"Teacher, you're really clever."
"You guessed it!"
"I was just thinking of preparing a surprise for you."
"Teacher, aren't I amazing? I raised a phoenix!"
Su Chen grinned cheekily.
Bibi Dong was speechless.
A surprise?
Raised a phoenix?
He really dared to say that.
Wait!
Bibi Dong's expression changed. "Heh, not bad. So you mean to say you have a woman outside?"
"Teacher, that's not the right way to look at it. You could call her a subordinate. Besides, I'm still so young, and you're saying I'm keeping a woman? Teacher, your way of thinking is a little..."
Su Chen immediately turned the tables, giving Bibi Dong a strange look.
Bibi Dong's face reddened slightly. Without changing her expression, she changed the subject. "Ahem... Other than her, who else knows about the Immortal Herbs?"
The Immortal Herbs were a matter of great importance.
Su Chen had obtained the Immortal Herbs.
They hadn't reported it right away.
If anyone found out, things would become troublesome.
"Teacher, no one else knows... Teacher, what are you doing?"
Seeing Bibi Dong reach out to him, Su Chen looked at her in confusion.
Bibi Dong parted her red lips. "Give me the Immortal Herbs. I'll hold on to them. No one would dare search my Soul Tool."
"Teacher, remember to give them back when I need them."
Su Chen took the Immortal Herbs out of his Soul Tool one by one. Seeing how reluctant he was, Bibi Dong chuckled. "You're acting as if they're yours."
The day Spirit Hall set out soon arrived.
Su Chen and Bibi Dong entered the Pope Palace.
Two figures stood inside the hall. One was an old man dressed in white, while the other was a cold and beautiful woman.
The man was Broken Sword Douluo, a Level 95 Power Attack System Titled Douluo.
The woman on the other side wore a tight-fitting ice-blue dress. She had a lovely face, but her expression was blank. Su Chen didn't recognize her from his memories.
"Dong'er, Little Chen, you're here!"
"Little Chen, come here. You've met Broken Sword Elder before, I believe. This is Ice Spear Douluo, a Level 94 Power Attack System Titled Douluo."
Qian Xunji briefly introduced the two of them.
Su Chen's eyes flickered.
He hadn't expected the woman before him to be a Titled Douluo.
Judging by the current situation...
Broken Sword Douluo and Ice Spear Douluo didn't appear in the later story.
There was no doubt that they were the two titled elders who would perish at sea.
"The two of them will accompany us on this expedition to Devil Island."
Qian Xunji's gaze darkened, and his tone turned solemn. "This trip is meant to conquer Devil Island, bring the Sea Soul Masters under our command, and explore the ocean. You must accomplish these objectives."
"Broken Sword Elder, Ice Spear Elder, once you complete your mission, I'll grant each of you a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone."
"Remember to protect the Saintess, and take good care of my precious grandson, too."
Broken Sword Douluo nodded slightly. "Rest assured, Your Holiness. I'll protect the Saintess and your grandson with my life."
Ice Spear Douluo parted her thin lips. "As you command."
Qian Xunji looked at them and nodded in satisfaction. "Two thousand elite Soul Masters have already set out for Vast Sea City. You may depart at once."
"Yes."
The group immediately set out. After leaving the Pope Palace, they flew toward Vast Sea City under the leadership of the two Titled Douluo.
On the way, Su Chen learned more about Ice Spear Douluo.
She was somewhat proud and rather cold. Though she looked like a beautiful woman in her thirties, she was actually in her sixties, nearly seventy.
As dusk approached, the docks at Vast Sea City were on high alert, with rows of ships moored along the shore.
Spirit Hall's Soul Masters stood in neat formation.
By the time Su Chen and the others arrived, the entire force was already prepared to set sail at a moment's notice.
Bibi Dong stood at a higher spot and addressed the troops on behalf of the Pope.
The bearing of the cold and ruthless Pope she would become was already beginning to show as she spoke.
Su Chen noticed that this was a force of two thousand elite Soul Masters. There were more than five Soul Douluo among them, and even the weakest were Soul Kings.
"Rest for the night and get your strength back. We set out to sea at dawn tomorrow."
Night gradually fell. As the Saintess, Bibi Dong was busy.
She needed a nautical chart to plan their route across the sea.
Su Chen found it rather boring to stay with her. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to go out. Two Soul Emperors followed him.
Su Chen wandered through the streets for a while and quietly shook them off.
He already knew exactly what he was after: a neglected treasure hidden in Vast Sea City's large auction house—the Dragon Abyss Boat.
"Little San, sorry. I'm taking this opportunity first."
After asking around briefly, Su Chen found his way to the auction house.
He didn't waste time with pleasantries. He took Bibi Dong's Saintess token straight to the person in charge.
Su Chen paid the same price as in the original timeline and bought the Dragon Abyss Boat, then left without drawing attention.
When not in use, the Dragon Abyss Boat was only the size of a palm.
He could easily keep it in his Soul Tool.
On his way back, Su Chen ducked into several more shops.
Vast Sea City stood by the ocean, and its people made their living from the sea. Sea Soul Masters made up most of the population, too.
He couldn't find Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber on the main road, but Su Chen figured there had to be some in Vast Sea City.
"What would you like to buy, little brother?"
When a white-haired, red-eyed young man walked in, the girl behind the counter greeted him with a giggle.
"Whale Rubber. Do you have any that's ten thousand years old?"
The girl behind the counter blushed slightly. She gave him a strange look, then nodded gently. "We do, but it might be a little expensive!"
Su Chen grinned. He hadn't expected them to actually have some. Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber was almost impossible to find in Spirit City.
What was money to him? Su Chen wasn't short of it.
As Su Chen bought the Whale Rubber, a cold, proud figure remained hidden in the distance, watching his every move.
As the Pope's precious grandson, he was naturally not someone the two Titled Douluo could leave unsupervised to do as he pleased.
So, from the moment Su Chen entered the auction house to the moment he bought the Whale Rubber, she had watched everything clearly.
Because of Su Chen's actions, Ice Spear Douluo's eyes filled with confusion and doubt.
It seemed Su Chen hadn't come here for the first time. He knew exactly what he wanted.
First, he shook off his attendants. Then, he went to the auction house and immediately bought what he was after.
It was as if he already knew the item was here.
"How strange. Why doesn't the Saint Grandson act or know things like someone his age should? And what's so special about the thing he wanted?"
"And that Whale Rubber, too. It seems far too mature for his age."
Ice Spear Douluo watched Su Chen leave the shop and head to another one. He went back and forth, buying a whole pile of things before finally preparing to return.
After a brief moment of thought, she flashed away and reached Bibi Dong ahead of Su Chen.
Bibi Dong stood by the window, a trace of languor in her eyes. Hearing the faint footsteps behind her, she spoke softly. "Ice Spear Elder, is something the matter?"
Ice Spear Douluo's voice was cool and direct. "Saintess, your disciple Su Chen... His behavior seems a little strange, and he seems unusually mature for his age."