As Gu La appeared to be lost in thought, the evil Soul Emperor was puzzled. Suddenly, he noticed that his feet were entangled by vine-like threads that resembled roots. These plants wrapped around his body, injecting paralyzing toxins into his system.
For Gu La at this stage, it only took a single thought to release countless microscopic spores into the air, which were nearly impossible to detect during the heat of battle.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to The Sect!"
The initial sword intent that Gu La had condensed now erupted into hundreds, even thousands, of sword beams piercing the evil Soul Emperor from all directions. The battle armor groaned under the strain, cracks forming as the evil Soul Emperor spat out a mouthful of black blood, collapsing to his knees, lifeless.
Gu La frowned in dissatisfaction. The damage dealt was far less than he had anticipated. Even with peak Spirit Abyss-level mental power, he could only condense a few hundred sword intents—clearly, his technique still needed refinement.
As the battle subsided, Tang Wulin peeked in from the doorway. "Is it over?"
He stepped inside, looking at the fallen evil Soul Emperor. Silently, he reflected—how could an evil Soul Emperor fall so easily at Gu La's hands? He was beginning to lose grasp of Gu La's true strength.
The train had been attacked but managed to arrive safely at Tian Dou City ahead of schedule. The shaken passengers quickly disembarked.
The setting sun bathed Tian Dou City in a bloody hue. At the soul-guided train platform, medical staff were busy transporting the injured. Mo Lan stood beside her father, Mo Wu, her face pale, clutching the casualty list tightly in trembling hands.
The staff reported the tally: "Seventeen dead, forty-three critically injured… Fortunately, two Shrek Academy students intervened in time."
Mo Wu listened quietly, offering no comment.
"Miss, you should get yourself checked," the attending doctor urged for the third time.
Mo Wu placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Go ahead. I'll handle things here."
---
Inside the Special Operations Department, Gu La and Tang Wulin were being debriefed. The head of the department personally handed them two cups of hot tea.
"Thank you both for thwarting the evil soul masters' attack. Investigations show these were remnants of the Holy Spirit Sect. They previously targeted Councilor Mo Wu with a terrorist act and were arrested, yet their remnants remain relentless."
Tang Wulin furrowed his brow. "So they chose to attack Miss Mo Lan's train?"
At that moment, Mo Wu entered, followed by a secretary holding a brocade box.
Hearing Tang Wulin's words, Mo Wu's usually resolute face revealed a rare hint of fatigue. "It seems our reforms have truly touched some vested interests."
Gu La understood. Not all rogue soul masters belonged to the Holy Spirit Sect—some might be covert operatives for certain councilors. There were already connections between factions within the Federation and the Holy Spirit Sect. Otherwise, how could two twelve-level soul-guided cannons, meant to destroy Shrek Academy in the future, have been stolen by evil soul masters without insider help? It would be absurd.
Mo Wu turned to the two young men and bowed deeply. "On behalf of the tens of millions of civilians in Tian Dou City, and as a father, I thank you for your heroic actions."
"Tian Dou City will grant you honorary citizenship. Though this honor may seem small, please accept it nonetheless."
Inside the brocade box lay two purple-gold badges. The outline of Tian Dou City was intricately engraved on the surface, surrounded by strange patterns—this was the highest honor bestowed upon heroes who saved the city.
Mo Wu, as a councilor, possessed sharp insight. Upon learning about the strength of the evil soul masters, a brief investigation revealed Gu La's identity as a core disciple of the Spirit Pagoda, elevating his regard for Gu La to the utmost level.
Compared to the often troublemaking Shrek Academy, the Spirit Pagoda enjoyed better standing among Federation politicians, with many affiliated councilors. Regardless, offending them was not worth it.
Gu La, however, was uninterested. Despite the Federation being bullied by Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, its internal corruption ran deep, controlled by various soul master families. If not for the supremacy of power in the soul master world, the Federation would never have remained so docile.
As they left the Special Operations Department, the setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground.
Since the final exam required individual completion, the two parted ways.
However, they soon met again at the Blacksmith Association in Tian Dou City. Among the people they knew in the city, Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua held the highest status.
After presenting the credentials Zhen Hua had given them, they smoothly entered the top floor of the Blacksmith Association. Zhen Hua was frowning over a blueprint when Mu Ye emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of golden roasted meat. The rich aroma instantly filled the room.
"You two arrived just in time." Mu Ye placed the plate on the table. "Try this—it's the tenderloin of a ten-thousand-year-old Golden Horn Whale."
Gu La's eyes lit up, and just as he reached out, Mu Ye moved the plate away. "First, let's talk business. What you mentioned earlier about a body-type martial soul soul master…"
"Don't rush me."
Gu La calmly anticipated Mu Ye's move, seizing the plate effortlessly. A flicker of surprise crossed Mu Ye's eyes, but he didn't reclaim it.
"You make it sound easy. Stop beating around the bush and explain clearly."
Mu Ye grew serious. The Body Sect's inheritance wasn't as orderly as other sects, requiring constant recruitment of disciples who randomly awakened body-type martial souls from the outside world.
Due to his obsession with mecha, Mu Ye had been stuck at the ninety-fourth level, unable to break through. On the other hand, Han Tianyi, a vice-tower master of the Spirit Pagoda with the martial soul "Brain," was a Limit Douluo at the ninety-ninth level.
Han Tianyi had once stayed in the Body Sect for a period but ultimately remained loyal to the Spirit Pagoda. After receiving training through a series of interest exchanges, even though the Body Sect tried to retain him, he left without looking back.
Additionally, Hu Jie, known as "Golden Belly Silver Buttocks," a ninety-eight-level Super Douluo with twin body-type martial souls, also left the Body Sect due to unrequited love, vowing never to return.
In summary, in this era, the strongest member of the Body Sect was Mu Ye, a ninety-fourth-level Titled Douluo. Their current situation was rather bleak.
Mu Ye couldn't afford to be complacent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set his sights on Tang Wulin, who didn't possess a body-type martial soul.
Gu La had a hearty appetite and quickly polished off the plate of tenderloin. He sat silently beside Zhen Hua, saying, "I'm hungry, and my memory is a bit fuzzy."
"Hey, you little rascal."
Mu Ye knew full well that Gu La had his eye on the food he prepared. If cooking had levels, Mu Ye would undoubtedly be the greatest chef of the era, surpassing even some food-type Titled Douluos.
Unfortunately, even though Gu La and Tang Wulin had studied forging under Zhen Hua before, they rarely got to taste meals personally prepared by Mu Ye.
However, Gu La had grown familiar with him, and taking the opportunity to extort a meal wasn't a problem.
"Fine. If you recommend a satisfactory disciple to me, I'll cook you a grand feast."
Aside from mech suits, Mu Ye's greatest passion was eating—a method of nurturing the blood essence for Body-type martial souls. Besides serving as Zhen Hua's bodyguard, he often ventured into the deep sea to capture rare ingredients, amassing a collection of precious materials. In the original storyline, even Tang Wulin, with his Golden Dragon King bloodline, benefited greatly from Mu Ye's cooking.
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