At the sound of the noisy discussions around him, Lin Qiu didn't linger.
Though he enjoyed being admired, he didn't like being surrounded by a crowd staring at him like he was a performing monkey.
With a light tap of his toes, he became a breeze and vanished from the crowd in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only an afterimage that drew another round of startled cries from those behind him.
Back in a side hall of the Pope Palace.
Lin Qiu dismissed everyone and sat alone in a broad, high-backed chair.
A familiar mechanical voice rang out in his mind at just the right moment.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the quest "Exorcise Evil and Defend the Way."] [Quest evaluation: You exposed a hypocrite's true face in public and upheld the dignity of the righteous way (the righteous way of Shrouding the Heavens, as recognized by the system). Your methods were swift and decisive, and your actions were immensely satisfying.] [Reward issued: Nine-Nether Ao Precious Bone (External Soul Bone form).]
As the system's voice faded, a radiant orb appeared out of thin air before Lin Qiu, ancient and desolate, brimming with an endless aura of ferocity.
The light scattered, revealing a segment of crystal-clear bone.
It wasn't an ordinary leg or arm bone. Instead, it was made up of section after section, like a long whip, and its entire length was a dark gold.
Intricate, complex runes flowed across it. Just one glance made him feel as if his soul would be sucked into the unfathomable darkness.
"This is... the tailbone of the Nine-Nether Ao?"
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Qiu's eyes.
In the original Douluo World, External Soul Bones were extremely precious, second only to Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
But in the system's assessment, this was more than just a Soul Bone. It was a precious bone containing the source power of the Nine-Nether Ao, one of the Ten Primordial Evils.
"Fuse."
Lin Qiu willed it to happen.
The dark-gold bone instantly became a streak of light and burrowed into the base of his spine.
Boom!
An overbearing, peerless power swept through his entire body.
Lin Qiu grunted. His robes fluttered despite the still air, and behind him appeared the phantom of a massive Ferocious Beast.
It had a wolf's head and ox horns, its body covered in scales. Nine tails lashed behind it like nine evil dragons, roaring with savage menace.
This was the Nine-Nether Ao!
A moment later, the apparition faded.
Lin Qiu rose to his feet and willed it forth.
Shing!
A dark-gold bony tail, about two meters long, extended from his back.
Unlike an ordinary Soul Beast's tail, it had no flesh at all. It was made purely of bone and energy, its tip sharp as a spear and glinting with a chilling light.
He gave it a light flick.
Whoosh—
The air split apart with a shrill blast.
The hard granite floor was like tofu before the bony tail. It pierced a bottomless black hole through it with ease, leaving a cut as smooth as a mirror.
"So strong."
Lin Qiu ran his hand over the cold bones, his eyes full of delight.
"Not only is it incomparably sharp, it also comes with the Nine-Nether Ao's innate divine ability—the Nine-Nether Divine Light. Anyone struck by it will feel their very soul tremble. And this precious bone can keep evolving as my cultivation improves."
"With this, even without using a Soul Skill, I can take down an ordinary Soul Saint with one strike."
Meanwhile.
News of the "fake Grandmaster" spread through the streets and alleys of Spirit City as if it had grown wings.
Yu Xiaogang's line, "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters," had become a complete joke.
A twenty-ninth-level Soul Grandmaster had passed off plagiarized theories as his own, only to be publicly humiliated by the Holy Son of Spirit Hall.
It was the perfect subject for gossip over tea.
Some busybodies even described in vivid detail how Yu Xiaogang had been slapped flying and spat out broken teeth, earning him the scorn of the entire city.
Yu Xiaogang's reputation in Spirit City had been utterly ruined.
Everyone cursed him. He was like a rat crossing the street, with everyone eager to beat him.
Pope Palace, council chamber.
Bibi Dong sat high upon the papal throne, holding her scepter as she listened to Gui Mei's report.
"You're saying Qiu'er not only exposed that Yu Xiaogang, but also won the support of the entire city?"
A look of deep satisfaction appeared on Bibi Dong's majestic, beautiful face.
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Gui Mei answered respectfully. "His Highness the Holy Son acted decisively and backed up his words with sound reasoning. He upheld Spirit Hall's reputation and punished a petty fraud.
"Now the people throughout the city are praising His Highness the Holy Son's wisdom and might."
"Good. You truly are a child I raised."
Bibi Dong chuckled, pride filling her eyes.
Perhaps she still had a sliver of complicated affection for Yu Xiaogang, but compared with Lin Qiu, whom she cherished as her own in this lifetime, that old affection was insignificant.
And when she learned that Yu Xiaogang had deceived commoners for money, the last of the rose-tinted haze had shattered completely.
How could she have been so blind as to fall for a man of such despicable character?
"Qiu'er is growing older, and his strength is already peerless among his generation. It's time for him to step into the limelight officially."
Bibi Dong rose to her feet and struck the floor hard with her scepter, the crisp sound ringing out.
A mighty aura swept through the hall.
"Pass down my orders."
"In half a month, I will hold a twelfth-birthday banquet for Qiu'er. At the same time, I will officially name him the Holy Son of Spirit Hall and announce it to the world!"
"Elder Chrysanthemum, Ghost Elder."
"Your subordinates are here." Two figures appeared in the center of the hall in an instant.
"You two will depart at once, carrying my Pope's Order. Invite the royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, as well as the Upper Three Sects, the Lower Four Sects, and all the other great powers to attend."
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes narrowed, a domineering air of looking down upon the world flashing within them.
"This time, I want the entire continent to know just how astonishingly talented and exceptional my son is!"
"Yes!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo accepted the order. With a flash, they vanished from the hall like two streaks of light.
The news broke, and the world was shaken.
Though Spirit Hall had grown powerful in recent years, it had always kept a fairly low profile, and Pope Bibi Dong rarely appeared in public.
Yet now she was holding such a grand banquet for an adopted son, even inviting the top powers from across the continent?
Just who was this so-called Holy Son?
For a time, the entire Douluo Continent was swept by unrest.
The various powers speculated about whether Spirit Hall had some other purpose. Was it a show of force? Or an attempt to win them over?
But whatever the reason, now that the Pope had spoken, who would dare refuse?
Countless carriages and Soul Beast mounts began converging on Spirit City from all over the continent.
Even the old monsters who usually lived in seclusion took a keen interest in this suddenly emerged "Holy Son."
Rumor had it that the Pope would appear in person at the banquet.
That alone was enough to draw countless Soul Masters like moths to a flame.
Meanwhile, in a dilapidated farmhouse outside Spirit City.
A middle-aged man with a swollen face and several missing teeth was curled up in a haystack, gnawing on half a hard, black-flour bun.
It was Yu Xiaogang.
He listened as several passing Soul Masters excitedly discussed the upcoming banquet and the glory of that "Holy Son." Poisonous hatred nearly spilled from his eyes.
"The banquet... The Pope will be there..."
Yu Xiaogang gripped the bun so tightly that his fingernails sank into the dough.
"Bibi Dong... You're going to announce that little bastard to the world?"
"I refuse to accept this! I won't accept it!"
He flung the bun to the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a gambler who had lost everything.
"Since you're holding a banquet, since you'll be there..."
"Then I'll go find you at the banquet!"
"I refuse to believe that, in front of the whole world and your old lover, you won't give me an explanation!"
"As long as I can see you, I'll have a chance to turn things around!"
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