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"Ready?"
The Spirit Contract Array was already inscribed. Both Gu Tianchen and the Golden Tortoise stood within it. Seeing them nod in unison, Chen Junting prepared to channel his soul power into the array disc to begin the ritual.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, the Golden Tortoise lifted its head and interrupted.
"Can I… ask for one more thing?"
Chen Junting raised an eyebrow. "You want to make another condition?"
"No, no, no—not a condition! A request."
"Fine. Go ahead."
Given the tortoise's cooperative attitude, both Chen Junting and Gu Tianchen were willing to hear it out. They assumed it might ask them to care for its tribe or something similar—reasonable enough to grant.
But what came next left both of them speechless, a black line practically forming across their foreheads.
"I've lived all these years, and I still don't have a mate. So… if you ever contract another spirit soul in the future, could you find me a pretty lady tortoise to be my wife?"
You've got to be kidding!
After living for tens of thousands of years… that's your grand ambition!?
The thought flashed in both their minds simultaneously.
Though utterly baffled, they didn't outright refuse. But the request needed serious revision: unless Gu Tianchen's future spirit soul happened to be a spatial-attribute tortoise, it simply wouldn't work.
So if the Golden Tortoise wanted a lady tortoise spirit soul, it would have to supply a 100,000-year spatial-attribute female tortoise—and she'd have to willingly become Gu Tianchen's spirit soul.
"This… let me think, let me think…"
The Golden Tortoise immediately fell into deep contemplation.
Was it agonizing over betraying its kin?
No!
It was busy racking its brain for eligible bachelorettes.
After a long pause, it sadly realized—it didn't even know any tortoises who met the criteria. So it turned to Chen Junting and Gu Tianchen in desperation.
"Please help me! This is my one and only wish before I die!"
"You really have no ambition," Gu Tianchen muttered with a sigh.
"You wouldn't understand!" the tortoise shot back. "Finding a mate is a lifelong matter!"
"Hmph."
Chen Junting just chuckled as the two bickered.
"Don't worry—we'll definitely find you a mate."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Chen Junting raised three fingers solemnly. "I swear on Xiao Feng's hundred years of singledom—we'll find you a beautiful lady tortoise."
At that, the Golden Tortoise's anxiety halved.
As a lifelong bachelor tortoise itself, it knew the gravity of such an oath. Swearing on a human's century of solitude—if broken, it would manifest as true cosmic karma! That was viciously binding!
"Then… who exactly is this Xiao Feng?" it asked cautiously.
"Why, my closest friend—my sworn 'brother'!" Chen Junting declared with heartfelt sincerity.
Now the Golden Tortoise felt completely at ease.
"Excellent! Let's proceed!"
Ignoring Gu Tianchen's hesitant yet amused expression, Chen Junting confirmed once more that both parties were ready—then infused soul power into the array disc, activating the Spirit Contract Array.
Watching the ritual conclude, Chen Junting smiled in satisfaction.
As the King of Turtles, the Golden Tortoise possessed near-absolute defense—capable of withstanding attacks from beast-level soul beasts with its 100,000-year cultivation. On the Top Ten Fierce Beasts list, only the top six offensive-types might crack that impregnable armor.
With it as a spirit soul—and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum already absorbed—if "Ultimate Defense" existed as a concept, Gu Tianchen's Bone Dragon martial soul was now virtually its equal.
Meanwhile, deep within Shrek Academy's Inner Sect…
"Achoo! Achoo!"
"Sister Feng, congratulations on entering the Inner Sect!"
Ning Tian approached Wu Feng, congratulating her on passing the Inner Sect trials. But when she sneezed twice in a row, Ning Tian asked with concern, "Sister Feng, are you catching a cold?"
"I don't think so… just random sneezes," Wu Feng rubbed her nose, then frowned. "Could someone be talking about me behind my back?"
"You still believe in that?" Ning Tian tapped her forehead, torn between laughter and exasperation.
"Come on—let's celebrate! I've arranged a banquet at the restaurant to mark your acceptance."
"Yay!"
Wu Feng instantly forgot the sneezes, completely unaware that someone had just sworn on her hundred years of romantic solitude.
...
Buzz—!
Back in Great Star Dou Forest, the spirit soul ritual was nearing its end—but instead of fading into spirit form, the Golden Tortoise began to undergo a startling transformation.
Dense golden light radiated from its body, surging into Gu Tianchen as they fused.
Suddenly, an immense surge of life energy erupted from the tortoise—bursting forth from its shell like a geyser.
