"Greetings, Deputy Tower Master."
Zhou Tianshuo bowed respectfully. The folds of his golden-threaded robe shimmered like ripples under the soul-guided lights, his demeanor exceptionally deferential.
As the leader of the Leng family faction in the Donghai branch, he was well aware of the temperament of this Phoenix Douluo. Even his breathing became deliberately softer.
"Elemental affinity approaching Ultimate, mastery over seven elements…"
Leng Yaozhu was still recalling the young girl she had just met as she took her seat at the head of the room. A holographic projection on the crystal table replayed Gu Yue's battle footage repeatedly.
"Explain. What caused the alarm?"
"It was a boy's martial soul—it released an extreme level of heat…"
Zhou Tianshuo quickly summarized the situation, sharing all he knew with Leng Yaozhu.
After listening, Leng Yaozhu's eyes grew deep and contemplative.
A dual-Ultimate martial soul—something even she, a Limit Douluo and Four-Character Battle Armor Master, had never encountered. Her own martial soul was the Ultimate fire-based Phoenix. Title: Heavenly Phoenix.
A dual-Ultimate martial soul wasn't simply about possessing two attributes—it held immeasurable potential.
She had originally intended to take only Gu Yue as a disciple, but now she hesitated.
Compared to Gu Yue's multi-element control, Gu La's dual-Ultimate martial soul was no less impressive, and in some cases, potentially even stronger.
Leng Yaozhu looked at Gu La, her first impression favorable. With a slight parting of her crimson lips, she asked, "You're Gula. Do you know Gu Yue?"
"No."
Gu La's mental strength was formidable, allowing him to lie convincingly even in front of a Limit Douluo.
Leng Yaozhu nodded slightly. It was merely a casual question. What intrigued her was how Gu La's indifferent demeanor mirrored Gu Yue's, evoking a sense of familiarity.
Zhao Tianyu hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. "Tower Master, young Gula here is also a twin martial soul user. He came today to purchase a soul spirit."
Both Zhou Tianshuo and Leng Yaozhu were momentarily stunned. Twin martial souls weren't particularly rare, but if Gu La's first martial soul was a dual-Ultimate one…
Leng Yaozhu's usually calm heart raced with emotion, though her outward demeanor remained composed. "Release your second martial soul."
Gu La complied without hesitation, summoning his Celebi martial soul.
At this stage, the Celebi martial soul couldn't compare to the evolved Groudon martial soul, but the temporal energy within Gu La's body gave Celebi an extraordinary presence.
When Celebi's phantom appeared, the scorching air cleared instantly. All four of them felt as though they were surrounded by nature, their bodies refreshed and at ease.
This was an advanced use of Celebi's ability—not just affecting oneself but influencing the surrounding environment.
Leng Yaozhu stared at Gu La's forehead, marveling, "What astonishing mental power—at least mid-Spirit Sea Realm. At an age similar to Gu Yue's, both his soul power and mental strength far surpass hers. Compared to that person, he's no less remarkable…"
Thinking of her unrequited love and her missing sister who had run away from home, Leng Yaozhu's heart sank with melancholy.
Her gaze sharpened as she noticed the distorted space and slowed time around the Celebi martial soul. She was inwardly surprised: 'It even carries traces of space and time attributes. However, these are still inferior to the dual-Ultimate martial soul. Clearly, there's untapped potential.'
"Enough. Retract your martial soul."
Crimson-gold light swirled around Leng Yaozhu's fingertips. The air rippled as her overwhelming strength forcibly teleported the other two out of the room.
"Would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Leng Yaozhu decided to follow her instincts and take Gu La as her disciple.
"I am honored, Master."
Gu La bowed respectfully, secretly relieved. After a series of twists and turns, his goal had been achieved.
He suddenly paused, realizing that since arriving in this timeline, his luck seemed to have been consistently good.
Whether it was finding the perfect identity to replace, purchasing an estate, befriending influential figures, or becoming a disciple—all had unfolded perfectly according to his plans.
"Could it be… that the title of 'Fortune's Child' from the original timeline still holds true in this current one?"
Gu La boldly speculated, 'If that's the case, does the identity of 'Child of Nature' still hold value?'
"Tang Hao and Ah Yin—one the Plane Lord, the other the core of the plane—must be dealt with at some point. Otherwise, I won't find peace."
Gu La stood with his head bowed, pondering these issues without disrupting the apprenticeship ritual. Fortunately, there was no custom of kowtowing in Douluo Continent; mutual acknowledgment of the master-disciple relationship was what mattered most.
After completing the ceremony, Gu La naturally changed his address.
"Master."
"Mm."
Leng Yaozhu acknowledged. This was her first time taking a disciple, and she observed Gu La while considering what to do next.
A second later, she said, "You would have had a senior sister, but now that you've suddenly appeared, I haven't formally taken her as a disciple yet. In the future, she will likely become your junior sister."
"You mean Gu Yue, whom you mentioned earlier?" Gu La feigned ignorance.
"That's right. You must get along well in the future."
After giving her instructions, Leng Yaozhu checked Gu La's physical condition. Seeing his one purple and two black soul rings, she was momentarily surprised but soon dismissed it.
In the current era of Douluo Star, after extensive development and efficient use of treasures, achieving a thousand-year first ring wasn't impossible—it was just that soul spirits offered better cost-effectiveness.
"The soul rings chosen for you by your family were carefully selected. Crystallized mutant Earth Demon Bear—Spirit Pagoda doesn't even have such a soul spirit."
"However, as my disciple, you won't need to worry about lacking suitable soul spirits. Since you've just become my disciple today, I'll gift you a soul spirit as a token of our master-disciple bond."
Leng Yaozhu grabbed Gu La and boarded her black mech suit, flying southward at high speed toward a city.
Her black mech suit was named "Phoenix Perch," its cockpit interior engraved with intricate phoenix patterns.
As the mech ascended, Gu La noticed the patterns absorbing light elements from the clouds, flowing across the dark metal surface like molten lava veins.
Through the porthole, the steel forest below rapidly receded, replaced by a sprawling expanse of greenery. Countless soul-guided trains zipped through tunnels carved between the trees.
Inside the mech, Leng Yaozhu explained, "Your martial soul is primarily plant-based, with spiritual support and traces of space-time attributes."
"There are very few soul beasts suited to becoming your soul spirit. Fortunately, your mental strength rivals that of a Soul Douluo, giving you ample choices."
"Let me test you. What soul beasts do you think would make suitable soul spirits for you?"
The internal space of the mech was cramped, and sitting together inevitably led to physical contact. Leng Yaozhu treated Gu La like a child and didn't mind; their waists occasionally brushed against each other.
Gu La could only silently recite the Ice Heart Mantra, focusing on the question to distract himself.
"The most famous would be the Demon Eye Tree and the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. The former has the Myriad Beasts King as an example, so no further explanation is needed. The latter, being primarily spiritual-based and rarely developing intelligence, isn't worth considering."
Leng Yaozhu was momentarily stunned. Even if Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew fit the criteria, aside from the Tang Sect's sacred grounds, it would be impossible to find one suitable as a soul spirit—and the Tang Sect wouldn't trade it anyway.
She realized that her newly acquired disciple seemed to speak with great confidence.
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