Chapter 165: Do You Think I Can't Recognize You? Lan Fozi

Golden energy circulated back and forth within Tang Wulin's body; with each completed cycle, the seal's barrier grew a fraction weaker.

Tang Wulin was immersed in the seal's breakthrough; deep accumulation made this breakthrough proceed smoothly, but just at the moment it was about to complete, an extremely violent roar suddenly exploded in his mind:

"Human! You shut your mouth for this King! If you dare come in every day and spout that nonsense again, once this King breaks out of the seal, I will surely tear your body into ten thousand pieces! Ten thousand pieces!!!"

It seemed to have been held back for a long time; this voice was filled with a frantic, exasperated feeling, reverberating endlessly in Tang Wulin's mind.

Tang Wulin's brows knitted tightly, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

What was that sound?

This King... could it be the Golden Dragon King?

He raised his head and glanced at "Lao Tang"; seeing the other's expression unchanged, he understood that only he had heard it.

Was it because of breaking through the second layer of the seal? As the seal broke through, the Golden Dragon King could communicate with him to a certain extent?

Right now it seems he can only say one sentence...

Tang Wulin was thoughtful.

"Lao Tang" did not reveal much emotion; he did not know whether the other could accept the First Generation Tower Master's thoughts, but since the Golden Dragon King had explicitly expressed disgust, that would not do — it was an unfriendly display.

But thinking from another angle, what the enemy detests is the most powerful weapon.

Since the Golden Dragon King dislikes it... good, from now on the explanation time will be doubled!

Golden Dragon King: "..."

Tang San's Divine Sense: "..."

How did you reach this conclusion?

Can you stop torturing us!

"Time's almost up; is Wulin still not ready?"

Xie Xie paced back and forth in the room. "We already left fairly late; if we miss the next Soul Guidance Train, what'll we do if we're late?"

"Stop pacing around; being anxious is useless. If worst comes to worst, we'll use the back door." Zhang Yangzi sat in a chair. "No need to worry too much."

He had arrived in Tian Dou City yesterday. Before that, he and Wang Jin Xi had both been in Star Luo City, following the guidance of two teachers.

Tian Dou City is a central city of the Continent; now that Soul Guidance Aircraft are suspended, transferring to a Soul Guidance Train here to go to Mingdu is a good choice, so the five of them decided to meet up in Tian Dou City.

Among the five of them, the one most looking forward to attending Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was Xie Xie; the others weren't that excited, but Zhang Yangzi could understand his feelings.

After all, before joining the Spirit Pagoda, Xie Xie's dream was to study at Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.

"..."

Hearing this, Xie Xie fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "You're right; I was too worked up."

It's not some big deal; although using connections invites criticism, they aren't mediocre talents, so what's there to be anxious about?

Thinking of this, Xie Xie's restless mood vanished, and he sat down calmly.

"That's right; now you're acting like a man." Zhang Yangzi revealed a smile.

Xie Xie looked at him in puzzlement, frowned, and said: "What do you mean? Did you used to treat me as a woman?!"

Zhang Yangzi: "..."

His gaze shifted somewhat.

Damn, accidentally spoke my inner thoughts.

But this can't be blamed on him; Xie Xie's possessiveness toward Wulin sometimes looks rather off... it always feels like one of the two of them is a girl, and then it's nobody else's business.

Just as Xie Xie narrowed his eyes and the atmosphere in the room turned "sinister", the door was suddenly pushed open, and a lively figure bounced in, breaking the room's atmosphere.

"Aiya, so Xie Xie is my 'sister'?" Xu Xiaoyan put her hands behind her back, tilted her head, and leaned in toward Xie Xie with a beaming smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

Two years had passed; the young lady's figure had become increasingly delicate and graceful, her skin like snow, the spirit in her brows and eyes still lively.

She looked Xie Xie up and down, feigning surprise as she covered her mouth: "Tsk tsk tsk, how did I never notice before? Xie Xie 'big sister'~"

Xie Xie's face darkened. "Xu! Xiao! Yan! Are you itching for a beating?!"

Xu Xiaoyan wasn't afraid of him; she puffed out her cheeks. "Still angry? In Tian Dou City, you and Wulin are the hosts; now that Wulin's gone to cultivate, you don't even entertain us a little."

What food is there for entertaining bad guests?

Although he thought this, seeing the three willing to wait, Xie Xie still asked: "What do you want to eat? I'll go tell the canteen chefs to make it."

"Keep breakfast simple; you decide."

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jin Xi indicated they'd eat anything.

Xu Xiaoyan, meanwhile, counted on her fingers seriously: "I want bread, jam, yogurt, and fried eggs... two fried eggs, okay? I'm still growing."

Hearing this, Xie Xie couldn't help rolling his eyes hard and replied irritably: "Yeah, you'll grow just as round and plump as a fried egg!"

Finished speaking, not waiting for Xu Xiaoyan to respond, he rapidly ran off.

"This guy's mouth hasn't changed a bit!" Xu Xiaoyan stomped her foot, huffing angrily.

