Yu Xiaogang waited for a long time, growing increasingly impatient. Just as he was about to lose his temper, a guard emerged from inside, though it was clearly not the same person as before.
The guard walked straight up to Yu Xiaogang and said, "You must be the one holding that Papal Token from earlier, right?"
"I must say, the forgery of that token is extremely convincing. Even we couldn't determine its authenticity at first glance. However, given that your cultivation level doesn't match the authority of such a token, it has been temporarily classified as a counterfeit."
"If you have any objections, you can have the owner of the token come and retrieve it personally. If it turns out that we made a mistake in our judgment, we are willing to accept the consequences."
Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at the new guard. "Counterfeit? Have you confiscated my Papal Token?"
"Yes, but there's no need to worry. The truth will come out. You just need to have someone vouch for you. To be honest, we do have some faith in you, otherwise we would have arrested you already. It's just that your Soul Power is too low, so we had to take this precaution."
The guard gave an apologetic smile and then stepped back to resume his post, ignoring Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang's mind went blank for a long moment before he finally processed what had happened. Furious, he stormed up to the guard and began to demand answers.
But the guard remained silent, and after a while, perhaps unable to bear it any longer, he signaled to someone nearby and walked back into the Spirit Hall.
Yu Xiaogang's heart leapt with hope, thinking the guard was allowing him to follow. He made to step forward, but was immediately blocked by others at the entrance.
He considered forcing his way in, but when the guards each revealed four Spirit Rings, he fell silent.
Just as he was sinking into despair, another guard came out to replace the previous one.
Only then did Yu Xiaogang realize that the earlier guard had simply found him too noisy.
Yu Xiaogang's spirit deflated, and he slumped in defeat. With his Papal Token confiscated and the guards refusing to let him pass, he had no idea how he could meet Bibidong.
But the matter of Xiao San's Twin Spirits was urgent.
"I guess I'll have to wait somewhere and see if Bibidong comes out," Yu Xiaogang sighed, dragging his exhausted body to the nearest hotel to the Pope's Hall.
"Welcome to Xunyang Pavilion. Are you here to stay or dine?"
"Find me a room with a view of the Pope's Hall entrance."
"Certainly. The West Moon Room on the third floor faces the entrance directly. Would you like that one?"
"That'll do," Yu Xiaogang said indifferently.
"That will be one Gold Soul Coin per day, with a deposit of ten Gold Soul Coins."
"So expensive? Is this a scam?"
The receptionist smiled but said nothing.
After a long, grim silence, Yu Xiaogang finally said, "Fine, I'll take the room."
Ever since the Serpent Spear Douluo had confiscated his Papal Token, the Spirit Sacred Hall in Heavenly Dou City had been pressing him to repay his debts. He had only managed to leave this time because Liu Erlong had forced a hundred Gold Soul Coins into his hand. It wasn't that she didn't want to give him more, but she had already helped him so much that she was nearly out of funds herself.
At the Great Spirit Arena in Heavenly Dou City, in the rest area for the Heavenly Dou Team during the Soul Master Competition, Li Xun lay with his head on Zhu Zhuqing's lap, his legs draped over Ning Rongrong, while he continued to give instructions.
"Can't you use a bit more strength with your left hand? It's still too light."
"My left hand has no strength to begin with, how can I exert more force?" Ning Rongrong pouted, vigorously kneading Li Xun's legs with both hands, muttering under her breath.
"What did you say?" Li Xun looked at Ning Rongrong with a teasing smile, picking at his ear: "If you keep talking like that, I might just have to take action."
"Go ahead, take action. As a support, what difference does it make where I stand?" Ning Rongrong furrowed her brows, angrily punching Li Xun's leg.
"Ouch?" Li Xun raised an eyebrow, about to retaliate when Zhu Zhuqing popped a piece of fruit into his mouth.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and smiled: "Brother Li Xun, stop bullying Rongrong. She's right, it's actually us who need the real combat experience."
"This tournament is held every five years, and Brother Yang and the others don't want to just follow behind you and win the championship without doing anything."
Li Xun shifted his head, turning away from the mountain peak to look at Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face: "Indeed, it's time for some training. I'll stay back and cover for you in this match."
