A pitch-black void surrounded him...
Just then, a mechanical voice rang out.
"Star Dou Pod ready. Do you wish to connect to the Star Dou Battle Network?"
The electronic voice was highly synthetic and not exactly pleasant to hear.
"Connect."
A tremor ran through his body as a powerful electric sensation surged across his skin, as if his entire body had been electrocuted. No wonder normal people weren't allowed to use Star Dou Pods. Without strong enough physical conditioning, even this soul tool energy scan alone could cause irreversible harm to a regular person.
Gu You silently complained in his heart. The next moment, a wave of dizziness swept over him.
When he came to again, the darkness had turned into light.
Unlike the Spirit Ascension Platform, this wasn't a direct entry into a virtual world. Instead, his field of vision was filled with streams of data.
"Body scan complete. Connection to the Star Dou Battle Network successful. Please speak your desired action aloud. The Battle Network will process the command."
"I want to register for the Star Dou Battle Network's Federal Challenge Tournament," Gu You said slowly. The system didn't seem as advanced as he expected.
"Understood. Beginning registration. Please state your name."
Gu You hesitated for a moment, then gave his real name.
Privacy wasn't a concern. The most powerful feature of the Star Dou Battle Network was its confidentiality. All internal data was recorded solely by the central AI system. Each registered soul master would be assigned a classification level based on their performance in battles. Even the Federal Parliament could not access a participant's identity without full council approval. This ensured that malicious parties couldn't use the system to spy on others.
The system asked a series of questions and began registering his identity.
"You may choose a nickname. This nickname will be used for competition and public display."
Gu You thought for a moment. "Dragon God."
"Dragon God? Please confirm."
"Confirm."
"Sorry, the selected nickname is already in use,"
the electronic voice responded.
Gu You clenched his fist.
'Fine. I know how this works.'
"Please choose another nickname."
"Purple-Gold King," Gu You said after another moment of thought.
"Purple-Gold Turtle? Please confirm?"
Dark lines appeared on Gu You's forehead.
"No! It's Purple-Gold King! Never mind. I'm not arguing with you, dumb AI."
"Understood. Also—for your information, I am not a dumb AI. I am a product of the Federal Science and—"
"Stop! Don't tell me any of that useless stuff."
"Understood."
"Nickname confirmed. Gu You, registered nickname: Purple-Gold King. Soul power: Rank 79. Special constitution: suspected dragon bloodline. Physical strength exceeds standard classifications. Categorized as an innate talent-type soul master. Registration complete. Do you wish to sign up for the Star Dou Battle Network Federal Challenge Tournament?"
"Yes."
At that moment, Gu You's mind shifted to something more important than arguing with a robotic voice.
The key wasn't how clumsy the AI seemed—it was the fact that the Federation had mastered this technology.
If the previous Federation could be compared to the modern era in his past life, then this version of the Federation had clearly stepped into the early era of artificial intelligence.
The Douluo Federation's tech had advanced to the point where AI could be integrated into fully simulated systems. Even though this system still felt crude—less sophisticated than the Spirit Ascension Platform—the AI-powered infrastructure placed it on an entirely different tier.
This was monumental.
This tournament didn't seem to be just about giving soul masters a taste of cutting-edge tech. It looked more like the Federation was using their combat data to evaluate and improve AI applications. If artificial intelligence became truly refined, it could very well trigger another leap forward in human science and technology.
The more Gu You thought about it, the more excited he became.
'What if the galactic era really is around the corner?'
'If that day comes, there'll be so much to explore and play with.'
He had to admit—Federation scientists were impressive.
Gu You didn't understand much about AI itself, but he could easily imagine how its wide-scale application would transform society.
A flash of light shifted the scene before his eyes. He now stood on a city street. A voice echoed in his ears.
"You have entered the Western Division. Please follow the guide to the competition zone for orientation. Also, please select your competition category: soul master battle or mecha battle."
A softly glowing white arrow appeared in front of Gu You. Following it forward, he soon saw a massive structure—huge and imposing like a sports stadium. Around him, others were also walking in the same direction.
From appearance alone, it clearly couldn't compare to the fully immersive Spirit Ascension Platform. The Star Dou System still had a long way to go in refinement. But considering it included AI functionality, those shortcomings didn't matter much.
Following the crowd into the massive Western Division competition arena, a flash of light appeared before Gu You. A virtual screen materialized in front of him.
"Please select your competition category."
Without hesitation, Gu You selected both soul master battle and mecha battle.
Immediately, the screen filled with detailed information.
The top reward of the Star Dou Battle Network Tournament was incredibly generous—Gu You already knew that much. Originally, this system shouldn't have appeared so early in the timeline, but clearly, his very presence had altered the course of Douluo's development.
A classic butterfly effect—not surprising.
At the top of the screen were the bold words:
Registration Complete
Below that were the detailed rules for the mecha and soul master competitions.
Because of the expected high volume of participants, the Federation had divided the tournament into eight major regions. Placement was determined by the Star Dou Pod's physical location. Since Gu You was stationed in the Endless Mountains, he naturally belonged to the Western Division.
For the mecha battle category, competitors had to choose between melee or ranged models. No other options were available.
A footnote added: The mecha battles emphasize pure piloting skill. Participants may try out the standardized tournament mecha in advance. Custom mecha are not allowed.
This would be problematic for many pilots. Most were only familiar with their personal mechs. Using a completely unfamiliar unit would undoubtedly reduce their combat effectiveness.
Still, considering how new the system was, Gu You found it understandable.
'If everyone brought in their own mecha, imagine how much data the system would have to process.'
'Besides, real mecha combat should be based on core skills, not just custom tuning.'
While the mechs were standardized, the soul master's own abilities could still be used…
(End of Chapter)
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