Becoming a Disciple

The interior of the Pope Palace was incredibly grand and cavernous. At the far end of the great hall, atop a high flight of stairs, sat a magnificent throne that symbolized the authority of the Pope.

Seated upon that throne was a woman: the Pope, Bibi Dong.

At this moment, several figures with profound auras stood below the throne, seemingly reporting on various matters to her.

Bibi Dong's gaze swept indifferently over those below, and as she listened to the reports, her fingers tapped lightly against her scepter.

When Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo walked in with Lin Ze'an, the reporting ceased abruptly.

Every gaze in the hall instantly converged, focusing particularly on Lin Ze'an, who was being brought in personally by the two Title Douluo.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo stepped forward quickly, stopping a dozen meters from the throne, and bowed in unison: "Your Holiness, the person has been brought back."

Chrysanthemum Douluo gave a light pat to Lin Ze'an, who was still somewhat dazed.

As soon as Lin Ze'an looked up, he felt several powerful, scrutinizing gazes land upon him.

He sighed, mimicked Chrysanthemum Douluo's posture, and bowed: "Lin Ze'an pays respects to Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong, seated high upon her throne, let her gaze fall on Lin Ze'an, beginning to size him up.

Then, she stood up slowly and descended the stairs of the high platform step by step.

The scepter in her hand tapped against the floor with each step, emitting a crisp clack-clack sound.

Finally, Bibi Dong stopped in front of Lin Ze'an, looking down at the young boy from her superior height.

A rare, clear look of astonishment appeared on her beautiful face.

She reached out and gently gripped Lin Ze'an's wrist.

A surge of soul power instantly flooded into Lin Ze'an's body, sweeping through his bones and meridians.

A moment later, Bibi Dong released her grip, the astonishment in her eyes deepening, even tinged with a hint of disbelief.

"It really is twenty levels of soul power?"

One had to understand that, having initiated the Rakshasa God trials, she knew far more than the average person.

An ordinary soul master's innate soul power reached at most ten levels; twenty levels were only possible for those blessed by a deity—possessing a god-level martial soul.

Her gaze focused once more on Lin Ze'an's face, and she said softly, "Little one, release your martial soul and let me see."

Under the focused gaze of Pope Bibi Dong and all the surrounding elders, Lin Ze'an nodded helplessly. With a flicker of thought, he summoned his martial soul once again.

In an instant, a verdant green halo rippled outward like water, and a warm, majestic aura of life instantly dispelled the oppressive atmosphere within the Pope Palace.

The rich vitality filled every corner of the hall, making everyone feel invigorated, as if the circulation of soul power within their bodies had become significantly smoother.

"This..."

All the elders present widened their eyes, their faces filled with shock.

They had lived for the better part of their lives and had seen countless strange martial souls, yet they had never seen one like this.

"Is this... a humanoid martial soul? Or a beast-type? Or perhaps both in one?"

"Never seen it! There is no record of it!"

"Such pure and vast life energy! But does this count as plant-type? Who determined that?"

After a brief silence, there was an irrepressible outburst of exclamations and discussion.

But there was no doubt that the quality of this martial soul was far beyond anything they had ever known, surpassing the martial souls of everyone present.

Even Bibi Dong, seated high above, saw her icy expression fluctuate violently once more.

The verdant green halo spread gently yet firmly, and that extremely pure, life-affirming energy enveloped the entire hall. The elders felt their entire bodies relax, their soul power becoming active, as if they had grown a few years younger.

However, Bibi Dong's experience was entirely different.

The moment that life-filled halo touched her body, a flash of shock crossed her face.

The divine power within her, derived from the Rakshasa God trials, was actually being purified bit by bit under the radiance of this light.

The cold, violent, and hateful malice that had long been entwined deep within her soul like a festering sore was also briefly dispelled by this power.

Her mind felt a long-lost, dizzying sense of clarity and peace.

A moment later, Lin Ze'an retracted his martial soul.

The refreshing aura of life in the hall dissipated into nothingness just as quickly.

He raised his head, met Bibi Dong's gaze, and took the initiative to speak: "Your Holiness, this is my martial soul, named Mo Ruier."

Bibi Dong nodded slightly, and just as she was about to speak, she saw Lin Ze'an suddenly step forward and bow deeply to her: "Your Holiness, I have a presumptuous request: I wish to take Elder Chrysanthemum Douluo as my master!"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Chrysanthemum Douluo stunned, but Bibi Dong and the other elders were also taken aback.

Lin Ze'an continued to explain: "Although my martial soul is not in plant form, it can command all vegetation in the world; it is the king of all plants."

"Elder Chrysanthemum's Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum is also a plant-type, and it shares commonalities with the nature of my martial soul."

"If I can take Elder Chrysanthemum as my master, with his profound understanding of top-tier plant-type martial souls, he will surely be able to guide my cultivation better."

"It will also allow for a deeper understanding of my unique martial soul, preventing me from going astray during my cultivation."

For him, the current issue was nothing more than finding a master.

If he wanted to go to the Consecrated Hall to seek a master, setting aside how he would even know of its existence or whether he could gain an audience, Bibi Dong would likely destroy him first.

After much deliberation, and setting aside the other weaklings in the Elder Hall, only Chrysanthemum Douluo fit the criteria; at the very least, he was a decent person, and Bibi Dong should be able to accept that.

Furthermore, apprenticing under Chrysanthemum Douluo was a buy-one-get-one deal, as Ghost Douluo would also protect him.

Upon hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo was so excited he nearly trembled. He looked toward Bibi Dong, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Bibi Dong's gaze shifted for a moment between Lin Ze'an's youthful, delicate face and the unconcealable ecstasy on Chrysanthemum Douluo's.

Her slender fingers tapped the scepter once more, producing a crisp sound that shattered the brief silence.

"Granted."

She looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo and said, "Yue Guan, I entrust Lin Ze'an to your careful instruction. His treatment shall be equal to that of Hu Liena."

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly bowed in salute. "Thank you for your grace, Your Holiness! This subordinate shall certainly give his all!"

Only then did Bibi Dong cast her gaze back to Lin Ze'an. "Lin Ze'an, from this day forward, you shall enter under Yue Guan's tutelage. I hope you cultivate diligently and do not fail the expectations of Spirit Hall."

As Bibi Dong's decree was issued, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan suppressed the excitement in his heart, a warm smile spreading across his face.

He said to Lin Ze'an in a gentle voice, "Child, since Her Holiness has granted her favor, let us perform a simple apprenticeship ceremony here, so that the elders may bear witness."

Within the solemn and majestic Pope Palace, under the watchful eyes of Bibi Dong upon her throne and several Spirit Hall elders, Lin Ze'an did not hesitate in the slightest.

He straightened his somewhat rough robes, stepped forward, faced Chrysanthemum Douluo, and solemnly knelt on both knees, kowtowing in salute. "Disciple Lin Ze'an pays respects to Master!"

Yue Guan accepted the gesture with an extremely satisfied smile on his face and hurriedly bent down to help him up. "Good! Good disciple! Quickly, rise!"

He patted Lin Ze'an on the shoulder, his tone brimming with joy. "From this day forward, you are the only disciple of this Yue Guan!"

He had not expected such a stroke of good fortune to truly fall upon him; he finally had a disciple of his own.

From this moment on, Lin Ze'an's status in Spirit Hall was officially established: the personal disciple of Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.