Douluo Amon: I am the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King.

Chapter 59 Preparation (4000-word long chapter)

"Why do I feel like all my skills are survival skills? My first soul skill is to parasitize others, and then I can use the ability of my second soul skill to escape."

"Letting the Time Worm slowly devour the opponent's martial spirit and life force while I hide in the shadows and observe—that's too sneaky!"

Nan Fusheng complained about his soul skill, "It's so sneaky, it's really too sneaky. I wonder what kind of third soul skill I will have when I become a Soul Master. I hope it won't be this kind of survival ability."

However, despite his complaints, Nan Fusheng knew that was impossible, after all, his own lineage was known as the "Three Families of the Dead".

Let's test our abilities carefully first. This should be an extension of the "Gate" path among the three paths of the Lord of Mysteries. This is also why Nan Fusheng named his second soul spirit "Star Insect".

"This ability should be similar to the Gate pathway, the Traveler's Gate of Sequence Five. However, I remember that in Lord of Mysteries, to teleport using the 'Gate' pathway, you had to go through the Spirit Realm, right? Since there's no Spirit Realm in Douluo Continent, it's directly become a spatial ability?"

Nan Fusheng shook his head, no longer thinking about those profound questions. For him, as long as the ability was useful, that was enough. With the ability to teleport over long distances, his ability to survive had finally improved significantly.

"The door's short-distance teleportation ability should also be able to teleport other people, but there may be some delay, or even interference, unless you put a Star Bug on the other person for location."

Over the next three days, Nan Fusheng continued to experiment with the "door's" abilities.

……

"Thump, thump, thump."

A knock on the door drew Nan Fusheng's attention, who was experimenting with his abilities. Who would be looking for him at this hour? He went out and opened the door.

"Oh, it's Wu Lin. What's up?" Nan Fusheng asked, looking at Tang Wu Lin outside the door.

"Come to my room, I have something to tell everyone." Tang Wulin waved to him and went to the next room.

It was already evening, and everyone had just finished eating and returned to their dormitories. Soon, Tang Wulin called them to his room.

"Captain, what do you want to do by calling us all here?" Nan Fusheng asked with a hint of teasing.

Tang Wulin said, "Here are some things for you all. Try them out quickly, and I'll revise them if there's anything that's not right." As he spoke, he took out a bunch of metallic objects from his storage ring and handed them to everyone.

"This is..." Everyone was surprised when they saw what Tang Wulin handed over.

It was a vest, a metal vest. The vest was made of pieces of silver metal, each about the size of a thumb, sewn together in a cleverly designed way.

What surprised them even more was that the vest, clearly made of metal, was incredibly lightweight. It looked somewhat like chainmail. Upon closer inspection, they could see faint cloud patterns on each metal plate, exuding an eerie aura.

"It's so light, what material is it made of?" Zhang Yangzi asked curiously.

Tang Wulin said, "This is a rare metal called Cloud Titanium. I forged and purified it using the Thousand Forging Method. Although it is very light, its hardness and toughness are extremely high. When we enter the Spirit Ascension Platform, we will be scanned by instruments that will completely imprint everything about us onto the platform. Wearing this will give everyone an extra layer of protection."

Wang Jinxi asked somewhat blankly, "Does this count as cheating?"

Zhang Yangzi said irritably, "How can this be called cheating? We call it making better use of the opportunity to improve ourselves at the Spirit Ascension Platform during the riot period." As he spoke, he took off his coat and put on the Thousand-Refined Cloud Titanium Vest that Tang Wulin had given him.

"Although it doesn't fit perfectly, it doesn't affect my movements; it's quite light. Jin Xi, try punching me." Zhang Yangzi said eagerly.

"Oh." Wang Jinxi raised his hand and punched him in the chest.

With a "bang," Zhang Yangzi was hit so hard that he fell to the ground.

"Hey, could you please be a little gentler?" Zhang Yangzi complained.

Wang Jinxi said calmly, "Would it have been effective if I had gone light? Captain, you did a really good job. When I hit you, it felt like the armor plates were connected as one, like I hit an iron plate. You were actually pushed down by my force, not knocked down."

Zhang Yangzi got up, touched his chest, and realized that there was no pain in his chest.

