Glorious Even in Defeat! The Pope's Private Summons!

"Perfect timing."

Li Long roared inwardly. Instead of retreating, he advanced fiercely, taking half a step forward as his iron rod swept upward from below, forcibly knocking the light blade into the air.

At the instant Qin Tian's strength faltered, his center of gravity was forward and his defenses wide open.

Qin Tian's real body had somehow already closed in.

He caught the returning curved blade with one hand and struck Li Long's shoulder with the flat of the blade.

Slap.

The blow sent Li Long staggering. Half his body tilted aside, and one foot stepped over the boundary.

The presiding deacon immediately raised a hand. "Li Long has stepped out of bounds. Qin Tian wins."

The entire venue fell silent for a moment. Then applause broke out.

Some people rose to clap, some let out a breath of relief before clapping twice, while even more applauded as they murmured among themselves.

A one-ring Soul Master fighting a three-ring Soul Master, only stepping out of bounds on the final move—this result was far better than most people's pre-match prediction that Li Long would be completely crushed.

Qin Tian sheathed his blade and stood in the arena, breathing heavily as he looked at Li Long across from him. After a moment of silence, he said, "You're very strong."

Li Long steadied himself with his iron rod and moved the shoulder that had been struck.

That area was somewhat numb, but the bone was fine.

He looked up at Qin Tian and nodded. "Your third soul skill isn't bad."

Qin Tian smiled.

Neither said anything more. They turned and left the arena separately.

The audience kept discussing the match. Some felt that Li Long had been glorious even in defeat, while others felt indignant on his behalf.

If he had another half year to train, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

On the high platform, Qian Shengyuan neither applauded nor spoke.

He watched Li Long's back disappear into the contestants' passageway, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest twice.

Then he turned to the attendant beside him and said, "After the match, have him come to the Papal Palace to see me."

The attendant was slightly stunned, then bowed to accept the order.

Li Long returned to the resting area, sat down on a bench, took off his outer garment, and examined his shoulder injury.

A patch of light purple bruising was slowly emerging, but it did not affect his movement.

He circulated his soul power once and, after confirming that his muscles and bones had not been injured, let out a breath of relief.

He was considering how to fight the next match when a white-robed attendant hurried over, bowed, and spoke in a low voice. "Deacon Li Long, His Holiness the Pope summons you to the inner hall after the match. Please straighten yourself up and come with me."

Li Long's hands paused for a moment, then he nodded.

Before long, he followed the attendant away from the martial arena. Matches were still ongoing behind him, but the noise gradually faded away.

He passed through a corridor paved with dark gray stone slabs. Soul-guided lamps were set into the walls every few steps, their wicks giving off a steady warm white glow without flickering. They were completely unlike the oil lamps in the Notting City branch hall, which would brighten and dim unpredictably.

At the end of the corridor stood a bronze door as tall as two people. A relief of the Six-Winged Angel was carved across its surface, its spread wings nearly filling the entire door.

The attendant stopped and turned sideways, gesturing for him to proceed. "His Holiness the Pope is waiting for you in the inner hall. I will escort you no further. Just push the door open and go in."

Li Long nodded and straightened his collar.

The standard fitted uniform of an ordinary deacon had become somewhat wrinkled after several battles, and the spot on his shoulder where the blade's flat had struck still bore a faint bruise.

He smoothed his lapels, then raised a hand and pushed open the bronze door.

The hinges made almost no sound as they turned, their craftsmanship surprisingly exquisite. He stepped across the threshold and entered a spacious inner hall.

The hall was somewhat smaller than he had imagined. It lacked the imposing high dome of the main hall and felt more like a private space extending from a study used for handling official affairs.

Two rows of bookshelves were built into the walls on either side, filled with case files and thick volumes.

Directly ahead stood a dark red long desk, spread with several documents and a map.

The man seated behind the desk had been looking down at something. He only raised his head upon hearing the door open.

Qian Shengyuan.

This was the first time Li Long had seen the current Pope in person.

He looked somewhat younger than in his portraits, appearing to be in his thirties. His features were deep-set, yet lacked any aggressive sharpness.

His hair was tied behind his head, and he wore a dark gold casual robe. There were no badges or papal crown on his chest, making him look more like the head of an aristocratic family.

The only thing that made it impossible to look away was his eyes.

Calm, yet as though they contained everything.

"Come in. Close the door behind you."

Qian Shengyuan's voice was neither too loud nor too soft. Even when matched with the identity of the man who had sat atop the high platform in the martial arena, it revealed no emotion.

Li Long turned back and closed the door, then walked a few steps forward and stopped around five paces from the long desk.

By custom, he should have knelt on one knee in salute, but Qian Shengyuan waved a hand before he could bend his knee.

"No need. Let the healing Soul Master look at your shoulder first."

Li Long was startled. Before he could respond, Qian Shengyuan had already tilted his chin toward the door.

A middle-aged woman waiting in the side hall entered. She wore a white deacon's robe, and gentle pale green soul power gathered in her palms.

Without saying more, she walked to Li Long's side and held her hand above the bruise on his shoulder as soul power slowly seeped into it.

A warm current circulated through the injury once. The bruise visibly lightened and faded.

In just over ten breaths, the large patch of bluish-purple on his shoulder had faded until it was almost invisible. Only a faint soreness remained to remind him that he had once taken a blow there.

The healing Soul Master withdrew her hand, bowed slightly to Qian Shengyuan, and silently retreated.

The bronze door closed again, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

"Sit and speak." Qian Shengyuan pointed to a round stool beside a small table.

Li Long did not decline and sat down.

The spot was neither too close nor too far from the long desk. It did not appear presumptuous, nor did it seem humble.

Qian Shengyuan leaned back in his chair, looked at him, and asked, "How many matches did you fight today?"

"Six," Li Long replied. "I won the first five and lost the sixth."

"Where did you lose?"

"The coverage of his third soul skill was too broad. I only had my first soul skill available. I could block one blade, but not three. I forcibly charged at the last one and knocked it away with my body, but after my strength gave out, I left an opening."

Qian Shengyuan did not comment on his answer. Instead, he approached it from another angle. "Don't you think the loss was unfair? You were two soul rings behind him, and one of them was a thousand-year soul skill. Under normal circumstances, a one-ring Soul Master should not have lasted that long against a three-ring Soul Master."

Li Long thought for a moment. "Whether it was unfair or not, it won't be unfair if I beat him next time."

Qian Shengyuan's brow shifted slightly, and the corner of his mouth lifted by an almost imperceptible degree.

He reached to the side of the long desk and drew out a thin file. Without opening it, he merely weighed it in his hand.

"You rose from level thirteen to level twenty in half a year. What method did you use?"

The question was blunt.

Li Long did not hesitate for long and answered truthfully, "Medicinal baths, along with practicing three hours more than others every day. I meditated without interruption every night, and trained my rod technique during the day until I was exhausted. I mixed the medicinal bath formula myself based on scattered manuals in the branch hall's library. The main ingredients were warming and nourishing roots and powdered beast bones. That was how I endured it."