Douluo Continent: I ushered in this era

"It's all thanks to the children's own hard work!" Wu Changkong suppressed the surprise in his eyes and replied indifferently.

To be honest, Wu Changkong had expected Chu Ci to win, but he didn't expect him to win so quickly.

Chapter 26 Research on the Ascension Platform

"Are you alright?" Gu Yue helped Chu Ci up and down, checking him over to see if he was injured.

"Don't worry, nothing's wrong!" Chu Ci reached out and grabbed Gu Yue's hand that was groping him.

Gu Yue felt her hand being grabbed, a blush creeping up her face. She tried to pull her hand away, but found that Chu Ci was holding it tightly.

Chu Ci looked at the rosy-cheeked girl in front of him and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her soft hair, which earned him a glare from the girl in embarrassment and indignation.

At this moment, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie arrived here following the commotion.

Seeing the mess, Tang Wulin knew a fight had taken place and hurriedly asked, "Squad leader, Gu Yue, are you alright?"

"Don't worry, the soul beast has been dealt with," Chu Ci said calmly, and Gu Yue nodded in agreement.

Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yue, whose face was still flushed, and felt that more than just a battle had taken place here. But before he could think about it, he was drawn to Chu Ci's account of the battle.

"A millennium crystal bear, you actually managed to take down such a huge creature?" Xie Xie exclaimed in disbelief.

Tang Wulin sighed that Chu Ci's strength was becoming increasingly unfathomable. He had thought that with Teacher Wu's training and the Golden Dragon Claw, the gap between him and Chu Ci was not that big, but now it seemed that the gap was widening.

"Let's go, everyone! Today I'll lead you through the Ascension Platform!" Chu Ci declared with boundless pride, then took the lead and stepped into the forest once more, with the others following closely behind.

With Chu Ci's formidable personal strength, coupled with the cooperation of Gu Yue and the other two, the four of them began to run rampant in the forest within the Spirit Ascension Platform, kicking any ten-year-old soul beasts that passed by.

Until, "One, two, three, four, four soul beasts over five thousand years old." Xie Xie's legs went weak as he looked at the four thousand-year-old soul beasts surrounding them.

"Everyone, I think our first journey to the Spirit Ascension Platform should end here," Gu Yue said with a hint of regret.

Chu Ci assessed his own strength. He knew that he could use soul tools inside the Spirit Ascension Platform. Using soul tools in battle, he could at least take down two soul beasts, but he would definitely be torn to pieces.

After much deliberation, Chu Ci decided to abandon the fight. First, it was not advisable to reveal too much about himself in the Spirit Transmission Tower; second, being torn apart inside the Spirit Ascension Platform would likely cause severe damage to his spirit, making it a losing proposition.

"Let's go, exit the Spirit Ascension Platform." Chu Ci took the lead in pressing the rescue signal and exiting the Spirit Ascension Platform, with the others following closely behind.

Seeing Chu Ci and his group leave the Spirit Ascension Platform, the staff of the Spirit Transfer Tower who were observing from outside breathed a sigh of relief. Chu Ci and his group had killed six thousand-year-old soul beasts and more than a dozen hundred-year-old soul beasts. Thinking about the huge amount of energy consumed, the staff felt their hearts were bleeding.

After everyone emerged from the Spirit Ascension Platform, Tang Wulin fell into a coma, and his soul began to ascend.

Chu Ci removed the collar used to detect changes in her body before and after entering the Ascension Platform. Seeing the green light on it, she knew that the data collection had been successful and hoped to find out the secrets of the Ascension Platform.

After escorting Tang Wulin back to his dormitory, Wu Changkong announced that the rest of the time was free time.

Chu Ci rushed back to the underground laboratory, eager to analyze the collected data.

……

Inside the underground laboratory, Chu Ci looked at the collected data and found that there were basically no changes in his physical body, but the fluctuations in his mental energy were extremely intense.

Seeing this, Chu Ci was basically certain that entering the Spirit Ascension Platform required the Soul Master's spiritual power, and that the energy generated after killing a Soul Beast was also drawn into the Soul Ring by spiritual power.

How does the Ascension Platform extend the lifespan of a soul?

Chu Ci continued to examine the spirit rings that received energy from the Ascension Platform and discovered that the essence of the spirit rings was getting closer to that of spirit rings truly produced by spirit beasts.

Chu Ci once encountered a Soul Master who had absorbed a Soul Ring from a Soul Beast, and thus began to study the topic of "the difference between Soul Rings generated by artificial Soul Spirits and Soul Rings generated by Soul Beasts".

