Spirit Hall, the Pope's Council Chamber.
Crystal lamps cast a soft glow throughout the spacious hall, illuminating it like daylight. A huge round table stood in the center, draped in fine silk and surrounded by more than a dozen carved chairs.
At that moment, only two people were in the vast council chamber.
Yi Chen lounged against the back of his chair, holding a cup of Spirit Hall's specially brewed soul tea. He took a small sip and praised it. "Excellent tea."
Bibi Dong sat across from him, holding the gleaming gold experience card, her expression complicated.
She had lived for so many years and weathered countless storms, yet she had never imagined that one day a young Limit Douluo would come to her and propose working together to promote a game.
And she had actually agreed.
"Go on, how do you play this game?" Bibi Dong set down the card and looked straight at Yi Chen.
Yi Chen put down his teacup and smiled. "There's no need to rush, Your Holiness. Before we begin, I'd like to ask you something. What do you think determines a Spirit Master's strength?"
Bibi Dong paused, unsure why he had suddenly asked, but answered anyway. "Talent, Martial Soul quality, Soul Ring Configuration, Soul Bones, and cultivation resources. All are indispensable."
"Exactly." Yi Chen nodded. "But most of these factors are innate and very difficult to change later in life. An ordinary person with only one level of Innate Soul Power could work a hundred times harder and still struggle to catch up to a genius with Innate Full Soul Power. Isn't that right?"
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
That was the iron law of the Douluo Continent, unbroken for thousands of years.
"But what if I told you," Yi Chen said, his smile growing mysterious, "that there's a game where ordinary people can defeat opponents far more talented than themselves through intelligence and strategy?"
Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly.
"Impossible." She shook her head firmly. "The gap between Spirit Masters can't be made up with clever tricks."
"What if you add this?" Yi Chen extended a finger and lightly tapped the tabletop.
Buzz—
A translucent golden chessboard unfurled out of thin air, hovering above the round table. On it stood a series of exquisitely detailed little figures, each radiating a different level of Soul Power.
Bibi Dong's gaze instantly sharpened.
She could sense that the Soul Power radiating from those little figures... was real!
"Is this... a Soul Power projection?" she asked in surprise.
"You could say that, but you could also say it isn't." Yi Chen explained, "These pieces are Soul Power avatars I formed through the Golden Spatula System. Each one corresponds to a Spirit Master or Soul Beast that exists in reality, and possesses some of their abilities and traits."
He paused before continuing. "The players' task is to choose the right pieces within limited resources and a population cap, put together suitable synergies, combine powerful equipment, then defeat their opponents with the strongest lineup they can assemble."
"It sounds... a little like military chess exercises." Bibi Dong considered.
"More or less, but it's more complicated and more fun." Yi Chen smiled. "Would Your Holiness like to try it yourself?"
Bibi Dong hesitated, but finally nodded.
Yi Chen snapped his fingers. A golden chess piece flew off the board and landed in Bibi Dong's hand. It was crystalline throughout, and sealed inside was a miniature female Spirit Master wielding a long sword, her bearing bold and spirited.
"This is a starting piece I prepared for you, a Soul Emperor-level agility-type Spirit Master," Yi Chen said. "Use it to get familiar with the controls. After that, I'll teach you more complicated team compositions."
Bibi Dong looked down at the piece in her hand and felt something strange. It seemed to respond to her thoughts. She could clearly sense the power contained within it and the skills it could unleash.
"Focus your mind, channel your Soul Power into the piece, then place it on the board," Yi Chen instructed.
Bibi Dong did as he said.
The moment the piece landed on the board, she felt as though she had formed some kind of connection with the entire chessboard. She could see every corner of it, sense the state of every piece, and even control their movements.
"Fascinating..." Bibi Dong murmured, a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes.
For the next while, Yi Chen patiently taught Bibi Dong how to play. From buying pieces and increasing the population cap to activating synergies and combining equipment, he walked her through everything step by step.
As the Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong was exceptionally quick to grasp things. In just half an hour, she had mastered the basics and begun experimenting with team compositions of her own.
