After the God of Battle Pavilion meeting, Jing Shaoyu's identity and status were completely solidified. As long as he wished, he could take control of both Shrek Academy and Shrek City at any time.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to consolidate his authority. Firstly, he still had to undergo a year of training in the Blood God Mountains and didn't have the time. Secondly, he lacked true allies within the God of Battle Pavilion, so he would wait until Xu Xiaoyan and the others joined before making his move.
Once the meeting concluded, the other Elders returned to their residences, leaving only Ya Li, Long Yeyue, and Jing Shaoyu's group of six in the God of Battle Pavilion's conference hall.
"Shaoyu, what exactly happened on Devil Island? Why have all of you improved so rapidly?" Ya Li voiced her deep curiosity. She could understand Jing Shaoyu's astonishing progress as a result of his extraordinary talent, but the fact that Xu Xiaoyan, Wu Siduo, and the other four had all advanced so quickly couldn't simply be explained by talent alone.
"Indeed, I also went to Devil Island when I was young," Long Yeyue said, a shadow flickering in her eyes. Even though it had been over a hundred years, she still couldn't remain calm when recalling it. "I'm familiar with the training methods of those seven seniors. Logically, the effects shouldn't be this significant. Could it be... because of me?"
Long Yeyue would rather suspect herself than believe it was due to the Seven Old Devils—the psychological trauma was simply too great.
"The seven seniors granted us access to Life Energy, which is why we improved so quickly," Jing Shaoyu explained.
"So that's it!" Long Yeyue's eyes flashed with envy. "That makes perfect sense."
Ya Li also nodded. "Very well. You should all rest for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll conduct a detailed examination of your training results."
"Understood, Godmother," Jing Shaoyu replied on behalf of the group.
The next day, Ya Li and Cai Yue'er arrived on behalf of the academy to assess the training results of Jing Shaoyu's group of six. The main focus, however, was on Xu Xiaoyan and the other four girls, as Jing Shaoyu was already a Titled Douluo. According to Shrek Academy's rules, once a student became a Titled Douluo, they would automatically be granted the status of a Pavilion Elder.
And Elders naturally couldn't be governed by the same rules that applied to students.
The first aspects examined were Soul Power and spiritual power.
In terms of Soul Power, Wu Siduo ranked the highest at level 78, followed by Lan Fozi at level 75, Xu Xiaoyan at level 73, Ye Xinglan at level 72, and Mo Hentian at level 71. This was straightforward and required no further explanation.
What truly warranted attention was their spiritual power. In this era, the more advanced a Soul Master became, the more crucial powerful spiritual power was. If nothing else, contracting a Soul Spirit alone required sufficiently strong spiritual power as a foundation. Otherwise, no matter how high one's Soul Power was, without a compatible Soul Spirit, it would all be for naught.
All five girls had broken through to the Spirit Abyss Realm in spiritual power—an extremely significant achievement. Reaching this realm meant their path to becoming Limit Douluos would be smooth, and they would have far greater flexibility in selecting their final Soul Spirits.
In terms of spiritual power, Mo Hentian ranked the highest, with a specific value breaking through ten thousand and reaching twelve thousand points. Next was Xu Xiaoyan, exactly at ten thousand points, followed closely by Lan Fozi and Wu Siduo, both above eight thousand points. Lastly, Ye Xinglan also exceeded seven thousand points.
Mo Hentian's second Martial Soul, the Sky Fox, was a traditionally powerful spiritual attribute Martial Soul. Although she had not attached any Soul Rings to it nor actively cultivated it, her foundation was still there, so her spiritual power naturally grew faster than others. Thus, it was only logical that she had the highest spiritual power.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the girls then shared their sixth Soul Skills with one another.
Wu Siduo's sixth Soul Skill was called Nether Advent, a reinforcement-type Soul Skill. Upon activation, all her attributes would be enhanced, and her attacks would carry the power of death. For Wu Siduo, this compensated for the weakness of her Nine Netherworld Cat Martial Soul, which lacked buff-type Soul Skills. More importantly, it allowed her to tap into the power of the death attribute.
Ye Xinglan's sixth Soul Skill was called Sword Star Soul, another offensive Soul Skill as usual—this time a large-scale area-of-effect attack. To put it simply, it was akin to Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, where countless stars transformed into sharp swords unsheathing simultaneously. The sight was not only dazzling but also terrifying.
Mo Hentian's sixth Soul Skill was named Slaying Hammer. The latent killing power hidden within her Sky-Hate Hammer awakened prematurely, granting her this extremely unique sixth Soul Skill. When activated, the killing power would condense into a new giant hammer, allowing Mo Hentian to wield dual hammers. The hammer formed from this killing power was the Slaying Hammer.
