaxed certainty, Na'er's eyes filled with admiration, and she praised him sincerely:
"Wow! Your Martial Soul really is useful, Brother! It's so convenient! You found them in no time!"
Had it been her, she probably could only have wandered aimlessly through the enormous Spirit Ascension Platform, and might not have pinpointed Gu Yue's location even by nightfall.
Xiao Chen replied, "All right, all right, stop flattering me. It's not your first time seeing my Martial Soul's abilities. You should be used to them by now."
With that, he led Na'er, who was poised and ready, setting off along the woodland path and walking briskly toward that stretch of forest.
At that moment, in the center of the forest where Tang Wulin and Gu Yue stood, the atmosphere had already grown tense to the extreme.
Xu Xiaoyu stood tall and straight, his expression arrogant. With an overbearing air of looking down on them, he coldly regarded the five before him and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.
"We claimed this area's spiritual energy in advance long ago."
"I don't want to make things difficult for you. If you know what's good for you, leave all the Spirit Ascension Platform spiritual energy in this forest behind and withdraw from the Spirit Ascension Platform yourselves."
Beside him, Xu Xiaoyan chuckled as well, standing silently at her brother's side and tacitly accepting his domineering words.
Three Soul Rings appeared beside Xu Xiaoyu. A three-ring Soul Elder, he relied on his advantage in Soul Power and paid Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and their companions no heed at all, his attitude forceful and domineering.
Tang Wulin's brows knitted tightly, and Soul Power stirred faintly around him. He was just about to argue, while Gu Yue beside him also gave a slightly cold look, quietly gathering her power to deal with the siblings before them.
But just as Xu Xiaoyu finished speaking, at the very instant battle was about to erupt!
Whoosh-!
A solid, pitch-black Wither Head suddenly tore down through the air from high above at tremendous speed, carrying destructive power. Without the slightest warning, it struck Xu Xiaoyu with unerring precision!
The terrifying force erupted before he could react, and the power of Wither instantly enveloped Xu Xiaoyu's entire body, directly triggering the Spirit Ascension Platform's elimination mechanism!
With a soft hum, dazzling white specks of elimination light lit up around Xu Xiaoyu, and he was instantly forcibly ejected from the Spirit Ascension Platform!
It all happened in a flash of lightning, before anyone could react.
Her brother, who had been so aggressive and overbearing just a second earlier, vanished in an instant, leaving only Xu Xiaoyan standing there, utterly bewildered and blank-faced.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the empty space beside her, her mind completely blank. She was utterly stunned.
What just happened?!
How had her perfectly fine brother vanished into thin air and been eliminated from the Spirit Ascension Platform in the blink of an eye?!
It was not just her. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi also froze instantly, their faces filled with astonishment as they looked warily around, completely unable to make sense of the situation.
Just as deathly silence fell over the scene and everyone was filled with questions, two figures slowly stepped out from beneath the shade of the trees.
They were none other than Xiao Chen and Na'er.
Before you continue