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The members of the Tian Dou Imperial Team, some from Shrek Academy, and the Spirit Hall Academy team were all stunned. They all knew this Li Luochen—the youngest and most talented soul master on the continent—and now he was wearing a robe that only Title Douluos were permitted to wear.
Could it be that he had already become a Title Douluo? Good heavens, that would be absolutely terrifying! But since the Spirit Hall had tacitly approved it, it meant that Li Luochen truly was already a Title Douluo—and he was only twenty years old!
Li Luochen's reasoning was simple. He was already at level eighty-nine and was on the verge of breaking through to become a Title Douluo. Once he absorbed the Dragon Pill and autonomously condensed his ninth soul ring, he would be invincible beneath the gods!
What was there to fear? The Asura God was his ultimate backup! The Asura God wouldn't let him die, so what did Li Luochen have to worry about?
Moreover, Li Luochen felt that he had been far too low-key, which had led to people constantly trying to step on Shrek City. Hmph, this time he made it clear—he, Li Luochen, was just that strong!
...
In the distance, two black-robed figures watched as the Pope and the elders emerged. One of them, a short and frail man, suddenly spoke.
"Your Holiness, this Li Luochen is already the number one enemy of the Hao Tian Sect. When you take care of Xiao San later, deal with him as well. I refuse to believe he's already a Title Douluo! Last time, he still only had eight soul rings!
I suspect his strength barely qualifies. Moreover, he has four hundred-thousand-year soul rings, meaning he likely possesses four spirit bones, which would be greatly beneficial to both you and Xiao San!"
This man was Yu Xiaogang. Seeing Li Luochen standing beside Bibi Dong filled him with an inexplicable sense of jealousy!
"Hmm, understood. Master, step back to the mountain outside Wuhun City and wait for me. Things might get chaotic soon, and I won't be able to protect you!"
The tall figure in the black robe was Tang Xiao. With his current strength at level ninety-six, he was confident that a surprise attack could decisively kill Li Luochen, leaving the Spirit Hall unable to intervene!
Originally, he hadn't planned to act this way, but seeing his younger brother's corpse pushed him over the edge. He decided to collect some interest first! After all, the Spirit Hall wouldn't attack the Hao Tian Sect—they had an agreement!
Yu Xiaogang left after hearing this, his eyes flickering with a dark and corrupt aura. This nauseating presence, though weak, caught Bibi Dong's attention despite her good mood.
"What kind of resentment is this? Though weak, it's utterly repulsive! Never mind, let's focus on the match—it's finally time to test the results!"
...
Down below, Hu Liena gazed at Li Luochen with sparkling eyes. Dressed so formally, he looked incredibly handsome. Idiot Harem Girl Hu Liena was struck once again.
On the side of Shrek Academy, many students looked at Li Luochen with pride. This was their personally instructing principal—his status was unmatched!
Only three types of people were allowed to exit through the main gate of the Pope's Palace. The first, naturally, was the Pope. The second was a Title Douluo who had proven their strength. The third was an elder of the Spirit Hall.
Aside from these three, even Platinum Cardinals and the emperors of the two great empires weren't permitted to use this gate.
However, Ning Fengzhi was qualified to walk through this gate because of another identity—he was an elder of the Spirit Hall. To be precise, an honorary elder. As the master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect, Ning Fengzhi held this position.
Of course, Dugu Yan was also qualified to wear the red robes and stand up there. The Spirit Hall had even specially tailored a Title Douluo robe for her. However, she didn't care about such things—she was busy raising her child.
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, was tasked with taking care of Li Chengqian. As for Flender, he originally didn't want to participate.
But Li Luochen had pointed out the stakes to him, urging him to display the dignity of a Title Douluo. After all, the principal of Shrek Academy, Wind Owl Douluo Franlder, was also an elder of the Spirit Hall—who would dare make a move against him?
To Li Luochen's surprise, Yu Luomian had shown up. Liu Erlong was dumbfounded to see her father up there—Thunder Douluo? Not bad.
Li Luochen sensed that Yu Luomian's strength had now reached level ninety-five. His rapid advancement was likely due to absorbing spirit bones. Judging by his aura alone, her strength was no less than Yu Yuanzhen at his peak.
(Old-school Title Douluos were indeed powerful. Achieving the title for so many years, they were far from being newly promoted. A level ninety-five built through soul rings and spirit bones couldn't compare, though Yu Luomian would naturally grow stronger over time.)
Why had Yu Luomian come this time? First, to show support for the Spirit Hall. After all, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect was here, meaning two of the top three sects were represented among the Spirit Hall elders watching the match.
Second, to watch his grandson compete. She had heard that Yu Tianxin's performance this time was excellent. If Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Zhu Zhuqing didn't intervene, Yu Tianxin would be the strongest member of the team.
Yu Luomian was naturally delighted by his grandson's growth. Yu Tianxin had already reached the peak of level forty-eight. The high-pressure environment of the competition had boosted the soul power of all participants.
In any case, the Spirit Hall team and Shrek Academy were thrilled, in excellent spirits. On the Tian Dou side, however, Tang San glared furiously. He memorized the faces of everyone on the stage—they all deserved death!
Suddenly, the seven members of the Spirit Hall Academy team knelt on one knee before the Pope, placing their right hands over their left chests in a standard soul master salute.
