Inside the carriage returning to the Papal Palace, Luo Chen admired the sunset clouds through the window.
Hu Liena attentively peeled fruit for Luo Chen beside him, enjoying the lovely moments of feeding him along the way.
Besides the two of them, Qian Renxue, Wang Sheng, and Xie Yue were also seated in the carriage.
Qian Renxue's current cover was that of a disciple of an enshrined elder from the Worship Hall. Since they were headed the same way, she had quite naturally joined them in this carriage reserved for the Supreme Pontiff.
The four guardian Douluos tacitly chose to ignore this.
Qian Jun and Demon Subduing Douluo were delighted with the arrangement, while Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo simply did not dare offend their little ancestor, Qian Renxue.
To put it bluntly, although the two now served as Bibi Dong's palace Douluos, just three months ago, they had still been the two door gods attending Qian Xunji.
Back then, Qian Renxue had been the little princess in the eyes of Spirit Hall's entire upper echelon.
Unless they were tired of living, neither would ever dare say no to her.
"Little Chrysanthemum, and Little Ghost."
Qian Jun Douluo carried his Coiling Dragon Staff over his shoulder. The two of them had never concealed their movements, making their intentions clear from the very beginning.
Seeing them appear, Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo hurried forward to pay their respects. "Greetings, Sixth Enshrined, Seventh Enshrined."
"We're all on the same side. What's the point of these empty formalities?"
Even the youngest of Spirit Hall's seven great enshrined elders was over a hundred years old.
When Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo had first joined Spirit Hall, Qian Jun and Demon Subduing Douluo had already been its elders.
In both seniority and standing, the two enshrined elders ranked above Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo.
"If you ask me, following Little Ji'er has made fools of you both."
Demon Subduing Douluo shook his head, making no effort to hide his dissatisfaction with Qian Xunji.
"Uh, well..."
Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo broke out in cold sweat, not daring to argue.
"All right, all right. From now on, we're colleagues."
Qian Jun Douluo pointed at Luo Chen and Qian Renxue. "We share the same goal: protecting these two children."
Although Qian Renxue was not included in the mission Bibi Dong had assigned Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, her status was so exalted that they would protect her with their lives even without Bibi Dong's orders.
"Protect Xiao Chen?"
Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance, each seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.
"You heard right."
Qian Jun Douluo said, "The boss gave us an absolute order to protect him, no matter what."
Although Spirit Hall was divided into the Papal Palace and Worship Hall factions, these were merely internal disagreements.
Spirit Hall had never suffered any infighting from beginning to end.
Take Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo and Qian Jun and Demon Subduing Douluo, for example. At most, they simply would not help one another.
When a critical moment truly came, factions and stances meant nothing. They knew only that they belonged to Spirit Hall and ought to work together to weather the storm.
"Two Titled Douluos, plus two Super Douluos."
Gui Mei did not even know what to say.
With a lineup like this, people would probably believe it if someone said they could destroy an entire nation.
Yet such formidable combat strength was being used solely to protect two children.
One could only say that, when it came to Luo Chen and Qian Renxue's security alone, Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu had truly put their hearts into it.
"Hm?"
Meanwhile, Luo Chen, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the carriage, suddenly sensed emotions mingling sorrow, regret, and anger.
His mind was linked with his Aspects, and he immediately identified the source of those emotions-Ah Yin.
"Sister Ah Yin, what's wrong?"
"Xiao Chen!"
Within the Astral Realm, Luo Chen's consciousness had only just taken shape when Ah Yin threw herself at him.
The gentle, beautiful blue-haired girl, who resembled a Goddess of Life, held Luo Chen. Her body trembled slightly, tears brimming in her eyes, the very picture of someone pitifully abandoned.
"What exactly happened?"
Seeing that Ah Yin merely sobbed quietly, Luo Chen turned to Na'er beside her. "Didn't you go to Holy Soul Village? Did something happen to Tang San?"
"What could possibly have happened to him!"
"It's all that Tang Hao's fault!"
Na'er was speechless too. "It's bad enough that this world has so many love-brained people. Why are there so many scumbags too?"
Was there really not a single good man in the whole world besides her Luo Chen?
"What happened with Tang Hao? Did you meet him?"
Luo Chen offered no judgment on that. He actually did not object to Ah Yin seeing Tang Hao.
Neither woman would tell Tang Hao her identity or origins. Even if he saw Ah Yin, could he possibly track her to Spirit Hall and snatch his wife back from Luo Chen?
Never mind that conversion into an Aspect was irreversible.
If Tang Hao truly dared come to Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong would crush him to death at the first sign of even the slightest hostility toward Luo Chen.