Summoning weapon-type Soul Skills usually appeared in Beast Soul Masters, so for Mo Hentian, a Weapon Soul Master, to obtain such a skill was indeed unusual.
Lan Fozi's sixth Soul Skill was called Boundless Sea. Like Ye Xinglan's Sword Star Soul, it was an area-of-effect attack. Leveraging her Sea King Whale Martial Soul and the power of Ultimate Water, she could briefly summon a projection of the ocean to crash down upon all targets, suppressing her opponents with the might of the sea. It was an overwhelmingly domineering Soul Skill.
Aside from the sixth Soul Skills, which required more time to explain, the other aspects could be summarized briefly.
All Soul Masters shared the same seventh Soul Skill—Spirit Avatar. The only difference was that some would incidentally awaken domain abilities, while others would not. The awakening of domains was closely tied to the quality of one's Martial Soul. The Martial Souls of Xu Xiaoyan and the other four girls all possessed domains, and they had successfully awakened them.
In the afternoon, upon learning that Jing Shaoyu had returned to Shrek Academy, Gu Yue immediately rushed over, even delaying the phase meeting for the development of the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform, which she valued greatly.
Why was she in such a hurry? Perhaps she was afraid Jing Shaoyu might take the initiative to visit her at the Spirit Transfer Pagoda. After all, if he went there, whether he would see her or someone else was no longer within her control. To avoid unnecessary complications, she chose to make the first move.
It wasn't because she missed Jing Shaoyu too much and couldn't wait to see him that she rushed over at the first news of his return. No, she just wanted to uphold the discipline of their sect. Yes, that was it—to maintain the fine traditions of their sect!
No matter what Gu Yue's purpose or state of mind was, Jing Shaoyu was genuinely happy to see her. The moment they met, they engaged in an enthusiastic exchange—so fervent that by the end of it, both were flushed red, a testament to the harmony between them.
"I missed you," Gu Yue murmured, nestled in Jing Shaoyu's embrace, her delicate face tinged pink, soft and shy. Had her subordinates witnessed this scene, they would have been stunned speechless, questioning their very existence—was this really their usually aloof, stern, and unsmiling Queen Gu? Surely, she hadn't been possessed?
"I missed you too," Jing Shaoyu replied, tightening his arm around her waist as if trying to meld her into his very being.
Gu Yue closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of the moment. After a long while, she finally opened them and said, "You've become a Titled Douluo? So fast—as expected of the man I chose!"
Perhaps too overwhelmed by emotion, Gu Yue no longer felt the need to hide her feelings, openly declaring her claim over Jing Shaoyu. It was a pity only the two of them were present; otherwise, she might have acted even more domineeringly.
"Hahaha, of course!" Jing Shaoyu grinned triumphantly. "You've already become a Spirit Transfer Envoy of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda. If I didn't step up my game, how could I possibly snatch you away from all the Soul Masters guarding you there?"
"Nonsense!" Gu Yue shot him a playful glare. "It's not that exaggerated. I'm not the Deputy Tower Master—I don't have that many admirers."
Jing Shaoyu chuckled inwardly. Did this little girl really hold such a grudge against Leng Yaozhu?
"I'll have to leave again soon," he said, shifting the topic.
"You just got back!" Gu Yue's earlier words were instantly forgotten as she looked at him in confusion. "Why do you have to go again? And you're already the dean of Shrek Academy—why are you still taking on missions meant for students?"
"It's my own decision," Jing Shaoyu explained, pinching her puffed-up cheeks. "Have you heard of the Blood God Legion?"
At his words, Gu Yue's gaze sharpened, her mind racing with speculations. "Yes, I know of them," she murmured.
As one of the four Spirit Transfer Envoys of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, Gu Yue wielded immense authority within the organization. Only the Tower Master and two Deputy Tower Masters outranked her, with the other three envoys being her equals. Naturally, she had access to classified information like the Blood God Legion.
"Then you must also understand the threat of the Abyss," Jing Shaoyu continued. "Right now, the Abyss has only opened a small passage, yet we've had to deploy such formidable forces to suppress and guard it. If they launch a full-scale invasion of the Douluo Continent, the entire Douluo Star will face an existential crisis!
This isn't just about Soul Masters or humanity—it concerns every race on Douluo Star! I'm not just a member of the Douluo Continent, I'm also… so I need to prepare in advance."
Though he deliberately omitted four words, Gu Yue could still read them from his lips. Her eyes darkened slightly as she said, "Even so, what do you plan to do?"
"At the moment, these are just vague ideas," Jing Shaoyu said. "The specific plan will need to be finalized after I visit the Blood God Mountains. However, I've studied the situation of the Abyss Plane. Their instinct is to devour other worlds and planes, and their purpose in descending upon the Douluo Continent is clearly to consume Douluo Star.
Since they want to devour us, why can't we turn the tables and devour them instead?
