Flying Cloud Pavilion

Bibi Dong's gaze shifted away from Yue Guan and landed on Qin Chuan's face.

That gaze was peculiar. Qin Chuan had been scrutinized by many, but Bibi Dong's appraisal was unlike any other. There was no curiosity or mere inspection in her eyes; it was a condescending, habitual evaluation.

It was as if a hunter were examining prey, calculating whether it was worth the effort to make a move.

"Qin Chuan."

Bibi Dong spoke. Her voice was not loud, yet it could be heard clearly in every corner of the grand hall.

"A good name."

Bibi Dong rose from the dragon throne and descended the steps of the high platform. Her pace was unhurried, her deep purple gown dragging a dark arc across the stairs. With every step, the dark gold tassels on her waistband swayed.

She stopped two meters in front of Qin Chuan.

Bibi Dong looked at him, her expression unchanging.

"A good seedling." She said the words with crisp finality.

"Yue Guan told me what happened today. Fifteen years old, level 56, twin martial souls." Bibi Dong circled halfway around Qin Chuan and stopped at his right side. "And you can fly."

Qin Chuan stood still, not moving an inch.

"May I see your eyes?" Bibi Dong used an inquisitive tone. Although she could have easily issued a command, she chose not to.

Qin Chuan knew this was a test, so he nodded.

With a thought, the Six Paths Reincarnation Eye activated.

Within Qin Chuan's pupils, six purple rings lit up in sequence, one nested within the other, rotating slowly. A pale purple radiance emanated from his eye sockets, casting a faint, ethereal halo in the air between him and Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed slightly; she felt it.

The power radiating from Qin Chuan's eyes was unlike any soul power she had ever encountered. The essence of that energy was purer and more profound, as if it belonged to an entirely different system.

"This is not soul power." For the first time, a hint of surprise surfaced in Bibi Dong's voice.

She had lived for thirty years, a level 99 Limit Douluo and a wielder of twin martial souls; there were very few things on the Douluo Continent that could surprise her.

Yet, the power in Qin Chuan's eyes truly caught her off guard.

"Let me see your martial soul."

Qin Chuan retracted the Reincarnation Eye and raised both hands.

Above his left palm, the Illusion Bell emerged. The purple bell hovered quietly as five white soul rings rotated slowly from bottom to top.

When Bibi Dong saw those five white soul rings, her eyebrows twitched.

Five white soul rings! Impossible. The legendary method of the evil cultivators—no one has ever succeeded in it until now! Bibi Dong thought, startled.

Qin Chuan then raised his right hand.

The Zhu Xian Sword appeared above his palm.

The pitch-black blade emitted a cold, eerie luster, and a 25,000-year black soul ring rotated slowly around it. The sharpness radiating from the blade caused the temperature in the grand hall to drop by two degrees.

Bibi Dong stared at the Zhu Xian Sword for a full five seconds.

She could clearly perceive the quality of this sword.

As a level 99 Limit Douluo, her judgment of martial souls ranked within the top five on the entire Douluo Continent.

The energy level of this sword was absurdly high!

"Zhu Xian Sword." Bibi Dong repeated the three words, her voice dropping low. "I have seen the Seven Kill Sword and the Clear Sky Hammer. The energy fluctuations of your sword are more than a level higher than the Seven Kill Sword."

Standing to the side, Yue Guan felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing this.

He had reached the same conclusion earlier, but he hadn't been certain if his instincts were accurate. Now that Bibi Dong had said it herself, it proved he hadn't been mistaken.

Bibi Dong withdrew her gaze from the Zhu Xian Sword and looked back at Qin Chuan.

"Yue Guan says you have a grudge against the Clear Sky Sect."

Qin Chuan's expression remained unchanged. "Yes. The people of the Clear Sky Sect killed my family and my friends. I will settle this debt sooner or later."

Bibi Dong valued this. She walked back to the edge of the high platform and turned around, her deep purple gown tracing an arc at her feet.