Unless Tang Hao has a death wish.
Spirit Hall in this life would not let Tang Hao stride through as though no one stood in his way, as he had in the original story.
The current Bibi Dong was truly no ordinary kind of savage.
"Here's what happened, Master."
Na'er told Luo Chen everything that had happened earlier, exactly as it had occurred.
Along the way, she also shared her memories of Dawn Avatar taking Ah Yin's avatar to Holy Soul Village.
In those images, a tiny silver-white dragon carried a chibi Ah Yin, whose whole body shone with azure starlight, riding the first ray of dawn toward the cavern where Na'er had found Ah Yin's original body.
Perhaps because she had been prepared, Ah Yin did not seem overly emotional.
Afterward, Ah Yin followed the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline resonance and found Tang San.
They also saw Tang Hao, who had abandoned himself to despair after being wounded by Qian Daoliu.
The current Tang Hao possessed none of the former Clear Sky Douluo's heroic bearing. He had become a thoroughly slovenly middle-aged man.
He neglected his appearance, wore tattered hemp clothing, and clung to alcohol as though it were his life.
Brother Hao...
Seeing this through her avatar, Ah Yin initially felt heartache for Tang Hao.
But what happened next plunged her back into withdrawal and despair.
"Uh, what!"
Luo Chen watched Tang Hao utterly neglect the still-infant Tang San.
When he finally woke up, Tang Hao carelessly cooked some porridge and fed it straight into Tang San's mouth without even waiting for it to cool.
Tang San was ruthless too-he actually forced himself to swallow it.
Throughout the process, Tang Hao remained expressionless, as though his own son meant nothing to him at all.
Tang San neither cried nor fussed, cooperating as much as anyone possibly could.
"How could he do this!"
Ah Yin had witnessed this scene with her own eyes.
She knew Tang San was absolutely not a child.
He was too obedient. Even with his mouth scalded, he continued eating silently, neither crying nor fussing. It made no sense at all.
Of course, Ah Yin felt no heartache over that.
After confirming that Tang San was not her child, Ah Yin would not give the slightest sympathy to this murderer who had stolen her child's body.
Not killing him herself, and allowing him to keep using her child's body, was already kind enough of her.
She simply had never imagined Tang Hao could be so irresponsible.
He did not know that Tang San had become someone else.
That meant Tang Hao truly did not hold their child in his heart.
For a woman, especially a mother, nothing was more unacceptable than her child being abused.
No matter how desperate Tang Hao was, surely he should not neglect even their child.
"Tang Hao, hehe... so this is the real you?"
Ah Yin thought of the cave where her original body lay.
Just as Na'er had said, it was dim and lightless, never seeing the sun.
And looking at how Tang Hao treated the child she had left behind, he was nothing like a father.
"Was all of it a lie?"
Ah Yin could no longer contain her sorrow. "He's been lying to me all along."
"Sister Ah Yin?"
"Xiao Chen!"
Ah Yin held Luo Chen even tighter. "Now, you're all I have left."
Her child, her husband, her life-she had lost everything.
If even Luo Chen abandoned her, she would truly have nothing left.
"Don't worry, Sister Ah Yin."
Luo Chen gently patted the back of the woman in his arms, comforting her. "From now on, this Astral Realm is your home. Na'er and I are your family."
"Me too."
Na'er floated over and embraced them both as well. "Master and I are your new family, Ah Yin."
"Mm."
"Xiao Chen, Na'er, thank you."
Ah Yin had a gentle, yielding temperament and lacked opinions of her own, but she would faithfully remain by their side, offering tenderness and care.
From that day onward, although Ah Yin still sent her avatar out with Na'er every day to pick up trash,
she never approached the Tang father and son again.
Even after being used, let down, and hurt to the depths of her heart, Ah Yin still did not wish to hate.
Ah Yin fully accepted her new mission, diligently searching for natural treasures hidden throughout the Douluo Continent to help Luo Chen grow better.
However, this work was not consistent.
Dawn Avatar traveled at the speed of light, which was simply too fast.
Often, neither of them knew where they had landed. They could only rely on Ah Yin's ability to sense the presence of plants and the information fed back by Blue Silver Grass to judge whether the surrounding area was worth searching.
Thus, for many days in a row, although the traveling frogs left early and returned late, they found nothing new.
Just like that, seven days passed in a flash.
During those seven days, Luo Chen's life essentially followed a fixed route between three points.
When he got up in the morning, Bibi Dong would take him to the entrance of the Papal Palace, then have him ride a carriage to Spirit Hall Academy with Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Wang Sheng.
