Bibi Dong Appears, Tournament Champion Rewards
As everyone waited quietly, twelve Red-Clothed Cardinal rank was second only to the Platinum Bishop, slowly walked out from the side door of the Papal Hall. They walked to the front of the Papal Hall and stood on either side, six on each side.
The leader shouted, "His Holiness the Pope has arrived!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live!" The three shouts resounded throughout the entire Spirit City like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing.
The massive palace doors slowly opened, and all eyes involuntarily turned towards the direction in which the doors opened.
Wearing a purple-gold crown, a long, shimmering gold gown, and holding a scepter, Bibi Dong, with a solemn expression, was the first to emerge from the Papal Hall.
The shimmering gold gown was perfectly tailored, highlighting Bibi Dong's stunning figure. Adorned with red, blue, and gold gemstones, the gown sparkled brilliantly. Even so, it couldn't conceal her breathtaking beauty.
At this moment, all members of the Spirit Hall knelt on one knee, saying, "Greetings, Your His Holiness the Pope."
Huo Lei glanced at Bibi Dong, then looked away, bowed but did not kneel. At the same time, his mind raced, connecting a series of events.
"No wonder so many transmigrators who come to the Douluo Continent want to make a move on Bibi Dong. It seems we can't blame them. Although Bibi Dong is already over forty, she looks like she's only in her early thirties. She's naturally beautiful, and with her exquisite attire, a young, single woman with both strength and power, it's no wonder that even the most ordinary people would fall for her."
"After all, most transmigrators were young people in their previous lives, or even people who were unhappy with their lives. They couldn't resist ordinary beauties, let alone a woman as beautiful and powerful as this. They finally get to be the protagonist, and when they have the chance to get what they want, they don't care about anything else and just take any beautiful woman they see. Many of them are even worse than Tang San."
Of course, Huo Lei couldn't control or comment on what others did; he simply told himself that he should just do his best.
The seven members of the Blazing Fire Academy Team bowed respectfully, without kneeling. This was Huo Lei's suggestion, something he had discussed with his teammates the day before. He dared to do this for two reasons: first, the Spirit Hall wanted to recruit him, Bibi Dong certainly wouldn't blame him; second, there was the contrast of their peers—the seven members of the Shrek Academy Team stood ramrod straight, showing no intention of kneeling or even bowing. Even if Bibi Dong were to punish them, she would first punish the Shrek Academy Team, not the Blazing Fire Academy.
Huo Lei's life motto is that no matter how talented or gifted he is, he should keep a low profile before he has fully developed his abilities, and he will never act arrogantly when he is not strong enough.
As Huo Lei bowed, he glanced at Tang San beside him and saw that Tang San was looking up at Bibi Dong, his eyes turned purple, and he looked defiant.
"You two have a grudge, do whatever you want. Anyway, you're already sworn enemies, so whether you bow or not doesn't matter." A thought flashed through Huo Lei's mind.
Four people followed behind Bibi Dong.
Of these four people, only one was someone Huo Lei was familiar with: Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Of the other three, the man closest to Ning Fengzhi exuded a sharp aura between his brows. Although his hair was completely white, he looked like a middle-aged man, radiating the charm of a mature man. I had seen him from afar once when we encountered an enemy attack on the way to Spirit City.
The one on the far left has an ethereal aura surrounding him, making his features somewhat indistinct and giving him a mysterious air. The one on the far right has skin as delicate as a baby's and a bewitching appearance; if it weren't for the Adam's apple on his neck, one would easily mistake him for a woman.
"This white-haired old man is none other than Sword Douluo Chen Xin, one of the guardian Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School. And the two on his left and right are Ghost Douluo Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan." Combining their appearances with his understanding of the original work, Huo Lei identified the three individuals one by one.
The actions of the seven members of the Shrek Academy Team drew angry glares from the Spirit Hall. Tang San's direct gaze at Bibi Dong further enraged the Red-Clothed Cardinal.
"How dare you! How dare you disrespect His Holiness the Pope!" the leading Red-Clothed Cardinal shouted angrily.
Bibi Dong waved her hand, her sharp gaze towards Tang San softening. The Red-Clothed Cardinal immediately fell silent, his face filled with awe.
Bibi Dong revealed a faint smile, her gaze fixed on Tang San, "So you are Tang San, the disciple of Grandmaster?"
Tang San replied, "Yes, Your His Holiness the Pope."
"You're very good. You do indeed have some of your teacher's spirit from back then." Bibi Dong's voice rang out again.
"I dare not compare myself to my teacher," Tang San replied.
"Rise," Bibi Dong said, her tone becoming gentler.
All those kneeling on the ground stood up.
The seven members of the Blazing Fire Academy Team stood up straight.
Bibi Dong smiled and asked, "The Blazing Fire Academy has produced a genius with Twin Martial Souls. I heard his name is Huo Lei. May I ask who he is?"
All eyes of the Spirit Hall members and the Shrek Academy Team were focused on the Blazing Fire Academy, and those who knew Huo Lei naturally paid attention to him.
Huo Lei stepped out from the group, took a step to the side, and bowed slightly to Bibi Dong, saying, "Your His Holiness the Pope, I am Huo Lei."
Bibi Dong nodded, revealing a sweet smile. "Indeed a young genius. Not only is your strength extraordinary, but you are also very polite and have an outstanding appearance. Not bad! I wish you good results. Please return to your team."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your His Holiness the Pope," Huo Lei replied, then returned to the group.
Bibi Dong maintained her smile, her gaze sweeping from left to right over the twenty-one young Soul Master on the field.
"I see hope in you. Papal Hall, I hope to see all your talents and strength. The ultimate victor will receive the Spirit Hall's greatest reward." Bibi Dong finished speaking and gently waved her scepter.
The three points of light instantly magnified in front of Bibi Dong, floating in mid-air.
The three items are of different shapes and are not very large. They are shaped like skeletons, namely Skull, Right Arm Bone, and Left Leg Bone. They shimmer with blue, red, and dark green light respectively.
"Soul Bone! There are three Soul Bones!" Everyone present erupted in excitement.
Although Huo Lei knew that the reward for the Soul Master Tournament was three Soul Bones, he still couldn't help but swallow hard after witnessing it firsthand.
"If this were in the wild, and there were no Titled Douluo present, I'm afraid everyone here would have already been unable to suppress their greed and rushed up to snatch it." This thought immediately popped into Huo Lei's mind.
At this moment, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, standing behind Bibi Dong, introduced in his deep voice, "The three Soul Bones are the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull, the Right Arm Bone of Explosive Burning, and the Swift Pursuit: Chasing Wind Left Leg Bone. All three Soul Bone originated from Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Among them, the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull came from a Soul Beast over fifty thousand years old. It was obtained by the previous His Holiness the Pope after personally slaying the Soul Beast. It is a top-grade Soul Bone, second only to External Soul Bone and top-tier soul Soul Bone produced by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
After Ghost Douluo Gui Mei explaining the Soul Bone, Huo Lei's mind was instantly filled with thoughts. "Alas! The things of this world are complex, and can never be divided into right and wrong, good and evil. It's only a matter of different positions and different perspectives."