Old Man! I'm the Pope!

"Finally, I'm back!"

With Ling Yuan and the Two Great Guardians, Qian Xunji made his way back to Spirit City.

Before him stood a vast city, its towering walls majestic and steeped in the weight of history.

The buildings within were splendid and orderly, lined up row upon row.

Though its population was considerably smaller than that of Heaven Dou Imperial City,

it was still the familiar city, bustling and prosperous.

As Qian Xunji spread Six Pairs of Brilliant Golden Wings and flew over Spirit City's walls with Ling Yuan and the Two Great Guardians, heading toward Pope's Palace,

a faint smile appeared on his flawless, handsome face beneath those sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes.

At that moment, a sentence echoed in his mind.

It was this:

The great Pope Qian Xunji had finally returned to his loyal Spirit City!

Very soon, Qian Xunji landed before Pope's Palace with Ling Yuan and the Two Great Guardians.

Upon seeing Qian Xunji, the Holy Emperor Warriors guarding the entrance were immediately overcome with excitement and bowed in salute.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"

"No need for such formality!"

With a warm smile like that of a sun god, Qian Xunji stepped forward and patted several Holy Emperor Warriors on the shoulders.

After chatting idly for a few moments and offering them some encouragement,

he entered Pope's Palace with Ling Yuan and the Two Great Guardians.

According to what Old Man had written in his recent letters,

he was probably in the study at Pope's Palace right now, handling Spirit Hall's daily affairs!

After Qian Xunji left,

the Holy Emperor Warriors who had been encouraged seemed as though they had been injected with stimulants. They were thrilled and energized, and even their postures became straighter.

As a transmigrator, the education he had received in his previous life made Qian Xunji fully aware

of how to establish his authority and become Spirit Hall's true Pope, whose word was law.

First, he naturally had to display his abilities, wisdom, and methods before the upper ranks.

Among the lower ranks, he needed to show an approachable attitude as warm as a spring breeze.

Finally, he needed to accomplish several major deeds.

Win several "victories."

That way, he, Qian Xunji, would naturally become Spirit Hall's true Pope.

Rather than continuing to live beneath Old Man's shadow.

Although the original owner had already been Spirit Hall's Pope for more than ten years,

in terms of influence and control over Spirit Hall,

because he had achieved nothing, the original owner was still far inferior to Old Man Chihiro Doriu, who had served as Pope for over sixty years and built an immense reputation in the Soul Master world.

This made it difficult for Qian Xunji to get things done.

Originally, he could have dealt with Dugu Bo himself and obtained the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The reason he had told Chihiro Doriu about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

and disguised the system's existence as that of a mysterious, great, and noble Deity

was, on one hand, to rationalize the system's future rewards and some of his foreknowledge as a transmigrator.

On the other hand, he intended to use the approval of a mysterious Deity to gradually change the original owner's image in Chihiro Doriu's eyes.

So that Chihiro Doriu would no longer look down on him.

At the same time, through this expedition to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well,

he would gain the recognition of the Three Great Enshrinements—Golden Crocodile Douluo, Azure Luan Douluo, and Mighty Lion Douluo.

Now that I'm back,

I, Qian Xunji, will reclaim everything that belongs to me!

With Ling Yuan and the Two Great Guardians beside him, Qian Xunji strode into Pope's Palace with high spirits, his head held high and chest puffed out.

He headed straight for the study.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"

Outside the study, the two Holy Emperor Warriors standing guard also bowed in salute upon seeing Qian Xunji.

Inside the study,

when Old Man, who had been retired for more than ten years and had long grown accustomed to retired life, heard that Qian Xunji had returned, he immediately stopped writing, his hand already numb.

After giving a cold snort, a trace of displeasure flashed across the handsome, middle-aged face that carried an air of weathered maturity as he waited for Qian Xunji to enter.

"Father, I'm back!!"

Smiling, Qian Xunji entered the study with Ling Yuan and the Two Great Guardians.

"You brat, you still know how to come back!"

Chihiro Doriu rose to his feet, stared at Qian Xunji, and snorted sarcastically.

"As Spirit Hall's Pope, you actually stayed in Heaven Dou Imperial City for over a month."

"Do you think that's appropriate?"

"Hah!"

Qian Xunji could practically feel an intense aura of resentment radiating from Old Man.

This was the resentment of a retired old man

who had finally retired for more than ten years and grown used to living out his days in peace,

only to be dragged back into unpaid labor.

"Father, you've misunderstood!"

Qian Xunji revealed an innocent expression and explained.

"I went out this time to handle serious business!"

"Following the Divine Revelation of that mysterious and noble Deity, I found a treasured land in Sunset Forest near Heaven Dou Imperial City!"

"This treasured land is called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The plants around it can grow tenfold, or even a hundredfold, faster than they do outside."

"Moreover, many immortal herbs that are nearly impossible to find in the world grow around it."

"These are precious treasures capable of triggering Martial Soul Evolution!"

"What!"

Upon hearing this, Chihiro Doriu's expression changed abruptly. He found it hard to believe.

Seeing Old Man's stunned expression, Qian Xunji secretly felt pleased.

