Chapter 3

The first person to catch their eye was Kronos, dressed in the robes of a Platinum Bishop.

This Soul Douluo powerhouse, usually so imposing, was now standing slightly ahead with a faint bow.

When he saw the three of them enter, Kronos immediately stepped aside.

Behind him, a tall, slender figure was revealed.

He was a man dressed in luxurious robes embroidered with gold and silver patterns, with gemstones glittering brightly on his chest.

Golden hair cascaded over his shoulders like a waterfall. His skin was as fair as an infant's, and his exquisitely handsome features carried a hint of eerie beauty.

He merely stood there casually, yet the air around him seemed to freeze solid.

An invisible pressure that made one's soul tremble filled the entire space, making Xie Yue and Hu Liena feel as though even breathing had become difficult. Their bodies tensed instinctively.

This man was Yue Guan, an elder of Spirit Hall—a level ninety-five Power Attack Type Title Douluo.

Flame Emperor also gave a slight bow, not out of fear, but to restrain his spiritual power as much as possible and prevent Yue Guan from noticing anything unusual.

Fortunately, the Flame Emperor's power stood on an exceptionally high level. With deliberate concealment, even someone as powerful as a Title Douluo could not detect anything abnormal about Flame Emperor's spiritual power.

Flame Emperor stepped forward, bowed slightly, and spoke in a clear, steady voice. "Greetings, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Bishop."

Xie Yue and Hu Liena immediately came to their senses as well, hurriedly bowing in greeting. Their voices were slightly dry from nervousness. "G-Greetings, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Bishop."

Yue Guan's gaze shifted as he looked at the three of them. His eyes swept over Xie Yue and Hu Liena, lingering on Hu Liena for an extra moment before he nodded slightly. She truly was as His Holiness the Pope had guessed—her spiritual power far surpassed that of others her age.

After looking past Hu Liena, Yue Guan's gaze settled on Flame Emperor. He seemed to have noticed something interesting, raising a brow as he let out a soft sound of surprise.

Without any visible movement, Yue Guan appeared before Flame Emperor in the next instant.

"Good child, could you raise your hand?"

Yue Guan's voice was somewhat soft and feminine, yet not unpleasant. It even carried a sense of gentleness as it reached Flame Emperor's ears.

Flame Emperor inexplicably felt a chill run through him, but he forcibly kept it from showing and obediently raised his left hand.

Yue Guan smiled and reached for Flame Emperor's left hand.

An extremely pure stream of soul power flowed from the wrist Yue Guan had touched into the depths of Flame Emperor's body, freely probing everything within him.

"What a strong physique. No wonder he's a genius capable of awakening Innate Full Soul Power."

Yue Guan released his hand. During that brief circulation of soul power, he had sensed the strength contained within Flame Emperor's body. It was already no weaker than that of some low-level Power Attack Type Soul Masters.

Yue Guan could not help nodding to himself. Compared to Hu Liena, whom His Holiness the Pope valued highly, Yue Guan actually thought more highly of Flame Emperor.

It was just a pity that a martial soul like the Flame Overlord was far too incompatible with him. Otherwise, taking such a disciple would not have been impossible.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let us depart for the Pope Palace."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

Everyone bowed in unison.

After leaving the branch hall, they split between two carriages. Yue Guan rode alone in the front carriage, while Flame Emperor rode in the rear with Hu Liena and Xie Yue.

Once they were in the carriage and Yue Guan was no longer beside them, the three of them visibly relaxed.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena looked at Flame Emperor with particular curiosity. They had heard what Yue Guan had said earlier.

A physique praised even by a Title Douluo had to be incredibly strong.

That was why the two of them were puzzled. Flame Emperor had always been somewhat sturdier than children his age, but he had definitely never reached the point where a Title Douluo would specifically praise him.

Could the training he had undergone over the past year really have produced such remarkable results?

"Flame Emperor, your body..."

Although children on Douluo Continent generally matured early, they were still children in the end. Xie Yue could not suppress his curiosity and asked Flame Emperor.

"I know what you want to ask. Training alone definitely wouldn't have made my physique this strong. I think it may be because of the Whale Rubber."

The Flame Emperor inheritance absolutely could not be exposed, so his own talent and the existence of Whale Rubber were the best cover stories.

"Whale Rubber?"

Xie Yue froze, seemingly unaware of what Whale Rubber was.

Hu Liena, however, seemed to recall something. Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she nodded faintly, her gaze toward Flame Emperor becoming somewhat unfocused.

"That's right, Whale Rubber."

Flame Emperor nodded. Without keeping them in suspense, he explained the effects of Whale Rubber to the two of them.

"This thing really has that kind of effect?"

After learning that it was something used to enhance intimacy between men and women, Xie Yue's mouth twitched. No matter what, he could not believe Flame Emperor's words.

"That's right. I remember once, after finishing my training, I missed mealtime, and there was no food left in the cafeteria.

I was exhausted and starving at the time, so I went to the Dean Office and found a box of Whale Rubber.

I didn't know what it was then. I only thought it was hard to chew, so I took it to the cafeteria, heated it up, and swallowed it. Then I felt a warm current spread throughout my entire body.

After that, whenever I trained, I not only felt that I was getting twice the results with half the effort, but my physique also grew stronger by the day."

"Is that so?" Seeing how seriously Flame Emperor spoke, Xie Yue did not refute him, though he still did not quite believe it in his heart.

Yan did not pursue the matter or explain himself. In truth, those words had never been meant for Xie Yue and Hu Liena to hear.

Inside the more luxurious carriage ahead, Yue Guan lounged lazily against the soft seat, one hand lightly tapping the armrest. "Whale Rubber?"

The carriage moved at an unhurried pace, yet it did not take long to arrive before Pope Palace.

After getting down, Chrysanthemum Douluo walked at the front, with Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena following closely behind him.

They proceeded without obstruction all the way to the gates of Pope Palace. Yue Guan stopped and looked at the guards before the entrance. "Please report that the people His Holiness wished to see have arrived."

The guard gave Yue Guan a slight bow before turning and entering Pope Palace. Not long afterward, he came back out. "Elder Yue Guan, His Holiness has instructed you to bring these children inside."

Yue Guan nodded lightly, turned back to signal Xie Yue and the others to follow, then took the lead into Pope Palace.

Bibi Dong sat high upon the magnificent Pope Throne within Pope Palace.

She wore an elegant, lavish golden gown that fit her perfectly. The Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown atop her head shone with countless rays of light, while she held a Pope Scepter nearly two meters long and embedded with innumerable gemstones.

It made her already fair and breathtakingly beautiful face appear even more sacred.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena did not even dare raise their heads, their faces filled with admiration and yearning.

What child living in Spirit City had not heard the legends of Bibi Dong?

The youngest Pope in Spirit Hall's history, the most powerful leader Spirit Hall had ever known, the greatest Pope of all time...

Those titles had been heard so often that calluses were practically growing on people's ears.

Yan merely cast a brief glance, yet he had to admit that Bibi Dong truly possessed peerless beauty. Seated atop the lofty Pope Throne, she exuded boundless majesty.

It was difficult to imagine that such a powerful and beautiful woman would actually fall for Yu Xiaogang, who could be called a useless cultivator.

All one could say was that Douluo Continent's underlying code was at work.