"?!"
Bibi Dong had managed to remain composed until now, but upon seeing this scene, she truly lost control for a moment and tightened her grip on her scepter.
Originally, she had intended to bring this young genius under her command—using her position and his influence to further expand her plans. If possible, she had even wanted to see whether there was a way to help Xiaogang break through to Level 30…
But now! Golden Crocodile Douluo had beaten her to it! And judging from how things looked, this had clearly been arranged in advance!
Bibi Dong had already been extremely curious about how Golden Crocodile Douluo—who should have been nearing death—had managed to return to the prime of his life. Seeing this unfold before her now only filled her with shock and anger.
Just how many things within the Spirit Hall did she not know about? She was the Pope—so why did it feel as though everyone was opposing her? Why did it seem that everyone was hiding something from her?
"Greetings, Teacher."
In full view of the public, Chen Ming tucked the two Pope's Decrees into his robes, then bowed respectfully to Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Everyone understood at once—Chen Ming was now Golden Crocodile Douluo's disciple, someone chosen by a terrifying figure capable of effortlessly annihilating a Spirit Douluo.
The Spirit Hall's ceremony was not overly complicated. After the investiture, Chen Ming simply followed the procedure and swore that he would "not use his power to harm the world," that he would "protect humanity to the best of his ability," and that he would "let the glory of the Angel God endure forever." With that, the ceremony came to an end.
But that did not mean everything was over.
As Chen Ming and Golden Crocodile Douluo stepped down from the platform, powerful figures from across the continent immediately gathered around them like hounds catching the scent of blood.
"Congratulations to Senior Golden Crocodile on your great advancement in strength and on accepting such a fine disciple. And my thanks to this young friend for considering all Spirit Masters across the continent by making your cultivation method public. I, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, present a ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone and one million gold soul coins as a token of my respect."
Ning Fengzhi took out a prepared box from his storage soul tool, along with a soul card worth one million gold soul coins, and offered them with both hands. Golden Crocodile Douluo merely glanced at them, then nodded to Chen Ming, who accepted both items and tucked them away.
"Thank you for Sect Master Ning's generosity," Chen Ming said with cupped hands.
Golden Crocodile Douluo simply nodded. "Sect Master Ning is thoughtful. Looking at you reminds me of your great-great-great-grandfather…"
Ning Fengzhi showed no trace of embarrassment. After presenting the gift, he tactfully stepped aside.
In theory, giving a gift wasn't necessary—but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was wealthy and influential. Ning Fengzhi would rather spend money to avoid trouble than risk being remembered unfavorably for failing to give anything.
Behind Ning Fengzhi stood Yu Yuanzhen. Seeing such an extravagant gift, his eyes widened.
They were both leaders of the Upper Three Sects, both here to observe Golden Crocodile Douluo. Ning Fengzhi had stepped forward first and given such a lavish offering—so what was he supposed to do now?
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might be as rich as a nation, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan certainly wasn't swimming in wealth. He didn't even have a full set of ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones himself, and he hadn't brought that many gold soul coins either…
What the hell was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect trying to prove? Starting this kind of precedent—didn't they realize it would force everyone else to spend heavily too?
But there was no helping it. Whether in terms of status or circumstance, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't pretend he hadn't seen this.
Thus, although Yu Yuanzhen appeared calm on the surface, he had no choice but to put on a brave front and hurriedly search through his belongings. In the end, gritting his teeth, he pulled out a golden-colored bone from his storage soul tool.
"Congratulations to Senior Golden Crocodile on your great advancement in strength and for accepting such a fine disciple. I, Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, present a Tyrant Dragon bone."
What Yu Yuanzhen produced was not a Tyrant Dragon Spirit Bone, but a section of a Tyrant Dragon's skeleton that emitted a golden glow. Like the remains of the Dark Gold Demon Tiger, this bone also came from a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast and still retained a trace of vitality.
In this era, Spirit Beasts like the Tyrant Dragon were already nearly extinct. Though there might still be one or two lingering in some remote corner of the world, overall, even the Spirit Hall would find it nearly impossible to locate any trace of them.
In terms of pure value, this bone was certainly not as precious as a Spirit Bone. However, for dragon-type Spirit Masters, simply carrying it brought considerable benefits. It was clear that Yu Yuanzhen had unwillingly taken out a treasured item he usually kept on his person.
"Not bad." Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes lit up slightly as he accepted the bone.
Although dinosaurs and crocodiles on Earth were not related, in the Douluo world, both the Golden Crocodile and the Tyrant Dragon were subspecies of the Golden Dragon—and the Tyrant Dragon was even closer to the Golden Dragon lineage than the Golden Crocodile.
For Golden Crocodile Douluo, this bone could provide at least some benefit.
With the leaders of two of the Upper Three Sects having already "paid up," who among the remaining sects and clans would dare not follow?
Those with money offered wealth; those without borrowed money just to make an offering. For a time, the scene turned into a line of people presenting what was essentially "tribute" to Golden Crocodile Douluo—and a large portion of it ultimately ended up in Chen Ming's possession.
After quite a while, once Golden Crocodile Douluo and the other elders of the Worship Hall left with Chen Ming, the crowd finally let out a collective sigh and began to disperse.
Because of Ning Fengzhi's earlier move, what had originally been an opportunity for everyone to probe for information had instead turned into a queue for paying tribute. Yet due to Ning Fengzhi's status and background, no one could openly criticize him. They could only grumble inwardly while considering finding another chance later to gather information.
Ning Fengzhi and his two companions returned to the rooms prepared for them by the Spirit Hall. Once inside, Bone Douluo's expression changed instantly. He released a barrier of Spirit Power, sealing off the surroundings to prevent eavesdropping.
"Old Sword, if Fengzhi supports the two of us, and we fight Golden Crocodile Douluo together, what are our chances of winning?"
Bone Douluo, Gu Rong, asked Sword Douluo with a grave expression.
"We can't win. There is no chance at all." Chen Xin summoned his Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul, running his fingers along the blade for a long time before letting out a sigh.
"How is that possible? I'm Level 95, you're Level 96, and Fengzhi can provide us with an 80% attribute boost. The two of us together—your offense and my defense—how could we not even have a sliver of a chance?"
Gu Rong wiped the corner of his eye in disbelief.
"Golden Crocodile Douluo's strength can no longer be judged by common standards. A hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone provide enormous enhancements to a Spirit Master. In terms of cultivation, he surpasses me by an unknown margin—and more importantly, he has accumulated two hundred years of experience while still maintaining his peak condition."
"This alone is even more terrifying."
...
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