The Pope Gets Hooked, The Charm of the Golden Spatula

Spirit Hall, Pope's Council Chamber.

Within the vast hall, crystal lamps emitted a soft glow, illuminating the entire space as if it were broad daylight. In the center of the hall stood a massive round table draped in an exquisite silk tablecloth, surrounded by a dozen carved chairs.

At this moment, only two people occupied the spacious council chamber.

Yi Chen leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and content. He held a cup of Spirit Hall's specialty spirit tea, took a light sip, and praised, "Excellent tea."

Bibi Dong sat across from him, clutching that golden experience card, her expression complex.

She had lived for so many years and weathered countless storms, yet she had never imagined that one day, a young Titled Douluo would run up to her and propose a partnership to promote a game.

And, even more unexpectedly, she had actually agreed.

"Speak, how is this game played?" Bibi Dong set the card down, her gaze fixed on Yi Chen.

Yi Chen put down his teacup and smiled faintly. "Your Holiness, there is no need to rush. Before we begin, I would like to ask a question—in your opinion, what determines a spirit master's strength?"

Bibi Dong was slightly taken aback, not understanding why he would suddenly ask this, but she answered nonetheless: "Talent, spirit quality, spirit ring configuration, spirit bones, and cultivation resources—none can be lacking."

"Correct." Yi Chen nodded. "But these factors are mostly innate and difficult to change later in life. A commoner with only level one innate spirit power, even if they put in a hundred times the effort, would find it hard to catch up to a genius with full innate spirit power. Is that not so?"

Bibi Dong remained silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

This was the iron law of the Douluo Continent, one that no one had been able to break for thousands of years.

"But what if I told you," Yi Chen's smile became meaningful, "that there is a game where commoners can use wisdom and strategy to defeat opponents whose talent far exceeds their own?"

Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly.

"Impossible." She shook her head decisively. "The gap between spirit masters cannot be bridged by mere cleverness."

"Then what if we add this?" Yi Chen extended a finger and tapped lightly on the tabletop.

Hum—

A translucent golden chessboard unfolded out of thin air, hovering above the round table. On the board, exquisite little figurines stood lifelike, emitting varying fluctuations of spirit power.

Bibi Dong's eyes turned sharp in an instant.

She could feel it—the spirit power fluctuations on those little figurines... they were real!

"Is this... a spirit power projection?" she asked in surprise.

"You could say that, or perhaps not." Yi Chen explained, "These pieces are spirit power avatars I condensed through the Golden Spatula System. Each piece corresponds to a spirit master or spirit beast that exists in reality, possessing a portion of their abilities and traits."

He paused, then continued, "And what the player must do is, within the limits of resources and population, choose the right pieces, combine them with reasonable synergies, synthesize powerful equipment, and then use an optimal lineup to defeat the opponent."

"It sounds... a bit like war chess strategy." Bibi Dong mused.

"Similar, but more complex and much more interesting." Yi Chen laughed. "Would Your Holiness like to try it yourself?"

Bibi Dong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded.

Yi Chen snapped his fingers, and a golden piece flew from the board, landing in Bibi Dong's hand. It was a crystal-clear piece, inside of which was sealed a miniature version of a female spirit master, holding a long sword with a heroic air.

"This is an initial piece I prepared for you; she is an agility-attack type spirit master at the Spirit Emperor level," Yi Chen said. "Use her to familiarize yourself with the controls first, and later I will teach you more complex lineup combinations."

Bibi Dong looked down at the piece in her hand, suddenly feeling a strange sensation—it was as if this piece shared a connection with her mind. She could clearly sense the power contained within it, as well as the skills it could unleash.

"Focus your mind, inject your spirit power into the piece, and then place it on the board," Yi Chen instructed.

Bibi Dong followed his directions.

The moment the piece touched the board, she felt as if she had established a connection with the entire board itself. She could see every corner of the chessboard, perceive the status of every piece, and even control their actions.

"Very interesting..." Bibi Dong murmured, a glimmer of novelty flashing in her eyes.

In the time that followed, Yi Chen patiently taught Bibi Dong how to operate the game. From purchasing pieces and upgrading population to activating synergies and synthesizing equipment, they progressed step by step.

Bibi Dong was truly worthy of being the Pope of the Spirit Hall; her comprehension was exceptional. In just half an hour, she had mastered the basic operations and began attempting to build her own lineups.

