The Secret to Getting Promoted and a Raise

"I can finally rest easy."

After letting out a long breath, Qian Xunji felt much more relaxed, as though a burden weighing on his heart had been lifted.

"His Excellency, this subordinate would like to take a trip to the Blue Silver Forest."

Tian Hao took the opportunity to make the proposal. It was time to begin the journey to the Blue Silver Forest.

He could not find Ah Yin at this stage, so he could only go stake out the Blue Silver Forest and hope that the Blue Silver King had some way to contact that foolishly adorable woman.

"Have you come up with another good idea?"

Qian Xunji asked with interest, guessing that the little devil must have a reason for going to the Blue Silver Forest.

"I have some ideas, but I'm still uncertain. I need to conduct some research. Once it's complete, I'll present it to His Excellency."

Tian Hao replied respectfully. He did not mind sharing the results of his research. He still had several empty Soul Bone slots.

Moreover, his plans for his Second Martial Soul were ambitious. The Immortal Herbs in the Icefire Yin Yang Well alone would probably not be enough. He would also need to use the power of Spirit Hall to gather what he required.

"Bishop Ling Yuan, I will send someone to take over your duties. Complete the handover as soon as possible, then escort Deacon Tian Hao to the Blue Silver Forest. Be twice as careful on the way. If anything happens to Deacon Tian Hao, don't bother coming back.

"Take this Papal Token. If you encounter danger, you can use it to mobilize all nearby Spirit Hall members."

After thinking it over, Qian Xunji looked toward Ling Yuan and issued the order. At the end, he tossed over his Papal Token.

Ling Yuan's family was an affiliated clan of their Angel Clan and had been passed down within Spirit Hall for several hundred years. There was no issue with her identity or loyalty. Otherwise, he would never have assigned Tian Hao to her command in the first place.

"Yes!"

Catching the Papal Token, Ling Yuan respectfully accepted the order. She was not astonished by the Pope's excessive regard for Tian Hao.

"Pope, please deliver this Recording Crystal to the Saintess. I won't be going there myself."

Seeing that Qian Xunji had agreed to his trip, Tian Hao awkwardly pointed at the Soul Tool.

He did not dare deliver this thing to Bibi Dong himself. Otherwise, who knew whether that woman might completely lose control and go berserk.

One reason he wanted to begin the Blue Silver Forest plan was precisely this. He could leave Spirit City and lie low for a while.

"Could Dong'er eat you or something?"

Qian Xunji shook his head with amusement and agreed. It was indeed inappropriate for that boy to deliver this thing himself.

Tian Hao and Ling Yuan did not remain there long before leaving the Papal Hall.

After returning to her office, Ling Yuan turned around and shut the door. She grabbed the youth by the collar and pinned him against the wall.

"Little devil, your secret has made me very curious."

She leaned close to his ear, licked her Vermillion Lips, and whispered. Ling Yuan could finally no longer suppress her curiosity. She had to get some secrets out of him today, or she would be tormented to death.

"My secret is very big, but it's too big. You won't be able to bear it."

Tian Hao did not panic. In fact, he had expected this long ago.

"How do you know I can't handle it if you don't tell me?"

Ling Yuan's smile grew increasingly alluring, and her curiosity intensified. Her heart itched like a cat scratching at it.

"I can't make decisions about my secret right now, and I haven't even told my parents. If you want to know, ask the Pope first.

"This is also an opportunity for you. Just say that we have a very good relationship and that I need to increase my strength for this trip. Perhaps the Pope will agree to let you join us."

Tian Hao kicked the ball over to Qian Xunji. He had kept these secrets all along, without even telling his parents.

First, the secrets were too significant. It might not be a good thing for his parents to learn of them. Second, his parents' cultivation had already been stuck at Rank 29. Those secrets alone were not enough to help them break through, so obtaining them at this stage would be useless.

But Ling Yuan was different. Ensuring safety was indeed the top priority on this trip. Ling Yuan also possessed a Fire Attribute and a bird-type Martial Soul, which would strongly counter that Blue Silver King.

If anything unexpected happened, Ling Yuan's strength would allow her to get him out safely.

The Pope had probably considered this as well. Strengthening Ling Yuan at this stage would give him greater security.

However, Tian Hao seemed to be incompatible with this kind of ambiguous posture. Just as he reached this point, the wall suddenly exploded as a figure smashed through it, followed by another figure charging inside.

"I told you to find the Other Woman! Today, I'm going to beat you to death!"

The beautiful female Soul Master who came rushing in after him was extremely fierce. She cursed as she pinned the first figure beneath her and pummeled him, even using Martial Soul Possession.

"You were already involved with that bastard! I went to take revenge on the two of you, so what's wrong with me dating his wife?"

The man being beaten beneath her was unwilling to back down. He argued defiantly, but the information he revealed was astonishing. A single sentence had exposed a twisted and bizarre love story.

The people outside first looked at the married couple engaged in domestic violence, then were drawn to an even more explosive scene. The flames of gossip instantly roared to life in their hearts.

