The Pope

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

Huang Fei occasionally quizzed him on one or two questions. He answered every one fluently, and only then did her expression improve slightly.

On the evening of the second day, the carriage entered a city.

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

The city was far larger than he had imagined.

Rows upon rows of shops lined both sides of the broad streets.

There were weapon shops, herb shops, soul tool shops, and shops selling all manner of strange and unusual things. People thronged the streets, and the city was bustling with life.

At the end of the street stood an impossibly magnificent cluster of buildings. White stone walls rose into the clouds, while golden domes gleamed beneath the setting sun.

From afar, it looked like a palace where gods resided.

And that palace was the supreme sanctuary every soul master on the Douluo Continent dreamed of... Spirit Hall.

The carriage slowly proceeded along the broad bluestone street. When pedestrians saw the phoenix emblem on the carriage, they all voluntarily stepped aside, their gazes filled with reverence and envy.

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

Besides the shops, quite a few young soul masters in Spirit Hall uniforms came and went along the streets.

Some walked together, discussing something as they went.

Others hurried along alone with grave expressions. Every one of them wore a star emblem on their chest, ranging from one star to five.

Lu Mingfei noticed something.

Whenever those young soul masters saw the palm-sized phoenix emblem on the carriage, without exception, they stopped and gave a slight bow. Their manner was so respectful that it was as if they were meeting a god.

He turned to look at Huang Fei, who was resting with her eyes closed, and suddenly felt that this woman carried even more weight than he had imagined.

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

Lu Mingfei followed Huang Fei out of the carriage and looked up at the grand structure before him, speechless for a moment.

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

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

All manner of martial soul designs were carved into the stone walls.

There were enormous hammers, roaring dragons, sharp greatswords, and all kinds of bizarre weapon martial souls. They were so lifelike that they seemed ready to burst from the walls at any moment.

The main gate was a colossal bronze door five zhang tall, cast with two crossed longswords—the emblem 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. Once the guards recognized her face, they immediately pushed open the heavy bronze doors, which let out a deep creak.

Lu Mingfei followed Huang Fei inside.

Beyond the entrance was a long passageway. Soul-powered lamps that could emit light were embedded in the walls on both sides, illuminating the entire corridor as brightly as day.

At the end of the passageway, the view suddenly opened up into an enormous hall capable of holding thousands of people.

The floor of the hall was paved with black marble.

Every slab was polished bright enough to reflect one's face.

Dozens of enormous crystal chandeliers hung from above.

Their wicks burned with flames condensed from soul power, casting a soft yet brilliant white light.

A massive mural hung on the wall at the front of the hall.

It depicted a woman in golden robes holding a scepter. Her features were majestic yet beautiful, and nine soul rings surrounded her, the last of which was a blood-red color.

"That is the image of the founder of Spirit Hall, the incarnation of the Angel God when she descended into the mortal world."

Huang Fei glanced at where Lu Mingfei was looking and explained calmly, "Before every member who joins Spirit Hall formally takes their oath, they must first swear before this mural."

Lu Mingfei let out an "Oh," his gaze lingering on the mural for a few more seconds.

Angel God. He remembered that name.

In the mythological system of the Douluo Continent, the Angel God was the sole deity worshipped by Spirit Hall.

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

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

She led Lu Mingfei through the hall, turned through a side door, and entered a corridor. Every few steps, there was an ornately carved wooden door on either side.

Each door bore a gilded plaque with words such as Council Chamber, Archives, and Resource Allocation Office.

Huang Fei stopped before a pair of wooden doors far larger than the others.

There was no plaque on them, only a golden phoenix spreading its wings as if about to take flight, identical to the emblem on Huang Fei's chest.

Huang Fei raised her hand and knocked on the door several times.

"Come in."

A voice came from within, light and faint, like a breeze brushing over piano strings or a dewdrop falling onto a lake's surface.

The voice was clearly not loud, yet it pierced through the heavy wooden doors and reached Lu Mingfei's ears with perfect clarity, 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."

Lu Mingfei could not help feeling nervous.

His Holiness the Pope... Bibi Dong.

One of the most powerful, most influential, and most ruthless women on the Douluo Continent.

He took a deep breath, lifted his foot over the threshold, and stepped into the world beyond the door.

The room was much smaller than Lu Mingfei had imagined.

There was no magnificent hall, no dazzling lighting—only a simple quiet room, about two zhang square. The four walls were bare, and a dark purple velvet carpet lay on the floor.

At the far end of the room sat a low wooden desk, with someone seated behind it.

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

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, her features as delicate as if she were Heaven's most painstaking creation.

Her skin was fairer than snow, and her eyes were a deep violet, as though they held within them an endless galaxy.

Her hair was simply gathered behind her head, revealing her long, fair neck.

Her entire being radiated a tranquil yet formidable presence, like a god seated upon a throne, gazing down upon the ants of the mortal world.

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

The instant Lu Mingfei entered, he felt an invisible pressure. It did not come from any soul power, but purely from her presence.

Bibi Dong merely sat there quietly. She did nothing and said 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 up to the wooden desk and stopped several steps away from Bibi Dong.

He did not kneel.

Nor did he bow and scrape like everyone else.

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