"To think she's actually a disciple of Your Majesty, Heavenly Phoenix..."
As Tang Luochuan spoke, a look of astonishment flashed across Yuanen Yehui's face as she glanced toward Gu Yue's direction, her eyes filled with surprise.
Sky Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu—this name carried immense prestige. Who would have thought the person before them was actually her disciple!
"This is no ordinary member of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda."
Yuanen Yehui couldn't help but think to herself, then fell into contemplation. It made sense—with Luo Chuan's talent and strength, it was impossible for him to be mediocre even within the Spirit Transfer Pagoda.
"Since everyone's here now,"
"let's head to the Spirit Transfer Pagoda together."
Tang Luochuan smiled faintly, his gaze resting on the two of them as he spoke lightly.
"Alright!"
Yuanen Yehui wore a bright smile. Soon, she would obtain the second Soul Spirit for her Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul.
"Let's go."
Beside them, Gu Yue also turned her gaze toward Tang Luochuan, offering a gentle smile, her expression warm.
"..."
Not long after, inside the Spirit Transfer Pagoda.
"Miss Gu Yue, Young Master Tang..."
Upon noticing their arrival, the receptionist Spirit Transfer Master at the front desk froze momentarily before addressing them respectfully.
"Hello, we're here for the Soul Spirit Pagoda."
Gu Yue's expression remained calm as she spoke indifferently, not bothering to mention anything about reservations.
As the disciple of the Deputy Pagoda Master of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, her status clearly exempted her from needing reservations anywhere within the organization.
"Understood, Miss..."
The staff member responded deferentially. In the next moment, another attendant appeared beside the group.
"Please follow me, all three of you?"
With that, the attendant led them toward another direction, eventually stopping before an elevator with golden doors.
The three followed the attendant into the elevator. After a slight tremor and a few seconds, it came to a halt.
When the doors opened, a vast circular hall unfolded before them. The hall spanned hundreds of meters in diameter and stood over fifty meters tall.
The ceiling formed a triangular shape, with what appeared to be a gemstone suspended at its apex, emitting a faint golden glow.
At the very center of the hall stood a raised platform. The base was hexagonal with ascending steps, while the top resembled an altar, covering an area of a hundred square meters.
At the center of the platform was a towering golden gate, over fifteen meters high, radiating immense energy.
"Through this gate,"
"we'll enter the Soul Spirit Pagoda."
Gu Yue introduced softly.
"Then let's hurry inside."
Tang Luochuan nodded with a smile. As he spoke, the group moved forward, soon passing through the gate.
In an instant, they found themselves in an enormous hall. The periphery was lined with massive pillars, and the floor was paved with bluish-gray stone bricks, exuding an ancient charm that transported them to another era.
Around the hall stood eight massive metal doors, each over ten meters tall and five meters wide. Just standing there, one could deeply sense the grandeur.
The moment they stepped inside, the eight doors swung open, and Soul Beasts began emerging from within.
They were wolf-type Soul Beasts with dark blue-gray bodies and glowing green eyes, each over two meters long.
"Pack-dwelling Soul Beasts."
"Wind Wolves."
Looking at the scene before him, Tang Luochuan quickly recognized the identity of these soul beasts—they were Wind Wolves, a relatively common pack-dwelling soul beast species that once inhabited the Star Dou Great Forest.
They usually appeared in groups of several hundred, and this pack, true to their wolf nature, numbered exactly one hundred and eight. But as for their strength...
Most were only six or seven hundred years old, with only the leader surpassing a thousand years in cultivation. Hardly a threat.
Of course, if this were the Grandmaster from twenty thousand years ago, even one would be enough to kill him on the spot. And with so many soul beasts, even Luo Sanpao's rear end would probably be torn into countless pieces.
"So many soul beasts..."
"So... is the Soul Spirit Pagoda challenge always this difficult?"
Yuanen Yehui was also visiting the Soul Spirit Pagoda for the first time. Staring at the scene before her, her eyes flickered with astonishment.
She only knew that passing each floor of the pagoda would allow her to choose a soul beast, but she never expected there would be so many at once.
Though they weren't particularly strong, this was only the first floor.
"It's not too bad."
Tang Luochuan, however, shook his head dismissively. As he spoke, his gaze instinctively shifted toward Gu Yue, who was also looking at him. The two exchanged a faint smile.
The next moment, their eyes turned toward the wolf pack, their expressions utterly calm.
"Titan Giant Ape..."
Yuanen Yehui paid no attention to their exchange. Her eyes sharpened as she prepared to release her Martial Soul.
In an instant, her petite figure vanished, replaced by a towering, muscular form. Three purple Soul Rings now hovered around her.
But just as she was about to charge at the soul beasts, the sight before her nearly made her jaw drop.
"Gale Wind Tornado."
As a gust of wind gathered in Gu Yue's palm, a massive tornado abruptly formed before them, surging toward the wolf pack.
In the blink of an eye, every Wind Wolf was shredded by the violent wind. None who entered the tornado survived.
Gale Wind Tornado—a derivative Soul Skill of Gu Yue's first Soul Skill, Elemental Tide, specifically the wind element. A storm condensed from the power of extreme wind, its might was self-evident.
