The cold wind howled like blades across the eternally snow-covered land of the Extreme North. A small team trudged through the blizzard, as tiny as ants amid the boundless snow.
Leading them was a woman with long ice-blue hair. Her movement through the snow was graceful and unhindered, as if no obstacle could touch her. Behind her, seven others followed with difficulty, relying on their soul power to resist the frigid cold of the Extreme North.
Surprisingly, no soul beasts crossed their path.
Not because soul beasts were scarce in the Extreme North, but because they instinctively avoided this group.
Their leader was none other than the ruler of the Extreme North—the Snow Empress.
Although she had already become a soul spirit and ascended with Huo Yuhao, the soul beasts of the Extreme North still recognized her.
"Teacher, when will we reach our destination?" Luo Xingqi asked.
"We're almost there," the Snow Empress replied.
They arrived at the edge of a towering ice cliff. As they gazed into the distance, beneath the dim night and hazy snowfall, two towering, spiral-shaped towers could be seen piercing the heavens. Looming and mysterious, the towers twisted upward and faded into the storm.
The seven members of the Spark Team stared in awe at the Eternal Spiral Towers, some even left with their mouths agape.
"This is the Trial Tower of the Extreme North, known as the Eternal Spiral Tower," the Snow Empress said, activating her ice-blue soul power.
"The Eternal Spiral Tower? What kind of place is that?" Luo Xingqi asked.
"It is a divine relic left behind by the God of Eternity in the Extreme North—and it's where you'll undertake your next trial."
The cold elemental energy of the Extreme North gathered in her palm as she formed an enormous ice bridge across the cliff edge.
Condensed Ice into a Bridge.
In an instant, a magnificent bridge materialized before the seven of them.
"Follow me," said the Snow Empress, stepping confidently onto the bridge she had constructed.
The Spark Team, still in shock, followed her across the icy span. Using the bridge, they crossed a seemingly bottomless chasm and arrived at the other side of the cliff.
Before them stood the towering towers in full grandeur.
"How do we enter, Teacher?" Mu Yuanfang asked.
The Snow Empress walked up to a giant altar and said, "There is a teleportation array here that leads into the Eternal Spiral Tower. Simply stand on it to be transported to the tower's base and begin your trial."
Following her instructions, the seven stepped onto the giant altar. Beneath their feet, a recessed pattern lit up—a massive formation. As they reached the center, the formation activated, engulfing them in blinding light.
In the next moment, they vanished from the altar.
They had arrived inside the Eternal Spiral Tower.
Looking up, they could still see the night sky and stars. All around them was a vast, seemingly endless forest and a massive coliseum.
Then, all seven of them received a message simultaneously:
"Welcome to the Eternal Spiral Tower. Initial Training Begins."
"This is the inside of the tower?" Lin Chen wondered, looking up at the infinite stars and expansive land. As grand as the Eternal Spiral Tower was, this seemed to encompass an entire visible world—something far beyond what was expected.
"The rules of the trial are as follows:"
"Inside the tower, death is not real death. However, each challenge will erase your memory of this fact."
"You may train or hunt soul beasts outside the arena. All soul beasts on this floor are under 30,000 years old. You may choose whether any soul rings obtained here will apply in reality."
"Whether you win or lose, you will earn points. Points can be used to hire Arena Soul Masters to help you hunt soul beasts."
"At each round's countdown, regardless of your current location, you will be forcibly teleported into the trial arena to battle a simulated opponent team."
"If you lose and any teammate 'dies,' the tower resets. After 100 resets, the challenge is considered failed, and you will lose the right to attempt the Eternal Trial."
"If you win, you will complete the initial training and receive the Mark of Eternity."
"Holders of the Mark of Eternity may freely enter the Eternal Spiral Tower for future trials."
The voice faded, and the team began discussing the rules.
"Look there!" Mu Yuanfang pointed to the sky.
Above, the stars formed an enormous celestial timer, their movements marking the passage of time inside the tower.
"Seems like we don't have much time to prepare," said Ye Qingmei, frowning.
Lin Chen glanced again at the rule about death not being real, and said, "No matter what, let's go meet our opponents."
The countdown reached zero, and they were teleported into the arena.
The stands were packed. Cheers erupted from both sides of the coliseum. One side shouted:
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
The other side answered:
"Spark! Spark! Spark!"
The host was a beautiful woman with a pair of snow-white wings extending from her back. Her martial spirit was a white dove, ethereal and graceful.
"Now, let's welcome the stars of this Soul Combat Tournament: the Shrek Team!"
From the other side of the arena, a middle-aged man with a scholar's robe and buzz-cut hair stepped out with calm confidence. Hands behind his back, his half-lidded eyes exuded laziness mixed with certainty. Four men and three women followed behind him.
They all wore hideous poop-green uniforms, plastered with commercial slogans and ads.
Despite their ridiculous attire, the group radiated confidence and pride just by standing together.
And oddly enough—the audience loved it.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
"They look like an academy team, but I've never heard of Shrek Academy before," said Ye Qingmei, confused.
"All advanced soul master academies have standard uniforms. Anyone dressed like Shrek Academy… clearly not a serious institution," Zhao Hengning muttered.
"Don't underestimate any opponent—especially one that can appear in a divine realm. They're anything but simple," said Mu Yuanfang. Though he couldn't judge their strength directly, their aura alone made it clear they were not to be trifled with.
"Now, let's welcome the challengers: the Spark Team!"
A soul master with a forgettable face approached them and said, "I'm your team leader. Follow me to the stage."
Though uncertain of his intentions, the seven members followed the team leader onto the central dueling platform of the arena.
Team Spark stood firm and looked toward the Shrek Seven, who in turn returned their gaze—with a clear air of superiority.
