"Ah—!"
Inside the Papal Hall,
Hu Liena swallowed the Bright Soul Nourishing Pill, which was the size of a ping-pong ball, and immediately rolled her eyes back. Like a fish undergoing electrotherapy, her entire body trembled incessantly, while the two fox tails behind her swung back and forth, their fur standing on end like steel needles.
Following that,
the swelling pain in her head was somewhat alleviated by the threads of cool, soothing relief.
However, the exhaustion in her teary, fox-like eyes undoubtedly conveyed that a Bright Soul Nourishing Pill the size of a ping-pong ball was far from enough to restore her condition.
The next moment.
Ring Fusion Power activated once again, two streaks of purple light carrying a hint of black radiance.
Another Bright Soul Nourishing Pill was pushed into her mouth.
Hu Liena found herself once again in a state where she could hardly speak.
"Mmm~ so big~ this pill, mmm!"
"Ah~! Senior brother, feed it slower, Nana's brain is about to break~"
"..."
——————
Outside the Papal Hall.
The gift presentations from the various factions were nearing their end.
Ning Fengzhi noticed Sword Douluo's gaze fixed on the Papal Hall and inquired,
"Sword Uncle, what is it?"
Sword Douluo slowly withdrew his gaze and murmured meaningfully, "It seems the younger generation of Spirit Hall truly hides dragons and crouches tigers. There's actually an interesting little fellow hidden inside."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly.
"For Sword Uncle to give such an evaluation, the hidden individual must have something special about them, right?"
"I suspect that the inexplicable force earlier, which lifted the Spirit Hall Saint Child and allowed him to perform an Air Stroll, originated from that little fellow inside the Papal Hall."
Sword Douluo furrowed his brows as he speculated,
while also sighing in admiration, "With only the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster, the other party possesses such methods, truly surprising me."
"Soul Grandmaster?"
Ning Fengzhi's previously enthusiastic expression instantly froze.
He did not doubt Sword Douluo's judgment...
He was merely somewhat startled that Spirit Hall indeed hid dragons and crouched tigers, just as Sword Douluo had said. At the same time, he felt curious: what exactly was the identity of that little fellow with only Soul Grandmaster cultivation?
In the intelligence regarding Spirit Hall's younger generation, that person seemed not to exist.
Currently,
Xie Yue and Yan, as well as Hu Liena, had their Martial Souls awakened by Ye Tian.
Xie Yue and Yan were even taken away by Lionheart Douluo and Azure Luan Douluo from the Hall of Worship before they left the orphanage. Fundamentally, they had no contact with the outside world. One might ask, among all the forces in the Soul Master Realm, which one could possibly steal intelligence from within the Hall of Worship?
As for Hu Liena, she was abducted by Bi Bi Dong from the orphanage before reaching the appropriate age, held as a hostage to prevent Ye Tian from escaping.
Hu Liena's Spirit Awakening was also relatively confidential; even outsiders likely did not know what her Martial Soul was. However, as Bi Bi Dong's disciple, her name naturally often appeared on the discussion table.
But that was all.
They could only ascertain that Hu Liena's talent was certainly not ordinary and definitely exceeded Innate Seventh Rank.
In other words, the current understanding of the Spirit Hall's rising generation within the entire Soul Master Realm is extremely limited. No one knows that besides Ye Tian, the Spirit Hall possesses three other genius Soul Masters with Innate Full Spirit Power. They are even less aware of Jin Yue'er's potential and the existence of Qian Renxue.
The intelligence gathered by the major powers is still confined to the few young men and women who, fifteen years from now, will take the stage as representatives of the Spirit Academy to participate in the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament during Tang San's generation, serving merely as supporting characters. For example, Zhang Ping with the Golden-Waisted Swift Martial Soul, Li Kai with the Black-Horned Boar Martial Soul, Sun Chuantao whose Martial Soul is the Ringed Great Blade, and Xu Yu whose Martial Soul is the quite famous Brilliant Golden Scepter from the Support System—their Innate Soul Power is all above level seven! They are a few years older than Hu Liena and the others and are currently undergoing advanced studies at the Spirit Academy.
"Heh..."
Ning Fengzhi mentally reviewed the information but found nothing useful, though he did come up with an unrealistic speculation. He muttered with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "If that were truly the case, the Spirit Hall would likely become even more dangerous in the future."
"Fengzhi, what are you saying?"
Sword Douluo asked, puzzled.
Ning Fengzhi looked up at Sword Douluo and inquired, "Uncle Sword, do you think the Soul Grandmaster hiding inside could be the Pope's second disciple?"
"The Pope's female disciple?!"
Sword Douluo's pupils contracted slightly, his heart shaken. He shook his head and denied in a deep voice, "Impossible... Fengzhi, do you know how long ago she just awakened her Martial Soul? In other words, when the Pope took her as a disciple, it was only a few months ago! Her actual cultivation time is probably less than three months. How could she possibly become a Soul Grandmaster in such a short period?"
"It seems this speculation is indeed rather unrealistic. Perhaps... it's an illusion created by the Holy Son with his thirty-eighth level cultivation."
Ning Fengzhi gently shook his head.
Mentioning Ye Tian, however, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "Yet, throughout history, no one has ever been able to break through to the thirty-eighth level Soul Venerable realm within three years... Once the impossible is achieved by someone, it ceases to be impossible."
"Even so, how can three months compare to three years?"
Sword Douluo retorted somewhat irritably.
