Their Respective Destinations

"The Pope wants to take disciples personally? And the Second Worship has made a promise too!"

"These three children are just too lucky!"

"If it were me, I'd definitely choose the Pope; she'd be teaching me personally!"

"But the Worship Hall is also incredible! Both the Grand Elder and the Second Worship have spoken up!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy. Their gazes darted back and forth between Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and the three children, waiting for the final decision.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Taibai took a step forward, walked up to Qian Daoliu, and bowed slightly, his movements calm and unhurried: "Grand Elder, this humble one dares to ask: would you be willing to take a disciple personally?"

Qian Daoliu was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face, a glimmer of approval flashing in his eyes: "This Seat has never taken a disciple. But for you, I can make an exception."

"Teacher!" Li Taibai cupped his hands and bowed deeply, his tone respectful and firm.

Qian Daoliu nodded with satisfaction and took a translucent white jade pendant from his robes. The pendant was carved with intricate golden patterns and radiated a faint spatial fluctuation.

"This is a Soul Tool with fifty cubic meters of space inside. Consider it a meeting gift from this old man."

"Many thanks, Teacher!" Li Taibai accepted the pendant with both hands, bowed again, then stepped back to stand behind Qian Daoliu.

In his mind, a system panel quietly emerged--[Bound Object: Qian Daoliu. Current Favorability: 50. Daily check-in successful, points obtained: 500.]

His system was a Favorability System.

It was his greatest reliance; the stronger the person he bound, the higher their status and the higher their favorability, the more points he would receive from daily check-ins, and points could be exchanged for items in the system shop.

Five hundred points were enough to exchange for a common Soul Power Enhancement Pill. Qian Daoliu, this Grand Elder, was undoubtedly the most cost-effective "long-term meal ticket."

More importantly, he was a fan of beauty. Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, Qian Renxue, possessed peerless features. Now that he had joined the Worship Hall, he would always have a chance to see her—Little Xue, I am coming.

Immediately after, Ling Feng also moved.

He walked up to Bibi Dong, bowed slightly, and said in a respectful tone: "Teacher."

A rare smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face: "Good."

She produced a black pendant.

"This is a Soul Tool; it is a meeting gift from your teacher."

She did not specify the size of the pendant's space—it only held twenty cubic meters, far less than Qian Daoliu's jade pendant. She deliberately concealed this, fearing that the remaining boy, Ye Fan, would also be snatched away by the Worship Hall.

"Many thanks, Teacher." Ling Feng accepted the pendant, bowed in salute, and retreated behind Bibi Dong.

He calculated in his heart: Bibi Dong possessed Twin Martial Souls and was a being destined to become a god in the future. Following her, his prospects would be limitless.

If he could gain her favor...

Thinking of the grace of this Pope, then looking at the not-so-distant Hu Liena, that nimble little Heavenly Fox, the corners of Ling Feng's mouth couldn't help but curl upward—In this way, it would be perfect.

The atmosphere in the plaza froze once more, and everyone's eyes focused on the last person—Ye Fan.

Would he choose the Worship Hall or the Pope Hall?

Ye Fan felt the gazes converging from all directions—some expectant, some scrutinizing, some curious.

He took a deep breath, his mind already made up.

The Worship Hall and the Pope Hall might appear to belong to the same Martial Soul Hall, but in reality, they harbored irreconcilable fundamental conflicts. Choosing one meant standing on the opposite side of the other.

Bibi Dong was certainly a powerhouse with infinite potential who could become a god, but her paranoia and madness made Ye Fan instinctively wary.

Tying his fate to a woman with "something wrong in her head"? Absolutely impossible.

He, Ye Fan, would be the "Ye Heavenly Emperor" who held his own destiny. Only absolute power could protect everything he wanted, including those beautiful women he had his eyes on.

With his mind set, Ye Fan no longer hesitated. He walked toward Golden Crocodile Douluo, cupped his hands, and bowed, his voice clear and firm: "Teacher."

"Hahaha! Good! Very good!" Golden Crocodile Douluo was startled for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter, his eyes filled with undisguised joy.

"This Seat finally has a disciple! Good child, come with me back to the Worship Hall. I left in a hurry today and didn't bring any decent gifts, but I will certainly make it up to you with a generous one when we return!" He patted Ye Fan on the shoulder with considerable force.

Bibi Dong watched Ye Fan's back as he walked toward Golden Crocodile. A cold glint flashed in her purple eyes before she turned her gaze toward Li Taibai, implying something: "Grand Elder, while Twin Martial Souls are strong, the path of cultivation is full of thorns. One wrong step and one could suffer a backlash, exploding and dying."

"Do not let a moment of favoritism end up wasting a genius."

Qian Daoliu glanced at Bibi Dong indifferently: "That is not something the Pope needs to worry about; This Seat has his own methods."

Having said that, he did not linger and turned to walk toward the Worship Hall. Golden Crocodile Douluo followed closely behind with Ye Fan, while Li Taibai trailed right behind Qian Daoliu.

