The Grand Court Assembly

Huang Tieyi lay in bed, silently tallying things up. By forcing Tang Hao and Tang Xiao to wait until they became Titled Douluo before marrying, he could delay the two prodigies by twenty years at most. Da Ming, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, were already dead. But from his Sixth Life among Soul Beasts, he knew Di Tian would still bring forth two more Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Both would be raised by a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast, a Soft Bone Rabbit, and would still form bonds with Xiao Wu. They might still sacrifice themselves for Tang San. He would need to find the right chance to kill any Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts who might sacrifice themselves for Tang San all over again.

Dugu Bo had joined Spirit Hall, but his holdings in Sunset Forest were not yet under Huang Tieyi's control. Decades from now, they might still become an asset to Tang San. He had to get his hands on them quickly.

What he could do now was go to Slaughter City and either kill Tang Chen or free him, using up the Asura God Trials he had accumulated so none would be left for Tang San. How could he get the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud into his own hands legally and aboveboard, without giving it to High Priestess Bo Saixi? Tang San had to become the Sea God and the Asura God, or the world would collapse.

This is impossible. I have to make sure I become a god, keep my dealings with Tang San to a minimum, and make sure he stays alive until I ascend. Otherwise, the plot will kill me off again. What a maddening cycle! I don't want to die again. This is already my Ninth Reincarnation.

Huang Tieyi's thoughts were a tangle. Born into this life as an infant, he had already made many efforts behind the scenes. Bibi Dong, for instance, was no longer a poor student. If Yu Xiaogang showed up to strut and preen, she would never lose her wits and fall for him without the plot forcing her to, only to be taken into a secret room by Qian Xunji to bear his child.

Then there was Tang Yuehua. After she left the Clear Sky Sect, he had genuinely invited her to Spirit City, where she had opened Moonlight Pavilion. There, she had become a guide for troubled minds, helping Soul Masters work through the violent impulses they had developed from killing so they could return to ordinary life.

Liu Erlong, meanwhile, now taught at Spirit Hall Academy. She was its youngest teacher, with a terrible temper and students who adored her.

Those destined to meet and give birth to Tang San would still cross paths, but the time when they could become intimate had been pushed far back. Those who might help Tang San grow were already right under Huang Tieyi's nose.

Inside the Pope's Palace.

Qian Xunji sat in his chair and said calmly, "Today's grand court assembly has three matters. First, we will formally announce Bibi Dong's status as Saintess. Second, Heavenly Tyrant Douluo has become a Super Douluo. Given that his Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul, I have decided to establish the Body Academy alongside Spirit Hall Academy for the recruitment and training of Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls. Third, Huang Tieyi has reached the Soul Emperor realm at eighteen, so I am granting him special admission to the Elder Council."

"Your Holiness, although Bibi Dong has Twin Martial Souls, neither of her Martial Souls possesses the attributes of light or holiness. Naming her Saintess of Spirit Hall would run counter to the image of Spirit Hall's Angel God," Qian Daoheng said, stepping forward.

"Second Uncle, you're right. Do you have a better suggestion?" Qian Xunji asked, his tone languid.

"Your Holiness, Qian Yiyi is eighteen and has reached the Soul King realm. I think she could also be named Saintess of Spirit Hall," Qian Daoheng said.

"Second Uncle, Bibi Dong is fifteen and a level fifty-two Soul King. Niece Yiyi is already eighteen and only a level fifty-five Soul King. The gap in their talent is too great. If Yiyi is named Saintess, then Huang Tieyi, an eighteen-year-old Soul Emperor, ought to be named Holy Son of Spirit Hall." A teasing smile touched Qian Xunji's lips. "If everyone here agrees to make Huang Tieyi Holy Son, I have no objection."

Huang Batian stood at the front of the Elder Council's ranks. At Qian Xunji's words, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Your Holiness, you really know how to slip through the cracks. You know my grandson has next to no chance of becoming Holy Son, yet you brought it up to put them in check. Impressive!

"No. Huang Tieyi cannot become Spirit Hall's Holy Son. The Saintesses of Spirit Hall have always been future wives of the pope, and its Holy Sons have always belonged to the Qian Family of the Angel Clan.

"Your Holiness, you are still young and in good health. You simply haven't married yet.

"Making an outsider Holy Son would spark internal conflict over the succession. Spirit Hall must never allow that to happen," Qian Hongliu said, stepping forward.

"Second Uncle, your eldest grandson disagrees. Do you still want Yiyi named Saintess?" Qian Xunji said, barely holding back his laughter. "Besides, if Yiyi becomes Saintess, outsiders might think incest runs in the Qian Family!"

Qian Yiyi and Qian Hongliu were both children of his second brother. Though their Martial Souls were Six-Winged Angels, their talent for cultivation was thoroughly ordinary. He had never thought much of them. His second uncle was always trying to raise their standing, and now his own grandson had slapped him in the face before everyone. It was truly amusing.

"Your Holiness, I have no objection to Bibi Dong becoming Saintess." Qian Daoheng glared back at Qian Hongliu and spoke helplessly.

"Very well. Since no one else objects, Bibi Dong is the new Saintess of Spirit Hall." Qian Xunji waited a moment. When no one spoke against it, his voice left no room for argument.

"Under Spirit Hall's rules, anyone who reaches the Soul Emperor realm may join the Elder Council. Huang Tieyi's admission poses no problem," Golden Crocodile Douluo said. "Your Holiness, which branch will the Body Academy fall under?"

"The Body Academy will be an independent branch. From today onward, Huang Batian will no longer be a member of the Elder Council, nor will he enter the Offering Hall. He is appointed vice dean of the Body Academy. Members of the Elder Council at the Soul Douluo realm or above whose Martial Souls are their own bodies will leave the council and join the Body Academy's ranks." Qian Xunji tapped a finger on his chair's armrest and spoke evenly.

"Your Holiness, then who will be dean of the Body Academy?" Qian Daoheng asked.

"Second Uncle, don't be so obsessed with positions. As the pope of Spirit Hall, I will of course be the Body Academy's dean. Every future pope will hold the position as well," Qian Xunji said, at a loss for words.

Qian Daoheng lowered his head in embarrassment. He and Qian Daoliu were brothers, yet he was only a level ninety-two Titled Douluo. He was not the Elder Council's strongest member or its chief elder, and after so many years there, he had failed to gather even a small faction around himself. Naturally, he had wanted a slice of a prize as large as the Body Academy. But Qian Xunji had seen through him and shut off any chance for anyone else to get their hands on it.

"Oh, and I want to get married. Find portraits of some young women from respectable families who are of a suitable age, and let me have a look first..."