The air in the private training room of the Spirit Transmission Tower was thick, saturated with a spiritual energy so dense it felt like liquid silk against the skin. Qian Gu Zhangting sat at the center of this vortex, his breathing rhythmic and shallow. In the world of soul masters, etiquette was the armor of the weak, and power was the only true currency. Since Han Tianyi—the brilliant, obsessive architect of the new project—had volunteered to handle the diplomatic formalities with the Body Sect, Zhangting found himself gifted with a rare, golden window of time.
He did not squander a single second.
Soul power is the foundation of all divinity, he mused, his internal vision tracking the golden rivers of energy circulating through his meridians.
The blueprint for his ascension was already etched into his mind with surgical precision. He called it the Ultimate Single-Soul Path, a trinity of power that would elevate him beyond the reach of any contemporary:
Resources: The Ice God Pearl, a relic of absolute zero capable of tempering a soul to the point of indestructibility.
Physicality: The forbidden body-tempering secrets of the Body Sect.
Cognition: The cutting-edge breakthroughs of the Brain Development Project.
Everything was falling into place. He thought briefly of the pieces still off the board—Aolai City, where the "child of destiny" Tang Wulin was currently nothing more than an infant drifting in the cold silence of space. He thought of the Starry Sky Forest, where the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, slumbered in her scales of moonlight.
I am ten years ahead, Zhangting thought, a predatory calm settling over him. Ten years to become a god before the protagonist even learns to breathe this world's air.
He suppressed the urge to reach for too much too fast. You must eat the world one bite at a time, or you will choke on its complexity. For now, his primary objective was singular: refine his strength and provide his grandfather, Qian Gu Dongfeng, the leverage needed to finally settle the blood-feud with Shrek Academy.
The peace of cultivation was eventually shattered by the gears of reality. The Spirit Tower Council had finished its deliberations, and the journey to the Body Sect's ancestral lands began.
Qian Gu Dongfeng personally led the envoy. As they traversed the rugged landscapes toward the Tianqian Territory, the grandfather and grandson spoke at length. Dongfeng's voice was uncharacteristically heavy, laced with a warning that bordered on paranoia.
"Even with three Limit Douluos guarding your back, Zhangting, you are never truly safe," Dongfeng warned, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "The world is full of variables. Even Han Tianyi—who is perhaps more dangerous than a Limit Douluo in his own right—cannot shield you from a hidden blade."
Zhangting, usually sharp-tongued and defiant, simply nodded in obedient silence. He knew when to play the part of the dutiful heir.
"About the Ice God Pearl," Dongfeng continued, his tone shifting to business. "Tiansheng mentioned your obsession with it. It is yours—on one condition. The Spirit Pagoda will only finalize the purchase from the Federation after the treaty with the Body Sect is signed. And you will be the one to face their elders. You will negotiate. You will prove your worth."
"I understand, Grandpa," Zhangting replied, his eyes gleaming with a cold, competitive fire. "Thank you."
He knew the success rate was already projected at ninety percent. This wasn't a negotiation; it was a coronation ceremony disguised as a business deal.
The Tianqian Territory rose out of the earth like a jagged tooth of stone—an insurmountable barrier that served as the cradle of the Body Sect.
Its history was written in blood and iron. Ten thousand years ago, they were the guardians of the Heavenly Soul Empire, driven into exile by the Sun Moon Empire's crushing war machine. But six thousand years ago, when the Abyss Plane tore through the fabric of reality, the Body Sect had redeemed themselves in the fires of an interdimensional war.
While Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect paid their tolls in lives, the Body Sect produced a miracle: a master of the Innate Secret Technique who achieved the Flawless Golden Body.
Legend described the Flawless Golden Body as a "Mortal Deity." It was a physical state immune to energy decay, resistant to all negative status effects, and capable of devouring the world's natural energy to replenish itself indefinitely. That ancestor had fought three quasi-gods simultaneously and won, reclaiming this territory by sheer, brutal force.
Now, the Body Sect had declined. Its current leader, Mu Ye, had yet to even reach the heights of a Super Douluo. Yet, as the Spirit Pagoda envoy entered the Council Hall, the weight of that history felt like a physical pressure.
On the left sat the Body Sect: a row of men and women whose physical presence was so intense the air seemed to ripple around them. Mu Ye sat at the center, surrounded by Ninth Ring Elders—the "centipede that was dead but had not yet fallen."
On the right sat Han Tianyi and the Spirit Pagoda's elite, the intellectuals of the soul world.
"It has been many years, Sect Master Mu," Qian Gu Dongfeng's voice boomed as he entered, his aura of a Limit Douluo instantly clashing with the heavy physical pressure of the hall. "Your demeanor remains as impressive as ever."
Mu Ye stood, his movements fluid and precise, the hallmark of a man who had mastered every fiber of his being. "The Master of the Ancient Tower is too kind. A man of your standing visiting our humble peaks... it is an honor we cannot ignore."
The pleasantries were a mask. Both men were masters of the craft of power, aware that they were standing at a turning point that would dictate the rise or fall of their respective sects for the next thousand years.
"Let us dispense with the small talk," Dongfeng said, his eyes flicking to Zhangting. "We have a legitimate cause. We are an army of progress, a righteous force looking to bridge the gap between soul and body. Shall we discuss the terms of our 'benevolent' alliance?"
Mu Ye's gaze landed on Zhangting. It wasn't the gaze of a businessman, but that of a predator evaluating prey. "Your grandson... he has the eyes of a man who has seen the end of the world and decided he didn't like the outcome."
Zhangting stepped forward, his heart hammering against his ribs—not with fear, but with the intoxicating rush of a mystery about to be solved. The Body Sect held the key to his "Flawless" future, and he would stop at nothing to take it.
The negotiation had begun, but beneath the table, Zhangting's hand rested on the hilt of a hidden blade, his mind already calculating the exact moment the "peace" would break.
The scent of lilies—the same scent from his private chamber—suddenly wafted through the hall, though there wasn't a flower in sight.
Zhangting's eyes widened. She's here.