The next day, Luoyang Lu led the group to a deep blue glass door and handed out some wristbands to everyone.
"Wear these. Without them, the automated defense system will identify you as hostile targets."
"So high-tech."
Zhang Yangzi marveled as he took one and put it on his wrist.
After everyone had fastened theirs, Luoyang Lu stepped forward first, heading toward the door while the others followed.
A dazzling bright blue light swept over him, and in an instant, he vanished at the entrance.
Xie Xie froze in shock. "Spatial technology? Didn't the Federation say it was still in development?"
Gu Yuena replied, "The Spirit Pagoda has always been at the forefront of the continent's technology. Besides, 'in development' doesn't mean it can't be used.
It's not that strange. Also, do you really think the Federation would publicly announce all its technological advancements?"
"..."
Xie Xie clicked his tongue, feeling even more relieved about his decision to join the Spirit Pagoda.
If he hadn't joined, and later found out that Tang Wulin had been enjoying this kind of treatment all along, he'd have been so jealous he might as well have died.
His own poverty was nothing to dwell on, but a teammate's wealth? That was enough to make him seethe with envy!
Wu Zhangkong gave the spatial door a thoughtful glance before leading the others inside.
As they stepped into the area Luoyang Lu had just passed through, a peculiar sensation washed over them.
Their bodies felt enveloped by some strange energy, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves transported to another place.
It was a vast, deep-blue space. The ceiling and floor were made of dark blue crystal, while the walls were constructed from a gleaming silver-white metal.
The refracted light created an eerie glow, giving the entire area an otherworldly mystique.
Luoyang Lu watched as the group entered and tapped on a screen. "Alright, now you can select your difficulty level on your soul tool screens."
"The difficulty levels here correspond to soul ring colors: white, yellow, purple, black, and red. Except for the red level, all other difficulties are further divided into three rounds.
The rewards follow the same logic. For example, if you clear the purple-level challenge, you'll be able to exchange for treasures equivalent to thousand-year soul rings. The higher the round you reach within the same level, the better the quality of the rewards."
"And my expectation for all of you is to clear the black level before the age of 14. That will be the prerequisite for accessing more resources."
Tang Wulin pulled out his soul tool screen, but before he could even glance at the special icon displayed on it, Luoyang Lu's words caught his attention, leaving him bewildered.
What did that mean? Wasn't this level of resources already abundant?
Just clearing the black-level assessment, even if only the first round, would grant them ten-thousand-year soul spirits and ten-thousand-year soul bones.
And yet, that was just the threshold for obtaining even more resources?
Having been part of the Spirit Pagoda for so long, Tang Wulin once again felt a strange mix of emotions.
Had he been that poor before, or was the Spirit Pagoda just that rich? What exactly had he been hesitating about?
It wasn't just Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and the others were also stunned, their eyelids twitching at the sheer scale of resources the Spirit Pagoda possessed.
After giving them a moment to process, Luoyang Lu smiled and explained:
"That's right. Clearing the black-level assessment is the baseline requirement, it's your chance to enter the higher-ups' radar.
The younger you are when you achieve it, the more attention you'll receive. As long as you meet the standard before turning 14, you'll receive guidance from a Title Douluo of the Spirit Pagoda and become their direct disciple."
Wu Zhangkong, standing nearby: "..."
No wonder he'd never heard of any commoner geniuses who joined the Spirit Pagoda ever switching factions.
Once they reached this stage, was there even any point in going to other organizations?
Xie Xie and the others were momentarily dazed.
What had Teacher Luo just said?
If they cleared the assessment, they'd become disciples of Title Douluo? They'd have powerful backers?
Luoyang Lu chuckled at their expressions. "These assessments aren't easy, don't underestimate them. Right now, you might not even clear the purple level."
Xie Xie gulped, snapping out of his daze, and glanced at Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao beside him.
"With how ridiculously strong these two are, they could probably even clear the red-level assessment. If the black level gets you taken in by a Title Douluo, then the red level must be..."
