Joining the Pope Hall

"Qian Daoliu is obsessed with serving the Angel Statue; he has absolutely no interest in paying attention to you."

"You shouldn't stay in the Worship Hall and continue to squander your talent."

The reasoning was sound and sounded quite convincing, but Lin Beiya kept rolling his eyes in his heart.

With your lineage's inherent trait of being ungrateful wretches, and the constant cycle of masters and disciples loving and killing each other, Lin Beiya expressed that he had no desire to participate in any of it. You should just go find that vixen to be your beloved disciple instead.

However, thinking it was one thing, but saying it out loud was impossible. Bibi Dong was, after all, a powerhouse at the quasi-Title Douluo level; crushing him to death would be more than easy.

If she were to simply claim he had "defied" the Pope and committed an act of treason, executing him on the spot, where would he go to seek justice?

He pondered how to refuse politely and tactfully, and more importantly, in a way that wouldn't make Bibi Dong flip the table. After a long while, just as he looked up to respond, a golden figure suddenly walked in through the hall doors.

"Bibi Dong, isn't your reach extending a bit too far?"

Hearing the familiar voice of Qian Daoliu, Lin Beiya breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed this old man, while appearing indifferent, was actually keeping a constant watch on the movements within Martial Soul Hall.

Seeing her plan disrupted, a trace of displeasure appeared on Bibi Dong's beautiful face.

"Hmph, this is something Lin Beiya should decide for himself; it doesn't seem to have much to do with the Grand Pontiff, does it?"

"He was invited by this old man to join the Worship Hall, so his departure or stay is naturally for this old man to decide. You should just focus on the duties within your own jurisdiction."

After saying this, Qian Daoliu did not spare Bibi Dong another glance, and with a flash of golden light, he enveloped Lin Beiya and vanished from the Pope Hall.

Once the two had left, Bibi Dong slammed a palm onto the desk in front of her.

"That old, undying thing, he goes too far!"

How could she not understand the meaning behind Qian Daoliu's words? This was a warning not to harbor delusions of controlling the entire Martial Soul Hall; she was merely a puppet Pope he had pushed forward when there was no one else available.

By the time Lin Beiya regained his senses, the two had already returned to the Worship Hall.

He let out a breath of relief and hurriedly thanked Qian Daoliu:

"Many thanks to the Grand Pontiff for coming to my rescue."

"Hmm. Starting tomorrow, you shall join the Pope Hall."

"Ah?"

Lin Beiya could hardly believe his long-refined hearing. What kind of madness was the man suffering from? He wasn't exactly a once-in-a-millennium genius, but he was at least a once-in-a-century talent, and he was on very close terms with Qian Renxue. How could he just send him away? Were you truly not afraid that the Little Angel would come back and kick your knees in?

"Grand Pontiff, I don't understand what you mean."

Seeing the confusion on Lin Beiya's face, Qian Daoliu did not intend to hide anything.

"You may choose to join the Pope Hall, or you may continue to cultivate in the Worship Hall. I will not force you on this matter."

"But as Bibi Dong said, this old man must constantly feel the calling of the Angel Statue and will not have the time to guide you. Staying in the Pope Hall seems like it would be better for you."

"However, if you truly choose to join the Pope Hall, I hope you will display your talents and shatter all doubts to ascend to the position of Holy Son."

Lin Beiya's mouth twitched uncontrollably. So, after all that, you want me to hold the position of the Pope's successor for Qian Renxue? Are you truly not afraid that Bibi Dong will take a knife to me once she finds out?

Seeming to see through the worry in Lin Beiya's heart, Qian Daoliu explained:

"Rest assured, Bibi Dong has only just ascended to the throne, and everything is not yet stable. A disciple who surpasses his peers can also increase her prestige and stabilize her position. Even if the bond between master and disciple is dead in all but name, she will not easily move against you."

"Furthermore, she does not dare to openly break with the Worship Hall; she is very clear on that point."

