Zhangting spent his days distributing the Pagoda's vast resources to his grandfather's most trusted confidants. He lacked his own "Inner Circle," but he was a master at using the tools at hand. One by one, stagnant projects were revitalized, but he kept the most revolutionary one for himself.
The Legacy of the Undead Scourge
The project was a derivation of the Soul Spirit Formation—the same magic once perfected by the legendary Huo Yuhao (Spirit Ice Douluo). Zhangting knew a secret most historians ignored: the true origin of these arrays wasn't Yuhao, but his master, Electrolux, the Necromancer from another world.
In Electrolux's original world, a magical contract between humans and demonic beasts existed—a symbiotic bond far more natural than the current "transactional" Spirit Soul system. Previously, the Spirit Pagoda had ignored this research because it wasn't profitable; spirit beasts grew too slowly. But Zhangting saw the endgame. With the Demon Plane now accessible, a "Contract" could turn an invasive army into a domesticated legion.
The Summoning Gate: Ao Wuchang
As Zhangting finished his administrative purge, a young man entered the office. Ao Wuchang. His spirit was the Summoning Gate, a rare and bizarre tool that defied standard classification.
"Young Master, the guests you invited are in the lounge," Ao Wuchang whispered. He was fiercely loyal, a "diamond in the rough" discovered by the Pagoda and now assigned as Zhangting's personal shadow.
Chapter 41: Investing in the Future
In the lounge, four individuals waited—none of them world-shaking geniuses yet, but all of them essential pieces in Zhangting's grand puzzle.
The Master Blacksmith: Mang Tian
The first to lose his composure was a blue-haired, muscular man named Mang Tian. A Level 4 Blacksmith, he was currently at a dead end. To reach the rank of Level 5 Grandmaster, he needed astronomical amounts of rare metals, the kind of cost that forces a man to sell his soul to a bank.
When the Spirit Pagoda offered him an unlimited supply of rare metals for free, he was terrified.
"Young Master Zhangting," Mang Tian stammered, looking at the teenager before him. "I don't understand... what could a giant like the Spirit Pagoda possibly want from a blacksmith like me?"
Zhangting leaned back, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I won't ask for the impossible, Mang Tian. I won't ask you to kill Yun Ming. I have only one requirement."
"What is it?" Mang Tian asked, bracing for the worst.
"Your original plan," Zhangting said, his eyes sharp. "You were going to travel to the Eastern Continent to borrow money from the Blacksmith Association to fund your breakthrough. My requirement is this: Do not change your itinerary. Go exactly where you were going to go. Do exactly what you were going to do."
The Shadow Over the East
Mang Tian was baffled but relieved. He didn't realize the strategic importance of his location. By keeping Mang Tian on his original path, Zhangting was placing a "tether" near Tang Wulin—the future protagonist. He wasn't just funding a blacksmith; he was positioning an observer in the life of his greatest potential rival.
As Mang Tian left, Zhangting turned his gaze to the next person in the room—a woman whose presence carried the faint, chilling scent of the underworld.
"And you," Zhangting whispered, looking at Long Bing. "You don't want Wu Changkong to find out you're an Evil Soul Master, do you?"
The temperature in the lounge seemed to drop ten degrees. The "Distribution of Wealth" was over. The "Collection of Secrets" had begun.
Next Chapter: The Cold Spirit's Secret — The Recruitment of Long Bing.
Expert Guide: Zhangting has secured Mang Tian (Tang Wulin's future teacher). Now he is confronting Long Bing (Wu Changkong's tragic love). Should he use her as a double agent within the Holy Spirit Cult to sabotage their bombing of Shrek, or should he "purify" her spirit to earn the eternal loyalty of the "Sky-Freezing" Wu Changkong?