"Would you be willing to become my disciple?"
When Li Chang'an heard this, his eyes instinctively drifted toward Bibi Dong's thighs. Only one thought echoed in his mind: 'With legs this long and this fair—no, this powerful—how could I not latch onto them?!'
Right now, his brain was full of legs...
In truth, from the moment Li Chang'an was born in Spirit City, he had already been marked by the Spirit Hall. There was no escaping that. Instead of trying to distance himself like Tang San and his group, it would be much more satisfying to fully embrace it.
Besides, Li Chang'an didn't believe he was necessarily inferior to Tang San and the others!
"Disciple Li Chang'an pays his respects to Master!"
He didn't bother with the usual "willing" or "unwilling"—he simply dropped to his knees and performed the formal disciple's salute, decisively confirming the master-disciple bond.
Standing to the side, Ghost Douluo couldn't help but nod in approval. 'This child knows how to read the situation', he thought. His reflexes and decisiveness are far beyond his peers. Accepting the apprenticeship so readily has definitely earned him some extra points.
Ghost Douluo also understood that from this moment on, he'd have to adjust his attitude toward Li Chang'an. Up until now, the Pope had only ever taken one true personal disciple—Hu Liena. The rest were just nominal students at best.
Judging by Li Chang'an's potential, there was no reason he couldn't compete for the position of Holy Son in the future!
Bibi Dong also nodded with satisfaction, her voice softening as she spoke: "Very well. From now on, you are my second personal disciple. I'm the only one in the world with twin spirits, so I can teach you properly."
"Starting tomorrow, you'll study at the Spirit Hall Academy. Ghost, arrange for him to join Liena's class. He and Liena will also attend private lessons with me once every two days. Here—this is the token that grants access to my palace. Keep it safe."
She casually flicked her slender, fair fingers, and a token shot into Li Chang'an's hands.
The token was jet-black, minimalist in design. On both sides was a single, elegant character: "Dong." It was Bibi Dong's personal crest.
Ghost Douluo nodded in acknowledgment—clearly, Bibi Dong had entrusted him with all arrangements concerning Li Chang'an.
With her instructions complete, Bibi Dong was ready to leave. As the Pope, she had more pressing matters to attend to—especially with the Elder Hall in the middle of a critical confrontation.
Just then, a knight entered the hall to report. "Your Holiness, a Archbishop has arrived again, this time bringing a child. He claims the child's spirit is quite unusual and requests your judgment."
Bibi Dong nodded. Li Chang'an looked over and saw the very same Red-Robed Archbishop who had mentioned taking him to see the Pope during his spirit awakening ceremony. Beside the Archbishop stood a young girl.
She wore a somewhat tattered, but very clean white dress. Her hair was messy, partially obscuring her face. Perhaps out of shyness or low self-esteem, the girl kept her head down, making it hard to see her expression.
"Your Holiness, this girl's spirit is quite unusual. I'd like to request your judgment," the Red-Robed Archbishop said respectfully.
"Oh? Tell me about it," Bibi Dong replied, glancing at Li Chang'an. He's already the greatest surprise of this spirit awakening ceremony—could there be another even more heaven-defying talent?
"Mu Xi, release your spirit," the Archbishop said gently.
The girl nodded timidly, then slowly opened her small hand. A soft purple glow emerged, and a purple flower bloomed in the center of her palm.
It was a flower of an unknown species, but undeniably beautiful—its presence alone was calming to behold.
"What abilities does your spirit have? Do you know?" Bibi Dong asked. She had never seen a spirit like this before.
"Y-Your Holiness, my spirit is a support-type spirit. It's called Purple Lilac. Right now, it allows me to temporarily transfer my spirit power to others who are exhausted or running low, helping to replenish their energy."
The girl spoke with her head down, her voice timid and occasionally stammering.
Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an immediately thought of one word: Power bank!
Bibi Dong and Ghost Douluo—both Title Douluo—fell into silent contemplation. After about a minute, Bibi Dong finally said to the Archbishop:
"Have her join the Spirit Hall Academy as well. We'll observe her more once she's added her first spirit ring. Also, Duolong, prepare yourself—I'll be appointing you as Vice Principal of Spirit Hall Academy starting tomorrow!"
Duolong was overjoyed. He pledged his loyalty at once, knowing full well that from now on, he would be Bibi Dong's representative at the Academy. Until now, the institution had been largely dominated by noble families within the Spirit Hall.
With everything arranged, Li Chang'an followed Ghost Douluo out of the Pope's Hall. Before leaving, he gave one last glance at his "big thigh."
'Yep. Long, fair, and perfect for hugging.'
As he passed by the girl named Mu Xi, Li Chang'an couldn't help but sneak a glance at her too. Even with her head lowered, he could tell she had a refined, delicate look. Especially those peach blossom eyes—definitely bonus points.
She'll probably grow up to be a national beauty—maybe even a disaster for the ages.
Once outside the hall, Ghost Douluo patted Li Chang'an's shoulder encouragingly.
"Study hard under Her Holiness. Who knows, maybe one day we'll even be colleagues. Head home and get ready. Report to the Academy tomorrow. Your Academy ID and enrollment certificate are already being delivered to your house."
Li Chang'an was stunned—not because of what Ghost said, but because of how fast the Spirit Hall moved.
'They already looked into my entire family history? Damn!'
Fortunately, Li Chang'an had nothing to hide. His background was clean—no skeletons in his closet.
"Thank you, sir. May I ask your name? I'd like to bring my parents by to thank you properly in the future."
Ghost Douluo didn't expect such courtesy from a child, but he was happy to bond with someone like Li Chang'an. He ruffled the boy's hair and said:
"Her Holiness calls me Ghost. You can just call me that too. No need for formalities—you're her student now, no need to be a stranger."
Unexpectedly, Li Chang'an shook his head and said earnestly, "Then I'll call you Uncle Ghost. We can't mix up the seniority here. Uncle Ghost, I'll head home now. Bye!"
He waved and jogged off, leaving Ghost Douluo standing there, smiling thoughtfully.
"Uncle Ghost, huh? First time I've met a kid so polite and so good at climbing the ladder. Interesting, very interesting…"
As Ghost Douluo was musing, Li Chang'an—now some distance away—grinned to himself.
'As expected, this guy's the Ghost Douluo. And he didn't object to me calling him Uncle Ghost. That means we're already close. Having just one 'big thigh' to cling to isn't enough. Ghost Douluo's a high-ranking figure in the Pope's Hall. Gotta keep him happy too.'