On the way back to the Spirit Pagoda's Shrek City headquarters with Alice, Gu La connected via soul link with his avatars scattered across various locations.
"Niandao," he instructed, "halt hunting evil soul masters. Gather high-quality emotion-related metals and gemstones."
"Qing Liuli," he turned to another, "retrieve a batch of light and life-attribute rare metals from the Spirit Pagoda's inventory."
"Other avatars with forging capabilities," he ordered the rest, "prioritize clearing backlogged orders to free up time."
His directive was clear: consolidate resources to craft Alice's custom top-tier Battle Armor.
As a newborn Love Goddess avatar, Alice's potential was boundless—but in the Douluo III timeline, her current combat power wasn't yet sufficient to dominate. Powerful Battle Armor would accelerate her self-defense capability and battlefield influence.
Upon reaching the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, Gu La, noting Alice's otherworldly beauty that would inevitably attract unwanted attention, sent her back to the Forest Sea Demiplane for safety.
He sighed inwardly. In the Jueshi Tangmen timeline, he could act with near impunity. Here, however, demigod and quasi-god cultivators weren't rare. His newly-broken-through Soul Douluo cultivation required him to stay low-profile—for now.
No sooner had he settled than his teacher Leng Yaozhu summoned him.
In the familiar top-floor office, Gu La regarded Leng Yaozhu's ever-elegant red-clad figure. "Teacher," he smiled, "I've returned."
Leng Yaozhu studied her disciple intently. In just over a year, Gu La had undergone a metamorphosis. His matured features radiated unshakable confidence—a stark contrast to the boy who had left.
"Where have you been?" she asked directly, concern and subtle scrutiny in her tone. "The Great Spiriters examinations have begun. Even I can't simply insert you into the lineup. Fortunately, Qing Liuli proved capable enough to secure a spot in your place."
Gu La had prepared his answer. "I wandered the wilderness, hunting an evil soul master stronghold. During this time, my Sun Elf spirit soul evolved twice by purifying evil souls."
"I benefited greatly from this—my soul power broke through to Soul Douluo. With my current strength, Teacher, surely I still qualify for the examinations?"
"Soul Douluo?" Leng Yaozhu's eyes flashed with disbelief. "You were merely a Soul Emperor when you left. To gain nearly twenty levels in a year?" The speed defied reason.
Without elaboration, Gu La summoned his soul rings—concealing his true four orange-gold, two crimson, and two golden rings. Instead, eight crimson rings blazed beneath his feet!
The dazzling red light bathed the office in a surreal glow. The oppressive might of eight hundred-thousand-year soul rings thickened the air itself.
Gu La's smile held a carefully measured triumph. "I must 'thank' those evil soul masters. Posing as an Angel Clan descendant, I became their sworn enemy. They threw themselves at me endlessly, providing ample 'nourishment.'"
"Moreover, using soul device techniques learned here, I crafted one-time explosives storing Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire—dubbed 'Evil's Bane.' I eliminated three evil Titled Douluos in one strike."
"With my spirit soul converting pure sacred energy for me, my soul power advanced rapidly without any instability."
Leng Yaozhu probed his energy. It was dense, substantial—utterly devoid of the hollowness typical in forced breakthroughs.
Awe surged within her, followed by fierce pride. 'Such a disciple will uphold our lineage's glory.'
Her thoughts expanded—of the four Great Spiriters positions, her disciples Gu La and Qing Liuli, plus the exceptionally gifted Gu Yue with whom she shared close ties, might claim three seats!
This wasn't fantasy. With their martial soul potential and Gu La's displayed eight crimson rings, they'd be unmatched at their cultivation level—not just in the Spirit Pagoda, but across the continent.
This meant the Leng family's influence in the Spirit Pagoda would reach unprecedented heights!
After all, the Pagoda Master and Deputy Pagoda Masters were always chosen from former Great Spiriters.
'My disciples have essentially secured two of the three future high seats.' Leng Yaozhu resolved: even if Qiangu Dongfeng opposed her, she'd push them forward at all costs.
Recollecting herself, she remembered Qing Liuli's close bond with Gu La—effectively one person. Securing two seats would be a monumental achievement. She shared her thoughts with Gu La.
Gu La nodded understandingly. "Gu Yue and Qing Liuli are women. Their identities attract less suspicion, making their advancement safer. As for me..." He grinned wryly. "Frankly, I've no patience for tedious Pagoda bureaucracy."
