"Pope Qian Daoliu of the demon-purging era had now become a messenger. How laughable!" Noticing Qian Daoliu's arrival, Bibi Dong swept him a sidelong glance, not even bothering to look at him properly, and curled her lips into a sneer.
Qian Daoliu seemed not to have heard her. Even his gaze remained unmoved, his face as still as water without a single ripple.
"One day, I'll tear you to pieces and wipe out your entire angel lineage!" Seeing his expressionless face, Bibi Dong felt fury spatter through her heart, yet outwardly she remained utterly calm.
A letter drifted before Bibi Dong. She knew who had written it and what it meant, but she still averted her gaze.
"Since the mission is already complete, why bother writing back?" There was nothing but indifference in Bibi Dong's voice.
"The office of Pope calls for clear rewards and punishments."
"Are you saying I appoint people based on personal ties, Great Enshrined?"
Of course, Bibi Dong understood what Qian Daoliu meant. Over the years, her approach to securing her position as Pope had been to place those who submitted to her in every important post.
Ability did not matter. Her sole requirement was loyalty to her, to the point that rot had sprung up throughout Spirit Hall.
Fortunately, Spirit Hall was an organization of Soul Masters, and what Soul Masters believed in most was strength. As long as she was powerful, countless people would follow her, understand her, and believe in her.
Even with all the internal ills plaguing Spirit Hall under Bibi Dong, it was still more glorious than it had been under Qian Xunji.
"You were the one who asked Xue'er to undertake the Nation-Stealing Plan."
"Shut up!" Bibi Dong forcibly suppressed her surging malice. Her knuckles turned a bluish white, and even her arms trembled almost imperceptibly.
On the night she devoured Qian Xunji, after Qian Daoliu discovered what she had done, Bibi Dong had not cared in the slightest even when he beat her severely. She had felt only the exhilaration of revenge. Had the Rakshasa God's inheritance not given her greater hope, she would long since have dragged Qian Daoliu into her self-destruction.
Yet a fear actually permeated her heart, often manifesting in her dreams-that the person she devoured was not Qian Xunji, but her daughter, Qian Renxue.
In particular, the image of her daughter looking frightened and terrified, then finally closing her eyes in acceptance, often jolted her awake.
What she feared was Qian Renxue finding out that it was Bibi Dong! That her own mother had murdered the father she revered and loved. That was why Bibi Dong had brought up the Nation-Stealing Plan, intending to keep Qian Renxue away from Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu, too, worried that Bibi Dong might devour her own daughter in her madness. More than that, he wanted Qian Renxue to understand the darkness and helplessness of leading a power, so as to lessen her revulsion toward Qian Xunji when she learned the truth in the future. With both of them steering the boat along the current, Qian Renxue had left Spirit City.
"Decide for yourself what to do about Xue'er's hairpin ceremony at twenty. She's already been gone for almost ten years." Before his words had faded, Qian Daoliu's figure vanished.
A moment later, Bibi Dong sank to her knees, her eyes reddening, tiny glimmers of tears clinging to her lashes.
The hairpin ceremony was the coming-of-age rite for women on the Douluo Continent. Those with a marriage engagement underwent it at fifteen, and even without an engagement, they had to undergo it at twenty.
Back when she and Yu Xiaogang were in love, one of her greatest dreams had been for Qian Xunji to take her hand after her hairpin ceremony and entrust her to Yu Xiaogang.
Yet when she was nineteen, everything shattered. She had put up her hair without ever undergoing the hairpin ceremony.
Now her daughter's hairpin ceremony was approaching. It was both her former beautiful dream and her greatest pain.
After a long while, Bibi Dong picked up the letter, skimmed it, and placed it in her Storage Soul Tool, murmuring, "Ling Yu?"
Heaven Dou Royal Academy training grounds-
"Achoo!" Ling Yu sneezed as he soaked in a medicinal bath.
Was I too badly frightened yesterday? He rubbed his nose and tilted his head in thought.
"The academic year is almost over. Do your best on the year-end assessment. Don't fail and end up unable to graduate." Before the basic physical training class ended, the instructor still gave them a reminder.
"Ling Yu, want to come over to my place during the break? Our estate is pretty big." Qin Nian, soaking in a nearby medicinal tub, extended an invitation.
"Our homes are fun too. You're welcome anytime." Several other classmates soaking in their tubs also invited him.
They all knew Ling Yu had boundless prospects. Especially lately, more and more people were saying that the academy's Soul Tool research laboratory had been built for him. Even His Highness the Crown Prince had been visiting the academy much more often.
"No, I still have things to do this break. Thanks for the invitations! I'll visit another time!" Ling Yu politely declined.
"All right." They sighed, but none of them were annoyed. After all, the gap in their status was far too great. If anything, they were surprised that Ling Yu remained so friendly.
I wonder when that batch of Soul Tools Qian Renxue mentioned will arrive. A larger sample size would make them easier to classify.
There's something miraculous in the imperial palace too. Unfortunately, its owner is a powerful, immoral peeping tom.
Do human morals apply to gods? No, a god's morality ought to transcend that. Otherwise, they're just an overgrown infant with power. Ling Yu pondered as he soaked in the medicinal bath.
That afternoon was the medicinal identification elective. When Ling Yu stepped into the classroom, he discovered someone had already arrived and was sitting in a corner. He even knew her name-Ye Lingling. In several previous classes, the teacher had called on her to answer questions.
No matter what Soul Ring Nine Heart Begonia absorbs, it always gains a healing ability.
Where do the differences lie between the healing abilities from different Soul Rings?
Why does this happen? Because its Martial Soul Origin is too powerful? So no matter what Soul Ring is added, the origin erodes it and fixes its nature?
Would a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring be the same? Judging by the grade of its origin, Nine Heart Begonia might be stronger than Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. After all, the latter can still go the power attack route, but as for practicality...
Huh, if Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum were food-type, that would be fun.
I'm really curious what her ninth Soul Skill will be when she becomes a Titled Douluo. Speaking of which, a Martial Soul of such high quality should awaken a domain, right?
But not necessarily. A high-quality Martial Soul still depends on its user's talent. Even something as top-tier as the Angel Martial Soul still has relatively ordinary people like Qian Xunji.
As Ling Yu's thoughts stormed through his head, the teacher walked in and interrupted his musings. Ling Yu then settled into studying, listening attentively and taking notes.
At that moment, Ling Yu did not know that the focused air he exuded the instant he settled into studying had drawn a glance from Ye Lingling.
Perhaps the rumors about the Soul Tool research laboratory aren't false. Only someone who studies as earnestly as he does would explore that lost inheritance. Ye Lingling stopped her pen, letting her mind wander for once, but soon collected herself and resumed listening attentively.
After class, the two went to the library one after the other. With the year-end assessment approaching, Ling Yu decided to first cram the material from his compulsory courses. Although he was a transfer student and could be temporarily exempted from the assessment, he did not intend to do so, because the knowledge taught in those courses was all important.
Moreover, as his soul Martial Soul grew, it brought him not only sharper perception, but also clearer thinking and a stronger memory.
To accommodate the noble students' learning abilities, the teachers did not progress through their lessons very quickly, so it was not particularly difficult for Ling Yu.
An all-attribute amplification Soul Skill-why doesn't it amplify intelligence? If it could, I could use my Martial Soul to cram for exams in the future. How convenient. Ling Yu silently remarked as he leafed through a textbook in the library.