Reform

"Your Holiness the Pope, this has given me an idea. Perhaps we could seize this opportunity to close every Martial Soul Branch Hall on the entire continent for three months of reform."

"Heh..."

Hearing such an absurd request, Bibi Dong didn't stare in stunned disbelief like the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo. She gave a soft laugh, half-lidded her phoenix eyes, and asked:

"What's your reasoning?"

"In my humble opinion, this would have four benefits."

Seeing that Bibi Dong hadn't objected, Feng Xinglie immediately raised one finger.

"First, Miles definitely isn't an isolated case. In places beyond our sight, there are many parasites using Spirit Hall's name to run wild and commit evil. This reform would show the people our resolve to improve and help us win back their support.

"Second, Spirit Hall provides many services free of charge, including the Soul Master Subsidy, Soul Beast Forest security, town protection, and Martial Soul Awakening. But judging by what we see now, many people have come to take our efforts for granted. Closing the halls for reform would let them see what life is really like without Spirit Hall. If we returned to the public eye before they could adapt, everyone on the continent would understand just how important Spirit Hall is.

"Third, Spirit Hall is a vast power, with branches in nearly every corner of the Douluo Continent. Its personnel are far too varied, making it easy for spies from other sects to infiltrate us. This reform would give us a legitimate reason to put everyone under scrutiny and flush out the hidden ghosts in our own ranks."

Feng Xinglie rattled off three points in one breath, then, for some reason, suddenly fell silent. Bibi Dong, who had been listening intently, furrowed her brows and urged him on:

"Why did you stop?"

Feng Xinglie looked at Bibi Dong with an uneasy expression, then glanced around. He still didn't speak. Understanding at once, Bibi Dong waved her hand, and the doors slammed shut.

"You can speak now. What's the fourth benefit?"

"The fourth benefit..."

Feng Xinglie took a few steps forward and lowered his voice.

"In my humble opinion, anyone in Spirit Hall who isn't loyal to Your Holiness could be a spy. You could use this opportunity to establish a department of your own people and investigate them thoroughly."

The great hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, both rank 95, shrank their necks, cold sweat breaking out across their backs.

This was a plan for Bibi Dong to use reform as a pretext to purge all her rivals and bring Spirit Hall completely under her control. Gui Mei now believed that "ghost story" about how "before long, this continent will be swept up in a wave of change." Fortunately, he belonged to the Pope's faction and could survive this purge.

"Not a bad idea, but surely the Worship Hall won't just let us carry on like this?"

Us.

This was the first time Bibi Dong had included Feng Xinglie in her own faction.

"Your Holiness, rest assured. I'll take care of Qian Daoliu."

"Good!"

Seeing Feng Xinglie make his position clear, Bibi Dong was greatly pleased. She rose from her throne, descended the dais herself, and came to stand before him.

"If this succeeds, I'll hand over all of Spirit Hall's financial power to you, including the merchant association you founded."

"I won't fail you, Your Holiness!"

Watching the two who had been at each other's throats not long ago now getting along so well, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance, their hearts full of mixed feelings.

Spirit Hall's skies... were about to change. As for the person who had set all this in motion, he had already made his way to the Worship Hall.

"Master, I dug a pit for that Bibi Dong!"

The moment he saw Qian Daoliu, Feng Xinglie jogged over and spoke in a low voice. Qian Daoliu continued gazing up at the Angel God statue without replying. He merely lifted his brow, signaling for Feng Xinglie to continue. So Feng Xinglie held nothing back and reported every single thing he had done since leaving Spirit Hall.

"You suggested that Bibi Dong purge Spirit Hall and build up her own faction. That was your clever little plan?"

Seeing that Qian Daoliu was much colder toward him than usual, Feng Xinglie quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

I guessed right.

He didn't believe Qian Daoliu would simply let him do as he pleased, with Gui Mei following him around outside. Especially after he returned, even if Bibi Dong had hidden their movements from prying eyes, the vast gap between her strength and Qian Daoliu's meant the information was bound to leak. That was why Feng Xinglie had tried to steady him as soon as they met. It seemed that not keeping anything secret had been the right call. Once he'd calmed down, he didn't answer Qian Daoliu directly, instead changing the subject.

"Master, there's something you don't know. After dealing with Miles in Gengxin City, I also took in many ordinary people whose families had been destroyed because of him. Now they're all fiercely loyal to me."

"Most of them must be adults by now, right? What use are a bunch of commoners who can't become Soul Masters?"

"Heh, Master, there's something you don't know..."

Feng Xinglie proudly thumped his chest and went on:

"Most of them have no family left and nothing to tie them down, so they'll dare to do anything. I want to recruit them and have them gather intelligence across the continent. Our enemies may be wary of Soul Masters, but their arrogant nature means they won't pay ordinary people any mind. That'll make it easier for us to figure out which way the winds are blowing."

"So you urged Bibi Dong to reform Spirit Hall because you wanted to clear out people like Miles, then play the hero and gather a large following for yourself?"

"Master, you're amazing! You saw right through me!"

"Absurd!"

Qian Daoliu turned around, his hawk-like gaze fixed on Feng Xinglie.

"You'd turn Spirit Hall into a cesspool just to recruit a few commoners to gather information for you? If you want people, you can go to the orphanages under our care. They're full of children who are loyal to Spirit Hall, and some may even awaken high-ranked Martial Souls in the future. Wouldn't that be better than acting so recklessly?"

I know, but by the time those children grow up, Tang Buddha will be knocking on our door...

Feng Xinglie was helpless, but he couldn't tell Qian Daoliu something like that. He could only keep trying to persuade him.

"This disciple was too impatient. But, Master, this really will be beneficial if we pull it off. Take a look at this!"

As he spoke, he took a carved seal from his Storage Soul Tool and pressed it onto a sheet of paper.

"Look, Master!"

Qian Daoliu had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at. What was so remarkable about a seal? He glanced up and saw Feng Xinglie grinning mischievously. With a wave of his hand, he brought out a large table covered with seals. Feng Xinglie laid the sheet of paper over them and pressed it down gently. In an instant, an article appeared on the page.

A flicker of surprise crossed Qian Daoliu's eyes. He wasn't amazed by the technique itself; he had immediately thought of several powerful ways it could be put to use. Seeing that Qian Daoliu understood what he meant, Feng Xinglie hurried to press his advantage.

"This disciple plans to form an organization out of the commoners I've gathered. They'll keep expanding outward and bring ordinary people into the fold. Before long, our intelligence network will cover the entire Douluo Continent. With so many people gathering information, it's bound to be vast and disorganized. We can use this Movable Type Printing to turn useless intelligence into something valuable by printing it in newspapers and selling them worldwide through the Martial Soul Branch Halls. The extra income would be a small gain. The real prize would be monopolizing public opinion across the continent..."

Qian Daoliu stared at the article in his hands, dazed for a long while. Could a six-year-old child really come up with a plan this far-reaching???