The Meeting Begins!

As Long Yun began his training for the day, the Pope's Palace, more than two hundred kilometers away, was also thrown into an uproar. Early in the morning, people continually arrived at the Pope's Palace Main Hall and took their seats.

Most of them were elderly, yet none showed the slightest sign of frailty. Instead, they were full of vigor, more spirited than ordinary young people. Few had graying hair. The reason they were called old was because their eyes carried the weight of time, giving the impression that they had lived for decades, or even centuries.

There was not the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power around them, making them seem like ordinary people. Yet each of them exuded a terrifying pressure. Anyone standing before them would feel as though they were facing a towering mountain, an innate sense of insignificance rising within their heart. This was precisely what revealed their extraordinary nature. Those qualified to be here and take a seat were naturally no ordinary people. Every one of them was a high-ranking figure within Spirit Hall, with a Soul Power Level of at least ninety. Their identities were Spirit Hall Elders!

Spirit Hall Elders and Spirit Hall Honorary Elders were somewhat different. Spirit Hall Honorary Elders were, in fact, holders of Spirit Hall's highest-grade tokens. There were six such tokens in total, bestowed upon the possessors of the six powerful Martial Souls depicted upon them: Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's clan leader, Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect, the possessor of the Star Crown Martial Soul from the Star Luo Empire, while the remaining two were held by Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

Honorary Elders held the same status as ordinary elders within Spirit Hall, perhaps even slightly higher. Even the Martial Soul Holy Hall Master had to bow in greeting upon seeing them. In the original work, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had relied on a sixth-grade token to make even the Hall Guardian Knights of the Pope's Palace treat him with the utmost respect, not daring to show the slightest discourtesy. He had even been qualified to question the Pope.

Becoming an Honorary Elder did not require great strength. It could be said that as long as one possessed a sixth-grade Spirit Hall token, even a child would be a Spirit Hall Honorary Elder. They recognized the token, not the person. Otherwise, Grandmaster's identity would have been exposed immediately. With his meager Soul Power cultivation, he was not qualified to become a Spirit Hall Honorary Elder.

Spirit Hall Elders, however, were entirely different from Honorary Elders. The foremost requirement to become a Spirit Hall Elder was the strength of a Titled Douluo. Without reaching the Titled Douluo rank, becoming an elder was nothing but a dream!

Nearly ten elders had already arrived. In other words, there were nearly ten Titled Douluo gathered here. And that was with some people still absent. There were fewer than ten known Titled Douluo across the entire continent, yet there were already ten here. This alone showed just how profound Spirit Hall's foundation was.

Several more figures entered the hall. The instant they appeared, everyone already in the hall rose to their feet and gave them slight bows, their faces filled with reverence.

The fact that these figures could command such respect from the elders meant that they were naturally no ordinary elders. They were five of the Martial Soul Hall Seven Great Enshrinements. Aside from the Great Enshrinement and the Second Worship, who had yet to arrive, all five of the other great enshrinements were present. They were tall and powerfully built, with no Soul Power fluctuations around them either. Yet the aura they emitted was far more terrifying than that of the others. With all five appearing together, even the air in the hall seemed to grow heavier.

The five of them returned the elders' bows at the same time as a gesture of courtesy, then walked to the front row and took their seats. Their seating order was also particular, arranged in order from the Second Worship through the Third Enshrinement and all the way to the Seventh Enshrinement. Two seats at the very front remained empty, clearly reserved for the Great Enshrinement and the Second Worship.

After taking their seats, the five did not speak with the other elders. They simply sat quietly with their eyes closed, resting. The other elders resumed their discussions, though their voices became softer, as if afraid of disturbing the five enshrinements.

They were somewhat wary of these enshrinements, not only because of their status but also because of their strength. The minimum requirement to become an enshrinement was Soul Power Level ninety-six—one had to be a Super Douluo. Such strength ranked among the best even within Spirit Hall, leaving the elders no choice but to fear them.