Ning Fengzhi shook his head with a wry smile and sighed softly, "I hope I'm overthinking it. Otherwise, if the Spirit Hall gains the power to cultivate such geniuses, coupled with the Pope's existence as a possessor of twin martial souls, they will likely become increasingly domineering in the future."
"I really don't know why someone usually as steady and rational as you would have such an absurd speculation. Is it just based on intuition?"
Sword Douluo shook his head helplessly.
If anyone else told him that someone could break through to the Soul Grandmaster realm within three months of awakening their Martial Soul, he would certainly think that person was insane.
"Alright, let's not discuss it for now."
Ning Fengzhi smiled.
Seeing that Bi Bi Dong was about to leave, turning to head towards the Papal Hall, Ning Fengzhi no longer hesitated. He had long since disregarded the potential repercussions of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's leader whispering with the Spirit Hall's new Pope. Besides, those larger powers, unable to stomach the sight of others fawning over the Spirit Hall, had already indignantly left the venue.
Any impact would be highly controllable.
With Sword Douluo following, Ning Fengzhi immediately stepped forward, approaching Bi Bi Dong's side with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
Bi Bi Dong's eyes held a trace of surprise, astonished that Ye Tian could grasp Ning Fengzhi's psychology so accurately.
It seemed that brat must have offered Ning Fengzhi an irresistible benefit.
Otherwise, this smiling fox who always preached about the Three Upper Sects sharing a common breath and standing together would not disregard appearances like this to approach her, the Pope.
Ning Fengzhi smiled, first offering congratulations to Bi Bi Dong: "On behalf of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, I congratulate Your Majesty Rakshasa on ascending the Papal Throne and becoming the most powerful figure in the Soul Master Realm."
"Thank you for your congratulations, Sect Master Ning."
Bi Bi Dong responded with utmost politeness, glancing at Sword Douluo.
A hint of mockery played at the corner of her lips.
"For Sect Master Ning to travel all this way with Jian Dao Chen Xin truly surprises me. Does Sect Master Ning have some urgent business to discuss? Just passing through our Spirit Hall City?"
"Your Excellency jests."
Facing Bi Bi Dong's teasing, Ning Fengzhi remained composed as ever.
Since he had already come here,
he naturally had no intention of beating around the bush any longer.
"I have traveled far solely to seek the truth contained within the invitation sent by Spirit Hall to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
"Oh? As expected."
Bi Bi Dong nodded as if she had anticipated this, then abruptly changed the subject.
"However, I must disappoint Sect Master Ning. The truth within the invitation does not lie with me. The one who presented you with this riddle... is actually someone else."
"..."
Ning Fengzhi was momentarily stunned.
He had guessed wrong—the note was not written on Bi Bi Dong's orders. Could it actually be the Spirit Hall Saint Child acting on his own initiative?
But even so,
Ning Fengzhi remained calm and collected.
"Thank you for informing me, Your Excellency. I have been presumptuous. Might Your Excellency do me the favor of clearly revealing this person's identity?"
How could Bi Bi Dong fail to detect the probing within Ning Fengzhi's words?
Ning Fengzhi must have already guessed who wrote the note. And from her understanding of that brat Ye Tian, he was surely planning to keep Ning Fengzhi on the hook a while longer, hence not rushing to meet him.
Naturally, she should cooperate fully.
Bi Bi Dong chuckled lightly: "Sect Master Ning, be patient. If that boy needs you, he will naturally come to you. Even I cannot force him, so... Sect Master Ning can only let things take their natural course."
"Sect Master Ning, we shall meet again when the opportunity arises."
With these words, not waiting for Ning Fengzhi to inquire further, Bi Bi Dong lifted her scepter and with light, graceful steps, slowly entered the Papal Hall.
"Let things take their natural course?!"
Ning Fengzhi's brow furrowed slightly, no longer as composed as before.
When he looked up again,
he only saw Bi Bi Dong's retreating figure.
"Hah—"
Ning Fengzhi took two deep breaths. The matter was of great importance, leaving him no choice but to take it seriously. Yet from those few brief exchanges, he had not gained nothing.
At the very least, he had learned that
this newly appointed Holy Son seemed to hold an unusual status within Spirit Hall. According to Bi Bi Dong's words, even the Pope's commands might not necessarily control him.
"..."
Sword Douluo frowned and asked,
"Fengzhi, what should we do next? Seek out the Holy Son directly?"
"No!"
After a moment's thought, Ning Fengzhi firmly shook his head.
Just now, he finally understood the subtle game at play here. It seemed the newly appointed Spirit Hall Saint Child was not only of unusual status, but his methods were also quite extraordinary!
Ning Fengzhi regained his composed demeanor, holding his cane calmly as he said, "There's no other way, we can only wait."
"Wait? Until when?"
Sword Douluo wore a strange expression.
"I don't know. Perhaps on our way back to our lodgings, or just as we're about to leave. Or perhaps... we might not even get to see him on this trip."
Ning Fengzhi smiled, his eyes betraying a hint of admiration for Ye Tian.
"Although I don't know when he'll come to us, I can be certain of one thing... even if we take the initiative to seek him out, he'll likely find excuses to avoid us. Moreover, taking the first step would make it seem like we're being manipulated by him."
After Ning Fengzhi's explanation,
Sword Douluo suddenly understood and couldn't help but chuckle teasingly, "Hah~ It's rare to see a little fox that even gives you a headache."
Ning Fengzhi had to admit, "Indeed. As a Food-type Soul Master, being able to become the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall—perhaps his cultivation talent plays a significant role, but his other qualities must also have considerable merit. It seems that's truly the case."
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