Through research, Chu Ci discovered that the spirit rings produced by spirit beasts are far superior to man-made spirit rings in terms of both strength and the benefits they provide to martial spirits. In essence, spirit rings produced by spirit beasts are a level higher than man-made spirit rings.

The creation of spirit rings after a spirit beast dies is a rule of the Douluo Continent. The artificial spirit rings created by the Spirit Pagoda are an imitation of this rule, which is quite remarkable.

However, the Ascension Platform is a product that replicates the rules of the Spirit Transfer Tower to a certain extent.

In Chu Ci's conjecture, the Ascension Platform is an immature plane where souls, once cast into it, gradually transform into soul beasts.

From the perspective of Soul Masters outside, it becomes an energy body that possesses both the characteristics of a Soul Beast and the energy that merges with the energy that constitutes an artificial Soul Ring.

After a Soul Master kills a Soul Beast within the Spirit Ascension Platform, the energy generated by the dead Soul Beast enters the artificial Soul Ring, causing it to mutate in the direction of the Soul Beast's creation. This mutation requires energy to sustain it, and this energy increases the Soul Ring's lifespan.

If Chu Ci's conjecture is correct, then there are two major difficulties in establishing the Ascension Platform. One is the immature plane, which is a purely technical issue.

Secondly, it is the substance that allows the souls within the plane to transform into soul beasts. This substance is most likely related to the Dragon God, similar to the Dragon God core hidden in the Ten Thousand Beast Platform established by Gu Yuena later.

Chu Ci fiddled with the scales of the gods. According to the scales' feedback, to exchange for items related to the Dragon God, at least five to six rings of soul power would be required.

Sigh, it seems that building my own Ascension Platform is still a long way off.

"Taiyi, how's the mushroom cultivation going?" Chu Ci asked leisurely, leaning back in his chair. After Chu Ci used the Scales of God to exchange for the technology of the two bombs, he handed it over to Taiyi to handle on its own.

"Young Master Chu Ci, the relevant equipment has been completed in a secret factory on the outskirts of Donghai City, and production can begin immediately. The whole process is going smoothly." Taiyi's mechanical male voice rang out in the laboratory.

“Okay,” Chu Ci sat down in the chair, put his feet up on the lab table, and leisurely peeled an orange and started eating it.

“Young Master Chu Ci, the manufacture of atomic and hydrogen bombs is just around the corner, so the long-range strike system should also be put on the agenda,” Taiyi reminded him.

"Okay, I got it. Let me eat an orange and rest for a bit," Chu Ci said, waving his hand.

While teasing Tianzhu, Chu Ci began to enjoy the oranges. She had just eaten half of one when the phone rang.

"Young Master Chu Ci, Mu Chen is calling." Taiyi's mechanical voice sounded again.

Why can't I just rest for a bit? Chu Ci picked up his phone helplessly and looked at Mu Chen on the caller ID. He knew without asking why the old man was calling.

So, Chu Ci put the phone to her ear and decided to strike first.

"Uncle Mu, Mu Xi's soul weapon and soul spirit will be fully cultivated in two days."

Mu Chen on the other end of the phone was stunned. "No, you've already said what I need to ask."

Chapter 27 A Stable Life

"Ahem," Mu Chen quickly adjusted his mindset and laughed heartily, "Haha, then remember to let me know when the time comes. I can't wait to see my daughter get her own soul weapon."

Chu Ci was going to forge a hammer-type soul weapon for Mu Xi, which was also part of the deal.

"Okay, Uncle Mu, I understand." Chu Ci said and quickly hung up the phone.

Chu Ci tossed the phone onto the lab table and leisurely finished the remaining half of the orange.

……

"Your own feelings about yesterday's Ascension Platform," Wu Changkong said calmly to the five students in the classroom, standing behind the podium.

Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, and Gu Yue then shared their findings from the Ascension Platform.

When it was Chu Ci's turn, before Chu Ci could speak, Wu Changkong asked first, "Have you created a second move for your set of fist techniques?"

Having known Chu Ci for so long, Wu Changkong and the others naturally knew that Chu Ci had created a move called "Dragon Shakes a Hundred Miles".

"No," Chu Ci replied honestly, not understanding Wu Changkong's intention.

“But I see that your swordsmanship is quite good!” Upon hearing this, Wu Changkong’s expression grew even colder. “I told you in the lesson when I taught you the Heavenly Frost Sword Soul Technique that you should specialize in one skill before expanding on others, but you seem to have forgotten that.”

Chu Ci then understood that Wu Changkong was dissatisfied with his half-hearted approach to practicing boxing and instead switching to swordsmanship.

