After the chubby old Hall Master left, Zhu Shen stayed at Notting Academy for another three days.
During those three days, he took care of a few things.
First, he adjusted the work-study students' training plans. Wang Sheng and the other eight children had a poor foundation, so there was no rushing them. They had to take it slowly. He taught them a basic breathing technique that could speed up Soul Power recovery. Its effect was limited, but it was better than nothing.
Second, he gave Tang San some special instruction. The kid was already level twenty-one, but still had no Second Soul Ring. Zhu Shen redeemed a lead on a hundred-year-old Lone Bamboo from the system and told Tang San to find it in Soul Hunting Forest. Everything went smoothly. Tang San went alone and returned alone, bringing back a four-hundred-year Lone Bamboo Soul Ring. The Soul Skill was called "Blue Silver Bamboo Prison." It could trap enemies and came with a paralyzing effect.
Third, he dealt with the remnants of Evil God Temple. The Soul Ancestor called Black Bat knew when to quit. After receiving word from the two underlings Zhu Shen had let go, he led his people out of Nuoding City in the dead of night. Zhu Shen made the rounds of their three bases in the south, west, and north of the city, and only relaxed once he was sure they had all left.
Fourth, and most importantly, he tricked Tang San.
He sent Tang San to the blacksmith's shop to make a few needles, saying he would teach him a new Hidden Weapon technique. Tang San went off happily, spent the whole afternoon making ten steel needles, then brought them back to Zhu Shen.
Zhu Shen took the needles and pretended to examine them. Then he "accidentally" dropped them on the ground and stepped on them.
"Oops, slipped."
Tang San's face turned green as he stared at the bent needles.
"Teacher..."
"It's fine, it's fine. They'll still work bent." Zhu Shen picked them up and put them back in Tang San's hand. "Think of it as practicing your control. Hitting a target with a bent needle—that's the real skill."
Tang San's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on pulling a little prank on Tang San. Reward: Evolution Points +10. ]
Zhu Shen grinned. He had saved up 90/100 Evolution Points. One more prank and he could improve his bloodline purity.
But now wasn't the time. He needed to save his points in case they came in handy once he reached Spirit City.
Three days later, everything was ready.
Zhu Shen called the work-study students to an open space and announced that he would be going away for a while.
"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 while I'm gone. You must keep up your daily training. I'll check when I get back, and anyone who's regressed will get extra practice."
The children answered in unison, "Yes!"
Xiao Lian asked timidly, "Teacher, where are you going?"
"Spirit City." Zhu Shen patted her head. "The Pope invited me to visit."
The children's eyes lit up. Spirit City was the sacred land in every Soul Master's heart.
"Teacher, you're amazing!" Li Erniu said enviously. "I wish I could go to Spirit City too."
"When you become a Soul Elder, I'll take you," Zhu Shen said with a smile. "All right, everyone, go on. Xiao San, stay behind."
The children left, and only Zhu Shen and Tang San remained in the open space.
"Teacher, are you really going alone?" Tang San asked, worried.
"Who else? You?" Zhu Shen rolled his eyes. "With your current strength, you'd only hold me back. Stay at the academy and train hard. When I get back, I'll take you to hunt for your Third Soul Ring."
Tang San nodded. "I understand, Teacher."
"Also, while I'm gone, keep an eye on the academy for me." Zhu Shen lowered his voice. "Even though the people from Evil God Temple have withdrawn, there may still be some stragglers. Wang Sheng and the others are too weak. Make sure you protect them."
"Don't worry, Teacher. As long as I'm here, no one will dare bully them."
"Good." Zhu Shen patted Tang San on the shoulder. "All right, go back. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
Tang San bowed and turned to leave.
Zhu Shen watched him go, feeling a little moved.
That kid was growing more and more responsible.
Early the next morning, before the sky had even brightened, Zhu Shen packed his things and prepared to leave.
He didn't have much luggage: just a few changes of clothes, some rations, and "Pope's Trust" and "Bibi Dong's Love Letter," which he had drawn from the system. He kept those two things close. They might save his life at a critical moment.
When he opened the door, Tang San was already waiting outside.
"Teacher, I'll see you off."
"What for? It's not like I'm never coming back." Zhu Shen waved him away. "Go back and train hard."
Tang San didn't move. He took a small cloth bundle from inside his robe. "Teacher, I made these needles last night. Take them for protection."
Zhu Shen took the bundle and opened it. Inside were ten needles as fine as ox hairs, their tips gleaming with a faint blue light.
"You coated them with poison?"
"Yes. It's a paralyzing powder that can take down a Soul Elder," Tang San said. "It probably won't be useful to you, but you never know."
Zhu Shen felt a warmth in his heart and put the bundle away. "That's thoughtful of you."
"Take care, Teacher."
"You too."
Zhu Shen spread his Dragon Wings and shot into the sky. He became a streak of golden light and vanished into the darkness before dawn.
Tang San stood in the open space, gazing up at the sky. Only after that streak of golden light had disappeared completely did he turn and go back inside.
Nuoding City was far from Spirit City, more than a thousand miles away. At Zhu Shen's current speed, he could make it in a day if he flew at full speed. But there was no need to hurry. The Pope's invitation hadn't specified a date; it had only said, "I hope Grandmaster will visit Spirit City for a chat." In other words, he was welcome anytime.
He decided to fly at a leisurely pace and enjoy the scenery along the way.
After flying for two hours, the sun rose. Golden sunlight spilled across the land, bringing the fields, villages, and rivers to life.
Zhu Shen descended and landed outside the gates of a small city.
He folded away his Dragon Wings, changed into ordinary gray clothes, and walked into the city.
