Chapter 83: The End!

The young man's gaze immediately fell on Gu You and his group of six. Seeing the rich energy aura surrounding them, his eyes flickered slightly before he took large strides toward them.

"If you exit the Ascension Platform yourselves and leave behind the energy aura, I'll spare you the pain," the young man with the ice staff stated matter-of-factly.

Tang Wulin narrowed his eyes. "Why should we?" He subtly gestured with his left hand behind his back to signal his companions.

"Because I'm stronger than—"

"Fuck you! Where the hell is my soul beast?!" Gu You erupted, launching himself forward. His six-armed Flame Demon Snake had just vanished. He unleashed his full-strength Dragon Claw, distorting the space around him. The young man had no time to react—whether he wanted to or not.

A wet, splattering sound echoed. Pa! The young man vanished, leaving only pure energy behind.

"Waaahh!""Ahhh~"

A small girl beside him burst into tears upon witnessing the scene. Her brother—gone with just one punch?

Xie Xie's eyes sparkled. At this moment, Gu You looked incredibly cool to him.

Gu You turned his gaze to the little girl. "Exit on your own. I don't want to ruin another flower with my hands." His tone was indifferent.

The blue-haired girl disappeared on the spot…

For the rest of their time in the Ascension Platform, they only encountered small-time soul masters. After eliminating them and collecting energy, they were ready to leave when—

"There's a group of soul beasts approaching!" Zhang Yangzi, the scout, reported urgently. "A massive pack—at least thirty of them. They seem to be Flame Demon Lions."

Upon hearing this, everyone except Gu You turned pale with fear.

Lions were undoubtedly among the strongest land-based pack soul beasts. Typically, the stronger a soul beast was individually, the more likely it was to act alone to monopolize resources. But lions were an exception. A pride, led by a dominant male surrounded by a group of lionesses, was a nightmare for any forest or grassland creature. Even powerful solitary soul beasts avoided them due to their overwhelming group combat strength.

"You all retreat. I'll handle this." Gu You stepped forward.

Gu Yue wanted to follow, but he stopped her. "What? You really want to stick to me that badly?" Gu You smirked.

"You… Who wants to follow you?!" Gu Yue's face turned red, and she vanished. The others glanced at each other and disappeared as well.

Gu You shook his head and strode toward the Flame Demon Lion pack with ease.

The battle was too gruesome to describe in detail. All that was known was that in the end, Gu You captured the remaining live lions and absorbed them into his spiritual world.

His spiritual world was unique—it also followed the rule of survival of the fittest among soul beasts. However, no individual beast would ever truly die. Even if they perished in battle, they would be resurrected by drawing energy from Gu You's body.

A wave of numbness surged through his body as Gu You woke up. By then, Wu Zhangkong had already begun evaluating the group's performance. Judging by his tone, the results didn't seem great—likely because Gu You had helped them too much.

In reality, it seemed like Tang Wulin's group had gained a lot, but Gu You knew that in the long run, he would be the one to profit. The deal he made with them hadn't even been fulfilled yet.

"Gu You, 99 points!" Wu Zhangkong suddenly announced.

Gu You simply nodded. Just hearing the score, he knew he had the highest marks.

On the way back to the academy, everyone was in high spirits. After all, obtaining a thousand-year soul ring for their first ring was truly something to celebrate.

"Teacher…" Tang Wulin looked at Wu Zhangkong, his curiosity piqued. He wanted to know where the Ascension Energy actually came from.

Wu Zhangkong seemed to understand what Tang Wulin was about to ask and waved his hand dismissively. "You're still young. Some things you don't need to know yet. Just remember this—the Spirit Pagoda is far more complicated than you think. Their power is so great that even the Federation must tread carefully. Moreover, the Spirit Pagoda doesn't just exist on our Douluo Continent—it has influence across all continents."

That evening, in Wu Zhangkong's dormitory.

"Teacher, why did you call me?" Gu You stretched lazily and smiled at Wu Zhangkong.

"You don't need to attend the second part of the final exam," Wu Zhangkong said plainly. "Just take a few days to cultivate. It makes no difference—you'll get full marks regardless. If I take you along, it'll only be a disadvantage to them."

Gu You smirked. "Teacher Wu, should I not have helped them in the Ascension Platform?"

Wu Zhangkong shook his head. "Whether you help or not, it's all part of life's opportunities. But, a boy who can't handle setbacks will never grow."

"Heh, that I agree with…"

After Gu You left, Wu Zhangkong looked down at his soul communicator and entered a number he hadn't contacted in a long time.

Shrek Academy Inner Court.

Zhuo Shi lay back, gazing at the starlit sky. Around him, the vast Sea God Lake exuded pure life energy. But an unwelcome noise broke the tranquility—it came from his pocket.

He took out his soul communicator and frowned at the unfamiliar number. After a brief hesitation, he answered.

Upon hearing the voice on the other end, he instantly smashed the communicator, his rage burning uncontrollably.

After venting his fury, Zhuo Shi's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He got up and left, determined to remember the number and call back through another line.

Wu Zhangkong stood silently for a moment before putting away his communicator and leaving as well…

Meanwhile, in the Xu Family residence…

"Brother, don't be angry anymore," Xu Xiaoyan timidly comforted her older brother.

Xu Xiaoyu's expression was so dark it seemed like it could drip water. How could he not be angry?

Their family had paid a huge price to obtain two passes to the Violent Ascension Platform—one for himself and one for his sister. And yet, due to his own momentary carelessness, his entire Ascension Platform journey had ended in an instant.

He still vividly remembered being smashed into pulp with a single punch. When he woke up, he almost became a vegetative state.

"Yesterday's Violent Ascension Platform zone should have been filled with soul masters from Eastsea City," Xu Xiaoyu speculated, his face still grim. "Judging by their age, they're probably from an advanced academy. Could it be… Eastsea Academy's students?"

Xu Xiaoyan froze for a moment before asking in a fearful tone, "If that's true… doesn't that mean they'll be my seniors in the future?"

Xu Xiaoyan had innate full soul power, but she wasn't particularly fond of cultivation. Her family had never forced her because her elder brother, Xu Xiaoyu, was already an outstanding talent.

However, three years after her martial soul awakening, a family aptitude test revealed that her soul power had unknowingly reached seventeen levels—and her martial soul displayed the rare Starwheel Phenomenon. That was when the family finally took her seriously, realizing that she was an even greater talent than her brother.

The Xu family was one of Eastsea City's most prominent families, with their father serving as the city's financial chief. When they discovered that Xu Xiaoyan possessed the family's legendary martial soul, they were overjoyed. They used their power and wealth to secure an extra pass to the Violent Ascension Platform for both siblings.

But Xu Xiaoyan, timid and inexperienced in combat, was too scared to kill soul beasts. She gained barely any energy, despite her brother's efforts to encourage her.

Just as Xu Xiaoyu had finally convinced her to attack a soul beast—they ran into Gu You.

And then… tragedy struck.

(End of Chapter.)