The Pope Requests an Audience

"Ultimate Earth attribute... does it have any special qualities?"

After hearing his explanation, Qian Renxue pondered for a moment but still had no clue.

As the Young Master of Spirit Hall, and having followed Su Cheng in reading countless books over the years, she understood Ultimate attributes to some extent.

But as far as she knew, such attributes were more often applied to special martial spirits. Other than their extreme power, she did not think they possessed any other outstanding qualities.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Su Cheng did not explain further. As for whether this method could truly improve the malignant mutation of his Innate Martial Spirit, he was not very certain himself.

The two walked side by side and soon reached the back mountain of Spirit City.

Spirit City had originally been built atop the mountain range at the border between the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. The back mountain covered an enormous area, dozens of times larger than Spirit City itself.

The outer guard units of Spirit City, Spirit Hall's core reserve members, and the soul beasts they kept in captivity were all gathered here.

Without slowing, Su Cheng and Qian Renxue soon arrived at the place specially used to imprison soul beasts.

Inside one cage, a massive Cloud Pattern Copper Horn Rhinoceros was wrapped in specially made iron chains, tightly bound to the ground.

Its skin was pale gray, looking incredibly rough and thick. One glance was enough to tell that its defensive power was astonishing. A layer of artistically arranged cloud-like patterns covered its body, gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Its thick rhinoceros horn, over a meter long, curved backward. Heavy dark deposits clung to its surface, giving off a dim metallic luster.

This soul beast stood more than two meters at the shoulder and measured over five meters in length. Yet its current posture, sprawled on the ground and barely clinging to life, greatly diminished its Aura.

Su Cheng naturally felt no pity for soul beasts.

He silently raised his right hand and summoned his martial spirit, then thrust his sword straight into its heart.

The already dying Cloud Pattern Copper Horn Rhinoceros immediately breathed its last, and its soul ring soon appeared.

Qian Renxue, standing nearby, saw this and her eyes flickered as something stirred within her heart.

It had nothing to do with the soul beast.

Rather, Su Cheng's direct sword thrust seemed to contain a certain profound principle that she could not comprehend.

From that single strike alone, she felt that even at her current level of strength, she would still be unable to withstand it.

"Teacher, that sword strike of yours..."

Su Cheng glanced at her and said flatly, "Focus on improving your cultivation first. Don't think about anything else. Once you reach Level 70, I'll teach you soul skills myself."

With that, he loosened his collar, revealing his lean, bare upper body.

Then he took out medicinal liquid and Silver Needles from his Soul Tool, preparing to stimulate his potential and strengthen his Physical Body in preparation for absorbing the soul ring.

Qian Renxue, who had been watching him from the side with her lips tightly pressed together, hurriedly stepped forward. "Let me help you."

"There's no need."

Su Cheng waved her off, not giving her a chance to say anything further. He swiftly applied the medicinal liquid over his body, then skillfully inserted the Silver Needles into himself. The entire sequence was completed in one smooth flow.

Then, the muscles across his body swelled. A familiar scorching sensation coursed through him, while intense hunger rose from within his Meridians.

This was caused by using Silver Needles to pierce Acupoints, instantly stimulating and widening the Meridians. As Soul Power circulated through them, it became greatly diluted.

This method could likewise greatly accelerate the absorption of Soul Power in a short period, but it was not actually suitable for cultivation.

To avoid exhausting his potential, Su Cheng's Acupoint stimulation method could only remain effective for a short period, lasting at most half a day. If his cultivation and physical strength did not undergo a leap in that time, everything would return to normal. The excess Soul Power would then have to be released from his body, or else it would tear apart his Meridians.

For that reason, this method was only suitable for absorbing soul rings.

Su Cheng immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and began absorbing the special soul ring he had carefully prepared.

Qian Renxue stood not far behind him, silently watching his back.

While Su Cheng was working hard to absorb the soul ring, Bibi Dong was likewise guarding Hu Liena as she absorbed her Second Soul Ring in the Pope's Palace.

However, absorbing a Second Soul Ring did not involve much risk to begin with. The soul beast used was also a type that could easily be found in the back mountain of Spirit City, so it did not take much effort.

Her thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere as she considered Su Cheng and Qian Renxue's situation.

To be honest, the two had grown somewhat faster than Bibi Dong had expected over the past few years, making her wary.

In her heart, she had always regarded Qian Renxue as an enemy, so naturally she did not want to let her develop peacefully.

As blood relatives, Bibi Dong certainly had feelings for Qian Renxue. Yet all those feelings had been buried in the deepest recesses of her heart, perhaps so deeply that even she herself could barely perceive them.

"A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor. Her progress is not slow, but there is no cause for concern. Once I complete the Rakshasa God Test, I'll be able to change everything."

Although she said that, for some reason, she always felt a trace of unease.

To her senses, there was simply something strange and unsettling about Su Cheng.

At times, she seemed to see Yu Xiaogang's shadow in him. At other times, she felt the two were completely different.

Most crucially, she had now realized that this man was the one truly unmatched in theory, constantly accomplishing things that shattered ordinary understanding.

When she had originally entrusted Qian Renxue to Su Cheng's instruction, she had not cared much. Theory was merely theory, after all.

Her anger back then had been more because he had disrupted her plan to usurp the nation.

But in recent years, watching Qian Renxue remain inseparable from Su Cheng every day, the two advancing side by side and supporting each other, she would always feel deeply uncomfortable on a subconscious level.

"Xiao Gang, how wonderful it would be if you were still by my side."

She could not help sighing to herself.

Over the years, Bibi Dong had always kept an eye on Yu Xiaogang's situation in secret.

Though restrained by various factors and unable to inquire too deeply, intelligence returned from the branch halls showed that after Spirit Hall released "The Core Competitiveness of the Fourth Soul Ring," Yu Xiaogang had indeed benefited considerably. Many people guessed that he had been one of the contributors to the theory, since the name was so distinctly personal.

Although his reputation was still far inferior to Su Cheng's, public opinion of him had at least clearly begun to turn around.

At that thought, Bibi Dong's spirits lifted.

She glanced at Hu Liena and saw that her breathing was steady. Then she stepped outside the hall, summoned Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, and asked, "How has Su Cheng's research on martial spirits been progressing recently?"

Yue Guan was not surprised by the question. Your Majesty the Pope had always paid close attention to Su Cheng's affairs. "It seems to be going well. Mr. Su mentioned long ago that there might be a chance to solve the problem of malignant martial spirit mutations."

"Just him?"

Bibi Dong's delicate brows rose high, her face filled with disbelief.

Soul ring absorption was based on research into the human body, while martial spirit theory was an entirely different field. She understood the distinction between the two better than anyone.

But... that was the problem of martial spirit mutation. Wasn't Xiao Gang's martial spirit a malignant mutation...

Hadn't Su Cheng first left such a deep impression on her because he had likewise possessed a trash martial spirit with only 0.5 levels of Innate Soul Power?

"Bring Su Cheng to the Pope's Palace."