The Pope

Over the past two days, Lu Mingfei had gone through the booklet several times until he could recite every point of knowledge backward.

Huang Fei occasionally quizzed him on one or two points, and he always answered fluently. Only then did Huang Fei's expression improve slightly.

The next evening, the carriage entered a city.

Lu Mingfei lifted the carriage curtain and saw a sight that left him dumbfounded.

The city was far larger than he had imagined.

Wide streets were lined with rows of closely packed shops.

There were shops selling weapons, medicinal herbs, Soul Tools, and all sorts of strange and unusual items. People streamed back and forth, creating a scene of extraordinary bustle.

At the end of the street stood a magnificent complex of buildings. White stone walls soared into the clouds, while golden domes glittered beneath the setting sun.

From a distance, it looked like a palace where gods dwelled.

And that palace was the supreme sanctuary all Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent dreamed of day and night... Spirit Hall.

The carriage moved slowly along the broad blue-stone street. When the pedestrians on either side saw the Phoenix emblem on the carriage, they all voluntarily cleared the way, their eyes filled with awe and envy.

Lu Mingfei leaned against the carriage window and looked outside, finding everything incredibly fresh and novel.

Besides the shops, quite a few young Soul Masters in Spirit Hall uniforms were coming and going along both sides of the street.

Some gathered together and discussed something as they walked.

Others hurried along alone with solemn expressions. Each wore a star-shaped badge on their chest, ranging from one star to five.

Lu Mingfei noticed a detail.

Whenever those young Soul Masters saw the palm-sized Phoenix emblem on the carriage, they invariably stopped, bowed slightly, and saluted. Their attitudes were so respectful that it was as though they were standing before a god.

He turned his head and glanced at Huang Fei, who was resting with her eyes closed. Suddenly, he felt that this woman carried even more weight than he had imagined.

The carriage stopped before the main entrance of Spirit Hall's headquarters.

Lu Mingfei followed Huang Fei out of the carriage and looked up at the magnificent building before him. For a moment, he was speechless.

Only when he drew closer did he realize that those white stone walls were not made of ordinary stone.

They had been built from a rare material called White Jade Rock. Every block had been polished smooth as a mirror, glowing with a warm luster beneath the setting sun.

Various Martial Soul patterns were carved into the stone walls.

There were enormous hammers, roaring dragons, sharp greatswords, and all sorts of bizarre weapon-type Martial Souls. They were so lifelike that they seemed ready to burst out through the walls at any moment.

The main entrance was a gigantic bronze gate five zhang high. Two crossed longswords had been cast onto it—the symbol of Spirit Hall.

The guards on either side wore standard armor and stood motionless beside the gate, like two stone statues.

Huang Fei stepped forward. The moment the guards recognized her face, they pushed open the heavy bronze gate, which let out a deep creaking sound.

Lu Mingfei followed Huang Fei inside.

Beyond the entrance was a long passageway. Glowing Soul Guidance Lamps were set into the walls on both sides, illuminating the entire corridor as brightly as daylight.

The passageway opened up at the end into a gigantic hall large enough to accommodate several thousand people.

The floor of the hall was paved with black marble.

Every tile was polished until it reflected light like a mirror.

Dozens of enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Their wicks burned with flames condensed from Soul Power, radiating a soft and brilliant white light.

A huge mural hung on the wall directly in front of the hall.

It depicted a woman in golden robes holding a scepter. Her face was dignified and beautiful, and nine Soul Rings surrounded her. The final ring was a startling blood-red.

"That is the founding figure of Spirit Hall—the form the Angel God took when she descended into the mortal world."

Huang Fei glanced at Lu Mingfei's gaze and explained calmly, "Before formally swearing their oaths, every member who joins Spirit Hall must first take an oath before this mural."

Lu Mingfei answered with an "oh," his gaze lingering on the mural for several more seconds.

Angel God. He remembered that name.

In the mythology of the Douluo Continent, the Angel God was the sole deity worshiped by Spirit Hall.

Spirit Hall's inheritance was inextricably linked to the Angel God.

But Huang Fei did not take him before the mural to swear an oath.

She led Lu Mingfei across the hall, turned through a side door, and entered a corridor. Carved wooden doors stood at intervals along both sides, only a few steps apart.

Each door bore a gilded plaque labeled things like conference room, archives, and resource allocation office.

Huang Fei stopped before a double wooden door far taller than the others.

There was no plaque on it, only a golden Phoenix with its wings spread as though about to take flight. It was identical to the emblem on Huang Fei's chest.

Huang Fei raised her hand and knocked several times.

"Enter."

A voice came from inside the door. It was light and faint, like a wisp of wind brushing over a zither string, or a dewdrop falling onto the surface of a lake.

The voice was clearly not loud, yet it pierced through the heavy wooden door and reached Lu Mingfei's ears, making him shudder involuntarily.

Huang Fei pushed open the door, stepped aside, and gave Lu Mingfei a slight nod. "Go in. His Holiness the Pope is waiting for you inside."

Lu Mingfei could not help feeling nervous.

His Holiness the Pope... Bibi Dong.

One of the women with the greatest power, strongest abilities, and cruelest methods on the Douluo Continent.

He drew a deep breath, lifted his foot over the threshold, and entered the world beyond the door.

The room was far smaller than Lu Mingfei had imagined.

There was no grand hall or dazzling lighting. It was merely a plain, quiet chamber, roughly two zhang square, with bare walls and only a deep-purple rug spread across the floor.

At the end of the quiet room stood a low wooden table. Someone sat behind it.

She wore a simple long dress without any unnecessary ornamentation, save for a thin silver chain tied around her waist.

Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, her features as exquisite as the heavens' most painstaking creation.

Her skin was fairer than snow, and her eyes were a deep purple that seemed to contain a vast river of stars.

Her hair was simply tied behind her head, revealing her slender, fair neck.

Her entire being radiated a calm yet powerful presence, like a god seated upon a throne and looking down upon the ants of the mortal world.

She was Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall.

The instant Lu Mingfei entered the room, he felt an invisible pressure. It did not come from any Soul Power, but purely from her aura.

Bibi Dong merely sat there quietly, doing and saying nothing, yet he already felt like a small boat tossed about in a storm, liable to be overturned and swallowed at any moment.

"Come here." Bibi Dong's voice was soft, yet it carried unquestionable authority.

Lu Mingfei did not hesitate. He quickly walked to the wooden table and stopped several steps away from Bibi Dong.

He did not kneel.

Nor did he bow and scrape like everyone else.

He merely stood straight, raised his head, and met Bibi Dong's deep purple eyes.