Enfeoffment

Time flew by.

Three years later.

Shang An wore a white robe threaded with gold, adorned with countless tiny gemstones and embroidered with exquisite patterns. The robe, woven from Heavenly Silkworm Silk, was impervious to water and fire and difficult to damage with blades. It was seamless from top to bottom. His long black hair was tied up with various ornaments, and he exuded an approachable air.

He stood before the Pope Palace, with Bibi Dong at his side. The elders surrounded them, while the bishops and deacons of Spirit Hall stood below. Everyone wore solemn expressions, and Bibi Dong's eyes were filled with gratification.

"From this day onward, Shang An shall be invested as the Holy Son of Spirit Hall!"

Qian Daoliu appeared before the crowd, holding a Holy Son's crown in his hands.

Shang An lowered his head in respect. Qian Daoliu stepped before him, his gaze somewhat complicated. Who could have imagined that a boy from an orphanage would become Spirit Hall's Holy Son—and that he himself would place the crown upon his head?

Still, he did not pause. He placed the crown on Shang An's head, making him appear even nobler and more sacred.

"Greetings, His Holiness the Holy Son!"

The bishops and deacons below dropped to one knee in salute, while the elders bowed slightly.

"The ceremony is complete!"

After returning to the bedchamber, Shang An casually removed the crown and the ornaments from his hair, then let out a long breath. Though the Holy Son ceremony had not lasted long, it had exhausted him. It was simply too troublesome, with all the dressing up and rituals.

This had only been the Holy Son ceremony, attended solely by members of Spirit Hall. If it had been the Pope's investiture ceremony, with all the major factions invited, it would likely have been even more cumbersome.

Three years had passed in the blink of an eye since Hu Liena entered the Devil Training Camp.

Not long ago, Shang An had also become a four-ringed Soul Ancestor. His Spirit Ring configuration was purple, purple, black, black. It was precisely because he had become a Soul Ancestor at the age of nine and had easily defeated a power-attack Spirit King, shocking the Worship Hall, that he had been invested as Spirit Hall's Holy Son with his teacher Bibi Dong's support and Qian Daoliu's tacit approval.

He assessed his own strength. His Soul Power had reached �th rank. He cultivated the qi-refining technique, the Great Freedom True Scripture, and was currently at the middle stage of Embryonic Breathing. His body-tempering technique, the Taiyi Immortal Origin Body, had entered the minor accomplishment stage, giving him a physique comparable to a Spirit Saint. His Daoist and martial techniques included the Tiangang Bagua Steps, the Taiyi Fist Scripture, and the Demon Subduing Staff Technique. In addition, his ocular divine ability, the Golden Eyes of Truth, had also reached minor accomplishment. It could see through falsehoods, pierce souls, perceive the essence of things, and even observe fortune.

Moreover, what he cultivated was less Soul Power than mana bearing the traits of Soul Power. Both its quality and quantity far surpassed Soul Power.

If he went all out, let alone a mere Spirit King, even a Spirit Emperor would have to kneel. Spirit Saints possessed Martial Soul Avatars, and their strength had undergone a qualitative transformation. Whether he could defeat one would only be known after a fight, but Shang An was confident that he could escape unharmed.

"Xiao An."

Bibi Dong walked directly into the bedchamber. This was also her bedchamber.

Over the past three years, Shang An had run to Bibi Dong's bedchamber every night to sleep. Before long, he had simply treated Bibi Dong's bedchamber as his own, while his original bedchamber had fallen into disuse.

"You must be tired, Xiao An. Let me massage you."

Bibi Dong sat at the edge of the bed and spoke gently to Shang An.

Shang An did not stand on ceremony. He lay directly across Bibi Dong's jade-like legs, one arm around her slender waist and the other resting on her thigh.

He inhaled the faint fragrance of Bibi Dong's body and enjoyed his teacher's gentle massage.

After spending every day together for the past three years, coupled with Shang An's cleverness and thoughtfulness, as well as how often he helped Bibi Dong resolve her worries, Bibi Dong had told him many things she had kept buried in her heart. She often came to him to confide in him. With the Seed of Heart acting as a "restriction remover," her favorability rose rapidly over time.

It had already reached one hundred a year ago. As for Yu Xiaogang? Bibi Dong only wanted to say one thing now: Who was Yu Xiaogang, that useless piece of trash?

"Xiao An, Nana will be coming out tomorrow. Are you going to pick her up?"

"She has missed you terribly, her junior brother, in the training camp."

"Hm? Nana is coming out?"

Not long after Shang An obtained his fourth Spirit Ring, he had begun preparing for the Holy Son ceremony. He truly had not paid much attention to this matter.

"Let's go together tomorrow."

Having not seen her for so long, Shang An somewhat missed that little fox as well. The Devil Training Camp was completely sealed off, and Shang An had not been qualified to enter until Hu Liena and the others completed their trials.

Still, he was not overly worried about Hu Liena's safety. The little fox's talent was not weak to begin with, and although the camp claimed that life and death were left to fate, she was ultimately the Pope's disciple. Bibi Dong would certainly have sent someone to protect her in secret.

