Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"Little guy, tell me, what other bargaining chips do you have left?"

Bibi Dong felt somewhat relieved seeing Yan like this. No matter how much he pretended to be an adult, this little guy was only a six or seven-year-old child. Even if he was precocious and exceptionally intelligent, he was not a threat to her.

Yan felt a little more at ease seeing Bibi Dong's interested expression. Bibi Dong probably wouldn't be so dramatic. If she wanted to kill him, a slap would suffice. She wouldn't go so far as to toy with him like this. She wouldn't have such a perverse sense of humor.

Yan kept reassuring himself that he had actually thought about putting Bibi Dong under some pressure, but of course not by threatening her with Hu Liena, since the two of them had only just met and didn't have any feelings for each other yet.

As for the people and events in the Spirit Hall, including her relationships with Qian Xunji and Qian Renxue, those cannot be discussed. She has already been tormented and corrupted by Qian Xunji; using those things to manipulate her would be suicidal.

Yan originally thought that if Bibi Dong really threatened his life, he could just use Yu Xiaogang as an excuse. Threatening Yu Xiaogang's life would be useless, but he knew how to help Yu Xiaogang break through, something Bibi Dong always paid attention to.

However, even if he could reach an agreement with Bibi Dong, it would only be a simple exchange of interests. He would still have to be careful to prevent the Pope from betraying him and taking his life at any time, which would make his life much more difficult.

The situation looks a bit better now, and Bibi Dong is in the mood to listen to him continue, so she doesn't need to resort to these less-than-ideal tactics to lower her profile.

After feeling somewhat relieved, Yan remained silent for a moment before speaking again: "Your Holiness, your most pressing problem right now is actually the lack of helpers, and I can offer you some helpful suggestions. For example, how to unite the various forces within the Spirit Hall."

Bibi Dong's smile faded slightly. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Yan, saying in a deep voice, "Do you know what you're saying? I am the Pope of the Spirit Hall, and I am the most respected person in the Spirit Hall."

"You are naturally the Pope, but you have only recently ascended to the throne, and you do not have much support."

Yan took out another notebook from the desk, opened it, and then said methodically, "I have consulted the original information about the Papal Palace. Although it has a long history, it is far from being in disrepair."

"After your ascension to the throne, you were eager to construct Spirit City and relocate the Papal Palace. Your recent inspection tours have also displayed an unusual demeanor, indicating that you have not yet completely subdued the various factions within the Spirit Hall, especially those powerful spirit master families."

A flicker of interest crossed Bibi Dong's eyes. "Oh, then what do you think I should do?"

"Go with the flow, divide and conquer, exchange interests, and finally win people over."

Yan put forward some of his own ideas and briefly explained some specific situations: "Nowadays, most soul master families in the soul master world rarely have stable economic means, which is why some powerful figures in the Spirit Hall hold power."

They want to seek greater benefits and better development for their own families. This is certainly wrong, but it is undeniable that they are a powerful force. We must find a way to bring them back to their senses, and we must also take back the power in their hands.

Simply offering more benefits might attract some people, but that's not very effective. This is where these things come in handy.

Yan handed the plan he had opened to Bibi Dong. It contained some brand-new business plans. Developing in the way outlined in the plan would yield huge profits, which was the most direct benefit.

To monetize the plan, a large number of people and powerful individuals are needed, which is a good opportunity for Bibi Dong to gather a group of people through exchanges of benefits.

Bibi Dong flipped through the document to the end. The plan was extremely detailed, even including the general situation of some famous families within the Spirit Hall, and what benefits and means could be used to win them over. The meticulous step-by-step plan amazed her.

Bibi Dong put down the plan, looked at Yan and said, "The plan here is very detailed. You can carry it out yourself."

Yan shook his head and said, "I am very self-aware. I know how much profit I can get based on my strength. With my small frame, if I covet such huge profits, I'm afraid I'll be eaten alive."

"hehe!"

Bibi Dong chuckled softly, put down her notebook, and tapped his forehead with a slender finger. "Little guy, I'm really curious to know what's inside your little head."

Chapter 45 Taking on Apprentices

“Your Holiness, what’s in my head is naturally something useful to you.”

Yan's response to Bibi Dong was quite cold, which naturally did not meet Bibi Dong's expectations.

Bibi Dong looked at Yan and said softly, "Actually, I still don't quite understand why you, with your intelligence, would choose such a method to attract attention. You could clearly rise step by step, so why take such a risk to gain attention?"

Before Bibi Dong truly met Yan, she thought he was just a clever kid who caused trouble and made a scene at the Soul Master Academy, but he was clever but not wise.

But when she actually got to know Yan, she realized that the child in front of her was not like a child at all. Even when she was with this child, she still felt intellectual pressure.

