Huo Yuhao: This Is Fraud!

The next day, Luo Yanglu led everyone before a deep-blue glass door and handed out bracelets to each of them. "Put them on. Without these, the automated defense system will treat you as hostile targets." "So advanced," Zhang Yangzi marveled as he took his and slipped it onto his wrist. Seeing that everyone had fastened their bracelets, Luo Yanglu took the lead and stepped toward the doorway. The others followed close behind. A dazzling flash of bright blue light swept over Luo Yanglu, and he vanished from the entrance in an instant. Xie Xie halted in startled disbelief. "Spatial technology? Didn't the Federation say that was still in development?" Gu Yuena said, "The Spirit Pagoda has always stood at the forefront of the continent's technology. Besides, being in development doesn't mean it can't be used—there's nothing strange about it. Furthermore, would the Federation ever publicly disclose all its technological breakthroughs?" "..." Xie Xie clicked his tongue, once again feeling fortunate that he had joined the Spirit Pagoda. If he hadn't joined the Spirit Pagoda and later found out Tang Wulin enjoyed this kind of treatment every day, he would have died of envy. One's own poverty was hardly worth mentioning; it was a teammate's wealth that drove a person crazy! Wu Zhangkong glanced thoughtfully at the spatial portal and led the others through. As they stepped into the area Luo Yanglu had crossed, a strange sensation washed over them in an instant. They felt their bodies enveloped by a bizarre energy, and then they materialized out of thin air in an entirely different place. It was a deep blue space. Both above and below them lay floors and ceilings composed of dark blue crystals, while the surrounding walls were made of metal gleaming with a silvery-white luster. Halos of light refracted into strange gleams, lending the entire chamber an aura of profound mystery. Watching them enter, Luo Yanglu tapped on a console screen before him. "Alright, now you can select your difficulty on your soul tool optical screens." "The difficulties here correspond to Spirit Ring colors: white, yellow, purple, black, and red. Except for the Red tier, each difficulty is subdivided into three rounds. The rewards follow the same principle. For instance, passing the Purple-tier challenge allows you to redeem treasures equivalent to the Thousand-Year Level. The higher the round you clear within the same tier, the higher the quality of the treasures you can exchange for." "And my expectation for you is to pass the Black tier before you turn fourteen. That is the prerequisite for obtaining even more resources." Tang Wulin pulled out his soul tool optical screen. Just as a special icon appeared on the display, he was drawn by Luo Yanglu's words and looked on in dazed confusion. What did that mean? Weren't these resources already abundant enough? Just passing the Black-tier trial—even if it was only completing the first round—granted a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit and a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone. And that was merely the baseline threshold for unlocking more resources? Having been part of the Spirit Pagoda for this long, a strange sentiment welled up inside Tang Wulin once more. Had he simply been too poor in the past, or was the Spirit Pagoda just too ridiculously wealthy? What in the world had he been hesitating over before? Not just Tang Wulin—Xie Xie and the others had twitching eyelids as well, thoroughly astounded by the sheer wealth of resources at the Spirit Pagoda's disposal. Only after they gathered their wits did Luo Yanglu smile and explain: "That's right. Passing the Black-tier trial is just the entry threshold, an opportunity to enter the view of the higher-ups. The younger you are when you clear it, the more attention you receive. As long as you meet the standard before turning fourteen, you can receive direct guidance from a Titled Douluo of the Spirit Pagoda and become their personal disciple." Beside them, Wu Zhangkong remained silent. No wonder he had never heard of commoner prodigies who joined the Spirit Pagoda jumping ship to other factions. Once a person reached this stage, would there be any point in going anywhere else? Xie Xie and the others stood somewhat dazed. What did Teacher Luo just say? As long as they completed the trial, they would be disciples of a Titled Douluo—backed by a formidable patron? Luo Yanglu smiled at the students. "These trials are quite difficult, so don't take them lightly. Right now, you might not even be able to pass the Purple tier." Xie Xie swallowed hard, regained his composure, and turned his gaze to Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao. Given how freakishly monstrous these two were, they could probably even complete the Red-tier trial. If the Black tier got you taken in by a Titled Douluo, could the Red tier mean...? "You guessed correctly. Completing the Red-tier trial earns the attention of Ultimate Douluo-level powerhouses or the three