Coronation Ceremony

In the afternoon.

The Pope's Coronation Ceremony.

The weather wasn't great today, and with the Former Pope having just kicked the bucket, the atmosphere in Spirit City could hardly be called festive.

Besides, from the announcement of Bibi Dong's appointment as Pope to today's Coronation Ceremony, there had only been a week. It was all rather rushed.

Of the Seven Great Sects, all of whom should have been present, only two had come, excluding the Clear Sky Sect, which was never going to show up.

One was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which never missed an important occasion and never picked a fight with anyone. Its strength ranked second among the Upper Three Sects.

The other was the Elephant Armor Sect, which had thrown in its lot with Spirit Hall at the first opportunity after the Clear Sky Sect's troubles.

"Uncle Gu, something feels off about the atmosphere in Spirit City."

Ning Fengzhi, seated among the guests, was observing the situation.

It was one thing that only two of the Seven Great Sects had shown up, but even the people from Spirit Hall weren't making a move.

There were only two people seated in the Elder Hall's section, and they were the veteran Titled Douluo of Spirit Hall who had been "making quite a name for themselves" lately: Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

Not a single one of the other Titled Douluo had come. Even the Grand Priest of Spirit Hall, who was supposed to preside over the new Pope's coronation, was absent.

Something was wrong! Very wrong!

"Don't worry, Fengzhi. Even if this is a trap, I can still get you out of here," Gu Rong said.

He wouldn't claim he could win every fight, but when it came to making a getaway, no one on the continent could claim to be second to him.

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's just..." Ning Fengzhi looked toward the vacant papal seat.

"Now that the Clear Sky Sect is in trouble, our relationship with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect isn't good, and the Elephant Armor Sect has sided with Spirit Hall. The balance between the Seven Great Sects and Spirit Hall is going to be disrupted."

As the oldest of the Seven Great Sects and, apart from Spirit Hall, the most ancient Spirit Master organization on the continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect paid the closest attention to the balance between these factions.

They were the last ones who wanted violent conflict between Spirit Master organizations. Stability brought longevity, and harmony brought prosperity.

This whole mess had started because Spirit Hall insisted on taking the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in Tang Hao's possession. But now, just because the Pope had died, it was as if the Clear Sky Sect had committed some enormous, unforgivable crime.

A 100,000-Year Transformed Spirit Beast was a once-in-a-millennium sight. The unwritten rule of the Spirit Master World was that whoever got one first owned it. Tang Hao had protected it for years, and Spirit Hall still wouldn't let up. They really had no shame.

And then there was their claim that Tang Hao had attacked them first.

Did Tang Hao have something wrong with his head? Why would one person attack three Titled Douluo?

If they were going to make up an excuse, they could at least choose one that made sense.

Besides, now that Qian Xunji was dead, their own leader had been killed. Even if everyone knew Spirit Hall was in the wrong, no one could say anything.

After all, the dead deserved respect...

"That's enough, Fengzhi. Don't dwell on it. Even if Spirit Hall wants to use this opportunity to stir up trouble, we won't just stand by. And their own people aren't going to let things get out of hand," Gu Rong said.

Spirit Hall's Spirit Masters came from across the entire Spirit Master World, and their interests were deeply intertwined. Even the Titled Douluo elders in the Elder Hall had ties of varying degrees to the Seven Great Sects and the Two Great Empires.

If the Pope hadn't been killed, this war wouldn't have broken out.

Ning Fengzhi sighed. "I just don't know how far this conflict will go."

There was no chance Spirit Hall would wipe out the Clear Sky Sect. If they really intended to do that, the Two Great Empires and the other Seven Great Sects wouldn't just stand by.

After all, if the Clear Sky Sect was destroyed, who knew whether they would be next?

Besides, the Clear Sky Sect's elders and sect master weren't pushovers. Destroying the sect would cost at least three Titled Douluo their lives.

Who would be willing to die?

He didn't think Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo elders were eager to meet their ends.