The host announced, "You have one minute to activate your martial souls. Once that's done, await the start of the Soul Duel Tournament."
The seven members of Team Spark activated their martial souls. Though their soul power levels were at the level of Senior Soul Masters, their soul ring configurations were exceptional: yellow and purple.
Their martial souls included:
Golden Clear Sky Hammer, Nine-Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Emerald Swan, Nether Spirit Cat/White Tiger, Bone Dragon, and the Holy Light Guardian Angel.
From the Shrek side, Dai Mubai looked surprised and said, "Even though I don't know why you have those martial souls, it doesn't matter—you're dead today. Little San, Fatty, Oscar, Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Zhuqing—let's show them what we're made of."
As he spoke, the Shrek Seven activated their own martial souls:
White Tiger, Nether Spirit Cat, Blue Silver Grass, Soft-Boned Rabbit, Nine-Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Sausage, and the Ultimate Fire Phoenix.
In terms of martial soul quality, the two teams were on par. However, the disparity in strength was revealed the moment their soul rings appeared.
The entire Shrek team were four-ring Soul Ancestors, with Tang San even possessing a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring.
Sensing their overwhelming power—and now stripped of the understanding of the death rules—Team Spark felt immense pressure and had no way out.
"Countdown over. The Soul Duel officially begins."
In an instant, the Shrek Seven didn't use soul skills, but instead pulled out intricately crafted hidden weapons.
Swish swish swish—
The hidden weapons instantly killed Luo Xingqi, Su Qingqian, and Ye Qingmei. The remaining four barely survived the first round thanks to their martial soul's defensive and life-preserving capabilities.
There was no time to grieve. The survivors immediately faced a storm of attacks from the Shrek Seven.
They fought back with all their might. Xiao Wu teleported behind Lu Kai before he could react and unleashed her Eight-Stage Drop, throwing him off the field.
On the other side, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing unleashed their Nether White Tiger fusion skill. As Soul Ancestors, their power rivaled that of Soul Kings. They effortlessly shattered the Bone Dragon's defense and killed Zhao Hengning on the spot. Lin Chen tried to save Zhao but also fell prey to the tiger's jaws and was torn apart.
The last, Mu Yuanfang, was killed by Tang San.
Caught off guard, vastly outclassed, and surprised by the hidden weapons, Team Spark was completely wiped out by the Shrek Seven in their first encounter.
When they awoke again, they found themselves outside the arena, vividly remembering the pain of death.
"This team probably exists in the real world," Ye Qingmei said. "From what I know, Dai Mubai is the third prince of the Star Luo Empire, and Zhu Zhuqing is the second daughter of the Duke of the Netherworld."
"If that's the case," someone asked, "then do Tang San and Shrek Academy also exist in reality?"
Mu Yuanfang looked up at the sky. Inside the tower, their first reset had been recorded, meaning they had only 99 chances left.
Fortunately, unlike the beginning, they were now given ample time to train.
"There's not enough time. Even before the next round, we won't be able to close the power gap. Let's train hard. When the time comes to seek soul rings, let's search together. In the next round, our priority is to stall and gather intelligence."
In the second round, Team Spark once again faced the Shrek Seven. This time, having learned from their previous defeat, they avoided being instantly killed. Still, the enormous soul power gap led to another crushing loss.
This time, because they knew about Xiao Wu's teleportation soul skill, Lu Kai set a trap and injured her. This triggered Tang San's berserk buff, leading to their swift defeat.
However, they gained a crucial piece of information: injuring Xiao Wu causes Tang San to go berserk, dramatically increasing his power—a fact confirmed in subsequent battles.
By the fifth round, Mu Yuanfang reached level 30. In this tower world, all kinds of soul beasts existed. He chose a 7,000-year-old Titan Giant Ape as his third soul ring. With help from an arena soul master, he successfully acquired the soul ring.
In the rounds that followed, the rest of Team Spark gradually advanced to level 30. With everyone now at the Soul Elder level, though they still lost to Shrek, the despair from their initial defeats was no longer present.
Meanwhile…
Deep within the Spirit Hall's Angel Temple, the Spirit Hall battle team received the Angel God's trials.
Qingming received a Black-level 5 Trial.
Guang Ning received a Black-level 4 Trial.
Tian Yue received a Black-level 7 Trial.
The other four team members each received Purple-level trials.
Unlike the Sea God's trials, the Angel God's inheritance is restricted by martial soul compatibility—the inheritor must possess the Angel Martial Soul. Hence, the Black-level trials bestowed by the Angel God are the highest possible for other martial souls.
"Congratulations, Second, Third, and Fifth Elders—your descendants are quite outstanding," said Qian Daoliu.
The three elders responded, "We owe it to your generosity, Grand Worship."
Qian Daoliu shook his head and said, "This has nothing to do with me. It's all by the will of the Angel God." Then, with a kind expression, he asked:
"What are your trials?"
Tian Yue scratched her head and said, "The Angel God wants us to defeat a simulated team called the Shrek Seven Devils within the Angel Domain over the next six months. Does this team actually exist in the Douluo Continent?"
"Tian Yue," said Tian E, "the Shrek Seven Devils are the very team you must defeat in the Soul Master Tournament two years from now. Understand?"
"Yes, Grandpa," Tian Yue replied.
"Good. You may enter the simulation to test their strength," Qian Daoliu said.
The team of seven then entered the Angel Domain.
On the other side of the domain, light condensed into seven figures with proud expressions, dressed in shit-green uniforms covered in advertisements.
"This uniform is hideous," Guang Ning remarked.
Tian Yue sneered, "They're clearly just trying to stand out with cheap theatrics—deliberately being ugly to grab attention. Too bad there's no audience here to appreciate their performance art."