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The glow of the space-time tunnel faded slowly. The moment Gu La stepped out of Demon Island, his Soul Device communicator on his wrist buzzed—perfectly timed.
He glanced at the caller ID: Gu Yue.
He understood immediately. He knew why she had contacted him.
He answered, voice calm and indifferent: "Long time no see. What do you want?"
A brief silence followed. Then came Gu Yue's cold, composed voice—laced with complexity:
"Just now, the collective auspicious energy of the Soul Beast race fluctuated abnormally. It rose briefly… then returned to its original state. Did you do something?"
Her tone was phrased as a question—but carried the certainty of someone who already knew the answer.
Gu La didn't evade it. "Yes. I took the Three-Eyed Golden Lion from ten thousand years ago and brought her to the present. I borrowed her fate energy. But I've used it all up. I'm about to send her back."
At his feet, the Lion—who had been curiously examining the communicator—understood instantly. Her golden vertical eye widened in shock. Her entire body tensed involuntarily.
On the other end, Gu Yue murmured softly: "The Auspicious Beast… so that's it."
Her voice revealed no emotion—neither joy nor anger. She asked next:
"You're capabilities are… disgracefully unfair. Traveling freely across time—don't you worry about unforeseen consequences?"
She did not ask him to keep the Auspicious Beast. As if she had long accepted the inevitable decline of the Soul Beast race—knowing even one more Auspicious Beast could not reverse fate.
Gu La replied simply: "No problems, as far as I can tell. Don't worry."
He paused, then shifted the subject:
"By the way, since you can perceive the Soul Beast race's auspicious energy… what do you know about fate energy itself?"
Gu Yue heard the hidden hunger in his words. She didn't hold back her scorn.
"I perceive the Soul Beast race's auspicious energy because the Dragon God created us. I am bound to our ancestral source."
She paused, voice sharpening.
"But human auspicious energy is chaotic, shifting, impossible to grasp. As for fate energy itself… hmph—you, 'the outsider from another world,' aren't even part of this world's original destiny. And yet you dare to think you can influence—or worse, control—fate? Delusional."
Gu La hadn't expected his fabricated identity to turn against him—but he didn't flinch. He adjusted his approach.
"Then at least tell me everything the Dragon God knew about fate and auspicious energy. That much, you can share."
Gu Yue seemed tired of the conversation. "Fine. But if you learn nothing from it, don't blame me."
She was certain—he would gain nothing from the Dragon God's knowledge.
Gu La smiled confidently. "Agreed."
He didn't need to master fate energy immediately. But he needed to understand it—no longer remain blind.
Otherwise, facing Tang San and his family of "chosen ones" in the future, he'd be hopelessly outmaneuvered.
The call ended.
The Lion immediately scrambled closer, whispering nervously: "W-who was that?"
Gu La glanced down at her, not hiding the truth: "Your master—Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena. Want me to take you to meet her?"
The Lion recoiled as if struck. Her head shook violently, golden fur flying everywhere.
"No! No way! Absolutely not!"
She'd never seen her master—but her blood remembered. And the fragments of her future she'd seen through Qing Liuli's mind-link filled her with primal dread and dread-laced confusion.
Gu La chuckled. "Alright. Then I'll leave you here for a while—"
He paused, then changed his mind.
"…No, better to send you back now."
He feared something might go wrong if he left her alone. Better to return this troublesome, yet useful, Auspicious Beast to her proper time.
He opened the space-time tunnel once more.
"When I come back for you, don't wander off," he warned.
The Lion nodded frantically, impossibly obedient.
"Mmm-hmm! I won't run! I'll wait right here for you!"
She was genuinely terrified. The Great Star Dou Forest felt safe. The human world? Too dangerous.
Gu La nodded. He guided her into the tunnel. Watching it seal shut, he smiled faintly—amused.
He wondered: If the Auspicious Beast didn't sacrifice herself… how would Tang San weaken the Great Star Dou Forest's auspicious energy next?
He'd wait. See what came. It was the only way to make his dull cultivation life… interesting.