If we can consume the Abyss Plane, even if their level is slightly inferior to ours, the difference won't be significant. After absorbing them, Douluo Star will undoubtedly ascend, perhaps even directly becoming a God Star. By then, all living beings on Douluo Star will have the qualifications to ascend to godhood!"
Jing Shaoyu's words sent a tremor through Gu Yue's heart. She stared at him in a daze, never expecting his ambitions to be so grand. Yet, a glimmer of hope and fervor ignited within her. If things truly unfolded as Jing Shaoyu described, perhaps the future for her and the Soul Beast race could be even brighter!
"A Yuan, when you speak of living beings... does that include Soul Beasts?" she asked softly, her voice carrying an elusive tone as her eyes gleamed with an inscrutable light.
"Of course!" Jing Shaoyu nodded without hesitation. "Soul Beasts are also part of Douluo Star, so they naturally belong among those who can ascend. Yue'er, I intend to create a God Realm of our own. Will you... help me?"
Create a God Realm!
Gu Yue's heart trembled once more. Her lips parted slightly, her gaze filled with a mix of awe and bewilderment. This was the man she had chosen!
"Yes!" She nodded, her voice tender and sweet. "I will."
Jing Shaoyu was overjoyed. He pulled Gu Yue into a tight embrace, showering her lovely face with passionate affection.
By evening, Jing Shaoyu escorted Gu Yue back to the Spirit Transfer Pagoda. Even when they reached the gates of the headquarters, Gu Yue remained adamant about not letting him enter, leaving Jing Shaoyu with no choice but to resign himself to seeking out Leng Yaozhu another time.
"Alright, you should head back now," Gu Yue said, rising on her tiptoes to plant a light kiss on Jing Shaoyu's lips.
"Mm, I'll take my leave then," Jing Shaoyu replied with a nod before turning to go.
"Halt!"
A cold shout rang out. A young man descended from the sky, landing before Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue with a dark, brooding expression. Though his features were handsome, his sinister demeanor cast a shadow over his presence.
Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue reacted differently upon seeing him. The smile on Gu Yue's face instantly turned frosty as she spoke in an icy tone, "Qian Gu Zhangting, what do you want?"
Ignoring her question, Qian Gu Zhangting glared at Jing Shaoyu with fury and jealousy burning in his eyes. "Jing Shaoyu! Do you have the guts to accept my challenge?"
Ever since he witnessed the intimate relationship between Gu Yue and Jing Shaoyu a year ago, he had investigated Jing Shaoyu thoroughly. The information wasn't hard to obtain—none of it was a secret.
Though his grandfather Qiangu Dongfeng's influence had failed to force Gu Yue into submission, Qian Gu Zhangting still regarded her as his exclusive possession. Earlier that day, Gu Yue's delayed meeting had already put him on edge. He had tried to follow her, only for her to effortlessly shake him off.
He searched all afternoon in Shrek City but couldn't find her. Returning to the Spirit Transfer Pagoda in low spirits, he saw Gu Yue kissing another man goodbye. Moving closer, he recognized it was none other than Jing Shaoyu. How could he tolerate this?
Thus, Qian Gu Zhangting decisively stepped forward and challenged Jing Shaoyu. He knew Shaoyu was at Soul Saint level—even after a year, he'd at most be a Soul Douluo. Meanwhile, Qian Gu Zhangting had already reached the 91st rank as a Titled Douluo. If Shaoyu accepted the challenge, he could beat him into never daring to approach Gu Yuena again. Then wouldn't she obediently fall into his arms?
Zhangting wasn't worried about refusal—he had nine ways to force Jing Shaoyu into battle!
Gu Yue's expression darkened as she opened her mouth to reprimand Qian Gu Zhangting, but Shaoyu stopped her. He clearly understood Zhangting's schemes and had no intention of backing down.
"Let's hear it," Jing Shaoyu asked with interest.
"Good, you've got some spine!" Qian Gu Zhangting immediately declared. "We'll have a Soul Duel. If you lose, you must leave Gu Yuena forever and never approach her again! If I lose, I'll acknowledge you as my master and become your slave! Do you dare accept?"
Hearing this, Gu Yue grew even angrier, but Jing Shaoyu was surprised. He hadn't expected Qian Gu Zhangting to be so straightforward, wagering his own freedom. Normally, shouldn't he be so confident of victory that he'd skip mentioning his own penalty?
Interesting. Jing Shaoyu smiled—such an honest villain was truly rare.
The young master of the prestigious Qian Gu family, a Spirit Transfer Envoy of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda and one of its heir candidates, was willing to stake his freedom as the wager. Shaoyu had no reason to refuse—this coincidentally gave him the perfect justification to interfere with the Pagoda's affairs.
"How could I possibly refuse!" he answered without hesitation.
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