The Papal Hall's Gaze

The Papal Hall's Gaze

Above Spirit City, the Papal Hall appeared especially solemn in the dusk.

Hu Liena and the other two had yet to return after leaving the training grounds, and word of it quickly reached the Papal Hall.

Under normal circumstances, it would not have been a big deal for young soul masters to go out and wander around.

But with the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament approaching, the Spirit Hall Golden Generation was the most important card in Bibi Dong's hand.

No variable could be easily overlooked.

Inside the grand hall, Bibi Dong sat upon the papal throne, her fingers resting lightly on her scepter.

Below her, a deacon reported in a low voice.

"Her Highness the Saintess, Xie Yue, and Yan went to a newly opened shop on Third Street in the south of the city. They have not come out for more than two hours."

Bibi Dong slightly raised her eyelids.

"A new shop?"

"Yes. It is called Grand Dao Internet Cafe. This subordinate has never heard of it."

Yue Guan stood to one side. At the mention of the name, his brow lifted slightly.

Gui Mei's figure remained hidden in the shadows, his voice low. "All newly opened shops in Spirit City should be on record. If there is no record, then there is a problem."

Bibi Dong did not immediately give an order.

She understood Hu Liena very well.

That child was clever. She would not be held up by some ordinary scam for two hours.

For her to stay there for so long, that shop had to possess at least something unusual.

"Yue Guan, Gui Mei."

"This subordinate is here."

"Go take a look. Do not alert too many people."

Yue Guan smiled.

"What if it is merely some foolhardy fraud?"

Bibi Dong said flatly, "Then clean it up."

"Yes."

The two figures quickly left the Papal Hall.

Meanwhile, inside Grand Dao Internet Cafe, Yan stared at the bottle of chilled Happy Water, his face full of indignation.

"Three Gold Soul Coins for a bottle of water?"

Lin Chuan corrected him. "It is not ordinary water. It is Happy Water."

"What is the difference?"

"It makes you happy when you drink it."

Yan did not know whether that counted as an answer.

Hu Liena had just come out of the game, and she felt terribly mentally exhausted. She had originally wanted to continue, but the prolonged intense focus had made her temples throb.

She glanced at the shelf and asked, "Can it restore mental energy?"

Lin Chuan thought over the system's description.

"It can relieve fatigue, replenish stamina, and it tastes pretty good too."

Hu Liena did not hesitate and took out three Gold Soul Coins.

"Give me one."

Yan frowned. "Nana, you are really buying it?"

Hu Liena took the bottle Lin Chuan handed her.

The bottle was cold to the touch, with droplets of condensation clinging to its surface.

It was currently the warmer season in Spirit City. Most drinks sold on the streets were at room temperature. Even if noble estates had ice, it would be impossible to casually take out a bottle of drink carrying such a chill.

She twisted open the cap.

With a hiss, fine bubbles surged upward.

Hu Liena was slightly taken aback.

She lowered her head and sniffed it. Beneath the sweet fragrance was an unfamiliar, stimulating scent.

After taking a sip, the icy sensation slid down her throat, while bubbles burst in her mouth. The exhaustion brought on by death and battle in the game actually eased by several degrees.

Her eyes lit up.

"It really works."

Seeing this, Xie Yue bought a bottle as well.

Yan had wanted to hold firm, but with both of them drinking, he looked especially awkward standing beside them.

Lin Chuan placed the third bottle on the counter.

"Why not give it a try too? I am not forcing you to buy it."

Yan snorted, but his hand honestly reached for his money.

The three drank their Happy Water, and before they could resume arguing over the price, two auras silently descended outside the shop entrance.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei walked in.

The soul masters watching outside instantly fell silent.

Chrysanthemum Douluo.

Ghost Douluo.

Almost no one in Spirit City failed to recognize these two.

Yan and Xie Yue immediately rose to their feet.

Hu Liena also set down her bottle and gave a slight bow.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost."

