Inside the Pope's Hall, Qian Xunji sat solemnly on the Pope's throne.
Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo had all been ordered by Qian Xunji to leave the hall, and he even shut the door behind them.
Zhao Ling stood less than ten meters in front of Qian Xunji. The two of them silently sized each other up for a long time without speaking.
Zhao Ling paid no attention to Qian Xunji's probing gaze and instead summoned his diary system and started ranting in it:
Hmm, Qian Xunji does have quite the appearance. He must be around 50 now, but he still looks like he's in his twenties or thirties.No wonder Qian Renxue was so beautiful in the original work. She inherited good looks from both Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji.With Qian Xunji's looks, he could easily be a top-tier celebrity back on Blue Star.But it's kind of strange. Qian Xunji is so good-looking, while Yu Xiaogang is just average. Why did Bibi Dong like Yu Xiaogang instead of someone like Qian Xunji?Hmm… Maybe she never considered crossing the line of master and disciple… Actually, that's not hard to understand.In modern society on Blue Star, student-teacher romance is pretty normal. But in ancient times, such relationships were considered taboo.Thinking about it like that, it all makes sense...
Before Zhao Ling had a chance to upload his diary entry, Qian Xunji released his Six-Winged Angel Spirit. Two yellow, two purple, and five black spirit rings—nine in total—floated up into the air.
The pressure of a Title Douluo burst forth, bearing down on Zhao Ling. But Zhao Ling just smiled dismissively.
He could tell Qian Xunji's spirit power was only level 92—he had probably only recently broken through to Title Douluo.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ling had already reached level 93. And this guy dared to try testing him? Was he an idiot?
Besides, Qian Xunji's combat ability was underwhelming. Although the Six-Winged Angel Spirit was one of the top-tier spirits on the Douluo Continent, in Qian Xunji's hands, its battle performance was terrible.
In the original story, Tang Hao had just become a Title Douluo with Ah Yin's sacrifice and was able to take on multiple Spirit Hall Title Douluos alone, even severely injuring Qian Xunji, who was level 95.
With that kind of battle record, Qian Xunji wanted to test him? Zhao Ling was honestly worried he might not be able to resist smashing him to pieces with his Nether Suppression Demon Tower.
Zhao Ling smiled warmly and asked, "So, Your Holiness the Pope wants to test my strength?"
Qian Xunji didn't reply directly but lifted his eyes and stared at Zhao Ling.
"Of course. Ever since Dong'er acknowledged me as her teacher, I've treated her like my own daughter. Now she says she has someone she likes—I naturally have to see whether he's worthy of her."
"Oh? In that case, I'll gladly oblige," Zhao Ling replied, still smiling gently like a spring breeze.
But the next moment, he released his Nether Suppression Demon Tower Spirit. A massive black tower appeared behind him.
The ancient, oppressive aura of the tower, as if it had suppressed countless demons, immediately caused Qian Xunji to feel immense pressure on his chest the moment the tower emerged.
At the same time, two purple, four black, and three red spirit rings rose slowly into the air. The aura of a Title Douluo burst out, and his presence immediately overwhelmed Qian Xunji's, causing him to breathe heavily.
Qian Xunji's pupils shrank. In his heart, he already considered Zhao Ling a monster. Was this a joke? Even his weakest spirit ring was over a thousand years old—and he had three 100,000-year spirit rings.
He thought he was going crazy. Or maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Even his father, who had received partial inheritance from the Angel God, only had an eight-black, one-red ring configuration.
And that was with a divine reward that extended the age of his spirit rings.
But Zhao Ling had three red spirit rings—something even his father never had.
Originally, Qian Xunji had been a little doubtful about Bibi Dong's praise of Zhao Ling's talent. But now, seeing this terrifying configuration of two purple, four black, and three red rings with his own eyes—there was no room for doubt.
Meanwhile, in the nearby Worship Hall and Douluo Hall, the expressions of the Elders and Worshippers changed drastically.
They had all sensed two Title Douluo auras erupting in the Pope's Hall. One was familiar—it was the Pope's aura.
The other was a sudden, unfamiliar, and overwhelmingly powerful presence that quickly suppressed the Pope's aura.
Such a deep and forceful power—far beyond Golden Crocodile Douluo. Only the Grand Worship Qian Daoliu might compare.
Qian Daoliu instinctively turned toward the Pope's Hall, full of confusion.
What was going on? Why did a Title Douluo with such overwhelming power suddenly appear there?
Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo exchanged glances and immediately started heading toward the Pope's Hall. But before they could even leave the Worship Hall, that terrifying aura suddenly vanished.
What was that? Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo didn't speak further and continued toward the Pope's Hall.
Inside the hall, Qian Xunji snapped out of his shock and looked at Zhao Ling with awe. But then he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Good, very good. It seems your talent is even more frightening than Dong'er described. Would you be willing to join my Spirit Hall? If you agree, I can make you the next Pope."
Originally, Qian Xunji thought that if Zhao Ling's talent was truly as great as Bibi Dong claimed, he would let the two get engaged.
That way, Zhao Ling would be considered part of Spirit Hall. And when Dong'er took over as Pope, Zhao Ling would naturally support her.
But now that Zhao Ling's talent exceeded his expectations by a wide margin, he changed his mind. He wanted Zhao Ling to directly join Spirit Hall and inherit the Pope's position—why pass it to Dong'er?
However, when Zhao Ling heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he quickly shook his head like a rattle drum.
"No, no, no. I'm a free spirit by nature. I'm not interested in being Pope. Just pass the title to Dong'er. As long as I marry Dong'er, what's the difference between her being Pope and me?"
Zhao Ling wasn't lying. He had no intention of staying in Spirit Hall forever. There were so many beautiful women on the Douluo Continent—why tie himself down?
He still dreamed of giving every beautiful girl on the continent a warm and loving home. How could he lock himself up in Spirit City?