If there was one woman in the entire Douluo Continent that Jiang Chen admired the most, it would undoubtedly be Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.
Both were women of great talent and ambition, heroines who refused to yield to men.
He had once thought that if he hadn't wanted to become a god easily by staying beside Tang San, he would have joined the Spirit Hall long ago.
Bibi Dong waved her hand and said, "All of you, leave first."
Si Si, Su Yuntao, and the others respectfully withdrew, leaving only Bibi Dong's group behind.
Bibi Dong walked down and stood not far opposite Jiang Chen, curiously observing this child.
Jiang Chen's calmness surprised her somewhat. Facing such a grand scene, an ordinary child might have already been trembling in fear.
But apart from a brief moment of dazed staring at her in the beginning, Jiang Chen showed no trace of fear.
If this child wasn't an idiot, then he must have something extraordinary about him.
"You are Jiang Chen?" Bibi Dong looked at Jiang Chen's face full of pimples and asked with a strange expression.
"I am Jiang Chen. What do you want with me?" Jiang Chen asked, staring with his big panda-like eyes.
"Kid, this is our Spirit Hall's Pope." Someone was dissatisfied with Jiang Chen's attitude and immediately scolded him.
Bibi Dong waved her hand. "It's fine."
Then she continued looking at Jiang Chen. "What happened to your face?"
Jiang Chen touched it; it still hurt a little. "Got into a fight with someone."
A peculiar look appeared on Bibi Dong's face. She beckoned to one of them. "Heal him."
A beautiful middle-aged woman stepped forward. She was a Soul King-level healer. Treating Jiang Chen's superficial wounds was easy for her.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chen returned to his original appearance. The speed of recovery astonished Jiang Chen, who was experiencing a healing soul master for the first time.
His fair skin, delicate upturned nose, and large, dark, shiny eyes instantly brightened the room.
Bibi Dong nodded and said softly, "Can you let us see your martial soul?"
"As expected," Jiang Chen thought to himself, but he was straightforward and directly summoned his martial soul.
At this point, what could he use to refuse?
The tall, green-faced, fanged zombie stood behind Jiang Chen. Although it no longer had the vast momentum from when it first awakened, its aura was still imposing.
Everyone showed looks of surprise and carefully observed Jiang Chen's martial soul. A humanoid martial soul, they had truly never seen one before.
In all the thousands upon thousands of martial souls recorded by the Spirit Hall over the years on the continent, there was none like Jiang Chen's.
Although the aura on the zombie was astonishing, in their view, it was only comparable to the top martial souls currently on the continent.
For example, the Haotian Hammer, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon…
To call this zombie martial soul a god-level martial soul would truly be an exaggeration.
Many elders secretly shook their heads, thinking that Bibi Dong had made a big fuss this time and come for nothing.
They had all witnessed the might of the Angel martial soul; this peculiar zombie martial soul was still far from being able to compare with the Angel martial soul.
Even Hu Liena felt somewhat disappointed. She had previously believed Bibi Dong and thought Jiang Chen really possessed a god-level martial soul, but it turned out to be just a top-tier martial soul, not even clear whether it was stronger or weaker than her fox martial soul.
The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. This was exactly how these people felt now.
"Pope, this child's martial soul simply cannot compare to a god-level martial soul," one elder said somewhat discontentedly.
He had been on the verge of a breakthrough and was focused on cultivation, yet Bibi Dong had summoned him here. In the end, there was no god-level martial soul, just a top-tier one.
Even sending a single Soul Douluo-level deacon for such a martial soul would already be excessive, yet Bibi Dong had actually brought several great elders along.
Looking at these people's disappointed expressions, Jiang Chen felt a bit uncomfortable inside, but this was actually better. Perhaps if he refused to join the Spirit Hall, they wouldn't force him.
However, Bibi Dong showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, the smile on her face grew deeper and deeper.
What she saw was different from what the others saw. Although she felt some disappointment that Jiang Chen did not have a god-level martial soul, the aura of that zombie martial soul truly lit up her eyes.
It was an incomparably bloodthirsty, evil, heaven-resenting, earth-cursing aura that felt extremely intimate and likable to her.
Both of her martial souls were extremely evil spider martial souls. On the Douluo Continent, it was almost impossible to find any martial soul more evil than hers.
Yet today, she had seen one. Jiang Chen's martial soul was no less evil than her spider martial soul, and the more she sensed it, the more shocked she became. This martial soul seemed to hide some terrifying secrets she didn't yet know.
She even had a premonition that Jiang Chen's martial soul was even more suited to the mysterious inheritance she had come into contact with than she herself was.
"Withdraw your martial soul," Bibi Dong said softly.
Jiang Chen withdrew his martial soul and asked innocently, "Can I go now?"
Bibi Dong was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "No rush. I still have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"All of you, leave first," Bibi Dong said, glancing at the elders.
Moments later, only Bibi Dong, Hu Liena, and Jiang Chen remained in the grand hall.
"What exactly does she want with me?" Jiang Chen was puzzled. Dismissing everyone else, what did this mean?
Hu Liena also had no idea what her teacher was planning. However, in the next moment, her mouth fell open in shock.
Bibi Dong actually walked up to Jiang Chen, squatted down in front of him, reached out, and gently stroked his hair. Her smile was very gentle, very kind.
Hu Liena covered her red lips with her jade hand, her beautiful fox-like eyes wide open, filled with utter disbelief.
Was this still the supreme, awe-inspiring, iron-blooded Pope whom everyone feared?
Even toward her, her own disciple, there had never been such an intimate gesture!
Jiang Chen himself trembled all over. Looking at Bibi Dong so close to him, with that smile so gentle and so genuine, it was so beautiful it almost made him suffocate.
"I am the Pope of the Spirit Hall. Are you willing to follow me and learn from me?"
As soon as these words came out, Hu Liena nearly cried out in shock.
Even she herself had gone through brutal trials in the Death Camp, emerging victorious only to be accepted as Bibi Dong's disciple. Yet this child, on their first meeting, had actually gained Bibi Dong's favor.
At this moment, Hu Liena felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy. How could this child's luck be so good?
But the one who was even more shocked was Jiang Chen.
To follow Bibi Dong and learn from her meant taking Bibi Dong as his master, something he had never even dreamed of before.
In terms of resources for cultivating soul masters, if the Spirit Hall claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
But becoming Bibi Dong's disciple also meant he would be completely opposed to Tang San from then on.
Unless Jiang Chen possessed heaven-defying strength, his fate would very likely end up the same as Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue in the original story.
Amid Hu Liena's shock and Bibi Dong's anticipation, Jiang Chen cautiously asked, "Can I refuse?"