Bibi Dong, the Pope

Yue Guan stepped back, standing ramrod straight with a look of reverence on his face.

Zhu Shen sat at the long table, observing the Pope before him. Bibi Dong was far more imposing than the image of Yu Xiaogang in his memories; that oppressive aura of one who had long held supreme power was absent in the bright, youthful girl from Yu Xiaogang's recollections. She wore a magnificent purple papal robe, a Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown upon her head, and held a scepter in her hand, her gaze calm as she looked at Zhu Shen.

"Master Yu," Bibi Dong began, her voice cold yet melodious. "I have already heard about the events in Nuoding City. You saved forty-seven children and captured the Evil Soul Master leader, Blood Shadow. You have performed a great service."

"You are too kind, Your Holiness," Zhu Shen replied, neither humble nor pushy. "Evil Soul Masters commit countless atrocities. As a Soul Master, taking action is simply my duty."

Bibi Dong nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on Zhu Shen for a moment. "Your martial soul evolution and soul power breakthrough are truly astonishing. I have consulted the archives of Spirit Hall, and the Dragon God Martial Soul has not appeared for hundreds of years. The last time it emerged was during the founding of Spirit Hall."

Zhu Shen's heart stirred. During the founding of Spirit Hall? That was at least a thousand years ago.

"It was merely luck," Zhu Shen said.

"Luck?" A faint, elusive smile tugged at the corners of Bibi Dong's mouth. "Martial soul evolution is not merely luck. As far as I know, ten years ago, Master Yu was still at level twenty-nine with the Luo Sanpao martial soul. In ten years, not only has your soul power broken through several barriers, but your martial soul has also evolved into the legendary Dragon God. I am very interested in the secret behind this."

Here it comes. Zhu Shen had been prepared for this. As the Pope, it was impossible for Bibi Dong not to inquire about his changes.

"Over these ten years, I traveled across the continent and discovered an ancient ruin in the Far North," Zhu Shen began to fabricate. "The ruin contained a trace of the Dragon God's bloodline left behind when it fell. It fused with me, which facilitated the evolution of my martial soul. My soul power breakthrough was also due to this."

He had rehearsed this explanation in his mind countless times. The Far North was sparsely populated, and ancient ruins were notoriously difficult to verify, making it the perfect excuse.

Bibi Dong listened quietly without interrupting. Only after Zhu Shen finished did she speak slowly. "Ancient ruins... I see. No wonder there were no relevant clues in the records of Spirit Hall."

She paused, then shifted the topic. "How much do you know about the Evil God Temple?"

Zhu Shen's spirits lifted. This was the main point of today's meeting.

"Not much, but enough to be vigilant," Zhu Shen said sternly. "I discovered three of their strongholds in Nuoding City. The leader, Blood Shadow, was a level seventy-three Soul Saint with a Blood Wolf King martial soul. They not only captured civilian children for blood sacrifices but were also cultivating so-called 'Holy Children'—selecting talented youngsters to brainwash from a young age and raise as their loyal followers."

Bibi Dong's eyes turned cold.

"Cultivating Holy Children... these Evil Soul Masters have quite the ambition." She pondered for a moment. "After Blood Shadow was captured, did he confess anything?"

"He would rather die than talk, only saying, 'The wrath of the Temple is not something we can withstand,'" Zhu Shen answered truthfully. "However, I captured two low-level Evil Soul Masters in Nuoding City, and they provided some information. The Evil God Temple had three strongholds near Nuoding City, all of which have now been evacuated. Their upper echelon is referred to as the 'Temple,' and members identify each other using a special dark red emblem."

He noticed that when he mentioned the "dark red emblem," the fingers Bibi Dong used to grip her scepter tightened slightly.

"A dark red emblem... what does it look like?"

"A distorted eye pattern, looking like a bleeding eye," Zhu Shen described.

Bibi Dong fell silent. She turned and walked to the window, looking out at the sky, remaining silent for a long time.

Zhu Shen was in no rush; he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. It was good tea, with a refreshing fragrance.

