First Apprentice, Then Master-Slayer-Nothing Wrong with That

The apprenticeship took place at Chrysanthemum Douluo's residence.

The process went smoothly. Once Xu Huxiao addressed Bibi Dong as "Teacher," the apprenticeship ceremony was officially complete.

Throughout the entire process, Xu Huxiao adhered to the principle of speaking less and observing more. He did not reveal too much of what made him different, and under Xu Bayan's guidance, everything proceeded step by step.

The Spirit Hall Saintess taking on a disciple was neither a major nor a minor matter, since the disciple was merely a child whose Martial Soul had only awakened at the age of six.

Yet it was not insignificant either, because such a formal apprenticeship generally meant the disciple would be raised as a successor.

If Spirit Hall's situation had been peaceful, there would at least have been a ceremony announced throughout Spirit City.

But now, undercurrents churned beneath the surface. The Pope was gravely ill and had little time left. A storm was brewing, and every Soul Master in Spirit Hall was watching for the moment the winds changed.

Although Saintess Bibi Dong stood at the center of this storm.

Taking on a disciple—especially the son of Demon Bear Douluo, whose cultivation had fallen to Soul Douluo and who had completely withdrawn from the center of power—would have no impact on the situation at all. It was not worth anyone's attention.

Thus, news of Saintess Bibi Dong taking a disciple only spread among the upper ranks and was not widely publicized.

Douluo Hall.

Before this sacred hall, known as the graveyard of Titled Douluo, stood a gray-robed man who appeared to be only thirty or forty years old, his hands clasped behind his back.

Simply standing there, he seemed like the ruler of heaven and earth itself.

Behind him, a Platinum Bishop in red robes knelt respectfully, reporting on the hall's recent affairs with utmost reverence.

It was difficult to imagine that Huo Qi, a Platinum Bishop who normally stood on equal footing with the sect masters of the Upper Three Sects, did not even dare breathe too loudly behind this gray-robed man, like an incomparably obedient lapdog.

Because the gray-robed man before Huo Qi was a man standing at the pinnacle of power in this world, an Extreme Douluo with Rank 99 cultivation.

He was also the master of Douluo Hall and the chief of the six great worshippers.

Qian Daoliu!

After hearing the report, Qian Daoliu lightly waved his hand. Huo Qi carefully and silently withdrew.

Like a statue, Qian Daoliu continued gazing toward the horizon until the sun set and dusk passed.

When a cold moon rose.

A mournful cry of an angel rang out from the Papal Palace.

This was a resonance on the level of Martial Souls, signifying that an Angel Martial Soul wielder had fallen at this very moment.

Upon hearing that mournful cry, Qian Daoliu's eyes showed emotion for the first time. Yet as though he had known beforehand, he made no move and merely muttered to himself.

"Taking on a disciple? It truly is irrelevant."

"Bibi Dong, even with Xiao Xue, even after all these years, can you still not let go of the hatred in your heart?"

"It seems my decision to send Xiao Xue away was correct. Now that you have devoured Xunji's Angel Bloodline, Xiao Xue is the only Angel Bloodline left. Nothing can be allowed to happen to her."

"What a pity. I discovered it too late and still gave you the opportunity to devour him."

"The Rakshasa God has chosen you. As a servant of the Angel God, I truly cannot act against you."

"Ah, God. Both a crown and a shackle."

"What use is the power of an Extreme Douluo? Without becoming a God, one is ultimately nothing but an ant."

"All I can do now is protect Xiao Xue. The rest is beyond my control. Xunji, do not blame your father..."

Qian Daoliu turned and walked down the mountain step by step. Beneath the cold moonlight, his body seemed somewhat hunched, and his divine power faded away.

Like an old man steeped in the twilight of life, walking toward his grave.

On the day after Xu Huxiao became a disciple, his teacher Bibi Dong had already completed the act of slaying her own master.

On the third day, Spirit Hall announced that the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, had succumbed to his grievous injuries the previous night. Saintess Bibi Dong became the new Pope.

The Pope's coronation ceremony would officially be held one month later.

Xu Huxiao was not surprised upon hearing this news, because he had long known this would happen. Moreover, he had obtained Bibi Dong's information during the apprenticeship.

[Human]: Bibi Dong

[Age]: Forty

[Martial Souls]: Death Spider Emperor, Soul-Eating Spider Emperor

[Level]: Ninety-three

[Death Spider Emperor—Soul Skills]: First Yellow—Shadow-Killing Spider Blade; Second Yellow—Spider Spear Thrust; Third Purple—Death Spider Web; Fourth Purple—Thorn Spider Armor; Fifth Black—Death Illusion Dance...

[Soul-Eating Spider Emperor—Soul Skills]: First Black—Half Moon

[Inner Monologue]: Bloodlust is life's purest instinct. So what if it is evil? I will ascend step by step to the throne of the Rakshasa God, king of all evil. I will make the world feel pain!!

Judging from her Inner Monologue, his teacher Bibi Dong was an extremely insane person deep down.

It was perfectly normal for her to do something like this.

It was only the timing that left Xu Huxiao somewhat speechless.

He had become a disciple on the first day, only for his teacher to accomplish the grand feat of master-slaying on the second.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed somewhat unlucky.

He could only silently recite in his heart, Wait? By seniority, what should I call Qian Xunji? Grandmaster? But in practical terms, calling him Teacher's husband seems possible too.

Forget it. Whether Grandmaster or Teacher's husband, may he rest in peace.

When a person died, the flame went out. Everything would vanish like smoke.

"So, all pleasure and love are false. They will eventually perish. Only constantly becoming stronger is the sole eternal truth."

