Two hours later, a tantalizing fragrance filled the great hall, and the couch in the inner chamber was in utter disarray.
Lin Chen stared at the red plum blossom blooming on the sheet, his expression freezing. Bibi Dong had actually been a virgin? This... this defied science, didn't it?
A rustling came from beside him. Bibi Dong had put on her red-and-gold wedding robe again. She swept an expressionless glance at him, her voice frighteningly cold. "At the Pope's Palace, during the hour of the rooster today, we'll hold our wedding."
With that, she dragged her weary, delicate body away, leaving Lin Chen with a view of her graceful back.
To Bibi Dong's surprise and suspicion, once she had put a certain distance between herself and Lin Chen, her exhaustion vanished, and that powerful sense of security returned!
This time, she did not make another move against him. First, she had her own objective, and now that things had come to this, striking again was not in her interests. Second, Lin Chen's mysterious power made her wary, but also filled her with desire. Third, her heart was in some turmoil; what Lin Chen had said earlier had shaken her deeply.
Judging by how she had hidden her hatred for Qian Xunji for years, she had definitely not risen to the position of Pope of Spirit Hall through talent and strength alone!
On the purple couch,
Lin Chen gazed at the plum blossom with a wry smile. He couldn't help shaking his head as he murmured, "At least we didn't completely fall out. I suppose I've more or less achieved my objective."
"I'd better cultivate first. After all, I'm not the kind of man who eats soft rice!"
After all, if he couldn't surpass Bibi Dong in strength, how could he enjoy such good fortune again? How could he show off in front of her and say, "The realm is yours, and you are mine"?!
Work hard, young man!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully tying the knot with the number one villain. Reward: 100,000 Villain Value]
Lin Chen wondered what the system could do. Full of anticipation, he opened the main panel. After a glance, he couldn't help complaining, "Why is this damn thing called the Villain System? I'm a thoroughly upright gentleman! What part of me looks like a great villain?!"
[Host: Lin Chen] [Martial Soul: Red Firmament Sword] [Soul Power: level 39] [Villain Value: 270,000]
He opened the merchandise tab, and all sorts of spiritual treasures appeared in an endless stream. Soul Bones, Soul Rings, pills, sacred physiques, and all kinds of support skills were available, all at different prices. There was nothing he didn't need, only things he couldn't imagine. The sight left Lin Chen a little dazzled.
After several dozen breaths, Lin Chen chose the one thing he needed most at the moment.
[Ding! Ancient Desolate Sacred Physique successfully exchanged. Price: 100,000 Villain Value] [Ancient Desolate Sacred Physique: one of the strongest sacred physiques in the world. Not only does it cultivate dozens of times faster than an ordinary genius, but its meridians and vitality are exceptionally strong. Both its recovery and combat strength are first-rate!]
At eighteen, Lin Chen had only cultivated to level thirty-nine. He was a complete good-for-nothing, unremarkable even in Spirit Hall, let alone compared to those few walking cheats.
White light flickered across his body. His meridians, bones, and internal organs were all tempered. He had only been a little over 1.7 meters tall, but he instantly grew several centimeters to reach 1.83 meters, and the muscles across his chest became more defined.
His features were handsome, and his vitality surged!
Just then, Lin Chen suddenly felt himself growing more sensitive to the spiritual Qi between heaven and earth. He sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate, drawing all the spiritual Qi within several hundred zhang to him.
Several dozen breaths later, boom, boom, boom...
His Soul Power broke through to level forty!
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, delight flashing in his eyes. "I've broken through to Soul Ancestor already? This damn system is pretty reliable. It didn't fob me off with something secondhand..."
Continue!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on a successful exchange: Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring (from the Ancient Sword Scarlet Tiger). Price: 100,000 Villain Value]
As the mechanical voice fell silent, a red Soul Ring appeared above Lin Chen's head, and a mysterious force directly helped him absorb it into his body.
A powerful surge of Soul Power instantly rushed through his limbs and bones, and the Soul Power in his meridians absorbed and refined it. His own Soul Power grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Level forty-one, level forty-two, level forty-three... level forty-nine, level fifty! It was still rising...
Several dozen breaths later, his Soul Power stopped at level fifty-one.
Soul King!
A single Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring had raised Lin Chen by eleven minor levels, and it had successfully fused with his body.
Hmm, this damn system has some tricks up its sleeve.
At the rear mountain, outside the Pope's residence,
Bibi Dong walked along the path in red, her face expressionless. Her red eyes glanced toward the Pope's Palace from time to time, her feelings exceedingly complicated.
There was shame and anger, curiosity, and even a trace of something unusual, but her killing intent alone was gone...
She was no longer the naive young girl she had once been, but the Pope who held the fates of hundreds of thousands of Spirit Hall Soul Masters in her hands. Her every move could affect the fates of tens of thousands, as well as her own.
The position of Pope seemed glorious, but one wrong step would leave her bones shattered and her body crushed!
"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"
"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"
Several passing Spirit Hall disciples respectfully saluted her. She merely gave them a faint nod, saying little as she headed straight for a certain hidden chamber in the rear mountain.
After Bibi Dong had gone far enough away, the disciples began to talk.
"I never would have imagined His Holiness the Pope would marry beneath her station to an ordinary disciple of our Spirit Hall! Apart from his good looks, that guy is good for nothing!"
"Exactly! That Lin Chen is just trash. He's almost twenty, and his Soul Power is only in the thirties. He's not even as good as me, let alone Yan, Xie Yue, and the others!"
Such discussions continued throughout Spirit Hall.
The male disciples of Spirit Hall in particular, and even its deacons and elders, were secretly jealous. His Holiness the Pope was not only powerful and possessed immense authority; more importantly, she was also a peerless beauty.
If they could marry her, they would willingly give up thirty years of their lives!
By all rights, His Holiness the Pope was so cold by nature that, forget a good-for-nothing like Lin Chen, even a fellow genius Titled Douluo probably wouldn't catch her eye. Yet she was going to marry him. This was probably a mystery not only to every Soul Master in Spirit Hall, but also to Soul Master factions across the entire continent!
Deep in the rear mountain, in a forbidden area,
Bibi Dong opened a stone door, revealing a pitch-black passage. As she entered, yellowish-red flames sprang to life along both sides.
She reached a hall deep within, surrounded on all sides by stone walls. A graceful, alluring figure was hidden in the darkness.
Bibi Dong said expressionlessly, "I have married him. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
The figure in the darkness tossed out a pitch-black crystal, her voice cool and pleasant. "This is the Rakshasa God Crystal. It can ensure you pass the Seventh Trial safely."
"About how long will it take?"
"It can save you at least ten times the time!"
Bibi Dong turned around expressionlessly. "If this thing is useless, you can collect his corpse."
"Hehe... rest assured. Now that you share His Highness's bed, how would we dare gamble with his life?"