The Pope's Personal Disciple!

At noon the next day, the soul guide carriage stopped outside Spirit City's western gate.

Li Long jumped down from the carriage, his feet landing on the familiar stone pavement as the morning sunlight fell warmly across his shoulders.

He glanced back at the carriage compartment. Mo Yuan showed no intention of getting out and merely tossed a sentence through the window. "Go report in."

Then the carriage turned around and drove away, its wheels rolling over the road with a steady sound.

Li Long withdrew his gaze and turned toward the city.

He passed through the morning streets, where several low-ranking Spirit Hall members recognized the ordinary deacon badge at his waist.

When he reached the main entrance of the Papal Palace, the guards gave him a glance, then looked at the silver-white token at his waist. They did not stop him, merely stepping aside to clear the way.

Li Long entered the hall and followed the corridor he had taken before, heading deeper inside.

As he passed the bronze door, his footsteps paused. The door stood open, and the sound of papers rustling came from within.

"Come in."

It was Qian Shengyuan's voice.

Li Long stepped into the inner hall. Qian Shengyuan sat behind a long desk, holding a confidential report that had just arrived.

He raised his head and looked toward the door, his gaze landing first on Li Long's face.

His fingers stopped on the page, unmoving.

The inner hall fell silent for two breaths.

Qian Shengyuan set down the confidential report in his hand and stared for several breaths before slowly leaning back into his chair.

His expression did not change much, but beneath the calm in his eyes, something seemed to churn, like bubbles rising from the depths of dark water.

"It worked?"

"It worked." Li Long nodded. "Level twenty-four. My second soul skill synchronously increases strength and speed by three hundred percent, comes with an area shockwave, lasts thirty minutes, and consumes less soul power than my first soul skill."

As he spoke, one yellow and one purple soul ring rose from beneath his feet.

The visual impact was immense.

Even Qian Shengyuan's pupils abruptly contracted at the sight. A thousand-year second soul ring—it had truly succeeded. This child was truly extraordinary!

Sitting in his chair, he scanned Li Long several times, his fingers tapping the armrest one beat at a time.

The rhythm was slower than usual, with longer intervals between each tap, as though he were using the motion to process the information.

After a long while, he spoke. "A thousand-year second ring, jumping from level twenty to level twenty-four. A five-hundred-year first ring, rising from level ten to level thirteen. The combined enhancement of these two soul rings has made your foundation nearly forty percent stronger than that of soul masters at the same level."

He paused here, his gaze falling upon Li Long's face again. This time, it was deeper than before, as if he were reassessing the person before him.

No, as if he were seeing him clearly for the first time.

"You are ten years old, born in the Notting City branch hall, with innate soul power of level three and an Iron Rod Martial Soul. It has been exactly four years since your awakening, yet you have already reached level twenty-four with two rings. Your physical body surpasses that of a three-ring Soul Elder, and the ages of both soul rings have broken the conventional limits."

After saying this, Qian Shengyuan rose from behind the long desk.

He walked around it and stopped three steps in front of Li Long, looking down at the youth who only reached his chest.

Something settled in those eyes before finally solidifying into a decision.

"Li Long."

"Here."

Qian Shengyuan was silent for three breaths before speaking. His voice was neither loud nor soft, but every word was as clear as if carved into stone. "I intend to take you as my disciple, a personal disciple. Are you willing?"

The air in the inner hall seemed to freeze in that instant.

Li Long stood where he was, looking up at the most powerful man on the Douluo Continent.

The current Pope of Spirit Hall, a nine-ring Super Douluo.

The other man's gaze was deep and steady, without probing or hesitation. His expression was the same as when he signed any policy document at the long desk—calm and certain.

"I have already judged that, based on the foundation and growth rate you have displayed, coupled with Spirit Hall's full resources to improve your innate aptitude, you have the potential to challenge the rank of Titled Douluo. It is not a guaranteed certainty, but the possibility exists. That possibility alone is worth this decision."

