[Ding! System mission issued: Become Golden Crocodile Douluo's disciple. Reward: One prize draw.]
"Then I'll take Golden Crocodile Douluo as my master!"
At Chen Xuanqing's words, Golden Crocodile Douluo's face immediately broke into a smile.
To take in a genius with innate level 20 soul power, whose martial soul was also so similar to his own-Golden Crocodile Douluo felt he could die without regrets!
The other Worships sighed at the sight. Young people with innate full soul power were rare enough, and now they had encountered a genius with innate level 20 soul power but couldn't take him as their disciple. They were all filled with regret.
Once Chen Xuanqing had chosen his master, Golden Crocodile Douluo immediately whisked him away, lest the other Worships keep coveting him.
Walking through Spirit Hall's corridors, Chen Xuanqing was dazzled by the Western-style architecture. It truly deserved its reputation as the most powerful organization on the Douluo Continent.
Golden Crocodile Douluo was very pleased by this sight. His disciple was quite a fine boy, but his temperament was a little too reserved. Now he was finally acting like a child!
Chen Xuanqing asked, "Old man, where are you taking me?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo flicked Chen Xuanqing on the head. A tremendous force struck him, making his skull ache.
"Call me Master. And isn't your physique a little too strong, you little rascal? With the force I just used, I wouldn't claim I could seriously hurt you, but it should at least have knocked an ordinary six-year-old to the ground, bawling."
Chen Xuanqing's face darkened at that. Where had he gotten that idea? If that flick had landed on an ordinary child's head, a split scalp and streaming blood would have been getting off lightly. Without his sturdy body, Chen Xuanqing would have been badly injured.
Golden Crocodile Douluo, this rotten old geezer, seemed rather unreliable. Chen Xuanqing immediately felt a little regretful.
But circumstances were stronger than he was. For now, it seemed Chen Xuanqing could only call him Master.
"Master, when are we going to hunt soul beasts so I can get my first soul ring?"
"Don't rush, my dear disciple. First, meet all the Titled Douluos of the Elder Hall, then formally perform the discipleship ceremony. Tomorrow, I'll take you to sort out your soul ring. Whatever you want, your master will get it for you."
Golden Crocodile Douluo made sweeping promises, but Chen Xuanqing's mouth kept twitching. For a level 98 Power Attack System Titled Douluo, getting him a soul ring should be a breeze.
And so, under Golden Crocodile Douluo's guidance, Chen Xuanqing met all the Titled Douluos of the Elder Hall, managing to remember most of the dozen or so names.
Finally, Golden Crocodile Douluo led Chen Xuanqing to the Pope Hall.
With Gui Mei leading the way, Golden Crocodile Douluo and Chen Xuanqing went straight into the Pope Hall's main chamber.
"Your Holiness, this is my disciple, Chen Xuanqing."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's tone was stiff. Loyal to the Angel Clan, he had never wanted to see Bibi Dong become pope, so the relationship between the two was easy to imagine.
Chen Xuanqing said, "Greetings, Your Holiness!"
As a seasoned lecher, Chen Xuanqing was very fond of Bibi Dong, with her formal gown, white stockings, and stunningly beautiful face. However, Spirit Hall had indeed failed under her leadership. One could say that it was a failure shared by Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong.
Chen Xuanqing decided that from now on, he would lead Spirit Hall to its peak and unify the Douluo Continent.
"Oh! A peerless genius with innate level 20 soul power, just like Xue'er? He looks promising." Then Bibi Dong changed tack. "Unfortunately, his martial soul falls far short of the Angel Martial Soul."
"Since Your Holiness already knows, I needn't say any more."
With that, Golden Crocodile Douluo pulled Chen Xuanqing out of the Pope Hall, showing Bibi Dong not the slightest respect.
After leaving the Pope Hall, Golden Crocodile Douluo brought Chen Xuanqing to his home.
In truth, as the Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo spent very little time at home. He mostly cultivated in the Worship Hall, occasionally heading out to travel the continent.
For Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had neither wife nor children, home was really just a place to sleep.
Even so, he had no shortage of servants. More than twenty people worked with clearly divided duties, all of them Soul Ancestors or Soul Kings, while the elderly steward was a Soul Saint.
"Sirius, from now on, he is your young master."
Sirius, the Soul Saint, immediately bowed to Chen Xuanqing, then gave him a brief introduction to the residence.
Once Chen Xuanqing had gained a basic understanding of the place, Golden Crocodile Douluo immediately pulled him indoors to begin the discipleship ceremony.
After kowtowing and offering tea, Chen Xuanqing completed the ceremony. He now had a bond in this world.
But Golden Crocodile Douluo, that rotten old geezer, then dumped Chen Xuanqing on Sirius, asking him to explain some relevant knowledge to the boy.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, Golden Crocodile Douluo hauled Chen Xuanqing straight out of bed. After breakfast, they headed out of Spirit City.
Golden Crocodile Douluo said, "Sirius explained quite a bit to you last night. My dear disciple, you should know that the maximum age for a first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years. But in my judgment, your physical strength is enough to absorb a six-hundred-year soul ring."
"Don't you think six hundred years is too weak? At the very least, it should be a ten-thousand-year one!"
In an instant, pain shot through Chen Xuanqing's head again, and he glared furiously at Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Golden Crocodile Douluo merely curled his lip, unbothered. Inwardly, however, he was very pleased with this disciple. Wanting a ten-thousand-year ring for his very first soul ring-the boy had ambition.
"Then do you know that absorbing a ten thousand year soul ring won't just put enormous pressure on your body? There's also Soul Shock. Isn't that a little premature for you?"
Chen Xuanqing said, "Don't worry, Master! I know what I'm doing when it comes to little things like this."
Golden Crocodile Douluo offered no comment. Even after only two days together, his dear disciple had shown remarkable maturity. It seemed the boy was a genius in mental development as well.
"All right. A master should trust his disciple. But if anything does go wrong, I'll act decisively and interrupt the process."
"Then I'll do as you say, Master."
The carriage fell quiet.
Suddenly, Chen Xuanqing remembered that he still had an unused prize draw, so he silently called for the draw in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Perfected Green Goblin Serum.]
Chen Xuanqing hadn't expected to draw this item. It genuinely came as something of a surprise.
Although the serum was supposedly limited to the peak of human ability, the Green Goblin could actually trade blows head-on with Spider-Man. That definitely wasn't something mere peak human strength could accomplish, so the serum's power clearly went beyond human limits.
It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to inject himself. With that, adding another ten thousand years to his first soul ring would be no problem at all.
Three days later.
The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Chen Xuanqing had already found an opportunity to inject himself with the Perfected Green Goblin Serum. Next came obtaining his soul ring.