Bibi Dong

"This kid... is he that happy to join Martial Soul Hall?" A hint of amusement flashed through Yue Guan's mind, but more than that, it was satisfaction. This at least showed that the child held high expectations and recognition for Martial Soul Hall's acceptance, which was good for future training and control.

"Wait here. I need to report back and clearly hand over the tasks from this outing," Yue Guan resumed his usual tone, a blend of laziness and authority, and said calmly, "Later, Your Majesty the Pope may summon you. Just wait here with peace of mind."

"Yes, Elder Yue Guan," Chen Li bowed in response, his demeanor proper.

Even the waiting area outside the Palace of the Pope was no ordinary place.

A server in simple, elegant attire, with well-trained movements, silently stepped forward and led Chen Li to a quiet waiting room in a side hall. The room wasn't very large, but it exuded understated luxury everywhere:

The floor was covered with a soft, dark carpet, the walls were adorned with embroidered Soul Beast tapestries of profound artistic conception, and the tables and chairs were all made of top-quality Star-Sinking Wood. The air was filled with a faint, calming incense that helped to soothe the mind and spirit. A Soul Guiding Lamp emitted a stable, soft glow, illuminating the room warmly and brightly.

Time flowed quietly in the silence. Chen Li sat upright on a chair, seemingly meditating with his eyes closed, but in reality, he had already sunk most of his spirit into his body, focusing on sensing the newly awakened Second Martial Soul, the Gulp Gulp Fruit, and the processing area newly opened in the system space, which was faintly connected to it.

His gaze swept over the piles of Soul Rings in his system space. They still emitted a faint glow of white, yellow, or purple, but their state was stagnant, like preserved specimens.

However, unlike before when he merely viewed them as collectibles, at this moment, the newly formed Black Hole Core within his body was sending out waves of clear and intense desire to devour! It was like a hungry beast seeing fresh meat, restless and eager to swallow, decompose, and digest these Soul Rings whole!

Not yet!

Chen Li understood, suppressing this instinctive urge with his powerful willpower.

This was the core of Martial Soul Hall, with Bibi Dong and Yue Guan close by. Any abnormal Soul Power fluctuations or leakage of aura could attract unnecessary attention and suspicion. He had to wait for an absolutely safe and secret moment to make his first attempt.

He carefully recalled the core information of the Gulp Gulp Fruit: devour, decompose, recombine, create.

It didn't directly grant world-destroying offensive power like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Instead, it was more like a versatile factory and material alchemy furnace with infinite possibilities.

Weren't those Soul Rings, which the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had rejected for having too much impurity and low quality, just a pile of excellent raw materials desperately needing purification, refinement, or even upgrading?

It all connects...

Chen Li realized that all his previous failures and accumulations seemed to have been preparing him for this moment.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was responsible for setting high-quality standards and providing ultimate combat power, while the Gulp Gulp Fruit was responsible for processing substandard raw materials into compliant products.

A unique path to acquiring Soul Rings, one that defied common sense, had already unfolded halfway before his eyes.

Would it succeed? What kind of Soul Rings would he obtain after success?

Chen Li didn't have absolute certainty, but the part of him that was a transmigrator deep within his soul, along with the subtle resonance from both the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Gulp Gulp Fruit, strongly suggested to him that this path was viable!

Just then, a slight sound of footsteps approached, interrupting Chen Li's thoughts. The server who had led him earlier returned, stopping before the door, his posture extremely respectful, head slightly bowed: "Mr. Chen Li, Your Majesty the Pope is free now. Please come to meet her."

His tone was even more humble than before. To be personally received by His Majesty the Pope, even for a moment, was enough to indicate that this young man was no ordinary person.

"Thank you for leading the way." Chen Li opened his eyes, his gaze clear, all the inner turmoil and planning perfectly concealed. He stood up, tidied his unwrinkled clothes, and followed the server out of the waiting room.

They passed through a magnificent corridor adorned with portraits of past Popes and heroes, and the server stopped before a pair of Gilded Gem-Inlaid Giant Doors, five meters high. The doors silently opened inward, revealing the incredibly vast and awe-inspiring Main Hall space behind them.

Chen Li stepped inside.

The first thing he felt was an indescribable pressure, not an intentional Soul Power oppression, but a natural aura of authority and sacredness emanating from the space itself, from the figure seated on the supreme throne, inspiring involuntary awe.

The floor was mirror-like Black Obsidian, the dome was high and distant, painted with magnificent murals of celestial movements and angelic descents. Giant Pillars supported the entire space, each carved with intricate Soul Beast and Martial Soul totems.

His gaze was ultimately, inevitably drawn to the far end of the hall, to the multi-tiered platform above, The Pope's Throne.

A woman was seated upon it, her radiant golden ceremonial dress like flowing sunlight, perfectly enveloping her from head to toe, tailored to an exquisite fit, outlining breathtaking curves.

On the dress, over a hundred red, blue, and gold gems were dotted like stars, shimmering with a dreamlike radiance with her slightest movement. The Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown on her head was noble and majestic, with fine tassels hanging down.

In her hand, she held a scepter about two meters long, topped with a huge gem, which she casually rested on the ground, as if supporting the majesty of the entire hall.

Even more breathtaking were her face and demeanor. Her skin was as fair as the finest mutton-fat jade, her features exquisitely perfect to the point of being ethereal, transcending the worldly definition of beauty.

However, what was most captivating was the natural nobility and divinity she exuded, and the absolute calmness and unfathomable wisdom flowing in her serene, unruffled light purple eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

Bibi Dong.

The youngest Pope in the history of Martial Soul Hall, widely recognized as the most outstanding and powerful leader of all time.

Not far below her throne, Yue Guan was already seated, playing with a phantom image of a golden chrysanthemum in his hand, a faint smile on his face as usual, his gaze shifting between Chen Li and Bibi Dong.

Chen Li walked steadily to the center of the hall and stopped about ten steps away from the platform. Following the most standard etiquette, he bowed towards the throne, his voice clear and steady: "Chen Li, pays respects to Your Majesty the Pope."

After the ceremony, he straightened up, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his gaze meeting the scrutinizing look.

"You are the Chen Li that Elder Yue Guan spoke of?" Bibi Dong's voice rang out, clear and crisp like ice water striking stones, pleasant to the ear but carrying an undeniable distance and authority, her gaze scrutinizing.