After that, neither of them spoke again. Shang An lay there quietly while Bibi Dong looked at his perfect profile and gently massaged him. She looked just like a virtuous wife.

Shang An had not spent these past years focused solely on cultivation. In his spare time, he had also used his status as the Pope's disciple to gather a group of followers. He already possessed high status and exceptional talent, understood how to control people's hearts, and had powerful charisma.

The Holy Imperial Warriors on duty at the Pope Palace and the maids in Bibi Dong's bedchamber were not particularly strong, but they interacted with him often. Their loyalty to him was practically maxed out.

Of the Heng and Ha Generals, Chrysanthemum Douluo's loyalty had surpassed eighty, while Ghost Douluo's was already over seventy.

There was also Lingyuan Douluo, the newly appointed Ninth Elder, whom he had brought under his control. Her loyalty had reached ninety. She was also the protector Bibi Dong had selected for him.

Quite a few bishops and deacons also already had loyalty above sixty. With the Seed of Heart present, their loyalty would steadily increase as well.

It could be said that Shang An's influence within Spirit Hall was now second only to Bibi Dong's. Yet this was merely something he had done in his spare time. This was the true terror of the Great Freedom True Scripture.

It made others submit to Shang An without even realizing it.

Heavenly Demons were naturally skilled at disguising themselves, overflowing with charm, and adept at bewitching people's hearts.

The next day,

At the exit of a valley,

Bibi Dong and Shang An stood at the front, with several bishops from Spirit Hall behind them. These were the teachers of the students who had participated in the Devil Training Camp.

At the valley entrance stood a massive, menacing black iron gate, like the Hell Gate that imprisoned evil. At this moment, however, the gate stood open, and the harsh environment within the gloomy valley could vaguely be seen.

Their timing was quite precise. After waiting only a moment, students began emerging from the valley. At the front were the trio of Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.

The three radiated icy auras. Their faces were stern and rigid, as though they had not smiled for a very long time. The childishness had faded from them, replaced by some of the bearing of true powerhouses.

"Teacher, Xiao An!"

When Hu Liena saw the two people before her, she cried out excitedly. A stiff smile pulled at her face, which had not smiled in a long time.

"Xiao An, I missed you so much."

Hu Liena walked over and threw herself into his arms. Two already sizable evils surged toward Shang An. He did not dodge, instead stretching out his arms to gently embrace Hu Liena's slender waist.

Having not seen this adorable little fox for so long, he had missed her greatly as well.

"Senior Sister, welcome back."

At the valley exit, Yan watched Hu Liena rush excitedly toward Shang An the moment she emerged. A complicated look flashed through his eyes before settling into calmness and relief. When he looked at Shang An again, battle intent rose in his gaze.

This time, he was not doing it for Hu Liena, but to prove himself—to prove that his efforts over the past three years had not been in vain.

However, Shang An and Hu Liena were not paying attention to him. They simply savored the warmth of their reunion in silence.

"Nana, have you forgotten your teacher now that you have a junior brother?"

Bibi Dong looked at Hu Liena with feigned displeasure.

After three years of growth, along with the effects of two ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings, Shang An had reached a height of 175 centimeters. The childishness had gradually faded from his face, and his features had become increasingly defined. He was handsome and radiant, truly like a True Immortal among mortals.

Hu Liena, at 168 centimeters, had blossomed into a young woman. Her fair skin, beautiful face, and charm were on full display. As she embraced Shang An, the two unexpectedly looked well matched, which made Bibi Dong somewhat unhappy.

Although her favorability had reached one hundred, she would occasionally still get jealous. Ahem, even though the two still maintained a teacher-disciple relationship for now.

Shang An chuckled and released her. Hu Liena shyly slipped out of his embrace.

"Of course I remember Teacher! Teacher is the best!"

Having just reunited with Shang An, she had become so excited that she somewhat neglected Bibi Dong at her side. Naturally, she hurried to make amends, grabbing Bibi Dong's hand and acting coquettishly.

Yet her stiff expression paired with her cold tone made everything about it feel awkward. Still, this was merely an aftereffect of the Devil Training Camp. She would be fine after living normally for a while.

After all, it was only an inferior imitation of the Capital of Slaughter. The influence of its killing intent was not too severe.

"I thought you had forgotten that you even had a teacher!"

Bibi Dong was not truly angry. She was merely putting Hu Liena in her place, while faintly seeming to declare her position as the rightful wife. After saying a few more words with a light laugh, she let Hu Liena off.

Shang An watched the teacher and disciple with great interest. Sometimes, watching the drama was quite entertaining. As for an Asura Field, that did not exist.

Once they had finished talking, Yan stepped forward and joined the conversation.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope. Greetings, His Holiness the Holy Son."

He first offered a respectful salute, then looked at Shang An with determination.

"Your Holiness the Holy Son, I wish to challenge you."

"Hm? Are you sure?"

Shang An looked at Yan before him. Although Yan had improved somewhat after the Devil Training Camp, he was only �th rank. Without being modest, Shang An could easily defeat him even if he gave up both hands.