Before the girls could react, Ling Yuan stepped forward from behind and smacked her fan against his shoulder—not hard, but just enough to remind him who he was talking to.
"What do you take me for?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "Someone who likes scaring and spanking children?"
Li Shen rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "So they're with you? My bad. I thought they came here to awaken their Martial Spirits but got lost."
He looked again at the two girls, this time more closely. There was something strange about their presence—especially the one with fox-like eyes, who glared at him like she wanted to eat him alive. And the other one, who looked somewhat similar to Ling Yuan, scanned him up and down like she was checking him out.
"Alright, so who are they really?" he asked, curious about them.
Ling Yuan smiled. "I'll explain everything. But first..." She gestured for the two girls to come forward. "Introduce yourselves to him properly. He is Li Shen—the Holy Son of Spirit Hall."
"Huh?"It wasn't the girls who spoke, but Li Shen himself. He blinked in surprise, pointing at himself."Since when am I the Holy Son?"
Ling Yuan smirked and reached into her storage ring. With a flick of her fingers, she tossed him a glowing white token etched with a golden-red emblem. Its surface shimmered with divine light—one that could only belong to a symbol of the highest sanctity within Spirit Hall.
She then handed him a long, silk scroll marked with a unique sigil—the one reserved for decrees issued by the High Priest and personally approved by the Pope.
"Since today," she said with a raised brow. "Right this moment."
Li Shen caught the token midair, staring at it in disbelief. "Why… was I made Holy Son?" he asked again, this time slower, as if hoping someone would say it was a joke.
He hadn't even been there. He didn't even think Spirit Hall knew who he was—much less enough to grant him such a lofty position. Was Spirit Hall's top brass mentally sound?
Ling Yuan, however, simply answered with calm finality."Because the Angel God vouched for you."
That stunned him into silence.
He wasn't naive—he knew what that meant. Spirit Hall was the domain of the Angel God's divine inheritance. Any divine recognition from the Angel Goddess herself meant far more than mortal politics or status. It was sacred. Absolute.
"They made you Holy Son," Ling Yuan continued, her voice softer now, "because the Angel God spoke for you."
It was a lie. It was just what Qian Douluo said to make Li Shen believe he was being watched by the Angel Goddess.
Li Shen exhaled slowly and looked down at the emblem in his hand. It glowed faintly, as if resonating with his spirit.
"I see," Li Shen said, giving a slight, uncertain smile. But his eyes shimmered faintly—his emotions not entirely hidden.
"Why are you smiling like that, kid?" Ling Yuan asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.
"Well… I'm just wondering…" he said, trying—and failing—to suppress a growing smirk. "I mean, I'm only six, and already a goddess has taken notice of me. Isn't that kind of amazing?"
Ling Yuan blinked. "...You're getting arrogant already?"
"Hey, I'm just stating facts," Li Shen replied with a confident shrug, lifting the glowing token in his hand. "Chosen by a beautiful goddess, granted a sacred title, and now two girls my age are assigned to follow me around? I'd say the heavens have good taste."
Meimei's eyes twitched. "Ugh, I take it back," she muttered under her breath. "He's not a noble Holy Son. He's a smug little rascal."
Xiao Yu crossed her arms and glared at him. "You think just because a goddess gave you a fancy title, we're going to worship the ground you walk on?"
"I never said that," Li Shen replied with mock innocence. "But if you want to, I won't stop you."
Ling Yuan pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long breath. "God help us," she muttered.
"He's got the ego of a Titled Douluo already."
Still, no one could deny the truth: the token in his hand radiated with divine light—a mark of genuine favor from the Angel Goddess herself.
Even if he was a little smug about it… he was, undeniably, the Holy Son of Spirit Hall.
"Hahaha," Li Shen laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I was just teasing you guys," he said with a grin as he tucked the golden token back into his robes.
"So… do I have any duty being the Holy Son?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. "Also, any rewards? Privileges?"
Though he said it playfully, the question wasn't without weight. Spirit Hall was the most powerful organization on the continent. To be named its Holy Son—especially at such a young age—was like being handed the keys to the future.
Li Shen didn't hold any grudges against Spirit Hall—not yet, at least. In truth, it was an angelic organization in many ways. Unlike the world ten thousand years later, where Martial Spirit awakening required a fee, Spirit Hall offered it to everyone for free, no matter their status. They maintained order across the continent. In this era, there were no known Evil Soul Masters—let alone entire sects of them, like in future centuries.
They even ran numerous orphan shelters across the land—safe havens for children who had lost their parents, giving them food, care, and a future. Spirit Hall was also the reason the Star Luo and Heaven Dou Empires weren't constantly at war. Their very presence acted as a balancing force across the political chessboard of the continent.
In short, they were not evil.
If there was one mistake in Spirit Hall's long legacy, it was Bibi Dong. Or rather, she wasn't the mistake—she was the victim.
A pawn.
Of the Shura God.
Li Shen could almost feel it—how the tragedy unfolded. The Shura God found Bibi Dong, then an orphan, and bestowed her with strength. She grew under Spirit Hall's guidance… only for her path to be shattered by the very person she trusted most.
He gave her power.
He gave her dreams.
He even gave her a child, forcefully.
A father figure turned into an animal overnight.
****
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