"You guessed right. Clearing the red-level assessment will earn you the attention of a Limit Douluo or even one of the three Deputy Tower Masters," Huo Yuhao said, nodding at Xie Xie's questioning look.
Xie Xie sucked in a sharp breath, rushing over to Huo Yuhao in two steps. "If you strike it big, you've gotta take me with you, boss!"
"Rely on yourself."
Huo Yuhao chuckled. "If you clear the third round of the black-level assessment, you'll catch the eye of one of the Eighteen Heavenly Pillar branch leaders. They're all at least Super Douluo-level powerhouses, don't you want to try?"
Xie Xie: "..."
Xie Xie blinked, momentarily dazed.
Super Douluo… that meant experts above Rank 95 or even ferocious soul beasts, right?
Wait, let him process this!
He knew the Spirit Pagoda was strong, and that the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars were all Title Douluo-level experts, but he had no idea they were all Super Douluo or ferocious soul beasts!
Holy crap, is our Spirit Pagoda really this powerful?!
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 perhaps, many factions subconsciously chose to ignore this fact.
In the eyes of ordinary civilians, the four major forces of the Federation, Shrek Academy, the Mingde Hall, the Spirit Pagoda, and the War God Temple, were considered equals.
Some even believed that Shrek Academy, with its history of producing gods twenty thousand years ago and currently home to the continent's strongest individual, was the undisputed top faction.
But once one reached a certain level of understanding, it became clear that in terms of overall strength, the Spirit Pagoda was number one!
The Eighteen Heavenly Pillar leaders were scattered across the continent, rarely ever gathered in one place, which was why the Spirit Pagoda didn't seem as terrifying in the public eye.
This was likely also a deliberate move by the Spirit Pagoda to signal its stance.
Glancing at the speechless group, Luoyang Lu didn't find this particularly surprising.
Among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts from ten thousand years ago, the Ice Empress and the Evil Emperor had vanished and been removed from the list, while the Arctic Ice Bear King and the Titan Snow Demon King had taken their places.
If they wanted, half of the Eighteen Heavenly Pillar seats could be filled by the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts alone, not to mention the other ferocious soul beasts and the Spirit Pagoda's human powerhouses.
Their dispersal was precisely to reassure the other major factions.
However, because of this, if these Super Douluo ever took a liking to a disciple, arranging it could be tricky.
The virtual battlefield assessments were, to some extent, designed with this in mind.
"Alright, we've gone off-topic. Choose your difficulty," Luoyang Lu said.
"Aside from Yuhao, this is your first time here, so I've set the starting difficulty for you at the purple level. If you clear it, you'll advance to the next round. If you're not confident, you can also start with the yellow level to test the waters."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena was the first to finish her selection, choosing the purple-level difficulty before her figure gradually faded from everyone's sight.
Huo Yuhao had told her earlier that he'd only entered the virtual battlefield once before, after clearing the black level, he'd lost interest in continuing.
She was curious, what exactly was inside that could make Huo Yuhao react so strangely?
"Participant Gu Yuena, difficulty: purple level. Assessment content, hold out for thirty seconds."
Gu Yuena paused, frowning slightly at the figure that appeared before her.
It was a stunning woman, her entire body radiating a chilling aura.
The second-generation Tower Master, Frost Douluo Su Tong?
Ah, right, simulating historical powerhouses. For the Spirit Pagoda, using the first and second-generation Tower Masters as trial opponents made perfect sense.
Then… for Yuhao, could it be…?
Gu Yuena's expression turned slightly odd as she stifled a quiet laugh.
No wonder Yuhao had looked so weirded out.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao had also entered the virtual battlefield.
Staring at what was, in a sense, another version of himself, he felt utterly speechless.
Fighting himself, really?
The key issue was that, judging from the simulated early-generation members he'd encountered in previous assessments, these virtual figures had been significantly strengthened.
Their soul power being the same level as his could be explained by the assessment's settings, but their combat experience? That was harder to justify.
Ten thousand years ago, when he was nine years old, what kind of combat experience did he even have?
Back then, he hadn't even reached Rank 10 in soul power!
This was straight-up fraud, forced deification!