Qian Renxue's Request

Qian Zong smiled helplessly. An outside-surname pope actually dared to pressure the Worship Hall.

He had to admit that sometimes it was very hard for Qian Zong to understand Bibi Dong's train of thought.

That is, Qian Daoliu possessed an indecisive personality. If it were the Angelic Great Enshrined of any other era, he would have slapped Bibi Dong flying long ago.

"Indeed, it's time to act." Qian Zong had a countermeasure prepared long ago and instructed, "007, pass down the order: after the Hour of the Rat today, restrict the number of commoners and Soul Masters entering the city. For every person who leaves the city within, one person will be permitted to enter from without."

The man in black thought for a moment, hesitated for a second, and said:

"Little Young Master, this move is probably inappropriate.

"The livelihood policy has been released for three months, and its news has already been verified by various regional powers. Right now, Soul Masters and wandering commoners across the entire continent are rushing toward Spirit City.

"If the number of people leaving the city is restricted, over the coming month, tens of thousands or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of commoners will likely be blocked outside Spirit City."

"Livelihood policy" was the beautified name given by Qian Zong, whose core content consisted of two points: Spirit City would be open to commoners across the entire continent, and the Martial Soul Library would be open to Soul Masters across the entire continent.

The situation on the continent was far from stable; burning, killing, and plundering were everywhere, and border frictions between nations were constant. The living conditions of many bottom-tier commoners were extremely poor.

For the sake of survival, this group of people had no choice but to press forward under a heavy burden.

Yet Spirit City was not only a holy land in the hearts of Soul Masters, but also a sanctuary in the hearts of commoners.

In the past, Spirit City only permitted Soul Masters to enter and exit while restricting commoners from entering. Even though commoners yearned for Spirit City, they never dared to travel there.

Now that Spirit City was open to commoners, those vagrant personnel, commoners without fixed residences, or those with a little spare cash in hand all flocked to it like ducks to water.

Some of them were curious, some yearned for it, some held expectations, some were there for sightseeing, and some merely came to scout.

Regardless of the mindset these people carried, in their eyes, being able to enter the most sacred city on the entire continent was in itself a kind of honor.

One had to know that the status of Soul Masters on the continent was extremely high; they were beings that commoners needed to look up to for a lifetime.

Now, having the opportunity to enter a holy land where only Soul Masters could move about freely, how could that fail to make them frantic?

"What do affairs outside the city have to do with Spirit Hall?" Qian Zong picked up his coffee and took another sip. "Spirit Hall is only responsible for matters among Soul Masters and within its own territory. Outside the city belongs to the territories of the two great empires. Even if riots break out outside the city, Spirit Hall has no qualification to interfere."

"Little Young Master, these people were drawn here by Spirit Hall. To act like this is somewhat cruel."

The man in black did not consider himself a good person, yet at the thought of the fate awaiting the innocent commoners outside the city in a few days, his heart felt somewhat unable to bear it.

With this move of Qian Zong's, heaven knows how many commoners would die.

"If the two great empires refuse to bow their heads, it will indeed be overly cruel to the people outside the city.

"Yet they will also lose the support of the people due to their own apathy, and that is precisely what our Spirit Hall lacks."

Qian Zong gave a hearty laugh, put down his coffee, and a trace of cunning flashed in his eyes:

"But if the territory outside the city is incorporated into Spirit Hall's jurisdiction, then Spirit Hall will have the obligation to maintain order and help its subjects."

It was a very low-tier method for gathering the populace, yet applied to the two great empires and Spirit Hall, it fit just right.

007's body stiffened abruptly, and those matters he had been unable to puzzle out earlier suddenly became crystal clear:

"So that's how it is. No wonder the Little Young Master procured grain on a massive scale a few days ago. I suppose the Little Young Master already had a countermeasure prepared long ago."

007 felt deeply ashamed for actually doubting Qian Zong's decision, and he bowed in a salute:

"This old man should not have asked too much. I shall go down and make the arrangements right away."

