Conversation with the Pope! Choosing the Second Soul Ring!

"Is that all?" Qian Shengyuan stared into his eyes. "No other supplementary methods?"

Li Long met the Pope's gaze with a calm expression.

He had long since figured out how to get through this.

Whale glue could not be exposed.

Once the world learned of whale glue's true use, its price would soar through the roof, and he would never be able to afford it again.

And if Spirit Hall directly monopolized and controlled that information, the advantage he could gain from it would vanish completely.

"There's nothing else." Li Long's tone remained steady. "I just trained—trained like my life depended on it. My innate soul power is only rank three. I don't have any other advantages, so I can only make up for it by strengthening my body. Absorbing that five-hundred-year soul ring was mostly luck, too. Grandpa Fanolan advised me to choose one with a lower cultivation age, but I thought, since my starting point was already so low, even if I exploded and died, it would only be a matter of dying sooner or later. I'm not afraid of death. What I fear is reaching the end of my life without even having the courage to take a shot at it. So I sat down and absorbed it. When I made it through, I was pretty surprised myself."

As he spoke, his gaze never wavered.

There was something very pure in those eyes.

It was not the slickness of a fabricated lie, but the calm acceptance of the outcome from a ten-year-old boy who had wagered his life and won.

Qian Shengyuan stared into those eyes for a long time.

The inner hall was so quiet that he could hear the faint rustling of papers in the case files on the desk as the air moved.

The Pope said nothing. His gaze repeatedly swept over Li Long's face, as though he were peeling away every layer of surface appearance to see what lay beneath. At last, he nodded lightly twice.

"You said you weren't afraid of death." Qian Shengyuan spoke slowly, his tone softer than before, yet carrying more weight. "I've heard those words from many people, but few say them with that same tone. To wager your life so cleanly means you were never someone who survived by luck from the beginning."

He paused. The thin ice of scrutiny in his eyes seemed to melt somewhat, revealing a trace of something difficult to detect—something that could be called admiration.

"Innate rank three. Your starting point truly is too low. If not for that limitation... I might genuinely have considered taking you as my disciple."

After saying this, Qian Shengyuan himself seemed to find the thought somewhat inappropriate. He lightly shook his head and suppressed that flicker of emotion.

He lowered his head and opened the dossier in his hand.

The cover bore the number 037.

As he read through it page by page, Li Long waited quietly, neither urging him on nor appearing uneasy.

When he reached the last page, Qian Shengyuan's fingers paused, as if he had seen something that required a moment longer to consider.

Then he closed the dossier and set it back on the table.

"You fought smartly in your last match. Qin Tian's third soul skill was powerful, but it had an extremely brief charging motion before activation. You noticed it?"

"I did," Li Long said. "But before using it, he used a combo to force me back to the edge. The opening while he charged was concealed by his movement skill, and I was already in a position where I couldn't create any distance."

Qian Shengyuan nodded and did not pursue the topic.

Then he changed the subject and asked a crucial question. "How many years do you plan for your second soul ring to be?"

Li Long did not hesitate. "One thousand years."

Qian Shengyuan's eyes shifted slightly, and his fingers paused against the tabletop.

A thousand years. A one-ring soul master absorbing a thousand-year soul ring upon breaking through to the second ring.

Almost no one in the soul master world had ever attempted such a cultivation age.

For ordinary second-ring Grand Soul Masters, the success rate of absorbing a thousand-year soul ring was less than thirty percent. And that was based on their first soul rings generally being three or four hundred years old, with their bodies having accumulated a certain foundation.

Li Long's first soul ring was already five hundred years old. If his second soul ring doubled that to one thousand years, the numerical jump might not seem large, but the difference in soul power impact was qualitative.

"Are you confident?" Qian Shengyuan did not reject the idea outright.

"My physical strength has already reached the threshold of a three-ring Soul Elder. I believe I can withstand a thousand-year second soul ring."

"I'm willing to take the gamble."

There was no arrogance in Li Long's voice. It was more like he was stating a conclusion that had been repeatedly verified.

Qian Shengyuan looked at him in silence for a moment. Then he reached into a drawer at the side of the long desk and took out a palm-sized metal token.

