Gu La absentmindedly rubbed his fingers over his new modern-style clothes, his mind racing with thoughts: "The secrets of crafting spirit souls and contracts are closely guarded by the Spirit Pagoda, known only to a few high-ranking individuals. Perhaps some influential figures also know, but I have no idea who they are."
"Shrek Academy is said to be the top academy on the continent, yet it encourages self-reliance. Without a strong background or financial backing, it's nearly impossible to thrive there."
"A common hundred-year spirit soul costs one million gold coins, a thousand-year spirit soul starts at ten million, and a ten-thousand-year spirit soul is rare and priceless—it's the foundation of the Spirit Pagoda, beyond what mere gold can measure."
"Shrek Academy has money, but they won't fund this for their students. Instead, they invite accomplished alumni to stay at the academy…"
Gu La sneered. Without the reputation of being the continent's top academy, Shrek's behavior would be no different from exploitation.
"Shrek Academy has long lost its original essence. It's better to join the Spirit Pagoda and find a way to become a Spirit Envoy—that might be the fastest route to uncovering the secrets of spirit souls."
"However, in the original story, Gu Yuena had to become one of the four Spirit Envoys. Even as the disciple of a Limit Douluo and a four-character battle armor master, with support from the Leng family and ferocious beasts, she still had to seduce Qiangu Zhangting to achieve her goal."
Gu La silently groaned. Did he really have to resort to brute force and then lie low for half a year?
To be honest, Gu La hated the feeling of being immobile. Being bedridden for even a week would drive him mad. No matter how useful telekinesis was, it couldn't compare to having full use of his limbs. Prolonged reliance on telekinesis might even make him subconsciously want to abandon his physical body—a terrifying thought.
"Sigh, first, I need to find a way back to Douluo Continent—the center of this world. I must check the current timeline and hope there's still time to act."
Using hypnosis along the way, Gu La navigated Dou Ling Empire, which still operated under a noble system. It was easy to find people of high status with weak willpower. With his Ling Yuan-level spiritual power, few below Titled Douluo—aside from spirit-type soul masters—could resist his hypnotic techniques. If someone could, he'd just apply more pressure.
Three days later, Gu La successfully obtained the identity of an illegitimate child from a fire-attribute soul master family.
This was a carefully chosen target.
An ostracized illegitimate son, a newly inherited baron title, and a lineage of fire-attribute martial souls nearly exterminated by rebel forces—it was practically tailor-made for him.
He was the sole surviving heir, making him the perfect candidate to replace. Especially after hosting a debaucherous party that led to his supposed death from overindulgence, Gu La smoothly assumed his identity, packed up all the wealth, and immigrated to the Sun Moon Federation.
Of course, the Dou Ling Empire wouldn't allow one of its nobles to defect, but the people they sent couldn't stop Gu La. He reached the Sun Moon Federation embassy without issue.
Bound by public opinion and the influence of the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, the Sun Moon Federation couldn't openly wage war. However, their covert efforts to undermine Dou Ling never ceased, and even though Dou Ling knew, they were powerless to stop it.
Five days later, Gu La boarded a soul-guided ship bound for Douluo Continent. The journey would last a month, during which diplomats would explain the Sun Moon Federation's systems and benefits to the immigrants—those accepted as immigrants were either highly intelligent talents or wealthy merchants, making them worth the effort.
In the early morning, as the Sea God soul-guided cruise ship cut through the mist, Gu La leaned against the railing of the first-class observation deck.
With great interest, he gazed at the newly issued federal ID card in his hand. The name "Gula von Rodell" glowed faintly blue on the electronic screen.
This steel behemoth, equipped with a level-seven soul-guided shield, carried six hundred immigrants toward the new continent. From deep within the ship came the faint, mournful cry of a deep-sea devil whale.
While the Sun Moon Federation's diplomat mingled with the crowd, Gu La found him irritating. After briefly exchanging pleasantries, he feigned illness to avoid further interaction, occasionally venturing out only to savor gourmet food or admire the scenery.
A month later, Gu La stepped onto the soil of the Sun Moon Federation, declining the diplomat's invitation to attend a banquet.
He boarded a soul-guided train and traveled to Donghai City, the most prosperous region in the east. After spending some time and lavishly spending money, he purchased an estate.
After careful consideration, Gu La decided to focus on cultivating his Celebi martial soul.
There were two reasons for this decision. First, the stronger the Celebi martial soul became, the greater his ability to traverse space-time, allowing him to return to his original timeline sooner.
After all, he was merely a passerby in this world—he would eventually return home.
Second, the Celebi martial soul currently lacked soul rings, making it easier to fuse with spirit souls. In contrast, Groudon's three soul rings were not provided by spirit souls, making it stand out on Douluo Continent.
Moreover, Groudon's martial soul had already reached its limit. Gu La preferred to evolve Celebi once before continuing to cultivate Groudon, ensuring a balance between the two.
Thus, after some transactions, Gu La established himself in Donghai City and befriended many of its upper-class figures.
Though his immigration might seem like betrayal, earning him subtle disdain and exclusion, Gu La was only ten years old, and his family had been massacred by evil soul masters. No one criticized him for immigrating.
As twilight painted the metallic dome of Donghai City in a deep red hue, Gu La rubbed the spirit soul certificate in his pocket. The golden emblem of the Spirit Pagoda on the card felt textured under his fingertips.
This qualification, obtained through his baron title, granted him a status equivalent to a member of the lower house of parliament in the Sun Moon Federation.
Riding soul-guided trains cost nothing, and he gained access to rarer spirit souls at the Spirit Pagoda. He could even write letters to the parliament offering suggestions, though the parliament wasn't obligated to read them.
Standing outside the Spirit Pagoda in Donghai City, Gu La's eyes flickered as he recalled the information he'd gathered recently.
"Tang Wulin is a year younger than me and has just enrolled in Donghai Academy. Gu Yue hasn't appeared yet, meaning she hasn't apprenticed under Leng Yaozhu…"
"No, wait. Gu Yue had ferocious beasts pose as her hidden family. She might have already made contact with Leng Yaozhu earlier."
"Moreover, the Leng family itself has been forced to contract its influence under the pressure of the Qiangu family. They wouldn't have the resources to support both her and Tang Wulin in securing the position of Spirit Envoy."
After pondering, Gu La realized it would be difficult to insert himself into the situation.
"Still, where there's a will, there's a way. Worst case, I'll uncover the secrets of the Spirit Pagoda and seize them by force."
"Speaking of which, there are no gods in this world—not even Tang Hao is anything more than a 2nd Class God. Could I summon Groudon's true form to Douluo Continent?"
Gu La had attempted it. His connection with his clone transcended space and time dimensions, remaining clear even after traversing timelines.
Groudon: "Do as you please. But if you can't return, forget it. I still want to snatch the Plates from that Alpaca and take charge myself."
Gu La chuckled helplessly. It was indeed the kind of thought he might have entertained.
After confirming his identity through a retinal scan, Gu La was invited by the Spirit Pagoda staff to enter the higher levels. Along the way, he observed the soul masters queuing up to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform and noticed an icy young man leading a group of teenagers.
"Skyfrost Sword Wu Zhangkong. Has Zero Class been established yet? That Bone Dragon King soul master is still around—it seems I haven't arrived too late."
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