"Master Yu," Bibi Dong suddenly spoke. "Would you be willing to join Spirit Hall?"

Zhu Shen set down the teacup, not answering immediately.

He knew this was Bibi Dong's true objective. Inviting him to Spirit City to discuss Evil Soul Masters was a pretext; winning him over was the real goal.

"Your Holiness, I am currently a teacher at Notting Academy and have several disciples to instruct," Zhu Shen said tactfully.

"Whatever Notting Academy can give you, Spirit Hall can provide. And what Notting Academy cannot give you, Spirit Hall can also provide." Bibi Dong turned around, her gaze sharp. "Resources, status, intelligence, power. As long as you join Spirit Hall, none of these will be a problem."

Zhu Shen's heart stirred. Resources—this was exactly what he lacked most right now. Tang San needed soul rings and soul bones, the work-study students needed cultivation resources, and he himself needed to increase his strength. As the continent's premier Soul Master organization, Spirit Hall's resources were indeed abundant.

But he could not agree too quickly.

"Your Holiness, I need to consider this," Zhu Shen said. "Besides, I still have several disciples..."

"You can bring them along," Bibi Dong interrupted. "Spirit Hall has the best Soul Master academy; your disciples can receive the most systematic training there."

Zhu Shen fell into deep thought.

Joining Spirit Hall had clear benefits. Resources, intelligence, and influence were all things he desperately needed. Moreover, with his connection to Bibi Dong, his life in Spirit Hall would not be difficult.

But the drawbacks were also obvious. Once he joined Spirit Hall, he would stand completely on the opposite side of Tang Hao. Although he was currently trying to resolve the conflict between Tang Hao and Spirit Hall, the hatred between the two sides could not be erased overnight.

Furthermore, the internal factions of Spirit Hall were complex; as an outsider, joining rashly might not be a good thing.

"Your Holiness, may I ask a question?" Zhu Shen looked up at Bibi Dong.

"Please, speak."

"If I join Spirit Hall, what must I do? And what can I obtain?"

Bibi Dong walked back to the long table and sat down, folding her hands on the surface. "I need you to work for me. Investigate the Evil God Temple and purge the Evil Soul Master forces. As for what you can obtain..."

She paused. "The position of a Spirit Hall Elder, priority access to resources, and the authority to freely access all confidential archives of Spirit Hall. And... my trust."

She said the last four words very softly, but they carried great weight.

Zhu Shen weighed the pros and cons in his heart.

The position of an Elder was a very high status. Priority access to resources meant that he could obtain everything Tang San and the work-study students needed for their cultivation first. The authority to access confidential archives was a huge temptation for someone like him who studied martial soul theory.

As for Bibi Dong's trust...

"System, is the effect of 'Pope's Trust' still active?"

[Item 'Pope's Trust' is in effect. Current trust bonus: 20%.]

Zhu Shen breathed a sigh of relief. With this bonus, the credibility of Bibi Dong's words was much higher.

"Your Holiness, I need three months," Zhu Shen finally said. "I need to return to Nuoding City to handle some matters and make arrangements for my disciples. In three months, I will bring them to Spirit City."

Bibi Dong watched him, a trace of imperceptible satisfaction flashing in her eyes.

"Very well, I shall give you three months." She stood up. "Yue Guan, take Master Yu to rest. Arrange the best guest room and provide for all his needs according to the standards of an elder."

"As you command, Your Holiness." Yue Guan bowed and replied.

Zhu Shen also stood up and offered a salute: "Many thanks, Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong nodded, turned, and left the side hall.

Yue Guan walked to Zhu Shen's side with a beaming smile: "Master Yu, please follow me."

Zhu Shen followed Yue Guan out of the side hall and walked along the corridor toward the guest room area. The interior of Spirit Hall was even more magnificent than he had imagined; the walls on both sides of the corridor were hung with portraits of past Popes, and the vaulted ceiling was painted with exquisite murals depicting the history and achievements of Spirit Hall.

"Master Yu, this way please." Yue Guan pushed open a carved wooden door. "This is your room. If you need anything, feel free to summon the servants at any time."

