With his hands clasped before his chest in an iai stance, Lin Beiya's refined bearing instantly turned ferocious. The snorting of a Savage Bull seemed to rumble behind him.
Once his strength had fully gathered, Lin Beiya spread his hands and unleashed the impact toward Bibi Dong.
"Great Horn!"
A gigantic Golden Bull charged straight at the woman before him with the force of a rout-breaking army. The domineering attack left Bibi Dong somewhat surprised, because the energy it contained was far beyond what a Soul Grandmaster could unleash.
A Soul Power shield formed before her, and the bull crashed into it.
As the Golden Bull turned into starlight and vanished from the Reception Hall, Bibi Dong considered it for a moment before offering a measured assessment.
"The power of a top-tier Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor. Lin Beiya, you really are surprising."
"Not at all. His Holiness the Pope is the truly unfathomable one."
Though it lacked the shocking power of the Aries Gold Cloth, an attack like that was already extraordinary for someone at Lin Beiya's level of cultivation.
After giving it some thought, she had also formed a rough idea of the mysteries behind Lin Beiya's Martial Soul.
Lin Beiya was currently a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, and the Gold Cloths she had seen so far happened to number two, matching his Soul Rings.
"So, every time you add a Soul Ring, you gain another set of this miraculous armor, correct?"
"And your armor seems to be wearable by other people, too. They can inherit those miraculous Soul Skills, and their power is determined by the wearer's Soul Power cultivation."
As she spoke, a golden glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. The image of Qian Xunji, poisoned yet able to easily deflect her fatal attack with the Crystal Wall, was still fresh in her mind. She was intensely curious about Lin Beiya's Sacred Cloth.
Lin Beiya had no intention of hiding anything, and nodded to confirm Bibi Dong's guess.
Though this woman was an ungrateful fool blinded by love, she had become the Saintess and then the Pope for a reason. She was top-tier in every other regard, and her analytical skills offered just one glimpse of that.
"Your Holiness is right. I only have two sets of Sacred Cloth for now, and other people can wear them as well."
"May I try it?"
Having confirmed her theory, Bibi Dong's interest had not waned in the slightest. She held out her hand and asked for the Sacred Cloth.
"Uh... you can, but don't you think this Sacred Cloth is a little..."
Lin Beiya pointed at the helmet of the Taurus Gold Cloth. He couldn't imagine the Pope walking around with horns on her head.
Following his finger, Bibi Dong looked over the Sacred Cloth from top to bottom.
"Hmm, it is a little ugly."
Well, that settled it. Qian Renxue's theory that beauty was power clearly came from her mother.
Though her first reaction had been to call it ugly, Bibi Dong still wanted to try out the Sacred Cloth's wonders.
"No matter. I'm only testing its power. This Pope has no intention of wearing it out in public."
"Very well."
Since she had put it that way, Lin Beiya had no reason to refuse. The Taurus Gold Cloth transformed into a golden card and slowly appeared in his palm.
Bibi Dong lowered her head to look at it, then glanced at Lin Beiya inquiringly.
"Just channel Soul Power into it."
"I see."
Following his instructions, Bibi Dong channeled Soul Power into the card in her palm. Amid a bellowing bull's roar, a full-body, dress-like version of the Taurus Gold Cloth quietly enveloped the Pope's graceful figure.
Curiosity in her eyes, Bibi Dong took a few steps back and forth, then looked herself over from head to toe.
"It can even change the armor's appearance to suit the wearer's gender. Not bad."
After speaking, Bibi Dong closed her eyes to sense the Soul Skill granted by the Sacred Cloth. As the bull's snorting filled the air, a Golden Bull many times larger than Lin Beiya charged toward the Reception Hall's doors.
"Bang!"
As Lin Beiya's mouth twitched and his eyes widened in shock, the entire eastern wall of the Reception Hall crumbled. The Golden Bull kept charging, leaving a trench hundreds of meters long outside the hall before slowly vanishing into the world.
"What's going on?"
"It's coming from the Pope Hall! Hurry and protect Her Holiness!"
"We're under attack!"
Shouts filled the air, while Bibi Dong calmly turned the Sacred Cloth back into a card and drew it into her palm.
When the guards rushed into the Reception Hall, they all stared in shock at the wall that had mostly disappeared and the trench running straight toward the Pope Hall. For a long while, not a word passed their lips.
Looking at her handiwork, Bibi Dong felt a little awkward, too. She had gotten carried away testing the move and hadn't expected to cause such a commotion.
"Ahem... Beiya, the move's power is impressive, but remember to test it at the Training Ground next time. I'll let your mistake slide this once."
"????"
When I put question marks, it's not because I'm confused. It's because I think you're the one with a problem.
Lin Beiya leaned back and stared at Bibi Dong in her ordinary clothes, a string of question marks practically floating above his head.
But when he met Bibi Dong's faintly threatening gaze, Lin Beiya very sensibly gave in to the Pope's authority.
"Yes, Beiya was wrong. I'll be more careful next time."
Hearing the exchange between master and disciple, the guards immediately understood what had happened. When they looked at Lin Beiya again, their eyes were filled with fear.
That young boy with the childlike face could unleash such terrifying energy. It was simply unbelievable. No wonder he was the Pope's disciple.
After dismissing the guards, Bibi Dong gave Lin Beiya a satisfied look.
"The power is truly impressive. It directly boosts all your physical attributes, as well as your cultivation speed and recovery ability. Your talent is even more astonishing than I imagined."
"Your Holiness is too kind. Beiya still has a lot of work to do."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, then spoke with a hint of displeasure.
"Though I do need your talent to crush your peers and solidify my position, I sincerely want you as my disciple, too. From now on, come to me with any questions about cultivation. You can call me teacher."
"Yes, teacher."
You're old enough to be my mother anyway. Calling you teacher doesn't cost me anything. Lin Beiya very sensibly changed the way he addressed Bibi Dong.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction. In truth, she had other reasons for taking Lin Beiya as her disciple. That was also why she had tested the Sacred Cloth's power just now.
Her two Martial Souls were so hideous that most people who had seen them had ended up dead in the northwest. Bibi Dong rarely revealed her Martial Souls in front of outsiders. Now that she had found a way to remain combat-ready with nothing but Soul Power, without releasing her Martial Soul, how could she not be tempted?
Though there were only two Sacred Cloths for now, and one of them was most likely in her daughter's hands, someone as talented as Lin Beiya wouldn't need long to reach Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, or even Soul King. By then, surely one suitable set would stay with her permanently.
"Go on ahead. I still need to find someone to clean up after you."
Bibi Dong dismissed him and beckoned a maid over to show him to his quarters.
Hearing that, Lin Beiya gave her an awkward but polite smile.
Right, right, you have a big chest, so whatever you say goes. I made this mess, of course. I'm just a Soul Grandmaster, yet I can unleash combat power on the level of a Titled Douluo. Once I reach Soul King, I'll tear the Sea God apart with my bare hands and kick Asura God in the face. Let's see what that God King Tang inherits then.
"Then I'll take my leave, teacher. I'll have to trouble you to handle the aftermath for me."
"Mm, go on."
Bibi Dong gave him an approving look, then smiled and nodded at him.
Before you continue