On the way, Li Taibai and Ye Fan exchanged an inadvertent glance. A sharp edge flashed in both their eyes, as if invisible sparks were colliding in the air.

One was a system user backed by the Grand Elder, the other an ambitious man aiming to be the Heavenly Emperor; each saw a formidable fighting spirit in the other's eyes.

"Heh, youth is a fine thing, full of vigor." Golden Crocodile Douluo saw this, and instead of being displeased, he stroked his beard and laughed.

Competition between geniuses often served to better stimulate potential.

After Qian Daoliu's party left, the pressure in the plaza eased significantly.

Ling Feng stepped forward and said respectfully to Bibi Dong beside him: "Teacher, among the children who awakened their martial souls today, besides the three of us, there is another girl. She has Innate Soul Power of nine and a half levels, and her martial soul is a Heavenly Fox. Her talent is also quite extraordinary."

"Oh?" Bibi Dong's eyes brightened, a flicker of interest crossing her purple pupils.

Nine and a half levels of innate power, while not Innate Full Soul Power, still counted as top-tier talent. With a little cultivation, she would surely be material for a Titled Douluo in the future, which would be of great benefit to her control over the Martial Soul Hall. "Where is she?"

"Nana, come here." Ling Feng turned and beckoned to Hu Liena, who was not far away.

Hearing the call, Hu Liena felt her face flush slightly; she nervously clutched the hem of her clothes and trotted over quickly.

She walked up to Bibi Dong, stopped, and tried her best to straighten her small frame, mimicking the others before her as she bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."

Her voice was thin and tinged with timidity, yet it rang out clearly.

"Release your Martial Soul and let me see it." Bibi Dong's voice softened slightly.

Hu Liena dared not delay and hurriedly channeled the soul power within her.

Following a faint flash of white light, the phantom of a snow-white little fox appeared behind her. Its fluffy tail swayed gently, and its spirited fox eyes peered curiously at Bibi Dong, radiating an aura that was both pure and enchanting.

At the same time, an Innate Soul Power approaching level ten was released; while not as earth-shattering as that of Li Taibai and the other two, it was still far superior to soul masters of her age.

Bibi Dong felt that fluctuation of soul power and smiled with satisfaction.

A Heavenly Fox Martial Soul—a high-tier Martial Soul—paired with this Innate Soul Power of nine and a half levels meant her future achievements would not be low.

Although she could not compare to the three with Innate Full Soul Power who had followed the Worship Hall, she was still outstanding enough.

(When Li Taibai, Ling Feng, and Ye Fan awakened their Martial Souls, the soul power fluctuations were extremely obvious. With the strength of Title Douluo level or higher, such as Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, one could tell at a glance that they all possessed Innate Full Soul Power; there was no need for additional testing.)

"Is your name Hu Liena?" Bibi Dong asked.

"Yes, Your Holiness, my name is Hu Liena." Hu Liena kept her head lowered, responding in a small voice as her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

Seeing her well-behaved appearance, Bibi Dong's tone grew even gentler: "Are you willing to take me as your master and enter my Pope Hall to cultivate?"

Hu Liena jerked her head up. To take the Pope as her master? This was something she hadn't even dared to dream of!

She pinched herself hard, and only after feeling the pain did she confirm it wasn't a hallucination.

"I... I am willing!" Hu Liena's voice trembled with excitement. She hurriedly bowed deeply once more, her forehead nearly touching the ground.

"Disciple Hu Liena pays respects to Teacher!" Tears fell uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes, but this time, they were tears of joy.

From today on, she was no longer that inconspicuous little girl from the orphanage, but the personal disciple of Pope Bibi Dong!

Watching her weep with joy, a rare softness flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes as she nodded gently: "Rise. From this day forward, you are my, Bibi Dong's, second disciple." She turned to look at Ling Feng: "Ling Feng, you are the senior brother; you must look after your junior sister in the future."

"Yes, Teacher." Ling Feng bowed in response—this little fox had truly not disappointed him.

The children in the plaza looked at Hu Liena, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy, while the director of the orphanage was so moved that old tears streamed down his face as he bowed repeatedly toward the heavens.

Yan walked to Hu Liena's side, grinning as he said: "Nana, you're amazing! Don't forget about me in the future!"

Hu Liena nodded vigorously, wiped away her tears, and revealed a brilliant smile.

Bibi Dong looked at the two disciples before her, a trace of ambition flashing in her purple eyes. Although she had failed to obtain Li Taibai and Ye Fan, with Ling Feng and Hu Liena, plus the forces she was secretly cultivating, she would one day achieve her goals.

"Let's go, follow me back to the Pope Hall." Bibi Dong turned around. "From today on, you are core disciples of my Pope Hall. You must set your sights on becoming the strong and forge ahead with determination."

"Yes, Teacher!" Ling Feng and Hu Liena replied in unison, following closely behind her.