"The new Pope is here," Gu Rong said.

Ning Fengzhi looked toward the entrance to the papal platform. "I just hope this new Pope is easy enough to get along with."

At last, Bibi Dong made her appearance on the high platform, dressed in a purple-gold gown and wearing the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown.

Standing on the platform, Golden Crocodile, who was in charge of the Coronation Ceremony, finally opened his eyes.

He was about to speak when his gaze was drawn to the Golden Kitten in Bibi Dong's arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" Golden Crocodile asked in a telepathic message, furrowing his brow.

How could she bring something like that onto the stage during such a solemn occasion?

Bibi Dong looked completely unconcerned. "Is there a rule saying the Pope can't bring a kitten onto the stage during her coronation?"

Golden Crocodile was momentarily at a loss for words. But he didn't want to argue with Bibi Dong at a time like this, so he pretended not to notice and began directing the standard proceedings before the Pope's coronation.

Fireworks, music, welcoming guests...

At last, they reached the final step. Golden Crocodile walked forward and solemnly handed Bibi Dong the scepter symbolizing the Pope's authority.

Bibi Dong casually took the Pope Scepter. Under Golden Crocodile's baffled gaze, she turned toward the tens of thousands of Spirit Masters below, kitten in her arms.

Without a word, she planted the jewel-encrusted scepter into the ground and released her Soul Power.

Yellow--yellow--purple--purple--black--black--black--black!

When the eighth black Spirit Ring appeared, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

"How old is she?" Ning Fengzhi asked, his expression stiff.

If he remembered correctly, Bibi Dong was only around thirty, wasn't she?

Even Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect, once an insurmountable peak in the Spirit Master World, had only been a Soul Saint at thirty!

"Wait, she's not done yet." Gu Rong's expression grew even more solemn.

Under the gaze of the crowd, a Soul Power pressure unique to Titled Douluo erupted from Bibi Dong. At the same time, a blood-red Spirit Ring slowly appeared above the eighth black Spirit Ring.

Nine rings! A Titled Douluo!

The entire crowd was stunned!

Everyone at the Coronation Ceremony, apart from Golden Crocodile, who already knew, was transfixed by the nine Spirit Rings swirling around Bibi Dong—especially the blood-red one, which signified a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Every objection to this young woman becoming Pope vanished in an instant.

Spirit Hall was the authoritative institution of the Spirit Master World, and to Spirit Masters, strength mattered most!

To put it bluntly, Spirit Hall could be in the wrong and still openly turn around and accuse the Clear Sky Sect because it had the bigger fist!

Nine Spirit Rings made a far more convincing statement than any speech!

"She's only thirty..."

Most of the Spirit Masters present knew the Saintess, Bibi Dong. It was precisely because they knew her that they were so shocked!

A Titled Douluo at thirty!

And she had the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring every Spirit Master dreamed of!

"It seems the information we received was true," Ning Fengzhi sighed.

The Martial Soul Hall Saintess, Bibi Dong, had Twin Martial Souls!

But wasn't it impossible to cultivate Twin Martial Souls?

Spirit Hall had had Spirit Masters with Twin Martial Souls before, but every last one of them had blown themselves up!

In fact, the Spirit Master World had nearly reached a consensus: having Twin Martial Souls was practically the same as having a Trash Martial Soul!

No, it was worse than a Trash Martial Soul. At least someone with a Trash Martial Soul could cultivate normally. But a Twin Martial Soul owner would eventually blow themselves up while cultivating!

So far, the highest level any Twin Martial Soul owner had reached was Spirit Emperor. Legend had it that person had also been the fastest cultivator of their generation. They'd added Spirit Rings to both Martial Souls at the same time, nearly doubling their cultivation speed. But after reaching Spirit Emperor—in other words, level sixty—when it came time to add another Spirit Ring, that genius with Twin Martial Souls had exploded!

Every Twin Martial Soul owner after that had met much the same fate.