Not to mention these mere thousand-year Wind Wolves—even a ten-thousand-year soul beast, given her current cultivation, would be unable to escape, doomed to be torn apart.
And she had multiple such derivative Soul Skills for each element.
"Golden Dragon Shadow."
Beside her, Tang Luochuan smirked, a flash of coldness in his eyes. The next moment, as the Golden Dragon King Bloodline surged within him, a golden dragon's shadow materialized.
In an instant, it lunged toward the remaining half of the wolf pack. Before Yuanen Yehui could even blink, the remaining soul beasts were reduced to dust.
Golden Dragon Shadow—a simple, self-created Soul Skill derived from Tang Luochuan's Golden Dragon King Bloodline. With minimal energy consumption, it was perfect for instant annihilation of groups.
"Done."
After finishing the task, Tang Luochuan and Gu Yue exchanged glances, faint smiles on their faces as they spoke in unison.
"You two..."
"...are amazing."
Standing to the side, Yuanen Yehui stared at the scene in deep thought, momentarily speechless. It wasn't that she was exaggerating—
But Luo Chuan and Gu Yue... were just that terrifying!
The number of Soul Beasts was by no means small, yet they were dealt with so effortlessly? And that group attack skill just now...
Whether it was the Golden Dragon or the storm, both were incredibly impressive.
"These Soul Beasts weren't particularly strong, so dealing with them was naturally simple. In fact, the techniques we just used would be enough to carry us through to the twentieth floor," Tang Luochuan said with a faint smile, unconcerned.
"The twentieth floor..."
"That's truly remarkable."
Yuanen Yehui wore a pensive expression, her face filled with admiration. The twentieth floor—that must mean facing ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, and not just one at a time. Yet their Soul Skills...
Could even ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts not withstand them?
"Well, not exactly."
Hearing this, Tang Luochuan shook his head, though his gaze at her was somewhat strained.
Even though he had long known what her Martial Soul was, seeing this Titan Giant Ape in person was still hard to take in.
No wonder Yuanen Yehui appeared as a male at the academy. With a Martial Soul like this, presenting as a female would just be too... rough.
"Your Martial Soul..."
Beside them, Gu Yue also looked astonished, her eyes lingering on Yuanen Yehui. After a long silence, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
This was truly eye-opening.
The Titan Giant Ape—this Soul Beast was far from unfamiliar to her. After all, twenty thousand years ago, when she was recuperating at the bottom of the Lake of Life, the "Overlord of the Forest" had been this little monkey.
But...
To see it manifest in a human was still somewhat unexpected. Not to mention, the physique of this "young man" before her was rather... mismatched.
"Such a small frame..."
"Yet with a Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul."
Gu Yue couldn't stop marveling.
"Haha..."
Yuanen Yehui chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head in embarrassment. The other girl still didn't know she was actually female.
If she found out...
Wouldn't she be utterly shocked?
[Soul Spirit Pagoda, First Floor]
[Two-Thousand-Year Wind Wolf—Absorb?]
[Teleporting to next floor in 10 seconds.]
Just then, a mechanical chime echoed through the hall as a Wind Wolf enveloped in Soul Power energy materialized at the center. Beside it stood the gate to the next floor.
"This Wind Wolf obviously isn't suitable for a Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul. Yuanen, Gu Yue, let's keep climbing," Tang Luochuan said lightly, glancing at the two.
"Alright."
"Got it."
Gu Yue and Yuanen Yehui nodded, following him toward the gate.
"..."
Not long after.
When the Thunder Beast on the eleventh floor was similarly encased in energy, the door to the twelfth floor appeared before them.
[Soul Spirit Pagoda]
[Thousand-Year Thunder Beast—Absorb?]
[Teleporting in 10 seconds.]
"Sigh..."
"Finding a suitable Soul Spirit really isn't easy."
Ten seconds later, as the scene refreshed once more, Yuanen Yehui murmured with a thoughtful expression.
After clearing these eleven floors, they had encountered Soul Beasts of all attributes—yet none suited her Titan Giant Ape.
After all, ape-type Soul Beasts were exceedingly rare, and from the looks of it, there might not be many that fit her.
"I think..."
"There'll definitely be one later."
At this, Tang Luochuan simply smiled.
With a confident expression, he said—if he remembered correctly—the Soul Spirit on this twelfth floor should be the one the other party obtained in the original work.
"Yes."
Beside him, Gu Yue also smiled faintly.
"Luo Chuan, Gu Yue, thank you."
Yuanen Yehui responded softly with a smile.
"Doesn't look like a boy at all..."
As she observed the "Yuanen" before her, Gu Yue wore a thoughtful expression. Although the person in front of her was indeed a boy, with a Martial Soul like the Titan Giant Ape...
Her intuition kept telling her...
Something was a little off.
"Yuanen."
"I think this is the most suitable Soul Spirit for you."
Gu Yue quickly snapped out of her thoughts. When the Soul Beast on the twelfth floor appeared, she glanced at Yuanen Yehui beside her and spoke calmly.
"Hm?"
"Mm!"
Hearing this, Yuanen Yehui immediately looked over, surprise flashing in her eyes.
Beside them, Tang Luochuan also wore an expression that said, "As expected." This Soul Beast was undoubtedly the best Soul Spirit for the other party—
The Diamond Ape!