The token was silver-white throughout. Its front was cast with Spirit Hall's angel emblem, while its back bore a line of words and a number.

He placed the token in the middle of the desk and pushed it toward Li Long.

"From today onward, your resource allocation will be raised by two levels."

"Soul power guidance methods, soul tools, medicinal herbs, body-tempering materials—you may apply to draw upon all of them through this authorization, without restriction by branch hall rank."

"Also, for your second soul ring, I'll have someone take you to obtain a thousand-year soul beast."

Li Long's gaze rested for a moment on the silver-white token lying on the table.

Then he reached out and picked it up. It felt heavy in his hand, its surface icy cold.

"Thank you, Your Holiness."

Qian Shengyuan leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Your new authorization includes the right to request resources outside of missions. Don't hold back from using it. Once you've chosen your second soul ring, show it to me. I'll personally confirm whether the soul beast you chose is suitable."

"Alright."

Li Long stood up, took two steps back, and turned toward the door.

When he reached the bronze doors, he paused and looked back at the figure behind the long desk.

Qian Shengyuan had already lowered his head to review the files before him again. Soul-tool lamp light illuminated his profile, making his outline appear composed and quiet.

Li Long said nothing. He pulled open the bronze doors and walked out.

The doors slowly closed behind him. Standing in the corridor, he lowered his head and glanced at the silver-white token in his palm. His own face was reflected in its polished metal surface.

Then he tucked the token into his robe and strode away.

After leaving the corridor, Li Long stepped back into the sunlight.

Spirit City was still bustling in the afternoon. The faint clamor from the training grounds drifted over, but this area near the Papal Palace was strangely quiet.

He walked down the stone steps, the icy touch of the silver-white token still clear in his palm.

He found the shadow cast by an unoccupied corridor pillar and stopped there, raising the token before his eyes for a closer look.

The emblem on the front was exquisitely cast. The lines of the Six-Winged Angel were delicate yet forceful, every feather clearly engraved.

He turned it over. A line of small words was carved on the back: Authorization Level Two. Below it was an independent number, completely different from the Notting-037 of the branch hall. This string of numbers was shorter, more like an exclusive registration code.

He did not yet fully understand what Level Two authorization meant, but he could grasp the weight carried by the words "without restriction by branch hall rank."

It meant that in the future, he could apply for resources from any institution directly under Spirit City, without layers of approval or any need for matching branch hall rank.

For an ordinary deacon, the leap in authorization was somewhat outrageous.

He carefully tucked the token into the innermost layer of his clothes, placing it against his chest.

Just then, someone came over from the direction of the training grounds.

It was the attendant who had served Qian Shengyuan beside the platform earlier. He carried a sealed scroll of silk, hurried up to Li Long, gave a slight nod, and handed it over.

"Deacon Li Long, His Holiness asked me to deliver this material to you."

"It marks several locations where thousand-year soul beasts suitable for your second soul ring can be found. His Holiness said you should review it first. Once you have an inclination, you may contact the Foreign Affairs Office at any time to arrange accompanying guards."

Li Long took the silk scroll. It was slightly warm in his hand, as though it had just been taken off the desk.

He nodded. "Thank you."

The attendant did not linger and turned to leave.

Standing in the shadow of the corridor pillar, Li Long untied the thin cord around the silk scroll and slowly unrolled it.

Written on it in meticulous handwriting were the names, habits, and approximate habitats of several thousand-year soul beasts, along with simple maps.

His gaze swept over them quickly, immediately landing on several key recommendations marked with stars.

One name made his eyes stop.

Gale Giant Ape.

The note beside it read: A herd-dwelling thousand-year soul beast active in the southern mountain regions of the Star Dou Great Forest. Known for its strength and physical constitution, it possesses both great speed and power.

Reason for recommendation: It would complement the first soul ring.

Li Long stared at the name for a moment, then rolled up the silk scroll and tied the cord around it again.

"Gale Giant Ape..."

He repeated the name softly, his gaze turning toward the distant direction of the Star Dou Great Forest. Then he turned and headed for the inn.

His first soul skill, Mighty Vajra Staff, balanced strength and defense.

Then his second soul skill should balance strength and speed.

Starting from his third soul ring, he could focus entirely on stacking pure strength-type soul rings.

That would be perfect.