Ling Xiao spent the night going through the list of Soul Beasts.
In the end, he selected several suitable Soul Beasts.
The next morning, after Ling Xiao finished a round of basic spear techniques,
Hu Liena's voice rang out from outside.
"Little Junior Brother! Little Junior Brother! Big news! I broke through! I reached level thirty and became a Soul Elder!"
Before her words had even faded, Hu Liena came rushing inside.
Her face was alight with excitement and pride.
She had been stuck at level twenty-nine for some time.
At last, in the early hours of that morning, she broke through the level-thirty barrier in one go and officially entered the Soul Elder realm!
"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on successfully breaking through to Soul Elder."
Seeing how thrilled she was, Ling Xiao offered his heartfelt congratulations.
"Hehe, impressive, right?"
Hu Liena raised her chin smugly.
Then, as if she had remembered something, she asked nervously,
"What about you? Have you broken through?"
"Don't tell me you still haven't!"
She said it like that, but her eyes were full of anticipation.
Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow and said calmly,
"As it happens, I broke through to level twenty yesterday afternoon."
"What?!"
Hu Liena's eyes went round, and she let out a despairing wail.
"No way! You're a monster!! You broke through before me!"
"I thought I could beat you to it just once!"
Despite her wailing, there was no jealousy in her eyes.
"That's enough, Senior Sister. No more wailing."
Ling Xiao said with a smile.
"We agreed earlier that we'd go hunt Soul Beasts for Soul Rings together. Now we've both broken through."
"Let's go to Pope Palace together and ask Master for permission."
"Right! Exactly!"
Hu Liena came back to herself, grabbed Ling Xiao's arm, and eagerly pulled him toward the door.
"Come on, come on! Let's go see Master right now! She'll be so happy when she finds out we've both broken through!"
Ling Xiao let her pull him along and shook his head helplessly.
He didn't pull away, simply letting her lead him toward the Pope's Main Hall.
Inside the Pope's Main Hall, Bibi Dong sat upon her throne.
When she heard the announcement that two of her disciples had come to see her, a glimmer of amusement passed through her eyes.
She said calmly, "Let them in."
Ling Xiao and Hu Liena entered the hall side by side and bowed in unison.
"Your disciples, Ling Xiao and Hu Liena, pay their respects to Master."
"Rise."
Bibi Dong looked them over, sensing the changes in their auras after their breakthroughs.
A smile tugged at her lips. "From the looks of you, have you both broken through?"
"Master, your disciple has not let you down. I've reached level twenty."
Ling Xiao answered first, his tone respectful.
"Master! Your disciple has also reached level thirty and become a Soul Elder!"
Hu Liena hurried to speak.
"Good. Very good!"
Bibi Dong nodded with a smile.
"Your progress has surpassed that of most talented young Soul Masters. I'm very pleased."
She hadn't expected them to spur each other on and grow to this point.
Ling Xiao especially: at just seven years old, he was a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster. Even she, at his age, hadn't possessed such talent.
"Thank you for your praise, Master."
Hu Liena looked up first and addressed Bibi Dong.
"Master, we've come to ask your permission for something."
"Little Junior Brother and I have both broken through, so we need to hunt for new Soul Rings."
"We'd like to go to the Star Dou Forest together to hunt for Soul Rings and get some experience. Please grant us permission."
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod.
"Of course. Permission granted."
Joy lit up their eyes, but Bibi Dong continued, her voice tinged with apology.
"However, the Spirit Hall has recently been establishing branch halls throughout the land and purging Evil Soul Masters. I'm swamped with affairs."
"I can't accompany you this time."
The delight faded from Ling Xiao and Hu Liena's faces, and disappointment flickered in their eyes.
They had both hoped Bibi Dong might personally lead the trip.
It would not only make the journey safer, but also let their Master oversee their choice of Soul Rings herself.
As the Pope of the Spirit Hall, ruler of the largest power on the continent, Bibi Dong was busy from dawn to dusk. She truly couldn't accompany them every time.
"Your disciple understands. We didn't take your busy schedule into consideration."
Ling Xiao came back to himself and voiced his understanding.
Hu Liena nodded quickly too. "That's right, Master. You just focus on your work. We can go by ourselves!"
"I'm a Soul Elder now, so I can definitely protect Little Junior Brother!"
Looking at her two thoughtful disciples, Bibi Dong smiled.
"You two little rascals. Even if I can't go, I won't let you venture out alone."
"I'll arrange for Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan to accompany you to the Star Dou Forest."
"He'll make sure your journey goes smoothly and safely."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan was a level-ninety-five attack-type Titled Douluo and one of Bibi Dong's most trusted right-hand men.
With him accompanying them, the two of them would be safe even if they ventured deep into the Star Dou Forest, let alone its outskirts.
With a Titled Douluo leading the way, they would have no need to worry about their safety.
"Thank you, Master!"
They answered together.
"All right, you may go."
Bibi Dong waved a hand at them warmly.
"Go back and get ready. You'll leave in three days. I'll make the arrangements with Yue Guan myself."
"Don't rush when choosing your Soul Rings. Better to have none than settle for the wrong one. Understand?"
"Understood, Master!"
The two of them turned and left the Pope's Main Hall.
The hall doors slowly closed. The bustle faded, and silence returned.
The warmth in Bibi Dong's smile gradually vanished, replaced by the Pope's imposing, steely demeanor.
She pressed a mechanism beside her throne and said coolly, "Summon Yue Guan. Have him come see me at once."
Before long, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan hurried into the hall.
He bowed to Bibi Dong and addressed her respectfully.
"I pay my respects to Your Holiness the Pope. May I ask why Your Holiness summoned me?"
"How is the establishment of the branch halls progressing?"
Bibi Dong's voice was cool and emotionless.
Yue Guan promptly replied,
"Your Holiness, thirteen new branch halls have been established within the Heaven Dou Empire, and eight within the Star Luo Empire."
"They've all been set up successfully and have begun gathering Soul Master talent from the surrounding areas."
"However, the Upper Three Sects have been obstructing us in secret. They've slowed the progress of quite a few branch halls."
As he spoke, Yue Guan's voice carried a note of caution.
Bibi Dong merely gave a cool snort. She wasn't angry.
"They've always been good at these petty, underhanded tricks. Ignore them."
"Keep establishing the branch halls. If anyone dares to obstruct us, deal with them directly. Show no mercy."
"Yes! I understand, Your Holiness!"
Yue Guan answered at once, relief washing over him.
"There's another, more important matter I summoned you to handle today."
Bibi Dong's tone turned serious.
"In three days, Hu Liena and Ling Xiao will go to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for their third and second Soul Rings."
"You will accompany them personally and keep them safe. Make sure the journey goes smoothly. Not a single thing can go wrong."
Yue Guan bowed and accepted the order.
"Your subordinate will obey! Please rest assured, Your Holiness!"
If he handled this assignment well, it would naturally be a great achievement.
But if anything went wrong, he would never hear the end of it.
Bibi Dong continued,
"You will personally oversee their Soul Ring choices. Don't let them take the wrong path."
"Especially Ling Xiao. His cultivation talent is a once-in-a-century rarity. Do you understand?"
She had singled out Ling Xiao, her concern for him plain as day.
"Your subordinate understands!"
Yue Guan accepted the order solemnly.
"All right, you may go."
"Make your preparations in advance. You'll leave in three days. Don't let anything go wrong."
Bibi Dong gave him one last reminder.
"Yes! Your subordinate takes his leave!"
Yue Guan cautiously withdrew from Pope Palace.
Silence once again settled over the hall.
Before you continue