Chapter 11: Single-Attribute Four Clans, Serpent Emperor Medusa, Water and Fire Deep

Illusionary Space.

Han Tianyi, using his peak Spirit Domain-level spiritual power, simulated a classroom to teach the two the knowledge of mecha repair.

As both four-character Doukai masters, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo and the Illusion Brain Douluo had vastly different teaching styles.

Leng Yaoju began with foundational theory, gradually extending to deeper layers—ideal for beginners—while Han Tianyi opened with a knockout move: manifesting concrete examples through spiritual power, deconstructing details with wild creativity, requiring students to already possess a solid foundation.

This left Zhao Xuanzhen and Na’er at two extremes: Zhao Xuanzhen, who had secretly stolen scrolls since childhood, handled it effortlessly; Na’er gazed upward at a forty-five-degree angle, looking like she was about to shatter.

Mecha repair is the most complex of the four professions; a mecha repairer must master mecha design and manufacturing, though not to an extreme depth, yet must profoundly understand the connection between the two to mend damaged Doukai or mecha.

“Class dismissed.”

Hearing Han Tianyi utter the two words she had longed for, Na’er collapsed onto the desk, gazing at Zhao Xuanzhen with a mournful, resentful stare—her silver eyes seemed to speak:

I came to play with you, and you dragged me to class? Unhuman!

Zhao Xuanzhen calmly pulled out two bags of snacks; the girl instantly shed her gloom, munching left and right without pause, her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk.

“Ding ding—”

Han Tianyi received a soul-tool communication message; upon seeing it was Leng Yaoju, he read it and smiled faintly, then said:

“The Heavenly Phoenix just sent a message—tell you two brats to enter the Illusionary Space’s virtual combat arena: True Illusion.”

“True Illusion?” Na’er looked confused.

Zhao Xuanzhen whispered an explanation: “True Illusion is a secondary product of the Ascension Platform.

When a soul master kills an Ascension Platform soul beast, they receive partial energy feedback, advancing their soul ring’s years.

As everyone knows, a soul master’s spiritual power and physical strength have limits; once soul rings reach this limit, absorbing more energy from Ascension Platform beasts causes the body to explode. Thus, the Spirit Transmission Tower built True Illusion—currently not open to outsiders, reserved only for internal soul masters.

True Illusion is purely a training ground for combat; killing its creatures grants no benefits, but its danger level is far lower than the Ascension Platform.

First, it can connect to the spiritual sea of a Spirit Domain-level master from the Spirit Transmission Tower, allowing full control; second, it has an internal protection system that automatically extracts the soul master the instant before death.”

Within the Dayue Federation, only eighteen core cities have built Ascension Platforms, known as the Eighteen Pillars of Heaven.

Each Ascension Platform grants one thousand entry slots per month, at fifty thousand Federation coins per session; for external soul masters, even one visit per month is a crushing burden—but Zhao Xuanzhen and Na’er, backed by Deputy Tower Master Leng Yaoju, can go whenever they please, rapidly reaching their physical limits in a short time.

In the future, True Illusion will be their second training ground.

A five-colored helmet descended from above, covering their heads; Han Tianyi’s gaze sharpened, his Spirit Domain-level spiritual power linking to True Illusion!

Zhao Xuanzhen and Na’er appeared in a vast wasteland, all around them withered Blue Silver Grass, the setting sun adding to the desolation.

“Pretty atmospheric…” Zhao Xuanzhen squinted.

“First wave: teleport.”

Han Tianyi’s aged voice echoed above True Illusion.

Four black figures burst into view—ape-like soul beasts, tall and muscular, their arms especially massive!

Thousand-year Strongback Gorilla! An extreme pure-strength soul beast, with copper skin and iron bones, excelling in close combat, lacking ranged abilities.

“One each?”

Zhao Xuanzhen turned his head slightly; his temple hair darkened with streaks of white as his martial soul, True Self, activated—a dazzling purple thousand-year soul ring spiraled around his body.

“Done!”

Na’er clenched her fists, White Silver Dragon Spear gripped tight; her hundred-year soul ring ascended, and from it burst forth a soul beast with spines lining its back—Zhao Xuanzhen recognized it as the Thorn Dragon he had eliminated at the start!

A top-tier sub-dragon bloodline, balancing attack and speed; the Thorn Dragon possesses potent spatial power, and upon surpassing ten thousand years of cultivation, awakens its domain soul skill: Thorned Spatial Battlefield!

The Thorn Dragon stood like the most loyal soldier before Na’er; Zhao Xuanzhen had no doubt of its resolve.

With the Dragon Clan fused to Na’er, wasn’t this like securing a permanent position?

In this first battle, the Thorn Dragon would surely shine, earning the Silver Dragon King’s half-body approval!

The four Strongback Gorillas roared, their feet pounding the ground as they charged, bodies leaving black afterimages, fists the size of boulders tearing through air, their blows carrying force enough to shatter boulders!

The thousand-year soul ring blazed purple—first soul skill: Qi Follows Mind!

