SoulLand:Ascending to Godhood through Science

"Stop right there."

Outside Notting City, three figures in Spirit Hall uniforms suddenly emerged, blocking the disguised You Chen and You Xing.

If the white-clad deacons and attendants of Notting City's Spirit Hall saw this scene, they would be shocked.

Standing deferentially behind the speaker, like a subordinate awaiting orders, was none other than the branch hall master, the highest-ranking individual in their eyes.

The man who spoke was the one You Chen had identified as possessing soul king-level strength.

A soul king and two soul elders, alongside You Chen himself—the four yellow-clad deacons of Notting City's Spirit Hall had all gathered.

Faced with such a formidable group, You Chen remained utterly calm.

He even removed his hood, casually tousled his disciple's hair, and then spoke unhurriedly. "As far as I know, our branch doesn't have a rule against yellow-clad deacons taking leave. I clearly mentioned in my leave request that I'm taking my disciple out for training."

The soul king snorted arrogantly, lifting his chin as he responded. "Rules aren't up to you to decide. This world respects strength above all! If your disciple needs help obtaining a spirit ring, we can assign another deacon for the task. As for you, Deacon You Chen, we three yellow-clad deacons have decided—you will return to the city immediately!"

You Chen frowned slightly. "As his teacher, I am the one best suited to select my disciple's spirit ring. Why would I trust anyone else to casually pick an ordinary ring for him?"

"You Chen, this is not a negotiation. This is a directive from Spirit Hall!"

"Majority rules?" You Chen raised an eyebrow.

"No." The soul king's tone deepened, carrying an air of condescension. "The weak obey the strong."

"Heh…"

You Chen let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. "Be sure to tell Bibi Dong that next time she sends people to monitor me, she should at least pick someone with better judgment."

"Insolence! How dare you address Her Majesty the Pope by name? Who do you think you—"

Before the soul king could finish his rebuke, a fierce wind roared to life, and starlight fragments swirled through the air.

In the blink of an eye, You Chen had completed his martial spirit possession. A dazzling array of five spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—materialized as dragon wings extended from his back. Grasping You Xing, he ascended into the sky.

"Martial spirit, activate!"

The soul king barely had time to react before the words left his lips. His spirit energy surged, and a dark iron chain appeared in his hand.

Simultaneously, one of the two soul elders, a support-type spirit master, cast a buff on the soul king. The other, the branch master, completed his own martial spirit possession and began launching ranged attacks into the sky.

However, the precision and power of the attacks were noticeably half-hearted, as if he wasn't fully committed.

The soul king hadn't expected much from his companions. Though You Chen revealed soul king-level strength, this outcome had been within his expectations, and he felt no fear. He was, after all, a soul king of the old era, boasting an optimal ring configuration.

The fifth black ten-thousand-year ring on his chain glowed as the iron links expanded, forming an all-encompassing net aimed at You Chen.

Wooom!

The mournful wail of the wind echoed as You Chen activated his third ring. A storm of violent air currents erupted like a spherical vortex centered on You Chen, shredding the net into pieces in an instant.

"What!?"

The soul king's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could a thousand-year spirit skill destroy my ten-thousand-year skill so easily!?"

The reality before him defied his understanding. Shocked and humiliated, the arrogant middle-aged soul king was at a loss.

You Chen gazed down at him coldly. "To flaunt your strength without even understanding your opponent's power... and then spout nonsense about 'the weak obeying the strong.' Such utter stupidity. Were it not for our shared affiliation with Spirit Hall, I'd have ended your life here today."

With that, he rode the wind and disappeared into the distance.

The soul king was left pale and speechless.

Defeated by a mere third spirit skill that obliterated his strongest fifth ring skill, the gap in their power was insurmountable. With two skills unused and unparalleled mobility, the idea of stopping You Chen was now laughable.

The two soul elders looked at each other uneasily, while the old branch master, who had been feigning effort, lowered his head and began counting ants on the ground.

After a long silence, the soul king finally spoke in a low voice. "Inform that lord immediately. You Chen's strength far exceeds expectations. Without a soul emperor, we can't even begin to contain him!"

You Chen, however, had fully anticipated Spirit Hall's interference.

Bibi Dong would never let him leave her watchful gaze so easily.

If You Chen had left alone, leaving You Xing behind in the city, Bibi Dong might not have immediately ordered the Notting City members to intercept him. While she wouldn't think of You Xing as leverage, she wouldn't tolerate You Chen vanishing without a trace.

Had You Chen abandoned You Xing for an extended period, Bibi Dong might have taken action—first detaining You Xing, then covertly pursuing You Chen while declaring him a potential traitor.

But with both master and disciple leaving together, it was a blatant "escape" signal, an absolute red line for Bibi Dong.

In truth, You Chen could have used his Starlight Avatar combined with the Concealment Technique to sneak out of Notting City unnoticed, complete his mission, and return without anyone realizing he'd left.

He had done something similar when he briefly left to deal with Bai He without raising alarms.

The reason he didn't do so this time was simple.

First, he had no intention of truly leaving Notting City. Since he planned to return anyway, there was no need to reveal a critical trump card meant for real escapes.

Second, he wanted to lower Bibi Dong's vigilance.

If he left and returned once without issue, Bibi Dong might be less wary the next time he left. After all, he'd only be out on business, not fleeing.

Finally, he sought to reinforce Bibi Dong's misjudgment of You Xing.

For his disciple's sake, he was willing to clash with Spirit Hall members and openly defy Bibi Dong's directives. Compared to his usual restrained behavior, this would highlight his apparent attachment to You Xing.

In the short term, this could make Bibi Dong trust him more.

As for

the long term... You Chen wasn't sure yet, but perhaps one day, this gambit would prove invaluable.

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