The moment these words were spoken, the high-ranking officials present were all struck with shock.
Even Bibi Dong was visibly stunned.
After all, individuals with Innate Full Soul Power were few and far between across the entire Douluo Continent.
Moreover, not long ago, Spirit Hall had already discovered a girl with Innate Full Soul Power; after being brought to Spirit City, she had even been taken in as a personal disciple by Pope Bibi Dong herself.
Now, they had found another child with the same talent. Even as the overlord of the continent's Soul Master world, Spirit Hall had never expected to obtain two such geniuses within a single generation.
"Very well."
Bibi Dong rose from her throne, scepter in hand.
She took a few steps forward on the high platform, looking down with an air of absolute authority.
"This is a blessing for Spirit Hall. We are currently living in troubled times; across the continent, the Evil Soul Masters are showing signs of resurgence. It is Spirit Hall's undeniable duty to eradicate them completely."
"With careful cultivation, this newly discovered genius will undoubtedly push our strength to even greater heights in the future."
"Congratulations, Your Holiness the Pope!"
The Bishops in the hall were equally delighted.
They held vital positions within Spirit Hall; though they might have disagreements in their daily affairs, they all shared the desire for Spirit Hall to grow more powerful.
Furthermore, while this new genius had a high probability of becoming a high-ranking official or even an Elder in the future, at this moment, he held no conflict or entanglement with any of them.
Bibi Dong gripped her scepter, her peerless beauty radiating a breathtaking nobility.
Her cold, clear voice echoed from above. "Bishops, you are dismissed. Regarding the matter in Suotuo City, I will dispatch a Judgment Team to investigate. Also, summon Platinum Bishop Ling Yuan."
"Understood."
Whether they were Bishops or Temple Knights, everyone withdrew, leaving Bibi Dong alone in the vast hall. She returned to her throne, crossing her long legs in a lazy, leisurely posture as she waited for the person she had summoned.
Soon, the hall doors opened again.
A woman entered whose beauty was only slightly inferior to Bibi Dong's. she wore tight-fitting black leather armor, with metallic plates covering her arms, waist, and shoulders.
The armor was etched with golden leaf patterns and stripes. Her short purple hair looked sharp and efficient, and she wore a pair of golden earrings.
On the surface, she appeared to be in her twenties, but the surging soul power emanating from her indicated a cultivation level far higher than the Cardinal who had stood at the front of the hall earlier.
She was one of the four Platinum Bishops of Spirit Hall: Yan Ying, an eight-ring Soul Douluo rank powerhouse. Her Martial Soul was the Raging Flame Kite, an extremely rare top-tier flying-type beast soul.
Not only did she naturally control incredibly powerful flame energy, but the corresponding Soul Beast also carried a portion of the Fire Phoenix bloodline. Because of this, many addressed her by her Martial Soul's name, Ling Yuan.
She was currently the youngest and most talented of the four Platinum Bishops; under the age of thirty-five, she had already broken through to become a Soul Douluo, and now sat at Rank 83.
She was expected to reach the rank of Titled Douluo before the age of fifty and become a new Elder of Spirit Hall. At the same time, she was the only Platinum Bishop who didn't have to manage too many administrative affairs.
This did not mean her power was lesser than the other three; in a sense, her authority was even more central because she was Bibi Dong's confidante.
Matters that were extremely important but not quite worth bothering the Douluo Consecration Hall with were handled by her.
She could also issue missions to the Judgment Hall on behalf of the Pope, dispatching elite Soul Masters to handle high-difficulty or vital tasks.
It was important to note that the Soul Masters within the Judgment Hall were the most elite in all of Spirit Hall.
Every Judgment Team consisted of seven Soul Masters: two Control system, two Power Attack system, one Defense system, one Agility Attack system, and one Support system.
Yan Ying walked to the center of the hall and knelt on one knee.
"Ling Yuan greets Your Holiness the Pope."
"No need for formalities," Bibi Dong nodded.
"Ling Yuan, news has come from the Balak City Main Hall. Another youth with Innate Full Soul Power has been discovered and is currently on his way to Spirit City."
Hearing this, even as a Platinum Bishop, Yan Ying couldn't hide her astonishment and looked up instinctively.
Bibi Dong continued, "Take the Pope's Token and dispatch ten Judgment Teams. Have them patrol the road from Balak City to Spirit City to ensure safety. I will not allow any accidents to occur on that path during this time."
"Ling Yuan understands."
Recognizing the gravity of the matter, Yan Ying took the Pope's Token and immediately headed for the Judgment Hall.
Sitting upon her throne, Bibi Dong thought of the little girl she had recently taken as a disciple, and a faint smile touched her lips. She was very curious to see what this boy with Innate Full Soul Power would bring her.