Zhao Xuanzhen lightly twisted his wrist, fingers spreading like caressing clouds, his hands forming the circular motion of “Embracing the Sparrow’s Tail,” perfectly intercepting the two gorillas’ fists.

Instantly, heaven and earth inverted; the gorillas were swept off balance by a cloud-like qi, their strength spiraling back along the qi, accompanied by crisp bone-snapping sounds as it was returned upon them!

Four ounces deflects a thousand catties!

Their brute strength became the very force that shattered them; their hardened arm bones shattered joint by joint under the backlash, the gorillas shrieking in agony!

Zhao Xuanzhen stepped forward through the shattered sunset, his palm glowing with black-and-white light, casually pressing against the gorilla’s chest—blood sprayed, heart exploded!

Soul beasts with only brute strength are easier to handle than Face-Eating Demonic Spiders; Tai Chi alone is a chasm no gorilla could ever cross.

His sleeves remained spotless; Zhao Xuanzhen withdrew his hand and stood, watching Na’er.

Na’er’s opponents were also two Strongback Gorillas; her silver pupils gleamed, then her soul ring ignited—on the White Silver Dragon Spear, silver light solidified like liquid, a fierce aura of slaughter erupting!

A dragon’s roar rang clear and high; Na’er charged forward without hesitation, the White Silver Dragon Spear tracing a perfect arc through centrifugal force; the moment its tip touched the gorilla’s fist, silver light exploded!

First soul skill: Silver Dragon Slash!

Silver spread instantly; with a piercing crack, the gorilla’s arm arched backward—but only half its cross-section remained; the arm had been cleanly severed by the White Silver Dragon Spear!

Na’er’s first soul ring originated from the spatial Thorn Dragon, and the White Silver Dragon Spear, being a companion artifact of the Silver Dragon King, naturally resonated with all elements; together, they amplified the spatial cutting force of Silver Dragon Slash, making it unstoppable!

The arm was the gorilla’s greatest weapon; losing it rendered them like lambs awaiting slaughter, soon pierced through the heart by Na’er’s spear.

With three companions dead, the last gorilla went berserk, eyes blazing red as it lunged at Na’er!

“Roar—”

Silver light surged; the Thorn Dragon leapt skyward, executing a dragon kick followed by thorned spikes—a seamless combo that drove the gorilla back, its beast tongue spouting constant curses:

Do you know how hard I worked to earn the Master’s attention?!

Don’t block my path to ascension, you bastard!

Final move: Divine Dragon Tail Whip—the Thorn Dragon’s tail, tipped with razor thorns, pierced the gorilla’s chest!

“We won!”

Na’er experienced the joy of battle, leaping up excitedly and slamming her palm hard against Zhao Xuanzhen’s.

Lung Wu Ha Ji Xing!

Ha Ji Zhen and Ha Ji Na are far more authoritative!

High above, Han Tianyi’s spiritual projection marveled: “Both are combat-type soul masters, their battle power far exceeding their soul force levels—the Heavenly Phoenix has found two treasures.

Such prodigious talent must be trained mercilessly…”

Han Tianyi’s spiritual power ranked first among all Titled Douluo of the Spirit Transmission Tower; True Illusion was like a domain tailor-made for him, allowing him to endlessly generate soul beasts.

On the distant horizon, dust rolled as a massive herd of rhinos churned iron hooves, their keratin armor reflecting the glow of sunset, skin marked with patterns like flowing lava.

Plate Armor Gigarhino!

A pure-defense soul beast, its thick hide capable of resisting most soul skills; now three thousand-year Plate Armor Gigarhinos led a horde of hundred-year rhinos in a charge, like an impregnable wall.

The Plate Armor Gigarhinos were not the entirety of the second wave; four white streaks circled the sky, each wingbeat leaving a trail—extremely fast flying soul beasts!

Zhao Xuanzhen’s pupils contracted—he recognized the white streaks: Swifttail Swallows!

Weak attack, defense nearly zero, yet an extreme pure-speed soul beast—one of the fastest on the Douluo Continent!

Strongback Gorillas, Plate Armor Gigarhinos, Swifttail Swallows…

Single-Attribute Four Clans’ team-building!

“Zhao Xuanzhen, how do we fight…?”

Side by side, Na’er licked her crimson lips. Below: Plate Armor Gigarhinos; above: Swifttail Swallows—ground-air assault would be more than double the effect!

“I’ll handle the flyers; you and I split the Plate Armor Gigarhinos.”

“Got it!”

Quickly assigned, both dashed toward the Plate Armor Gigarhinos!

Before Na’er, the White Silver Dragon Spear spun into a wheel of light; Silver Dragon Slash tore open fine spatial rifts, slicing the front-line hundred-year rhinos into pieces; Na’er understood Zhao Xuanzhen had taken the Swifttail Swallows to spare her all rear threats.

They were teammates; to ease his ground pressure, she boldly charged two thousand-year Plate Armor Gigarhinos!

“Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers—Disperse!”