Shrek Academy was momentarily stunned to see the Spirit Hall Academy kneel so quickly. Ma Hongjun and Oscar were the first to kneel, but they knelt toward Li Luochen.
Since Li Luochen was standing close to Bibi Dong, others couldn't tell. Then, the rest of Shrek Academy's members gradually knelt on one knee. Ning Rongrong and Yu Tianxin, originally from the top three sects, initially didn't want to kneel to anyone.
However, they remembered the night before when everyone had gathered, and Oscar had said something.
"Tomorrow, if we encounter the Pope, we should kneel promptly. I know your statuses are noble, but kneeling to the strong is normal. Our Principal Li went through the same thing.
When Principal Li first met the Pope, he knelt without hesitation. Later, he told us that in the world of soul masters, strength commands respect. You can't reject the face of the strong. They don't need a reason to act—they just need to dislike you.
As the saying goes, 'Courtesy prevents mistakes.' These are Principal Li's words, and our academy rules reflect this. Your noble status and slightly better talent don't make you true powerhouses.
Only when you grow strong will you earn others' respect."
Oscar's words convinced even these noble individuals to kneel. Seeing Ning Rongrong and Yu Tianxin kneel, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, Yang Wu, and Niu Dun followed suit, each performing the standard soul master salute.
Dai Mubai was momentarily distracted and realized his teammates were kneeling, making him look awkward. To avoid disrupting the formation, he reluctantly knelt as well.
The uneven kneeling of Shrek Academy's team made Li Luochen on the stage breathe a sigh of relief. Bibi Dong's momentum was at its peak—better not provoke trouble, or he'd be the one to suffer.
Bibi Dong opened her eyes and looked down at the talented soul masters bowing respectfully to her. She was especially satisfied to see Li Luochen's team paying respects. In her eyes, this rascal Li Luochen was impeccable in matters of etiquette.
Whether as the Pope or as a mother-in-law, she was pleased—except for his womanizing ways, which she disliked!
Bibi Dong scanned the crowd, and her previously cheerful mood abruptly halted as her hand instinctively tightened around her scepter.
The Title Douluos on the stage sensed the Pope's emotional shift and followed her gaze, discovering a particularly defiant individual.
After the Spirit Hall Academy knelt, the Tian Dou Imperial Academy quickly followed suit, kneeling neatly—all except Tang San, who remained standing.
Though they came from influential families, they dared not provoke the Spirit Hall, so they bowed their heads accordingly.
Tang San, however, was different. He wouldn't bow to the Pope—not because of his Hao Tian Sect heritage or anything else, but because of his own unyielding pride.
In his heart, the only ones worthy of his respect were his father and teacher. As for others—even emperors—what of it?
The Title Douluos on the stage looked at Tang San, standing tall and unbowed, and sighed inwardly. Was this kid foolish? If an entire team refused to kneel, the Pope might overlook it, but standing alone like this?
It seemed he was asking for trouble.
Though there was no explicit rule requiring soul masters to bow to the Pope, Tang San's defiance made him stand out starkly.
Bibi Dong's gaze immediately locked onto this young man. Everyone under the Spirit Hall glared at Tang San with hostility.
Behind Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan subtly moved his lips, and Bibi Dong's gaze instantly zeroed in on Tang San.
The moment her gaze focused on Tang San, he clearly felt as if his soul was being torn apart. His body trembled slightly, forcing him to immediately activate his Purple Demon Eyes.
"How dare you show disrespect to His Holiness!" one of the red-robed bishops shouted angrily.
Golden-purple light erupted from Tang San's eyes, extending several inches, but it still couldn't block Bibi Dong's piercing gaze.
Blood began seeping from Tang San's eyes, then his nose and mouth, yet his body remained upright—he was enduring admirably.
At this moment, Tang San's Purple Extreme Demon Eyes were only at the peak of microscopic perception, far from the mustard seed realm. Meanwhile, Bibi Dong was at level ninety-nine. With just a glance, she nearly shattered Tang San's technique!
"Hmph!"
Bibi Dong's cold snort echoed, and Tang San felt as if his brain had exploded. He spat out blood, and blood streamed from his seven orifices as he collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Both Shrek Academy and the Tian Dou team were shocked. Only then did they understand the importance of showing respect. Dai Mubai silently thanked his luck for kneeling—if he hadn't, he might have suffered the same fate.
The Spirit Hall Academy team rejoiced. How dare someone disrespect the Pope? Serves you right!
Bibi Dong's mindset was now crystal clear. She had long moved past her past grievances. She had seen Yu Xiaogang multiple times and found him increasingly clownish and repulsive.
Upon reviewing the events of the past, she realized that Yu Xiaogang had deceived her from the start. What he called "theoretical mastery" was nothing more than seeking solace for his own inadequacies—a crutch for his inability to cultivate.
Bibi Dong felt she had been blind to fall for someone like him—no looks, no strength, no responsibility, just a coward. Tsk!
Now, Tang San, Yu Xiaogang's disciple, dared to show her disrespect. Naturally, he had to be punished!
Li Luochen, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle. His mother-in-law was truly formidable, having shed her love-struck tendencies. It was a fine show. If Yu Xiaogang had been present, it would have been even better.
Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. Still, Bibi Dong's earlier strike seemed a bit too heavy—Tang San had directly fainted, which spoiled the fun.
Subsequently, Li Luochen transmitted a message to Bibi Dong…
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