"From this moment on, you are a member of the Spirit Pagoda,"Deputy Pagoda Master Li announced after reviewing the documents Shi Yu had filled out. He then handed Shi Yu a token—an official identity credential for Spirit Pagoda personnel.
"Can I enter the Spirit Ascension Platform now?" Shi Yu asked without hesitation. He didn't want to waste any time—he might only have a few days.
"You're really in a hurry," Deputy Pagoda Master Li chuckled, but he understood.
After a brief pause, he decided to personally escort Shi Yu to the Spirit Ascension Platform. He was curious to see what kind of performance Shi Yu would show and whether the platform's energy could truly trigger a reaction in his soul rings.
Under his guidance, Shi Yu arrived at one of the more advanced Spirit Ascension Chambers.
This chamber had only a single Soul Ascension cabin inside—unlike the standard ones, which typically had two. It was more private and came equipped with higher-level functions.
Shi Yu entered and looked around, taking in his surroundings with curiosity. Though he'd mentally prepared, everything still felt new and novel.
"Lie down inside. You might feel some discomfort at first, but it's normal. Don't be nervous," Deputy Tower Master Li said as he adjusted the instruments.
"Okay." Shi Yu stepped into the Soul Ascension cabin and laid down. It was unexpectedly soft and comfortable.
As the hatch above him slowly sealed shut, Shi Yu began to feel a wave of discomfort—not physically, but mentally.
A wave of drowsiness washed over him, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
He felt like he was crossing a threshold—something like time travel again. But this time, it was far shorter. In just a few breaths, his vision lit up.
He could see clearly.
All around him were dense trees—he was in a forest. It was quiet and peaceful.
Shi Yu inhaled deeply. He could feel the scents in the air, the temperature, the sensation of the ground beneath him. His vision, hearing, and even touch felt vividly real.
"This technology is truly beyond modern standards…" Shi Yu thought to himself.
His consciousness was fully immersed in a virtual world, yet it all felt unmistakably real—as though he had been transported there physically. Such a level of realism couldn't possibly be achieved through technology alone.
It must have incorporated some sort of extraordinary power—beyond just science.
Shi Yu didn't dwell on this too much. What mattered now was not the science or technology—but how to find the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear he was looking for.
He surveyed his surroundings but had no clear direction to follow. It seemed like it would come down to luck.
He picked a direction based on instinct and sharpened his senses to detect spatial fluctuations nearby.
To his surprise, his spatial perception seemed even more refined within the Spirit Ascension Platform. A massive amount of spatial data flooded his mind.
He didn't focus on the trees or vegetation—instead, he honed in on soul beasts.
He could sense the general distribution of soul beasts within a 1,000-meter radius. It was like radar—space itself feeding him information.
A low growl echoed from the trees.
Shi Yu intentionally revealed himself to a wolf-type soul beast. The moment it saw him, its eyes lit up with hunting intent, and it lunged forward viciously.
Shi Yu stood still. Gathering his soul power, he struck out with his palm.
A condensed energy palm formed in the air and slammed into the soul beast with incredible force. The wolf flew back, crashing through a tree before landing in a heap.
It whimpered faintly as its body turned translucent—then shattered into light and disappeared, leaving only energy behind.
"That strong?" Shi Yu was stunned. He had only meant to test his strength—but he hadn't expected his space-based attack to be that effective.
Even though he had no soul skills, his exquisite spatial control allowed him to develop countless variations.
That palm strike had simply been the most basic manifestation of space energy.
By condensing spatial power into a palm, he could release it with tremendous force. And judging from that impact—it was no less powerful than a soul skill.
"Is his spatial control really this refined?" Deputy Tower Master Li, observing the live feed in the control room, was astounded.
A small, hidden monitoring eye had captured Shi Yu's actions and displayed them on a screen.
Deputy Tower Master Li watched with growing interest.Apparently, Shi Yu wasn't just good at teleportation—he could use space itself as a weapon.
The residual energy released by the defeated soul beast drifted toward Shi Yu.
He didn't resist it and allowed it to be absorbed into his body.
He focused carefully, hoping the energy might stimulate his missing soul rings.
Back during the Peerless Tang Sect era, he'd had soul rings—but they vanished when he traveled through time.He still didn't know whether they were truly gone or just hidden deep within him.
If it was the latter, there might be hope of reactivating them.
As the energy was absorbed, his body felt more energized—but that was it.
"No changes? Or is it just not enough energy yet?" Shi Yu muttered to himself, uncertain.
He continued searching through the forest, hoping to run into the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear by luck alone.
He picked a direction and followed it.
He knew that the closer he got to the edge of the zone, the greater the chances of encountering high-level soul beasts.
Along the way, he encountered several more soul beasts.
Shi Yu killed them without hesitation, absorbing their energy each time.
His body didn't change much, though he felt a slight swelling pressure building within him.
Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance ahead.
"A group of people fighting a soul beast?" Shi Yu narrowed his eyes and turned toward the source.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to check it out.
He advanced quickly, teleporting in short bursts—each time only about a dozen meters. He didn't dare move farther, worried that long-range teleportation might make it hard to control his landing point and draw attention.
Soon, he arrived near the battlefield and hid behind a tree to observe.
At first glance, what caught his eye were the brilliant flashes of color.
An ordinary-looking girl was channeling several elements at once, attacking with a barrage of energy.
The dazzling colors were elemental forces: red for fire, earthy yellow for earth, green for wind, blue for water, golden light, dark black shadow, and even flashes of silver—that was spatial power.
"Gu Yuena?" Shi Yu's heart skipped a beat.
The moment he saw all seven elements appear at once, he instantly thought of Gu Yuena.
She was the only one he knew who could wield fire, earth, wind, water, light, darkness, and space simultaneously.
"That must be Gu Yue. Then the others must be..." Shi Yu turned his gaze, scanning the other fighters—looking for one person in particular.
Tang Wulin.
He wasn't hard to find.
Whoever charged forward most fearlessly—or whoever used Blue Silver Grass—would be him.
Tang Wulin, with the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, was born for close combat. When it came to bravery in melee, no one could match him.
Soon, Shi Yu locked onto him.
One person was standing closest to the soul beast, wielding a golden blade. With his teammates supporting from behind, he was launching relentless strikes.
A constant screech of metal echoed across the battlefield.
The soul beast's fur gleamed like iron and gold—each time a blade or claw struck it, sparks and arcs of lightning shot out.
Its defenses were formidable—breaking through it wouldn't be easy.