Chapter 34

Spirit City.

It had been three days since Yun Chuan resolved the matter with the vampiric evil spirit master and returned to the city.

During these three days, he made an important decision:

To venture out for training.

Given his current strength, ordinary training methods no longer had any effect. He needed to seek new opportunities. Moreover, since his birth, and for the twelve years he had been in this world, Yun Chuan had barely left Spirit City. Each time he ventured out, it was to specific locations to act as an ambassador, occasionally offering solace to the suffering commoners. After completing his duties, he would return to the Spirit Hall amidst a grand entourage of attendants.

He never had the freedom to go wherever he wanted.

Now, at the age of twelve, by this world's standards, he was no longer a child.

Yun Chuan wanted to become truly independent, no longer sheltered under the protective wings of Bibi Dong. Without experiencing trials and tribulations, without relying on his own two feet to measure the land, he would never grow up. To truly mature into a real man, he needed to read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles.

Bathed in the morning sunlight, Yun Chuan, whose appearance and temperament were so perfect as to seem otherworldly, walked to the Pope's Hall.

"Holy Son."

At the entrance of the Pope's Hall, two knights clad in silver armor saw the young man who looked about fifteen or sixteen approaching. They knelt on one knee.

"Hmm."

Yun Chuan nodded slightly at them in acknowledgment and then, with practiced ease, walked through the doors, heading towards the place where Bibi Dong was likely to be.

In the resplendent office hall, a noblewoman in a luxurious black robe trimmed with golden patterns and a nine-curved purple-gold crown sat on her throne, her head slightly bowed as she focused intently on reviewing documents.

Hearing footsteps echoing down the corridor outside, the female Pope was startled from her concentration. She gently put down the documents in her hands and looked towards the doorway.

When she saw the young man, bathed in light, walking in, her sharp gaze softened immediately.

"Chuan'er, is something the matter?" A faint smile appeared on her exquisitely beautiful face, and she spoke in a warm tone. "Come here."

"Mom, I'm not a child anymore." Looking at the female Pope beckoning to him, Yun Chuan's face broke into a wry smile. However, his body betrayed him as he walked over obediently, knelt by her side, and leaned his upper body on her soft, jade-like legs, just like a child seeking comfort from his mother.

Of course, if judged purely by age and ignoring appearances, Yun Chuan, at only twelve years old, was indeed a child. Even though he looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old, to Bibi Dong, he was still a child who had yet to grow up.

Gazing at the boy lying on her lap, Bibi Dong reached out her slender, jade-like hand to stroke his hair affectionately and said gently, "Tell me, what brings you to Mom?"

"Mom, I want to go out on my own to train…" Before Yun Chuan could finish his sentence, the female Pope immediately cut him off without a second thought. "No! I won't allow it!"

"Mom, why not?"

Surprised by this unexpected response, Yun Chuan looked puzzled.

"Chuan'er, you're still too young. The world outside is dangerous, and it's too risky for you to go out alone…" Stroking his hair, Bibi Dong spoke earnestly. "Mom is worried something might happen to you."

"But… Mom, I'm already a Soul Sage. Isn't that strong enough to protect myself?" Yun Chuan protested, his face showing dissatisfaction as he argued, "In other families and sects, people start venturing out for training as early as the Soul Ancestor or Soul King stage. Why can't I, as a Soul Sage, do the same?"

"…"

Faced with his ironclad logic, the female Pope was momentarily at a loss for words. She couldn't just tell him she couldn't bear to let him go, could she?

"If you're set on going, you'll need to prove to Mom that you can protect yourself." Bibi Dong's eyes sparkled as an idea came to her. Her tone softened slightly as she said, "If you can pass a certain test, I'll allow you to go out and train."

"What kind of test?" Yun Chuan's expression grew serious. He couldn't help but feel that the female Pope's quick concession wasn't that simple—there had to be a catch waiting for him.

"You'll find out tomorrow." Bibi Dong didn't answer his question, leaving Yun Chuan even more uneasy. He was convinced that tomorrow's so-called test wouldn't be straightforward.

The next day.

In a desolate wilderness not far from Wuhun City, Yun Chuan looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo standing beside Bibi Dong and said in a near-crying voice, "Mom, if you don't want me to go, just say so. Why make it so complicated?"

Just moments ago, Bibi Dong had revealed the condition for him to go out: he had to spar with Chrysanthemum Douluo!

Hearing this, Yun Chuan finally understood. His mother was dead set on not letting him leave for training.

This was a Titled Douluo! Even though he was an unprecedented seven-ringed Soul Sage with all black soul rings, his soul power far surpassing that of ordinary Soul Sages, and he possessed many powerful self-created soul skills, his combat strength was at best comparable to a Soul Douluo.

But the gap between a Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo was a chasm as vast as the heavens and earth. Facing a Titled Douluo, how could he possibly stand a chance? Even if he activated his Plant Domain, the sheer disparity in strength made it impossible to overcome. No matter how many plants he summoned, a Titled Douluo could easily tear through them.

While a Titled Douluo might not be able to harm him in his domain, Bibi Dong's requirement wasn't survival—it was victory. And that was an entirely different concept.

Seeing Yun Chuan's despairing expression, Bibi Dong chuckled softly and reassured him, "Relax. You don't have to defeat Elder Yue Guan. You only need to last for half an hour against his attacks. If you can manage that, you'll pass."

"Last for half an hour without losing!" Yun Chuan's face lit up with relief. That sounded much easier. All he had to do was activate his Plant Domain, merging his aura with the plants within its range of a hundred miles. Even a Titled Douluo like Chrysanthemum Douluo wouldn't be able to find him. Half an hour? He could hold out for half a year!

However, as if reading his thoughts, Bibi Dong added, "But during this time, you're not allowed to use your Plant Domain to cheat. You'll have to fight him head-on."

"What? A head-on fight with a Titled Douluo and hold out for half an hour?" Yun Chuan's relief instantly turned into despair as he muttered with a dark expression, "Mom, how is this different from asking me to defeat Elder Yue Guan?"