Nan Fusheng looked at Tang Wulin and said, "These past three days, has this been all you've been doing for us?"

"Hmm. It's like cramming at the last minute. Jin Xi and Yang Zi are right, this is cheating to some extent, but at least it ensures that we won't be easily overwhelmed by a surprise attack from the soul beasts."

"As long as we stay in the Spirit Ascension Platform longer, our exam scores will be the same, and we can also hunt more spirit beasts. You should all give it a try!" Tang Wulin urged.

Everyone tried it on, and it was all acceptable. Although Tang Wulin didn't have much of a concept of making clothes, he managed to pass muster with something as simple as a vest.

"Alright, that's settled. Let's work hard together tomorrow." Tang Wulin extended his right hand. Nan Fusheng was the first to follow, placing his hand on the back of Tang Wulin's hand, followed by Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi. Gu Yue then placed her hand under Tang Wulin's palm, pressing the back of her hand against his palm.

The six of them shouted in unison, "Go for it!"

At dawn, Donghai City was shrouded in a thick fog, obscuring the view and making everything appear blurry.

The usually quiet East Sea Spirit Pagoda was unusually lively today. As one of the eighteen pillars of the Spirit Pagoda organization, it was one of the entrances to the Ascension Platform during the riots.

A basic entry card for the Spirit Ascension Platform during the riots has already fetched hundreds of thousands of gold coins at auctions, with no market available. The Spirit Tower organization sees these cards in high demand every year. Although very few people actually manage to complete their spirit ascension there, there is still a chance.

Early in the morning, Wu Changkong led his Class Zero students to the East Sea Spirit Pagoda. The sooner they entered, the fewer opportunities they would have to encounter opponents.

"Remember this: the Ascension Platform during the riot period is when the largest number of people enter simultaneously. Inside, everyone except yourselves is an enemy. You only have one thing to do: survive. Those who fail the final exam will be punished."

Listening to Wu Changkong's admonition, Xie Xie asked curiously, "Teacher Wu, what is the punishment?"

Wu Changkong glanced at him. "Cancel the vacation." There's a month-long vacation at the end of each semester, and Xie Xie's eyes widened immediately upon hearing the words "cancel the vacation." He had been looking forward to the vacation for a long time.

The others exchanged bewildered glances, but Tang Wulin remained composed. Even Nan Fusheng frowned upon hearing the punishment.

After all, he still wanted to use his vacation to travel to other cities and complete the marking of the Star Bugs, which was his most important survival skill at the moment.

"Let's go."

Six entry cards were handed over, and led by a staff member, they arrived at a familiar room. This was the capability of Donghai Academy.

As the only intermediate-level Soul Master academy in Donghai City, Donghai Academy has a great influence and a good relationship with the Spirit Pagoda. Otherwise, a spot to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform is not something that money can necessarily buy.

The East Sea Spirit Pagoda has specially set up access rooms for them and allows teachers to monitor them from there. These are not normal practices, but rather special privileges specifically given to them.

"The Ascension Platform is extremely dangerous during riots. You've all been inside many times and are basically used to the conditions, so I won't go into more detail. If you feel unwell, leave the battlefield immediately," the staff member briefly advised.

The more times you enter the Ascension Platform, the less likely you are to encounter the same danger as Wang Jinxi the first time.

Six people lay down in metal cabinets, which closed under the control of staff, and the light gradually disappeared. The scanning began, preparing for entry.

The staff inserted six cards into designated slots and then pressed a red button. This was a riot control device; only these cards allowed entry and controlled access.

Their consciousness was briefly clouded, and when they regained it, they were surrounded by a vast forest. The biggest difference from before was that this time, the six of them appeared together on the Ascension Platform.

The air was fresh, the vegetation was green, everything was familiar, and it didn't seem much different from when I usually entered.

Tang Wulin said in a deep voice: "Formation."

He stepped forward and stood at the front of the group. Wang Jinxi stayed behind, with his back to Tang Wulin. Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie were on the left and right respectively. All four of them were facing outwards, with Nan Fusheng and Gu Yue in the very center.

A soft blue light flashed, covering all six people at once. This was Gu Yue's control over the wind element. Although it wasn't strong, it was enough to reduce everyone's weight and make each person more agile.

