At that moment, Ning Fengzhi, whose father had just died and who had taken over as head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, had also learned that the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and other forces had formed an alliance.
The long-dormant spark of independence in Ning Fengzhi's heart flared back to life!
As a marriage pawn for Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi had already married Bibi Dong by this point.
However, Ning Fengzhi declared, "I came to Spirit Hall for the marriage alliance so I could become the Pope's wife! I don't care who the Pope is, but I have to be the Pope's wife!"
The reality, however, was cruel. Qian Xunji's last words had explicitly named Qian Xunqian as the next Pope, while Bibi Dong remained the Saintess.
What was more, Qian Xunqian was younger than Bibi Dong and more talented. There was no way she would step down so soon; at the very least, she would hold the position for another forty years.
Was there ever a Saintess who served for forty years? Was there ever a Saintess's wife who waited forty years?
Not only that, Qian Xunqian also had a niece, Qian Renxue, who possessed Innate Soul Power at level twenty. In Ning Fengzhi's view, the position of Pope would certainly pass to Qian Renxue. Bibi Dong could forget about it.
He had entered the marriage alliance in the first place so that his next generation would have a chance to become Pope. Then, with a little maneuvering, he would make Spirit Hall take the surname Ning!
But now, that hope had gone up in smoke. He was nothing more than the husband of an insignificant Saintess.
Qian Xunqian had disliked him from the start and had deliberately refused to give him the Aromatic Silk Beauty. If Qian Xunji hadn't wanted to win over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, his Martial Soul could never have evolved into the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda!
Now that Qian Xunqian had become Pope, Ning Fengzhi was even more on edge. Though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had nominally joined Spirit Hall, it still enjoyed considerable freedom in practice. The sect remained in the Heaven Dou Empire and had not moved to Spirit City.
He was afraid Qian Xunqian would take a dislike to him and send someone to cut off his head, then seize the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in one swift move. All the Ning Clan's efforts over the past thousand years would go up in smoke!
Bibi Dong had an excellent relationship with Qian Xunqian and was, in practice, Spirit Hall's second-in-command. Though he and Bibi Dong were husband and wife in name, they had no conjugal relationship at all. It was a purely political marriage.
He figured that when the time came, the one to kill him might well be the very person who shared his bed day and night...
Bibi Dong: "Fengzhi, it's time to take your medicine..."
No! This was terrifying! He had to escape Spirit Hall! He would take the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and ally with the Heaven Dou Empire, keeping the sect out of Spirit Hall's control. It had to remain the Ning Clan's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo brought his teenage granddaughter to Pope's Palace, hoping Qian Xunqian would give her some guidance.
Though Dugu Yan had not awakened a Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor Martial Soul like his own, and had only an ordinary Jade Phosphor Snake, she had a solid foundation and Innate Soul Power at level seven. With some effort and guidance from His Holiness the Pope, she had a good chance of becoming a Titled Douluo someday.
"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope." The two bowed to Qian Xunqian.
Though Qian Xunqian had been Pope for several years, she put on no airs outside of public settings. She warmly stepped forward and pinched Dugu Yan's chubby little cheeks.
"Dugu Bo, your Dugu Family is doing well. This generation has produced such a pretty child!"
Dugu Bo was unconvinced. He said,
"Your Holiness the Pope, in my youth, I was a great beauty of the Douluo Continent myself. Back then, women lined up to marry me. That line stretched farther than the distance between Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace!"
"Fine, fine. How's the child's cultivation coming along? Have you taken her to soak in the pools and practice her poison arts?"
Dugu Bo answered, "Yan Yan is already a level twenty-four Soul Grandmaster, but I'm worried her constitution won't be able to handle it. I planned to wait until she reaches level forty before starting her poison training!"
Qian Xunqian nodded and said with a smile, "As it happens, I have a cultivation method for a separated spirit suited to Beast Martial Souls. It should work well with your Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul. Yan Yan, would you like to learn it?"
Dugu Bo was an old hand after all, and he had his doubts. "Your Holiness the Pope, how is a separated spirit different from an ordinary Beast Martial Soul? Could it have any side effects for Yan Yan?"
Qian Xunqian patiently explained, "This method separates the Martial Soul from the body, turning a Soul Master who would normally use Martial Soul Possession into two: a Soul Master who can move freely and a Martial Soul that can fight on its own."
"For Power Attack System and Defense System Soul Masters, the difference isn't great. But for Control System Soul Masters—especially with your poison-using Jade Phosphor Snake—imagine this: the Jade Phosphor Snake releases poison-based Soul Skills on its own, while Yan Yan improves her physical strength and also fights as a Power Attack System Soul Master. How would an opponent deal with that?"
Dugu Bo pictured it: the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul spewed poison from the side, weakening the opponent, and then Dugu Yan came crashing in with a punch. What a sight.
Besides, the biggest advantage of a separated spirit was that it turned a one-on-one Soul Master battle into a two-on-one. If an opponent got tangled up with Dugu Yan, the detached Jade Phosphor Snake could whip around with a dragon's tail and attack from behind. Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Just as Qian Xunqian had said, a separated spirit was best suited to Control System Soul Masters. Their Soul Skills were usually focused on control, not enhancement. Martial Soul Possession was a complete bug for them: it shackled the Soul Master instead of letting the Martial Soul break away and control the enemy on its own, while the Soul Master became a Power Attack fighter. Control and burst damage—two against one, fair and square. Perfect!
"But what if Yan Yan eventually gets a Soul Skill that enhances herself? Once the Martial Soul is separated, all the Soul Rings are on the snake. Wouldn't that waste a Soul Ring?"
Dugu Bo raised another question.
"While separating the Martial Soul, my method also lets you distribute the Soul Rings. You can decide for yourself which ones go to the Martial Soul and which stay with you to enhance your own body!"
"Good! Good! Good!" Dugu Bo cried three times. He could hardly wait to see his granddaughter learn this cultivation method for a separated spirit!
In the end, Qian Xunqian still rejected the idea of having a Soul Beast carry the Martial Soul. After all, Soul Beasts and humans had entirely different growth cycles. A hundred-year-old Soul Beast wouldn't be able to withstand Dugu Yan's Martial Soul, while a thousand-year-old one still couldn't endure it once Dugu Yan became a Soul King.
That method required frequently replacing the Soul Beast. The only alternative was to find one that was over eighty thousand years old from the start, but a Soul Beast of that age had mental power far too strong for Dugu Yan to form a contract with it.
The second method was better: improve her mental power, practice Heart Separation Control, and use mental power to separate the Martial Soul from the body. She could summon it or draw it back at will, making it extremely convenient.
Controlling the Martial Soul with mental power also let her see through its eyes, giving her a more complete understanding of her opponent's every move and allowing her to predict what they would do.
As she thought about it, Qian Xunqian pinched the tender cheek of the young Dugu Yan before her and smiled sweetly.
"Yan Yan, would you like the Pope Sister to be your teacher?"