Handsome Young Man

The city gate bustled for a while, but at Lin Bei's signal, the crowd's cheers soon died down.

Lin Bei smiled at everyone and waved in response, then got into the carriage and returned to his residence first.

Before they parted, Yue Guan instructed, "Holy Son, remember to go to the Papal Hall later to meet Her Holiness the Pope."

"Got it."

Lin Bei parted ways with Hu Liena and the others, then took the carriage back to his residence.

The steward, A Fu, had long been waiting at the entrance.

Seeing Lin Bei get out of the carriage, he immediately bowed, then had a group of maids lead Lin Bei away to bathe and change.

Before long, Lin Bei was lying in a steaming bathtub.

Mist curled through the room, and the hot water scattered with flower petals gave off a fresh floral fragrance.

Leaning against the edge of the tub, Lin Bei pondered his course of action from here on—

Five years ago, Bibi Dong had sent him to the Bewildering Grand Canyon for training, most likely to consolidate her control over Spirit Hall.

Now he had returned.

And he had advanced to Titled Douluo.

To keep him from affecting her plans, she would probably send him away from Spirit City again before long.

He just did not know where she would arrange for him to go this time.

Tsk...

What kind of disciple was he, really?

It seemed his teacher disliked him quite a bit.

Lin Bei shook his head and plunged into the bathtub, letting the hot water submerge him completely.

Then again, in the original work, every step Bibi Dong took in the early stages had been very reasonable, and there had not been anything wrong with her plans.

It was only because she ran into Tang San, that cheater, at the grand finale that Spirit Hall was destroyed.

In that case, he might as well let Bibi Dong proceed according to her own plans, just as in the original work.

Then, when Spirit Hall was on the verge of collapse, I'll appear, defeat Tang San, turn the tide, and prop up the mansion just as it's about to fall—

When that time comes, not only will I gain enormous prestige, I'll also be able to take over the entire Spirit Empire with perfect legitimacy—

After all, if I want to become emperor of the Spirit Empire, I still have one competitor: Qian Renxue.

As the posthumous child left behind by the former pope, and the biological child of the current pope, She also had the right to inherit Spirit Hall.

But if, in the grand finale, she was also defeated by Tang San, I wouldn't need to waste any more energy competing with her for the position.

So...

Teacher can be the villain.

And I'll help Teacher pluck the fruit of victory.

Jie jie jie... This was simply a genius plan!

Then it's settled!

Huh?

Why did it feel like he had become the big villain?

Well, whatever.

It was not as if he was a good person anyway.

Splash...

Lin Bei came out of the bathtub, clear water flowing down the grooves between his muscles and dripping onto the floor.

He gave a light shake, sending the droplets on his body flying off to fall like rain upon the ground.

Lin Bei grabbed the clothes set aside nearby, put them on, and headed out.

"A Fu, prepare a huge table of delicacies for me."

As he instructed the steward, he went out to meet Bibi Dong. "When I get back, I'm going to eat and drink my fill."

"Yes, Holy... Young Master!"

Papal Hall, Council Hall.

"Teacher."

Lin Bei, with his handsome, masculine face and tall, straight figure, wore a loose, comfortable robe, giving him the air of a dashing young noble.

Bibi Dong had not seen her disciple for five years, and when she saw the Lin Bei before her now, her eyes lit up slightly.

She smiled and asked, "Little Bei, you're finally back. How was your harvest from this training trip?"

"Pretty good."

Lin Bei reached out and clenched his hand. A massive axe appeared at once, and a terrifying aura spilled outward along with nine Soul Rings, shaking the entire Papal Hall until it trembled faintly.

Three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings...

Bibi Dong stared at Lin Bei's Soul Rings in shock, as if a magnitude-nine earthquake had gone off in her heart, shaking her hard.

What exactly had this boy gone through in the Bewildering Grand Canyon to obtain three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings? Even she only had one.

And a twelve-year-old Titled Douluo...

He had actually done it!

Bibi Dong felt she had already overestimated Lin Bei's talent and potential enough.

But seeing a twelve-year-old Titled Douluo with her own eyes still left her utterly shocked. For a moment, she could not find anything to say.

Bibi Dong looked at Lin Bei and smiled. "Little Bei, since you've already advanced to Titled Douluo, it's time to choose a title for yourself. What do you plan to call yourself?"

Every Titled Douluo had a title.

