Li Taibai froze for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up as wild joy surged through him. A system? I have a system!
[Activation progress: 10%... 30%... 100%! System activated successfully! A beginner's gift pack has been awarded. Open it?]
Open it! Open it now! Li Taibai screamed wildly in his heart.
[Beginner's gift pack opened successfully! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the super martial soul—the Green Lotus Sword! Accompanying martial soul—the Sword Immortal Wine Gourd! Distributing gift pack...]
In an instant, Li Taibai's body erupted with dazzling azure light. A jade-green longsword, its blade wreathed in phantom lotus flowers, flew out of his body and hovered in midair.
Right after that, an ancient wine gourd appeared as well. The words "Sword Immortal" were carved on its surface, and it gave off a faint fragrance of wine.
The two objects rapidly enlarged in the air, soon reaching over three meters in size. The Green Lotus Sword radiated chilling sword intent, while the Sword Immortal Wine Gourd carried an unrestrained, carefree aura.
The White Tiger and Qilin phantoms in the air sensed the new presence and turned toward them at the same time, a trace of vigilance flashing through their eyes.
The Green Lotus Sword and Sword Immortal Wine Gourd seemed to come alive as well, facing the White Tiger and Qilin from afar.
The three formed a triangular standoff in the sky, restraining one another—the White Tiger's dominance, the Qilin's blazing intensity, and the Green Lotus Sword's sharpness intertwined. The strange phenomena in the heavens grew ever more violent as lightning writhed and gales howled.
Ling Feng and Ye Fan both turned their gazes toward Li Taibai, their expressions grave.
Li Taibai answered with a smile, though his eyes were as sharp as swords.
The three exchanged looks in midair, and a silent contest had already begun.
—Whether they were fellow townsmen or not, those who walked different paths could only become enemies.
—But taking on two at once was clearly a bad deal. He had to win one of them over.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a beam of golden light tore through the clouds. Qian Daoliu appeared above the orphanage, then descended to the ground.
Golden light blazed around him like a second sun, making everyone instinctively squint. Even the three great martial soul phantoms in the sky restrained their momentum somewhat.
"Spirit Hall is destined to prosper!" Qian Daoliu looked at the three martial souls struggling against one another in the sky, a gratified smile appearing on his face as his voice spread across the entire square.
"Greetings, Grand Elder!" The middle-aged captain was the first to react. He dropped to his knees with a thud and saluted respectfully.
All the deacons and children in the square also knelt one after another, shouting in unison, "Greetings, Grand Elder!"
Qian Daoliu waved a hand, his gaze settling on the middle-aged captain. "You have rendered meritorious service in this awakening. From today onward, you will serve as a squad captain at Worship Hall."
The middle-aged captain blanked out for a moment, then was overcome with joy. He repeatedly kowtowed. "Thank you, Grand Elder, for promoting me! I will certainly devote myself completely until death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived as well. The moment he saw the three great martial souls in the air, his eyes lit up. He quickly walked to Qian Daoliu's side and said excitedly, "Big Brother! These children have incredible talent! I want to take one as my disciple!"
Qian Daoliu glanced at him and said calmly, "Fine. Choose whichever one you like."
Right after that, Bibi Dong appeared at the edge of the square.
She wore the Pope's robes, with purple hair and purple eyes. Her bearing was imposing. As her gaze swept across the martial soul phantoms in the sky, a trace of surprise flashed through her eyes.
"Greetings, Your Holiness!" Everyone knelt again in salute.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo arrived shortly afterward. Seeing Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo, they hurried forward to salute them. "Greetings, Grand Elder and Second Worship."
Qian Daoliu gave a slight nod and turned his gaze back to the three great martial souls in the sky.
"Return." The instant Qian Daoliu spoke, dazzling golden energy erupted around him like a vast flood, sweeping lightly through the sky.
The three martial soul phantoms confronting one another in the air were drawn by an invisible force and instantly restrained their auras.
The White Tiger phantom let out an unwilling low growl before turning into a streak of white light and flying back into Ling Feng's body.
The flames around the Qilin phantom receded as it turned into a stream of light and entered Ye Fan's body.
The Green Lotus Sword and Sword Immortal Wine Gourd buzzed once, then returned to Li Taibai's body wrapped in faint azure radiance.
The strange phenomena in the sky vanished with them. The dark clouds dispersed, sunlight fell once more, and the suffocating pressure over the square faded away completely.
Qian Daoliu's gaze fell upon Ling Feng, Ye Fan, and Li Taibai as he slowly spoke. "I am Qian Daoliu, Grand Elder of Worship Hall. You three children, are you willing to join Worship Hall?"
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered everyone's ears.
"Grand Elder, by the rules, they belong to my Pope Hall." Bibi Dong stepped forward, her purple eyes meeting Qian Daoliu's directly.
"Rules?" Golden Crocodile Douluo snorted coldly. His bell-sized eyes glared at Bibi Dong, his face full of disdain.
"Worship Hall is the rule! Bibi Dong, you've only sat on the Pope's throne for a few days, and you already can't tell who's in charge?"
"You..." Bibi Dong's chest heaved violently, and a flash of anger crossed her purple eyes.
After several breaths, she took a deep breath and suppressed the rage in her heart. Her voice returned to calm. "Grand Elder, Spirit Hall reached its current scale because of its rules."
"Grand Elder, you oversee Worship Hall and Elder Hall, while personnel assignments, disciple training, division of duties, and diplomacy are all handled by Pope Hall. Does Grand Elder intend to be the first to break these rules?"
Qian Daoliu looked at her, a trace of complexity flashing through his eyes. He said blandly, "I raised you to the position of Pope, so naturally I will not break the rules."
"But Worship Hall also has the right to accept disciples. This old man wishes to take them in as disciples of Worship Hall. That does not violate the rules, does it?"
He looked at Ling Feng and the other two again. "Are you willing to join Worship Hall? This old man will arrange for the hall's worshippers to personally teach you and spare no effort in nurturing you."
Everyone in the square held their breath, their eyes fixed tightly on Ling Feng, Ye Fan, and Li Taibai.
Hu Liena clenched her small fists, her eyes full of nervousness. Yan craned his neck with an expectant look, while the orphanage director clasped his hands together and prayed silently.
At that moment, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from Golden Crocodile Douluo. Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, pulsing around his body. Terrifying pressure spread outward, making the lower-level Soul Masters in the square tremble uncontrollably.
"I am Golden Crocodile, Second Worship of Worship Hall!" His voice boomed like a great bell.
"Worship Hall is filled with powerful experts. As long as you are willing to come, each of you will receive our full support. In the future, you will certainly become Titled Douluo, and may even have a chance to become worshippers!"
Bibi Dong refused to be outdone. She stepped forward, and nine Soul Rings rose around her as well—one yellow, two purple, five black, and one red. Her Soul Ring configuration was slightly stronger than Golden Crocodile's.
"I am Bibi Dong, Pope of Spirit Hall." Her purple eyes shifted as her gaze swept across the three of them.
"As long as you are willing to join my Pope Hall, I will personally accept you as disciples and grant you access to all of Spirit Hall's resources."
She paused, her gaze falling on Li Taibai. "I possess Twin Martial Souls. Across the entire continent, only I can resolve the flaw that may cause those with Twin Martial Souls to explode and die during cultivation."
As long as she took all these geniuses as disciples, they would surely help her overthrow the shackles binding her and create a world that belonged to her and Xiaogang.
"Hiss—" A chorus of sharp breaths rose from the square.
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