"Only one's own strength is worthy of trust and reliance."

Xu Huxiao clenched his fist. The solid sense of power brought him incomparable calm and satisfaction.

There were still several days before school began. Now that his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms had entered the Essence Intent Realm and he had gained his first Soul Ring, officially becoming a Soul Master.

He intended to adjust his training plan.

In palm technique cultivation, the Martial Dao Essence Realm focused more on the accumulation of qi and blood, and less on comprehending moves. So long as he accumulated enough qi and blood to condense the Three Qi-Blood Flowers in his palms and navel, he could enter the next Martial Dao realm at any time: the Qi Intent Realm.

At present, he mainly accumulated qi and blood from high-energy food. Through exercise and consumption, he slowly transformed the food's energy into his own qi and blood. This process was very slow. Even now, of the six petals on the qi-blood plum blossom in his right palm, he had only traced the outline of one. Filling it completely would require a great deal more accumulation.

But Xu Huxiao was not worried about this accumulation, because he had two body-tempering abilities that could be put to use.

One was cultivating the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill to accelerate the body-tempering process.

But the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill was extremely intense. Even its first stage, Copper Body, was not something he could cultivate yet. He planned to begin Copper Body Tempering only after obtaining his second Soul Ring.

The second was Yang Origin Soul Power's ability to Refine Poison into Nourishment.

But at his current stage, excessively potent poison might affect his developing body.

And using mild poison, honestly, would not be as effective as eating a Devil Rabbit.

Therefore, there was no need to rush the accumulation of qi and blood. Once he developed to a certain stage, there would naturally be a way to solve it.

For now, he would focus on ordinary body tempering and supplement more high-energy food.

As for cultivating his Body Arms Martial Soul, the primary focus would be accumulating Soul Power and becoming proficient with his Soul Skills.

He possessed the Nine Yang Divine Skill, giving him an innate advantage in Soul Power cultivation. He needed to expand that advantage into an even greater one, cultivate to Rank 20 as quickly as possible, and then obtain his second Soul Ring.

Xu Huxiao compared Bao Jingjing's Soul Power fluctuations with his own. Although she was only two ranks behind him, the difference in their total Soul Power was enormous.

It was a gap of more than twofold!

Like the difference in Soul Ring age, this was related to Xu Huxiao using the Nine Yang Divine Skill to complete body nurturing from birth. While his Soul Power cultivation was rapid, his total Soul Power was also twice that of others at the same rank.

In other words, he could face a Rank 20 Soul Master without any problem. Their Soul Power was nearly identical, and a Rank 20 Soul Grandmaster only had the advantage of one additional Soul Skill.

As for Soul Skills, he also had the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, cultivated to the Essence Intent Realm.

So long as his opponent was below Rank 30, he was confident he could defeat them.

This was the advantage he had accumulated through constant effort since birth.

"Now I need to spend more time cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill and reach Rank 20 as soon as possible. That will be when my strength truly begins to explode."

As for training the Double Arm Enlargement Soul Skill, Xu Huxiao tried controlling the degree of enlargement and found it exceptionally simple.

Perhaps because his Martial Soul was part of his body, controlling it was easier.

The limit of the Multiplication Soul Skill was a fivefold increase in volume and a threefold increase in strength and defense. After only two days of practice, he could use the Triple Amplification Gluttonous Grip alone. Its corresponding strength and defense were relatively reduced, only around one and a half times greater.

If the fivefold Gluttonous Grip made his fist large enough to fill a big iron pot, with his arm reaching a maximum length of around two and a half meters.

Then at threefold enlargement, his fist was about the size of an ordinary watermelon, while his arm could reach one and a half meters long.

Xu Huxiao planned to use Triple Amplification normally and reserve the fivefold limit as a surprise killing move. After all, only Bao Jingjing, Bao Dexian, and his father knew the effects of his Soul Skill.

There was almost no chance of it being leaked, so using it as a killing move was no problem.

"From now on, the fifteen hours in each day will be divided into three parts. Soul Power cultivation will take up forty percent, with two hours each in the morning, noon, and evening, for a total of six hours. Four hours in the morning will be for ordinary body tempering, and four hours in the afternoon will be for Soul Skill training."

"My body is still developing, so nine hours of sleep are still necessary."

The schedule was perfect.

"It would be best if I could train the Multiplication Soul Skill down to a onefold level. The Nine Yang Divine Skill also contains the Bone Shrinking Skill, Tortoise Breath Skill, and Gecko Wall-Crawling. Perhaps the Multiplication Soul Skill and the Bone Shrinking Skill can produce some miraculous reaction."

Xu Huxiao looked forward to the changes that would come from perfectly combining Soul Skills and Martial Dao. Would it be as he hoped?

For example, Size Manipulation or Heavenly Law, Earthly Form!

Because his Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms Martial Soul could evolve!

The Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms Martial Soul originated from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms at the Essence Intent Realm. Its evolution condition was advancement in Martial Dao Intent. Upon advancing to the Qi Intent Realm, the Twin Arms Martial Soul would evolve once. If he reached the Divine Intent Realm, his Martial Soul would evolve again.

And the evolution had only one effect: Martial Soul growth.

Until his Twin Arms Martial Soul grew into his own body, and the Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms became the Platinum Dragon-Patterned Body, this Martial Soul would reach its limit.

Therefore, if Xu Huxiao's Twin Arms Martial Soul could truly grow to the level of the Platinum Dragon-Patterned Body, that would mean his first Soul Skill would no longer enlarge only his Twin Arms.

It would enlarge his entire body!

At that time, with his overall strength tripled, its striking power would definitely be far more terrifying than his current Twin Arms alone.

How exciting.