However, Heaven took pity on him. After creating the Dragon Shakes a Hundred Miles Fist, Chu Ci devoted two months to studying the fist technique, hoping to add another move to the Emperor's Dragon Fist.

However, none of the boxing techniques Chu Ci created in those two months were as good as Long Zhen Baili. The feeling of inspiration that came when Long Zhen Baili was born could never be replicated.

Chu Ci consulted many high-level Soul Masters about this and finally concluded that the problem lay in his lack of experience and accumulated knowledge. It was as if Chu Ci had stumbled upon a path that wasn't going smoothly, but to continue running smoothly, he needed to find a way to proceed.

Thus, Chu Ci began to extensively study various self-created soul skills, among which the most important was naturally the sword manual left by his aunt.

Chu Ci repeatedly studied this sword manual in a state of enlightenment, and as he learned, he reached the realm of oneness with the sword in the way of the sword.

"Teacher Wu, it's not that I don't want to create a second style, but Dragon Tremor Across a Hundred Miles was something I came to understand by chance. Besides, creating my own soul skill isn't something I should be doing at this stage," Chu Ci said, sounding slightly aggrieved.

Upon hearing this, Wu Changkong suddenly remembered that Chu Ci was just a boy under ten years old, but Wu Changkong had overlooked this fact because of Chu Ci's talent and ability that far surpassed his peers.

Asking a child who has only been cultivating for a few years to create a soul skill that even a soul master who has been immersed in the path of cultivation for many years might not be able to accomplish is indeed asking too much. What they should be doing at their age is to explore various aspects and find the path that best suits them.

After thinking it over, Wu Changkong's cold voice softened a bit. "It was my oversight. You can continue your cultivation at your own pace, but I still hope that you can determine your development direction within three years."

When Tang Wulin and the others heard the words "It was my oversight," they all looked incredulous. Xie Xie even picked at his ear, seemingly unable to believe that such words of admitting a mistake could come from Wu Changkong's mouth.

Wu Changkong glanced at the astonished expressions of Tang Wulin and the others, instantly guessing what these little brats were thinking. His face darkened, and he decided to give them a good beating later.

……

After their journey to the Ascension Platform, the four members of Chu Ci trained even harder.

After Chu Ci completes Wu Changkong's special training at the academy, she will go to the War God Temple to cultivate.

Every weekend, Chu Ci would launch a frenzied challenge in the military region, at one point defeating the three-ring Soul Masters there so badly that they couldn't even lift their heads. He even managed to knock out two four-ring Soul Masters using his Soul Guidance Device.

As Chu Ci's number of victories in challenges continued to increase, the resources sent to him by the War God Temple headquarters also improved, including top-grade metals and rare and precious materials. As a result, the treatment of Bai Tianzhe and the other two also improved considerably.

……

Blacksmiths Association

"Knock knock," Chu Ci knocked on the door of the guild leader's personal blacksmith.

"Please come in." A deep voice came from inside.

Chu Ci pushed open the door and entered, only to find that in the forging room there was not only Mu Chen, but also a very beautiful young girl.

Seeing Chu Ci enter, Mu Chen smiled and introduced, "Daughter, let me introduce you to Chu Ci, a very outstanding young man."

"Chu Ci, this is my daughter, Mu Xi."

"Speaking of which, you two are both from Donghai Academy. I wonder if you've heard of each other?"

Mu Xi pouted, "Chu Ci, the most outstanding genius in the newly established Class Zero, of course I've heard of him, but..."

Mu Xi looked Chu Ci up and down. He had a handsome face and a gentle, refined demeanor, but his eyes revealed a sharp edge.

"This kid is really handsome," Mu Xi said, blushing slightly, but still stubbornly replied, "However, after seeing him today, I feel that the rumors are somewhat exaggerated."

Chu Ci glanced at Mu Xi indifferently and said slowly, "I've long heard that there's an arrogant young lady in the high school. Seeing her today, I can confirm that she lives up to the name."

Seeing that the two were at odds, Mu Chen quickly got up to calm his precious daughter down.

"Chu Ci, did you bring the soul?" Mu Chen asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Hmm," Chu Ci flipped his hand and took out a yellow soul ball. Inside the ball was a prairie spirit whose body was engulfed in flames, named Crimson Cloud Ape.

The Crimson Cloud Ape nurtured by Chu Ci has two main characteristics: firstly, its fists can easily split mountains and shatter rocks, and secondly, it can control extremely hot flames, making it very suitable as the soul for forging hammer soul weapons.

"Alright, let's get started as soon as possible!" Mu Chen used his mental power to examine the Crimson Cloud Ape, and after sensing its excellent potential, he said with satisfaction.