"Is this the Spirit Pagoda Tower?"
After making some preparations, Shi Yu arrived at the Spirit Messenger Tower rather easily by taxi.
Looking at the towering structure in front of him, four to five hundred meters tall, he couldn't help but feel a bit awestruck.
The base was octagonal, covering over ten thousand square meters. Every ten floors, the structure narrowed slightly inward, tapering all the way to the spire at the top.
Its appearance was both grand and exquisitely crafted—flawless from an architectural aesthetic standpoint.
This was the most beautiful tower Shi Yu had ever seen. Standing at the base and gazing upward, he couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of pressure.
"This probably isn't just an illusion… there's real danger here."
It was his first time visiting the Spirit Pagoda Tower, but he knew a bit about it.
He had learned that the entire tower itself functioned like a colossal soul device—it wasn't just a building, but one embedded with both offensive and defensive capabilities.
If someone dared to attack it, they would face a dazzling array of countermeasures.
Shi Yu took a deep breath and walked in.
"Excuse me, what brings you to the Spirit Pagoda today?" a uniformed staff member asked as soon as he entered.
She wasn't a soul master—Shi Yu could tell right away as he didn't sense any soul power fluctuations from her.
"I'd like to inquire about how to gain access to the Spirit Ascension Platform," Shi Yu stated directly.
The female staff member gave him a quick once-over. Shi Yu was now dressed in modern clothing and had already changed out of his Shrek Academy uniform.
There was no way he'd wear a Shrek uniform here—relations between the Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy were quite strained at this point in time.
Letting them know he was from Shrek could cause problems—not necessarily dangerous, but definitely inconvenient. It could even get him turned away outright.
"Please come this way and fill out some basic information," the staff member said with a polite smile after giving him a second glance.
Shi Yu had spent hundreds of thousands on this outfit—just to appear more high-class and credible.
Following her, he received a form and skimmed through it. Most of the questions pertained to background and family—likely a screening tool to assess eligibility for the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Shi Yu sat down and started filling it out. He used his real name—there was no need to hide that.
As for his martial soul and abilities, he didn't conceal them either. What he did fabricate, though, was his identity.
This time, he gave himself the background of an only child from a reclusive clan.
His "parents" were both titled Douluo and three-word battle armor masters who had retired from worldly disputes to live in seclusion.
Shi Yu had grown up hidden away from society and had rarely interacted with outsiders.
Now, with his parents allowing him to explore and train in the outside world, he had grown curious about the famed Spirit Ascension Platform and wanted to experience it to further improve himself.
"Your parents are both powerful titled Douluo? May I ask what their titles are…?" the female staff member asked, eyes lighting up.
Not only was this young man wealthy, but with such a background, he was clearly someone worth taking seriously.
It wasn't about squeezing money out of him—cultivating relationships with people of his status could bring much greater long-term benefits to the Spirit Pagoda.
After all, the Spirit Pagoda's growth wasn't just built on soul monopolies and profits—it had always relied heavily on attracting and forming alliances with soul masters around the world. That was the foundation of any true power.
"It's not convenient to say," Shi Yu replied, feigning some embarrassment. "My parents are extremely low-key and have specifically instructed me not to reveal their titles. I hope you understand."
"I see, I see. That's perfectly understandable," she replied, no longer pressing.
"Your profile does meet the requirements to qualify for entry to the Spirit Ascension Platform… However, I'm just a receptionist—I don't have the authority to approve you. I'll need to take you to our supervisor to finalize the evaluation."
"Alright," Shi Yu nodded.
He followed the staff member into the elevator, and they went up to the 66th floor.
It was quiet here, with office doors lining the corridor.
Knock knock knock. She tapped on one of the doors.
Shi Yu noticed the sign: Spirit Ascension Platform Evaluation Office.
"Come in," a deep, authoritative male voice responded. He sounded like a capable man in his prime.
The room was nearly 100 square meters, with only two desks—one near the door, one by the window.
The desk by the window was unoccupied. Seated at the desk near the entrance was a middle-aged man reviewing some documents.
He didn't look up until the staff member spoke respectfully, and then his eyes turned to Shi Yu.
Shi Yu gave a polite nod and smile but did not speak first.
"Deputy Tower Master Li, this young man, Shi Yu, is here to apply for permission to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform. This is his form," the staffer said, handing over the document.
This man was one of the three deputy tower masters of the East Sea Spirit Messenger Tower and oversaw the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Deputy Tower Master Li reviewed the form, focusing on the martial soul, soul power, and background.
"Space martial soul?" he looked up, eyes intrigued.
"Yes," Shi Yu nodded.
"Pure space?" he asked again, seeking confirmation.
"Yes," Shi Yu nodded once more.
Deputy Tower Master Li narrowed his gaze. "Let me see your martial soul."
"Alright," Shi Yu responded.
He released his martial soul. A vortex of space swirled open behind him—but no soul ring appeared beneath his feet.
Deputy Tower Master Li studied the energy fluctuations carefully, and the surprise in his expression deepened.
"Such pure space energy…" he thought.
There was a saying in the world of soul masters: attributes could be "extreme." Extreme fire, ice, and gold had all appeared in history—but were exceedingly rare.
Even among those, the number of recorded cases of "extreme fire" martial souls could be counted on one hand.
But there had never been any talk of "extreme space"—because no martial soul had ever demonstrated such purity of space energy.
Until now.
Shi Yu's martial soul gave him that very feeling—extreme, pure space.
"Why didn't your soul rings appear when you released your martial soul?" Deputy Tower Master Li asked, noticing something odd.
"I'm not sure either. I've acquired two soul rings, but they both disappeared under mysterious circumstances."
"My parents examined me thoroughly but couldn't find the cause. Fortunately, it hasn't had any negative effects."
In truth, Shi Yu knew exactly why—both times he had traveled through time, he had lost his soul rings.
He had already thought of how to explain this beforehand. Rather than fabricating details, he decided to attribute it to the unknown.
In a world as strange as this one, another mystery wouldn't seem out of place.
"There's such a thing?" Deputy Tower Master Li was surprised—it was a first for him too.
"But without soul rings, you're at a major disadvantage in battle. After all, no soul rings means no soul skills," he said with a slight frown. It would be a tragic waste of such a gifted martial soul.
"That's true, to a degree. But there are gains and losses," Shi Yu replied. "Though I lack soul skills, my control over space is far beyond others of my level. In fact, I can often overpower opponents even without soul rings."
"Really? Can you show me?" Deputy Tower Master Li asked, visibly intrigued.
Shi Yu hesitated slightly, then nodded.
In the next instant, he vanished—and reappeared beside the window.
The staff member let out a startled cry, and Deputy Tower Master Li's eyes went wide.
As a Soul Douluo, even he hadn't detected any fluctuation—no warning signs of teleportation.
Normally, teleportation techniques would release an obvious energy signature beforehand. But Shi Yu's movement had been utterly silent and sudden.
It felt more like he'd always been standing at the window.
Just as Deputy Tower Master Li was about to say something, Shi Yu disappeared again, then again, until—
He appeared behind Deputy Tower Master Li and patted his shoulder.
Startled, Deputy Tower Master Li sprang up, nearly unleashing an attack by reflex.
Fortunately, he restrained himself—otherwise, Shi Yu could have been seriously hurt.
"My apologies, Deputy Tower Master," Shi Yu said quickly, a trace of nervousness in his voice. The sudden spike of energy had made even him uneasy.
"It's fine," Deputy Tower Master Li said, waving it off.
But the way he looked at Shi Yu had changed.