Setting Off to Spirit Hall

After the fat old hall master left, Zhu Shen stayed at Notting Academy for another three days.

During these three days, he accomplished a few things.

First, he readjusted the training plan for the work-study students. The foundation of those nine children, including Wang Sheng, was too poor; he couldn't rush them and had to take it slow. He taught them a set of basic breathing techniques that could accelerate the recovery of soul power; although the effect was limited, it was better than nothing.

Second, he gave Tang San some private tutoring. The kid was already at level twenty-one, but his second soul ring was still nowhere to be found. Zhu Shen redeemed a clue for a century-old Lone Bamboo from the system and let Tang San go to the Soul Hunting Forest to find it himself. The process went smoothly; Tang San went alone, returned alone, and brought back a four-hundred-year-old Lone Bamboo soul ring. The soul skill was called "Blue Silver Bamboo Prison," which could trap enemies and came with a paralyzing effect.

Third, he dealt with the remnants of the Evil God Temple. The soul ancestor known as Black Bat was sensible; after receiving the message passed on by the two lackeys Zhu Shen had let go, he led his men and withdrew from Nuoding City overnight. Zhu Shen made a round of the strongholds in the south, west, and north of the city to confirm that everyone had left, only then feeling at ease.

Fourth, and most importantly—pranking Tang San.

He asked Tang San to go to the blacksmith shop to forge a few needles, claiming he wanted to teach him a new hidden weapon technique. Tang San went happily, spent the whole afternoon forging ten fine steel needles, and returned to hand them to Zhu Shen.

Zhu Shen took the needles, pretended to examine them, then "accidentally" dropped them on the ground and stepped on them.

"Oops, my hand slipped."

Tang San looked at the bent needles, his face turning green.

"Teacher..."

"It's fine, it's fine, they can still be used even if they're bent." Zhu Shen picked up the needles and shoved them back into Tang San's hands. "Just consider it training your control. Only by hitting the target with bent needles can you call it real skill."

Tang San's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for pranking Tang San slightly. Reward obtained: Evolution Points +10.]

Zhu Shen was delighted. His evolution points had reached 90/100; one more prank and he could increase his bloodline purity.

However, now was not the time. He had to save the points; they might come in handy once he reached Spirit City.

Three days later, everything was ready.

Zhu Shen called the work-study students to the open space and announced that he was going on a long trip.

"How long will you be gone, Teacher?" Wang Sheng asked.

"Ten days at the shortest, a month at the longest," Zhu Shen said. "Don't slack off during this time; the daily training must not stop. When I return to check, anyone who has regressed will have extra training."

The children replied in unison: "Yes!"

Xiao Lian asked timidly: "Teacher, where are you going?"

"Spirit City." Zhu Shen patted her head. "The Pope has invited me to be a guest."

The children's eyes lit up. Spirit City was the holy land in the hearts of all soul masters.

"Teacher is truly amazing!" Li Erniu said enviously. "If only I could go to Spirit City too."

"When you become a Soul Venerable, Teacher will take you." Zhu Shen smiled. "Alright, you are all dismissed. San, stay behind."

The children dispersed, leaving only Zhu Shen and Tang San in the open space.

"Teacher, are you really going alone?" Tang San was a bit worried.

"Otherwise what? Take you with me?" Zhu Shen rolled his eyes. "With your current strength, you'd just be a burden. Stay in the academy and cultivate properly. When I return, I'll take you to hunt for your third soul ring."

Tang San nodded: "This disciple understands."

"Also, keep an eye on the academy while I'm away." Zhu Shen lowered his voice. "Although the people from the Evil God Temple have withdrawn, there's no guarantee there aren't any stragglers. Wang Sheng and the others are too weak; you need to protect them."

"Rest assured, Teacher. With this disciple here, no one will dare to bully them."

"Good." Zhu Shen patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Alright, go back. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning."

Tang San bowed and turned to leave.

