The Pope Token

It was around seven thirty in the evening, and Nuoding City had grown lively, with more and more people coming out to stroll and shop.

But when an army in silver armor appeared on the street, running at full speed with spears gleaming coldly in their hands, the civilians began scrambling out of the way in panic.

"Move aside! Anyone obstructing law enforcement will be killed!"

A young boy mounted on a tall, powerful horse shouted from the rear, a white Soul Ring revolving around him.

The real estate trading center drew nearer. In the middle of the street stood a middle-aged man in a gray robe and gray cloth shoes, lecturing a little boy.

Beside the boy were two little girls, giggling as they tickled each other, utterly unconcerned about the feelings of the boy and the middle-aged man.

"That's them!" An attendant ran out from among the fully armed soldiers, pointing at the four people ahead and shouting.

The young boy on the tall horse did not hesitate. He immediately commanded the troops, "Seize them! Kill anyone who resists!"

"Yes!" Their unified response rang through the entire street.

Over a hundred fully armed soldiers advanced to surround them. The spears in their hands formed a lethally sharp formation, streaks of cold light flashing from their tips and looking terrifying in the night.

The middle-aged man who had been lecturing the boy turned to look at them. An inexplicable air of confidence and authority radiated from him. He took a token from inside his robe and raised it high, then two Yellow Soul Rings spiraled up from beneath his feet.

"Let's see who dares arrest anyone here today!" Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's authoritative voice rang out.

Illuminated by the two Soul Rings, the token shone dazzlingly. Everyone could clearly see the crown engraved on it, along with a sword, a hammer, and a purple dragon.

The soldiers immediately began to panic. Some among them recognized the token, as quite a few were covert sentries planted in Nuoding City by Spirit Hall.

"That's the Pope Token!" someone cried out in alarm.

"Halt!" Officers among the troops began ordering their soldiers to stop.

At their officers' command, the hundred-odd fully armed soldiers withdrew to either side of the street, then stood guard there.

A man wearing golden armor stepped out from among the troops and slowly walked toward Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.

At the same time, a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster and a three-ring Soul Elder jumped down from a rooftop to the side. They had hurried over from the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch.

Zhu Zhuqing watched as the man in golden armor immediately gave the two Soul Masters a respectful salute. They returned it with slight gestures, and the three then approached together.

The three-ring Soul Elder in the lead was an old man with white hair and a white beard. He wore the exclusive uniform of a senior white-robed steward of the Spirit Hall Branch, inlaid with golden stripes in several places, and fine leather gloves on both hands.

The Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster walking behind him was Su Yuntao, who had previously helped the children of Douluo Village awaken their Martial Souls. He wore the uniform of a junior white-robed steward of Spirit Hall, and there was even a pink clip in his hair. Clearly, he had been fooling around somewhere before coming here.

In the distance, the young boy who had been riding the tall horse had already dismounted and hidden beside the street. His earlier arrogance had vanished, for he had spotted several people even he had to be wary of.

There was Tang San, his sworn enemy at school, along with the principal's friend, Grandmaster, and two stewards from Spirit Hall.

The white-haired old man and his two companions reached Zhu Zhuqing's group. Under everyone's astonished gazes, all three slowly bowed deeply to Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.

"Honored sir, might you allow me to inspect the token?" The white-haired old man withdrew his three Soul Rings, clasped his hands, and bowed to Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang once more.

Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang kept a stern face, then handed over the Pope Token.

"Remember, do not damage it. I trust you know how precious this token is!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was icy. He flicked his sleeve and regarded the three men with an arrogant gaze, as though he did not consider any of them worth his attention.

The white-haired old man accepted the Pope Token with both hands trembling. The instant he touched it, he knew that this token was unquestionably genuine.

Delight and terror appeared on his face at once. He immediately held up the Pope Token with both hands and called out to the unknown Spirit Hall dignitary before him:

"Ma Xiunuo, senior white-robed steward of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch, pays his respects to Your Eminence!"

Su Yuntao was no fool. He immediately followed with a bow and called out, "Su Yuntao, junior white-robed steward of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch, pays his respects to Your Eminence!"

The man in golden armor immediately clasped his hands, leaned forward slightly, and shouted respectfully, "Xiao Wufeng, commander of the Nuoding City Guard Army, pays his respects to Your Eminence!"

Without any change in expression, Yu Xiaogang took the Pope Token straight back from Ma Xiunuo.

He waved one hand lightly, his voice carrying authority. "Mm. You may rise."

The three acknowledged him and slowly straightened. Su Yuntao's expression changed, however. The instant he raised his head, he saw two children whose Martial Souls he had personally awakened.

One was a boy whose Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, with Innate Full Soul Power. He remembered him very clearly; after all, Innate Full Soul Power was exceedingly rare.

The other was a little girl whose Martial Soul was a bow, with level-four Soul Power. He remembered her very clearly as well. He had been frustrated for ages that day, and after reporting it to the Martial Soul Sub-Hall, he had heard nothing further. That had left him brooding for days. The benefits had slipped away right before his eyes.

"Hahaha-" Zhu Zhuqing laughed at Su Yuntao. He simply looked too ridiculous: the pink hair clip actually lit up beneath the neon lights.

Xiao Wu, beside her, found it highly amusing. Laughing, she made a face at Su Yuntao, sticking her tongue out so far that it looked rather frightening.

Su Yuntao was furious. These two little girls were going too far, actually laughing at him behind his back. In his anger, he reached straight up to his head, only to grab a pink clip. Instantly, he felt utterly embarrassed.

Ma Xiunuo sensed something amiss and immediately shot Su Yuntao a glare out of the corner of his eye, warning him to behave.

Sisi- Su Yuntao was about to explode with anger. His girlfriend Sisi had put a pink hair clip on him while he was not paying attention. He must have thoroughly humiliated himself in front of all these people today.

Ma Xiunuo glanced behind Zhu Zhuqing and the others.

Over a dozen people were tied up outside the Real Estate Exchange. With rags stuffed into their mouths, they were howling desperately. Yang Aotian in particular was hanging at the exchange's entrance, looking over at them in despair.

Ma Xiunuo smiled at Yu Xiaogang. "Your Eminence, regarding what happened today-"

Yu Xiaogang turned to Xiao Wufeng, the commander of the City Guard Army, and snorted coldly. "I presume you all understand what happened today. My three disciples merely came here to buy a house, yet they were surrounded and attacked by dozens of people. If I hadn't been here today, I'm afraid your City Guard Army would have pinned false charges on them, wouldn't you?"