Douluo Continent: I teach and nurture students at Tianshui Academy!

However, they all gathered in the central area where the golden ancient tree saplings were located, absorbing the life energy that permeated the air, and their originally listless state changed, becoming more energetic and spirited.

As for the saplings, they lay quietly on the ground. Gu Shenge waved her hand, and the power of the laws of the plane enveloped the saplings, planting them around the golden ancient tree saplings.

To prevent the small animals from injuring the golden tree saplings, he set up a barrier one meter away from the saplings, preventing them from getting close to the golden tree saplings, but still allowing them to absorb the life energy transformed from them.

As the world gradually came back to life, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Gu Shenge's eyes. He opened the system panel to check the world's completion status.

[World Perfection Level: 5.003%]

It only increased by 0.003%, we still need to work harder!

After observing the small animals for a while, he withdrew from the Mingjie area.

As the realm of light gradually changes, that unseen consciousness also gradually grows stronger.

…………

As dusk approached, the setting sun cast its light on the western mountains, and the twilight deepened. The fading sun, like blood, shone on the mountaintops, as if painted with a layer of crimson makeup.

Inside the Papal Palace, Bibi Dong finished the last few tasks, put down her pen, and looked out at the twilight scene, but her mind was elsewhere.

Suddenly, a figure blocked her view, and Gu Shenge's handsome face, which always wore a smile, came into her eyes. This made Bibi Dong's pretty face darken slightly, as if she was displeased by his return, and her voice turned cold.

"What else are you doing here?"

"I wandered around Wuhun City and experienced the local customs. Seeing how hard you were working, I bought you a candied hawthorn to reward you."

Sensing the coldness and displeasure in the Pope's tone, Gu Shenge took out the candied hawthorns she had bought earlier from her system space, waved them in front of her, and teased her.

Looking at the candied hawthorn, Bibi Dong's face darkened further. If looks could kill, the man in front of her would have been killed countless times already.

Who is she? The Pope of the Spirit Hall! The most prestigious woman on the continent! Why would she eat this candied hawthorn?!

However, Gu Shenge completely ignored the murderous glare, wrapped the candied hawthorn with her soul power, placed it on her desk, and decisively slipped away.

This guy!!

Seeing the man running faster than a rabbit, Bibi Dong was furious. Looking at the bright red candied hawthorns wrapped in sugar on the table, she raised her hand to knock them down, but stopped halfway through. Her eyes gradually became complicated as a distant memory surged into her mind.

Looking at this string of candied hawthorns, this seemingly ordinary thing, perhaps because she hadn't seen it in a long time and no one had given it to her again, it stirred up her deepest memories, reminding her of those beautiful things from the past, things that are no longer there.

Bibi Dong reached out and picked up the candied hawthorn. Her slender fingers pinched a bright red hawthorn, which she took off the stick. She opened her mouth slightly, slowly put it in, and savored it.

The first taste is the sweetness of the sugar coating, just like the beautiful memories of the past. As the sugar coating crumbles, the sour taste of the hawthorn flesh gradually spreads in her mouth, just as the beautiful memories fade away, revealing the various heartaches of the past.

But after she finished eating the hawthorn flesh, she accidentally bit into a few hawthorn pits, and a bitter taste replaced the sour taste. The pain in her memories replaced the heartache, leaving her immersed in it, unable to extricate herself.

She popped one candied hawthorn skewer after another into her mouth, not for the taste, but for the beautiful and bitter memories of the past, and the painful recollections.

Looking at the empty wooden stick, Bibi Dong threw it away, as if she wanted to discard her past memories.

Wooden sticks can be thrown away or destroyed, but memories can never be erased.

She sat blankly in the chair, looking out the window at the Hall of Worship. Her complex expression was gradually filled with hatred. The more she recalled, the more painful it became. She hated Qian Xunji, she hated Qian Daoliu, and she hated the Angel lineage!

One day, she will make the angels pay the price!

And that bastard! Why did he have to buy her candied hawthorns and treat her like a reward? She's the Pope of the Spirit Hall, she's eaten everything, how could she be bought off by a mere string of candied hawthorns!

The thought of Gu Shenge's ever-smiling face was irritating to her, and Bibi Dong felt a strange urge.

It's like someone trapped in dark mud seeing a long-lost light; instead of touching the light, they want to defile it, making themselves as filthy as her!

(Regarding the issue of combat power in Douluo Continent, although it is often said online that the God King is only half a step into the Blood Transformation Realm and is not even as good as the Eight Treasures Chicken, everyone knows that it is just a joke. I will do a realm conversion here to avoid you big shots from keeping harping on the issue of combat power.)