On the Lima Plains, night slowly fell. Ling Xiao and the others had stopped to rest at an inn in a small city.
Ling Xiao stayed alone in his room.
The room was fully furnished, though small—a fact he didn't mind at all. After finishing his meal, Ling Xiao sat on his bed, reflecting on the Martial Souls Ralph had described that afternoon.
Aside from the powerhouses of Spirit Hall and the Upper Three Sects, he finally knew the general situation of the remaining three among the Lower Four Sects.
The Lower Four Sects were the Feather King Sect, the Sword Sect, the Ghost King Sect, and the Elephant Armored Clan. Among them, he already knew a fair bit about the Elephant Armored Clan.
Ling Xiao had a high opinion of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul.
To him, it was an incredibly potent beast soul, possessing immense strength and defense. Compared to the inherited souls of the Strength Clan and Defense Clan—the single-attribute clans affiliated with the Clear Sky Sect.
Its strength was not inferior to the Vigorous Orangutan, and its defense was superior. Compared to the Armor Plated Giant Rhinoceros, its defense was on par, but its strength was greater.
It was a powerful beast soul that balanced both.
Its only weakness was its slow speed and lack of flexibility; its attack methods were somewhat one-dimensional and not as versatile as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. However, Ling Xiao felt this weakness was only glaring in the early stages.
As long as one cultivated to a high level and compensated for the flaws through Soul Bones, Soul Rings, or Self-Created Soul Skills, they could truly unleash its power.
Perhaps the speed weakness could never be fully resolved, but as long as it couldn't be easily exploited by an opponent, it would suffice.
As for the other three... the Feather King Sect's inherited soul was the Imperial Eagle. If the Diamond Mammoth was a powerhouse of the land, then the Imperial Eagle was the overlord of the sky.
It was a top-tier Martial Soul with excellent strength, speed, and attack power—even its defense wasn't weak. Its combat power far exceeded the Needle-Tailed Swift of the Speed Clan, and it had no obvious flaws.
The corresponding Imperial Eagle Soul Beast was a formidable existence among avian types, containing the bloodline of one of the true peak avian species: the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
The Sword Sect was more complex.
Their inherited soul was the Sword, but it wasn't a common weapon soul.
The Sword Sect's inheritance was considered a top-tier Tool Martial Soul. Over years of heritage, the sect had divided its cultivation into five branches: Fire, Ice, Wind, Thunder, and Earth.
The current Sect Master of the Sword Sect came from the Thunder branch and possessed extraordinary talent. Among the Lower Four Sects, the Sword Sect's Martial Soul wasn't the absolute strongest, but the sect itself was the largest in scale.
It had once been the head of the Lower Four Sects.
Even though the Sword Sect had suffered a major blow years ago, its strength remained comparable to the Elephant Armored Clan, sitting comfortably in the middle of the Lower Four ranks, second only to the Feather King Sect.
The final member of the Lower Four was the Ghost King Sect.
The name was eerie and terrifying, and for good reason. Their inherited souls were the Ghost King Vine and the Ghost Vine. These two were of the same lineage and were terrifying plant-type Martial Souls.
From what Ling Xiao knew, Tang San's second Soul Ring was obtained by hunting a Ghost Vine with a cultivation of over six hundred years.
The Ghost Vine was a horrific plant-type Soul Beast.
It possessed a powerful neurotoxin; as soon as its thorns pierced a target, the toxin would spread immediately until the victim dissolved into a pool of pus to become nutrients for the vine.
Furthermore, what Soul Masters feared most was its Parasitic ability.
When it attacked, it would release countless tiny seeds that parasitized the target. As long as the Ghost Vine provided energy or the seeds absorbed enough nutrients, they would sprout on the host, spreading the toxin rapidly and paralyzing the target.
The Ghost King Vine was an evolution of the Ghost Vine.
Like the Sky Azure Vine of Soul Douluo Zhi Lin—one of the three elders of the board of education of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—it was a top-tier control-type plant soul, but far more difficult and terrifying to deal with.
In the Ghost King Sect, only direct descendants of the Sect Master's line usually awakened the Ghost King Vine; branch members mostly awakened the Ghost Vine.
Even so, it could not be underestimated.
Though the Ghost Vine was considered a mid-tier soul, as a plant soul, it had unique properties and a naturally aggressive, domineering poison.
However, just as plant-type Soul Beasts were relatively rare in nature, the descendants of the Ghost King Sect Master's line were few in number.
Among all of the Seven Great Sects, only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had fewer direct descendants than the Ghost King Sect.
Thinking of these powerful Martial Souls, Ling Xiao couldn't help but feel his blood boil. In a world like this, he truly hoped that one day he could cross paths with the Soul Masters of these sects to see who was truly stronger.
He believed that day would not be far off.