"Nothing much."
Bibi Dong's expression returned to normal.
After a brief silence, Bibi Dong continued, "I accept your request. Someone!"
As soon as her voice fell, a black shadow swiftly moved from a distant corner of the shadows and arrived before Bibi Dong, transforming into a black-robed elder.
This person was Ghost Douluo, Ghost, one of Bibi Dong's trusted right-hand men. Since there had been nothing important recently, it was his turn to protect Bibi Dong.
"Ghost, take this honored guest to the library."
"Yes!"
Ghost responded, then made an inviting gesture toward Shui Wuhen.
Seeing this, Shui Wuhen slightly nodded and slowly followed Ghost as they left.
After Shui Wuhen left, Bibi Dong's expression immediately turned somewhat gloomy.
She always felt that Shui Wuhen's visit was not so simple, but for now she could only receive him properly. Otherwise, if it led to a conflict between Shui Wuhen and the Spirit Hall, the losses would be immeasurable.
Of course, if Shui Wuhen could be recruited, that would be even better. After all, a genius like him joining the Spirit Hall would bring tremendous benefits. The Spirit Hall's position as the number one Soul Master organization would then be completely unshakable.
"Perhaps I should have acted back then. I wonder whether this Shui Wuhen's visit this time is a blessing or a curse for my Spirit Hall?"
Bibi Dong sighed inwardly. Back then, considering the Spirit Hall's reputation, Qian Renxue's attitude, and the possibility of recruiting Shui Wuhen, she had not chosen to eliminate him.
She originally thought that no matter how talented Shui Wuhen was, it would take at least over a decade for him to become a real threat. By then, Qian Renxue would have already grown strong under their guidance, and there would be nothing to fear from Shui Wuhen—at most, he would just become another major sect like the upper three sects.
But she never expected that Shui Wuhen would actually obtain a divine inheritance, and in just two years, he had grown to a level that even she, a level 99 peerless Douluo, had to treat with caution.
Such an improvement speed was simply terrifying—so terrifying that it exceeded their understanding of divine trials.
The Spirit Hall was founded by the Angel God, and it possesses the Angel God's inheritance. Over countless years, they had become extremely familiar with the process of divine trials. Yet they had never heard of such an outrageous growth rate.
At that moment, Bibi Dong headed toward the Enshrinement Hall. A matter of this magnitude was no longer something she could decide alone; she needed to consult that old fellow Qian Daoliu.
Meanwhile, Shui Wuhen had arrived at a massive building under Ghost's guidance—it was the Spirit Hall library.
Ghost then said to the Soul Saint guarding the library, "This is Mr. Shui Wuhen. From now on, he may freely enter and exit the library. Do not stop him!"
"Yes, Elder Ghost!"
The Soul Saint guarding the library curiously sized up Shui Wuhen and immediately responded loudly.
Ghost nodded, then turned to Shui Wuhen and said, "Very well. If you have any other needs, you may tell him. The Spirit Hall will not make things difficult for any guest."
After speaking, Ghost quickly left the area.
After leaving the library's vicinity, Ghost couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
"What a terrifying guy. Is he really just an eighteen-year-old youth?"
Although Shui Wuhen had not released any pressure, his instincts told him that this person was extremely dangerous and not to be provoked.
This feeling… he had only ever sensed it from Pope Bibi Dong and Grand Enshrined Elder Qian Daoliu. Even the Second Enshrined Elder Golden Crocodile Douluo was slightly inferior.
Originally, he had been somewhat dismissive of what Green Luan Douluo and Lightfeather Douluo reported, thinking they were just making excuses for failure. After all, how strong could an eighteen-year-old possibly be?
But now he didn't think so anymore, because reality proved that this eighteen-year-old Shui Wuhen was truly terrifying—perhaps even more terrifying than what they had described.
"Phew… luckily he only wants to use the library. As long as I keep things stable, my life is safe."
Ghost finally relaxed.
As long as there was no conflict between them, he would not need to step in, and naturally he would not be in danger.
