Bibi Dong's Fourth Soul Ring

"Swoosh"

Hals turned over in his sleep and sat up, his right hand reaching for his waist to grip Hook, his face expressionless as he stared at the door.

One second, two seconds...

"Knock knock knock." The door was rapped.

"Lord Hals, His Holiness the Pope summons you."

Hals made no sound, remaining silent for a long while. Only when the person outside couldn't help knocking again did Hals rasp, "I understand."

No sound. It seemed the person outside had left.

Hals rose quietly, pulled on his hood, and pushed open the door to step out.

It wasn't yet dawn. A few candles flickered in the palace corridor, their flames swaying without wind. The shifting light fell on Hals but failed to illuminate the face hidden beneath his hood.

"Hals, you're here."

Hals pushed open the heavy, ornate golden doors of the Pope's hall and gazed at the man on the throne.

"Hals." Qian Xunji looked at Hals, his face still dark and gloomy, a stark contrast to the resplendent hall. "Bibi Dong reached level 40 yesterday. I'll arrange for her to obtain her Soul Ring today, but no Elder will accompany her. So I intend for you to take her to acquire the ring. What do you think?" Qian Xunji narrowed his eyes, staring at Hals before him.

"Of course, Your Holiness."

Hearing Hals' affirmative reply, a satisfied smile spread across Qian Xunji's face.

"Good. Go prepare. I have high expectations for you, Hals."

Bibi Dong was still a girl brimming with youthful vitality. Though she held little fondness for her teacher, the current Pope Qian Xunji—she always felt his gaze carried an unsettling desire—she was equally annoyed by the strange man he had assigned to assist her.

Bibi Dong sat in a side chamber of Martial Soul Hall, quietly holding a cup of clear tea, sipping it delicately. Sunlight streamed through the crystal window, casting a warm and beautiful glow upon her.

"Knock knock knock."

The door was gently tapped.

Bibi Dong opened her eyes, pulling herself out of the dreamlike atmosphere.

"Come in." She looked toward the door, curious about who it might be.

"G-greetings, Holy Maiden."

To her surprise, it was a soft, sweet voice tinged with timidity.

The door opened to reveal a young man and woman, both around sixteen or seventeen.

Upon seeing Bibi Dong, the boy grew excited: "B-Bibi Dong, I..."

He stammered, flustered. Seeing this, the girl stepped back half a pace, reached out to tug his sleeve, then moved forward.

"Holy Maiden, my name is Xiong Yiyi. My martial soul is Phoenix Vine, a level 40 control-type Soul Ancestor. He is Jiabulin, with a mutated martial soul, Night Flame Gauntlets, a level 40 assault-type Soul Ancestor. We've been ordered to accompany you to obtain your Soul Ring. Please guide us." She bowed deeply to Bibi Dong. Jiabulin froze for a moment, then bowed as well.

Bibi Dong's expression softened slightly. No one could dislike such a gentle, beautiful, and polite girl.

"Mm. I look forward to your guidance as well." Bibi Dong said, her tone warm.

Peers always found plenty to talk about. Before long, the three were chatting cheerfully.

After a while, Xiong Yiyi suddenly remembered something and tilted her head curiously: "Holy Maiden, are we waiting for someone else?"

Watching the girl's adorable, head-tilted expression, Bibi Dong found it amusing. She reached out and gently pinched Xiong Yiyi's cheek.

"Yes. One of my attendants will be coming with us." Bibi Dong paused, as if recalling something. "But he's a bit strange. Don't be scared when you see him."

"Ah, is that Lord Hals?" Jiabulin interjected.

"Yes. Do you know him?" Bibi Dong was curious. Could her unliked servant actually be well-known in Martial Soul Hall?

"Oh, you didn't know, Holy Maiden? Quite a few people in the hall know of him and admire him greatly. After all, he became a Soul King before twenty and has a brilliant war record." Xiong Yiyi replied.

"Is that so..." Bibi Dong fell into thought.

As they chatted, the door was knocked again—a steady, unhurried but somewhat heavy rhythm.

"Enter."

Recognizing the familiar knock, Bibi Dong knew it was her servant, Hals.

"Master, it's time to depart." Hals still wore his Dark Green Robe, a faint, glowing mist of pale green constantly emanating from around him.

