The lake waters parted to either side.
Silver light rose from the lakebed, illuminating the entire core region.
A breathtakingly beautiful figure appeared before the beasts.
Silver hair spilled down her back, and her purple eyes were deep and bright.
A long dress hugged her shapely figure, leaving her snow-white shoulders and neck exposed to the air.
She walked barefoot across the lake, a ring of silver ripples spreading beneath her feet with every step.
Di Tian dropped to one knee.
"Welcome back from your slumber, my lord!"
The many Ferocious Beasts knelt together.
"Welcome, my lord!"
Gu Yuena did not look at the beasts.
She raised her eyes to the ranking hanging high in the heavens.
"A Heavenly Dao ranking?"
"Heavenly Dao rewards?"
"Interesting."
Across the Douluo Continent, countless Soul Masters and Soul Beasts held their breath.
Spirit Hall, the two great empires, the Upper Three Sects, the Far North, and the Star Dou Great Forest-all eyes were fixed on the same expanse of sky.
The comments filling the sky gradually disappeared.
Golden radiance gathered at the center of the celestial screen.
The image changed with it.
Someone could not help shouting:
"Here it comes!"
"The tenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking is about to appear!"
Golden radiance gathered at the center of the celestial screen.
A figure slowly emerged.
A black dress clung to her body, its hem falling to her ankles, her waist slender and her curves distinct.
Black stockings encased her long legs, revealing a mature, commanding beauty as the image drew closer.
Her face was exceptionally beautiful.
Majesty rested in her features. Purple hair spilled down her back, with a few strands falling over her forehead, lending her bearing even greater nobility.
On the celestial screen, golden words appeared stroke by stroke.
[Tenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking.] [Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.] [Level 98 Titled Douluo.]
Boom!
The entire continent erupted in an instant.
"Tenth place is actually the pope of Spirit Hall!"
"Bibi Dong is the youngest Level 98 Titled Douluo on the continent today!"
"With strength like that, she can only rank tenth?"
"Just what heights have the nine ahead of her reached?"
Spirit City.
Inside the Papal Palace.
Bibi Dong sat upright on the dais, her purple hair falling at her sides.
She looked at the name on the celestial screen, her gaze lingering for a moment.
A Level 98 Titled Douluo.
This was her true strength, which she had never revealed to the outside world.
The outside world knew only that her talent was unparalleled and her cultivation profound, but few knew just how far she was from Level 99.
"Her Holiness only ranks tenth?"
One Worship could not help speaking.
"Is something wrong with the ranking?"
"If even Level 98 can only rank tenth, just how strong must the person at the top be?"
Inside the Worship Hall, the many powerhouses exchanged glances.
They had originally thought that Spirit Hall would surely emerge as the greatest winner when this Powerhouse Ranking opened.
The Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, Pope Bibi Dong, and the Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Three supreme powerhouses, all of whom should at least qualify for the ranking.
If all three made the ranking, Spirit Hall would have three powerhouses under one roof-who in the world could stand against them?
Yet now, Bibi Dong had already appeared in tenth place.
This meant that even more terrifying beings must occupy the remaining nine places.
"Her Holiness has Twin Martial Souls and Level 98 Soul Power. How could she possibly rank only tenth?"
One Worship looked at the celestial screen, his face filled with defiance.
"The celestial screen must have made a mistake!"
Another spoke as well. "Spirit Hall has held sway over the continent for years. Her Holiness's strength is plain for all to see."
Bibi Dong ignored the discussion behind her.
She rose to her feet, her black dress falling along her body, a belt cinching her slender waist, her legs straight and long beneath her black stockings.
Her papal robes did not conceal her beauty; instead, they made her nobility all the more striking.
She raised her head toward the celestial screen.
"Level 98, and only tenth?"
Bibi Dong gripped her scepter, a trace of coldness appearing in her eyes.
She believed in her own strength.
She knew her hidden cards even better.
Even against a Titled Douluo of the same level, she was confident she could win.
As for Level 99...
Bibi Dong raised her eyes toward the space above the Papal Palace.
Naturally, she knew the strength of Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo.
But too many powerhouses lay hidden on this continent. Since the celestial screen could produce such a ranking, it meant that it had seen things the world could not.
The imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Xue Ye watched the celestial screen, his fingers tapping lightly against the table.
Bibi Dong was already powerful enough.
Now she had also made the Powerhouse Ranking.
If the Heavenly Dao rewards could improve her cultivation, the pressure the Heaven Dou Empire faced in the future would grow even greater.
The imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire.
Dai Tianfeng likewise raised his head toward the sky.
He said nothing, but the ministers beside him were already visibly worried.
Spirit Hall already possessed influence spanning the continent.
If its pope received Heavenly Dao rewards as well, the Star Luo Empire would find it difficult to stand against it.
A tavern in Heaven Dou City.
Ning Rongrong sat at a table, her gaze resting on Bibi Dong's figure.
She propped her chin in both hands, her eyes full of surprise.
"A Level 98 Titled Douluo, and she only ranks tenth."
"Ning Xian, just how strong are the people ahead of her?"
Ning Xian stood by the window, his expression calm throughout.
"Bibi Dong's strength certainly isn't weak."
Ning Rongrong turned to him.
"There you go saying 'isn't weak' again."
"Then where should she rank?"
"In the top ten."
"She's already tenth."
Ning Rongrong shot him a glare.
"That answer is no different from saying nothing."
Ning Xian did not reply.
His gaze fell on the image on the celestial screen.
Bibi Dong's talent was indeed exceptionally high; it was just that her path was not quite complete.
Seeing that he had stopped speaking, Ning Rongrong turned back to the celestial screen.
The more she looked, the more beautiful she found Bibi Dong.
That beauty came not just from her looks, but also from the bearing she had developed after years in a lofty position.
A moment later, Ning Rongrong suddenly remembered Shrek Academy.
"The people from Shrek Academy should be in Heaven Dou City too."
"I'll go find them first."
She stood up and picked up the small bag on the table.
Ning Xian took something from his sleeve.
It was a palm-sized Small Tower.
The tower was antique bronze in color, its surface free of unnecessary ornamentation, yet it carried a distinctive, ancient aura.
Ning Xian held the Small Tower out to Ning Rongrong.
"This is for you."
Ning Rongrong looked down at the Small Tower without immediately reaching for it.
"A gift for me?"
"As your elder, this is my first-meeting gift to you."
"My elder?"
Ning Rongrong blinked.
She and Ning Xian had clearly only just met, yet he called himself her elder. It was truly strange.
Still, that sense of closeness in her heart had not faded.
Ning Rongrong reached out and accepted the Small Tower.
The instant the Small Tower landed in her palm, a gentle power flowed along her arm and into her body.
The Soul Power within her stirred slightly.
Her Soul Power, originally at Level 27, actually showed signs of rising.
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened.
"What is this?"
Ning Xian did not answer.
His figure had already vanished from the tavern.
Ning Rongrong turned toward the doorway, where only a curtain stirring in the wind remained.
She hurried outside. People came and went along the street, but she could no longer find that white-robed figure.
Ning Rongrong lowered her head to look at the Small Tower in her palm.
The tower was ancient in appearance, its seven tiers clearly defined.
She turned the Small Tower over, her fingertips brushing the markings on its base.
The next moment, Ning Rongrong's expression changed.
Carved into the base of the Small Tower was a design she knew extremely well.
A tower.
It was the family emblem of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Before you continue