Between Heaven Dou City and Spirit City, inside the main Spirit Hall at Jialing Pass, a Red-Clothed Bishop looked incredibly nervous. Several major figures had gathered in the hall: Pope Qian Xunji, the two Guardian Douluo of the hall, Ning Zhiping—the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—and Qi Tian Douluo Qi Jie, one of their worshippers. Not a single one of them was someone he could afford to offend.
Qian Xunji had just ascended to the position of Pope. He had no prestige yet and hadn't consolidated power. The two Guardian Douluo of the Pope's Hall were still loyal to Qian Daoliu. Now, Qian Xunji was doing something that seemed completely irrational—offering up a once-in-a-century prodigy with innate full soul power and twin martial souls in exchange for a deal with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The Bishop was certain the Guardian Douluo would report this to Qian Daoliu, who would surely rush over to stop it and harshly rebuke Qian Xunji.
To avoid this, Qian Xunji had changed the location of the deal, moving it to the Spirit Hall at Jialing Pass—the midpoint on the route where Bibi Dong had traveled from her village to Spirit City.
In a quiet room within the main hall, Qian Xunji and Ning Zhiping sat drinking tea. Qi Tian Douluo Qi Jie stood watch beside Ning Zhiping, while one of the Guardian Douluo stood near Qian Xunji—his expression extremely unpleasant. It was only upon meeting Ning Zhiping here that he realized Qian Xunji intended to trade Bibi Dong to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He hadn't even had time to talk Qian Xunji out of it, let alone inform Qian Daoliu.
Qian Xunji smiled calmly and said,
"Sect Master Ning, I trust you understand—since this is a deal, both sides must bring something worthwhile to the table."
"Your Holiness, of course I understand," Ning Zhiping replied with a courteous, refined smile—the kind he wore when dealing with nobles and soul masters alike. "What is it that you seek?"
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's secret art—Divided Mind Control."
Qian Xunji lightly tapped his finger on the table, smiling as he looked at Ning Zhiping.
"That's all?" Ning Zhiping was slightly taken aback.
Divided Mind Control was a technique that allowed one to simultaneously control different soul skills with precision. While this kind of control was theoretically useful to any soul master, in the soul master world, it was known to be especially powerful for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Most soul masters consumed more soul power for stronger soul skills. But not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—the soul power consumed for each skill was uniform at any given level, regardless of the spirit ring's age. This was because their spirit rings merely unlocked the power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—the soul skills themselves were innate to their martial soul.
For instance, a Soul Grandmaster with two skills would have both skills consume energy as if they were the second ring; a Soul Elder with three skills would consume energy as if for the third ring, and so on.
Therefore, they had to master Divided Mind Control—directing which skill to apply to whom, how long it should last, and constantly monitoring the battlefield.
This technique had five realms:
Three Apertures—Control Heart
Four Apertures—Steady Heart
Five Apertures—Scattering Heart
Six Apertures—Willful Heart
Seven Apertures—Exquisite Heart
Each level indicated how many soul skills one could control simultaneously and the degree of precision. For instance, Three Apertures meant being able to direct three different soul skills to three targets with perfect accuracy.
To most soul masters, Divided Mind Control wasn't very useful since their soul power couldn't even support casting all their skills at once. Over time, the technique was lost—only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect retained it.
That was the common understanding in the soul master world. But in Qian Xunji's view, such simplistic thinking was laughable. This technique was a priceless treasure.
Forget multi-skill burst damage—just being able to perfectly split one's attention in battle made it a peerless technique. Think of how Xiao Longnü, who once had to team up with Yang Guo to beat the Golden Wheel Monk, could later fight him one-on-one without losing ground.
In Qian Xunji's hands, this technique could be honed into a deadly art.
"Of course, that's not all," Qian Xunji continued. "The three most luxurious commercial avenues in Heaven Dou City and Star Luo City—we want full control of them."
"Your Holiness, aren't you asking a bit too much?" Ning Zhiping's smile faded, and his tone darkened. "Those six streets bring our sect over fifty million gold soul coins in revenue annually. To fully cultivate one genius—accounting for cultivation resources and soul bones—two hundred million is more than enough."
Qian Xunji chuckled lightly. "I believe you know better than anyone whether I'm asking too much. A prodigy with innate full soul power is rare even in a century. One with twin martial souls is rarer than one in a thousand years. This child will almost certainly become a Title Douluo—guaranteeing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect a hundred years of peace."
"What's more, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can identify valuable treasures. With that kind of ability, money will always be just a number to your sect."
Ning Zhiping frowned, seeming to ponder it.
Qian Xunji didn't rush him. He knew perfectly well that Ning Zhiping was a sly old fox. This "consideration" was just an act—he was trying to squeeze out more profit.
For someone like Bibi Dong—a born genius with innate full soul power and twin martial souls—even if it meant emptying their treasury, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would never say no. After all, the Ning family had hundreds of direct descendants spread across the continent for one purpose: treasure hunting and making money.
A moment later, Ning Zhiping held up five fingers.
"One billion gold soul coins. I will offer that, along with the Divided Mind Control technique, in exchange for Bibi Dong."
Qian Xunji sighed theatrically.
"Sect Master Ning, do you really think I'm so easy to fool just because I've only just taken the Pope's throne?"
"Your Holiness, you of all people should know—a genius is only a genius if they grow into one."
"And you, Sect Master, should understand that once Bibi Dong does grow, she won't just safeguard your sect for a hundred years. She'll also mean that two top-tier martial souls—Death Spider Emperor and Soul Devouring Spider Emperor—will now be inherited within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. And top-tier martial souls produce more geniuses than anything else."
In the end, after a round of fierce negotiation, the deal was finalized at:
500 million gold soul coins
Three luxury commercial avenues in Heaven Dou City
The Divided Mind Control technique
Qian Xunji was very satisfied. Ning Zhiping and Qi Tian Douluo were equally pleased.
The two Guardian Douluo, however, were nearly coughing up blood.
A genius like Bibi Dong was priceless—something money could never truly measure. How could Qian Xunji trade her away so easily?
They knew full well that Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Three Upper Sects, would absolutely protect Bibi Dong with everything they had—ensuring she reached the rank of Title Douluo.
Qian Xunji's actions were nothing short of handing Spirit Hall's future rival over on a silver platter.
The two Guardian Douluo closed their eyes in despair.
They had already seen Spirit Hall's decline beginning—under Qian Xunji's rule.
(End of Chapter)
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