Qian Zong waved his hand:

"It's nothing. Grandfather told you to protect me in secret, which also carries the meaning of keeping me under supervision.

"Grandfather is not participating in the Soul Hunting Operation. The power of the empires and the Upper Three Sects cannot be underestimated and requires some vigilance, so your identity cannot be made public for the time being."

The simplest method to establish the Spirit Hall Empire:

Qian Daoliu would take action to wipe out the Upper Three Sects and the nobles of the two great empires, which would both intimidate the imperial armies and people with ulterior motives, and clear away the core obstacles.

Afterward, Spirit Hall would handle the cleanup, carrying out reconstruction and pacification work.

In this way, moving forward, they would only need to foster growth and recuperation. Within twenty years, Spirit Hall could achieve a true sense of great unification.

After a century, Douluo Continent would possess a shared faith, a shared goal, and a shared pursuit, becoming an indestructible force.

The living standards of the common people would also rise to an unprecedented degree; there would be no chaotic warfare, and strife would plummet straight downward.

Following that, while vigorously developing people's livelihoods, they would also launch the Great Voyage Plan, transferring internal conflicts to the ocean, which could at least guarantee the continent's stability for ten thousand years.

Alas, Qian Daoliu possessed an indecisive personality and took no interest in these matters. He did not refute Qian Zong's plan, yet he had no intention of taking action either.

Silence was his stance.

Seeing this, Qian Zong could only exit helplessly and devise countermeasures on his own.

He only wanted to say: normal people truly were scarce on Douluo Continent, and every social stratum engaged in actions inconsistent with its own station.

Or perhaps, Qian Zong's ideology was simply too advanced.

In short, reasoning with the people on the continent had little use.

On the other side.

Xue Qinghe stepped out of the secret passage and encountered Azure Luan and Guang Ling, who had been waiting by the passage exit for a long time.

Xue Qinghe recovered her female form, greeted Azure Luan and Guang Ling, and led them toward Pope Mountain.

The journey was very smooth, and the three of them spent less than twenty minutes arriving smoothly at the Papal Hall.

"What is your business in coming to see me?"

Inside the Papal Hall, Bibi Dong wore the NineCurved Purple Gold Crown atop her head, grasped the scepter symbolizing the highest authority of Spirit Hall in her hand, and wore dazzling golden pope vestments as she sat high upon the throne of the Papal Hall.

When Guang Ling and Azure Luan saw Bibi Dong, they remained silent, bowed slightly, and retreated to one side of the Papal Hall.

Qian Renxue walked along the carpet of the Papal Hall to the front of the throne, looked up, and immediately saw Bibi Dong looking down at her from a superior height, a nameless anger instantly rising within her heart.

The woman before her gave birth to her but didn't raise her, and now she still used a gaze fit for looking at trash to disdain her. How could that fail to make her furious?

Qian Renxue harbored extreme dissatisfaction in her heart; her fists clenched instinctively, her eyes full of anger.

Recalling Qian Zong's repeated exhortations to her, Qian Renxue bit down on her lower lip, kept her emotions as calm as possible, and replied:

"A friend of mine has encountered a romantic problem, so I've come specially today to ask Sister for guidance."

Qian Renxue thought she was already restraining herself enough, but when this "Sister" was called out, it clearly carried lingering resentment.

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, greatly astonished.

This rebellious daughter was actually asking her for advice? Had the sun risen in the west?

While feeling astonished, an inexplicable sense of superiority arose in her heart.

Every time Qian Renxue came to find her, the two of them always parted on bad terms, with no exceptions whatsoever.

Qian Renxue refused to submit to her, and how could she not be angry at Qian Renxue's stubborn temperament?

It was simply that neither of them could swallow their pride, which led to one tragedy after another.

Bibi Dong crossed her legs, her mood greatly improved, yet her voice remained cold:

"Speak. If I know, it's not like I can't tell you."

Nineteen years. This was the first time Bibi Dong had felt so gratified in front of Qian Renxue.

Although she didn't know what scheme Qian Renxue was up to, as long as the girl could back down, that was enough.