Chapter 66: The Soul Master Tournament
As lightning engulfed the entire valley, an explosion thundered from behind the Pope's Palace. The shockwave spread throughout the entire Spirit Hall, but the guards panicked and quickly regrouped under their captain's command, gathering before the Pope's Palace. However, without Bibi Dong's permission, none dared to take even a single step inside.
Only Hu Liena—who lived in the palace—rushed toward the back mountain the moment she sensed the disturbance.
Inside the Douluo Hall, several Worship elders opened their eyes simultaneously.
The sheer intensity of the energy fluctuation had shaken them to the core.
"What is Bibi Dong doing now? Can't she just behave like a normal Pope?"
"Should we go take a look, Big Brother?"
Qian Daoliu paused for a moment, then shook his head to stop the restless elders.
"She's probably experimenting with a technique. Ignore it."
"That woman isn't stupid—she won't make any reckless moves while her position is still unstable."
Staring at the massive crater nearly a kilometer wide before him, Lin Beiya fell into deep thought.
If the Gemini Light Arc could unleash such destructive power in the hands of a Titled Douluo… He still had a very long road to walk.
Bibi Dong, who had just executed the technique, was equally stunned. Even if Lin Beiya couldn't unleash something of this magnitude yet, it was still more than enough to let him defeat opponents across realms.
Just moments ago, she had activated the technique with only near–Soul Saint–level soul power— yet the resulting attack was enough to shake even Titled Douluo.
It was terrifying beyond belief.
Looking at her dazed "cheap disciple" in the distance, Bibi Dong felt her wariness deepen.
After all, he was not someone who truly shared her heart. Letting him grow unchecked… may or may not be a blessing.
But for now, his identity and the Gemini Gold Cloth were both extremely valuable to her. She couldn't touch him—not yet.
She pushed the brief flash of killing intent deep into her heart.
She would deal with everything after resolving the corruption within her soul.
Lin Beiya remained blissfully unaware of Bibi Dong's rising suspicion. Knowing the general plot, he never planned to fight for the Pope's seat anyway— it was meaningless.
Bibi Dong approached him, her expression showing a rare hint of approval.
"Not bad. With this strength, you will be able to bring glory to the Spirit Hall."
"Huh? What glory?"
Lin Beiya froze again—so she did have something for him to do.
Sure enough, her next words made everything clear.
"You've heard of the Soul Master Tournament, yes?"
"I have. But didn't the last tournament end just two years ago?"
The tournament was held once every five years, and the previous one took place when Lin Beiya was only a year after his martial soul awakening. It was hosted by the Star Luo Empire back then, during Qian Xunji's era.
"Yes. Two years ago, the Clear Sky Sect claimed the championship. Although it's certain they won't participate in the next tournament, the Spirit Hall currently has no participants capable of dominating all factions."
"That is why… three years from now, I intend to build the Spirit Hall's tournament team with you as the core."
"This will be the first Soul Master Tournament of my reign as Pope.
You understand how important it is."
"The status of 'Holy Son' will also be determined based on the tournament results."
Lin Beiya nodded. He understood perfectly.
Simply put, Bibi Dong needed a tournament victory to solidify her authority as the Pope.
And he needed a strong performance in the tournament to secure the Holy Son position.
He didn't particularly care about being the Holy Son… but this was a mission assigned by Qian Daoliu. If it didn't interfere with his long-term plans, entering the tournament and winning the championship was no issue.
"I understand, Teacher. Will I choose the team members, or will you assign them?"
Seeing Lin Beiya accept without resisting, Bibi Dong nodded with satisfaction.
"You may decide for yourself. Your teacher only wants results."
"Understood. Teacher, please take back the Gold Cloth. I'll hand it over tomorrow."
"Good."
—
Back in his residence, Lin Beiya began seriously considering the matter of selecting teammates for the Spirit Hall battle team. He wasn't very familiar with the academy's internal situation, so he'd need to consult people like Shi Nuo and Yuquan. But even with their help, the results likely wouldn't be ideal.
Most of the tournament's participants would come from the Advanced Soul Master Academy, while Shi Nuo and Yu Quan were currently only fifth-year students of the Junior Academy.
Moreover, the Soul Master Tournament consisted of both team battles and individual battles.
As a support-type soul master, Lin Beiya could guarantee victory in team battles by equipping teammates with Gold Cloths…
but he wasn't sure whether wearing Gold Cloth during individual battles was allowed.
After all, this tournament was hosted by the Heaven Dou Empire—not the Spirit Hall.
Under these rules, aside from himself, he still needed two teammates strong enough for individual matches.
It wasn't that he looked down on Shi Nuo or Yu Quan—it was simply a matter of time. Even if they reached high Soul Elder level three years from now, that still wouldn't be enough.
But all of this was still far in the future—there was no need to rush.
He could even wait until he officially entered the Advanced Soul Master Academy before making a final decision.
Of course, following the academy's natural promotion timeline would be far too slow.
He would need to speak to Bibi Dong tomorrow and request an early promotion for himself and Shi Nuo.
By level, Shi Nuo—already at rank 25—would even qualify for that "broken-down" Shrek Academy's advanced division.
Having made up his mind, Lin Beiya refocused and began practicing advanced applications of his telekinesis.
He gathered his mental power and attempted to tear the space around his body, hoping to teleport by relying on the resulting spatial fluctuations.
The theory was simple. The execution… was terrifyingly difficult.
Each time he tried pulling at the space around him, he felt a massive tearing force assault his body—something that could easily injure or cripple him.
So he switched to a safer method: tearing distant space, starting with a point ten meters away rather than affecting his own body.
Once he mastered spatial tearing, he could attempt teleportation later.
After a long period of training, Lin Beiya felt mentally exhausted—but the results were promising.
With full concentration, he could now rip open a small crack ten meters away… but he still couldn't transport objects through it.
Every time he tossed a teacup or kettle into the spatial crack, it either got crushed instantly or vanished, lost to the warped space forever.
——
Meanwhile, in Hu Liena's residence a hundred meters away…
She was cultivating soul power diligently when something suddenly struck the back of her head.
She raised her hand and caught it—a small teacup.
The little fox immediately froze.
Turning around, she saw that the teacups on her table were untouched. She checked her room thoroughly but found nothing unusual.
"…Strange. Who threw a teacup at me?"
——
The next morning, Bibi Dong sent a maid to retrieve the Gemini Gold Card, but Lin Beiya dismissed her.
After breakfast, he personally went to the Pope's Palace.
"What is it?"
Lin Beiya handed over the Gemini Gold Card and said:
"Teacher, please transfer Shi Nuo and me into the Spirit Hall's Advanced Soul Master Academy."
"Oh? Looking for potential teammates for the tournament, are you?"
"Yes, Teacher. I can secure the team battle victory on my own, but the Soul Master Tournament also includes individual matches. I'll need teammates who can stand independently."
—
End of Chapter