Their titles were either named after their martial souls or inherited from predecessors. Someone like Lin Bei had no legacy, so he could only choose one himself.

Bibi Dong suggested, "Isn't your martial soul the Pangu Creation Axe? Why not take Pangu as your title and be called 'Pangu Douluo'?"

Lin Bei shook his head.

Forget it. He did not have the face to accept that title.

This so-called Pangu Creation Axe of his had merely mutated from the powerful martial soul, the Creation Axe.

Although its strength was far above a top-tier martial soul like the Clear Sky Hammer, and it could be considered a god-level martial soul, compared with the true Creation Axe, the gap was more than a little.

Just think about it—the original Creation Axe had been used to split apart chaos and evolve heaven and earth.

If the Creation Axe martial soul in Lin Bei's hands really was the axe in the hands of the great god Pangu, he would have been invincible long ago, able to split the entire Douluo Star apart with one swing.

"Teacher, there's no rush about the title. I'm still young..."

Lin Bei looked at Bibi Dong as he spoke.

You could grant yourself a title, but people still had to recognize it. It was useless for him to stand here and shout that he was some kind of Douluo; he still needed the world's acknowledgement.

It could be said that the titles of the Titled Douluo on the continent now had all been fought for and accepted by everyone.

So Lin Bei was in no hurry.

Bibi Dong nodded.

She then asked Lin Bei a few more questions, such as how much Soul Power he had now and what he had encountered over the past five years.

Lin Bei picked some things he could talk about and answered.

Bibi Dong was very satisfied with him. After offering some encouragement, she let him go back and rest first.

Back at his residence, A Fu had already prepared a large table full of fine wine and dishes.

Lin Bei ate to his heart's content alone. For the past five years, he had been living in the Bewildering Grand Canyon, eating raw meat and drinking blood, living almost like a savage. Now that he had returned, he naturally had to reward himself properly and feast!

After finishing his meal, Lin Bei told A Fu not to disturb him if there was nothing important, then returned to his room, preparing to try out the simulator's new function.

According to the information the simulator had given:

The deployment function would project his consciousness into the Simulation Timeline, allowing him to personally experience the story within—

It was very similar to soul transmigration.

After thinking it over carefully, Lin Bei decided to choose the "Ip Man" timeline for the deployment simulation.

After all, the "Ip Man" timeline was a low-martial world.

Compared with the other timelines, it counted as a relatively safe Simulation Timeline.

Lin Bei lay down on the bed and began the simulation.

Selected Simulation Timeline: Ip Man.

Consuming 100 Simulation Points. Beginning consciousness deployment...

Lin Bei felt his consciousness sinking. It was as if his whole body had fallen into a deep sea and was gradually being wrapped in darkness.

After a stretch of absolute silence, a bustling clamor suddenly reached his ears. Then light emerged in the darkness, illuminating everything before him.

Amid the ever-brightening radiance, Lin Bei instinctively opened his eyes—

Splash!

All five senses returned.

What entered his sight was a bustling crowd. They wore old-fashioned Republican-era clothing; some carried loads on their shoulders, while others hawked their wares... It was so lively!

Lin Bei lowered his head to look at his hands, then pinched them. He immediately felt a clear sensation.

He looked around, and all kinds of information rushed toward him at once: colors, smells, temperature... Everything he sensed was telling him:

He had crossed over again!

Into the world of a movie!

"So this is what deployment is?"

Lin Bei murmured to himself. "It really does feel like crossing over a second time."

Projecting his consciousness into the Simulation Timeline was very similar to a soul crossing over. Fortunately, Lin Bei could interrupt this projected state at any time.

Once the deployment was interrupted, the simulation would stop.

As for continuing the deployment next time, it would only cost 10 Simulation Points.

As he spoke, a stream of information suddenly flowed into Lin Bei's mind.

He digested it for a moment.

Only then did he learn that the simulator had also arranged an identity for his avatar in this deployment: a returned overseas traveler.

Only then did Lin Bei notice that he was dressed rather smartly, wearing a suit and a tie, with a pair of shiny black leather shoes on his feet.

Looking beside him, there was also a large suitcase.

"Hey, handsome young man, are you going or not? If you're not, stop blocking the way!" Suddenly, a middle-aged man in work clothes said to Lin Bei.

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

As Lin Bei apologized, he pulled his luggage off to the side.