Inside the Cloud Condensing Pavilion.
Su Chen sat cross-legged on the soft bed.
Black-and-white Soul Power continuously flowed across his body in alternating waves.
His breathing was extremely steady.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
He had not stepped out of his room once.
The Chaos God-Demon Art circulated tirelessly within him.
His innate full Soul Power of level twenty was repeatedly compressed and purified.
As Soul Power surged through them, his meridians grew ever broader and more resilient.
His perfect body, transformed by the Marrow Cleansing Pill, had fully adapted to this immense energy.
All he needed now was an outlet.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring capable of bearing his talent.
While Su Chen cultivated in seclusion,
the upper echelons of Spirit Hall were undergoing subtle changes.
The Worship Hall.
The enormous statue of the Six-Winged Angel radiated a gentle glow.
Second Worship Golden Crocodile Douluo knelt on one knee beneath the statue.
He was reporting everything that had happened in the Martial Arts Arena to Great Worship Qian Daoliu, who stood before it.
He added not a single embellishment.
He recounted in full detail how Su Chen had defeated Lei Tian with a single move and crushed Hu Liena with nothing but his physical body.
Only Golden Crocodile Douluo's voice echoed through the empty hall.
Qian Daoliu stood with his back to Golden Crocodile Douluo.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Golden Crocodile Douluo kept his head lowered,
waiting for the Great Worship's decree.
"Pure physical strength defeated a level-twenty-one control-type Soul Grandmaster."
Qian Daoliu finally spoke.
His voice held a hint of undisguised astonishment.
"And he managed to injure Hu Liena's Sea of Consciousness with manifested spiritual power, without even releasing his Martial Soul. Are you certain you saw correctly?"
"Your subordinate saw it clearly."
Golden Crocodile Douluo replied.
"He didn't use a trace of Soul Power. It was a complete dimensional mismatch. That level of physical strength and spiritual power doesn't belong to a six-year-old child. Even the descendants of the Angel lineage, whom we in the Worship Hall have raised on medicinal herbs since childhood, fall far short of this when they awaken their Martial Souls."
Qian Daoliu turned around.
Complex emotions flickered in his aged eyes.
He recalled the look in Su Chen's eyes when the boy had resisted him at Awakening Plaza.
There had been no reverence for the divine in that gaze.
Only absolute self-confidence and a fierce sense of self.
"Manifested spiritual power."
Qian Daoliu murmured.
"That's the confidence behind Bibi Dong's decision to take him as her disciple. With spiritual power like that, the deadly predicament of Twin Martial Souls clashing with each other no longer exists."
Qian Daoliu sighed.
He knew he had missed out on a true monster.
But Spirit Hall's interests came above all else.
Whether Su Chen was in Pope Palace or the Worship Hall,
he was still a member of Spirit Hall.
As long as he could grow up safely,
the grand ambition of unifying the continent under Spirit Hall could be realized in his generation.
"Convey my divine decree."
Qian Daoliu's gaze turned resolute.
"Effective immediately, everyone in the Worship Hall will fully recognize Su Chen's status as Spirit Hall's Holy Son. No one may target him for any reason. If he needs resources, half the Worship Hall's treasury will be opened to him."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's heart jolted.
He immediately bowed his head and accepted the order.
"As you command."
He knew
that once the Great Worship's divine decree was issued,
Su Chen's position as Holy Son would be as solid as a rock.
There would no longer be any voices of opposition within Spirit Hall.
The Main Hall of Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong sat on the Pope Throne.
Hundreds of cardinals stood below her.
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn.
Bibi Dong was issuing a series of orders.
"Have the carrier pigeons and fast horses been sent out?"
Bibi Dong asked.
A cardinal immediately stepped forward.
"Your Holiness, the invitations were sent out overnight. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Star Luo Imperial Family, the sect masters of the Lower Four Sects, and the heads of all the major high-level Soul Master Academies are already on their way to Spirit City."
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod.
She wanted the entire continent to know
that Spirit Hall had produced a Holy Son with innate full Soul Power of level twenty.
It was a show of force aimed at the two great empires and the disobedient sects.
A display of Spirit Hall's absolute foundation.
"How are the security arrangements for the ceremony?"
Bibi Dong looked toward Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, who stood to one side.
"Rest assured, Your Holiness. Spirit City is under full lockdown. The City Defense Army has tripled its patrols, and the Temple Knight Order is guarding Pope Plaza. No scoundrels will be allowed to slip in."
Yue Guan replied respectfully.
Bibi Dong was very satisfied.
She looked at Yue Guan and Gui Mei below.
"When the trip to the Star Dou Great Forest takes place after the ceremony, the two of you must be on your guard at all times. Su Chen insists on absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring beyond his level. You both know the risks."
"If his meridians show any sign of being unable to withstand it, stop the process immediately. Even if the backlash costs him some of his cultivation, you must save his life."
Bibi Dong's tone was stern.
"Your subordinates understand."
Yue Guan and Gui Mei answered together.
They understood how much Su Chen was worth to Spirit Hall now.
They absolutely could not afford the slightest mishap.
The Martial Soul Hall High-Level Infirmary.
