The initial contempt for Shi Yu's lack of soul skills quickly disappeared.
After witnessing his abilities, Deputy Tower Master Li no longer cared about that at all.
Being able to silently appear behind someone—even when they were on high alert—was something that even many Soul Saints with space attributes would struggle to do. There would normally be at least some trace of movement or energy fluctuation.
But when Shi Yu moved, it was completely silent. No warning. No signs.
That alone proved how exceptional his abilities were.
Even without soul rings, his talent was more shocking than most soul skill techniques.
"How many times can you use that teleportation ability?" Deputy Tower Master Li asked, eyes burning with curiosity.
"It depends on the situation," Shi Yu replied after a moment's thought. "The farthest I can move in one jump is about 100 meters. At that distance, I can probably do it a hundred times."
Of course, he was lying.
He didn't want to fully reveal his strength. In truth, his actual limit was much higher.
Back when he first traveled through time, he had managed to teleport 200 meters in one go. And after his second time travel, that limit had likely increased even further.
But he hadn't yet tested his true upper bounds.
Deputy Tower Master Li was astonished.A hundred-meter jump—a hundred times?
"With that ability, it doesn't even matter if you have soul rings or not," he said with admiration.
"You may be lacking in traditional soul master combat methods, but if you're equipped with powerful weapons—so you don't rely on soul skills at all—you'd be an extremely formidable fighter."
"Just imagine this," he continued. "You're outfitted with high-lethality weapons. With your teleportation, you can appear beside an enemy completely undetected and launch a surprise attack. Very few could survive that."
In his mind, Deputy Tower Master Li had already started sketching out Shi Yu's entire development path.
This wasn't exaggeration—it was feasible.
If Shi Yu had launched a lethal attack when he teleported behind him earlier, even as a Soul Douluo, he might not have survived.
Of course, that depended on whether Shi Yu's attack was strong enough.
Even if his martial soul didn't have powerful offensive properties, modern soul tools could easily make up for that.
This was no longer an era where martial souls alone decided everything. There were many advanced soul tool technologies that could supplement one's weaknesses.
"Really?" Shi Yu feigned surprise, then quickly collected himself and said with purpose, "That's something for the future. For now, what I want most is to see whether I can stimulate my soul rings through the energy in the Spirit Ascension Platform."
"That's your goal in entering the platform?" Deputy Tower Master Li asked.
"Yes," Shi Yu nodded. "I've heard that the Soul Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform can increase the age of soul rings. Even pure soul rings can evolve through the energy within it."
"I want to see whether exposure to that energy might trigger some kind of awakening or reaction in my missing soul rings."
Deputy Tower Master Li pondered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. "It might help."
He couldn't say for certain—after all, he had never encountered a situation like Shi Yu's before.
But seeing Shi Yu's hopeful expression, he smiled and offered, "Are you interested in joining the Spirit Pagoda?"
"If you join, not only will you have the qualifications to access the Spirit Ascension Platform, but we'll also do everything we can to help you resolve your soul ring issue."
"And even if it can't be solved, we'll help you develop your combat strength in other ways."
"As I said, we only need to equip you with the right tools, and the lack of soul skills will no longer be a problem."
What he valued most was Shi Yu's silent teleportation—a talent ideal for assassination.
If Shi Yu could approach a Soul Douluo at level 20 without being noticed—what would happen when he became a Soul Douluo?
"What would I have to do if I joined the Spirit Pagoda?" Shi Yu asked cautiously.He really did want to join and enjoy the benefits—but he couldn't appear too eager. It was better to draw the offer in further.
Deputy Tower Master Li was secretly pleased by Shi Yu's caution and replied warmly, "There are many departments within the Spirit Pagoda. Some staff have to work daily, but those with unique talents don't need to worry about such things."
"For someone like you—a rare genius—if you joined, I would recommend you to the Battle Heaven Department."
"This division is focused solely on cultivating strength. The Spirit Pagoda would provide you with all the training resources you need, so you could focus entirely on your growth."
"All you'd need to do is take on missions for the Spirit Pagoda from time to time."
"These tasks aren't frequent—maybe only one every year or two. Honestly, it's quite easy."
Deputy Tower Master Li listed out various benefits in hopes of winning Shi Yu over completely.
He not only admired Shi Yu's abilities, but also the identity he claimed to have.
If Shi Yu's background was real—having two titled Douluo parents who were also three-character battle armor masters—then recruiting him would be equivalent to establishing ties with those two powerhouses.
That would be incredibly beneficial to the East Sea branch of the Spirit Pagoda.
They could gain greater attention from the headquarters, more resources, more support—the advantages were endless.
"I almost feel like I'd be taking advantage of the Spirit Pagoda," Shi Yu said, pretending to be conflicted.
Deputy Tower Master Li chuckled and said comfortingly, "If you ever feel that way, just focus on improving and getting stronger. One day, the Spirit Pagoda might depend on you for protection."
"At that point, it won't be you who owes the Spirit Pagoda—but the Spirit Pagoda that owes you."
Shi Yu nodded and agreed without further hesitation."Since there are so many benefits, I really have no reason to refuse. I'm willing to join the Spirit Pagoda."
"Excellent." Deputy Tower Master Li happily patted him on the shoulder and pulled a form from his drawer.
"Fill out your personal information according to the prompts. Just write 300–400 words on the application form. Then we'll begin the process."
Shi Yu nodded and sat down at the desk by the window to complete the form.
The details were basically the same as what he'd filled out earlier—his name and martial soul were real, but everything else was fabricated.
There were also a number of agreements included—most notably, a loyalty clause.
After joining the Spirit Pagoda, one must pledge loyalty to the organization and avoid involvement with other forces, except their own family and their academy.
Even studies at an academy were only permitted for educational purposes—deep affiliations were strictly prohibited.
In fact, the clause specifically mentioned avoiding close ties with Shrek Academy.
Violating the loyalty clause gave the Spirit Pagoda the right to bypass the law and deal with the offender internally.
While killing was technically illegal under federal law, enforcement often depended on power.
The weak were punished. The strong? Usually untouchable.
Some people were good at hiding and avoided detection. Others were simply so powerful—and had such deep connections—that even the Federation would turn a blind eye.
The Spirit Pagoda was one of those superpowers capable of sidestepping the law.
If someone betrayed them and they chose to eliminate that person, the Federation wouldn't say a word.
This loyalty agreement wasn't truly binding.In truth, most people who betrayed the Pagoda would've been dealt with regardless—it's just that having this paper made it look more official.
And besides, there were plenty of other forces, like Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, that could ignore rules just as easily.