Walking along the lakeshore on the restored bluestone path, Chen Fu paced with his hands behind his back, measuring the circular track of the Ascension-to-God device with his steps according to the schematic.
Behind him, the Youlan constantly shimmered with a faint blue glow. Deep underground, the core guide-rails were being inspected and fine-tuned one by one.
The construction of the circular track was relatively quick. With a team of people, Chen Fu spent a month completing most of it. He then spent another month constructing and calibrating the main engine of the Ascension-to-God soul tool wonder.
Although everything seemed complete, the device still could not be activated. The ring composed of countless nodes required a final microscopic calibration by the Youlan. This step was crucial. Any error could cause high-energy particles to deviate from the intended trajectory,light damage would burn through the barriers, while severe deviation could trigger a chain explosion.
Even with safety measures and the support of titled experts, the worst-case scenario would not cause a chain detonation of the many Ark Cores within the track.
But Chen Fu did not want to experience a second such explosion. So he personally repeated the task over and over, measuring the ring with his own steps.
And Ma Xiaotao?
She clung to one of his hands as he dragged her along.
She had originally thought Chen Fu was taking her out to relax and have fun,but it turned out to be work again.
Yet this was a task that required a quiet heart. Chen Fu, walking ahead, knew this well.
And with you walking behind me, my heart can't help but be calm.
Chen Fu walked very slowly,perhaps worried the Youlan could not keep pace, or perhaps concerned about tiring the girl behind him on the path toward sainthood through soul power. After all, Seagod Lake's circumference was not short. Well, who knows his real reason?
"Student, spirit detection is not allowed here."
Gently sending back the weak mental probe, Chen Fu raised his head to look at the boy being egged on from beyond the warning line on the shore.
That mental power was so weak it probably couldn't even break through the outermost mental defense layer. So Chen Fu didn't lecture him further. Curiosity, in most cases, was a good thing.
Ma Xiaotao also looked over and felt angry. This was a top-level forbidden zone,looking was one thing, but using spiritual power?
Was he not afraid of triggering the outer mental defense program? The moment he probed, a titled Douluo could easily slap him unconscious from afar!
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
Huo Yuhao's face flushed red then turned pale instantly. If he were expelled from Shrek, he truly wouldn't know where else he could go.
"Don't blame him, I told him to do it!"
The student beside him showed something that could only be described as bravado. Wang Dong knew Huo Yuhao's circumstances, so he didn't want Yuhao to be punished because of him. Besides, he had elders who could help mediate if needed.
After dispersing the patrolling team that had come to investigate, Chen Fu looked at the two of them with a strange expression.
[High-quality soul source detected. Capture?]
In his special spiritual vision, the boy's jade-like, luminous white soul ring had nowhere to hide.
And the other one,who seemed to be a "1",also had issues. Leaving aside the orientation problem, she even carried a faint trace of divinity?
And the colors of their souls together were bright enough to serve as nightclub lights. Why did they have so many martial spirits?
If he weren't preparing for the Ascension-to-God activation procedure, Chen Fu would already have dragged the two of them into a lab to study.
"Why is he staring at us like that? Is he a pervert trying to threaten us?"
Wang Dong felt creeped out by Chen Fu's gaze and tried to hide beside Huo Yuhao, only to find Yuhao frozen stiff.
[Soul Snare]
[Soul Capture]
[Spirit Severance]
[Soul Suppression]
[Spirit Damping]
[Soul Seal]
A series of soul- and mind-related protocols activated from the Youlan. A small, delicate, translucent white jade soul ring spun vigorously on Chen Fu's index finger.
"Don't move,I'm just looking."
The ring, as if understanding his words, immediately became obedient and still.
Tianmeng was terrified. In all his long life, he had never heard of anyone who could remotely seize a soul ring. Yes, he slept a lot, but even so, this was completely unheard of!
He had nearly lost all perception of Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea. Though his main body was sealed in Yuhao's sea and he could sever it to escape, he didn't dare. The ring was both his medium to interact with the world and the valve that opened Yuhao's sea of consciousness.
He did not believe that this human-like being who captured him so easily wouldn't be able to do more.
"So you're the bug Golden Scale lost."
Chen Fu's firm mental power smoothed out Tianmeng's chaotic spirit. Many pieces of memory were sensed and classified by the Youlan, which discarded the 99.99999% of useless garbage and gathered only the useful information.
This bug was truly useless. Its total mental power was no weaker than the rapidly developing Youlan,possibly even stronger. But the difference between them was like a sharp blade compared to a piglet. One was destined to be butchered, the other… also destined to be butchered.
After some sorting, he found the garbage information simply too excessive and stopped wasting memory. Fortunately, he already had what he wanted.
Golden Scale would never admit this natural gift was a million-year soul beast, but Tianmeng indeed possessed traces of divine essence at the spiritual level.
If it could condense its mental power and eventually transform into a butterfly, becoming a god would not be an issue.
Out of curiosity about the so-called million-year soul beast gimmick, Chen Fu reached out to investigate.
[Silence]
Under the Youlan's suppression, Tianmeng felt the particles composing his spiritual form turn inert,unable to vibrate, communicate, or even think.
"See? Youlan doesn't like you. Go back quickly, or it'll eat you."
Chen Fu did not like having a noisy creature inside him either, so he sent the Tianmeng soul ring back.
[Protocol Released]
The ring vanished from his hand and automatically appeared on the head of the frozen Huo Yuhao.
"Just checking whether the bug was suffering heatstroke. Looks like it's healthy."
An unexpected discovery made Chen Fu crack a joke.
"Your martial soul seems suitable for soul tools. Go find Ning Tian and get a beginner's package,it'll give you a head start."
Waving goodbye to Huo Yuhao and the loud "1" beside him, Chen Fu quickened his pace, pulling Ma Xiaotao along.
"Yuhao, what's wrong? Wasn't that your soul ring in his hand? That's outrageous! No,terrifying! Ning Tian? He told us to find Ning Tian,ah! That bastard! I don't want to go!"
Terrified and angry, Wang Dong circled around Huo Yuhao anxiously, saying things that sounded oddly suspicious.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Huo Yuhao assumed Wang Dong was misreading his emotional state because of that man. After calming, he reassured him aloud and then spoke inwardly to the newly returned Tianmeng.
"Tianmeng-ge, what happened just now? Did he already discover you?"
A tiny trace of hopeful denial lingered in Yuhao's mind.
"That man is too terrifying! Yuhao,ah! I'm not willing!"
Tianmeng did not sound scared,only furious.
Within Yuhao's spiritual sea, the chubby Tianmeng threw himself around head-first, rolling on the ground in helpless rage.
"He said something to you, didn't he?"
Influenced by Tianmeng's behavior, Yuhao also calmed somewhat.
Tianmeng kept pounding the ground.
"He said something to you, right?"
"…He said you're reliable and talented. Hehe…"
"Really?"
Yuhao didn't believe it. The man's eyes when returning the soul ring clearly held a hint of disdain. Yuhao, always sensitive to others' emotions, was sure he didn't misread it.
"…He told you to look for someone, didn't he? That means your talent was recognized!"
Tianmeng mentally praised himself for his cleverness.
"All right, I'll go talk to Teacher Ning."
Yuhao replied half-believing.
Even though he'd been disliked, Tianmeng now had tacit approval to act more boldly from now on!
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