"Thank you for your His Holiness the Pope, but Zhu Zhuqing already has a master, and will never switch to another master in this lifetime. Please forgive me for not being able to accept that."
Zhu Zhuqing politely declined Bibi Dong. In her mind, since she had already become Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's disciple, she shouldn't seek to become a disciple of anyone else, even if that person was Pope Bibi Dong. She couldn't accept it.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was deeply moved by Zhu Zhuqing's words, but at the same time felt a little sorry for Zhu Zhuqing. He knew that becoming Bibi Dong's disciple would give her the opportunity to become one of the contenders for the next Pope. Although he didn't have much affection for this disciple, he still hoped that Zhu Zhuqing could have a good future.
Bibi Dong wasn't surprised by Zhu Zhuqing's refusal. "I almost forgot that you are now Chrysanthemum Douluo's personal disciple. I was being presumptuous. In that case, would you be willing to become the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall?"
These words caused Hu Liena's expression to change slightly, and Zhu Zhuqing naturally noticed it as well. She remembered that when she first met Hu Liena, a student had called her "Saintess," which she found somewhat strange. So she asked, " Your His Holiness the Pope, isn't Senior Nana already our Spirit Hall's Saintess?"
Bibi Dong explained to Zhu Zhuqing, "She is currently only a candidate for the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, not the actual Holy Maiden. After all, the position of Holy Maiden is chosen as the next Pope, which naturally involves many procedures. Therefore, she is not the actual Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall yet."
At this point, Bibi Dong paused, then assured Zhu Zhuqing, "But if you agree, you will directly become a true saintess, without needing any further testing."
Hearing Bibi Dong offer such generous terms, Zhu Zhuqing was truly tempted. She hadn't expected Bibi Dong to try and win her over in this way. To be honest, she really wanted to agree, because if she did, she would become the next Pope after Bibi Dong abdicated, becoming the supreme being in the hearts of all Soul Master.
However, she ultimately gave up, shaking her head and saying, "I'm sorry, Your His Holiness the Pope, your conditions are too tempting; I cannot agree to them."
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong was not angry. She simply smiled calmly and asked, "Why?"
" Your His Holiness the Pope, Zhu Zhuqing doesn't have such lofty ideals and ambitions. I only wish for an unrestrained future, to be able to do what I want to do freely, and to love whoever I want to love. As for the position of Saintess, it would be better to let Senior Nana take it."
Zhu Zhuqing's words stirred a great deal of emotion within Bibi Dong, because in a sense, Zhu Zhuqing and she were very similar. When Zhu Zhuqing became the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, everyone told her that she should always consider the Spirit Hall first in everything she did. Yet, she herself had fallen in love with a man of low Soul Power. Everyone advised her to give up, but she was naive and foolish, believing she could use her status as the Holy Maiden to fight against the world, especially with her teacher and the former Pope of the Spirit Hall as her backing. But what happened later was beyond everyone's expectations...
If she hadn't become the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, but instead chose the same path as Zhu Zhuqing, would everything have been different?
Bibi Dong sighed softly and said, "Fine, this is the first time I've been rejected so many times by someone. However, I hope you can join the Spirit Hall. In the future, once you break through to the Soul Douluo, you can directly become an elder of the Spirit Hall, how about that?"
"Good."
This time, Zhu Zhuqing didn't refuse but nodded in agreement to Bibi Dong. Everything that happened today was within Jun Yi's expectations, and the lies he had fabricated were all prepared and told to her before Jun Yi came, all to deal with Bibi Dong's investigation. The reason Jun Yi deliberately didn't let Zhu Zhuqing reveal the name " Tang Chen " was to let Bibi Dong guess for herself. Sometimes, if something is explained too clearly, it becomes less believable.
Zhu Zhuqing's joining the Spirit Hall was also arranged by Jun Yi. In Jun Yi's eyes, Qian Renxue always treated him as a tool; the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was untrustworthy and could not be relied upon by Jun Yi. As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Zhu Zhuqing didn't know how to face it, or even what choice Ning Rongrong would make after learning about what happened in the Mist Grand Canyon...
Zhu Zhuqing may face pursuit from the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Netherworld Zhu Family in the future. She only has Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, by her side. He is weak and powerless and cannot protect Zhu Zhuqing's safety. Therefore, letting her join the Spirit Hall is the best choice at present. Moreover, she has already been taken as a personal disciple by Chrysanthemum Douluo, so no one will dare to provoke her.
Meanwhile, outside the Heaven Dou Imperial City, Jun Yi was preparing to walk back to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. The past two years in the Mist Grand Canyon had been a valuable asset for Jun Yi; he had grown and improved continuously. There, he witnessed how people could abandon all dignity to survive, and how shameless they could be in order to eke out a living. So-called dignity and pride were nothing but fleeting clouds in the face of death. The Mist Grand Canyon truly exemplified the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest. Jun Yi learned a great deal from it and deeply understood its meaning. It also made him fully comprehend the saying, "I will not offend others unless they offend me," which means: If someone offends me, I will kill them without mercy!
Previously, Jun Yi might have harbored some compassion, but now Jun Yi is different. He doesn't want to cause trouble or danger to those around him because of his useless compassion. Now Jun Yi is no longer alone; he has his own emotional ties. Therefore, Jun Yi understands even more how to cherish everything he has now.
Soon Jun Yi arrived at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. After entering the campus, Jun Yi suddenly stopped after taking only a few steps. He could feel that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was unusually lively at this time. The originally deserted campus was now full of people.
"Huh? What happened? Why are there so many people?"
Jun Yi watched as everyone headed towards the academy's Soul Fighting Training Grounds, so he casually stopped a classmate and asked curiously, "Hey classmate, why is our academy so lively today?"
"Didn't you know? A school Shrek Academy has come to challenge us with a group of students! Everyone's getting ready to go and cheer on their school's team!"
The student looked at Jun Yi with a strange expression. They had already issued a challenge to the Shrek Academy three days ago, and all the students were eager to watch the spectacle. How come this senior didn't know?
"A challenge? How interesting, the plot isn't developing the way I expected?"
(End of this chapter)