Spirit Hall's Attention

Spirit City, Papal Hall.

The Papal Hall was brightly lit late into the night. Dozens of luminous pearls embedded in the vast dome illuminated the entire hall as brightly as day.

Beneath the dome, a slender figure sat upon the lofty throne, holding a report she had been reading for a long time.

Bibi Dong.

The youngest Pope in Spirit Hall's history, a level ninety-nine peerless Douluo and possessor of Twin Martial Souls. She wore a luxurious black robe, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her features were exquisite and cold, yet an inescapable gloom lingered between her brows.

Her gaze rested on the final line of the report: "Innate Soul Power at level thirty. Martial Soul suspected to be an inheritance of an ancient deity. A heavenly phenomenon was triggered during awakening, and a Divine King of the Divine Realm is suspected to have descended."

This report had come from the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City. Su Yuntao had submitted it through layer after layer of superiors, and it had taken nearly two months to reach her hands.

Innate level thirty.

Bibi Dong set down the report, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest with faint sounds.

She had seen geniuses. She herself was one—a possessor of Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, a Titled Douluo at twenty, and a peerless Douluo by forty.

She had seen far too many so-called geniuses pale into insignificance before her.

But innate level thirty?

That could no longer be summed up by the word "genius."

Bibi Dong rose to her feet and slowly descended the steps. Her footsteps echoed through the empty hall, every step carrying a steady, oppressive rhythm.

She walked to the center of the hall and looked up at the mural on the dome. It depicted a battle among ancient deities: gods falling, heaven and earth shattering, blood staining the land red.

She had once believed it was merely a legend.

Until the Rakshasa God found her.

That night, the Rakshasa God's voice had echoed in her mind, telling her of the Divine Realm's existence. Goddess of Kindness, Evil God, Destruction God, Goddess of Life, and Asura—the five Divine Kings jointly ruled the Divine Realm.

That was the first time Bibi Dong had learned that a higher realm existed beyond Titled Douluo.

But that was all the Rakshasa God knew.

The secrets of the Divine Realm, the origins of the five Divine Kings, the legend of the Creator God—the Rakshasa God had not mentioned any of these things. Perhaps even He did not know them.

Bibi Dong never spoke to outsiders about the Rakshasa God. It was her greatest secret, one unknown even to her most trusted disciple.

And now, this report told her that all five Divine Kings had descended upon a human child's awakening ceremony.

Bibi Dong's gaze deepened.

Why had the five Divine Kings descended together? What was there about that child that was worthy of the Divine Realm's attention? These questions swirled through her mind, but she could find no answers.

"Someone."

A guard in silver armor entered from outside the hall and dropped to one knee. "Your Holiness, what are your orders?"

"Bring Hu Liena here."

"Yes."

The guard withdrew. Before long, a girl of eleven or twelve entered the hall.

She wore a simple white martial outfit, and her short golden hair was neat and sharp. A hint of heroic spirit already showed in her brows and eyes. Though still young, her steps were steady and her aura calm; it was obvious at a glance that her cultivation was exceptional.

Hu Liena, Bibi Dong's personal disciple. Eleven years old, a level twenty-eight Soul Master.

"Teacher, you summoned me?" Hu Liena asked respectfully, dropping to one knee.

Bibi Dong handed her the report. "Take a look."

Hu Liena accepted it and read through it carefully, her brows gradually knitting together.

"Innate level thirty? This..."

"It's true," Bibi Dong said. "Su Yuntao's report is extremely detailed, and it includes testimony from other witnesses. This child named Lin Chen truly triggered a heavenly phenomenon during his awakening."

Hu Liena raised her head. "The five Divine Kings... Teacher, does the Divine Realm truly exist?"

"It does." Bibi Dong nodded. "But we know very little about the Divine Realm. I only know that the five Divine Kings are its highest rulers. For all of them to descend upon one child's awakening ceremony, this matter is anything but simple."

"Is there something special about that child?"

"Su Yuntao said that his Martial Soul was a gray mark with no distinct form." Bibi Dong paused. "I suspect it may be an inheritance from an ancient deity."

Hu Liena sucked in a sharp breath.

An inheritance from an ancient deity—that was something from legend.

"Teacher, what should we do?"

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment.

Of course, she had considered directly sending people to bring that child back. With Spirit Hall's strength, taking a six-year-old child from a tiny Nuoding Academy would be effortless.

But she did not dare act rashly.

Since the five Divine Kings had descended in person, it meant that child had already caught the Divine Realm's attention. If she acted recklessly and angered the Divine Realm, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Moreover, the five Divine Kings had not taken the child away, which meant they would not interfere with mortal affairs for the time being.

That meant the child currently belonged to no one.

Whoever won him over first would gain this power.

"Send someone to make contact with him." Bibi Dong made her decision. "But do not make it too conspicuous. You will personally go to Nuoding City as a Spirit Hall inspector and meet that child."

Hu Liena froze for a moment. "Me?"

"You are only a few years older than him, so you are less likely to arouse his guard," Bibi Dong said. "Once you reach Nuoding City, do not reveal Spirit Hall's intentions yet. Say you are conducting a routine inspection and taking a look at this year's new students. If there is an opportunity, get in touch with him and see what kind of person he is."

"What if he asks why Spirit Hall has come?"

"Then tell him the truth: Spirit Hall values talent and wishes to invite him to join."

Bibi Dong's voice was calm yet forceful. "There is no need to hide it, and no need to force him. Let him choose for himself."

Hu Liena nodded. "I understand."

"Go." Bibi Dong waved her hand. "Set out early tomorrow morning. Be careful on the road."

"Yes, Teacher."

Hu Liena rose and withdrew from the hall.

The hall fell silent once more.

Bibi Dong stood alone beneath the dome, looking up at the ancient mural. Her gaze was deep and complicated, as though she were contemplating something far away.

"Innate level thirty... the five Divine Kings..."

She murmured to herself.

"What kind of child are you?"

No one answered her.

The night wind swept through the hall. The candle flames flickered, then returned to stillness.

Meanwhile, in Nuoding City a thousand miles away, Lin Chen lay on his dormitory bed with his arms beneath his head, staring blankly at the moon outside the window.

Xiao Wu had already fallen asleep, her breathing even and long. Every so often, she turned over and muttered an indistinct line of sleep talk.

Lin Chen had no desire to sleep.

He was thinking about what had happened during the day. Tang San had absorbed the ten-year Lone Bamboo Soul Ring and gained the soul skill Blue Silver Pole Vault.

That kid had not said anything on the surface, but Lin Chen could tell that Tang San was holding back a fire inside.

Sooner or later, that fire would burn.

But before that, Lin Chen had more important things to do.

He raised his right hand, and a gray mark appeared in his palm. Three Nine-Colored Soul Rings slowly rose, giving off a faint glow in the darkness.

First Soul Ring: Five Elements Law.

He had already gained a preliminary grasp of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—but it was still far from enough.

The true power of the Five Elements Law lay in mutual generation and restraint, an endless cycle. What he could wield now was no more than the surface.

Second Soul Ring: Yin-Yang Law.

This law was even more profound. He could vaguely sense the yin-yang balance of all things, but to truly control it, he would need deeper comprehension and stronger cultivation.

As for the third Soul Ring, the Destruction Law...

Lin Chen did not dare try it recklessly. The Goddess of Kindness had warned him that although the power of laws was formidable, it would backlash if his body could not endure it.

He was only level thirty now. Controlling three Soul Rings was already his limit. If he rashly used the Destruction Law, he might destroy himself first.

"Take it slow," he muttered to himself.