"Alright," Zhu Zhuqing revealed a gentle smile.
"Brother, since you've agreed, shouldn't you move your smelly feet? They're quite heavy." Hearing Li Xun's agreement, Ning Rongrong was about to get up.
"Rongrong, when did you become so pragmatic?" Li Xun tensed his leg, preventing Ning Rongrong from moving: "Where's that flattering attitude from before? Please bring it back, I still prefer you that way."
"I learned it all from you," Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue and made a face: "Let me go, I need to prepare. It's our turn after Shrek Academy finishes."
"I wonder what kind of luck Shrek Academy has had. After losing to us, they haven't faced a single strong team."
Li Xun rolled over, lying on his side to watch the Shrek Academy team fighting on the stage: "I'm quite surprised by their luck, but it's fine. I've prepared a big surprise for them, just wait and see."
"A big surprise? Brother, can you tell me in advance?" Ning Rongrong suddenly became interested, her hands moving more diligently.
"Oh! Now you're motivated?" Li Xun squinted his eyes in enjoyment, taking a bite of the fruit Zhu Zhuqing fed him: "But I won't tell you now, it wouldn't be a surprise if I did."
"Then I won't listen. Zhuqing, let's go, it's our turn." Ning Rongrong snorted, using all her strength to move Li Xun's leg away.
The latest novel is first published on 69shuba!
Seeing Ning Rongrong run off in a huff, Zhu Zhuqing covered her mouth and giggled, then lightly tapped Li Xun's forehead and helped him up.
"Ah! She's getting smarter," Li Xun sighed: "She used to provoke me, giving me a chance to teach her a lesson, but now she only looks for benefits."
"Isn't it because you bullied her? If I were her, I would have stayed far away from you long ago." Zhu Zhuqing's eyes curved into crescents, her laughter causing her ample bosom to tremble.
"Have I bullied you any less?" Li Xun chuckled, looking at Zhu Zhuqing's prominent figure.
"..." Noticing Li Xun's gaze, Zhu Zhuqing quickly covered herself, a blush appearing on her cheeks, and she hurried after Ning Rongrong.
"Ah! People aren't as simple as they used to be. Looking won't make you lose a piece of flesh."
The match was between Blazing Academy and Heavenly Dou Academy. The audience, having received the news in advance, had been eagerly anticipating it, as not every team dared to face Li Xun of the Heavenly Dou Team.
Tang San used a Blue Silver Entanglement to trap the last opponent, watching as Dai Mubai kicked the person out of the arena. His gaze then flickered toward the Heavenly Dou Team, who were about to take their place on the stage.
"I wonder what Teacher has been up to, being away for so long."
As the competition progressed, Tang San felt the limitations of the Blue Silver Grass becoming more apparent. This Martial Soul was not only weak against ice and fire but also lacked sufficient resilience.
Apart from the earlier matches where the main team members were injured, and he had to step up under pressure to lead Xiao Wu and the other substitute members, now he had to step back to a supporting role whenever they faced a slightly stronger team, leaving the main offensive tasks to Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai.
He felt that if Ma Hongjun hadn't yet obtained his Fourth Spirit Ring, his role in the team might have been pushed even further back.
And now, it wasn't just the quality of the Blue Silver Grass that was the issue. Without the use of Hidden Weapons, he couldn't think of any way to defeat Li Xun.
This was a gap in both the quality of their Martial Souls and the level of their Soul Power.
This feeling was terrible. Tang San had never felt so powerless in his entire life.
Soul Power, Soul Power... I remember when I used the Eight Spider Lances to absorb the life force of a Soul Beast, it had fed back and increased my Soul Power.
And when I accidentally absorbed some life force while helping Teacher detoxify in the Star Dou Great Forest, it also increased a bit.
What if I used the Eight Spider Lances to absorb more? Even if I temporarily didn't cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer, my Soul Power could still grow rapidly.
Tang San looked at the Heavenly Dou Royal Team on the stage, then lowered his eyelids slightly, silently calculating in his heart.
I'll only absorb the life force of some evil Soul Beasts... As long as I can defeat Li Xun... But this is Heavenly Dou City, where can I find Soul Beasts?
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/QueenTL
Thanks!