Spirit Hall
Flying through the sky, Gu Wuchen could already see Spirit Hall, as though it had risen straight out of the ground.
Within Spirit Hall stood the Pope's Palace, a magnificent structure that soared into the clouds.
"Wuchen, this is Spirit Hall. The place I'm taking you is Elder Hall. I'll also introduce you to a few of the worships."
Qian Daoliu picked up speed, turning into a streak of golden light that swept across the sky and landed in front of Elder Hall.
At that moment, a woman standing before the Pope's Palace watched the streak of light, utterly puzzled. "The Great Enshrined rarely leaves Elder Hall. What has he gone off to do this time?"
At Elder Hall, Qian Daoliu led Gu Wuchen inside.
Inside Elder Hall, a statue of a Six-Winged Angel stood ahead, its hands pressed together before its chest. Its expression was solemn, and it gave off specks of radiance.
Qian Daoliu walked beneath the Angel God Statue, turned, and called out, "Golden Crocodile!"
The next moment, a figure appeared at the entrance to Elder Hall.
"Great Enshrined, what is it?"
Hearing the imposing, powerful voice, Gu Wuchen turned to look. Golden Crocodile Douluo, sturdily built and even more muscular than Qian Daoliu, was slowly walking over.
Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at the extraordinarily handsome boy before him, then glanced at the Great Enshrined. "Great Enshrined, did you suddenly leave Elder Hall earlier to bring this boy back?"
"That's right. I intend to teach him personally," Qian Daoliu said with a nod.
Seeing Golden Crocodile Douluo's curious gaze, Qian Daoliu chuckled. "Wuchen is Ice Mystic Douluo's son."
"Ice Mystic Douluo?"
Surprise flashed in Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes. He had never expected the boy before him to be Gu Linchuan and Shen Suwei's child.
Having spent many years in Elder Hall, he had dealt with the couple before. Both had been outstanding among Titled Douluo.
One had been level 96, the other level 95.
Back then, even the Great Enshrined's personal invitation had failed to persuade them to join. Seven years later, he had instead personally brought their child here.
"Wuchen, show the Second Worship your Martial Soul and Soul Ring."
Qian Daoliu spoke up.
"All right, Grandpa Qian!"
With a thought, Gu Wuchen summoned the Dustless Sword into his hand, radiating extreme cold. A faint sword hum rang through Elder Hall, and a chill filled the air.
Immediately afterward, a Thousand-Year Soul Ring appeared beneath Gu Wuchen's feet.
"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo cried out in surprise.
Wasn't this couple's child a little too monstrous?
The child they had raised actually had a thousand-year First Soul Ring. It was even more astonishing than Xue'er's innate full level 20 Soul Power back then.
"Impressive, isn't he, Second Worship?" Qian Daoliu said with a smile.
Golden Crocodile Douluo put away his astonishment and said, "More than impressive. He's a monster among monsters."
"In that case, doesn't this mean the child's talent surpasses Xue'er's?"
Qian Daoliu readily admitted it. "Indeed. Wuchen's talent and temperament far surpass those of his peers."
He had previously thought Xue'er might be a little more talented, but now it seemed Wuchen's talent was a cut above hers.
"Golden Crocodile, I also brought Wuchen here this time so you could meet him."
Golden Crocodile Douluo smiled. "That's a good thing. Since Wuchen calls you Grandpa Qian, Great Enshrined, Wuchen, you can call me Grandpa Golden Crocodile.
"The Great Enshrined accepts you, and so do I. Rest for the night. Tomorrow, you can enter Spirit Hall Academy."
Gu Wuchen called him "Grandpa Golden Crocodile," then looked at Qian Daoliu. "Grandpa Qian, where should I stay?"
"Stay in the palace next to Xue'er's room. Golden Crocodile, sorry for the trouble, but please take Wuchen there."
Qian Daoliu had other matters to attend to.
"No problem, Great Enshrined."
Golden Crocodile Douluo led Gu Wuchen away to the palace next to Elder Hall.
Gu Wuchen looked at another place that seemed to be unoccupied and asked, "Grandpa Golden Crocodile, why doesn't anyone live in the palace next door?"
"That place?"
"The Great Enshrined's granddaughter, Qian Renxue, lived there when she was little. She's away on a mission now and hasn't returned in a long time, but it's still cleaned every day."
As Golden Crocodile Douluo explained, the two arrived at the neighboring palace and pushed open the doors. Inside, it was decorated with exquisite luxury, and the floors were regularly cleaned.
"Rest here for the night. Tomorrow, Grandpa Golden Crocodile will take you to Spirit Hall Academy and get you registered. It'll make it much more convenient for you to study and take part in the continent's academy tournament later on."
After settling him in, Golden Crocodile Douluo turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Gu Wuchen lay on the soft bed. He would go to Spirit Hall Academy to study tomorrow. Generally speaking, there shouldn't be any particularly difficult problems.
Most importantly, he still needed to improve his own strength.
As he pondered, Gu Wuchen was about to close his eyes and rest when Snow Empress's voice sounded beside his ear. "Is this Spirit Hall? The place you're staying in is quite large."
Gu Wuchen immediately opened his eyes and stared blankly at Snow Empress, who had suddenly appeared beside the bed. "Why have you shown up again?"
You've been gone less than a day, and you're already back?
Coming and going as you please is so convenient.
Snow Empress sat down on the edge of the bed and said matter-of-factly, "Why can't I show up? Besides, I'm here to keep you safe."
Gu Wuchen rolled his eyes and drew back, saying irritably:
"Keep me safe? I think you found the ice bed in the Far North too hard and came to freeload on my soft bed. Besides, this is the core area of Spirit Hall's Elder Hall. There are Titled Douluo everywhere. Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
Snow Empress gave a flippant smile and sprawled across the bed, unconcerned.
"Why should I fear those few Titled Douluo? My soul imprint is carved onto you. Unless a god descends or I reveal myself, that old fellow won't be able to detect me."
"I'm a Soul Beast who's lived nearly seventy hundred thousand years, after all. If I couldn't even manage that, wouldn't all those years have been for nothing?"
Gu Wuchen froze for a moment, then understood.
As a Soul Beast nearly seven hundred thousand years old, Snow Empress could indeed do that, but with you acting like this, how am I supposed to cultivate in peace?
"Even so, you can't just come out whenever you please."
Gu Wuchen was still uneasy. "What if someone walks in on us? How am I supposed to explain it? A young woman suddenly appears in a six-year-old boy's room. What about my reputation?"
Snow Empress was amused by his little-adult act and reached out to pinch Gu Wuchen's cheek.
"You little thing, how old are you to be worrying about your reputation already? Don't worry, your big sister knows what she's doing. If someone comes, I'll naturally hide."
As she spoke, her gaze swept across the entire palace, and a barely perceptible chill flashed in her eyes.
"But then again, Spirit Hall really is no ordinary place. Traces of the Angel God's divine power are drifting everywhere, and there are also several powerful Titled Douluo presences.
"You really are much safer here, kid, but those people certainly aren't as dependable as your Sister Xue."
Gu Wuchen suddenly laughed.
"You really know how to put gold on your own face!"