"Something you need?" Gu You asked curiously.
"Come with me. I'll help you pick a soul spirit that suits you," Long Yali replied, sizing him up with interest.
Gu You followed, and Xin Ya also stood up, but Long Yali frowned upon seeing this.
"Apologies… but this involves the confidential affairs of the Spirit Pagoda. You cannot follow," she said flatly.
"Huh? But—" Before Xin Ya could finish his sentence, Long Yali had already pulled Gu You away, moving as if she were sneaking off to do something shady.
Deep within the hall, numerous soul tool elevators were installed. Long Yali led Gu You straight to the only red one.
This was an exclusive elevator for the higher-ups of the Spirit Pagoda. Only by taking this elevator could one reach the peak of this towering structure, standing over a thousand meters tall.
After two full minutes, the elevator doors opened, revealing a spacious room.
The walls were made of transparent glass. While it didn't provide a full view of the entire Shrek City, the colossal Golden Ancient Tree in the distance was clearly visible, surrounded by drifting clouds, creating an awe-inspiring sensation of soaring into the sky.
Gu You was deeply impressed. This wasn't even the highest floor—if he reached the very top, he might see nothing but a sea of white clouds.
The room was impeccably neat, with few furnishings aside from some specialized instruments that exuded a high-tech feel.
"First, let's test your spiritual power, then your soul power," Long Yali instructed softly.
Gu You nodded in understanding and sat in front of one of the machines. After putting on a special headset, he felt a tingling sensation run through him. Numbers flickered across the screen before settling on the final result.
74!
Spirit Origin Realm, High Tier.
This was no trivial matter. Some Soul Elders (Rank 30+) might not even reach this level of spiritual power. The higher the spiritual power, the greater the soul spirit a person could withstand.
Long Yali took a moment to calm herself before proceeding with the soul power test. Gu You placed his hand on another instrument, and the glowing indicators rapidly climbed up a scale divided into 100 levels—representing Rank 1 to Rank 100.
The indicator surged past Rank 12, as if it still wanted to climb, but ultimately settled at Rank 12.
She took a sharp breath.
Twelve years old? No—just six years old and already Rank 12? Pure monstrosity.
At that moment, the elevator chimed. The doors slid open, and in walked Leng Yaozhu, clad in a golden gown. She glanced at the numbers displayed on the machines and was momentarily taken aback.
"And you are?" Gu You asked.
The woman before him had jade-like skin and an aura like fire—passionate yet elegant, radiating the energy of a sun. He instinctively knew she was someone extraordinary.
"I'm the one preparing a gift for you," Leng Yaozhu replied with a gentle smile. She waved a hand, and countless tiny glowing orbs flew out, filling the room with a soft light.
Hundred-year soul spirits! A sky full of hundred-year soul spirits!
If these were released outside, the entire continent would go into a frenzy. These were walking piles of money—each one worth a million coins!
And among them were rare dragon-type and mutated soul spirits.
Gu You searched for a while but found none that matched what he wanted. He shook his head helplessly.
Leng Yaozhu was briefly stunned. She had painstakingly selected these soul spirits, yet this brat didn't want a single one?
"Little brother, tell me—what kind of soul spirit do you want? I'll have Yali fetch it for you," Leng Yaozhu said, resisting the urge to get angry.
"Do you have a Tyrannosaurus?" Gu You asked.
Leng Yaozhu nearly cursed out loud but held herself back—after all, this was just a child.
"A dragon species? Now that's asking for a lot," she chuckled. It wasn't that she didn't want to give one—after all, she was about to take him as her disciple—but a hundred-year Tyrannosaurus soul spirit? She didn't have one.
The only ones available were experimental hybrid Tyrannosauruses with impure bloodlines.
"You don't have one?" Gu You asked, slightly disappointed.
"We have some… but only a few ten-year ones, and they're all experimental rejects with impure bloodlines," Leng Yaozhu admitted.
A ten-year soul spirit? Gu You was secretly thrilled.
The soul spirit's age didn't matter—as long as it was the right type. After all, there was Ascension Platform, a tool that could increase soul spirit age.
"A ten-year one is fine," Gu You said decisively.
Leng Yaozhu was puzzled. Any normal person would pick a hundred-year soul spirit. Is this kid's brain working properly? Choosing a ten-year defective one instead?
But after thinking for a moment, she agreed. "Yali, please take care of it."
"Understood, Phoenix Douluo," Long Yali responded.
Gu You's eyes widened in shock.
Phoenix Douluo.
The current Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda.
One of the strongest Limit Douluo alive.
A wielder of Four-Word Battle Armor.
A near demi-god-level existence.
Who wouldn't be shocked?!
"You?"
Leng Yaozhu walked closer to Gu You.
"Little one, let's skip the formalities. The reason I came today is to take you as my disciple. Would you be willing?"
Gu You's pupils slightly contracted.
Being accepted as the disciple of a Limit Douluo? That wasn't just a step toward the peak—it was an invitation to go straight to the top. He could just slack off for the rest of his life!
But after a moment of thought, he hesitated.
Right now, his intentions leaned toward siding with the Federation, and within Shrek Academy, there was also an Elder who had taken an interest in him.
If he became Leng Yaozhu's disciple now, word would spread, and things would get messy.
Seeing his hesitation, Leng Yaozhu added, "I'll take you as my disciple under the Leng Family's name, not as the Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda. That way, you won't have to worry about raising suspicion from the Federation's side."
"But…" Gu You hesitated again.
"Hmm… Alright then," Leng Yaozhu sighed, her tone deliberately exaggerated.
In that moment, Gu You felt a subtle but oppressive force pressing down on him.
"Wa—wait! I suddenly feel like you're the most amazing person ever!" Gu You quickly said.
Becoming Leng Yaozhu's disciple was definitely an advantage. He just disliked being coerced into it.
But then again…
If all the benefits are mine, why should I care?
At worst, there'd be some political rumors.
Leng Yaozhu smiled. She had never planned on using force—at most, she would have just given him a light "lesson."
A while later, Long Yali finally returned with a tiny white glowing orb in her hands.
Gu You saw her smirking as if she had schemed something, and his face instantly darkened.
So you two planned this together, huh?
But his focus quickly shifted to the soul spirit.
The ten-year Tyrannosaurus was… rather peculiar.
It had an oversized head and a ridiculously tiny body—comically out of proportion.
It looked like…
Well.
Never mind. As long as it's a Tyrannosaurus, it'll grow up.
"Absorb it now, or later? If now, I'll guard you," Leng Yaozhu asked with a yawn.
"Now." Gu You sat down, cradling the tiny Tyrannosaurus soul spirit as his purple soul power intertwined with its pale white glow.
Inside his spiritual sea, Gu You clutched his head in pain.
Countless horrifying images flooded his mind—scenes of the small Tyrannosaurus being experimented on, alongside many other tortured soul beasts.
An overwhelming surge of resentment surrounded him.
But in the next instant, a dragon's roar erupted from his mouth, dispersing all the negative energy.
"...Poor thing… From now on, I'll take good care of you," he murmured.
"I'll name you Jiji Ba. How about that?"