Qian Shengyuan tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the purple soul ring again. "Moreover, so far, you are the only person in the entire soul master world to break the limit of the first soul ring. Then your second ring directly reached the thousand-year level. You are not simply lucky. You have chosen the right path. Leaving someone like you out there to drift would be too wasteful. I want to keep you by my side."

"There is another reason as well."

Qian Shengyuan paused, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his lips. "Spirit Hall needs a symbol. It needs someone the entire continent can see, someone who rose from the bottom. Every step you take proves that Spirit Hall's system can accept anyone. Even if he comes from the humblest origins and has the most ordinary martial soul, as long as he is ruthless enough, determined enough, and strong enough, he can reach the highest position. That is the value of a symbol."

As Li Long listened, a warmth surged up in his chest.

He remained silent for a moment, then bowed.

"Disciple Li Long pays respects to Teacher."

Qian Shengyuan looked at him, his gaze softening for an instant as he nodded. "Mm. From today onward, your status will be different from before. The authority of a personal disciple is second only to mine. You will not be bound by the establishment of any branch hall, and your resource supply will come directly from the Papal Palace's internal treasury. Your residence will also be changed. Have someone take you to the courtyard on the eastern side of the inner hall later. You will live there alone, with your own cultivation room and medicine room."

He turned and returned behind the long desk, sitting down once more before taking a new token from a drawer.

The token was entirely golden, its surface cast with a relief of a Six-Winged Angel. One character was engraved on its back: Yuan.

He placed the token on the table but did not push it over. He merely looked at Li Long.

"I want you to remember one thing. The status of a personal disciple gives you more than you can imagine, but it demands just as much from you. You may make mistakes, but you cannot slack off. You may suffer setbacks, but you cannot stop. Spirit Hall will invest no less in you than it would in any genius with innate soul power of level nine. What will you offer in exchange?"

Li Long straightened and looked at the golden token on the desk. Then he raised his head, meeting Qian Shengyuan's eyes directly. "I'll trade everything I have."

Qian Shengyuan looked at him, and the curve at his lips widened slightly.

He pushed the token across the desk. Li Long reached out and caught it. It was warm to the touch and nearly twice as heavy as the silver-white token.

Its golden surface was smooth as a mirror, and the feather patterns on the angel relief were so fine that every strand could be counted.

He lowered his head and looked at it for a moment before putting the token into his robes.

"Go," Qian Shengyuan said. "Settle in first. Starting tomorrow, we will revise your cultivation plan. Your innate soul power limitation remains, but now that the resources are available, many things can be remedied. I will not allow your potential to be locked at your innate level."

"Yes, Teacher."

Li Long turned and walked out of the hall.

His steps were far steadier than when he had arrived.

When he pushed open the bronze door and stepped into the corridor, sunlight slanted through the gaps between the pillars, stretching his shadow long behind him.

He looked down at his chest.

Two tokens rested there—one silver-white, one gold.

The silver-white one was authority. The golden one was identity.

Half a year ago, he had still been in that small dormitory in Notting City, calculating how to scrape together enough money to buy hundred-year whale glue. Today, he had become the personal disciple of Spirit Hall's Pope.

He had walked this road for four years, never stopping through any day or night.

From today onward, the road ahead was broader, but the burden on his shoulders was heavier as well.

He took a deep breath and strode toward the eastern side of the inner hall.

Sunlight filled the path ahead, and Spirit City's highest dome stood not far above his head.

Qian Shengyuan sat behind the long desk, watching the bronze door close as the hall returned to silence.

He lowered his head and looked at the dossier concerning Li Long on the desk. The number 037 on its cover remained clearly visible.

His finger tapped the dossier cover once as he spoke softly.

"I hope you do not disappoint me. I am looking forward to your future."

Then he stored the dossier in the hidden compartment at the very back of the drawer. Everything placed there was among the things he valued most.