Once she came to her senses, Ling Yuan immediately stepped away. She Glowered at the youth in embarrassment and anger, then turned and left, preparing to find the Pope as soon as possible.

If it truly was an opportunity to increase her strength, she naturally could not miss it.

Tian Hao ignored everyone's gazes, straightened his clothes, and walked outside.

"Haozi, you're impressive! You actually managed to win over Bishop Ling Yuan. What's the trick? Teach your brothers. I'm buying today!"

Several colleagues who were familiar with Tian Hao gathered around and eagerly asked for advice with humble expressions.

They had been wondering why Tian Hao had put on a Deacon Badge. Now they finally understood. He had managed to win over Bishop Ling Yuan.

Not bad. He could skip several decades of hard work directly—perhaps even a lifetime.

"Nothing special. Big equipment and good performance!"

Tian Hao replied domineeringly, then left with his head held high.

He could also use this opportunity to divert everyone's suspicions and rationalize his own exceptional promotion. He believed Sister Ling Yuan would not Care About it.

Probably?

Ling Yuan did not yet know that she had been thrown under the bus by the youth. Suppressing the eagerness in her heart, she went to the Papal Hall as she usually did and repeated Tian Hao's words exactly.

Qian Xunji fell into deep thought. Normally, he would not reveal those two secrets to anyone outside the Angel Clan unless their Angel Clan had unified the entire continent and possessed an absolute advantage.

But Ling Yuan and her family were loyal devotees of the Angel Clan. They had also been raised by Spirit Hall since childhood and were trustworthy. In addition, she would be escorting that little devil this time, so her strength indeed needed to be increased as soon as possible.

"Protect him well. Otherwise, come see me with your head in your hands. But if you encounter an unavoidable desperate situation, you must kill him first to keep the secret. You absolutely cannot let him be captured. That takes priority over protecting him."

With that thought, Qian Xunji's expression changed. He spoke coldly and sternly.

Originally, he had planned to assign this task to someone else. But since Ling Yuan had come—and was also a die-hard loyalist of their Angel Clan—he decided to entrust it to her.

With Ling Yuan protecting the little devil, things would be relatively safer, though not absolutely so. If they truly encountered a desperate situation, she was to kill that boy first and prevent him from falling into someone else's hands.

He could accept the death of such a talent, but he absolutely would not allow him to fall into another faction's hands. Otherwise, it would inevitably become a disaster for Spirit Hall.

"Ling Yuan swears to serve the Angel Clan unto death!"

Her heart shuddering, Ling Yuan wisely hurried to declare her loyalty. Compared to the opportunity to increase her strength, this bit of risk was worth taking.

"Go to Douluo Hall and find the High Priest. He will make the arrangements for you!"

Qian Xunji looked deeply at Ling Yuan below and signaled for her to go to Douluo Hall. His father would have to act next to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Back then, he had even left a contingency plan in that little devil and all the Angel Clan Members to prevent anyone from probing their memories and exposing the secrets.

Some matters had to be handled cautiously. Otherwise, the losses would be too great for them to Endure. Moreover, ever since the World Mutation eighteen years ago, all factions had been stirring restlessly. Before long, the continent would no longer be peaceful.

Their Angel Clan had to grow stronger as quickly as possible and possess strength absolutely superior to every faction. To accomplish that, they had to keep the secrets secure.

"Thank you, His Excellency. This subordinate will take her leave!"

Suppressing her excitement, Ling Yuan respectfully took her leave. She then quickly Calmed Down her emotions and expression before walking toward the nearby Douluo Hall.

On the other side, Qian Daoliu received his son's spiritual transmission and walked out of Douluo Hall. Without saying much, he pressed a finger against Ling Yuan's brow and inscribed a mark there.

"The function of this mark is simple. When someone forcibly invades your mind with Spiritual power, it will form a layer of defense. If that defense is forcibly broken, it will detonate your Sea of Spirit.

"Don't even think about leaking the secrets voluntarily. Otherwise, even slaughtering your entire family would not make up for our losses. I will personally hunt you down and kill you.

"Although it is somewhat Cruel, it amounts to nothing compared with the opportunity you are about to obtain."

After giving her a meaningful warning, Qian Daoliu took out two top-tier Storage Soul Tools and tossed them to Ling Yuan.

"Take these to the little devil. He will help you complete the modifications."

With that, he turned and returned to Douluo Hall to continue his daily prayers, offering his Faith Power to the Angel Statue while communicating with the Divine Will within and perfecting the method for calming that Space Power.

Their Deduction back then had been correct. The Angel Statue with only Divine Will truly could not calm that violent Space Power, but that did not mean there was no solution. They simply needed to study it carefully.

That was why he had generously given Ling Yuan two top-tier Storage Soul Tools just now. Storage Soul Tools capable of storing living beings were rare even among their Angel Clan. These two were the result of countless years of accumulation.

At the same time, the Seed of Sacred Light and its corresponding Sacred Light System also needed to be perfected. This involved Faith Power, which would be used as an encryption method to prevent other factions from learning it. Only the Divine Will within the Angel Statue could complete this task.

Qian Daoliu: May the Sacred Light deceive you!