Morning light in Heaven Dou City filtered through the window lattice and fell across the wooden table in Shrek Academy's lounge, making the golden Pope's Token gleam even more brilliantly. Yu Xiaogang had not slept all night. Now, seated at the table, his fingers repeatedly traced the Six-winged Angel pattern along the token's edge as he clearly sorted through the risks they might face and the ways to deal with them.
He first took a yellowed copy of Spirit Hall Records from his robe and turned to the section on the Pope's Token, studying it word by word. The book clearly stated that this token could "mobilize the resources of local Spirit Hall Branches, exempt its holder from three non-fatal competition violations, and intimidate all direct and affiliated members of Spirit Hall." Yu Xiaogang's gaze sharpened. He circled these three core privileges in cinnabar ink, then took out paper and a pen and marked them against Shrek's remaining match schedule one by one.
"The first thing to deal with is Canglan Academy's retaliation." He murmured to himself, tapping the words "logistics battle in three days" on the schedule. After yesterday's match, he had noticed the venomous resentment in Mo Xuan's eyes when he left. Given Spirit Hall's usual methods, they would certainly try to sabotage them in the upcoming matches. Yu Xiaogang immediately decided to take the Pope's Token to the Spirit Hall Branch stationed in Heaven Dou City early that morning.
Just after the hour of the dragon, Yu Xiaogang arrived at the branch entrance with the Pope's Token in hand. The two Spirit Hall deacons guarding the gate had initially looked down on him, seeing only an ordinary Soul Master. But the moment they saw the Pope's Token in his hand, their expressions changed dramatically. They immediately dropped