But Bibi Dong's terrifying cultivation speed proved the rumors about her Twin Martial Souls were true, and that she had added Spirit Rings to both of them!

In other words, Bibi Dong had solved the cultivation problem that came with Twin Martial Souls!

"..."

On the high platform, Bibi Dong was reasonably satisfied with the crowd's reaction.

At first, she hadn't planned to reveal that she had already become a Titled Douluo, especially not that she had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Although she was now Pope, she was almost completely isolated within Spirit Hall.

Revealing her strength too soon might boost her prestige and help her take control of Pope Hall in the short term. After all, strength was what mattered most to Spirit Masters, and nine Spirit Rings made a far more direct and effective impression than words ever could.

But it would also make her many enemies. The old men in the Elder Hall wanted to put their own people in key positions in Pope Hall before she truly took power. If she wasn't strong enough, they wouldn't take her seriously and might even let their guard down, giving her more time and opportunities to reclaim her authority.

But if she revealed her strength now, they would be on high alert and might even join forces to trip her up. She didn't have a single person in Pope Hall whom she could trust or rely on. Drawing too much attention would bring plenty of trouble.

And if a conflict broke out, she didn't know where that old thing Qian Daoliu stood. If he came out in support of the Elder Hall, she could only back down. The Pope's authority would take a serious hit, and she'd have to spend far more time and effort making up for the damage.

So staying hidden was much more worthwhile and prudent than showing off her strength.

But Nan Feng insisted she reveal it right away, saying it was simple and direct: anyone who refused to fall in line could just be killed.

She'd put up with enough over all these years. Even a turtle had to come out of its shell eventually.

If they had the guts, they could fight. At worst, the whole Spirit Master World would get to laugh at Spirit Hall!

When she thought about it, it really did make sense.

What Qian Daoliu cared about most was Spirit Hall's development. If that old thing didn't care about Spirit Hall's reputation, why should she?

Bang!

With all eyes on her, Bibi Dong suddenly slammed the Pope Scepter in her right hand into the ground, where it stood firmly embedded.

Then, holding the Golden Kitten in both hands, she raised it above her head, took a deep breath, and shouted:

"Long live Spirit Hall!!"

Backed by her powerful Soul Power, Bibi Dong's voice rang out across every corner of the Coronation Ceremony, echoing again and again.

Golden Crocodile stared at the scene, dumbfounded.

Bibi Dong! Are you out of your mind?!

Why were you holding the cat up?!

A cat was sitting above the Pope's head! Did she know what that meant?!

Before Golden Crocodile could stop this ridiculous display, the tens of thousands of Spirit Masters below answered Bibi Dong's call in unison:

"Long live Spirit Hall!!"

"Long live Your Holiness the Pope!!"

Watching Bibi Dong surrounded by nine Spirit Rings, every Spirit Master belonging to Spirit Hall gazed at her with fervent devotion. Their shouts came one after another, shaking even the vast city of Spirit City. Ning Fengzhi and his companions, who had come to witness the ceremony, wore terribly awkward expressions.

Should they join in or not?

They felt so out of place!

Golden Crocodile looked even more displeased. She could shout all she wanted, but could she put that damned cat down?

Don't leave it perched on her head!

The cheers continued for nearly a minute. Bibi Dong gave a light stomp, sending out a vast wave of Soul Power. The feverish crowd fell silent in an instant.

Golden Crocodile breathed a sigh of relief. But just as he thought it was over, the Holy Spirit Cat held high in Bibi Dong's hands suddenly burst into a dazzling golden light, drawing everyone's attention.

Bibi Dong took a deep breath. "Long live the Angel God!!"

Golden Crocodile was stunned.

Bibi Dong! What the hell was that supposed to mean?!

Before Golden Crocodile could stop her, the tens of thousands of Spirit Masters below once again answered Bibi Dong's call.

"Long live the Angel God!!"

"Long live Your Holiness the Pope!!"

"Long live Spirit Hall!!"