Perhaps Spirit Hall Unifying the Realm Is the Right Path...

"Envoy Carlson."

Lin Xia spoke again, his tone pleading.

"This junior owes his present standing to Elder Salas's support. Star Luo City is not far from here. Could you... allow this junior to personally bid Elder Salas farewell and thank him?"

"I dare not leave without informing him after receiving such kindness. This junior promises not to linger. Once I have thanked him, I will immediately depart for Spirit City with the elders."

Carlson's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Time was indeed pressing.

But looking at Lin Xia's sincere eyes, he recalled Salas's undisguised praise in his letter of recommendation, as well as this boy's possible future status...

The request was reasonable and even showed loyalty and gratitude. Forcing a refusal would instead seem cold and heartless, potentially causing unnecessary resentment.

After a brief deliberation, he finally nodded.

"Fine. Go and return quickly. Do not delay."

"Thank you for granting my request, Envoy!"

Lin Xia let out a breath of relief and bowed solemnly.

Soon, Lin Xia boarded the luxurious carriage drawn by magnificent unicorn-scaled horses, Bulbasaur in his arms.

The carriage was spacious inside, lavishly yet tastefully decorated, with soft, thick animal hides spread across the floor and a sturdy small table.

Carlson sat in the main seat with his eyes closed, while the two Soul Kings occupied opposite corners, their auras calm and weighty.

The carriage set off, moving at incredible speed yet remaining exceptionally steady. The scenery on both sides rapidly receded.

Silence filled the carriage, broken only by the faint sound of wheels rolling over the road and the steady breathing of the unicorn-scaled horses.

Lin Xia leaned against the soft seatback. His gaze seemed fixed on the fields flashing past outside the window, but his eyes held no focus.

His fingertips unconsciously stroked Bulbasaur's cool, soft skin, while his heart pounded like a drum.

Spirit City...

Lin Xia silently repeated those words. They seemed to carry the crushing weight of Qian Jun.

The road ahead was unpredictable, and the dangers remained unknown.

Elder Salas's kindness was genuine, but sending him into that dragon's pool and tiger's den—would it bring fortune or disaster?

Even Lin Xia himself did not know.

But Lin Xia quickly came to terms with it. Disaster could not be avoided, and as long as he was not strong enough to flip the table, Bibi Dong could kill him whenever she wished.

With that thought, Lin Xia immediately felt much more at ease.

After returning to the Spirit Hall branch in Star Luo City, Lin Xia first sought out the colleagues who had looked after him when he first arrived and had been assigned tasks.

There were no overly sentimental farewells, only sincere goodbyes and thanks for their past help.

Lin Xia would remember this friendship.

When his colleagues learned that the Elder Council had taken notice of him and summoned him to Spirit City for core training, they were surprised but offered their blessings, their eyes filled with no small amount of envy.

Finally, he arrived at Elder Salas's office.

Facing this elder who had recognized his talent and even spared no effort in recommending him, Lin Xia bowed deeply, his voice sincere.

"Elder Salas, thank you for your care and recommendation. Without your trust and support in the matter of Skyhorn Village, this junior likely would not have received today's opportunity. Lin Xia will remember this kindness forever."

Salas looked at the youth before him, whose bearing was now completely different from when they had first met. A trace of complicated emotion flickered in his eyes before finally turning into a gratified smile.

He patted Lin Xia on the shoulder, his voice deep but powerful.

"Xia, the future is dangerous, but opportunities exist alongside danger. The waters of Spirit City run deep, but the stage is large enough. Remember the lesson of Skyhorn Village, and remember the ferocity you showed when you tore open your own belly! Stay alive and grow stronger! Do not disappoint this old man's reputation, and do not disappoint that little fellow in your arms who fought so desperately!"

His gaze meaningfully flicked toward Bulbasaur.

"This junior will remember!"

Lin Xia nodded solemnly.

After bidding farewell to Salas, Lin Xia officially set out for Spirit City, traveling with the three envoys in that luxurious carriage specially made by Spirit Hall.