The room was large and elegantly furnished. There was a carved wooden bed, a set of rosewood table and chairs, several scrolls of calligraphy and painting on the walls, and a pot of orchids placed in the corner.

"Many thanks, Chrysanthemum Douluo." Zhu Shen expressed his gratitude.

Yue Guan waved his hand: "Master Yu is too polite. Please rest, and I will have someone bring dinner over later."

With that, he retreated and gently closed the door.

Zhu Shen walked to the window and pushed it open. Outside was a small garden planted with various flowers and plants, and in the distance, the streets and buildings of Spirit City were visible.

He let out a long breath.

Today's meeting with Bibi Dong had gone more smoothly than he had anticipated. Bibi Dong did not press too hard on the secret of his martial soul evolution, instead focusing directly on the Evil God Temple and his own value.

This indicated that in Bibi Dong's eyes, his value far outweighed his secrets.

"Three months..." Zhu Shen muttered to himself.

He needed these three months. Tang San had already obtained his second spirit ring, but his third was still nowhere in sight. The basic training for the work-study students had just begun, and he had to lay a solid foundation for them.

And then there was the Evil God Temple. Although Blood Shadow had been captured, that organization would certainly not let the matter rest. He had to clear out the hidden dangers before leaving Nuoding City.

Just as he was thinking, a knock came at the door.

"Master Yu, your dinner has arrived."

Zhu Shen opened the door to find a maid standing outside with a tray. The tray held four dishes, a soup, and a bowl of rice, all of which looked appetizing and fragrant.

"Just leave it on the table," Zhu Shen said.

The maid placed the tray on the table, offered a salute, and withdrew.

Zhu Shen sat at the table and began to eat. The food tasted good, far better than what he had previously eaten in Nuoding City.

Halfway through the meal, the system prompt suddenly sounded.

[Ding, detected that the host has reached a preliminary cooperation with Bibi Dong, triggering a hidden mission: Pope's Ally.]

[Mission Requirements: Within three months, help Bibi Dong resolve a thorny issue to consolidate the alliance.]

[Mission Rewards: Evolution Points +100, one random ten-thousand-year spirit bone, Bibi Dong's favorability +20.]

Zhu Shen's eyes lit up.

There was such a good thing?

He put down his chopsticks and began to calculate. What was the most troublesome matter for Bibi Dong right now? The Evil God Temple certainly counted, but that was not something that could be solved overnight. Besides that...

He suddenly thought of someone.

Qian Renxue.

The mother-daughter relationship between Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue was one of the greatest tragedies in the original work. Qian Renxue hated Bibi Dong, and Bibi Dong hated Qian Renxue; the two were clearly the closest of kin, yet they had become each other's greatest enemies.

If he could resolve the conflict between this mother and daughter, his status in Bibi Dong's heart would be completely different.

But this matter could not be rushed. Qian Renxue should currently be in the Heaven Dou Empire impersonating the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe; if he were to make contact rashly, it would only arouse suspicion.

He would have to plan carefully.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Shen lay on the bed and began to plan for the next three months.

First, return to Nuoding City and take Tang San to hunt for his third spirit ring. This time, he had to find a better spirit beast, preferably one over a thousand years old.

Second, lay a good foundation for the work-study students and then entrust them to someone reliable. Wang Sheng and that group of children had average talent, but their character was good; if cultivated well, they could become successful in the future.

Third, clean up the remnants of the Evil God Temple near Nuoding City. He would need Tang Hao's help for this; he couldn't handle it alone.

Fourth...

He recalled the words Bibi Dong had spoken earlier today.

"The position of Spirit Hall Elder, priority access to resource allocation, and the right to freely enter and exit all confidential archives of Spirit Hall."

These conditions were indeed very tempting.

"I'll do it." Zhu Shen slapped his thigh. "Isn't it just joining Spirit Hall? I have a cheat, what am I afraid of?"

He rolled over and sat up, beginning to cultivate.

Since he had decided to cling to Bibi Dong's thigh, he had to demonstrate sufficient value. Strength would always be the best bargaining chip.

The night passed without incident.