Bestowing Soul Bone

After the competition ended, the Martial Soul Hall team was officially established.

They were immediately summoned by Bibi Dong.

Inside the Pope Palace, the atmosphere was grand yet desolate.

The towering domes on both sides were carved with the Angel Divine Might Mural, and the sacred light spilling down made the entire hall appear all the more solemn.

On the supreme throne at the very front, His Holiness the Pope, Bibi Dong, sat upright.

She wore a Purple Gold Crown and held the Pope Scepter, which symbolized supreme power. Her stunning face was as calm as water, and her deep, beautiful eyes looked down indifferently at the young people walking toward her.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"

Led by Su Ming, everyone knelt on one knee, their expressions respectful.

"Rise."

Bibi Dong's cold and noble voice echoed through the hall.

She stood up slowly, holding her scepter as she descended the steps one by one. Her gaze swept over the group, finally landing on Su Ming at the front.

Looking at this twelve-year-old boy, who possessed such an indifferent and steady demeanor, a rare, undisguised look of approval and pride surfaced in the depths of Bibi Dong's eyes.

"You all performed very well in this Internal Selection Tournament."

Bibi Dong spoke slowly, her voice carrying supreme majesty. "Especially you, Su Ming. Your strength is worthy of being the leader of the younger generation of my Martial Soul Hall."

"This battle has left all the higher-ups speechless and has thoroughly manifested the prestige of my Pope Palace."

Hearing this, Xie Yue and the others felt a chill in their hearts, while Yan lowered his head in unwillingness, feeling sour inside.

Bibi Dong turned around, her back to the crowd, and tapped her scepter lightly against the floor.

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Championship is about to begin, and what I want is more than just victory."

Bibi Dong's words carried an unquestionable dominance. "I want you to crush all the geniuses of the two great empires with absolute dominance and keep the championship trophy intact in Martial Soul City!"

"To ensure you reach your peak state before the tournament, starting tomorrow, the Pope Palace will open the top-tier Mimicry Training Ground to all of you and provide rare resources to assist in your cultivation."

"I give you resources, I give you glory, and in return, you will bring back the absolute victory that belongs to Martial Soul Hall."

Listening to Bibi Dong's inflammatory and oppressive words, Xie Yue and Hu Liena exchanged glances, the fighting spirit in their eyes instantly ignited.

Everyone knelt on one knee again and shouted in unison, their voices echoing for a long time in the empty hall:

"We shall not fail our mission!!"

Bibi Dong nodded slightly and waved her hand. "Very good. You may withdraw. Su Ming, stay behind."

"Yes."

Everyone bowed and withdrew.

As they left, Hu Liena playfully blinked her beautiful eyes at Su Ming and mouthed the words "see you later" before following the others out of the hall.

The heavy doors of the Pope Palace closed behind them.

In the vast hall, only the master and disciple, Bibi Dong and Su Ming, remained.

With no outsiders present, the coldness and majesty on Bibi Dong's face dissipated by more than half.

She looked at Su Ming's cold and reserved appearance, shook her head with a hint of helplessness, and a gentle smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"There are no outsiders here; you don't have to be so formal."

Bibi Dong walked up to Su Ming, her eyes revealing genuine gratification. "Twelve years old, a four-ring ten-thousand-year Soul Ancestor, capable of easily defeating even a level 52 control-type Soul King."

"Su Ming, you have earned me great face today."

Su Ming remained calm and bowed slightly. "It is thanks to your guidance, Teacher. Su Ming dares not take the credit."

"Enough, you little one, stop using such bureaucratic language with me." Bibi Dong scolded him with a smile, though her eyes suddenly turned soft and self-reproachful.

She sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Come to think of it, the speed at which you have grown since joining my sect has completely exceeded my expectations."

"But I am busy with the politics of the Pope Palace every day, spending most of my time dealing with those tedious sect affairs, and I have yet to give you a proper gift for our master-disciple initiation."

As she finished speaking, Bibi Dong's fair, jade-like hand brushed through the void.

Hum!

In an instant, a brilliant blue-green light surged out, instantly dispelling the darkness around the hall.

Above Bibi Dong's palm, a strange bone, glowing with a lustrous treasure light and appearing as if carved from the purest jade in the world, floated slowly.

With its appearance, the air in the entire Pope Palace seemed to thicken, and a mental fluctuation like a tsunami raged wildly in the void.

Looking at this bone, Su Ming's pupils shrank slightly.

"This is... a spirit bone." Su Ming blurted out in a low voice.

"Correct, it is a ten-thousand-year-level head spirit bone."

Bibi Dong flicked her finger, and the skull floated slowly in front of Su Ming.

Bibi Dong looked at Su Ming and said sternly, "Your Martial Soul, the Evil Phoenix, although primarily based on the Nirvana of ultimate evil, also carries terrifying soul deterrence and mental rule suppression. The stronger your mental foundation, the more exponentially the dominance of this seal will increase."

"This Wisdom Skull, formed from condensed mental energy, will not only expand your sea of consciousness to the greatest extent and render you immune to the backlash of the vast majority of mental soul skills, but it will also ensure your rule-based seals have no blind spots."

Bibi Dong reached out and gently patted Su Ming on the shoulder, her eyes filled with high expectations. "In the tournament, the two great empires will not lack soul masters skilled in mental control and bizarre soul skills. Absorb it, and when you reach the tournament, show those who fancy themselves geniuses what true despair is."

Looking at this soul bone that countless soul masters dreamed of, Su Ming took a deep breath, received it with both hands, and bowed to Bibi Dong.

"This disciple thanks Teacher for the generous reward."

Half an hour later, in the depths of the Golden Hall, within Su Ming's exclusive cultivation chamber.

Su Ming sat cross-legged in the center of the room, the glowing Wisdom Skull hovering before his knees.

"Then, let us begin."

Su Ming's eyes narrowed. Guided by his soul power, the Wisdom Skull rose slowly until it pressed against the center of his forehead.

BOOM--!!

The moment they made contact, an indescribable torrent of mental energy surged wildly through his brow and into his brain.

It was a pain interwoven with extreme cold and searing heat.

The ten-thousand-year mental essence contained within the skull was immense. As it crashed into Su Ming's sea of consciousness—filled with the Nirvana of his Evil Phoenix—the two distinct energies instantly erupted into a fierce tug-of-war.

Su Ming gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

He held fast to a sliver of clarity in his mind, forcibly driving the Ultimate Evil Soul Power within him—not to merge, but to—domineeringly pollute and assimilate!

"A mere masterless soul bone, and you wish to usurp the host? Convert for me!!"