Ling Xiao followed Ling Yuan into the Pope Hall, and things went exactly as he expected.
Although Bibi Dong intended to meet him, she didn't choose the Main Hall. After all, the Main Hall was reserved for discussing the major affairs of Spirit Hall, and its sheer scale made it an unsuitable place to meet a single child.
In the end, Ling Yuan led him into a room within one of the side halls.
Upon entering, Ling Xiao couldn't help but marvel.
The room was so luxurious that he briefly doubted he was still on the Douluo Continent. In his memory, while Soul Masters possessed formidable power, their general standard of living was relatively low.
He hadn't expected that in the higher echelons, life could be this extravagant. With its polished floors, brightly lit interior, and plush red sofas, the room felt just as high-end as any luxury venue from his past life.
The sound of footsteps approached, and the door swung open.
Ling Xiao turned around, expecting to see the mature and beautiful Platinum Bishop again, or perhaps the Pope herself. To his surprise, the person entering was a young girl with orange-gold hair.
She wore a white dress accented with golden patterns and looked to be about the same age as him.
"So, you're the boy born with Innate Full Soul Power," the girl said.
Her voice was melodic and soft, very pleasant to the ear.
"That's me." Ling Xiao looked at the beautiful girl before him and, having a hunch, stepped forward.
"Hello, I'm Ling Xiao. What's your name?"
Seeing Ling Xiao's extended hand, the girl sensed his friendliness. She broke into a bright smile and gave his hand a quick shake.
"Hello, my name is Hu Liena."
As expected, Ling Xiao thought.
Given the timing and location, the chances of it being Hu Liena were highest.
Hu Liena continued, "You finally made it. Now that you're here, I'll be able to see my brother very soon."
"Your brother? What does seeing your brother have to do with me?" Ling Xiao asked, feigning confusion. He knew her brother was Xie Yue, but since she was already at Spirit Hall, why hadn't she seen him?
At this, Hu Liena rolled her eyes at him, sounding a bit reproachful. "It's because you were so slow! Master said we have to wait for you to arrive and absorb your first soul ring before she sends us to study at the Spirit Academy."
"My brother has been at the Academy this whole time, and even though I've been here for days, I haven't had a chance to see him."
So that's why, Ling Xiao realized.
But could he really be blamed? He wanted to move faster, but the circumstances didn't allow for it.
Switching topics to the first soul ring, Ling Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Do you already have your first soul ring?"
Hu Liena was still just a young girl.
Although she missed her brother, the mention of the soul ring she had recently acquired instantly chased away her gloom. She spoke with great interest, "Of course! Master says it's an exceptionally powerful soul skill."
"Do you want to see it?" Her voice suddenly carried a hint of temptation.
A flicker of mischief danced in her eyes; she really wanted to find someone to test her first soul skill on. After all, her Master had told her it wasn't an offensive skill and wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Sure," Ling Xiao replied instinctively.
Without any sense of danger, he assumed she was simply going to demonstrate the skill in front of him.
"Hehe," Hu Liena giggled.
"Martial soul: Charming Fox, appear!"
As the words left her lips, a burst of silver light erupted from her body. Behind her, the phantom of a massive silver fox appeared.
It had purple eyes and two long fox tails raised high.
This was her Charming Fox martial soul.
It was no smaller than Hu Liena herself; though it was a phantom, it appeared incredibly solid, with every strand of fur visible.
A soul power fluctuation slightly stronger than Ling Xiao's radiated from her.
A yellow glowing ring rose from beneath her feet, slowly rotating around her body. It was her first soul ring, taken from a Charming Heart Fox with over four hundred years of cultivation.
The yellow soul ring suddenly flared with light and began to spin faster.
Channeling her Charming Fox martial soul, Hu Liena whispered, "First soul skill: Charming Heart."
Ling Xiao had been momentarily dazed when she released her martial soul.
He knew her martial soul was a fox, but he had always assumed it was just an ordinary one. He hadn't expected it to be so stunning—the silver-white fur gave it an air of nobility and cold elegance.
Furthermore, for some reason, he felt that Hu Liena looked even more beautiful once her martial soul was revealed. However, as she activated her first soul ring, Ling Xiao began to realize something was wrong.
Hu Liena looked like she was about to release a skill, yet she remained pointed directly at him, with no intention of changing direction.
"Hey, wait! What are you—?"
Ling Xiao's face paled in alarm.
He tried to stumble back, but it was too late to release his own martial soul to defend himself.
A dark red glow flickered in his palm for a split second before vanishing. Purple light suddenly erupted in Hu Liena's eyes, matching the Charming Fox behind her. Caught by that eerie gaze, Ling Xiao's eyes instantly turned glazed and unfocused.
The world around him blurred and shifted rapidly.
In an instant, Ling Xiao found he was no longer in the luxurious room. He stood atop a towering mountain peak that pierced the sea of clouds, standing tall above the world.
He was no longer a child, either; his body was tall and powerful, and nine soul rings rotated brilliantly beneath him. He felt a surge of immense power coursing through his veins.
"I... I've become a Titled Douluo?" Ling Xiao murmured to himself, completely disoriented.
However, in the next second, massive cracks spider-webbed across the entire world.
A series of sharp "cracking" sounds echoed as if the world were a mirror about to shatter. At the same time, Hu Liena's voice kept ringing in his ears, sounding somewhat anxious. "Ling Xiao! Ling Xiao, wake up!"
Ling Xiao suddenly snapped out of the trance.
Looking closely, he saw no mountain or soul rings; he was still just a child. Everything just now had been an illusion caused by Hu Liena's first soul skill.
Seeing Ling Xiao wake up, Hu Liena finally relaxed. But seeing his dazed expression, she pretended to look disgusted.
"You're finally awake! Hurry up and wipe your chin, you were drooling everywhere."
She even took two steps back as if it were true. Ling Xiao immediately reached up to wipe his mouth, thinking, No way... I was actually drooling? How embarrassing. That's humiliating.
But after wiping several times, he realized there was no drool at all.
He had been tricked.
Sure enough, the silver-bell-like laughter of Hu Liena echoed in the room.
"Hahaha! You're too much! How can you be so gullible?"
"I used my Charming Heart skill on you. it shows you whatever your heart desires most. Unless you were dreaming about a pile of delicious food, you wouldn't be drooling!"
Hu Liena looked like she was about to die of laughter, clutching her stomach as she laughed without restraint.
Ling Xiao's face went dark.
He hadn't expected Hu Liena to be this mischievous as a child. He remembered that when she grew up, she was supposed to be "tough on the outside, soft on the inside" and quite steady.
Aside from being affected by Tang San's "intelligence-lowering aura," she was usually decisive and cold in battle. How could she be like this? She had seemed so gentle just a moment ago.
But most importantly, he—someone who considered himself mentally far more mature than these children—had actually been played by a little girl.
It was beyond embarrassing.