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"However, compared to the more common True Dragon bloodline, the Behemoth bloodline is exceedingly rare, and progress in its restoration is still far off. Spirit Pagoda can't possibly allocate all its resources to a bloodline with low compatibility while neglecting research on True Dragon genes."
Leng Yaozhu's slender fingers swept across the holographic projection, pulling up sets of genetic comparison data.
She was well aware of the challenges in researching the Behemoth bloodline. This ancient top-tier bloodline had very few samples available, and its genetic sequence contained large amounts of chaotic fragments that couldn't be deciphered.
In contrast, the True Dragon bloodline database already included over 500 subtypes, producing dozens of top-tier papers annually.
The implied message behind Leng Yaozhu's words was for Gu La not to expect too much. With the quality of his martial soul, there were very few spirit souls that could truly aid him.
"Teacher, I understand your meaning."
Gu La felt that Teacher Leng Yaozhu had misunderstood him deeply. Was he really someone who demanded perfection to an overly strict degree?
The holographic image of Leng Yaozhu projected through the communicator nodded slightly, her fingertips tapping to bring up an encrypted file. "Don't obsess over the Behemoth bloodline. Spirit Pagoda's ten-thousand-year legacy has more than enough depth to provide you with excellent choices."
The holographic display switched to a three-dimensional projection of two ferocious beasts. "The Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear left behind by Spirit Ice Douluo has, after seven generations of cultivation by the Tower Masters, broken through the 200,000-year bottleneck."
Gu La's pupils contracted slightly. The massive bear's front claws shimmered with a dark golden hue, and even the simulated aura from the data alone made it hard to breathe. He noticed the red marker in the corner of the file: "Star Dou Great Forest Incident, Case X-742."
This reminded him of the historical records of the "Blood Dawn." It seemed that the final battle between Spirit Pagoda and the Star Dou Great Forest had established the current standoff between soul beasts and Spirit Pagoda.
"In the conflict between the Star Dou Great Forest and Spirit Pagoda a thousand years ago, for various reasons, they became spirit souls."
"Once you're able to withstand the pressure of a ferocious beast's spirit soul..." Leng Yaozhu didn't finish her sentence, but Gu La understood completely.
Good grief!
Gu La had a clear understanding of what those "various reasons" meant—most likely, the tensions between humans and soul beasts had reached a breaking point, prompting Spirit Pagoda's leadership to strike first. Otherwise, with the innate talent of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, it wouldn't have perished at just 200,000 years under human protection.
Still, Gu La could understand the reasoning behind Spirit Pagoda's decision. Putting himself in their shoes, watching humans continuously destroy soul beast habitats and slaughter them to create spirit souls...
Who knew if the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear might suddenly feel sorrow for the loss of its kind and conspire with other ferocious beasts to strike back at Spirit Pagoda? At that point, the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear would have become a ticking time bomb within Spirit Pagoda, one that needed to be neutralized sooner or later.
Gu La shook his head. It wasn't his problem to worry about—knowing that a spirit soul awaited him in the future was enough.
"Teacher, you haven't mentioned the other two types of soul beasts yet."
"The second option is a variant Two-Headed Giant." Leng Yaozhu pulled up new data. "Its fire and earth dual attributes are a perfect match, and its physical prowess is top-tier. However, brain scans show underdeveloped frontal lobes, lacking sufficient spirituality. Advancing to a 100,000-year spirit soul will be a significant challenge."
In the projection, the giant's two heads were biting each other, clearly indicating an intellectual defect.
"If you choose to fuse with it, you'll need to prepare mental-type resources in advance to help enhance its spirituality and compensate for its innate deficiencies."
Gu La pondered for a moment. During the Immortal Herbs' Sacrifice, he had been left with plenty of Immortal Herb essence—essence potent enough to create extreme martial souls of corresponding attributes.
Both soul beasts and spirit souls would benefit greatly from its use.
Thus, the variant Two-Headed Giant did indeed align with his goals. As for the lack of intelligence, he believed that forming a contract with a divine beast martial soul could significantly boost his IQ.
"I'll hold off on deciding for now. When I storm the tower later, please reserve it for me."
"Just as you say." Leng Yaozhu set the program on the console.
"Considering your future fusion with the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, the final soul beast option leans toward fire attributes."
"Sun Elf." The holographic image switched to a dancing figure of golden flames. "A rare variant of Fire Elves, with 20,000 years of cultivation, flight speed reaching the speed of sound, and a core temperature of 2800°C."
"Most importantly, it possesses some light attributes, which pair well with your innate domain and might amplify your power slightly."
Leng Yaozhu had truly gone above and beyond for Gu La's future, scouring every possible soul beast and listing the three most suitable options for him.
Suddenly, Gu La had a thought. "Teacher, I heard of a soul beast called the Golden Lion Mastiff. Does Spirit Pagoda have this type of soul beast?"
Leng Yaozhu's eyelid twitched slightly, and she answered truthfully, "I don't know where you heard of this extinct soul beast, but deep within Spirit Pagoda's advanced Spirit Ascension Platform, there does live a Golden Lion Mastiff."
"This soul beast's bloodline is extraordinary, capable of enhancing strength tenfold. Once it enters combat, it fights to the death. Even ordinary Super Douluos wouldn't stand a chance against a 10,000-year Golden Lion Mastiff let alone a 100,000-year-old one."
"So even dual martial soul possessors would need to reach Super Douluo level before attempting to fuse with it."
The underlying implication was clear—Leng Yaozhu didn't believe Gu La could successfully fuse with the Golden Lion Mastiff.
Gu La smiled, confident in himself. "At the very least, I want to give it a try. After all, the strength of the Golden Lion Mastiff, even if its attributes don't fully align, could greatly enhance my combat power."
He wasn't a match for it now, but once he broke through to Soul Sage, crafted his three-word battle armor, achieved Spiritual Domain-level mental power, and combined forces with his five avatars, how could he possibly lose to a Golden Lion Mastiff?
Seeing Gu La's confidence, Leng Yaozhu didn't discourage him and nodded dismissively. "When you're ready, come find me. I'll arrange a challenge opportunity for you."
As the two conversed, Yuanen Yehui, after three attempts, finally defeated the Diamond Baboon one-on-one. The ten-meter-tall baboon's expression calmed just before death, carrying a hint of relief, clearly harboring no resentment.
Yuanen Yehui let out a sigh of relief and shouted toward the ceiling, "I want to purchase the Diamond Baboon spirit soul!"
As her voice faded, the slowly dissipating Diamond Baboon halted its dissipation. Yuanen Yehui gave the group a firm nod and stepped forward to begin fusing with the spirit soul.
Yuanen Yehui sat cross-legged, surrounded by a faint golden glow. The Diamond Baboon's spirit soul transformed into specks of golden light, resembling fireflies on a summer night, gradually merging into her body. Her brows furrowed slightly, and beads of sweat formed on her temples, indicating that the fusion process was far from easy.
Xie Xie, bored, tossed his dagger in the air, silver light carving smooth arcs through the air. "So, the five of us remaining—should we go all out next?"
Tang Wulin sat cross-legged nearby, blue silver grass slowly unfurling in his palm.
"We've got two minutes left. Use this time to recover your soul power." He wasn't willing to waste a single second.
Upon entering the twelfth floor, the spacious room simulated a nighttime environment, but it wasn't dark. In the center of the room stood a unicorn with golden fur, its sleek coat shimmering like stars scattered across its surface.
The Starry Sky Unicorn.
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