Zhu Shen watched his back, feeling a bit emotional.

This kid was becoming more and more responsible.

Early the next morning, before the sky had even brightened, Zhu Shen packed his things and prepared to set off.

He didn't have much luggage—just a few changes of clothes, some dry rations, and the "Pope's Trust" and "Bibi Dong's Love Letter" he had drawn from the system. He kept these two items close to his body; they might save his life at a critical moment.

As he pushed open his door, Tang San was already waiting outside.

"Teacher, let me see you off."

"See me off? It's not like I'm not coming back." Zhu Shen waved his hand. "Go back and train well."

Tang San didn't move; he took a small cloth bag from his chest: "Teacher, these are the needles I made last night. Take them for self-defense."

Zhu Shen took the cloth bag and opened it to see ten steel needles as thin as ox hair, their tips gleaming with a faint blue light.

"Coated with poison?"

"Yes, paralyzing powder. It can take down a Soul Venerable," Tang San said. "Although you might not need it, just in case."

Zhu Shen felt a warmth in his heart and tucked the bag away: "You have a good heart."

"Take care, Teacher."

"You too."

Zhu Shen unfurled his dragon wings and soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into the pre-dawn darkness.

Tang San stood in the open space, looking up at the sky until that golden light had completely disappeared, before turning back to his room.

Nuoding City was far from Spirit City, over a thousand miles away. At Zhu Shen's current speed, he could arrive in a single day if he flew at full capacity. However, he was in no rush; the Pope's invitation did not specify a date, merely stating, "Hoping Master can come to Spirit City for a chat," which implied he was welcome at any time.

He planned to fly slowly and take in the scenery along the way.

After two hours of flight, the sun rose. Golden sunlight spilled across the land, and the fields, villages, and rivers all appeared vibrant and full of life.

Zhu Shen lowered his altitude and landed outside the gates of a small city.

He retracted his dragon wings, changed into ordinary grey robes, and walked into the city.

The small city was not large, but it was bustling. The streets were lined with stalls selling vegetables, meat, and snacks, with the sounds of hawking rising one after another. Pedestrians came and went, including both ordinary people and Spirit Masters, though most were low-level Spirit Masters with one or two rings.

Zhu Shen found a noodle shop, ordered a bowl, and sat down to eat slowly.

Just as the noodles were served, the conversation from the table next to him drifted over.

"Did you hear? Something big happened over in Nuoding City."

"What happened?"

"Evil Soul Masters! A group of Evil Soul Masters were performing a ritual in the Soul Hunting Forest, capturing over forty children to drain their blood as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

"My god! And then?"

"Then they were saved by a Master. That Master was incredibly fierce; he took down over twenty Evil Soul Masters by himself and even crippled their leader."

"That intense? Which Master was it?"

"Seems his name is Yu Xiaogang. He used to be a trash Master, but who knows what happened—his Spirit evolved, and his strength is terrifyingly high."

"Yu Xiaogang? Never heard of him."

"It's normal that you haven't. I heard it from my cousin, who works at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City..."

Zhu Shen listened while he ate his noodles.

News traveled quite fast; it had only been a few days, and even a small city like this already knew. It seemed Spirit Hall was putting significant effort into their propaganda, likely hoping to use this incident to build a positive image.

He finished his noodles, paid the bill, and continued on his way.

He flew over plains, mountain ranges, and forests.

At noon, he passed by a Spirit Beast forest and sensed several powerful auras within, at least from ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts. He did not dare to get close and circled around them.

In the afternoon, he flew over a large city with a sign hanging at the gate that read "Soto City."

Soto City, the location of Shrek Academy.

Zhu Shen hesitated for a moment but did not enter the city.

Now was not the time to see Flender and Liu Erlong. He had to go to Spirit City first, finish dealing with the Evil God Temple, and then consider other matters.

By dusk, he finally saw the silhouette of Spirit City.

