Isn't Ji Juechen a Good Goal?

The instant he caught sight of Huo Yuhao, three Spirit Rings surfaced around the simulated Huo Yuhao. A layer of diamond-like ice crystals encased both his hands, radiating a bone-chilling cold. Ice Empress's Pincer! In the next breath, the simulated Huo Yuhao pushed off the ground, lunging forward in an instant as his palm reached toward Huo Yuhao. Yet the biting chill of Ultimate Ice had no effect on Huo Yuhao whatsoever; it could not even slow his movements. Huo Yuhao raised a hand, his soul power imbued with Ultimate Ice, and effortlessly deflected Ice Empress's Pincer. Ten thousand years ago, after reaching the Ultimate Douluo rank, he had not fought often, but he had still engaged in public battles. The Spirit Pagoda had presumably used those historical records to reconstruct and enhance this virtual Ice Spirit Douluo. Even so, no matter how much they enhanced it, the Spirit Pagoda's current computational capabilities could never fully replicate an Ultimate Douluo's data and combat instincts. The replica before him stood no chance of matching his true peak. To say nothing of... the vast gulf between them in other aspects. A golden radiance ignited within Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes, carrying an all-penetrating clarity. To meet that gaze was to feel one's very soul involuntarily dragged downward, plunging into a bottomless chasm. Like an abyss, like a prison, spanning the blue vaults of heaven to the Yellow Springs of the underworld. The Spirit Abyss Realm! A formless mental storm erupted without warning. Caught entirely off guard, the simulated Huo Yuhao began bleeding from his nose and mouth, his spirit instantly plummeting to rock bottom. His eyes darkening with gravity, a key-shaped soul tool slipped silently into the replica's palm. An oppressive spatial pressure spread imperceptibly through the surroundings, twisting the air. This kind of power... was a rank six soul tool, and a spatial-type one at that. Huo Yuhao's brow twitched. Raising a hand, he melded his spiritual power and soul power in an instant. Drawing upon his past comprehension of spatial forces, he forcefully bypassed the soul tool's obstruction. Fleeting World Painted in Frost! The moment the domain's absolute control took hold, a blinding golden light filled the space. Engulfed in that radiance, the virtual Huo Yuhao was instantly cleaved in two, shattering into countless sparkling fragments that dissolved into nothingness. Huo Yuhao had no intention of giving him the chance to deploy an arsenal of soul tools. Who knew how far they had buffed a replica of his past self, who had ultimately become a rank ten soul engineer? Just that single piece moments ago would have left ordinary Soul Masters utterly helpless, toyed with in the palm of spatial manipulation. Yet watching his opponent fade away left Huo Yuhao with mixed emotions. Killing himself... truly did feel rather bizarre. "Opponent defeated. Trial cleared." ... Outside, Luo Yanglu stared at the soul tool screen, watching Huo Yuhao defeat the first Pagoda Master with such effortless ease, his expression stiffening. Had he known, he never would have let Yuhao enter. This made things quite awkward. That was the first Pagoda Master, after all—couldn't the boy have held back just a little? There were outsiders present! Yet Luo Yanglu quickly realized that the spiritual power Huo Yuhao had just displayed seemed abnormal. The first Pagoda Master's spiritual power had been configured at the Spirit Sea Realm. To force him straight into his second phase with a single mental strike... could it be...? Luo Yanglu swallowed hard. Just then, a flash of light heralded Huo Yuhao's emergence from the virtual battlefield, his feet drifting lightly onto the ground. Not far away, Wu Zhangkong's gaze locked firmly onto him, his habitually cold, dark-green eyes filled with undisguised shock. "Your spiritual power... is it at the Spirit Abyss Realm?" Huo Yuhao gave a slight nod. "You went easy on me yesterday, Teacher Wu." Hearing that, Wu Zhangkong felt an overwhelming wave of complicated emotions. Reaching the Spirit Abyss Realm at the age of nine... had he heard of such a thing before today, he would have dismissed it as wild fantasy. Not only within Shrek Academy, but across the entire history of the Soul Master world, no precedent for this had ever existed. This had soared far beyond the definition of a "genius"! As time passed, Huo Yuhao's spiritual cultivation would only rise higher. He would likely break through to the Spirit Domain Realm well before reaching the Titled Douluo rank, setting foot upon the path toward the Divine Origin Realm. And the Divine Origin Realm... in all of Shrek Academy, only the Skyreaching Douluo possessed such a spiritual tier! At the thought, Wu Zhangkong felt an inexplicable sense of relief, and much of the lingering embarrassment from his defeat yesterday evaporated. After Huo Yuhao nodded in confirmation, Luo Yanglu pulled his gaze away with mixed feelings and turned his attention back to the other students' battles. Breaking into the Spirit Abyss Realm had come even earlier than they had projected. The coming era... truly belonged to Yuhao, didn't it? Huo Yuhao swept his eyes across the hall. Seeing that the others had yet to emerge, he also stepped over to the screen to watch. ... A flash of light signaled Tang Wulin stumbling out of the virtual battlefield, looking thoroughly disheveled. Not far away, Xie Xie saw him and walked over, catching him by the shoulder. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine." Tang Wulin shook his head, steadying himself as he looked at the others nearby. Everyone except Gu Yuena had already come out, and the atmosphere was noticeably gloomy. Noticing this, Xie Xie glanced toward Huo Yuhao. "Boss Yuhao already won. The rest of us fell during the second round of the Purple tier. My opponent was a woman with an Angel Martial Soul. Wulin, what about you?" They had fallen in the Purple tier, while Huo Yuhao had already cleared the Red tier... The gap was enormous, but that boy was a freak of nature. There was no comparison to be made, nor any need for one. "I fell at the final round of the Purple tier," Tang Wulin said with a sigh. "My opponent was a senior wielding a sword. His sword techniques were far too sharp—I was beaten completely helpless." "I had it worse than you," Xie Xie said with a dark expression. "Never mind that I couldn't match her speed; she could even fly, and her attack power and close-combat abilities far surpassed mine. My Twin Dragon Daggers couldn't even leave a scratch before she beat me half to death. The assessment is absurdly hard. I bet those opponents were legendary prodigies and supreme powerhouses from the Spirit Pagoda's history." "Then you're mistaken," Luo Yanglu said with a chuckle as he walked up to them, having overheard Xie Xie's complaint. "The opponents I arranged for you were founding members of the Spirit Pagoda. Pagoda Master Ye Guyi, whom Xie Xie faced, was indeed a peerless genius of her generation. But Pagoda Master Ji Juechen, whom Wulin faced, was no prodigy—his innate soul power was only rank three!" "His innate soul power was only... rank three?" Tang Wulin looked at Luo Yanglu in astonishment. "Is that true?" Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and the others nearby also turned their heads, equally curious. "It's true. Back when the first Pagoda Master was still here, the Spirit Pagoda's three Deputy Pagoda Masters were Frost Douluo Su Tong, Angel Douluo Ye Guyi, and Sword Fanatic Douluo Ji Juechen." Luo Yanglu continued, "Pagoda Master Ji Juechen had an innate soul power of only rank three. Among Soul Masters, his natural aptitude was undoubtedly among the weakest, yet he ultimately grew into a rank ninety-seven Super Douluo. "Even our first Pagoda Master—Ancestor Ice Spirit—once personally stated that had it not been for his countless fortuitous encounters, he would have been far inferior to Pagoda Master Ji Juechen!" The Ice Spirit Douluo had been an Ultimate Douluo and the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, yet he had openly admitted he was inferior to someone else? Everyone felt a surge of quiet shock. A beam of light flashed, and Gu Yuena emerged from the virtual battlefield just in time to catch Luo Yanglu's final words. She couldn't help glancing at Huo Yuhao, sending a mental transmission: "Yuhao, aren't you being far too humble?" How could an ordinary mortal possibly surpass a reincarnated Godking? "Inferior is inferior," Huo Yuhao said with a warm smile. "It's not modesty; it's simply a fact." Gu Yuena froze for a moment, then looked at his expression and gave a gentle nod. Since Yuhao said so, he surely had his reasons. On the other side, Luo Yanglu looked at Tang Wulin, clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled warmly. "So, Wulin, there's no need to brood over innate soul power, nor should you feel pressured. Someone has already blazed that path to success, haven't they?" "Yes!" Tang Wulin nodded vigorously, a spark of longing igniting within his eyes. His own innate soul power was also rank three! And his current circumstances were undeniably far better than Pagoda Master Ji's had been. From this day forward, Pagoda Master Ji would be the goal he strived to pursue! Seeing Tang Wulin's fighting spirit rekindled, Luo Yanglu glanced around at the other students and noticed that each of them looked revitalized, swiftly casting off the gloom of defeat. He nodded to himself in quiet satisfaction. Nothing inspired people more effectively than undeniable facts! Pagoda Master Ji was an idol to countless later generations within the Spirit Pagoda. Starting with rank three innate soul power and becoming a Super Douluo—what could be more inspiring than that? Their natural talents were already dozens of times greater than Pagoda Master Ji's had been; what reason did they have to lose heart over a few minor setbacks?