"I don't know what the Abyss is."
Gu La's voice rang out clearly in the silent pavilion. His hands hung naturally at his sides, not a single tremor in his fingertips.
"But surely, if I were truly connected to the Abyss…" He tilted his chin slightly, revealing the smooth line of his neck, "Elder Tree wouldn't have gifted me two-tenths of its energy for cultivation."
This statement was like a red-hot iron plunged into water. Several elderly Elders simultaneously sucked in a breath. Elder Lin, seated third from the right, even instinctively touched his storage ring—after all, even as an Elder, he could only access a few drops of the Ancient Golden Tree's essence.
And yet, Gu La had used up a full twenty percent of the Ancient Golden Tree's essence! When the Elders first heard about it, they were so furious they wanted to tear him apart and make him return the energy.
Now that Gu La brought it up, it was akin to a thief dancing in the victim's house and flaunting their stolen goods!
Arrogant little brat!
The faces of the Elders darkened. If it weren't for Yun Ming's high standing, someone would have already attacked Gu La.
As for Gu La being Leng Yaozhu's disciple, in Shrek's eyes, that meant nothing.
Yun Ming dared to snatch Ya Li from the War God Hall, setting an example for others to follow. The other members of the Sea God Pavilion weren't exactly docile either—each of their romantic entanglements could fill pages of scandalous gossip.
Cai Yue'er's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. She noticed how Yun Ming had remained unusually silent since the meeting began.
As Gu La's nominal dean, she had to break the deadlock: "Then explain your martial soul."
Gu La slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward. A faint, dark glow seeped from beneath his skin, coalescing in the air into a black bud. As the petals bloomed one by one, a rich aura of life energy spread, distinctly different from the sinister energy characteristic of evil soul masters.
"My soul spirit originates from the Ancient Golden Tree." Gu La gazed at the flower in his palm. "It complements my martial soul's ability to control all plants."
Suddenly, the petals shattered, dissolving into countless points of light that sank back into his palm. "The fourth soul skill that evolved is a rare space-time type skill."
"Space-time type?" Elder Xu, seated in the corner, abruptly straightened up. An expert in spatial soul devices, he understood better than anyone the value of such a skill.
Gu La nodded. "It can distort space-time to create avatars, but its essence remains rooted in life attributes."
He deliberately paused. "As for what you mentioned about parasitic seeds and multiple avatars, those are merely mimicries created by combining life energy with spiritual power—not the techniques of an evil soul master."
Yun Ming finally lifted his lowered eyelids. As a demi-god, he understood better than anyone what Gu La's words implied. If true, even at just four rings, the power Gu La wielded had already touched the realm of divinity.
"As for the Abyss Avatar…" Gu La suddenly turned toward Yun Ming, a meaningful curve forming on his lips. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
The exchange of glances was almost imperceptible, but Yun Ming caught the warning within. His fingers curled slightly inside his sleeve—how many years had it been since someone dared to threaten the Master of the Sea God Pavilion?
Yun Ming sighed. All chatter in the Sea God Pavilion ceased as everyone waited for the Master to speak.
"Your avatar has its own consciousness?"
Yun Ming's voice remained steady, but those familiar with him could detect the subtle tremor within.
This matter was serious—it suggested that Gu La wasn't clean. After all, many Elders had experienced the malevolent nature of Abyss power firsthand, which had the potential to corrupt the mind.
Gu La feigned deep thought. "How should I put it?"
He deliberately drew out his tone, watching as the Elders unconsciously leaned forward. "You can think of him as another version of me from a different timeline."
"Absurd!" Elder Xu slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump. "Parallel worlds are just theoretical assumptions! The ramblings of ordinary people!"
In this era of advanced soul technology, there were indeed theories about parallel worlds. Yun Ming couldn't help but blurt, "Your soul skill can really achieve this?"
He even lost some composure. If all of this were true, he couldn't imagine the extent of Gu La's origins or his ambitions.
The Elders exchanged glances, noting Yun Ming's loss of composure. They too had been young once and heard wild theories, but the more they cultivated, the more they viewed parallel worlds as mere speculation.
"Nonsense!"
Another Elder couldn't restrain himself any longer. His emaciated finger shot out, releasing a visible ripple of spiritual energy aimed directly at Gu La's forehead. This was the "Soul-Shattering Finger," specifically designed to break through mental defenses and interrogate prisoners.
Not even Gu La's eyelashes twitched. Suppressing the urge to retaliate, he memorized the figure who had attacked him.
The spiritual attack twisted sharply three inches from his forehead, as if swallowed by an invisible vortex, disappearing without a trace—like a clay ox sinking into the sea, not even stirring a ripple.
"Immune to spiritual attacks?" Cai Yue'er gasped in shock. She clearly saw that Gu La hadn't activated any soul skills, yet he had withstood a spiritual assault equivalent to that of a Soul Douluo.
"No, my martial soul simply has extremely high resistance to spiritual attacks." Gu La said calmly. "But isn't it rather excessive for a respected Elder of the Sea God Pavilion to attack a child like me?"
"If I were truly connected to the Abyss, I wouldn't be standing here so calmly."
Gu La smiled innocently, but Yun Ming couldn't afford to take his words lightly.
He raised his hand to stop further probing. Now wasn't the time to reprimand the Elder for acting on his own.
His profound gaze locked with Gu La's, invisible sparks crackling between them. Finally, Yun Ming made his decision: "Release your avatar."
"Alright."
Gu La unleashed his martial soul, and four soul rings appeared beneath his feet—black, black, black, black! But what shocked everyone most was that these supposedly pure black soul rings were edged with a crimson glow.
The sight of the four blood-tinged black soul rings caused the Elders' expressions to shift, even Cai Yue'er couldn't help but look horrified—they finally understood where the Ancient Golden Tree's energy had gone!
The crimson edges indicated that Gu La's soul spirits had broken through the hundred-thousand-year barrier, and given time, they would surely ascend to become true hundred-thousand-year soul spirits.
Most importantly, it was the fact that someone could withstand such soul spirits!
"The Spirit Pagoda has found a worthy successor."
Someone whispered this telepathically. Yun Ming understood the implication and sighed inwardly. Even though he was uneasy, he knew he had to let Na'er go out into the world.
Gu La's fourth soul ring shone brightly, the crimson patterns writhing like living creatures. A rift in space tore open, and a towering figure stepped through.
This avatar was even more imposing than Gu La's main body, his exposed arms covered in dark red markings. He scanned the room, and wherever his gaze landed, several Elders visibly recoiled in disgust.
"You called for me?" The avatar's voice was deep and raspy, laced with undeniable authority.
Gu La stood aside, smiling silently. Influenced by the Abyssal Maw martial soul, this avatar possessed an unruly and domineering personality, and Gu La intentionally refrained from influencing him.
An eerie silence fell over the Sea God Pavilion, the sound of breathing now clearly audible. All eyes focused on the muscular figure exuding an Abyss-like presence.
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