He's Actually This Outstanding

"You really are such a bastard!" Bibi Dong shot him a glare full of shame and anger as purple soul power surged in her hand.

With a flash of light, an exquisite pair of scissors condensed from pure soul power appeared out of thin air in her hand, its blades gleaming with a cold sheen.

Over the past month, she had learned quite a few soul power shaping techniques from Zhao Linchuan. By now, she was thoroughly proficient in them.

"Hey, hey, Dong'er." Zhao Linchuan immediately put on a trembling, terrified expression. "I only kissed you once. Don't tell me you're trying to murder your husband?"

Bibi Dong glared "viciously" at the spot between Zhao Linchuan's legs, waving the Soul Power Scissors in her hand threateningly. "If you dare pull another sneak attack like that, I'll give you a snip!"

"I'll show you what 'pure abstinence' means!" She deliberately snipped at the air, producing a crisp snip.

"Oh my, I'm so scared~" Zhao Linchuan obligingly shrank back, yet there was no fear on his face. If anything, his smile deepened.

"It's good that you know to be afraid!" Bibi Dong put away the scissors and gave a tsundere huff.

She lifted a hand to smooth her wine-red hair. With a slight release of soul power from her fingertips, she neatly cut off a small lock of soft hair.

Then, she took out a carefully prepared red string from her Soul Tool and meticulously wound it around the lock of hair.

"Here, it's for you." She held out the bundle of hair tied with red string to Zhao Linchuan, her cheeks still flushed.

Zhao Linchuan accepted it and deliberately rubbed it between his fingers, amusement glinting in his eyes. "What's this for? I seem to remember that I already have a lock of your 'Spoils of War,' don't I?" He meant the lock he had previously "snatched."

"That's different!" Bibi Dong immediately retorted, her voice rising despite herself. "That was something you... you 'snatched'! This... this is something I'm willingly giving you, of my own accord!" She turned her head away, the tips of her ears red all the way through.

"Oh~" Zhao Linchuan drew out the sound, his smile becoming especially mischievous. "Dong'er voluntarily gives me her hair—such deep affection and devotion. Is this my... Token of Love?"

"Y-You can think whatever you want!" Bibi Dong neither admitted nor denied it, but her bashful appearance had already said everything.

"Then I really won't be able to help... thinking more!" Before Zhao Linchuan had even finished speaking, he leaned down again, clearly aiming for those enticing red lips.

"Mm! Linchuan! Didn't we agree that you weren't allowed to launch sneak attacks?!" Bibi Dong's muffled protest was once again swallowed by their lingering kiss, leaving only an increasingly amorous atmosphere inside the carriage.

Meanwhile, Spirit City, Pope's Palace.

Qian Xunji sat upon the Pope's throne, which symbolized supreme authority, reading a detailed intelligence dossier on Zhao Linchuan that had just arrived.

His handsome face revealed neither joy nor anger, but icy undercurrents churned in the depths of his eyes.

Several days earlier, he had learned that a mysterious man had joined Bibi Dong's group—and that this man shared an unusually close relationship with her.

Worried that the "fruit" he had painstakingly cultivated might be coveted by another, he had immediately dispatched Guardian Douluo Chong Yue to investigate in secret.

At this moment, that intelligence report lay spread open before him.

The dossier recorded Zhao Linchuan's recent deeds in detail: from his furious intervention in a border village, where the exposure of his Soul Rings had frightened off an Evil Soul Master before the villagers' eyes—

—to later in Litangding Town, where he saw through and killed Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect assassins disguised as Spirit Hall members... every incident pointed to the same conclusion.

This youth possessed extraordinary talent, unfathomable strength, a meticulous mind, and ruthless methods.

At the end of the report was Ghost Charm's explanation: Bibi Dong and Zhao Linchuan had gone out to exchange insights on soul power circulation.

"He is actually this outstanding? And... Dong'er has already been drawn to him?" Qian Xunji's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest of the throne, making dull thudding sounds.

His own talent was mediocre. If not for the god-grade martial soul, the Six-Winged Angel, which came with level-ten Innate Soul Power, along with the wholehearted cultivation of his father, the Pope, he likely would not have reached even the rank of Soul Elder in this lifetime.

It was precisely because of this that he possessed an almost pathological desire to possess Bibi Dong's shocking Twin Martial Souls talent.

In his eyes, whether Bibi Dong could successfully cultivate Twin Martial Souls was unimportant. What mattered was Bibi Dong herself—an ideal "tool" capable of bearing him an heir with peerless talent.

He had expended immense effort keeping her by his side and carefully nurturing her, all while waiting for the right moment to turn her into a vessel for the continuation of his bloodline.

Zhao Linchuan's appearance was like a thorn driven into the chessboard he had so meticulously arranged.

Chong Yue, standing behind Qian Xunji, knew all too well about the filthy thoughts hidden within His Holiness the Pope.

He bowed slightly, his voice low. "Your Holiness, do you require this subordinate to... deal with that boy..." He made a subtle throat-slitting gesture.

"No need." Qian Xunji's voice was frost-cold as he interrupted Chong Yue's suggestion. "Killing him outright would only estrange Dong'er from me, perhaps even make her resentful. That would not benefit the greater plan."

His gaze fell upon the description of Zhao Linchuan's strength in the report, and a calculating curve appeared at the corner of his lips. "As it happens... there is a troublesome matter at hand that may be suitable for him to handle."

"If managed properly, it will not only solve the problem, but also bring Spirit Hall a substantial fortune—and, more importantly... let Dong'er see reality clearly."

"Where are they now?" Qian Xunji asked.

"Reporting to Your Holiness, the convoy has reached the outer city. In another two hours, it should arrive in the inner city," Chong Yue answered respectfully.

"Go wait for them in the outer city." Qian Xunji gave the order in an unquestionable voice. "Once they enter the city, immediately deliver my decree: summon Bibi Dong, Ghost Charm, Yue Guan, and... that Zhao Linchuan to the Pope's Palace at once for an audience!"

"Understood!" Chong Yue accepted the order, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he vanished from the hall in an instant.

Only Qian Xunji remained in the vast, empty hall.

He slowly rose to his feet and walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, looking down upon the grand and solemn Spirit City below, his gaze unfathomable.

"Such an exceptional young talent... if he were not so deeply entangled with Dong'er, I truly would not mind granting him the position of Saint Child and adding another pillar of strength to Spirit Hall."

"What a pity..." A sinister glint flashed through his eyes. "Anyone who obstructs my plans must pay the price."

The enormous gates of Spirit City slowly opened, and beneath the guards' watchful eyes, the convoy entered this magnificent city that had stood upon Douluo Continent for tens of thousands of years.

Zhao Linchuan lifted the carriage curtain and beheld this legendary sacred land of soul masters for the first time.

The towering city walls glittered with the light of soul-tool formations. The buildings within were grand and imposing, while the streets were broad and immaculate.

The air was suffused with dense soul power, and countless soul masters—some powerful, some weak—walked through the streets in orderly fashion.

Its majestic grandeur and stern atmosphere far surpassed any city he had seen before. Even with Zhao Linchuan's steady temperament, he could not help but feel deeply shaken.