At this moment, inside the Pope's Hall—the highest governing body of the Martial Soul City's Martial Soul Palace—
A woman sat upright on the throne. She wore a magnificent black robe embroidered with golden patterns, a nine-curved purple-gold crown atop her head, and in her hand, a scepter encrusted with countless jewels.
Her skin was fair and flawless, her features near perfect, and an invisible aura of divine nobility radiated from her. Simply by sitting there, she could inspire feelings of reverence and worship in anyone who looked upon her.
She was Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Martial Soul Palace, hailed as the most powerful leader in the palace's history, with cultivation levels that were unfathomable.
Inside the grand hall, she was alone. Though she exuded an imposing dignity, a faint sorrow lingered between her brows.
Her sorrow was not due to the recent Matthew incident. Although Matthew had brought shame upon the Martial Soul Palace, that matter was easily resolved.
Whenever night fell and silence blanketed the world, or when she was alone, she could not help but recall certain past events.
Her most respected teacher had, one day, suddenly turned into a beast—ruthlessly possessing her.
And the man she loved most, under the coercion of her teacher, had left the Martial Soul Palace. In the end, when she escaped that grasp and sought him out, she found he had fallen in love with another woman…
And herself—because she had been possessed by her teacher—had given birth to a child who should never have existed in this world.
Though she loved her daughter deeply, every time she looked at the girl, she could not help but be reminded of that beastly teacher. The pain of those memories made it impossible for her to face her daughter normally.
Her life had been too tragic. Even now, though she was the Pope, she could not forget her harrowing past.
Just then, footsteps approached outside the hall. The sorrow between Bibi Dong's brows vanished, replaced by an even greater air of authority.
The footsteps grew closer, and soon a young girl stepped in.
She had long black hair, a delicate oval face, appearing no older than eleven or twelve, but her figure was already fully developed: straight long legs, a slender waist that could be embraced by a single hand, and a height of about 1.7 meters.
As she walked, her waist swayed gently, exuding an invisible charm.
She strode directly to Bibi Dong and stopped before her throne, bowing deeply with utmost respect.
"Teacher," she said softly.
The moment the girl entered, the sternness in Bibi Dong's demeanor melted away, replaced by warmth.
Hearing the greeting, a kind smile appeared on her near-perfect face. The once dazzling grand hall seemed to dim in comparison to her smile's brilliance.
The girl below stared at her teacher in a daze, almost entranced.
"Nana, have you gotten used to life here in the Martial Soul Palace these past few days?" Bibi Dong asked gently.
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher. I'm getting used to it," Hu Liena replied, though a trace of unease still flickered across her face.
Bibi Dong nodded. "You just graduated from that place. It's normal to feel out of place. From now on, you should stay by my side to cultivate."
"Thank you, Teacher." Hu Liena felt moved. Apart from her brother and Yan, this was the first time someone had treated her so kindly.
Having lost her mother as a child, Bibi Dong's care gave her a rare sense of maternal warmth and protection.
At that moment, a platinum archbishop wearing a five-pointed platinum crown hurried in. He appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, tall and extremely thin—like a walking stick.
Bibi Dong furrowed her brows and released an imposing aura. "Salas, why are you so flustered?"
Feeling the slight displeasure in the Pope's voice, Salas grew nervous and quickly handed over a document. "Your Holiness, this is a report sent from the Nottingham branch. Please have a look."
Bibi Dong said, "Didn't I dispatch an enforcement squad at noon? Has something gone wrong?"
Salas hurriedly explained, "Your Holiness, this document isn't about Matthew. It concerns a six-year-old child. An executor named Su Yuntao in Nottingham personally awakened the child's martial soul, and he suspects it's… a god-level martial soul!"
"Oh?" Bibi Dong's expression grew intrigued.
Hu Liena quickly took the document and passed it to Bibi Dong.
A god-level martial soul? Naturally, Bibi Dong didn't believe it. As far as she knew, on the continent of Douluo, there was only one god-level martial soul — the Angel Martial Soul.
How could any other place possibly awaken a god-level martial soul? Especially somewhere as remote and insignificant as Nottingham City.
Though skeptical, her curiosity still prompted her to open the document.
All reports from across the continent were managed by the Platinum Archbishop. The highest-level secret documents were delivered directly to the Pope, while those of lesser importance were reviewed by the Archbishop himself.
Since Nottingham was such a small, obscure place, it couldn't directly send the most classified files. That was why this document was first reviewed by Salas.
Bibi Dong trusted that Salas's eyesight was still sharp. So, even if the child described in the report wasn't truly a god-level martial soul, their talent must be extraordinary enough to make the executor mistake it for one.
The Martial Soul Palace's influence spread throughout the continent, helping countless people awaken their martial souls for free every year. In doing so, the palace continuously absorbed fresh talent.
Anyone with good talent was offered an olive branch and brought into the Martial Soul Palace for training.
The more gifted one was, the more attention they received; those with astonishing talent were often sent straight to the palace headquarters for focused cultivation. Hu Liena herself was currently such a key pupil.
Bibi Dong flipped open the document with purely curious eyes.
But as she read on, her expression grew steadily more serious. After finishing once, she actually read it a second time, and a deeper smile gradually appeared on her face.
Salas, standing respectfully below, saw the smile on Bibi Dong's lips and hurriedly lowered his head, afraid that continuing to watch might offend the Pope's dignity.
Bibi Dong closed the file and handed it to Hu Liena, then looked at Salas and said, "You've done a great service this time. You may leave now. We will discuss your reward later."
"Thank you, Your Holiness. It is my duty," Salas replied with a smile and respectfully withdrew.
"Teacher, could the child mentioned here really possess a god-level martial soul?" Hu Liena couldn't help but ask.
She had already been puzzled by Bibi Dong's reaction just now and finally voiced her question.
"You can open it and take a look yourself," Bibi Dong smiled. "If that executor named Su Yuntao isn't exaggerating, then it very well might be a god-level martial soul."
Hu Liena quickly skimmed the document, shocked. "How could such terrifying phenomena happen during awakening? Su Yuntao must be exaggerating."
Seeing her disbelief, Bibi Dong smiled and said, "If you were in his position, would you dare to deliberately write a false report to deceive the Pope?"
Hu Liena was momentarily stunned, then shook her head. "No."
"So, what's written here is probably true. Get ready — you just came out from that place. Tomorrow, I'll take you out for a change of scenery, help you adjust your mindset."
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