Hearing that raspy voice like a demon's whisper and seeing his bizarre, almost eerie attire, Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin grew tense. This was nothing like the Lord Hals they had imagined.

They shot to their feet and bowed stiffly to Hals.

Hals glanced at them without acknowledgment, and the atmosphere turned rigid.

Bibi Dong frowned slightly, displeased. She felt Hals was trying to intimidate them. Didn't he know she was the master here?

Undeniably, because of her teacher, Bibi Dong's impression of Hals was poor—downright hostile, even.

"Enough, Hals. They are my friends." Bibi Dong scolded.

Hals bent down, his voice hoarse as he spoke: "Yes, my master." Then he slowly retreated, melting into the shadows.

"Let's go." Bibi Dong glanced at the shadows where Hals had vanished, surprised to find she could no longer sense his presence! But she said nothing more and strode out first.

Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin were startled by Hals's obedience to the Holy Maiden, but they too said nothing and followed Bibi Dong out.

As the number one power on the continent, Martial Soul Hall possessed a vast forest within its own headquarters' domain. Inside, besides native Soul Beasts, there were also many suitable-aged Soul Beasts captured by Martial Soul Hall experts and raised freely, all to nurture the younger generation of the Hall.

At the forest's edge, several guards were idly chatting and laughing. Given Martial Soul Hall's strength, no one foolish enough to trespass would come, making this post a leisurely job. But today...

"Who goes there?"

A middle-aged man chatting with his colleagues suddenly turned to look at the shadows beside a small hut. His Martial Soul had already manifested, his hands turning into claws and thick fur sprouting across his body. Behind him, white, white, yellow, yellow, purple—five Soul Rings blazed into existence. He was clearly a Beast Martial Soul Soul King.

Without footsteps, a burst of dark green mist exploded from the hut's shadow, two bright green lights flickering within as Hals stepped out slowly.

"Hals... Lord Hals."

The guard clearly recognized Hals, who was renowned among the guards, and quickly signaled his colleagues to stand and bow respectfully.

Hals said nothing, tossing a token in front of the guard.

"By order of the Pope's Hall, I am leading the Holy Maiden and two companions to obtain Soul Rings. The Holy Maiden will arrive shortly. Prepare yourselves. If the Holy Maiden sees you lot so lazy... heh... the consequences..."

The middle-aged guard leader picked up the token with both hands, glanced at it, broke out in a cold sweat, and nodded nervously. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll have everything cleaned up before the Holy Maiden arrives. I won't let her be displeased..."

He respectfully handed the token back.

Hals took it, turned, and vanished back into the darkness.

The middle-aged guard wiped the cold sweat from his brow, then turned and roared at the others: "Get moving! Didn't you hear what Lord Hals just said? You want to lose your lives?"

The rest of the guards scrambled into action, frantically cleaning up the fruit peels, trash, and piled-up bottles on the ground.

A slightly younger guard looked at his panicked leader with confusion.

"Boss, why are you so scared of the Holy Maiden?"

"Pfft, what do you know, kid? I'm not scared of that Holy Maiden—I'm scared of Lord Hals."

"Huh? Aren't you a Soul King too? Why be afraid of him?"

"Heh, my Soul King and Lord Hals's Soul King aren't the same. One of him could probably take down dozens like me."

The middle-aged guard cautiously looked around, then beckoned the young guard closer, signaling him to lean in.

The young guard leaned forward. The middle-aged guard whispered in his ear: "To put it bluntly, Lord Hals is nothing but a dog under the Holy Maiden. Anyone or anything that makes the Holy Maiden unhappy—they'll be gone completely by the next day."

The young guard's face filled with shock. "That... that's terrifying. Just because the Holy Maiden is unhappy, someone has to die?"

"Heh, otherwise why would he be called the Holy Maiden's dog?" The middle-aged guard sneered. "Speaking of which, there's a legend about this lord. They call him the Soul Warden. First, because he lives in the dungeon. Second, they say his Martial Soul can control souls. Think about it—dying is scary enough, but having your soul tormented after death? You tell me, how could I not be afraid?"

The young guard shuddered and shook his head. "I get it, boss. I'd better go clean up my mess. I don't want to lose my life."

"Go on, go on."

The middle-aged guard waved his hand and walked off to clean his own post.