Wang Jin Xi smiled helplessly: "You know what Xie Xie's like. You deliberately teased him; you were bound to suffer backlash."

"No, I'm refuting him saying I'm fat; I don't eat that much."

"What's to eat?" Tang Wulin's voice came from the doorway, drawing several gazes. "I'm a bit hungry too."

The three looked at Tang Wulin with his clueless expression: "..."

You're really leisurely, huh? Do you know how long we've waited?

Wang Jin Xi sighed. "Alright, everyone's here; let's go after breakfast."

After Tang Wulin's group finished breakfast, they bid farewell to Xiong Jun and the others, then boarded a Soul Guidance Train and set off for Mingdu.

For some reason, Tang Wulin's bad-luck constitution didn't take effect; the group arrived in Mingdu safely all the way.

Sunlight spilled over the broad streets; distant towering building clusters glittered in the morning light, and Mingdu's bustling scene gradually came into view.

"Wow, it's so much more lively than our Donghai City!" Xu Xiaoyan leaned against the train window, eyes shining as she gazed at the endless streams of people and the dazzling array of shops outside.

Zhang Yangzi crossed his arms, leaning lazily against the seat, and said, "Mingdu is, after all, the Federation's core city, the place with the most developed soul guidance technology; of course it's different."

Xu Xiaoyan observed the scenery outside, suddenly pointing toward the Mingdu core circle, "That's the Headquarters, right?"

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed without prior agreement. They saw a towering giant tower rising from the ground in the Mingdu core area, its tower body constructed of metal and soul guidance crystals refracting a seven-colored light halo under the sunlight.

The few people unconsciously held their breath, their Adam's apples bobbing, yet not a single one managed to make a sound.

"Although I've long known the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters is the tallest building on the Continent, seeing it with my own eyes is indeed different from looking at photos." Wang Jin Xi exclaimed with emotion.

"It's still early, there's still a day before reporting; let's go report at Headquarters first, go join Big Brother Yuhao."

The train arrived at the station. Xie Xie stretched lazily and stood up first: "Let's go, don't stand here dazed. There'll be plenty of time to look slowly later."

Xu Xiaoyan reluctantly withdrew her gaze, muttering softly: "I heard the top floor of Headquarters has the most advanced Star Observation Platform on the whole Continent; wonder if we'll have a chance to go up and see this time."

The Star Observation Platform on the Continent's tallest building was, for her, an excellent cultivation ground...

Leaving the soul guidance train, the group transferred to a soul guide vehicle and arrived at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters in high spirits. From afar they saw a row of Enforcement Team members standing on the plaza, each with a cold expression, watching the coming and going soul masters, as if vigilant against something.

"What's going on? Did someone commit a crime?"

Xu Xiaoyan's curiosity exploded. She grabbed a passing female soul master and asked sweetly: "Big Sister, what happened here?"

The female soul master was first stunned, then a flash of excited light appeared in her eyes:

"You still don't know? A few days ago there was an earth-shattering great battle! Right here on this plaza. The Enforcement Team is worried someone might imitate it, that's why they're so vigilant."

Battle?

Wang Jin Xi and Zhang Yangzi, hearing this, looked at each other in dismay.

Mingdu's martial spirit is really flourishing? Daring to make a move on the Spirit Pagoda's plaza?

Fighting is prohibited here, right!

Or is it a situation similar to the previous Shrek assessment?

Xie Xie asked directly, "Who has such guts, daring to make a move at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters?"

"It was a core disciple of Headquarters and a Candidate Spirit Envoy! They only exchanged one move, so no one managed to stop them in time."

The female soul master lowered her voice, yet couldn't hide the excitement in her tone, "You didn't see it. That core disciple is known by everyone as 'Jian Fengzi'. The moment he drew his sword, the entire sky was dyed gray by sword light, even the sun was scared into hiding in the clouds, not daring to show its face. His sword intent condensed into a kilometer-long giant dragon, roaring at the heavens, shaking the Spirit Pagoda plaza until it trembled!"

"But that Envoy, facing this heaven-destroying, earth-annihilating sword, merely lightly raised a fist—"

She suddenly clenched her fist, as if imitating the scene at that time, "Then 'Boom!' The air of the entire plaza was sucked dry. His fist bloomed with light more dazzling than the sun. One punch blasted out, and that sword intent giant dragon exploded on the spot into a sky full of light rain!"

Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan looked at each other, the same thought flashing through both their minds — this description, even an ordinary Titled Douluo probably couldn't do it, right?

The female soul master grew more excited as she spoke, "The most outrageous part is, the aftershock of that one punch directly shattered the cloud layers within ten thousand meters. It's said even the Tower Master was alarmed and personally acted to stabilize space, otherwise the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters would have been affected."

"That Candidate Spirit Envoy was merely a core disciple before this, and because of this battle, was directly promoted, with no one daring to object..."

Xu Xiaoyan listened, dumbfounded: "Th-this... is this really something a core disciple can do?"

It's not like she hasn't seen core disciples before; Sister Na isn't this outrageous either.

Are all Spirit Pagoda Headquarters core disciples this strong?

Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin expressionlessly and said in a low voice: "Hey, Wu Lin, do you believe it?"

Tang Wulin was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "... If even one-tenth of what she said is true, then this 'Candidate Spirit Envoy's' strength has probably already surpassed an ordinary Titled Douluo."

The female soul master, still not satisfied, leaned in mysteriously: "There's even more explosive stuff! It's said after that Envoy threw that punch, he didn't even pant, just faintly said—"

She suddenly lowered her voice, imitating a profound and unfathomable tone: "Sword, not bad. Pity the sword user... is too weak."

This Candidate Spirit Envoy is so pretentious.

Thinking this, Xu Xiaoyan pointed at the traces on the ground, "Then these are left from their battle?"

The female soul master turned her head to look, saw the claw marks stretching up a kilometer, waved her hand, "No, those are from a hundred years ago, when Tower Master Xiong Jun attacked an evil soul master who broke into Headquarters, leaving claw marks. Jian Fengzi and the Candidate Spirit Envoy's battle was ultimately a regulation-violating fight; the higher-ups wouldn't leave battle traces."

So this is the trace left from that evil soul master being attacked by Master Xiong Jun?

Tang Wulin's thoughts paused, his eyes shining as he looked at the ground.

That was a Limit Douluo-level evil soul master, ah. Teacher really is amazing!

Xu Xiaoyan then thanked her: "Thank you, Big Sister. Haven't asked your name yet. I'm Xu Xiaoyan."

"Me? I'm Zhao Yao." Zhao Yao smiled slightly, "Little sister is very cute. If you run into trouble, you can come find me."

"Big Brother Yuhao, this is everything we saw and heard along the way."

Gathered in the room Headquarters prepared for Huo Yuhao, Xie Xie looked at Huo Yuhao.

"Are all Headquarters soul masters like this? Fighting on the plaza, so arrogant."

Huo Yuhao: "... That Candidate Spirit Envoy is me."

The air instantly went still.

Gu Yue Na covered her mouth at the side, almost laughing out loud.

Xie Xie's expression instantly froze, his mouth opening wide enough to stuff an egg in: "Wh-what? That pretentious... no, that Candidate Spirit Envoy who shattered sword light with one punch is you, Big Brother?!"

The others also revealed shocked expressions.

Huo Yuhao said helplessly: "It's me, but it's not as exaggerated as that girl spread."

"But..." Xie Xie waved his hands and feet excitedly, "A Spirit Envoy is a big shot! A Candidate Spirit Envoy's status in Headquarters is second only to a Spirit Envoy. I heard they're at least Three-Word Battle Armor Masters. Big Brother, when did you...?"

"Just completed the assessment a few days ago."

Huo Yuhao explained: "The situation on Headquarters' side is somewhat complex, many family forces. I don't want to deeply participate in their disputes. The Candidate Spirit Envoy identity can eliminate some trouble for me."

"You all pay attention too. This age is the best choice for raising strength. Don't be influenced."

Xu Xiaoyan's eyes lit up: "I understand. My teacher also said similar words are in the First Generation Tower Master's admonitions. The Angel God ten thousand years ago is a negative example."

The Angel God Qian Renxue, innate level 20, a generation's deity, yet had to go undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire, wasting quite a bit of time. If she hadn't gone to Heaven Dou, with her talent and aptitude, her godhood time would have been a few years faster than the Sea God and Rakshasa God. The other two might have been crushed to death by her before they achieved godhood.

"..."

Huo Yuhao looked at Gu Yue Na, saw she had no unusual expression, then took out several passes and various documents, "These are the accommodations Headquarters arranged for you. Go settle in first. As for Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, I've also sent someone to help you register. With your strength, entering is no difficulty. As for me and Gu Yue Na, we'll go through Mingde Hall's channel, directly joining as researchers."

For Spirit Pagoda personnel, entering the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy has also become an unwritten convention.

After all, among the first generation members there were quite a few he lured back from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy; now the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters sits in Mingdu, separated from the academy by only a wall, so high-ranking officials' descendants wanting to go to a top academy for advanced study naturally find it the best choice.

After everyone collected their things and left the room, Xu Xiaoyan muttered, "I feel like Yuhao is like our elder... Sister Na isn't, but when she stands beside Yuhao, she's very much like it."

The others nodded in agreement.

Not long after the group left the room, a tall figure arrived at the door, raising a hand several times to knock but hesitantly lowering it again, until the evening light outside the window gilded the metal door frame with a third layer of golden edging, and finally two soft "dong dong" sounds rang out.

A calm reply came from inside; the figure instantly let out a sigh of relief, stepped inside, yet in the next moment felt as if falling into an abyss.

"Two years ago in the Deep Sea Abyss, you were cautious enough to turn around and leave."

A low voice reverberated in the air, each word like a heavy hammer striking the heart, "Now you receive my transfer order yet do not leave — do you think I cannot recognize you? Deep Sea Demon Whale... or should I say, Lord Lan Fuzi?"

The figure abruptly froze, as if nailed in place by an invisible pressure, even breathing stagnating.

(End of Chapter)