Tang Wulin raised his right hand, and two strands of blue silver grass emerged. A yellow soul ring rose from his feet, and the two blue silver grasses, which resembled spirit snakes, extended forward and then swept to both sides, parting the bushes and revealing a path.

"Our first goal is to hold out for an hour and finish the final exam. Our second goal is to hunt as many soul beasts as possible. Everyone, be careful." Five strands of blue silver grass spread out from his feet and wrapped around the waists of his companions, ready to rescue them in case of danger.

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Yangzi's spirit black eagle took to the sky. The combat boost from this little black eagle was secondary; its greatest benefit was the ability to share vision. However, the little black eagle couldn't stray more than ten meters from his body. Even so, having an extra field of vision allowed him to see much farther.

Without any wishful thinking, they all released their martial spirits as soon as they entered the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Inside the Spirit Pagoda observation room.

The staff member smiled at Wu Changkong and said, "These kids are quite good. Teacher Wu has really done a great job training them."

Wu Changkong nodded slightly and said, "Let's see how they perform."

He was always the type who never showed his emotions, but he was quite satisfied with his disciples.

Looking at them, he couldn't help but think of the school motto that had been passed down for 20,000 years: Shrek Academy only accepts monsters, not ordinary people.

Although the motto was not perfectly implemented at every stage, it is deeply ingrained in the minds of every Shrek Academy student, who takes pride in it.

I wonder how far these little guys can go.

To become a monster, one needs not only personal effort but also extraordinary talent, which all six of them seem to possess.

In terms of talent, Gu Yue is undoubtedly the best. Her martial soul has never appeared in the records of the Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy.

The mastery of five elements is truly astonishing. Although her soul skills can only enhance her own soul power or the strength of her elemental control, the ability to combine the control of five elements makes it impossible to need any additional soul skills.

Her spiritual power is unprecedented among her peers. Not only has she reached the Spiritual Connection Realm at such a young age, but her progress is also extremely rapid. She will probably enter the Spirit Sea Realm before graduating from the junior division in six years. If that's the case, it will be a pioneering achievement in the world of Soul Masters. Her future development is limitless.

The second most talented is naturally Xie Xie. Twin martial souls are an extremely rare talent, regardless of the era. Although his is a companion-type twin martial soul, slightly inferior to a pure twin martial soul, companion-type has its advantages. Perhaps, in the future, he can…

In terms of individual talent, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi can only be considered above average; neither the Bone Dragon King nor the Dark Illusionary Eagle are top-tier martial souls. However, they are capable of martial soul fusion. Once their martial soul fusion skill is perfectly displayed and controlled, their combined combat power will be no less than that of any top genius.

However, whether their spirit fusion can be successfully completed remains to be seen. After all, a spirit fusion skill is not fully established until a perfect fusion is achieved.

Finally, it was Tang Wulin and Nan Fusheng's turn. Wu Changkong himself was somewhat confused about the captain and vice-captain he had appointed.

Tang Wulin possesses qualities that many of his peers lack: a resilient character, and despite having a useless martial soul, he perseveres in his training, keeping pace with his classmates. His physical strength is also the best among them. His innate superhuman strength at least compensates for the shortcomings of his martial soul in his early stages.

More importantly, his martial soul is still mutating, and he also possesses a unique golden dragon claw. His unpredictability is the greatest among the six, and he also needs further observation. If the positive mutation of his martial soul continues, he could very well become a super genius like Gu Yue.

Nan Fusheng's character and qualities are no less than Tang Wulin's; he is courageous in taking responsibility and protecting his teammates when facing danger.

When fighting alongside his comrades, he is willing to trust his teammates, even when faced with attacks that could kill him, he can remain calm and believe in his teammates. This is something that many Soul Master teams find difficult to do (referring to Tang Wulin's defense battle at the Spirit Ascension Platform).

His calm and composed personality makes him the best choice to be a team leader. Unfortunately, it seems that his martial soul is more inclined towards the mental type. Mental type soul masters are slower to exert their power and usually only show their strength after they reach the Soul Saint stage and obtain the true martial soul.

Fortunately, judging from Nan Fusheng's current cultivation speed, it is only a matter of time before he reaches the Soul Saint stage. Even now, his mental strength has far surpassed that of ordinary mental-type Soul Masters.

(End of this chapter)