After the medicinal energy inside him gradually settled.
Su Ming checked his own condition.
Because he had no Soul Ring, his level was still thirty. However, he could clearly feel a vast energy contained within his body!
This energy had already far surpassed the Soul Power of a thirtieth-level Soul Master.
As soon as he added a Soul Ring, the shackles would break, and his level would soar!
Gathering his thoughts, Su Ming washed the grime off his body, then lay down to rest.
The next day.
Su Ming arrived at the Pope Palace.
It was a relatively quiet day. Bibi Dong sat on a couch above the long flight of steps.
She wasn't wearing the brilliant gold papal robes that symbolized supreme authority today. Instead, she had changed into a simple, elegant, moon-white dress that clung to her figure.
The dress outlined her tall, slender proportions to perfection. Her waist was delicate, and her legs were long and straight.
She seemed less fierce than usual, and more cool and carefree.
"Your Holiness the Pope, I've returned." Su Ming walked up to a short distance from her, bowed, and spoke.
At the sound of his voice, Bibi Dong finally lowered the ancient book she had been reading.
Su Ming glanced at its title: Complete Guide to Rare Plants of Douluo Continent.
A thought stirred in Su Ming's mind. It seemed Bibi Dong already knew everything that had happened.
Bibi Dong raised her gaze and fixed it on Su Ming, a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.
"I'm curious. How did you know Dugu Bo's lair was in Sunset Forest? And how did you know the medicinal herbs...the Immortal Herbs there could help purify your Martial Soul?"
Su Ming had expected Bibi Dong to ask this. He had already prepared an answer.
"I didn't know Dugu Bo was in Sunset Forest. Running into him was pure chance. As for the Immortal Herbs, I read about them while studying at Shrek Academy. I wasn't completely certain they could solve the problem with my Martial Soul, either."
Shrek Academy?
Bibi Dong tapped the armrest of the couch lightly with her fingers, seeming skeptical of Su Ming's answer.
Under her gaze, Su Ming remained calm.
He trusted that Bibi Dong wouldn't waste time on such a trivial matter, much less send someone to Shrek Academy to investigate.
Sure enough, she didn't press him further. Instead, she said coldly, "Release your Martial Soul."
"Yes."
Su Ming answered.
Then he circulated his Soul Power. With a low phoenix cry, a massive, pure-black Evil Phoenix appeared behind him, spreading its wings through the air.
Black flames bathed its body, but they gave off no heat. Instead, they were cold with the stillness of death!
The air seemed to stop flowing, and the light around them dimmed.
An utterly pure, extremely evil energy became a layer of viscous black current, as thick as ink, churning wildly through the air around Su Ming.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong, seated on the couch, felt a tempest rise within her.
She possessed Twin Martial Souls. Her Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Eater Spider Emperor were both among the most powerful evil-attribute Martial Souls on the continent.
Yet the purity of the extremely evil attribute radiating from Su Ming's Martial Soul seemed to be no less than that of her Twin Spider Emperors!
On top of that, in the profound workings of a certain devouring law, it was even more domineering and pure than her Spider Emperors.
"What a pure evil-attribute Martial Soul. Its attribute power is stronger than the Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Eater Spider Emperor were back then." Bibi Dong was astonished.
Her own Martial Souls also had evil attributes, and she had always believed them to be among the very best!
She had never expected Su Ming's to be even stronger!
It was so powerful that, beneath the imposing force of this pure evil energy, even her Martial Souls seemed faintly suppressed!
Of course, she hadn't used any Soul Power. This was simply the difference in rank between their Martial Souls!
Bibi Dong's heart suddenly tightened. A chill flashed in her eyes as she looked at Su Ming, but then vanished at once, replaced by a hint of relief.
"Rakshasa God..."
So, if she hadn't received the Rakshasa God's inheritance, then Su Ming before her would have been the one to receive it!
"Not bad. Your Martial Soul is pure and powerful now." After a moment, Bibi Dong calmed herself and spoke evenly.
"It's all thanks to Your Holiness the Pope's guidance." Su Ming replied modestly.
There wasn't a leader alive who didn't enjoy a little flattery.
He put away his Martial Soul. Then he lightly brushed his right hand over his storage ring.
A flash of precious light, and one Immortal Herb after another appeared in his palm, each glowing with a lustrous sheen.
Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid! Lovesick Heartbreak Red! Snowy Swan Kiss...
The hall was instantly filled with a variety of sweet fragrances.
Su Ming offered the Immortal Herbs to her. "These are the other Immortal Herbs I obtained in Sunset Forest. Su Ming would like to offer them to Your Holiness the Pope, in gratitude for your care and cultivation over the past three years."
A common man was not guilty of a crime, but possessing a jade could bring disaster.
Bibi Dong was sure to find out that he had other Immortal Herbs anyway.
Rather than wait for her to question him, he might as well offer them of his own accord and earn a favorable impression.
After all, the saying was right: attack was the best defense!
Of course, Su Ming didn't feel any heartache about giving them away. A person could only eat one Immortal Herb, and he had already eaten the one he needed. Keeping the others wouldn't do him much good.
Bibi Dong stared at the Immortal Herbs, momentarily stunned.
She knew Su Ming had other Immortal Herbs, but she hadn't expected him to offer all of them!
In the Soul Master world, where profit came first and everyone schemed against everyone else, Su Ming had come across peerless treasures capable of changing his fate. Yet not only had he kept nothing for himself, he had taken the initiative to offer them all to her at the first opportunity.
A hint of satisfaction and approval flickered deep in her eyes as she looked at Su Ming.
It seemed that even after these three years, she still knew far too little about him!
This kind of character and courage was beyond what an ordinary person could possess.
Bibi Dong didn't reach out to take the Immortal Herbs. Instead, she stood up, walked over to them, and examined them closely.
Then a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes.
With her insight and cultivation, she could naturally sense how pure and powerful the energy within these Immortal Herbs was.
This was a power that belonged neither to Soul Beasts nor to Soul Masters. It came from some unknown source beyond the Soul Beast system.
"No wonder they could so easily resolve the shackles on your Martial Soul."
Bibi Dong murmured, then returned to the couch.
The surprise vanished from her eyes.
She looked at Su Ming and spoke again. "I'm pleased you had the thought. But you should keep these for yourself."
Su Ming said nothing.
He remained calm inside, too, because he knew Bibi Dong would most likely give them back to him.
Bibi Dong continued, "My Martial Souls have long since settled into their forms, and I've reached my current level of cultivation. These herbs may be miraculous, but they would have little practical effect on me now."
"Using them on me would be a waste of precious treasure. Don't squander your own opportunity. Put them away."
After saying this, she added, "Or, if you think someone else would be better suited to these herbs, give them to that person."
She was hinting that Su Ming could give them to the Golden Generation. Whether he did so was up to him.