"Soul Spirit Tower, First Level: Cleared. Available soul spirit for absorption: Wind Wolf. Millennium Soul Beast. Choose within ten seconds whether to absorb."A mechanical voice echoed from all directions.
At the same time, a golden portal appeared before them. It wasn't as large as the first one they had entered, but it was just as deep and mysterious. Floating before the portal was the phantom image of a Wind Wolf.
"Let's go!" Gu You waved his hand and took the lead, stepping through the portal.
If they chose the Wind Wolf, they could absorb and fuse with it as a soul spirit. Entering the portal, however, meant continuing to challenge the second level.
Their vision shifted, and the next moment, they found themselves in an identical hall. It looked exactly the same as the previous one—an octagonal hall with eight massive metal doors.
A faint light flickered in Gu You's eyes. Instead of using his dragon claws, which were time-consuming, he decided to rely on his mental attacks. Wide-range coverage, instant elimination—he would use it until he faced ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
At Gu You's Spirit Domain Realm level of spiritual power, he should, in theory, possess a proper spirit domain.
A domain formed from his spiritual consciousness, self-contained and absolute, built upon his soul:
"Spirit Domain, activate!"
Gu You let out a low command, and in an instant, the entire octagonal hall turned a deep, eerie purple. Everyone present could feel the overwhelming intensity of his condensed mental power filling the air.
"W-What is this?"
Outside the arena, even Leng Yaozhu was shocked. She had known that Gu You's spiritual power was extraordinary, but she hadn't expected it to reach such a terrifying level.
Spirit Domain Realm! That was a level that countless geniuses failed to reach in their lifetimes, yet Gu You had achieved it effortlessly—at only thirteen years old.
"A Spirit Domain?!" Xu Lizhi exclaimed in disbelief.
The students of Shrek Academy were all well-trained. Their judgment and perception far exceeded that of ordinary soul masters.
A Spirit Domain was even rarer than a regular soul master's domain. Even obtaining an elemental domain was already an exceptional feat—let alone a Spirit Domain.
And judging by the current phenomenon, this wasn't just any ordinary Spirit Domain.
Gu You ignored their chatter. He was also using this ability for the first time.
This domain could be called—Dragon God's Soul-Shattering Domain.
Within this domain, as long as an enemy's spiritual power was weaker than his and they remained inside for long enough, their soul would collapse, shattering into nothingness. In some ways, this ability was incredibly powerful. But on the other hand, if his spiritual power was already superior to an opponent's, did he even need this ability to defeat them? To him, it seemed somewhat redundant.
However, there was still one major advantage: If his spiritual power vastly outclassed his enemy's, simply releasing this domain would instantly annihilate their soul, preventing even the possibility of reincarnation.
In the distance, the eight metal doors began to open. But before they could fully swing open, the system's voice rang out once again.
Gu You paid it no mind.
He stepped through the portal—onto the next level!
In the following levels, he barely needed to lift a finger. Within moments, he had cleared twenty-six levels, reaching the twenty-eighth.
With each successive level, the soul beasts had noticeably grown stronger. By the eighth level, there were already six thousand-year soul beasts. By the twentieth, there were eight near ten-thousand-year soul beasts. Even by level twenty-seven, no ten-thousand-year soul beasts had appeared—only those approaching that level.
The octagonal hall remained, but this time, only four of the metal doors opened.
From them emerged four massive soul beasts, their bodies covered in thick white fur. Each of them radiated an aura of power and majesty.
Gu You recognized them immediately—Snow Lions.
Hailing from the extreme northern lands, these were clearly ten-thousand-year-old Snowfield Lion Kings.
Their eyes were cold and indifferent. As they stepped forward, the temperature in the hall began to drop sharply. Frost spread across the ground, and with each breath, their power visibly increased.
But Gu You's domain was not to be taken lightly.
Against ten-thousand-year soul beasts, their spiritual power was stronger, so his domain couldn't eliminate them instantly. However, he only needed to wait a few seconds…
"ROAR—"
Four pained howls rang out.
The four Snowfield Lion Kings collapsed in an instant, lifeless.
But this time, something was different.
Their spirits remained. Floating above their bodies, they stared at Gu You.
Gu You walked up to them and said, "I don't know if you were artificially simulated or if you're real. But let me ask you—do you wish to truly live?"
The four Snowfield Lion Kings seemed stunned.
"I can grant you freedom," Gu You continued. "You will once again roam the snowy plains, own your territory, and live in peace." He patted his chest confidently.
He was… persuading soul beasts to surrender?
For the first time, Yue Zhengyu witnessed something like this, and he couldn't help but admire Gu You. He was simply too powerful.
Gu Yue, on the other hand, fell into deep thought. It was unclear what she was contemplating.
The four Snowfield Lion Kings let out low, anxious roars.
The coldness in their eyes had transformed into something else—hope. They had been caged here for who knew how many years, yearning for freedom.
Gu You nodded, raising his hand. A light enveloped them, sending ripples of energy through the air. The next moment, all four Snowfield Lion Kings merged into his consciousness.
"Wait… it's possible to do that?!"
Outside, the staff were stunned. They had been about to intervene when—
"Let him continue," Leng Yaozhu interrupted.
Since the Vice Tower Master had spoken, the staff dared not protest.
Over the next dozen levels, every opponent was a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Yet, none posed a challenge. Some Gu You absorbed, while others he convinced to surrender.
Then, at last, he thought of something critical.
"Does anyone need a soul ring?" he asked.
"I do," Yuanen Yehui raised her hand.
Gu You considered this. "At this stage, there aren't any suitable thousand-year soul beasts left for you. You'd be better off with a ten-thousand-year soul spirit, like what Xiaoyan has. I'll help you absorb one."
Yuanen Yehui was stunned.
She knew that Xu Xiaoyan had a ten-thousand-year soul ring, but she hadn't known how she had obtained it. Now, hearing Gu You's words, it was clear that he had been the one who had helped her.
She nodded.
Gu You's expression turned serious. A Titan Giant Ape would be a suitable strength-type soul spirit, but high-level strength-type soul beasts were incredibly powerful. Even though he could defeat them, the question was whether he could find one.
At level forty…
The familiar octagonal hall transformed into a circular one. The metal doors remained, but this time, there was only one.
A single enormous metal gate—thirty meters tall, twenty meters wide.
Slowly, it began to open.
Before they could even see the soul beast within…
(End of Chapter)