Along the way, the carriage raced through towns and villages, crossed mountains and plains.

Through the carriage window, Lin Xia witnessed Spirit Hall's unparalleled prestige and influence across this continent.

Whether the carriage entered a flourishing metropolis or passed through a remote village, whenever people saw the conspicuous Spirit Hall emblem on its side, the guards at the city gates, merchants in the markets, and farmers in the fields would all reveal instinctive awe and respect.

The checkpoints along the way were completely unobstructed, and every guard stood at attention to salute them.

What moved Lin Xia most deeply were the commoners living at the very bottom of society.

When they saw a Spirit Hall carriage, their reaction was often more than simple awe. It carried an almost devout gratitude.

Many ragged old people and children would even stop from afar and silently bow toward the carriage.

Lin Xia knew this was not merely reverence for a powerful organization. It was because Spirit Hall's branches across the land awakened martial souls for commoners free of charge, and provided stipends to civilian Soul Masters with Soul Power, even those with only the slightest aptitude. It gave countless lower-class families a sliver of hope and tangible help in changing their fates.

Perhaps Spirit Hall unifying the realm truly is the right path...

Lin Xia was filled with emotion.

This was completely different from his understanding of Spirit Hall in the several cities he had visited, as well as the one-sided impression he had formed from the original work before transmigrating.

Such prestige, deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, could never have been built through force alone.

It came from the day-after-day efforts of countless grassroots stewards and from policies that were truly put into practice.

Looking at the commoners' respectful faces outside the window, he understood for the first time just how deeply rooted Spirit Hall's vast empire truly was.

If Tang San had not gained cheats later on, Lin Xia truly could not imagine how the two great empires could possibly win.

The month-long journey passed in the blink of an eye amid his reflections and observations.

When the unimaginably magnificent Spirit City finally appeared on the horizon, Lin Xia's shock reached its peak.

It was a colossal city beyond the full description of words!

Its towering walls gleamed with a metallic luster, while the Pope Hall at the city's center stood as majestic as a divine temple. Under the sunlight, it radiated sacred and imposing brilliance. Merely looking at it from afar made one feel insignificant and awestruck.

The entire city was permeated by vast Soul Power fluctuations and a solemn atmosphere that made people hold their breath.

This was the true heart of Spirit Hall's power!

The carriage entered the city and traveled along a main road so broad it was astonishing. The Temple Knight Order patrolling along the route wore gleaming armor and projected an awe-inspiring presence.

At last, the carriage stopped before Pope Hall.

Led by the envoys, Lin Xia passed through layers of heavily guarded corridors and halls. The air itself seemed solidified by pressure.

Finally, they arrived before the doors of the grandest hall.

The doors slid open soundlessly, revealing an interior of splendid gold and jade, solemn and majestic.

At the top of the high steps stood a lavish throne embedded with countless gemstones.

Seated upon that throne was a woman.

The instant Lin Xia's gaze fell upon her, time seemed to stop.

She wore a magnificent papal robe adorned with purple-gold patterns and a Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown symbolizing supreme authority.

Her skin was fairer than snow, and her features were so perfect that she scarcely seemed mortal. Yet beneath that perfection was a cold, imposing majesty that looked down upon all living things and regarded everything with indifference.

Her eyes were as deep as an abyss, tranquil and without ripples, as though nothing in the world could stir them.

Merely being swept by that gaze made one feel an immense, invisible pressure from the depths of one's soul, as if facing a god rather than a mortal.

This was Spirit Hall's Pope, the most powerful and influential woman on the Douluo Continent—Bibi Dong!

Yet, contrary to Lin Xia's own expectations.

The anticipated tension, fear, and anxiety...

The shadow born from rejecting Yu Xiaogang, which had long been buried deep in his heart, actually melted away like snow the moment he truly met Bibi Dong face-to-face.

Instead, an unusual calm rose within Lin Xia.

He took a deep breath. At the envoys' signal, he followed proper etiquette and bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"External Steward Lin Xia has come to report by order of the decree. Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."