"Qin Chuan, are you willing to stay in Spirit Hall?"

Without preamble or circumlocution, Bibi Dong asked directly.

Qin Chuan looked up and met Bibi Dong's gaze. "I am willing."

"Good." Bibi Dong sat back down on the dragon throne, resting her left hand on the armrest and tapping her fingers twice. "Yue Guan."

Yue Guan stepped forward. "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

Bibi Dong glanced at Qin Chuan before speaking to Yue Guan. "Arrange for him to stay in the Flying Cloud Pavilion, in the same area as Hu Liena and the others. You will personally serve as his mentor."

Yue Guan was slightly stunned.

The Flying Cloud Pavilion was the residence for Spirit Hall's core disciples. Everyone who lived there was a seed player carefully cultivated by Spirit Hall. Giving an outsider who had just arrived such treatment showed that Bibi Dong's regard for Qin Chuan exceeded his expectations.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Also," Bibi Dong's voice paused, "he shall enjoy the same access to Spirit Hall's techniques, classics, and cultivation resources as Hu Liena and the others."

"Yes."

Bibi Dong's gaze returned to Qin Chuan.

"Qin Chuan, you are very special. So special that it makes me feel like the heavens are playing a joke on me. A 56th-level Spirit King at fifteen, twin spirits, and those eyes of yours."

Bibi Dong's voice was flat, making it impossible to tell if she was offering praise or deep in thought.

"But the more special a person is, the more careful they must be. My Spirit Hall does not raise idlers, nor does it raise ingrates. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qin Chuan nodded. "Rest assured, Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong stared at him for three seconds, and the corners of her mouth finally twitched. The arc was faint, hardly a smile, but at least she was no longer wearing a cold expression.

"Mm, get some rest. From this moment on, you belong to Spirit Hall."

Qin Chuan followed Yue Guan as they retreated.

The moment the great hall's doors closed behind him, Qin Chuan let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

The pressure of standing before Bibi Dong was even greater than facing that hammer from Tang Hao. Tang Hao's pressure was a pure, crushing force—very direct. Bibi Dong's pressure was different; she didn't do anything, she just sat there looking at you, and you felt as though you had been stripped bare.

Those ink-black, deep eyes seemed capable of seeing right through to your very soul.

But fortunately, he had passed the test.

Yue Guan led Qin Chuan out of the great hall, walking for a stretch along the stone-paved path in the mountains.

Hu Liena had been waiting at the entrance the entire time, and seeing the two of them emerge, she trotted over to meet them.

"Chrysanthemum Elder, what did Her Holiness the Pope say?"

Yue Guan smiled. "Her Holiness is very satisfied. From today on, Qin Chuan is a core disciple of Spirit Hall. He will reside in the Flying Cloud Pavilion, in the same area as you."

Hu Liena's eyes brightened. "Really? That's wonderful!"

The three of them walked east along the mountain path for about ten minutes, passing through a bamboo grove, before the view suddenly opened up.

The Flying Cloud Pavilion was situated on an open platform halfway up the mountain, consisting of several independent small buildings.

Each small building was a two-story structure of wood and stone, with upturned eaves and pale blue gauze curtains hanging in the windows. The buildings were connected by paths paved with crushed stone, and the sides of the paths were lined with low, neatly trimmed shrubs.

Yue Guan led Qin Chuan to the small building at the far east end.

"This one is empty; it will be your residence from now on."

Qin Chuan pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The first floor served as a living room and study. In the living room sat a square mahogany table with four chairs. The study was not large, but a row of bookshelves lined the wall, filled with numerous classics and handwritten notes.

The second floor contained the bedroom and bathroom. The bed in the bedroom was covered with a thick cotton quilt, and the pillow was stuffed with buckwheat hulls, feeling firm to the touch. The window faced east, ensuring he would be woken directly by the sunlight tomorrow morning.