"That's right."
Bibi Dong nodded in affirmation. "You're not stupid, either. Since the Star Crown Xu Family can blend light and earth into stars, why don't you try blending light and strength to see whether you can produce a new attribute?"
"If you become a Super Douluo through that, when I replace the old Pope Tokens with new ones during my tenure, I could certainly engrave your Martial Soul on the new Pope Tokens."
Bibi Dong's words contained a great deal of sensitive information:
Introducing new Pope Tokens meant invalidating the current six Pope Tokens, which also amounted to no longer recognizing those six Super Douluos and their six families.
The only shortcut was-elimination!
So, all in all, Bibi Dong's words came down to one thing: she wanted to overturn everything that had come before and forge a new order.
That was what she thought now, and what she would do in the future.
"Thank you, Your Holiness." Xu Zi currently had little standing or power, so he could only agree to everything.
"Of course." Bibi Dong added, "The Xu Family might have secret Star Attribute techniques that happen to suit your Martial Soul extremely well."
"I'll bear that in mind." Xu Zi was no fool. Naturally, he could hear Bibi Dong's intention to drive a wolf to devour a tiger.
If the Spirit Hall Empire wanted to unify the continent, the six great Super Douluos on the Pope Tokens were obstacles. If it could use Xu Zi, an overseas hand, to cut out one of them, that would greatly ease the burden of the Spirit Hall Empire's conquest.
Driving a wolf to devour a tiger, diverting floodwaters eastward-these were all imperial power plays and arts of manipulation. They were also Bibi Dong's soft power, the main reason she had managed to put Spirit Hall into such good order in the short span of a dozen or so years.
This further corroborated her intention to establish the Spirit Hall Empire and become the continent's empress.
Of course, Xu Zi felt no resistance, because, to give his Sun Martial Soul another name, it ought to be called a "stellar" Martial Soul.
Since the Star Crown Xu Family could blend light and earth, why couldn't he blend light and fire?
Perhaps the "Star Attribute" methods practiced by the Star Crown Sect-the techniques for properly blending two attributes-really could improve the quality of his Soul Power.
The last stained-glass window on the left slipped past, and a white exit appeared ahead, marking the end of the corridor beneath their feet.
"Do you know about Golden Birds?" Bibi Dong suddenly asked.
"I don't." Xu Zi shook his head. He had never heard of Golden Birds, much less understood why Bibi Dong had suddenly brought up this "Golden Bird."
And where was Bibi Dong taking him on this trip? Even after walking this far, Xu Zi still hadn't guessed her purpose.
Bibi Dong explained, "These birds have a symbiotic relationship with Golden Crocodiles. As Soul Beasts, they also live in the Golden Forest."
"Usually, after Golden Crocodiles finish eating, they open their mouths toward the sky and wait, hoping Golden Birds will pick out the scraps of meat stuck between their teeth."
"Oh, I see." Xu Zi understood at once.
Because a creature similar to this Golden Bird Soul Beast existed in reality, too. Its prototype was the "crocodile bird."
In wetland ecosystems, it had a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with crocodiles, and could even rest on their backs to avoid predators.
And whenever a crocodile's natural enemies, such as hippos and other large animals, were about to approach, the crocodile bird would give a distinctive call, prompting the crocodile to prepare a response.
Suddenly, something occurred to Xu Zi, and he asked in a flash of inspiration, "Your Holiness, I vaguely remember that among our Spirit Hall Team's seven starting members, there's a Support System Soul Master whose Martial Soul is the Golden Bird you mentioned. Is that right?"
Bibi Dong glanced sideways at him and said in an indifferent tone, "It seems you really do know quite a lot about our Spirit Hall Academy."
"That's right. And she comes from a small clan subordinate to the Golden Crocodile Family. She's also a born-and-bred native of the Holy City."
Just then, the corridor beneath their feet ended, and an open area appeared before them, with a Soul Fighting platform standing in its center.
This was the inner hall's small plaza.
Thunk-
Planting her scepter firmly, Bibi Dong looked straight at the Soul Fighting platform. "Doesn't your Martial Soul possess a Mental Attribute? This is a good opportunity. Prove to me just how much potential value you have."
Just then, a blonde woman happened to emerge from the corridor across from the Soul Fighting platform.
Her gait was dignified, her bearing valiant and spirited. As soon as she stepped out of the corridor, she knelt on one knee in their direction and performed the papal court's salute. "Greetings, Your Holiness. I, Huang Ying, was summoned by a temple knight in your service and have hurried here from the academy to appear before your august presence."
"Mm." Bibi Dong pointed her scepter across the platform, then looked back at Xu Zi and said:
"If you can last three exchanges against her, you'll be the leading figure of the next Golden Generation."
Xu Zi looked across. The blonde girl had already straightened her legs and, at Bibi Dong's instruction, was smiling at him with an imposing air.
All the information about this "Huang Ying" also surfaced in Xu Zi's mind:
One of the Spirit Hall Team's two supports: a Golden Bird Soul Master whose means of attack was the one-in-ten-thousand rarity, sound. She could even use special sound waves to enhance the other members, with a function similar to Oscar's fourth Soul Skill.
Sound-wave enhancement. She really is a crocodile bird... Xu Zi sighed inwardly.
"What, you don't dare?"
Seeing Xu Zi remain silent, Bibi Dong turned toward him and asked, "You're half a Soul Elder yourself. You don't even have the courage to exchange a few moves with a Support System Soul Ancestor?"
"Or do most people where you come from specialize in theory, and Soul Fighting isn't popular?"
Across the Soul Fighting platform, Huang Ying also offered reassurance. "Don't worry, junior. As your senior, I'll hold back when I attack. Besides, with His Holiness the Pope watching here, no one can truly hurt you."
Her voice was like the chirping of birds, inexplicably soothing to hear.
Yet faced with Bibi Dong's doubts and Huang Ying's perfunctory reassurance, Xu Zi remained exceptionally calm.
His next reply was even unexpected. "No, I'm just afraid I'll hurt this senior."
The inner hall's small plaza instantly fell silent, leaving only the afternoon sunlight slanting through the stained-glass windows.
"Heh." Bibi Dong revealed a smile for the first time.
She lowered her assessment of Xu Zi considerably and added a stroke labeled "arrogant."
But she maintained her papal dignity and made a grand promise. "If you can hurt her, never mind the next generation. I'll personally select you for this Golden Generation."
"In that case..." Xu Zi offered no further explanation, because Bibi Dong's words made it clear she hadn't considered that he might win at all.
The main reason was that, in the current Spirit Hall Team, even reserve members who didn't take the field had to meet the minimum standard of a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, let alone the team's core: the Golden Generation.
Even if the third ring Xu Zi was about to absorb was an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated ten-thousand-year black ring, he would still remain within the major rank of Soul Elder.
So Bibi Dong's words were a blank check that even she herself would find difficult to cash.
But Xu Zi accepted. "Then I thank Your Holiness for thinking so highly of me."
He had no choice but to agree, because this was not merely a test to gauge his abilities. It was also Bibi Dong's test for him, a newcomer-an obedience test.
Xu Zi took two steps forward and pushed off with the arch of his foot. His body, tempered by the Dragon Scale Fruit and the Power of Destruction, displayed outstanding physical capabilities, supporting him as he leaped onto the two-and-a-half-meter-high platform in a single bound.
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