No Master-Disciple Title, But Master-Disciple Relationship

She wore a shimmering gold robe that cinched at the waist, accentuating her perfect figure.

On her head sat a crown symbolizing supreme power, and her fair right hand gripped a scepter inlaid with precious gems.

She sat there in silence, her deep, profound eyes looking down from above, her entire being radiating an unquestionable, peerless majesty.

This woman was none other than the current Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.

Standing beside Bibi Dong was a girl of about ten years old.

The girl had shoulder-length hair and was strikingly beautiful; her lively eyes seemed to speak as she curiously sized up Su Ming, a hint of lazy charm hidden within their depths.

Given her demeanor, it was no surprise that she was Bibi Dong's only direct disciple, Hu Liena.

Su Ming walked to the center of the grand hall, stood still, and bowed slightly with neither servility nor arrogance, "Su Ming pays respects to Your Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong gazed down at Su Ming, her voice flat, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"This Seat has already reviewed the report submitted from Soto City."

"Su Ming, nine years old, top-tier mutated beast spirit, Evil Fire Phoenix. Currently level twenty-two, second spirit ring... eight hundred years."

She paused briefly when mentioning the eight-hundred-year mark.

The others in the hall could not help but let out soft gasps of surprise.

Bibi Dong stared straight at Su Ming, as if trying to see right through him, "The iron law of spirit ring age limits has never been broken in ten thousand years; you have truly surprised me. Come, release your spirit and let This Seat see your talent."

"Yes."

Su Ming responded, and immediately released his spirit!

"Hum!"

A phoenix phantom, brimming with oppressive force, suddenly emerged slowly behind Su Ming.

Unlike an ordinary phoenix, its flames were half red and half black.

The heat of the burning flames did not seem particularly high; instead, it gave off a faint, icy chill.

Two spirit rings rose from beneath Su Ming's feet, and the aura of a level twenty-two Great Spirit Master was released without reservation.

Everyone in the hall wore an expression of astonishment.

Nine years old, level twenty-two, and the aura of this top-tier spirit—he was undoubtedly a genius!

Seeing this, the peach-blossom glow in Hu Liena's beautiful eyes faded, replaced by a touch of gravity.

This guy's displayed talent is actually higher than mine.

She felt a sense of crisis.

On the throne, Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged; occupying a high position, she had long since learned to keep her emotions hidden!

She praised him indifferently, "Your talent is indeed quite good; you can be considered a rare genius."

Then, a trace of doubt appeared on Bibi Dong's face, "You were previously studying at Shrek Academy. I would like to know, what reason led you to choose to leave?"

Su Ming did not hide anything and replied, "I had a conflict with the academy's teaching philosophy."

Bibi Dong showed a flicker of interest, "Tell me about it."

Su Ming said, "My spirit, the Evil Fire Phoenix, was not like this at the time of awakening—half evil, half fire. Back then, the evil attribute accounted for less than ten percent, while the fire attribute accounted for over ninety percent."

"The academy's philosophy was for me to discard the evil attribute and focus entirely on developing the fire attribute."

"But in my view, the evil attribute is more powerful. I chose to develop the evil attribute and discard the fire attribute. Thus, I came into conflict with the academy's philosophy, and for that reason, I chose to leave."

At this point, Su Ming raised his head and looked at Bibi Dong, "I know that Spirit Hall is the holy land for spirit masters and has always been inclusive regarding their development. I came to Spirit Hall hoping for a place where I could grow freely. Of course, I would be very grateful for that."

Hearing this, a wave of murmurs rippled through the hall.

To discard the purest fire attribute of a phoenix and turn instead to develop the most obscure evil attribute.

This kid has incredible guts!

Bibi Dong had not expected this to be the reason; she had assumed Su Ming's phoenix attributes were naturally half-evil and half-fire.

That was why she had appeared so calm earlier.

Because in her view, such attributes were not pure enough.

Top-tier spirits were almost always single-attribute!

Now, hearing Su Ming's answer, she could not hide the surprise deep in her eyes.

At the same time, she felt impressed by Su Ming's bold choice.

One had to realize that there was a vast amount of data and research available in the spirit master world regarding the fire attribute, while the evil attribute was far, far rarer.

To abandon the wealth of predecessors' experience and choose an unknown path—it had to be said that Su Ming had made a choice far beyond his years.

Bibi Dong said, "Of course, Spirit Hall grants every spirit master the freedom of choice."

"However, you must also understand that Spirit Hall does not raise trash."

Bibi Dong tested Su Ming's capacity to endure.

As a dual-martial soul spirit master possessing the evil attribute, Bibi Dong deeply approved of Su Ming's choice to discard his fire attribute.

However, she also knew that abandoning a known, powerful path to choose an unknown adventure required immense effort.

In particular, Su Ming's attempt to reverse his martial soul's attributes was a madman's act with an extremely high failure rate!

Should he fail, he would be reduced to nothing more than an ordinary person!

Su Ming, however, remained firm, "I am willing to take responsibility for my own choices!"

"Good."

It was rare for Bibi Dong to offer praise.

The more she looked at Su Ming, the more she liked him.

This type of person, who dared to break conventions and challenge the rules, stirred something deep within her, a sense of mutual appreciation between kindred spirits.

She couldn't help but consider taking him as a disciple.

But the next second, a trace of imperceptible gloom surfaced in the depths of her eyes.

She thought of Qian Xunji.

The immense trauma Qian Xunji had inflicted upon her years ago had twisted her psyche, leaving her with a deep-seated repulsion toward men.

Especially the sensitive and intimate relationship of master and disciple—it filled her with physical disgust!

She could take a female disciple, but she could not bring herself to take a male disciple as her direct successor.

This was a psychological knot she could not untie.

Looking at Su Ming, although her trauma prevented her from taking him as a disciple, she could never allow such a genius to slip away.

She turned her head to look at Hu Liena beside her and instructed, "Nana, from today on, Su Ming will be under your care. You are to be fully responsible for guiding his daily life and coordinating his cultivation resources."

"Yes," Hu Liena replied.

She had fully expected such an order from Bibi Dong.

After instructing Hu Liena, Bibi Dong turned her gaze back to Su Ming.

"Su Ming, from today on, you shall reside in the Golden Hall. The cultivation resources, supplies, and all special treatment you receive will be identical to Nana's."

"Yes! Thank you, Your Holiness!"

Bibi Dong paused for a moment before continuing:

"In your upcoming cultivation path, if you encounter any unsolvable issues or fatal problems concerning your foundation, you may come to the Pope Palace at any time and ask This Seat directly."

"Do you understand?"

This statement was equivalent to having the relationship of master and disciple, without the formal title.

After all, the privilege of coming to the Pope Palace at any time was something only Hu Liena possessed.

The other two members of the Golden Generation did not have this qualification.