As for Shui Wuhen wanting to read the library, that was a trivial matter.
Although the Spirit Hall library did contain some secrets, they were not crucial.
The truly important secrets had long been hidden or passed down orally. What Shui Wuhen could see here were only relatively unimportant records.
Of course, this did not mean the Spirit Hall library was unimportant.
As the Soul Master Association, the Spirit Hall's library contained the most comprehensive Soul Master knowledge on the continent. Even for Titled Douluo, it was very useful.
Not to mention weaker Soul Masters—even learning a small portion from it would benefit them endlessly.
After Ghost left, Shui Wuhen entered the Spirit Hall library.
Even though he had been prepared, he was still shocked by the vast collection of books inside.
Compared to this place, all the libraries he had seen before seemed insignificant. The library in Tianshui City was less than a ten-thousandth of this place.
After a brief moment of shock, Shui Wuhen became excited. The more Soul Master knowledge the Spirit Hall possessed, the greater his harvest would be. Perhaps he could not only fill in his missing knowledge but also gain inspiration to perfect his self-created soul skills.
He immediately asked the librarian Soul Master, "Where are the books related to Titled Douluo and gods?"
...
"What? You're saying Shui Wuhen came here just to borrow our library?"
Qian Daoliu was slightly stunned after hearing Bibi Dong's report, clearly not expecting Shui Wuhen's purpose to be this.
"He also said he wanted to ask some questions, but I sent him to the library first."
Bibi Dong said as she looked toward the scene in the hall and asked, "Where is Xue'er? She still hasn't come out?"
"She is currently undergoing the second trial of the Angel God. It will still take some time before she finishes," Qian Daoliu replied.
As the Grand Enshrined Elder of the Spirit Hall and the servant of the Angel God, Qian Daoliu naturally knew Qian Renxue's progress; otherwise, he would not be qualified as the overseer.
Then Qian Daoliu suddenly spoke, "I'll go test him and see what he's really planning. We know too little about him. I even suspect he was hiding his strength during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
With a flash of golden light, Qian Daoliu's figure vanished instantly.
Bibi Dong watched him leave, her eyes flickering, but she did not stop him.
She was also very curious about Shui Wuhen's current strength, and Qian Daoliu's test was exactly what she wanted.
In the library, Shui Wuhen had already been guided by the librarian to a bookshelf on the third floor, where he picked up a book related to gods and began reading carefully.
"Interested in gods?"
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind, and at some point, a golden figure had appeared in the chair opposite him.
Upon arrival, Qian Daoliu first observed Shui Wuhen, then glanced at the Articuno on his shoulder, his pupils slightly contracting.
Because he actually felt a sense of threat from both Shui Wuhen and Articuno—something not even Bibi Dong could give him.
Shui Wuhen did not directly answer Qian Daoliu's question. Instead, while flipping through the book, he asked, "Do you think there are gods in this world right now?"
"!?"
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu's pupils shrank, his heart shaken.
Because Shui Wuhen had not spoken aloud, but instead used spiritual power to communicate with him—this meant Shui Wuhen's spiritual power had reached the level of a peerless Douluo.
"Could it be… he has already completed the eighth trial? But he is clearly so young."
At this moment, even Qian Daoliu had to admit inwardly that the person before him might truly be a level 99 peerless Douluo—and very likely, like him, capable of using divine power.
Taking a deep breath, Qian Daoliu replied, "Gods do exist, but they are not in the mortal world. They are in the sky… or more precisely, in the Divine Realm."
Although he was somewhat surprised that Shui Wuhen, as a divine inheritor, would ask such a question, he still answered and pointed upward.
Hearing this, Shui Wuhen quickly finished the book in his hand, closed it, and looked directly at Qian Daoliu.
"If there are no gods in the mortal world, then are there demigods? Can gods from the Divine Realm descend? Are there any hidden powerful forces on this continent?"
These were the questions Shui Wuhen most wanted to know.