Yue Guan's gaze first fell upon Hu Liena. Only after confirming that she was unharmed did he look toward Lin Chuan.

"You are the owner of this shop?"

Lin Chuan nodded.

"Lin Chuan."

Yue Guan sized him up.

No Soul Power.

No martial soul fluctuations.

He looked like an ordinary person.

Yet the more ordinary he appeared, the more wrong it felt.

An ordinary person could not possibly open a shop like this in Spirit City and keep Hu Liena and the other two here for so long.

A hint of probing flashed through Yue Guan's eyes as the pressure of a Titled Douluo quietly spread outward.

He did not target Hu Liena and the others. He merely pressed lightly toward Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan's heart tightened.

The next moment, a system notification popped up directly.

[Detected an improper probe within the shop.]

[Intercepted.]

Yue Guan's expression changed slightly.

His pressure vanished when it was still half a zhang away from Lin Chuan.

It had not been blocked by Soul Power, nor had anyone reflected it back at him.

It was as if it had fallen into a bottomless expanse of water, unable to stir even a single ripple.

Gui Mei also sensed that something was wrong, and his gaze beneath the black robe grew increasingly grave.

Lin Chuan appeared perfectly composed on the surface.

"Elders, this shop is open for business. If you wish to try it, it costs ten Gold Soul Coins per hour. If you are only looking for people, they are here and perfectly safe."

Yue Guan narrowed his eyes.

"You know who we are?"

"In Spirit City, there probably are not many people who could make those three bow."

Lin Chuan answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Hu Liena hurriedly said, "If my teacher asks, I will explain it personally. This shop is indeed somewhat unusual, but so far, it has not harmed anyone."

Yue Guan looked at her.

"What did you see inside?"

Hu Liena fell silent for a moment.

"A world where soul masters can repeatedly experience battles of life and death without harming their bodies in reality."

The moment those words were spoken, both Yue Guan and Gui Mei's expressions changed.

If anyone else had said such a thing, they would have dismissed it as nonsense.

But Hu Liena was the one who said it.

Spirit Hall's Saintess, Bibi Dong's most valued disciple.

She would not joke about something like this.

Lin Chuan added from the side, "It is a game."

Yue Guan looked toward the computers.

"A game?"

"A form of entertainment, and also training." Lin Chuan said, "Its specific effects vary from person to person."

Yan muttered softly, "Mostly getting beaten up."

Hu Liena shot him a glance.

Yan immediately shut his mouth.

At that moment, on the first computer screen, Hu Liena's character still stood beside a mountain path.

She had exited in a rush and had not continued challenging the strange figure ahead, who wielded a flaming saber.

Lin Chuan took a look and reminded her, "You still have a little time left. Do you want to continue?"

Hu Liena immediately put the helmet back on.

Yue Guan had wanted to stop her, but Gui Mei lightly raised a hand.

"Watch."

They stood behind the screen, watching Hu Liena charge at the flaming-saber monster in the game.

This time, she was no longer as flustered as she had been at the beginning.

She kept rolling to widen the distance, seizing the gaps after her opponent swung his blade to counterattack. Even when the flames burned her, she did not immediately fall apart.

One failure.

Two failures.

On the third attempt, she finally caught the instant the monster finished its move and smashed her staff into the top of its head.

The flaming-saber monster fell.

A line of text appeared on the screen.

[Defeated: Guangzhi Phantom]

[Obtained: Basic Staff Stance Insight]

Hu Liena abruptly opened her eyes.

A strand of unfamiliar combat memory surged into her mind.

She subconsciously raised her hand, her fingertips moving slightly.

Though she held no staff, her body seemed to remember the way that strike had generated force.

For the first time, the smile vanished from Yue Guan's face.

Gui Mei spoke in a low voice.

"This is not an illusion."

Lin Chuan looked at the reward notification that had appeared in the system, and his heart skipped a beat.

So the things obtained in the game could truly be brought out.