At the same time, he finally realized who the person in front of him was—the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo!
Faced with such a prestigious figure extending an invitation, it would have been quite inappropriate for him to refuse. Moreover, she had already stated that he would receive the best resources, and it wouldn't interfere with his studies at Shrek Academy. No matter how he looked at it, this was a deal that had no downsides.
Apart from the two who agreed, the rest politely declined.
"Alright then, welcome to Spirit Pagoda. Since she has joined, her soul spirit fee will be waived. As for this little girl, you'll have to settle the payment," Leng Yaozhu said with a warm smile, first pointing to Yuanen Yehui and then to Xu Xiaoyan.
"Settle the payment?"
Xu Xiaoyan was stunned. "Senior, isn't it supposed to be free once we pass the challenge?"
Leng Yaozhu's expression turned somewhat amused as she cast a questioning glance at Gu Yue. A moment later, a knowing look flashed across her face.
"It seems that Gu Yue tricked you all. Even when obtained through the trials in the Spirit Pagoda, soul spirits still need to be purchased—though at half price," Leng Yaozhu said. She wasn't sure what her disciple was thinking, but Gu Yue had deliberately misled these kids into believing the soul spirits were free.
"Gu Yue…" Xu Xiaoyan looked at her in confusion.
Gu Yue appeared somewhat uncomfortable. "I was just stalling for time… I lied to you… waiting for Gu You…"
...
Silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Xu Xiaoyan had no choice but to accept the situation. "Senior, how much does my Ice Bear soul spirit cost?"
Leng Yaozhu maintained her gentle smile. "Yours? Ten million federal credits. And that's already at a discounted rate. That child's Vajra Baboon soul spirit was given to her as a gift for joining Spirit Pagoda. If you want, I can also waive the cost for you if you join."
Xu Xiaoyan politely declined. She had already joined Tang Sect, and it was too late to change her allegiance now.
Xie Xie, who had been listening, was in shock. As a rich young master, he certainly understood money, but ten million? That was an astronomical sum! And this was only the half-price cost for a millennium soul spirit. What about a ten-thousand-year soul spirit? Wouldn't that be an unfathomable amount?
Leng Yaozhu chuckled. "Do you think it's expensive? What you're selecting are the top-tier soul spirits among millennium-level ones. In fact, every soul spirit in the Spirit Pagoda has been carefully cultivated over thousands of years. Losing just one means we need to replace it, and that requires an enormous investment of manpower, resources, and finances. The money you're paying isn't even enough to cover the base cost. The Spirit Pagoda was established mainly to build positive relationships with promising soul masters. If it were purely for business, the pricing would be entirely different. But don't worry, you have a month to come up with the funds."
"Thank you, Senior," Xu Xiaoyan bowed respectfully. She hadn't brought that kind of money with her, and even if she had, it likely wouldn't be enough. She would have to seek financial support from her family.
However, what worried her more was Gu You. He had already absorbed multiple ten-thousand-year soul beasts. The cost must have reached billions by now! Even if he had money, joining the Spirit Pagoda would still leave him with a hefty debt. And he wasn't done yet—he was about to challenge a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. If he succeeded and absorbed it, the cost would be unimaginable.
Absorbing just one might be considered acceptable, given his status as a supreme talent. Spirit Pagoda would likely be willing to invest in him. But if he absorbed all nine… it would shake the highest levels of the Spirit Pagoda to their core!
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast was worth over a billion credits!
Leng Yaozhu nodded. "Gu Yue, take them to wait over there." After saying this, she quickly moved to the front to observe Gu You's challenge.
As soon as she left, Yue Zhengyu couldn't help but turn to Gu Yue and ask, "Gu Yue, is Senior Leng really the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo?"
Gu Yue nodded lightly.
"Heavenly Phoenix Douluo?" Xie Xie found the name familiar. A titled Douluo… That meant she was among the strongest of soul masters. Just hearing her title was enough to give him an overwhelming sense of awe.
Yue Zhengyu swallowed hard. "She… she's a Four-Word Battle Armor Master."
The five of them were stunned.
The term "Four-Word Battle Armor Master" carried an incredible weight. As Shrek Academy students, they had already learned the basics of battle armor and understood what it meant.
A Four-Word Battle Armor Master was a figure of absolute strategic importance to any major force. Their existence alone was a deterrent, a guardian of an entire faction.
Four-Word Battle Armor Masters stood at the absolute pinnacle of human cultivation.
Throughout history, human soul masters had undergone several leaps in power. The first major breakthrough was the emergence of Title Douluos. This allowed humans to finally stand against soul beasts rather than merely being their prey.
As soul masters grew stronger and populations expanded, humans gradually became the dominant force on the continent.
Among soul masters, once they reached Title Douluo at Rank 90, each subsequent level represented a massive leap in strength.
Rank 90+ – Title Douluo
Rank 95+ – Super Douluo
Rank 99 – Limit Douluo
Limit Douluo were once considered the ultimate peak of human strength. Even soul beasts with tens of thousands of years of cultivation found it difficult to surpass them.
The emergence of Limit Douluo was a turning point—humans were no longer at the mercy of soul beasts. Instead, they became rulers of the continent.
And then, one man changed everything—the First Generation Evil Sovereign!
Recorded in history, the founder of Tang Sect, the Thousand-Hand Douluo Tang San, emerged as a legend. Through his mastery of Tang Sect's secret techniques and his twin martial souls, he steadily climbed to the peak of power. Eventually, he transcended the Limit Douluo realm, obtained the Sea God's divinity from the Divine Realm, and ascended beyond mortality.
Not just him—his companions also became gods, and some even believed that the entire first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters had all achieved godhood.
Even to this day, no generation of Shrek Seven Monsters had ever surpassed the original seven.
Another major milestone came ten thousand years later, when the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao revived Tang Sect and founded Spirit Pagoda.
(End of Chapter)