Such a bright child shouldn't be in such a hurry. With Yan's talent and intelligence, the safest way to rise to prominence would be to gradually reveal his talent, achieve certain success at the advanced Soul Master Academy, and then seek opportunities to enter the Spirit Hall to rise to power.

She believed that with the child's intelligence, choosing this path would take at most ten years to achieve success, and it would be a more secure path. Unlike now, where life and death are in her hands; such a smart person shouldn't like taking risks.

"Because I want to make a name for myself. Generally speaking, it would take me ten years to stand out in the Spirit Hall. But I can't wait that long, and I'm not willing to waste any more time. Besides, I don't think the Advanced Academy can help me much more."

Yan remained silent for a moment, and then his answer surprised Bibi Dong. This child, who was only six or seven years old, actually looked down on the teachers of the advanced soul master academy.

However, what Bibi Dong didn't know was that Yan really looked down on those teachers from the advanced academies because their cultivation levels were indeed too low.

If he had followed the safe approach suggested by Bibi Dong, Yan would have received the same treatment as Xie Yue in the original novel at the very beginning.

In the original novel, Xie Yue's teacher was a Soul Emperor. When it was mentioned that he created his own Soul Skill, it was introduced that Xie Yue once defeated his Soul Emperor teacher with his self-created Soul Skill and won honor and praise.

According to the information Yan has gathered these past few days, if he were to enter the Advanced Soul Master Academy step by step, the strongest person he could come into contact with would only be a Soul Saint. If he wanted to go further and have a greater influence in the Spirit Hall, it would basically be a pipe dream.

In the original novel, Hu Liena was favored by Bibi Dong and taken as a disciple, but this is an exception and cannot be used as a reference.

Therefore, Yan was unwilling to wait any longer and seized the opportunity to try to attract Bibi Dong's attention, because he didn't have much time left. Besides him, who could have imagined that a mere Tang San could destroy the Spirit Hall in twenty or thirty years?

Bibi Dong and Yan looked at each other, and Bibi Dong said in a deep voice, "You are unwilling to wait, but have you thought it through? The road ahead will not be easy."

"When I made yesterday's decision, I already had the answer in my heart."

Yan nodded slightly. When he decided to plot against Bibi Dong, he had already made his choice. He could not rise to power step by step. That would be too slow and would not be easy to enter the core of the Spirit Hall. It would be too difficult to reverse the trend of Tang San's rise.

In the original novel, Tang San's rise to power hinged on the Heart of the Sea God and the Asura Sword. The former was the foundation for his rapid advancement in strength, while the latter was his trump card in ultimately turning the tide and defeating the Spirit Empire.

The Heart of the Sea God, also known as the Vast Ocean Universe Cover, is one of the most famous treasures of the Heavenly Dou Empire, kept in the imperial treasury. The Asura Divine Sword, on the other hand, is in the hands of Tang Chen, who has lost his mind in the City of Slaughter.

Both treasures have precise locations, so they should be easy to obtain. However, they involve extraordinary powerful figures and forces, making them far beyond the reach of Yan, a commoner.

Therefore, this was the only way he could think of: to establish a bond with Bibi Dong in advance so that he would have more options in the future. He started planning many years ago, which gave him the power to make a decisive move in the end.

This was Yan's true thought, but of course he couldn't say it to Bibi Dong. He could only say half of it and leave the other half unsaid. However, it seemed that Bibi Dong was just asking casually and didn't delve into it.

"If you want to get ahead, I can help you, but only if you can show me your true value."

Bibi Dong spoke loudly, and then asked, "Which powerful figure do you want to become your master? There are many fire-attribute soul masters in the Spirit Hall, but not many above the Soul Saint level."

"I wish to become His Holiness the Pope's disciple, and I hope you will grant my request. Moreover, we will both feel more at ease with me under your watchful eye."

Yan glanced at Bibi Dong as he spoke, and seeing that her expression had not changed much, he knew there was still more to discuss. So he continued, "However, I also know that His Holiness the Pope is very busy and probably doesn't have time to guide my cultivation all the time, so I hope to have two mentors."

"Whom do you want to guide your spiritual practice?"

After careful consideration, Bibi Dong decided to adopt Yan's suggestion, as placing him under her tutelage was indeed the safest option. However, Yan was also quite thoughtful; she was destined to seize power and wouldn't have much time to guide cultivation, so having a few more teachers wouldn't be a problem.

"There are many factions within the Spirit Hall. Strong figures from spirit master families like Demon Bear Douluo and Ghost Leopard Douluo are more concerned with their own disciples and are not suitable to guide our cultivation."

After considering for a while, Yan continued, "I think Senior Ghost Douluo and Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo are particularly suitable. They are both famous powerhouses in the Spirit Hall, and they have no family ties..."

"Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, one is also from a commoner background, and the other is a mutated martial soul. Their strength is among the top of the elders. They do not have any family or other power entanglements, and they also have certain interests to pursue, so they are indeed easier to win over."

After hearing this, Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully. Yan just listened from the side. Sometimes a smart person only needs to give a hint. There's no need to explain too clearly. If you explain it too clearly, it's not necessarily a good thing.

After thinking for a while, Bibi Dong spoke again, "I will try my best to meet all your needs. Is there anything else you require...?"

Yan shook his head, then extended his palm to Bibi Dong, "I believe you can handle the rest. Please guide me from now on, teacher."

Bibi Dong slowly bowed her head, looked at Yan, and then answered irrelevantly, "Little guy, Nana is a pure, kind, and lovely child. You'd better not take advantage of her anymore."

Yan and Bibi Dong's first encounter ended with them testing each other. It remains to be seen what kind of changes this master-disciple pair will bring to the Douluo Continent.

Chapter 46 Level 20

In the center of Wuhun City, inside a room in the Papal Palace, a magnificent bathtub shimmered with a faint white steam. The surface of the water rippled continuously, as if it were breathing. Suddenly, a jet of water shot into the sky.

"Hu~~"

A figure sat up, his skin slightly pink from the warm medicinal bath, but his aura was quite strange.

"Level 20, that's really not easy. Dawn, scan my physical condition."

Yan sat upright in the bath, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air. The slightly dark, mixed air seemed to extend out like an arrow of energy for nearly three feet. After finishing his practice, he felt a sense of ease in his body, and the soul power within him finally reached its peak.

"Beep beep..."

A series of electronic sounds echoed in his mind, and a three-dimensional model appeared in his mind. The information flow that emerged like a waterfall eventually formed detailed data.

Host: Yan

Martial Soul: Flame Commander/Earth Commander

Attribute: Fire/Earth

Cultivation level: First-ring Soul Master (Level 20 Soul Power)

A rather concise information template appeared in Yan's mind, which contained his basic information.

The AI, Dawn, could scan his entire body and obtain quite detailed data. In fact, the template could be made even clearer, such as strength, agility, and mental strength, all of which could be represented by data. However, Yan thought about it and decided against it.

Douluo Continent is different from ordinary fantasy worlds. Because of the different martial souls, the paths they choose are also different. You can't use average data to refer to the relative data of soul masters, or rather, you can't take any average data at all.

To give an example, in a typical fantasy world, there might be obvious differences in data between cultivators of the same level due to differences in cultivation methods or martial arts techniques. However, these differences are still relatively comparable, and an average value can still be taken.

However, in Douluo Continent, even if they are both one-ring Soul Masters, one with a tortoise spirit and the other with a bird spirit, if you compare their speeds for reference, the data will be vastly different. Is such a comparison even meaningful? The gap is so large that taking an average becomes a joke.

Yan's two martial souls, whether it is the Flame Lord or the Earth Lord, are both of the strong offensive type. However, one is good at explosive attacks, while the other is better at defense, and they have little to do with speed.

If he really wanted to calculate some kind of average value among peers, that would be fine, but speed would just be self-humiliating. So it's better to just ignore it and remove all the data related to specific attributes.

"Brother Xiaoyan".

Yan lay in the bathtub when a clear, gentle girl's voice came from outside the door. A trace of helplessness flashed in Yan's eyes, and then he had no choice but to slowly get up. After leaving the bathtub, his body temperature rose sharply.

A misty white fog enveloped him, and the water droplets had dried from his body. Yan casually picked up a bathrobe from the side and draped it over himself before opening his bedroom door.

"Brother Xiaoyan".

Another call came, and Yan looked towards the door. Hu Liena, dressed in a snow-white dress, looked at him pitifully, as if she had suffered a lot of grievances.

"What is it... uh..."

Before Yan could finish speaking, Hu Liena rushed over and threw herself into his arms. What could he do in the face of such an advance? He could only accept it.

"The teacher is talking about someone again."

Hu Liena raised her head slightly, pouted, and looked at Yan. Her large, slightly swollen eyes were glistening with tears. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had suffered a great injustice.

"Little fox, you still need to use charm?"

Yan looked down at her; the little girl, her eyes brimming with tears, was so pitiful that he felt an urge to pull her into his arms. However, Yan reached out and precisely pinched her delicate, pretty nose.

How did you guess?

Hu Liena immediately felt suffocated, and she could no longer maintain her pitiful appearance. As she exhaled slightly, she quickly reached out and used her two small hands to remove Yan's hand that was pinching her nose. A girl's face is so delicate, she couldn't let this bad senior brother ruin it.

"You haven't caused any trouble for a few days in the past few months, and we've gotten used to it."

Yan's hand slid down and pinched the little girl's cheek, then naturally put his arm around her shoulder and walked out.

"Hmph! You stinky senior brother."