Nearby, Zhao Xuanzhen spun, his right foot slamming the ground; the Tai Chi diagram surged outward, black-and-white qi swallowing the bodies of several hundred-year Plate Armor Gigarhinos; more rhinos trampled over their fallen kin, eyes blazing with vengeful fire.

Meanwhile, the Swifttail Swallows dove from above—they were like assassins observing weaknesses, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.

All four Swifttail Swallows were thousand-year soul beasts; they would not cooperate to attack Zhao Xuanzhen alone, but split into two groups to strike from above!

“Stick, adhere, whip!”

A cold command rang out; the Swifttail Swallows’ momentum carried them forward, yet their bodies involuntarily reversed trajectory—all targets now shifted to Zhao Xuanzhen!

Tai Chi Sticky Silk Force!

Forced off course, the four Swifttail Swallows’ minds boiled with fury; they shrieked upward, each producing four spectral afterimages, vastly expanding their attack area—as if twenty figures simultaneously lunged at Zhao Xuanzhen.

Talent soul skill: Swallow Splitting!

A piercing shriek tore the heavens; with supersonic speed, their feather-blades sliced through twilight, the downdraft scattering clouds.

The next instant, the airflow froze; the Swifttail Swallows’ white tail feathers still trembled, yet the wind pressure reversed, transforming into an invisible cage that dragged every white shadow back to the ground!

“Xun character: Wind Prison.”

A wisp of deep blue veiled his dark eyes; facing the soul beasts’ ground-air assault, Zhao Xuanzhen activated the Eight Trigrams and Odd Gates—the sky was no longer the Swifttail Swallows’ domain!

“Dui character: Great Marsh!”

The earth rippled like water; the Plate Armor Gigarhinos sank into quicksand-like mire, their iron hooves—capable of shattering trees—now stuck, unable to move.

“Kun character: Earth Tremor! Zhen character: Thunder!”

Rock layers beneath his feet surged like roaring dragon heads; thunderclouds above exploded with blinding lightning; the land echoed with the agonized cries of Plate Armor Gigarhinos and Swifttail Swallows!

“Manipulating multiple elements—this isn’t the Silver Dragon King’s ability…”

Na’er’s eyes widened in disbelief!

Her heart churned like a storm, yet her dragon spear never paused; it trembled, coiling like a dragon, and she thrust the tip with lightning speed, using her agile form to dodge and weave, driving it straight through the eye into the brain of the immobilized Plate Armor Gigarhino—single strike, lethal!

Plate-armored Rhinoceros, Sharp-tailed Swift, annihilated!

Just as the two believed the second wave had ended, a figure silently lunged at Naer, striking from an unexpectedly treacherous angle—right in her blind spot—but caught perfectly by Zhao Xuanzhen.

The figure was a human, his spear wreathed in roaring black flames, thrusting straight for Naer’s chest!

At the last possible moment, a crimson pillar of fire swept across, slamming into the human—Character: Flame!

“What the hell is this?”

Zhao Xuanzhen gritted his teeth, Naer clenched her teeth; both lifted their heads in perfect unison.

Han Tianyi’s cheerful voice came: “The True Illusion not only simulates soul beasts—it can simulate Soul Masters too.”

Single-element Four Clans without Soul-Piercing Spears always feel something’s missing. It’s so much better when the whole family is perfectly matched!”

“Xuanzhen, Naer, you two are the most gifted young Soul Masters I’ve ever seen in my life. The third wave is coming—destroy it, and today’s True Illusion training ends.”

Naer’s confidence soared; she punched forward with a “Hey-Ha!” “Bring it on—we’re not afraid of anything!”

“Courageous…”

Han Tianyi chuckled softly, and a soul beast with a human head and serpent body slowly coalesced—its head bristling with ink-green snake hair, twin fangs resembling a wild boar’s, its face and neck crawling with cold, scaly skin, its third eye tightly shut.

Medusa, Queen of Serpents!

Cultivation base: Ten thousand years!

“No way…”

Naer sniffled, as if a glistening tear were about to fall; she pointed a trembling finger at the ten-thousand-year Medusa, face twisted:

“Kill it… together?”

The sky fell silent. Naer spun around urgently: “Zhao…”

Behind her—no one!

Zhao Xuanzhen knew his limits—he wasn’t a cheat. He could handle soul beasts just breaking past a thousand years, but a one-ring Soul Master fighting a ten-thousand-year Medusa…

He decisively shoved Naer in front of himself!

“Boom—”

A gray-white beam struck; Naer leapt high, dodging Medusa’s Petrifying Gaze!

“Zhao Xuanzhen, save me save me save me!!!”

Zhao Xuanzhen didn’t look back—he fled like the wind, Let the other guy die, not me!

I can still steam!

The Illusion Brain Douluo smiled with satisfaction: Training in real combat, honing spiritual power, learning soul beasts, and sneaking in a run for physical conditioning—this is far better than plain running. I never realized—I’m a genius educator!

The soul master’s ordeal of Zhao and Naer, soaked in fire and water, begins!

(End of Chapter)