The city was small but lively. Stalls lined both sides of the street, selling vegetables, meat, and snacks. Hawkers called out one after another, while people came and went. There were ordinary folk as well as Soul Masters, though most were low-level Soul Masters with one or two rings.
Zhu Shen found a noodle shop, ordered a bowl, and sat down to eat at his leisure.
As soon as the noodles were served, conversation from the next table drifted over.
"Did you hear? Something big happened over in Nuoding City."
"What happened?"
"Evil Soul Masters! A bunch of them held a sacrifice in Soul Hunting Forest. They captured more than forty children and were going to bleed them out as an offering to the heavens!"
"My god! What happened next?"
"Then a Grandmaster saved them. That Grandmaster was incredible—he took down more than twenty Evil Soul Masters all by himself and crippled their leader too."
"That strong? Which Grandmaster?"
"I think his name was Yu Xiaogang. He used to be known as a useless Grandmaster, but I don't know what happened—his Martial Soul evolved, and he became unbelievably strong."
"Yu Xiaogang? Never heard of him."
"That's normal. I only heard it from my cousin. He works at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City..."
Zhu Shen ate his noodles and listened.
The news had spread quickly. It had only been a few days, yet even this small city had heard about it. Spirit Hall seemed to be doing a thorough job of publicizing the incident. They were probably hoping to use it to build a positive image.
He finished his noodles, paid, and continued on his way.
He flew over plains, mountains, and forests.
At noon, he passed over a forest full of Soul Beasts. He sensed several powerful auras inside, at least from Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. He didn't dare get close and flew around it.
In the afternoon, he flew over a large city. A sign reading "Suotuo City" hung above the city gate.
Suotuo City, home of Shrek Academy.
Zhu Shen hesitated, but didn't enter the city.
It wasn't time to meet Flender and Liu Erlong yet. He had to go to Spirit City first and deal with the matter of Evil God Temple before considering anything else.
By dusk, he finally saw the outline of Spirit City.
It was a huge city, with towering walls and imposing gates. A magnificent palace stood at the city's center: Pope Palace.
Zhu Shen landed outside the city gate, folded away his Dragon Wings, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the entrance.
Two squads of guards stood at the gate. They were all Soul Masters, and even the weakest had two rings. When they saw Zhu Shen, they immediately stopped him.
"Hold it. Who are you?"
Zhu Shen took out the Pope's invitation. "Yu Xiaogang of Nuoding City. I've come at the Pope's invitation."
The guard took the invitation and examined it closely, then looked Zhu Shen over. His expression turned respectful.
"So you're Grandmaster Yu. His Holiness the Pope instructed us to take you straight to Pope Palace when you arrived. Please, follow me."
The guard led Zhu Shen into the city.
Spirit City was more than ten times larger than Nuoding City. Its streets were wide and clean, and the buildings on either side were tall and elegant. Soul Masters made up a large proportion of the people walking by. Three- and four-ring Soul Masters were everywhere, and there were even a few Five-Ring Soul Kings.
As they walked, the guard pointed things out. "This is the commercial district, and that's the Soul Master Academy. The Fighting Arena is farther ahead... Pope Palace is in the city center. We'll be there soon."
After about fifteen minutes, a magnificent palace came into view.
The palace was entirely white, built from marble, and soared into the clouds. Twelve enormous stone pillars stood before it, each carved with a different Martial Soul. Two rows of golden-armored knights stood at the entrance. Their auras were powerful, and they were all Soul Ancestors with at least four rings.
The guard stopped. "Grandmaster Yu, this is as far as I can take you. Please go in. Someone will receive you."
"Thank you."
Zhu Shen drew a deep breath and stepped up onto the stairs.
The golden-armored knights didn't stop him, but watched him with measuring eyes.
At the palace entrance, an old man in white robes came out to meet him. His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was kindly, but his eyes were sharp and powerful Soul Power rippled around him.
"Grandmaster Yu?" the old man asked gently.
"That's right."
"I am Yue Guan, an attendant of Pope Palace." The old man smiled faintly. "His Holiness the Pope is waiting for you. Please, follow me."
Yue Guan?
Zhu Shen's heart stirred. Wasn't he Chrysanthemum Douluo? A Spirit Hall elder and a Titled Douluo at level ninety-five.
He had come out to greet him personally?
It seemed Bibi Dong attached great importance to this meeting.
Zhu Shen nodded and followed Yue Guan into Pope Palace.
The interior was even more magnificent than it had looked from outside. The floor was paved with marble polished to a mirror sheen, and enormous murals depicting Spirit Hall's history hung on the walls. The ceiling soared overhead, inlaid with countless jewels that glittered in the light.
Yue Guan led Zhu Shen through the main hall and into a side room.
The room wasn't large, but it was tastefully furnished. A few paintings and calligraphy works hung on the walls, and several potted plants sat in the corners. A long table stood in the center, with a tea set on top.
"Please have a seat, Grandmaster Yu. His Holiness the Pope will be here shortly." Yue Guan gestured for Zhu Shen to sit, then stood to one side.
Zhu Shen sat at the table, feeling a little nervous.
He was about to meet Bibi Dong.
The woman he had loved and hated while reading the original story in his previous life. The gentle, beautiful young woman in Yu Xiaogang's memories. The cold and ruthless Pope as she was now.
What would she be like?
Just then, the door to the side room opened.
A woman dressed in ornate robes and wearing the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown walked in.
She looked to be in her late twenties. Her features were breathtakingly beautiful, and her bearing was noble, but her eyes were cold, carrying an awe-inspiring presence that seemed to look down upon all beneath the heavens.
It was Bibi Dong.
Zhu Shen stood and bowed. "Yu Xiaogang of Nuoding City greets Your Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong looked at him, and a fleeting glimmer passed through her eyes.
"Grandmaster Yu, please sit."