This vitality greatly benefited Gu Tianchen. During the fusion, he could clearly feel his martial soul evolving—his Bone Dragon's form growing even harder, denser, more unyielding.
Chen Junting immediately recognized the moment had come.
Hummm—!
With a soft hum, his Eye of Fate opened.
The Golden Tortoise glanced at him—then, wracked by pain, squeezed its eyes shut.
Instantly, a jade-green carving blade shot out from the Eye of Fate, hovering above the tortoise's shell.
At that moment, the forest blazed with emerald light! Dense life energy from the air—like rivers flowing to the sea—converged onto the midair blade: the Life Guardian Blade.
Gradually, as the Life Guardian Blade absorbed the Living Gold within the tortoise, the beast visibly relaxed. It lay prostrate on the ground, glowing with serene golden radiance—a truly divine sight.
Its massive body shrank to a five-meter diameter, yet it continued exuding even richer waves of life energy.
As time passed, the Life Guardian Blade's jade glow intensified, and Chen Junting received clear feedback:
Not only had he fully replenished the life energy spent upgrading the elders' spirit souls—he now had a surplus.
At the final moment of fusion…
A sliver of metal separated from the Golden Tortoise, flew toward the Life Guardian Blade, and fused with it seamlessly.
Shhhhk—!
Without hesitation, Chen Junting mentally divided the harvested Living Gold into three portions. Before anyone could refuse, he distributed them—to Mad King and Bao Jun in his Sea of Consciousness, and a larger share to Electrolux.
The smaller portions instantly merged into the two spirit souls, wrapping them in soft, jade-green halos that flickered like living flames.
As for Electrolux—he simply opened his right palm. The Living Gold drifted into his hand.
Chen Junting's consciousness spoke within the Sea of Mind:
"Master, consider this Living Gold my long-overdue apprenticeship gift."
"Very well."
Electrolux accepted his disciple's goodwill with a warm smile and tucked it away.
Outside, Gu Tianchen's gains were no less significant.
The Golden Tortoise had poured its primordial essence into him—his skin now shimmered with a faint golden sheen, seeping deeper until even his blood vessels and blood appeared gilded. Behind him, the spectral outline of his Bone Dragon martial soul flickered into view, its skeleton now wreathed in golden radiance—like a body of indestructible adamantine.
Beyond that, the sheer infusion of life energy alone would shave years off his cultivation time!
Truly—one tortoise falls, two feast!
Buzzz—!
With a final pulse of soul power, the Golden Tortoise fully merged into Gu Tianchen's body—sending a jolt through him. Immediately, a crimson soul ring erupted from his feet.
Sixth soul ring—100,000 years!
"I didn't expect to jump straight to Level 66!"
Gu Tianchen rose slowly, sensing his newfound strength. He thrust out his hand—and as his sixth soul ring glowed blood-red, a massive coiled Bone Dragon shield materialized in his grip.
Its dark-gold sheen radiated invincible defense.
"Not breaking through to 66 would've been weird," Chen Junting said, his Eye of Fate now closed, amusement dancing in his eyes. "First the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, then contracting a 100,000-year spirit soul—under the combined effects of immortal herb and soul ring/bone, this is perfectly normal. And at this rate, if you push hard enough, we might just have two Soul Saints by the time the Grand Prix begins."
Instead of replying, Gu Tianchen slapped his shield proudly.
"Old Chen—wanna test my 'Coiling Dragon Shield's' defense? See if you can break through."
"Let's try."
Seven Kill Sword in hand, Chen Junting's interest was piqued.
What followed was a swift, intense exchange—sword light flashing, space splitting—blade and shield clashing in perfect stalemate.
When the spar ended—
"Where to next? Tian Hun… or Sun-Moon?" Gu Tianchen asked, shield dismissed.
Chen Junting wasted no words. He pulled out a map from his storage soul tool and unrolled it on the spot. Starting from Great Star Dou Forest, his finger traced a route across Tian Hun Empire—finally stopping near a location deep in the far north.
"This is our destination in Tian Hun?"
"Exactly."
Chen Junting's expression turned grave—so serious that Gu Tianchen instantly straightened up.
"This place is also tied to a god. But unlike before… the danger here rivals entering the Lake of Life or storming Bear King's den."
"So—dare to go?"
At that near-challenge, Gu Tianchen slapped the map hard with his palm.
"What? You planning to go alone? Let me tell you—'dare not' isn't in my dictionary!"
"Then let's go!"
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