Listening to Qian Daoliu's analysis, Lin Beiya felt much more at ease. At the very least, it was just changing the place where he lived, and the Pope Hall was closer to the Spirit Academy anyway.

"Understood. Beiya will take the position of Holy Son."

"Good. You may go. With your token, you can still enter and leave the Worship Hall freely."

As Qian Daoliu vanished from his sight, Lin Beiya began to return to his room to pack his luggage. Although this went against his plan to keep a low profile and develop, he didn't have many choices left. He didn't want to offend either side, and since Qian Daoliu had already spoken, it wouldn't be bad to just go along with it.

When he arrived at the Pope Hall again, Bibi Dong had already finished her day's work and returned to the rear hall to rest.

Lin Beiya was led to the Reception Hall of the Pope Hall. Without her papal robes, Bibi Dong lacked a bit of her usual majesty, appearing even more approachable than she had at noon.

"Oh? You came to the Pope Hall so straightforwardly; are you not afraid of offending the Grand Pontiff?"

Looking at the confusion in Bibi Dong's eyes, Lin Beiya was not surprised.

On the way here, he had already figured it out: tell the truth, let you two scheme against each other, I just want to cultivate well and develop steadily.

"The Grand Pontiff has agreed to let me join the Pope Hall."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, the confusion in Bibi Dong's eyes deepened, and she began to wonder what that old man was trying to do.

"Your Holiness, there is no need to guess. The Grand Pontiff wants me to display my talent and take the position of Holy Son."

"Heh, you are certainly frank. But by stating it so directly, are you not afraid that I will be on my guard?"

Lin Beiya spread his hands, looking like LeBron James, and said with complete nonchalance:

"You know, many things are not for me to decide. Whatever you two arrange, I will do. I cannot afford to offend either side."

"If Your Holiness does not want to give me the position of Holy Son, then don't. I don't care about that anyway."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, her gaze fixed on Lin Beiya, as if trying to discern the truth in his words.

After a long while, Bibi Dong saw only composure, and she nodded:

"Understood. Just stay in the Pope Hall and cultivate with peace of mind. In a few days, I will announce that I am taking you as my disciple. As for the position of Holy Son, that will depend on your own strength."

"Many thanks for your understanding, Your Holiness."

If I explain everything clearly to you, you won't be able to trip me up, give me a hard time, or resort to underhanded tactics, right?

Having received her approval, Lin Beiya felt much more relaxed, and looking at Bibi Dong again, even her features seemed to become more pleasing to the eye.

But slowly, Lin Beiya began to sense that something was off. The two of them stared at each other in the Reception Hall for quite a while, yet he still hadn't waited for Bibi Dong to find someone to arrange his living quarters. Surely she didn't expect him to sleep in the garden?

"Um, Your Holiness? You haven't arranged a place for me to stay yet."

"There is no rush for that. Could you introduce your Martial Soul to me?"

"My Martial Soul?"

He thought about it; Qian Xunji must have used the Aries Gold Battle Technique in front of her, otherwise, she would have been cold long ago and wouldn't have died suddenly many days later.

Looking at it this way, the Gold Cloth had indeed caught Bibi Dong's attention.

But as the saying goes, to avoid the Pope playing dirty, his main strategy was sincerity: if you dare to ask, I dare to answer.

With the Taurus Gold Cloth manifesting, Lin Beiya instantly became a bit more burly, and the heavy roar of the Savage Bull brought Bibi Dong back to her senses, followed by a wave of astonishment.

"This seems somewhat different from the armor you were wearing when we first met, doesn't it?"

"Your Holiness has guessed correctly. After obtaining my second spirit ring, I gained a second set of Gold Cloth, and its function is also different from the first."

"Oh? What is different about this horned battle armor? Use your spirit skill and let me see."

"This... this wouldn't be appropriate, would it?"

Bibi Dong waved her hand slightly, indicating that she did not mind such a collision.

Having received her approval, Lin Beiya had no choice but to begin charging at the Pope.