Deputy Pagoda Masters," Huo Yuhao said with a nod when he saw Xie Xie looking over. Xie Xie sucked in a breath of cold air and stepped right up to Huo Yuhao in two strides. "Boss, once you make it big, don't forget to bring me along!" "Rely on yourself," Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Completing the third round of the Black tier earns the notice of branch Pagoda Masters among the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars. They're all powerhouses at or above the Super Douluo level. Don't you want to give it a shot?" Xie Xie: "..." He blinked, somewhat bewildered. Super Douluo... meant powerhouses of rank ninety-five and above, or at the level of Fierce Beasts, right? Wait, let him catch his breath! He knew the Spirit Pagoda was strong, and that the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars were all Titled Douluo, but he truly hadn't known they were all Super Douluo or Fierce Beasts! Holy crap, had their Spirit Pagoda become powerful to such an insane degree? Beside them, Wu Zhangkong pressed his lips together. Even though he already knew this, every time he thought about it, it still felt surreal. Or rather, many factions subconsciously chose to ignore this reality. In the eyes of ordinary commoners, among the Federation's four great renowned powers, Shrek Academy, Mingde Hall, the Spirit Pagoda, and the War God Temple stood on equal footing. Some even viewed Shrek Academy—home to the continent's foremost powerhouse and the birthplace of gods twenty thousand years ago—as the continent's number one force. Yet anyone standing at a sufficient height understood that in terms of comprehensive strength, the Spirit Pagoda was the true number one! The Pagoda Masters of the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars were scattered across the four corners of the land and almost never gathered in one place, which was the only reason the Spirit Pagoda did not appear so terrifying in the eyes of the world. In a way, this was also a measure by which the Spirit Pagoda signaled its peaceful stance. Glancing at the speechless youths, Luo Yanglu thought nothing of it. Among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts of ten thousand years ago, the Ice Empress and Evil Emperor had vanished and been removed from the rankings, replaced by the Extreme North Ice Bear King and Titan Snow Demon King. If the Spirit Pagoda so wished, the Ten Great Fierce Beasts alone could take half the seats among the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars, not to mention other Fierce Beasts and the Spirit Pagoda's human powerhouses. Keeping them dispersed across the realm was precisely meant to put the major factions at ease. However, for this very reason, if these Super Douluo wished to accept disciples, arrangements were difficult to make. The trials of the virtual battlefield had in part been designed to facilitate this. "Alright, we've strayed off topic. Go ahead and choose your difficulty," Luo Yanglu said. "Except for Yuhao, this is the first time entering for all of you. I've set your starting difficulty at the Purple tier. Passing will take you to the next round. If you lack confidence, you can also start testing yourselves from the Yellow tier." Hearing this, Gu Yuena was the first to finish her selection, choosing the Purple-tier difficulty. Her figure gradually faded and vanished before everyone's eyes. Huo Yuhao had told her that he had only visited the virtual battlefield once before, losing interest after clearing the Black tier. She was very curious about what lay inside that could cause Huo Yuhao to make such an odd expression. "Candidate Gu Yuena. Difficulty: Purple tier. Trial objective: Endure for thirty seconds." Gu Yuena froze for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly as she looked at the figure appearing before her. It was an exquisitely beautiful woman emanating a chilling aura from head to toe. The second-generation Pagoda Master, Frost Douluo Su Tong? Of course. When simulating historical powerhouses, it was only natural for the Spirit Pagoda to use the first and second-generation Pagoda Masters as trial opponents. In that case, could Yuhao's opponent be...? Gu Yuena's expression turned rather peculiar, and she let out a quiet chuckle. No wonder Yuhao had made such a strange face. On the other side, Huo Yuhao had also entered the virtual battlefield. Looking at what was, in a sense, another version of himself, he was quite speechless. Fighting oneself—truly, there was nothing quite like it. Crucially, judging from the first-generation members he had encountered in earlier trials, the strength of these simulated figures had all been exaggerated and enhanced. A soul power rank matched to his could still be explained away by the trial's mechanics, but things like combat experience made no sense whatsoever. Ten thousand years ago, what combat experience did he have at nine years old? Back then, his soul power hadn't even reached rank ten! This was outright fraud—forced deification!