Although his estimated strength should already exceed that of a level 99 peerless Douluo, was the strongest combat power in this world really only level 99?
Were there demigods? Or even true gods?
Even if none existed, there could still be vast differences among level 99 peerless Douluo.
So Shui Wuhen had to understand this—and that was precisely why he came to the Spirit Hall headquarters. As the strongest Soul Master force on the continent, if anyone knew these answers, it would definitely be them.
"Level 99 peerless Douluo are already considered demigods. I have never heard of gods descending to the mortal world. However, believers may communicate with gods to a certain extent."
When saying this, Qian Daoliu's eyes carried a hint of regret. If gods could descend, the Qian family would not need to carefully select successors to start divine trials.
Now, the divine will left by the Angel God was almost exhausted. If no one inherited the Angel God's position soon, once it dissipated, the Qian family would no longer be able to conduct divine trials.
This was also why he valued Qian Renxue so much—not only because she was his granddaughter, but because her talent far surpassed her father Qian Xunji and made her the most talented member of the Qian family in hundreds of years.
As expected, she triggered the legendary Nine Angel Trials, rather than the Eight Trials like him.
The difference between nine and eight trials was the difference between becoming a god.
"As for the hidden forces you mentioned, of course there are some. For example, Sea God Island overseas—they believe in the Sea God, and their Great Priest Bo Saixi is also a level 99 peerless Douluo.
There are others as well, but in your eyes, they probably cannot be considered strong."
Listening to Qian Daoliu, Shui Wuhen stroked his chin.
"So in other words, someone at your level is already among the strongest in the world, correct?"
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu paused for a moment before nodding.
"If there are no other hidden strong individuals, then yes, I am among the strongest in the Soul Master world."
As he spoke, Qian Daoliu suddenly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, no longer using spiritual communication but speaking directly:
"I, Qian Daoliu, Grand Enshrined Elder of the Spirit Hall, request a spar with you."
"You are Qian Daoliu? One of the former twin peaks of the Soul Master world?"
Hearing Qian Daoliu's introduction, Shui Wuhen suddenly understood.
No wonder he felt that the person before him was even stronger than Bibi Dong—he was the former Pope of the Spirit Hall and one of the legendary pillars of the Soul Master world.
Hearing the words "twin peaks," Qian Daoliu's body trembled slightly. In the past, he and Tang Chen were indeed equals, but now he had been surpassed by Tang Chen.
Although Tang Chen himself could not become a god, the existence of the super divine artifact, the Asura Demon Sword, made him stronger than Qian Daoliu—and much stronger. That was reality.
At this moment, Shui Wuhen stretched his body and stood up.
"If you want to, then let's begin. I also want to know how strong I am right now."
From their earlier conversation, this Qian Daoliu was already one of the strongest on the continent.
If he could defeat him, it would mean that in this world—at least as long as no gods descended—Shui Wuhen would be invincible.
"Good. Let's fight in the sky."
Seeing Shui Wuhen agree, Qian Daoliu became excited. Three pairs of massive golden wings appeared behind him as he flew out of the window and into the sky.
Seeing this, Shui Wuhen patted Articuno on his shoulder.
"Articuno, time to work."
"For this kind of opponent, you alone would be enough, you know?"
Articuno rolled its eyes but still enlarged its body, carrying Shui Wuhen as it turned into a streak of icy light chasing after him.
At an altitude of over a thousand meters, Qian Daoliu finally stopped and turned to look at Shui Wuhen, who had arrived opposite him.
"You are the junior, so I will let you attack first."
Qian Daoliu raised a hand, gesturing politely.
Seeing this, Shui Wuhen smiled faintly.
"In that case, I won't hold back."
"Articuno, use Ice Beam!"
Immediately, Shui Wuhen gave the command.
Although he could also use Ice Beam, it was obvious that his own version could not compare to Articuno's.
"Woo~"
In the next moment, Articuno opened its mouth, and a massive ice-blue beam shot out, piercing toward Qian Daoliu's direction.