"Heh heh heh," Gu La murmured to himself.
Meanwhile, back in the original timeline, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion shivered unconsciously as she returned to the Great Star Dou Forest.
She had a strange feeling—the terrifying human had smiled just a little too chillingly before leaving.
She swore silently: Before he came back… she wouldn't leave the core zone. Not even a step. Humans were too dangerous.
—
Having sent the Lion away, Gu La re-established his location and returned to the Legend of the Dragon King timeline. He went straight to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, finding Gu Yue immersed in work.
She was preparing for the upcoming "Provisional Spirit Transfer Envoy" examination. Papers and documents littered her desk.
Even as a disciple of Deputy Pagoda Master Leng Yaozhu, she still needed to pass the formal evaluation to earn respect.
Beside her, Qing Liuli lounged lazily, flipping through irrelevant documents. She had little to do—and cared even less about becoming a Spirit Transfer Envoy.
Seeing Gu La arrive, Gu Yue set down her papers and handed him a single sheet of paper without preamble.
"Here. Everything the Dragon God knew about fate and auspicious energy."
Gu La took it, glanced at the page—and raised an eyebrow.
"That's it?"
Gu Yue rolled her eyes. "The Dragon God believed only in raw power. He considered auspicious energy a meaningless illusion. He never bothered studying it. This is already more than he ever left behind."
There was a hint of resentment in her tone—not just toward the Dragon God, but perhaps toward her own inability to ever reclaim his glory.
Gu La chuckled, tucking the paper away. "Perfect. Thank you."
For him, it was more than enough. A foundation. A starting point.
He then pulled out the mutated Bodhi Seed—acquired from the Peerless Tang Sect timeline, infused with Immortal Herb essence and pulsing with strange temporal energy—and offered it to her.
"By the way, help me make this into a spirit soul."
Gu Yue's face darkened. She ground her teeth.
"This? You have clones who can do this! I'm not your servant! Don't bring me every little task!"
Gu La shrugged, handing the seed to Qing Liuli beside her.
"Fine. This is your second spirit soul. I've already infused it with sufficient Life energy and temporal power. When you add your own spiritual power to catalyze it, it'll sprout into a century-level mutated Bodhi Tree. Your turn."
Qing Liuli caught it easily, spun it in her fingers, and grinned.
"Piece of cake."
Gu La had achieved his goal. He didn't linger.
He glanced at the towering stack of examination materials on Gu Yue's desk—and had no intention of being caught by Leng Yaozhu and forced into some Spirit Transfer Envoy exam.
"Nothing else. I'm leaving."
Before Gu Yue could respond, his figure blurred—and he vanished through spatial teleportation.
Left behind: Gu Yue glaring at the empty space where he'd stood, and Qing Liuli smirking beside her.
Gu La had cleaned up Demon Island, walked away, and vanished without a trace—no glory claimed, no fanfare.
He felt… lighter.
Yet his casual act had triggered a storm across the Douluo Federation.
—
First, the Federation military and security agencies went on high alert.
Though the terrifying Destruction energy of Demon Island had vanished, no one knew if it had been purged—or if some unknown force had seized control.
If the latter… and that energy was weaponized? A single strike could annihilate the Federation.
It had to be investigated.
Second, Shrek Academy reacted most violently.
Demon Island wasn't just a training ground—it was sacred ground. The spirits of their fallen ancestors, who had become the Seven Old Demons, had vanished along with the energy.
For honor, for history, for peace of the dead—they had to investigate.
Third—and most crucially—profit.
The disappearance of Demon Island's Forbidden Zone meant the entire northern coastline of Beihai City was now open. Shipping, fishing, tourism—all would explode.
Even more valuable: the island itself.
Though the divine energies were gone, the land had been nurtured by two divine forces for a thousand years. Its climate was perpetually springlike—a paradise in the frozen north.
Beneath its soil lay vast reserves of rare metal ores, refined by divine energy. Even ordinary rocks on the island had become premium materials for high-grade Soul Device construction and special catalysts. Their value was incalculable.
