Side Hall, outside the courtyard.
"Grand Elder, I'm willing to enter the Worship Hall to cultivate! It's absolutely not because you're offering me your granddaughter's hand in marriage. I truly want to help Spirit Hall flourish and make a special contribution!"
Lin Tian blinked, his expression betraying a hint of secret delight.
The mother-daughter double feature had always been one of the most alluring delicacies in Douluo Continent novels. If he really got the chance, Lin Tian wanted to have a taste, too.
"Good lad. You know which way the wind blows! From today onward, you're my disciple, Qian Daoliu's. In the future, you'll inherit the position of Grand Elder in the Worship Hall!"
At long last, he'd gotten his wish. Qian Daoliu exclaimed his approval again and again, his handsome, dashing face beaming as he looked at Lin Tian with growing fondness.
Though the boy hadn't agreed to leave the Pope Palace right away, Qian Daoliu believed that all he needed to do was arrange a meeting between him and his granddaughter. With Xiao Xue's angelic beauty, she would surely turn him into a lovesick puppy at her feet.
"Since that's settled, pack your things. I'll send Xiongshi over to collect you in a little while."
As he spoke, Qian Daoliu glanced at Bibi Dong, a trace of smugness in his golden eyes.
So what if Lin Tian was your disciple? When it came down to sheer advantage, hadn't he still chosen the Worship Hall?
As for the conditions the boy had mentioned, none of them were a problem.
He was just a child, after all. It was only natural for him to be innocent and miss his mother. Given enough time, and with a few special benefits arranged for him, he would naturally forget about Bibi Dong, his mother.
What's more, Qian Daoliu still held Xiao Xue as his trump card.
He refused to believe that a young girl could be less alluring than a mature woman.
Qian Daoliu had never understood. Could there really be people in this world who liked mature women?!
He didn't get it. He really didn't!
After seeing Qian Daoliu off, Bibi Dong raised a hand and swept it lightly. An unseen force closed the door.
Then she turned to Lin Tian, her face dark, and said angrily, "Lin Tian, why do you want to go to the Worship Hall? Do you think I'm not worthy of being your teacher?"
Perhaps from anger and indignation, tears welled in Bibi Dong's rose-red eyes and rolled down her cheeks, leaving a long trail.
"Mom, you've misunderstood me! I'm joining the Worship Hall entirely for your sake! I can grow stronger by cultivating with you, but I truly want to become a Soul King as soon as possible. Then I'll be able to spend my nights with you, Mom!"
Lin Tian looked up at his mother, the Pope, and spoke in a child's voice. Then he reached out and gently wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks.
"Mom, just wait a little longer. I'll become a Soul King as soon as I can."
Lin Tian threw himself into his mother's arms, wanting one last chance to feel her special scent.
A quarter of an hour later, a streak of crimson light descended into the side hall of the bedchamber. The newcomer was Xiongshi!
As the Worship Hall's Fourth Elder, he had never liked Spirit Hall's Pope.
If Grand Elder Qian Daoliu hadn't strictly forbidden them from picking a fight with Bibi Dong, then with Xiongshi's fiery temper, he would have gone at the woman long ago.
"Come on, kid. I'm here on the Grand Elder's orders to take you to the Worship Hall. Pack your things and come with me."
Xiongshi glanced at Bibi Dong, his eyes full of contempt.
His opponent might be Spirit Hall's Pope, but in Xiongshi's eyes, she was no more than a young widow.
Xiongshi couldn't be bothered with Bibi Dong.
What an arrogant bastard!
Bibi Dong had already regained the Pope's imposing presence. She straightened her Pope's robes, gripped the Pope Scepter, and stared coldly at Xiongshi.
"Xiongshi, why haven't you bowed upon seeing me?"
Bibi Dong slammed the Pope Scepter against the ground. Behind her, the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor Martial Soul began to appear. Its scarlet eyes were as big as basketballs, and its forelegs were sharp as knives. It truly lived up to its reputation as an extremely bloodthirsty top-tier Beast Martial Soul.
Faced with Bibi Dong's show of force, Xiongshi wasn't the least bit afraid.
He gave a cold snort. His robes fluttered in the wind, and a Flame Lion appeared before them with a roar.
As the king of beasts, its appearance made the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor feel a trace of fear.
"Bibi Dong, I'm in a foul mood today. You'd better not provoke me, or you'll bear the consequences!"
Xiongshi fixed Bibi Dong with a fiery stare. As a Level 97 Peak Douluo, he had no obligation to take orders from her.
"Xiongshi, are you threatening me?! Don't forget, I have Twin Martial Souls."
As Bibi Dong furrowed her brows, her other Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor, roared into existence behind her.
"Two against one. I've got the advantage!"
Bibi Dong parted her lips, rose into the air, and prepared to have a proper fight with Xiongshi. Just then, the two elders, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, appeared in the middle of the courtyard, bringing back a piece of vital intelligence.
"His Holiness the Pope, I have important news to report. It's an emergency!"
Ghost Douluo bowed to Bibi Dong, then looked nervously at the young Pope. Neither he nor Chrysanthemum Douluo could ever have imagined that she would get into a fight with Xiongshi of the Worship Hall!
If word got out, Spirit Hall's reputation would be ruined...
"What news? You can wait until I've finished this fight to tell me!"
Bibi Dong frowned and was about to attack.
At that critical moment, Lin Tian stepped forward and stood between Bibi Dong and Xiongshi.
"Your Holiness the Pope, Xiongshi. If you want to fight, then you can include me in it. As Spirit Hall's Holy Son, if I can't mediate a conflict between two of Spirit Hall's top experts, I might as well give up this position!"
Lin Tian stood calmly before the Flame Lion and the Twin Spider Emperor. He was betting that neither side dared let anything happen to him.
After all, he was both Spirit Hall's Holy Son and the Dao Protector chosen by Grand Elder Qian Daoliu. Either one of those identities made him untouchable.
As he spoke, Xiongshi drew his Martial Soul back into his body, then swept his sleeve. The courtyard gate, which Bibi Dong had just closed, swung wide open.
"Old Xiongshi, I'll tell you this, too: if not for the Holy Son, I'd have fought you to the death today! You're nothing but a tattooed beast, yet you dare call yourself king? Keep dreaming!"
Bibi Dong drifted down from the air. As her crystal high heels touched the ground, she recalled both of her Martial Souls into her body.
"Since that's settled, let's pick a day and fight to the death. We'll see whether your spider or my Flame Lion is stronger!"
Xiongshi stood with his hands behind his back, his words dripping with contempt for Bibi Dong.
"I'm in!"
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