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**
On the mountain peak at the center of Spirit City, Bibi Dong and various bishop-level high-ranking figures stood on the plaza outside the Pope Hall. They looked down from above at the team of Soul Masters that was slowly marching out of Spirit City.
Among them, quite a few high-ranking members of Spirit Hall watched the departing team that was preparing to "visit" the various major Soul Master forces. The light in their eyes shifted and flickered constantly, making them look somewhat heavy-hearted.
They did not understand why the Pope would agree to Ling Xiao's request. Although his aptitude was extraordinary and his cultivation progress was by no means slow, in the end, he was still just a Soul Ancestor.
He was a mere fifteen years old.
Even if he truly wanted to challenge the successors of the major forces in the Soul Master world, they only needed to dispatch a single powerhouse to escort him there.
Why was there a need to make such a grand display? To be so flagrant and ostentatious, it seemed as if they practically wished for the entire continent to know about it.
This was hardly a good thing for Spirit Hall.
Because of its overly formidable strength, Spirit Hall already gave off the feeling of being a target for everyone in the Soul Master world. Going out to challenge others so arrogantly now—wouldn't it be even easier to arouse antagonistic feelings between the major Soul Master Factions and Spirit Hall?
Bibi Dong stood at the very front of the crowd, positioned at the edge of the plaza.
She quietly watched the team that was about to completely exit Spirit City at the foot of the mountain. Her gaze was incredibly calm, as if everything was within her grasp. Regarding the doubts harbored in the hearts of many within Spirit Hall, she was equally aware of them.
However, she offered no explanation.
Some things were simply not suited for explanation right at the beginning. Do it with all your might, and when the goal is truly realized and the results manifest, it will surpass any explanation.
"Pope, I did not expect you would ultimately still agree to Ling Xiao's application."
A figure clad in black robes spoke from beside Bibi Dong.
A patch of empty space cleared out around this person, and no one dared to draw near. Black mist swirled around his body, radiating an aura of eerie coldness. Both his appearance and the aura of his power were highly peculiar.
This was precisely a member of the Elder Hall, the Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
"Elder Ghost, although you do not approve of Ling Xiao's proposal, it cannot be denied that his proposal actually carries quite a bit of sense and is worth a try."
"If this trip goes smoothly, the benefits to my Spirit Hall will not be small. It can further increase Spirit Hall's influence across the continent. At the same time, it will also be highly beneficial for drawing in the major Soul Master Factions in the future."
"This matter was decided after I discussed it together with the elders. You need not say more. Now, the arrow is already on the string and cannot be recalled. Let us just see how far Ling Xiao and the others can go this time. However, I actually have quite a bit of confidence in Ling Xiao."
Hearing this, Ghost Douluo did not say anything more on the matter. He merely spoke indifferently, "Pope, you are truly a bit too pampering toward Ling Xiao."
"Is pampering a bad thing?" Pope Bibi Dong asked.
"Under pampering, there are two possibilities. One turns out weaker, while the other turns out even stronger—fearing neither heaven nor earth, fearing neither powerhouses nor any authority. It is just that..."
Speaking up to this point, Ghost Douluo paused before continuing, his words carrying the tone of an admonition, "Pope, if a blade is ground too fast and too sharp, though it is handy to use, it can also easily cut oneself. It is difficult to maintain for long."
Hearing Ghost Douluo's words, Bibi Dong could not help but frown slightly as she carefully pondered this sentence in her mind.
Upon deeper thought, she felt it indeed possessed some truth. Looking out toward the direction outside Spirit City, she thought to herself, 'Ling Xiao, I hope you will not make me regret this.'
...
As time trickled by, it didn't take long for Ling Xiao and the others to distance themselves roughly a dozen kilometers from Spirit City. Unsurprisingly, their journey drew the intense gaze of numerous passersby along the way.
Their numbers exceeded a thousand, heavily featuring an abundance of Soul Masters.
On top of that, they marched under the distinct, prestigious banners of Spirit Hall, creating a formidable presence. Given that Spirit Hall hadn't launched an operation of this scale in recent years, it was impossible not to provoke curiosity.
Within the vanguard heading toward the southern region of the Heaven Dou Empire, Ling Xiao and Yan rode atop Scaled Horses.
Taking in the passing scenery, their moods were quite relaxed; their calm states of mind seemed to be preparation for the fierce battles that awaited them in the near future.
"Ling Xiao, isn't it a bit too flagrant for us to go around challenging the younger generation of the major factions in the Soul Master world like this? It might even ignite conflicts between the other factions and our Spirit Hall. Offending them for no good reason brings no benefit to Spirit Hall."
Suddenly, Yan voiced his doubts, a look of perplexity on his face.
"Heh." Ling Xiao couldn't help but chuckle at those words. Turning his head, he teased, "Yan, I'm impressed! That really doesn't sound like something that would come out of your mouth."
"Hmph, Ling Xiao, I might be a bit overbearing on regular days, but I'm no brainless fool. I know exactly when to be proud and when I need to restrain myself. I just can't figure out why you would make such a proposal to the Pope, and even get her permission."
"Just what on earth did you say to the Pope?"
Yan frowned slightly, his expression laced with deep curiosity.
"As for that, it's a secret. You'll find out in the future," Ling Xiao laughed, "But Yan, you don't need to worry too much about this."
"There's a good saying: for the forces of the Soul Master world, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. As long as we display a level of individual strength and factional might that far surpasses theirs, it doesn't matter whether we offend them or not."
"This time, our goal in creating such a grand display and mobilizing so many people to challenge the outstanding successors of the major factions is precisely to flaunt Spirit Hall's power. We are going to tell them that not only is the strength Spirit Hall accumulated in the past far greater than theirs."
"But the power of our younger generation is also above them—beyond anything they can compare to. In the future, Spirit Hall will only grow more formidable, reaching heights they can never hope to attain."
"By doing this, if Spirit Hall truly develops conflicts with the major forces of the Soul Master world in the future, their dread will keep them in check. To avoid making an enemy out of Spirit Hall, they might choose not to stand in opposition to us. This will make it far easier for Spirit Hall to draw them over to our side."
"Of course, that is just the ideal outcome. After all, things can't be generalized. Even if we display Spirit Hall's dominance, it doesn't mean every single faction will be gripped by dread, try their utmost to avoid clashing with Spirit Hall during future conflicts, or accept our olive branch."
"There will always be some extremely stubborn fellows who, when the time comes, will want to break the fishnet even if the fish dies, perishing together like jade and stone. Even if they are no match, they will fight Spirit Hall to the bitter end."
"Therefore, to prevent that kind of scenario, we must rely on our own efforts to guide the impact of this challenge toward a positive direction, straining every nerve to steer the results toward the side most advantageous to Spirit Hall."
Listening to Ling Xiao's explanation, Yan found himself swayed and couldn't help but nod. "That makes sense. But how are we supposed to steer the outcome toward the side most advantageous to Spirit Hall?"
A smile played on Ling Xiao's face as he spoke casually, "Naturally, we do that by showing Spirit Hall's goodwill during the course of these sparring challenges."
**
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