(Title Douluo: Blood Transformation Realm / Level 3 God: Cave Heaven Realm / Level 2 God: Spirit Transformation Realm / Level 1 God: Inscription Realm / God King: Array Formation Realm / Creator God: Venerable Realm.)

(I know some experts will say that Douluo God is trash, that it was instantly killed by hidden weapons, and that it can't compare to Perfect World. Of course I know that. Realm is realm, and combat power is combat power. A Array Formation Realm cultivator can defeat ten thousand God Kings, and those are just ordinary cultivators in Perfect World, the kind you can find a lot of.)

(In the original novel, the reason why Qian Renxue almost died after being pierced through the heart by Guanyin's Tears was not because the Angel God was a fraud. The real reason was that Qian Renxue had not truly become a god. She had only inherited the position of the Angel God, but her body was still a mortal and had not been transformed into a true divine body.)

(Inheriting a divine position doesn't mean instantly becoming a first-level god or god-king; it only raises the upper limit. It allows one to break through from level 99 to level 100 and continue cultivating. Tang San only transformed his body into a divine body after going to the God Realm. Did he use hidden weapons in the God Realm? No, because he knew that hidden weapons were useless against gods with divine bodies.)

(Of course, I'm not trying to elevate Douluo Continent; I just don't want comments like I overstated the power levels or that Douluo God King is only a half-step Blood Transformation Realm cultivator. Joking around is fine, but please don't take it too seriously. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section, and I'll answer them all.)

(One last thing, Douluo Continent has so many plot holes.)

Chapter 16: Bibi Dong's Gradual Decline

Night has fallen, and the night is as gentle and cool as it was last night, with the trees rustling in the cold wind.

Inside the palace, Gu Shenge toyed with a crimson gold ring on his fingertip. The ring face was decorated with sun patterns. It was a ring formed from the Holy Sword of the Sun. He wore it on the index finger of his right hand.

Looking at the pitch-black night outside the window, he couldn't help but think of his encounter with Bibi Dong in the garden last night. Her captivating smile unconsciously appeared in his bright golden eyes, and his heart began to itch unbearably, as if a kitten was constantly scratching at his heart.

I'm going crazy thinking about it.

Leaving the palace, I walked along the corridor I had walked through last night, bathed in the same moonlight, until I reached the garden where we had met last night.

The flowers remain, but the people are gone.

Gu Shenge silently gazed at the garden, now empty and desolate, and a sense of melancholy welled up within her.

Last night and tonight, in this garden, beautiful figures and blooming flowers meet.

Her beautiful figure has vanished, leaving only a desolate scene of blooming flowers.

Just as he was feeling sentimental, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

"Who are you waiting for, sir?"

In the corridor, Bibi Dong appeared out of nowhere. She wore a simple white dress and looked like a fairy from the moon palace under the moonlight. It seemed as if she would rise up to the moon at any moment, or like a secluded orchid in a valley, elegant and noble, standing alone in the world.

Upon hearing this, Gu Shenge slowly turned around, looking at the stunningly beautiful woman behind him with her flowing robes. His handsome face beamed with an even wider smile as he spoke softly, his voice brimming with undisguised joy.

"Wait for you."

"Come for a walk with me."

Just like last night, without saying much, Bibi Dong once again invited him to walk with her.

Gu Shenge nodded in acceptance and accompanied her, strolling along the corridor as they had the night before. The moonlight cast long shadows of the two of them, which gradually merged together, as if they were inseparable.

They walked slowly, stopping occasionally, enjoying each other's silent companionship. Their hands would occasionally touch, only to be separated as if struck by lightning.

She didn't know how long she had walked—perhaps ten minutes, or maybe an hour or two—but Bibi Dong stopped and looked at the lavishly decorated palace. She had arrived.

"Get some rest. Also, the candied hawthorns you bought are too sour."

After saying that, Bibi Dong walked into the palace, leaving Gu Shenge with a stunningly beautiful and graceful back view. His smile deepened, and he turned to leave as well.

An overly enthusiastic approach will only provoke a woman's resentment. Sometimes, the most understated companionship is the best way to open a woman's heart.

Bibi Dong stood by the window, watching Gu Shenge's departing figure through the half-open window. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions. Despite her high position, she enjoyed this tranquility and his company, which made her feel at ease. Her long-standing loneliness was gradually being dispelled.

But she also hated Gu Shenge's smile; it was too warm. To her, it was like the sun shining on someone in dark mud—warm, but too dazzling.

Slowly closing the window, Bibi Dong looked down at her jade-like hands, then suddenly smiled, as if she had thought of something interesting, and murmured to herself.