Hu Liena lay on a hospital bed.
Her arms had been completely reattached by healing-type Soul Masters.
Her broken bones had grown back together.
But she looked utterly dispirited.
Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
The image of Su Chen piercing Adamantine Rock with a single finger kept replaying in her mind.
The pride she had built up since childhood had been shattered.
The infirmary door opened.
Bibi Dong walked in slowly.
She came to the bedside.
She looked at the disciple who had once made her proudest.
"Are you still thinking about what happened in the arena?"
Bibi Dong pulled over a chair and sat down.
Hu Liena's eyes reddened.
She struggled to sit up.
"Teacher, I'm useless. I couldn't even withstand one of his moves. I've disgraced you."
Bibi Dong shook her head.
"There's no shame in losing to him. No one among Spirit Hall's younger generation could withstand one of his moves."
Hu Liena froze.
She looked at Bibi Dong, confused.
Bibi Dong laid out Su Chen's true background in full.
"Innate full Soul Power of level twenty. Supreme god-level Twin Martial Souls. And naturally manifested spiritual power."
Those three phrases exploded beside Hu Liena's ears like thunder.
Her mind went completely blank.
At last, she understood what kind of monster she had challenged.
This was a talent no human should possess.
No wonder Su Chen hadn't even released his Martial Soul.
She hadn't been worthy of forcing him to reveal it.
"He is destined to stand at the very peak of the continent."
Bibi Dong reached out and stroked Hu Liena's short hair.
"I'm telling you this today not to discourage you, but to make you see the gap. Put aside that meaningless pride of yours."
"He is Spirit Hall's Holy Son, and your junior brother. You shouldn't envy him. You should cultivate with all your might and try to catch up. At the very least, don't let him leave you too far behind."
Hu Liena bit down hard on her lower lip.
A trace of blood welled up.
The confusion and dejection in her eyes gradually faded.
In their place, a fierce refusal to give up took hold.
"Teacher, I understand. As soon as I recover, I'll apply to undergo trials in Death Canyon."
A hint of relief flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes.
Hu Liena's Dao heart had been preserved.
It had even grown more resilient.
Su Chen's arrival was like a catfish,
stirring the younger generation of Spirit Hall and awakening their competitive spirit.
On the morning of the third day,
sunlight bathed Spirit City.
On Pope Plaza outside the Cloud Condensing Pavilion,
the heavy bells began to toll.
Dong.
Dong.
The bells rang nine times in succession.
Their melodious sound carried to every corner of Spirit City.
This was the highest ceremonial rite in Spirit Hall.
It meant that the Holy Son Investiture Ceremony had officially begun.
Inside the Cloud Condensing Pavilion,
Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.
The black-and-white vortex faded away from his dantian.
He exhaled a mouthful of white mist.
His condition had reached its absolute peak for now.
Someone gently knocked on the door.
Two senior maids entered the room carrying trays.
A splendid Holy Son Ceremonial Robe lay on the trays.
The robe was pure black,
embroidered in gold thread with a design of a Six-Winged Angel crossed with the Pope Scepter.
Crystals from top-grade Soul Beasts adorned its collar and cuffs.
The materials were extravagantly luxurious.
"Young Master, the ceremony is about to begin. Please change into your robes."
The maid respectfully lowered her head.
Su Chen rose to his feet.
With the maid's help, he took off his everyday clothes.
He changed into the heavy Holy Son Ceremonial Robe.
The robe fit his figure perfectly.
The black and gold brought out his noble bearing and overwhelming presence.
He hung the Purple Gold Pope Token at his waist.
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
Outside, in the corridor,
two rows of Temple Knights stood at attention, holding long halberds.
The moment Su Chen appeared,
every knight dropped to one knee in perfect unison.
Their armor clinked with a crisp ring.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Holy Son."
The knights cried out together.
Four Cardinals stepped forward.
They led the way.
Su Chen set off,
walking down the long white-jade steps toward Pope Plaza below.
The plaza was already packed with people.
Hundreds of thousands of Spirit Hall Soul Masters stood in neat formations.
On the raised platforms to either side of the plaza,
special seating had been set aside for the ceremony.
Envoys from the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire sat on the left.
Their expressions varied.
The patriarchs and elders of the Lower Four Sects sat on the right.
Representatives from all the major high-level Soul Master Academies had also taken their seats.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the long white-jade staircase before the main entrance to Pope Palace.
They all wanted to see for themselves
just what manner of person this Holy Son was,
the one who had prompted Spirit Hall to make such an enormous spectacle.
At the very center of the plaza,
Bibi Dong held a scepter,
a purple-gold crown upon her head,
and sat upon the Pope Throne at the highest point.
All the Titled Douluo from the Worship Hall and Elder Hall stood arranged on either side.
The lineup was unprecedentedly powerful.
Following the announcing cardinal's introduction,
Su Chen finally appeared at the top of the steps.
He looked down upon the hundreds of thousands gathered in the plaza,
facing the gazes of every power across the continent.
Su Chen showed no trace of nerves.
His expression calm, he took his first step.
His era
began in earnest at that very moment.
Before you continue