So even you, Old Man, can look like you've never seen the world before!

"Big Brother, His Holiness the Pope is telling the truth!"

"Third Brother and I have already taken pills refined by His Holiness the Pope using immortal herbs, and our Martial Souls successfully evolved!"

"Second Brother has finally broken through to rank ninety-nine as well!"

At the side, Mighty Lion Douluo spoke boldly and happily, corroborating Qian Xunji's words.

"Golden Crocodile, you broke through to rank ninety-nine?"

Upon learning that Golden Crocodile Douluo had also reached rank ninety-nine, Chihiro Doriu was overjoyed.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was forty-five years older than Chihiro Doriu and could be said to have watched Chihiro Doriu grow up.

Within Spirit Hall, apart from Qian Xunji,

the person Chihiro Doriu knew best and cared for most deeply was Golden Crocodile Douluo.

In the past, Chihiro Doriu had even wanted to call Golden Crocodile Douluo Uncle.

But when Chihiro Doriu became Pope, Golden Crocodile Douluo refused, saying that they had to address one another by their positions—that was the rule.

When Chihiro Doriu stepped down as Pope and became the First Enshrinement of Worship Hall,

Golden Crocodile Douluo instead began calling Chihiro Doriu Big Brother, saying that Chihiro Doriu's cultivation was higher and the more accomplished deserved seniority.

Because he had remained stuck at rank ninety-eight,

and because Golden Crocodile Douluo had become a Titled Douluo relatively late, when his body had already passed its peak and begun to decline,

his maximum lifespan was far shorter than Chihiro Doriu's.

If he had remained stuck at rank ninety-eight,

Golden Crocodile Douluo might have lived less than five hundred years in total, with only a little over three hundred years left to live.

That was undoubtedly something Chihiro Doriu did not wish to see.

"You did well this time."

Hearing that Qian Xunji had actually helped Golden Crocodile Douluo break through to become a Limit Douluo, Chihiro Doriu's expression eased considerably.

There was finally a hint of approval in his words.

However, a glint flashed through Qian Xunji's eyes.

This was only the beginning!

I've got something even more explosive!

"Oh, right, Father!"

As though he had suddenly remembered something, Qian Xunji smiled and spoke casually.

"Besides obtaining the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and helping several uncles evolve their Martial Souls and break through their cultivation during this trip to Heaven Dou Imperial City,"

"I also encountered Yu Yuanzhen. He brought Yu Xiao Gang and Bibi Dong with him, wanting to apologize to Spirit Hall."

"But their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan caused us to lose a genius with Innate Full Soul Power and top-tier Twin Martial Souls. They also made all the emotional investment and resource investment we had put in over the years go down the drain."

"A verbal apology alone was not enough, so I asked them for some compensation. Not much."

"Just their Inheritance Spirit Bone: True Dragon Nine Crowns, a Ten Thousand Year Void Soul Bone right arm bone, One Hundred Million Gold Soul Coins, several Rare Treasures, and some of their properties in Heaven Dou Imperial City."

"What!"

Upon hearing this, Chihiro Doriu's expression changed at once. He instantly flew into a rage and shouted.

"Qian Xunji, how could you do this!"

"Although Yu Xiao Gang took Bibi Dong away and caused Spirit Hall to lose a genius,"

"that was also because we failed to educate Bibi Dong properly."

"Even without Yu Xiao Gang, there would have been a Wang Xiaogang or a Chen Xiaogang later on."

"But the True Dragon Nine Crowns are the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Inheritance Spirit Bone. You forcibly used this as an excuse to demand their True Dragon Nine Crowns and a Ten Thousand Year Void Soul Bone."

"If word gets out, what will our colleagues in the Soul Master world think of Spirit Hall?!"

As an upright, kindhearted man who conducted himself according to a gentleman's principles,

the thought that Spirit Hall's reputation, which he had built over decades, might plummet to nothing

made Chihiro Doriu roar furiously as he berated Qian Xunji.

But Qian Xunji did not take it seriously at all. He merely smiled and said unhurriedly,

"Father, you're overthinking it!"

"Yu Xiao Gang abducted a genius of Spirit Hall with Innate Full Soul Power and top-tier Twin Martial Souls."

"That was a genius who, once grown, could support a great clan for a hundred years."

"It could be called priceless!"

"If a mere verbal apology from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan can erase everything, then where would Spirit Hall's dignity be?"

"I don't think I went too far."

"For a genius with Innate Full Soul Power and top-tier Twin Martial Souls, asking them to compensate us with the True Dragon Nine Crowns, a Ten Thousand Year Void Soul Bone, and several other items is perfectly fair!"

"Everything I did was for Spirit Hall!"

"Regardless, I, Qian Xunji, have a clear conscience!"

At that point, Qian Xunji raised his head and puffed out his chest, speaking with immense pride.

"What do you know!"

Chihiro Doriu was still furious, roaring madly.

But Qian Xunji suddenly turned serious.

Staring directly into Old Man Chihiro Doriu's eyes, he spoke the words he had long wanted to say.

"Father! I don't think I'm wrong!"

"And please remember: I am the Pope!"