What are you testing?

What are you testing now?

Back at his residence, Gu Shenge looked at his hands. He could feel that Bibi Dong had been testing him all the way. What was she testing him for?

Although they had only been in contact for less than two days, thanks to the special nature of his Sun Martial Soul, he could sense that Bibi Dong was very lonely and in pain.

The Pope of the Spirit Hall, who appears high and mighty in the eyes of the world, is actually just a lonely and isolated woman.

A pang of tenderness flashed in Gu Shenge's eyes. The woman was pitiful and pathetic, making one want to peel back the strong and dignified exterior she wore and embrace her most vulnerable and authentic self.

…………

Time passed little by little, and in the blink of an eye, the investiture ceremony was approaching.

These days, besides observing the changes in the Bright Realm, Gu Shenge has been working to deepen her relationship with Bibi Dong, gradually opening up her heart.

He accompanied her to work during the day and took walks with her at night, giving her the most ordinary yet most longed-for companionship, making her used to having him by her side, making her dependent on him, and filling her world with him.

From initial mutual probing to later intimate physical contact, the relationship gradually became ambiguous.

Meanwhile, the elders and enshrined members of the Spirit Hall have returned to Spirit City from all over the continent, and the hall masters and bishops of the Spirit Hall branches across the continent have also come to the Spirit Hall to observe the investiture ceremony tomorrow.

Representatives from numerous Soul Master factions across the continent have gradually arrived.

The Spirit City became incredibly lively, with the flow of people several times greater than before. The Spirit Hall also deployed more Templar Knights to maintain order within the city, in order to prevent any foolish Spirit Masters from causing trouble.

Inside the Papal Palace.

Bibi Dong, dressed in a wine-red gauze dress that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure, with her exquisite face lightly made up, sat at her desk, looking down at the various arrangements for the investiture ceremony. Gu Shenge was captivated by her serious expression.

Feeling the loving and tender gaze, Bibi Dong looked up at the handsome man sitting on the sofa next to her. A barely perceptible tenderness flashed in her beautiful eyes, but she also glared at Gu Shenge with a hint of annoyance, and spoke with a slightly reproachful tone, as well as a trace of probing.

"You're not even a member of my Spirit Hall, yet you keep coming here every day. What kind of behavior is this?"

Gu Shenge could easily detect the probing in her words. He simply maintained his usual smile, got up, walked around behind Bibi Dong, reached out and gently stroked her wine-red hair. His voice was low and gentle, as warm as the morning sun, melting into the heart of the beautiful pope.

"If you just ask, I'm willing to join the Spirit Hall for you."

Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but she raised her hand and gently patted his fingers that were playing with her hair to stop his frivolous actions, and said reproachfully.

"It's broad daylight, and it would be bad if someone saw us. They'd gossip."

"Haha~"

Seeing the beautiful Pope's coquettish expression, Gu Shenge laughed and stopped what she was doing. Bibi Dong pointed to the various arrangements for tomorrow's investiture ceremony and gave him instructions, her tone revealing concern.

"Tomorrow's investiture ceremony is of utmost importance, so don't be careless. Apart from the Clear Sky Sect, which has already closed its gates, representatives from all the Soul Master forces across the continent, the two great empires, and numerous kingdoms will be attending the ceremony. There can be no mishaps. After tomorrow, your name and title will spread throughout the continent. By the way, have you decided on your title yet?"

"No, why don't you pick one for me?"

Gu Shenge shook his head. He really hadn't decided yet. The titles of Title Douluo are usually related to their martial soul. However, his martial soul is the Sun, so there are too many titles he could take. He hadn't decided yet.

Upon hearing that she was asked to choose a title, Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes showed a hint of surprise. The title of each Title Douluo was determined after careful consideration and would follow a Title Douluo for life. Even if people forgot his name after his death, his title would live on in history forever.

If such an important matter were placed in the urban world, it would be no less significant than voluntarily adding the woman's name to the property deed, which made Bibi Dong even more unsettled.

After a long silence, she looked up at Gu Shenge and their eyes met. Seeing the deep affection and tenderness in his eyes, she had the illusion of falling for him. Her heart was filled with his tenderness and gradually took his shape.

"Haoyang, what do you think of this title?"

(I saw a comment from a self-proclaimed expert saying that my original work, "Evil Soul Master," was just to pad the word count and that I'd probably abandon it soon. He also said that the City of Slaughter is where the Spirit Hall imprisons evil soul masters. 666, he knows everything. He really knows too much.)

(Please don't claim there are no evil spirit masters in the first installment of the Douyu series. I've said it many times: this is fan fiction, and it's an original story, an original story, an original story!)