"Look, if I gather three 'Power Attack' pieces, I can activate the Power Attack synergy, increasing overall attack power by 25%." Bibi Dong pointed at the lineup on the board, a hint of pride in her tone. "Then, if I equip the main carry piece with this 'Infinity Edge', the critical strike damage will directly double!"

Yi Chen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected Bibi Dong to grasp the core mechanics of the game so quickly, or even learn how to pair equipment. It seemed this woman's rise to the position of Pope wasn't just due to her strength; her mind was also top-tier.

"Not bad." Yi Chen praised sincerely. "Your Holiness has a high aptitude."

The corners of Bibi Dong's mouth curled upward slightly; she was clearly quite pleased by his compliment.

Just then, the battle on the board began.

Bibi Dong controlled her lineup to face a basic setup Yi Chen had casually arranged. Her main carry piece, wielding the Infinity Edge and bolstered by the Power Attack synergy, cut down her opponents one by one, sweeping through Yi Chen's pieces with unstoppable force.

"I won!" A flash of excitement appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes, though she quickly suppressed it, returning to her dignified and majestic demeanor.

But the slight upturn of her lips still betrayed the joy in her heart.

Yi Chen saw it all and chuckled inwardly.

Sure enough, no one could resist the charm of the Golden Spatula. Even the high and mighty Pope of the Spirit Hall, once she fell into the trap, would become addicted.

"Another round." Bibi Dong initiated.

"I would be happy to oblige."

And so, the second round, the third, the fourth...

The two played over a dozen rounds in succession until the sky outside the window had turned completely dark and candles were lit in the council chamber. Only then did Bibi Dong stop, still feeling unfulfilled.

"This game... is indeed quite interesting." Bibi Dong set down her chess piece and picked up her teacup to take a sip, masking her slightly agitated emotions.

Yi Chen smiled but said nothing.

He knew that Bibi Dong had already been conquered by the charm of the Golden Spatula. All that remained was to give her some time to realize the true value of this game for herself.

"I agree to the partnership you proposed." Bibi Dong set down her teacup and said solemnly, "Spirit Hall will fully support the promotion of Battle of the Golden Spatula. Whatever resources you need, just ask."

"Then I thank Your Holiness the Pope." Yi Chen bowed slightly and took out a prepared agreement from his robes. "These are the detailed terms of our cooperation. Your Holiness may look them over first. If there are no objections, we shall sign formally."

Bibi Dong took the agreement and scanned it quickly, her brows knitting slightly.

"You want Spirit Hall to help you build a nationwide battle platform? You also want to establish permanent competition venues? And you even want to open 'Golden Spatula Experience Halls' in major cities?"

"That is correct." Yi Chen nodded. "If you want a game to sweep across the continent, word of mouth alone is not enough. We must have complete hardware facilities and an operational system to support a large-scale player base."

Bibi Dong pondered for a moment before finally nodding. "Very well. Spirit Hall has branches in both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, and resources from various regions can be mobilized. However, building these facilities will require a massive amount of capital and manpower..."

"I will handle the funding," Yi Chen interrupted. "As for the manpower, Spirit Hall only needs to provide the personnel. Additionally, I will need a group of soul tool masters to help me craft some special soul tools."

"What kind of soul tools?"

Yi Chen smiled mysteriously, pulled a blueprint from his robes, and spread it out on the table.

It was a delicately designed soul tool blueprint, densely marked with various runes and structures. Bibi Dong took only one look before drawing a sharp breath.

"Is this... a projection soul tool?"

"To be precise, it is a 'Golden Spatula Battle Terminal'." Yi Chen corrected. "By injecting a small amount of soul power, one can project a complete Golden Spatula board and engage in battles anytime, anywhere. With this, players will no longer need to rely on the experience cards I craft by hand."

Bibi Dong stared at the blueprint, silent for a long time.

She suddenly realized that what this young man had brought before her might be far more than just a simple game.

If this Battle of the Golden Spatula were truly to become widespread, it could very well fundamentally change the cultivation system and combat methods of the Douluo Continent.

And as the first party to enter the game, Spirit Hall would undoubtedly hold the greatest advantage.

Thinking of this, Bibi Dong's eyes began to burn with intensity.

"Very well, I will sign."

She picked up a pen, signed her name on the agreement, and then stamped it with the seal of the Pope of Spirit Hall.

Yi Chen tucked away the agreement, stood up, and extended his hand toward Bibi Dong. "A pleasant cooperation, Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong grasped his hand, a meaningful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "A pleasant cooperation, Elder Yi Chen."

From this day forward, Spirit Hall had gained an honorary elder.