Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu Compete to Recruit Disciples

Li Taibai was stunned for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up, his heart filled with wild joy: System? I have a system!

[Startup progress: 10%... 30%... 100%! System startup successful! A novice gift pack has been granted. Do you wish to open it?]

"Open! Open it quickly!" Li Taibai shouted frantically in his mind.

[Novice gift pack opened successfully! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Super Martial Soul—Green Lotus Sword! Companion Martial Soul—Sword Immortal Wine Gourd! Gift pack being distributed...]

In an instant, Li Taibai's body erupted with brilliant cyan light. A long sword, emerald green throughout and wreathed in the phantom of a lotus flower, flew out from within him and hovered in mid-air.

Immediately following, an archaic wine gourd also appeared, the characters "Sword Immortal" carved into its body, emitting a faint fragrance of wine.

Both objects rapidly enlarged in the air, soon reaching the size of a zhang. The Green Lotus Sword radiated a sharp sword intent, while the Sword Immortal Wine Gourd exuded an air of uninhibited freedom.

The White Tiger and Qilin phantoms in the sky sensed the new presence and turned to look simultaneously, a trace of vigilance flashing in their eyes.

The Green Lotus Sword and the Sword Immortal Wine Gourd seemed to possess life, standing in a standoff against the White Tiger and the Qilin.

The three formed a triangular formation in the sky, checking and balancing one another—the White Tiger's dominance, the Qilin's ferocity, and the Green Lotus Sword's sharpness intertwined. The celestial phenomena grew increasingly violent; lightning danced like snakes, and wild winds howled.

Ling Feng and Ye Fan cast their gazes toward Li Taibai at the same time, their expressions grave.

Li Taibai returned the look with a smile, though his eyes were as sharp as blades.

The gazes of the three intersected in the air; a silent contest had already begun.

Regardless of whether we are "fellow countrymen," if our paths differ, we can only be enemies.

But fighting two people at once is clearly not worth it; I must win one side over.

Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a beam of golden light tore through the clouds, and the figure of Qian Daoliu appeared above the orphanage before descending to the ground.

Golden light blazed around him like a second sun, stinging the eyes of those present and forcing them to squint. Even the three Martial Soul phantoms in the sky dimmed their auras slightly.

"Martial Soul Hall shall flourish!" Qian Daoliu looked at the three Martial Souls wrestling in the sky, a gratified smile on his face as his voice echoed across the entire plaza.

"This subordinate greets the Great Worship!" The middle-aged captain was the first to react, dropping to his knees with a thud and bowing respectfully.

All the deacons and children in the plaza also knelt, shouting in unison: "Greetings to the Great Worship!"

Qian Daoliu waved his hand, his gaze falling on the middle-aged captain: "You have performed well in this awakening. From today on, you shall go to the Worship Hall to serve as a small captain."

The middle-aged captain was stunned, then overcome with wild joy, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank you for the promotion, Great Worship! This subordinate will surely serve with all his might until his dying breath!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived as well. Seeing the three Martial Souls in the sky, his eyes lit up instantly. He walked quickly 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 indifferently: "Very well, choose as you please."

Immediately after, the figure of Bibi Dong appeared at the edge of the plaza.

She wore the Pope's robes, her hair and eyes a deep violet, her aura majestic. Her gaze swept over the Martial Soul phantoms in the sky, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Greetings to the Pope!" The crowd knelt once more to pay their respects.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo also arrived shortly after. Seeing Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo, they hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "This subordinate greets the Great Worship and the Second Worship."

Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the three Martial Souls in the sky.

"Everyone, return," Qian Daoliu said. The moment his voice fell, brilliant golden energy erupted from his body like a mighty torrent, sweeping gently across the sky.

The three Martial Soul phantoms locked in the standoff were caught by an invisible force and instantly retracted their auras.

The White Tiger phantom let out a low, unwilling roar, turning into a streak of white light that flew back into Ling Feng's body.

The flames around the Qilin phantom subsided, turning into a stream of light that merged into Ye Fan's body.

The Green Lotus Sword and the Sword Immortal Wine Gourd hummed, wrapped in a faint cyan glow, and returned to Li Taibai's body.

The celestial phenomena dissipated, the dark clouds scattered, and the sunlight spilled down once more. The suffocating pressure that had gripped the plaza vanished into thin air.

Qian Daoliu's gaze fell upon Ling Feng, Ye Fan, and Li Taibai as he spoke slowly: "This Seat is Qian Daoliu, the Great Worship of the Worship Hall. You three children, are you willing to enter my Worship Hall?"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Great Worship, according to the rules, they belong to my Pope Hall," Bibi Dong stepped forward, her violet eyes fixed on Qian Daoliu.

"Rules?" Golden Crocodile Douluo let out a cold snort, his bell-sized eyes glaring at Bibi Dong with utter disdain.

"My Worship Hall is the rule! Bibi Dong, you've only sat on the Pope's throne for a few days, and already you've forgotten who is in charge?"

"You..." Bibi Dong's chest heaved violently, a flash of anger crossing her violet eyes.

A few seconds later, she took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in her heart, her voice returning to a calm tone: "Great Worship, the scale that Martial Soul Hall has achieved today is built upon rules."

"The Great Worship oversees the Worship Hall and the Elder Hall, while personnel allocation, disciple cultivation, division of labor, and diplomacy are all the responsibility of the Pope Hall. Does the Great Worship intend to be the first to break these rules?"

Qian Daoliu looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and said indifferently: "This Seat helped you ascend to the position of Pope; naturally, I will not break the rules."

"But the Worship Hall also has the right to accept disciples. I wish to take them as disciples of the Worship Hall—that does not violate any rules, does it?"

He looked at Ling Feng and the others again: "Are you willing to join the Worship Hall? I will arrange for the Worships within the hall to teach you personally and cultivate you with all our resources."

Everyone in the plaza held their breath, their eyes fixed tightly on Ling Feng, Ye Fan, and Li Taibai.

Hu Liena clenched her small hands, her eyes full of nervousness. Yan stretched his neck, his face full of anticipation. The orphanage director clasped his hands together, praying silently.

Just then, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from Golden Crocodile Douluo. Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—nine soul rings rose from beneath his feet, pulsating around his body. A terrifying pressure spread out, causing the lower-level soul masters in the plaza to tremble uncontrollably.

"This Seat is Golden Crocodile, the Second Worship of the Worship Hall!" his voice boomed like a bell.

"The Worship Hall is teeming with experts. As long as you are willing to join, each of you will receive full cultivation support. You will surely become Titled Douluo in the future, and perhaps even have the chance to become a High Priest!"

Bibi Dong refused to be outdone. She stepped forward, and nine soul rings rose from her body—one yellow, two purple, five black, and one red. Her soul ring configuration was slightly superior to Golden Crocodile's.

"This Seat is the Pope of Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong." Her purple eyes shimmered as her gaze swept across the three of them.

"As long as you are willing to join my Pope Hall, This Seat will personally take you as disciples and grant you the tilted resources of the entire Martial Soul Hall."

She paused, her gaze landing on Li Taibai. "This Seat possesses Twin Martial Souls. In the entire continent, only This Seat can resolve the drawback of potential self-detonation during the cultivation of Twin Martial Souls."

As long as she could take these geniuses as her disciples, they would surely help her overthrow her shackles in the future and create a world that belonged to her and Xiaogang.

"Hiss—" A collective gasp of cold air echoed across the plaza.