It was a massive city with towering walls and imposing gates. In the center of the city stood a magnificent palace—the Pope Palace.

Zhu Shen landed outside the city gate, retracted his dragon wings, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the entrance.

Two squads of guards stood at the gate, all of them Spirit Masters with at least two rings. Seeing Zhu Shen, they immediately blocked his path.

"Halt, who goes there?"

Zhu Shen took out the Pope's invitation: "Yu Xiaogang from Nuoding City, here at the Pope's invitation."

The guard took the invitation, examined it carefully, and then looked Zhu Shen up and down, his expression turning respectful.

"So it is Master Yu. His Holiness the Pope has given instructions that you are to be brought directly to the Pope Palace upon your arrival. Please, follow me."

The guard led Zhu Shen into the city.

Spirit City was more than ten times larger than Nuoding City; the streets were wide and clean, and the buildings on both sides were tall and ornate. The proportion of Spirit Masters among the pedestrians was high, with three-ring and four-ring masters visible everywhere, and he even spotted a few five-ring Spirit Kings.

As they walked, the guard introduced the area: "This is the commercial district, that over there is the Spirit Master Academy, and further ahead is the Spirit Fighting Arena... The Pope Palace is in the center of the city; we will be there shortly."

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, a magnificent palace appeared before his eyes.

The palace was entirely white, built of marble, and towered into the clouds. In front of the hall stood twelve massive stone pillars, each carved with a different Spirit pattern. Two rows of knights in golden armor stood at the entrance, their auras powerful; they were all Spirit Ancestors of the fourth ring or higher.

The guard stopped: "Master Yu, I can only take you this far. Please go in; someone will receive you."

"Many thanks."

Zhu Shen took a deep breath and stepped onto the stairs.

The golden-armored knights did not stop him, merely watching him with scrutinizing gazes.

As he reached the entrance of the hall, an elderly man in white robes came out to meet him. The old man's hair and beard were white, his face kind, yet his eyes were sharp, and he radiated a powerful ripple of Spirit power.

"Master Yu?" the old man asked, his voice gentle.

"That is I."

"This old man is Yue Guan, a deacon of the Pope Palace." The old man smiled slightly. "His Holiness the Pope is waiting for you; please follow me."

Yue Guan?

Zhu Shen's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this Chrysanthemum Douluo? An elder of Spirit Hall, a level ninety-five Title Douluo.

He had actually come out to welcome him personally?

It seemed Bibi Dong placed great importance on this meeting.

Zhu Shen nodded and followed Yue Guan into the Pope Palace.

The interior of the great hall was even more magnificent than it appeared from the outside. The floor was paved with mirror-polished marble, and the walls were adorned with massive murals depicting the history of the Spirit Hall. The vaulted ceiling soared high, inlaid with countless gemstones that shimmered brilliantly under the lights.

Yue Guan led Zhu Shen through the great hall and arrived at a side chamber.

The side chamber was not large, but it was elegantly furnished. A few paintings hung on the walls, several potted plants sat in the corners, and a long table occupied the center, set with a tea service.

"Please sit, Master Yu. Her Holiness the Pope will be here shortly." Yue Guan gestured for Zhu Shen to take a seat while he stood to the side.

Zhu Shen sat down at the long table, feeling a bit nervous.

He was about to see Bibi Dong.

The woman he had loved and hated while reading the original work in his past life; the gentle, beautiful young girl from Yu Xiaogang's memories; the cold, ruthless Pope of the present.

What would she be like?

Just as he was thinking this, the door to the side chamber opened.

A woman dressed in magnificent robes, wearing the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown, walked in.

She appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with stunning features and a noble aura, yet her eyes were icy, carrying a majesty that looked down upon the world.

It was none other than Bibi Dong.

Zhu Shen stood up and bowed. "Yu Xiaogang of Nuoding City pays respects to Her Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong glanced at him, a flicker of imperceptible emotion flashing through her eyes.

"Master Yu, please sit."