Next came a morning of theory classes. Luo Chen did not look down on the teachers just because of his own store of knowledge.
He listened very patiently, even noting each teacher's teaching style and habits, then devising better teaching techniques based on their characteristics.
As an additional note, Soul Master Academy theory classes were not as numerous as Luo Chen had imagined.
In fact, theory classes were held only during the first week of each month, seven lessons in total.
On the remaining days, apart from their daily physical training, students could use their extra time however they wished.
In this respect, a Soul Master Academy was actually more like a university.
Aside from the classes the students themselves belonged to, there were also many lecture halls run by instructors.
After finishing the first week's theory classes, students could choose a lecture hall or cultivate as they wished for the remaining time.
Moreover, Spirit Hall Academy was not a closed campus. Students could freely enter and leave at any time.
At Hu Liena and Qian Renxue's invitation, Luo Chen had toured a corner of Spirit City, thoroughly experiencing the grandeur and wonders of this world's most prosperous city.
"Have you gotten used to life at the academy?"
That evening, in the Papal Palace's large bathroom, Bibi Dong washed Luo Chen's body as usual.
"Mm."
Luo Chen had already grown accustomed to his relationship with Bibi Dong.
Indeed, Luo Chen was probably the only person in all of Douluo to enjoy the peerlessly beautiful Supreme Pontiff's personal care.
"It just feels too easy."
"Does it?"
Bibi Dong gently pressed the acupoints on Luo Chen's head, making him so comfortable that he nearly fell asleep. "A Soul Master's task is to cultivate. Soul Power takes priority over everything. As long as your Soul Power cultivation meets the requirements, there's no need to be overly demanding about anything else."
In Bibi Dong's view, anyone who could break through rank 20 at twelve and become a Soul Grandmaster already counted as a reasonably talented genius, worthy of her investing resources in their development.
Tang San had reached rank 29 Soul Power at twelve.
Considering his innate full Soul Power aptitude, he had advanced nineteen ranks in six years, averaging three ranks per year.
Such a cultivation speed was certainly not slow.
It was still somewhat short of the very best, however.
After all, Tang San also had to worry about Gold Soul Coins in his daily life, spending some of his effort on forging.
This kept him from devoting himself wholeheartedly to cultivation and wasted a considerable amount of time.
"Reaching rank 20 at twelve is enough?"
"Pfft."
Bibi Dong curled a finger and lightly flicked Luo Chen's forehead. "You little fellow, what do you mean, 'enough'?"
After all, even Shrek Academy, which claimed to accept only monsters, merely required applicants to reach rank 21 Soul Power before turning thirteen.
Rank 21 at thirteen was enough to be called a monster.
Among Spirit Hall's current younger generation, Qian Renxue was rank 34, Luo Chen rank 30, Hu Liena rank 15, Wang Sheng rank 12, and Yan and Xie Yue both rank 11.
Given six years, even the worst of them could become a Soul Elder-above rank 30-at twelve.
"Once students break through rank 20, theory classes are no longer offered."
"All Soul Masters can choose a teacher for guidance, then complete their cultivation assignments according to that teacher's arrangements."
Luo Chen and Hu Liena were Bibi Dong's disciples, so she had naturally prepared training plans for them both.
It was still early, though, so Bibi Dong did not intend to tell them yet.
"Phew~~~"
After the bath, Bibi Dong used Soul Power to steam Luo Chen's hair dry before asking, "That child has been getting quite close to you two lately, hasn't she?"
"Teacher..."
"I'm not blaming you," Bibi Dong said. "I just..."
Bibi Dong hated Qian Renxue and did not want to see her.
But Bibi Dong could not dictate whom Luo Chen made friends with.
"Never mind. As long as you don't let her appear in front of me, you can do whatever you want."
Bibi Dong truly spoiled Luo Chen to her very bones, even accommodating him on the matter of Qian Renxue. "I'm just a little surprised that old fellow Qian Daoliu was actually willing to let her out."
After seven days of spending time together, those at the Worship Hall had seen the changes in Qian Renxue.
Qian Daoliu had already agreed to Qian Renxue's request to enroll in Spirit Hall Academy and study alongside Luo Chen and the others.
The only problem was that Qian Renxue's Soul Power cultivation was too high, and she was also older than Luo Chen and the others.
So Qian Renxue did not attend theory classes and only signed up for Spirit Hall Junior Academy's year-end assessment.
The year-end assessment included all Spirit Hall students under the age of twelve and was a trial for the new generation.
One additional note: Luo Chen did not need to take part in this assessment.
(End of chapter)