"Look, if I get three 'Power Attack System' pieces, I can activate the Power Attack synergy and increase everyone's attack by 25%." Bibi Dong pointed to her lineup, a hint of pride in her voice. "Then I can give this 'Infinity Edge' to my main carry and double its critical damage!"
Yi Chen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected Bibi Dong to figure out the game's core mechanics so quickly, let alone learn how to equip her pieces. It seemed the woman had reached the position of Pope not just through strength; she was brilliant, too.
"Not bad." Yi Chen praised her sincerely. "Your Holiness is a quick study."
Bibi Dong's lips curved slightly upward, clearly pleased by his praise.
Just then, the battle began on the chessboard.
Bibi Dong guided her lineup against a basic team Yi Chen had thrown together. Her main carry wielded Infinity Edge, and with the Power Attack synergy boosting her strength, she cut down Yi Chen's pieces one by one, sweeping through them like a knife through butter.
"I won!" A flicker of excitement shone in Bibi Dong's eyes before she quickly reined it in, returning to her dignified and imposing demeanor.
But the slight upward curl of her lips still betrayed her delight.
Yi Chen noticed and smiled to himself.
Sure enough, no one could resist the charm of the Golden Spatula. Even the lofty Pope of Spirit Hall would get hooked once she took the plunge.
"Another round," Bibi Dong said, taking the initiative.
"Gladly."
And so they played a second round, a third, a fourth...
They played more than a dozen rounds in a row. It wasn't until night had completely fallen outside and candles had been lit in the council chamber that Bibi Dong finally stopped, still wanting more.
"This game... really is rather interesting." Bibi Dong set down her piece and lifted her teacup for a sip, hiding her barely restrained excitement.
Yi Chen smiled without saying a word.
He knew Bibi Dong had already been won over by the charm of the Golden Spatula. All that remained was to give her time to experience the game's true value for herself.
"I agree to your proposal." Bibi Dong set down her teacup and spoke seriously. "Spirit Hall will fully support the promotion of Teamfight Tactics. Tell me what resources you need."
"Then thank you, Your Holiness." Yi Chen inclined his head slightly and took a document he had prepared from inside his robes. "These are the detailed terms of our partnership. You can look them over first. If you have no objections, we can sign the agreement."
Bibi Dong took the document and skimmed through it, her brow furrowing slightly.
"You want Spirit Hall to help you build a nationwide battle platform? Set up permanent tournament venues? And even open 'Golden Spatula Experience Halls' in major cities?"
"That's right." Yi Chen nodded. "Word of mouth alone won't make a game sweep the continent. We need proper infrastructure and an operating system to support a large player base."
Bibi Dong considered this for a moment, then finally nodded. "Very well. Spirit Hall has branches in both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, and we can allocate resources from all over. But building these facilities will require a great deal of money and manpower..."
"I'll take care of the funding," Yi Chen interrupted. "As for manpower, Spirit Hall only needs to provide the people. Also, I'll need a group of Soul Engineers to help me make some special Soul Tools."
"What kind of Soul Tools?"
Yi Chen smiled mysteriously, took a blueprint from his robes, and spread it out on the table.
It was a meticulously designed Soul Tool blueprint, densely covered with notes on runes and components. Bibi Dong took one look and drew in a sharp breath.
"This is... a projection Soul Tool?"
"More precisely, it's a 'Golden Spatula Battle Terminal,'" Yi Chen corrected her. "With just a little Soul Power, it can project a complete Golden Spatula chessboard, letting people play anywhere, anytime. With this, players won't need to rely on the experience cards I make by hand."
Bibi Dong stared at the blueprint for a long time without a word.
She suddenly realized that the young man before her might have brought more than just a game.
If Teamfight Tactics really caught on, it could completely change the cultivation system and methods of battle on the Douluo Continent.
And as the first to enter the game, Spirit Hall would undoubtedly hold the greatest advantage.
At that thought, Bibi Dong's gaze burned with excitement.
"Very well. I'll sign."
She picked up a pen and signed her name on the agreement, then stamped it with Spirit Hall's papal seal.
Yi Chen put the agreement away, rose to his feet, and held out his hand to Bibi Dong. "I look forward to working with you, Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong shook his hand, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. "Likewise, Elder Yi Chen."
From that day on, Spirit Hall had a new honorary elder.