About ten minutes after Spirit Hall's five great enshrinements arrived, Bibi Dong strolled into the hall. Today, she wore a golden Pope's gown decorated with purple patterns. Her Jade Hand gripped the Pope's scepter, and a purple-gold crown rested upon her head. Combined with her peerless beauty and noble bearing, even heaven and earth seemed to pale in comparison. The instant she entered, every gaze in the hall was drawn toward her. After staring blankly for a moment, the elders hurriedly rose and respectfully bowed to Bibi Dong. Even the five enshrinements stood and nodded slightly in greeting.

Bibi Dong gave a slight nod and walked straight toward the elevated seat. Following behind her were Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei. The two remained at her side, and after Bibi Dong sat upon the throne, they stood silently to either side of her.

Bibi Dong swept her gaze across the hall. Seeing the two empty seats at the front, her brows furrowed slightly, though they quickly smoothed out again. "Please take your seats, elders."

After the elders sat down, Bibi Dong looked toward the Third Enshrinement nearest to her and asked calmly, "Third Enshrinement, have the Great Enshrinement and the Second Worship not arrived yet?" There was no joy or anger in her voice.

"Big Brother and Second Brother will arrive shortly. Please wait patiently, Your Holiness the Pope," the Third Enshrinement said with a faint smile.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both frowned upon hearing this. Were the Great Enshrinement and the Second Worship not deliberately embarrassing Her Holiness the Pope? The Pope had already arrived, yet the Great Enshrinement and Second Worship had not. Were they not telling all the elders that their status was higher than Her Holiness the Pope's? As Her Holiness the Pope's loyal supporters, they could not help feeling angry. This was far too excessive!

They both turned their gazes toward Bibi Dong. She sat quietly, expressionless, seeming not to care about the matter. Yet a trace of coldness flickered in her eyes. She had long found Qian Daoliu displeasing, but because of his strength, she could do nothing to him for now. Still, one day, she would destroy the entire Angel Clan.

Seeing that Bibi Dong said nothing, faint smiles appeared on the faces of the great enshrinements. This was exactly the situation they wanted—to let the elders know who truly held power within Spirit Hall.

The elders wore varying expressions. Some elders who supported Bibi Dong looked rather grim, while those on Qian Daoliu's side showed smug looks. There were also some neutral elders, who merely sat quietly, no one knowing what they were thinking.

"Ha ha, Big Brother and I arrived somewhat late. I hope Your Holiness the Pope will not take offense!" Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a voice entered everyone's ears, and all eyes turned toward the doorway.

Two figures slowly entered from outside. They were none other than the late Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo. The voice just now had come from Golden Crocodile Douluo.

As they entered, the five great enshrinements and several elders who supported Qian Daoliu all rose to their feet. Those elders gave Qian Daoliu slight bows, while the five great enshrinements nodded to him in greeting. This time, the elders who supported Bibi Dong and those who remained neutral did not stand to bow. With the Pope present, there was no need for them to bow to an enshrinement. After all, if they did, where would that leave the Pope's dignity?

Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo both nodded faintly, and the elders and enshrinements consciously sat back down. Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo walked to their seats and sat. Then Qian Daoliu looked at Bibi Dong on the elevated throne and asked expressionlessly, "What is the purpose of convening this meeting today, Pope? You should know that this meeting cannot simply be convened whenever you wish, even if you are the Pope." Qian Daoliu went straight to the point as soon as he arrived, giving Bibi Dong a show of force and filling the hall with the smell of gunpowder.

Bibi Dong cast Qian Daoliu a cold glance and replied evenly, "I naturally summoned all the elders and enshrinements today because there is an important matter to discuss. Otherwise, how would I dare trouble the Great Enshrinement to come here?"

Qian Daoliu remained silent.

"May I ask, Your Holiness the Pope, what exactly is this matter? Has something major happened recently?" an elder asked.

"Indeed, something major is about to happen," Bibi Dong said.

"Oh?" Everyone below became serious. No one spoke as they waited for Bibi Dong to continue.

"Yesterday, I accepted a disciple. His talent is the greatest I have ever seen. It could even be said that he possesses the greatest talent seen on the continent in ten thousand years. His future achievements will surely be limitless. Therefore, I wish to appoint him as the Martial Soul Hall Saint Child!" Bibi Dong directly stated her purpose.

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