Gu La forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and continued to examine the evolution of his soul skills. When he sensed the changes in his third soul ring, his breathing suddenly quickened.
The Forest Sea Domain, which originally covered an area of a hundred zhang, could now extend over a range of ten li.
Even more astonishing was the difference in time flow between the inside and outside of the domain. It had surged from three times to thirty times faster—or slower.
This meant that within this small world, the growth efficiency of plant-type soul beasts would rival that of legendary places like the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
"There's no increase in offensive power. Like soul beasts nurtured in the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, even those with a hundred-thousand-year cultivation cannot leave the soul ring space for long periods or adapt to new environments."
"As for the storage ability of soul skills, it has become more of an embellishment—its presence or absence doesn't impact the skill's strength."
"However, the duration of stored soul skills has increased tenfold. In certain situations, it might allow me to unexpectedly kill some arrogant individuals who rely on their superior strength."
"After all, the space constructed by a hundred-thousand-year soul ring is now qualified enough for my teacher to leave behind a few attacks."
"Qiangu Dongfeng…" A cold gleam flickered in Gu La's eyes. He hadn't forgotten how Qiangu Dongfeng had schemed against him. While he lacked concrete evidence of the evil soul master attack back then, Gu La never cared about evidence when it came to revenge.
"Qiangu Dongfeng is a demi-god. I'll wait a little longer…"
Unconsciously tracing the patterns of the Golden Ancient Tree with his fingertips, Gu La suddenly smirked. He suddenly remembered that Qiangu Dongfeng had a grandson—Qiangu Zhangting.
"Qiangu Zhangting is probably around six or seven rings at this point, either a Soul Emperor or a Soul Sage, in the process of crafting his three-character battle armor. So… can a near-god help someone break free from my Myriad Manifestations?"
Gu La calculated for a moment, then reluctantly reined in his murderous intent. "A near-god can't break my mental-type soul skill. But at that level, they might intuitively sense something amiss and pinpoint the culprit."
"If Qiangu Zhangting were to meet trouble, the Leng family would inevitably be investigated as beneficiaries. I'll wait."
Sealing away his plans for revenge temporarily, Gu La turned his attention to his fourth soul skill.
"The external avatar created by the tree has ascended to a hundred-thousand-year soul skill. However, it still isn't sufficient to make the avatar a true flesh-and-blood entity—it remains akin to a soul beast undergoing transformation."
"However, the awakened martial soul is no longer restricted to wood attributes. The ability to summon avatars from twisted timelines has been slightly enhanced. Perhaps one day I might directly summon an avatar with god-king potential."
Gu La imagined a future where he could send his avatars to fight Tang San. If Tang San liked competitions, Gu La's army of avatars could sweep through an entire pantheon of gods.
Ahem! Ahem!
The sudden coughing broke the silence of the meditation room. Yun Ming leaned against the doorframe, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.
"A fifth of the energy accumulated by the Golden Ancient Tree over a thousand years has vanished into thin air! And you only gained two ranks?!"
Even though Yun Ming knew that Gu La had received Elder Tree's approval, he was still deeply dissatisfied. Watching Gu La squander resources so recklessly infuriated him.
After all, the Golden Ancient Tree was Shrek Academy's greatest foundation. Every bit of its energy was incredibly precious. The amount of energy Gu La had used up could have cultivated a Super Douluo!
Gu La inwardly grumbled: 'And you didn't even notice the ten percent of essence I absorbed.'
"Just a small gain."
Gu La revealed his soul rings—four pitch-black rings laced with streaks of red.
Disguise was an instinct for many plants, and Gu La was no amateur Natural Son like Tang Wulin. Camouflaging the color of his soul rings was child's play.
Yun Ming's pupils contracted. Black tinged with red—this was a sign of ascending to a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
He knew Gu La was suspected to be a reincarnated god, but did being a god mean he could act without reason?! A four-ring Soul Master cultivating a hundred-thousand-year spirit soul—and one of the Golden Ancient Tree's caliber, no less!
"No wonder… Fine, once your meditation ends, leave. Coincidentally, two inner court students are heading to the outer court today. You can go with them."
Yun Ming knew there was nothing he could do to Gu La. He couldn't even complain to Elder Tree. Shrek Academy had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
Yun Ming turned away, his sleeves fluttering, afraid that looking at Gu La any longer would provoke him into taking action. He wasn't omnipotent in the Sea God Pavilion; there was still his senior sister-in-law above him. He needed to return and explain the energy expenditure to the elder council.
"Thank you, Senior."
Gu La bowed respectfully and strode out of the meditation room.
The rocks along the edge of Sea God Island were dyed amber by the twilight, and the salty sea breeze stirred the loose strands of Ye Xinglan's high ponytail.
When she recognized the approaching figure, Ye Xinglan couldn't help but recall the dazzling sword light from that day. She stepped forward, her high ponytail swaying. "Why are you on Sea God Island?"
Xu Lizhi followed closely behind Ye Xinglan, nervously watching Gu La, fearing a fight might break out between the two.
Having achieved his goal, Gu La was in an exceptionally good mood. Even the Blue Silver Grass by the roadside seemed delightful to him. Shrugging, he replied, "Of course, because I'm a student of Shrek Academy."
"Though modest in talent, I was fortunate enough to receive the opportunity to meditate under the Golden Ancient Tree early. After a month of seclusion, I've made slight progress. Now, I'll enroll in the outer court with you."
"Meditation under the Golden Ancient Tree!"
Ye Xinglan was astonished, followed by envy and anticipation. She had been an inner court student three years ago, but the best time to meditate under the Golden Ancient Tree was during the Soul King or Soul Emperor stage to maximize its benefits in helping one find their path. Thus, she had never attempted it.
After all, even inner court students only had one chance to meditate under the Golden Ancient Tree.
Ye Xinglan planned to rely on her own understanding of sword intent, cultivate until she reached the Soul King stage, and then use the Golden Ancient Tree to comprehend her sword soul. Afterward, she would focus on crafting battle armor to enhance her cultivation.
She couldn't help but ask, "You're only a four-ring Soul Ancestor. Won't meditating under the Golden Ancient Tree now waste the opportunity?"
"Waste?" Gu La chuckled softly and released the spirit soul of the Golden Ancient Tree. "For me, waiting any longer would have been the real waste."
Seeing the spirit soul behind Gu La—an exact replica of the Golden Ancient Tree—Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi covered their mouths in disbelief. "The spirit soul of the Golden Ancient Tree!"
"But your martial soul isn't fire-based… Are you a twin martial soul wielder!?"
Ye Xinglan was astounded once again. Did this mean Gu La had held back during his previous battle with them!?
"Yes, let me reintroduce myself. Gu La, twin martial soul wielder. From now on, we'll be classmates."
Ye Xinglan was flustered by Gu La's formal introduction. Straightening her posture, she replied seriously, "Ye Xinglan, martial soul Star God Sword, Level 32."
"Xu Lizhi, martial soul Steamed Bun…"
After a round of introductions, the initial awkwardness between the three eased significantly.
Ye Xinglan was proud in front of others but couldn't muster the same pride before Gu La. Not only had both of them entered the inner court directly, but Gu La had also defeated her in battle.
On the ship heading to the outer court, Ye Xinglan hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Gu La, in the future, can I come to you in the inner court to discuss sword techniques?"
"No problem."
Although Ye Xinglan's realm wouldn't help Gu La with his sword soul, he was intrigued by her star-aligned Star God Sword. He didn't mind studying it thoroughly.
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