A massive, unclaimed treasure had suddenly appeared.
No faction could ignore it.
The Spirit Pagoda, the War God Hall, the Beihai Fleet, even the Federation government itself—all clamored for a share.
Even Shrek Academy couldn't resist. On one hand, they claimed historical sovereignty. On the other, the resource potential was too tempting.
Thus began fierce negotiations and political battles in the Federation Council.
Shrek's representative, Zhuo Shi, stood firm:
"Demon Island has always been our training ground. Our ancestors' spirits dwell there. By right and tradition, ownership and development rights belong to Shrek Academy!"
Federation government representative countered:
"Demon Island lies within Federation territory. Its resources belong to every citizen. Shrek has served the continent—but cannot monopolize such a strategic asset!"
The Spirit Pagoda's Qiangu Dongfeng, ambitious and ruthless, stepped forward, voice dripping with malice:
"Shrek claims ownership? Where's your proof? There's no trace of Shrek left on the island. In my view, whoever finds it, claims it. Joint development is the only fair solution."
The War God Hall and Beihai Fleet representatives echoed this sentiment—no one would yield.
Days of debate passed. No side could convince another. Factions were entangled, alliances blurred. Open conflict was unthinkable.
Finally, Qiangu Dongfeng proposed a "Soul Master tradition" solution:
"If we can't agree, let the Soul Masters settle it. Each side sends representatives. Let the arena decide. Winner takes all, let's not allow this to ruin our relationship."
He subtly seized control of the meeting, then added with a sly smile:
"Of course, for fairness, Super Douluo and above are excluded from competition."
He knew perfectly well: if Yun Ming stepped in, everyone else would be crushed.
His true plan? Let his grandson—Qiangu Zhangting, already a Titled Douluo, and fully fused with Three-Word Battle Armor—compete.
A victory here would cement Zhangting's status as a core Spirit Transfer Envoy, paving his path to inherit the Spirit Pagoda throne.
But Yun Ming saw through him instantly.
He spoke calmly, dismissing the proposal. "Even Titled Douluos fighting would cause too much damage. Too much risk."
"Since this is about harmony and testing the young generation… why not restrict participants to below Titled Douluo level? Each side sends elite young talent. Divide resources based on final rankings and points. That way it'll be a cleaner fight and fairer to judge."
The War God Hall representative considered it. Their top warriors were too busy. Letting their young ones compete was ideal—practice and prestige, all at once.
The Beihai Fleet representative nearly jumped for joy. They had the weakest high-end strength. A Titled Douluo battle? Impossible. But young Soul Masters? They had home-field advantage—and a real chance.
Qiangu Dongfeng's face darkened. Yun Ming had just dismantled his plan.
But with the others leaning toward Yun Ming's proposal, he had no choice.
He gritted his teeth and nodded.
'Fine. For now… you win, old fox. But don't get too comfortable. Your time is running out.'
The final agreement was reached.
One month from now, the Federation Youth Soul Master Elite Tournament would be held in Beihai City.
Participants must be under thirty years old, divided into three categories: Soul King, Soul Emperor, and Soul Saint.
Final rankings and accumulated points would determine each faction's share of Demon Island's resources and development rights.
The news spread like wildfire.
Beihai City became the epicenter of the continent's attention.
Young elites from every faction sharpened their claws—ready to carve their names into history and claim their share of the prize.
—
Meanwhile, in a seaside city, Gu La lounged on a sunlit terrace, savoring local delicacies.
From a nearby tavern, laughter and shouts carried on the wind.
He heard the words:
"…the Demon Island Youth Soul Master Tournament! You heard? The whole Federation's going nuts!"
Simultaneously, his Spirit Pagoda internal communicator buzzed.
A clear, official message flashed on its screen:
[All eligible Spirit Pagoda members:]
[You may voluntarily register for the "Beihai Resource Allocation Competition."]
[Outstanding performers will receive generous rewards and promotion opportunities.]
[Registration deadline: Three days.]
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