Leng Yaozhu chuckled despite herself. "Only you treat fiercely contested power as a nuisance. Still—you must attend the selection ceremony regardless. We'll extract sufficient compensation from Qiangu Dongfeng for our faction."
"At minimum," her eyes hardened, "he must surrender two hundred-thousand-year soul bones from the Ascension Platform's core zone—or three hundred-thousand-year spirit souls—as recompense for your forfeited position!"
Gu La's interest piqued. He needed no spirit souls himself—but his avatars did. This was a perfect opportunity.
"Let's see how generous our Pagoda Master truly is," he murmured, eyes glinting. "Otherwise, I'd like to witness what candidate he believes can possibly rival me for this position."
Watching Gu La's assured, commanding aura—like everything lay within his grasp—Leng Yaozhu felt a sudden pang of déjà vu. She recalled Yun Ming, the Atlas Douluo, radiating similar confidence decades ago. Her cheeks flushed faintly.
Catching Gu La's gaze, she hastily suppressed the warmth with soul power, clearing her throat to mask her fluster. "N-nothing. Let's go."
At Qiangu Dongfeng's office, the Pagoda Master's mood was foul.
Atlas Douluo Yun Ming had yet to return to Shrek Academy, lingering suspiciously outside the city. Qiangu Dongfeng sensed his plans might be exposed.
But the destruction of Shrek Academy was a consensus among multiple factions—including the Spirit Pagoda. It couldn't be halted for one man's threats.
Frustrated, he barked, "Enter!"
Leng Yaozhu ushered Gu La inside. "Pagoda Master, I bring my disciple Gu La to register for the Great Spiriters examinations."
Qiangu Dongfeng frowned. Such trivial matters required no personal audience. Unless...
His gaze locked onto Gu La. Sensing the Soul Douluo aura, murderous intent flared deep in his eyes. 'This boy grows too fast—he'll become a catastrophe for the Qiangu family!'
But memories of failed assassination attempts on Gu La and his allies gave him pause. Directly killing a core disciple would doom the Qiangu family if exposed.
His mind raced for excuses. "Yaozhu," he said gravely, "it's not that I won't make exceptions. But your disciple has been absent from the Pagoda for years, contributing nothing. We cannot squander resources on him."
"Moreover, the examinations have begun. Adding a candidate now would be profoundly unfair to others who prepared diligently."
A flimsy excuse. The Qiangu family's three-generation dominance meant he could bend such rules with a word—no one would dare object.
Leng Yaozhu's tone turned icy. "Pagoda Master, excluding my disciple would be the Pagoda's greatest loss."
"His talent, strength, and fortune are peerless. He evolved two ten-thousand-year spirit souls to hundred-thousand-year, and his personal achievements are miraculous."
Gu La activated his eight crimson soul rings again.
Qiangu Dongfeng's eye twitched. Eight crimson rings! Forcing rejection would invite justified backlash—even as Pagoda Master, he'd lose face publicly.
He fell silent, frantically seeking alternative methods to block Gu La.
Then Gu La spoke, his voice artfully naive: "Teacher, being a Great Spiriters or Deputy Pagoda Master sounds exhausting. Gu Yue and Qing Liuli are more than capable. I'll withdraw from consideration."
Leng Yaozhu's expression hardened instantly. "Nonsense! You're too young to grasp these positions' importance! Wait outside while the Pagoda Master and I discuss critical matters!"
Gu La bowed submissively, exiting the office. Only after closing the door did a playful smirk touch his lips—he'd nearly laughed aloud inside.
Approximately a quarter-hour later, Leng Yaozhu emerged smiling. They exchanged a knowing glance but said nothing as they left together.
Inside the office, Qiangu Dongfeng's face was storm-dark.
After "cordial negotiations," Leng Yaozhu had secured four hundred-thousand-year spirit spirit selection rights!
One was Gu La's rightful share as a core disciple. The other three were "compensation" for withdrawing from the Great Spiriters race.
To preserve the Qiangu family's absolute dominance and prevent Leng Yaozhu's faction from swelling with Gu La's terrifying talent, Qiangu Dongfeng had swallowed this bitter pill.
Surrendering spirit souls stung far less than losing precious hundred-thousand-year soul bones vital to his family's legacy. It was the lesser evil.
Staring out the window, he muttered to himself—half reassurance, half justification:
"Wait a little longer... Once Shrek Academy is eradicated and the Spirit Pagoda replaces it as the continent's core... when Zhangting inherits the Pagoda Master position... all these sacrifices will be worth it!"
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