Seeing this Godhood Ascension Ladder, Tang San finally understood the operational model of this sect and murmured to himself, "This is nothing but a cult. Outwardly, it's a sect that trains Soul Masters, but secretly, it lures Soul Masters to refine Spirit Bones."
Tang Long nodded in agreement, saying, "Our Clear Sky Sect also has trials with the Sky-Reaching Iron Chain. To join the Clear Sky Sect, one must cross the iron chain under specific conditions. The difficulty varies with Soul Power, mainly testing a Soul Master's potential. I suspect this Godhood Ascension Ladder is similar."
Tang San hadn't crossed the iron chain yet, but Tang Long and Tang Hu already had.
Tang San walked over to the Soul Guidance Device's metal platform nearby and said, "This should be a Soul Guidance Device similar to a Soul Testing Crystal. It can detect a Soul Master's Soul Power and arrange different tests accordingly. If one passes, they might receive unexpected rewards."
Tang San thought to himself, "This must be mimicking a God Trial."
How could Tang San not be familiar with this model? He was currently undergoing a God Trial himself.
"Third Young Master, can we try this Godhood Ascension Ladder?"
Hearing about potential rewards, the Clear Sky Sect disciples who had followed them couldn't help but feel tempted. After all, they had willingly followed Tang San to explore the Ancient Ruins not just for the sect's mission rewards but also to gain some benefits. Many elders and protectors had once obtained opportunities that boosted their cultivation.
Seeing the eager looks in these disciples' eyes, Tang San fell into deep thought. Tang Long, standing beside him, reminded him, "Third Cousin, this Godhood Ascension Ladder might be a trap set by the Holy Spirit Sect to lure Soul Masters inside and refine their Spirit Bones."
Tang Hu also nodded in agreement, as they still hadn't located the Spirit Gathering Basin. Perhaps it was hidden within this Godhood Ascension Ladder.
After analyzing for a while, Tang San said, "The place where Spirit Bones are refined shouldn't be here. That underground chamber is extremely well-hidden, and ordinary disciples likely wouldn't know about it. So, there's no need for the Metal Nameplate to be fake. The Godhood Ascension Ladder and the Spirit Gathering Basin must be two separate locations. Also, this place wasn't burned by the Six-Winged Angel's flames. I suspect the Judging Angel knew the Holy Spirit Sect did offer genuine benefits to Soul Masters on the surface, which is why they deliberately left this Godhood Ascension Ladder intact."
"They only destroyed the sect and the evil Soul Guidance Devices used to refine Spirit Bones, while preserving the beneficial facilities that aid Soul Masters."
Tang San looked at the sect disciples who had followed him inside and said earnestly, "Fellow sect members, I know you've risked your lives to follow me into these Ancient Ruins, hoping to seize your own opportunities. I won't stop you, but I must remind you: this Soul Guidance Device belongs to a sect called the Holy Spirit Sect. Based on my investigations, the Holy Spirit Sect is not a benevolent force. There may be dangers within this Godhood Ascension Ladder, though the likelihood is probably low."
"If you're aware of the risks and still wish to gamble for an opportunity, I permit you to enter the Godhood Ascension Ladder."
Tang San wasn't about to play the dictator. He laid out all the risks clearly—if they still wanted to enter, that was their choice. After all, what Soul Master doesn't take risks? Hiding in a Simulated Training Field all day would never make one a powerful Soul Master.
After hearing Tang San's words, the first one to step forward was Tailong.
"Third Young Master, let me enter the Godhood Ascension Ladder. I reached level 39 Soul Power half a year ago, but I'm still stuck there. The academy's Simulated Training Field alone can't help me break through the level 40 threshold. I want to give this a try."
Hearing this, Tang San nodded seriously and said, "Breaking through bottlenecks indeed requires some external impetus. According to the stone tablet's records, you just need to channel your Soul Power into the Soul Guidance Device to activate the trial."
Following Tang San's instructions, Tailong walked to the metal platform of the Soul Guidance Device, placed his right hand on it, and channeled his level 39 Soul Power into the device to activate it.
"Level 39 Soul Elder, entering Trial Channel Three for Soul Elders." Suddenly, a mechanical voice sounded from above.
Whoosh! Under everyone's watchful eyes, a brilliant light flashed, and in an instant, Tailong's figure disappeared before them.
Seeing Tailong take the lead, the other disciples rushed forward eagerly, all wanting to seize this ancient opportunity to enhance their Soul Power.
Then Tang Long and Tang Hu also chose to enter the Godhood Ascension Ladder, with Tang San being the last.
As a surge of light enveloped him the moment Tang San entered, he immediately sensed the space around him ripple. His vision blurred with shifting lights until the intense radiance faded, revealing an enormous square where he now stood.
The square seemed boundless, permeated with an ancient aura. The bluestone ground bore countless indentations of varying depths, as if countless battles had taken place here.
"Is this the Holy Spirit Sect's trial ground for disciples?" Tang San surveyed the vast square with curiosity. His gaze swept across before suddenly focusing on the distant front.
There stood a metal humanoid figure—so lifelike and exquisitely crafted that if not for its metallic surface, Tang San would have mistaken it for a living person. Moreover, from this metal figure, Tang San could faintly sense an astonishing fluctuation of Soul Power.
"What?! That metal figure is a Soul Guidance Device?!"
Tang San stared at the humanoid Soul Guidance Device in shock. He had seen mechanical puppets before—humanoid machines operated by gears and mechanisms, similar to the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons. But this Soul Guidance Device was nothing like those puppets. This humanoid Soul Guidance Device contained an immense reserve of Soul Power!
It could practically be called a Soul Master.
"The Soul Power fluctuation inside this Soul Guidance Device is almost on par with Tang Hu's. Isn't the trial of this Godhood Ascension Ladder a bit too difficult?"
Tang San quickly realized that these must be the trial's challenges—clearly, combat was involved.
The mechanical voice of the Godhood Ascension Ladder sounded again: "Godhood Ascension Ladder challenger with level 39 Soul Power. Select challenge difficulty: Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, or Titled. Different difficulty levels will summon correspondingly ranked opponents at their level 39 strength."
Now Tang San understood. No wonder this Soul Guidance Device contained such formidable Soul Power—it was designed for varying difficulty levels.
"So if I choose to challenge a Soul Saint, I'll face a Soul Saint's strength at level 39, right? Heh, interesting. This Soul Guidance Device can even simulate a Soul Master's power?"
Tang San was in no hurry, carefully examining this Soul Guidance Device. It was the first time he had heard of such a device.
"I'm confident I can reach Soul Saint and Soul Douluo levels. But can a Titled Douluo really possess the combat power of a Soul Emperor at level thirty-nine?"
However, just as Tang San was contemplating which difficulty to choose, the God Trial arrived!
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