"Well, if you're unwilling, I won't force you," the teacher said with a sigh. "You're right—if Dong'er becomes the Pope, it's the same as you becoming the Pope."
Qian Xunji revealed a trace of regret on his face. He stood up from the Pope's throne, walked slowly over to Zhao Ling, and lightly patted him on the shoulder, looking at him with "kind" eyes.
"From now on, I'll leave Dong'er to you. She lost her parents at a very young age and became an orphan. I hope you will cherish her and not let her suffer the slightest grievance..."
At first, Zhao Ling nodded repeatedly, but soon realized something felt off.
He and Dong'er hadn't even gotten engaged, let alone married, yet this Qian Xunji guy was already calling himself her teacher-in-law and acting all magnanimous—so smooth it made Zhao Ling want to punch him.
But thinking again, this guy was Dong'er's teacher and had worked hard to raise her.
As long as he didn't develop inappropriate intentions for Dong'er like in the original story, Zhao Ling figured he should show some respect. After all, wasn't he the one lusting after Dong'er?
Just as Zhao Ling was holding himself back from beating Qian Xunji to a pulp, the grand hall doors opened.
Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo walked in and saw Qian Xunji lightly patting Zhao Ling's shoulder with a look of admiration.
The two were a bit stunned. They had expected the atmosphere in the Pope's Palace to be tense, maybe even on the verge of a fight.
But instead, Qian Xunji was smiling warmly at a complete stranger? How could they not be confused?
Still, Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo quickly regained composure and approached, speaking in a probing tone.
"Xun'er, who is this person? Was that powerful Title Douluo from earlier—stronger than you—this man?"
Qian Daoliu didn't beat around the bush and asked his question directly.
Qian Xunji nodded slightly and pointed at Zhao Ling as he explained.
"Yes, Father. This man is Dong'er's… fiancé. Although they haven't known each other long, it was love at first sight. I want to pick a good day and personally hold an engagement ceremony for them."
"What..." Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo were both shocked. Bibi Dong was Qian Xunji's only disciple, practically raised like his own daughter.
And now, right after she'd finally grown up, some outsider was already stealing her away—and Qian Xunji wasn't even mad?
But soon, they realized why. The young man before them didn't look older than 30.
To reach Title Douluo at such an age, his potential was terrifying. He might very well inherit divine powers one day and become a god through divine trials.
If he was engaged to Bibi Dong, and later became a god, then Wuhun Hall would essentially have a god on their side. In times of danger, how could he possibly stand by and do nothing?
Plus, Bibi Dong herself had great talent and even had twin spirits. Qian Daoliu knew even he wasn't as talented as her.
Maybe she too could become a god. Just imagining a future where Wuhun Hall had two gods made Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo fully understand Qian Xunji's intentions.
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. "That's wonderful. Since they're fond of each other, we should let them be. You take care of the arrangements."
While they spoke, Zhao Ling turned his attention to the man Qian Xunji had called "Father"—a handsome man who appeared in his 30s or 40s, with a faint smile on his face.
He had a peaceful and calm aura that made Zhao Ling feel comfortable. Though he gave off no visible pressure, Zhao Ling instinctively sensed danger from him.
Zhao Ling resumed venting in his still-unposted diary panel:
[As expected, Qian Daoliu, Qian Xunji, and Qian Renxue's whole family are all good-looking. Qian Daoliu's clearly almost a hundred years old, but his looks are still top-notch.]
[I, Zhao, am already considered pretty handsome, especially with my system-boosted looks rated at 88. But these two father and son? Their looks are easily over 90.]
[Huh, now that I think about it—Qian Daoliu looks way better than Tang Chen. So why did Bo Saixi like Tang Chen instead of Qian Daoliu?]
[Did Bo Saixi have eyesight issues? Let's be real, eight out of ten women in my past life liked handsome guys.]
[Or maybe her taste was just different—maybe she didn't like handsome ones, just the ones with double-door physiques.]
[Hmm, maybe not impossible. Tang Chen inherited the Clear Sky Hammer spirit and had that double-door eight-pack abs thing going on. Maybe that's just Bo Saixi's type.]
[Too bad Bo Saixi and Tang Chen never ended up together. Tang Chen fell into Rakshasa God's trap, got possessed by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, lost his mind, and became the Slaughter King.]
[Saving Tang Chen would be extremely difficult, and even if he does recover, he probably won't live long… But what does that have to do with me, Zhao?]
After finishing his rant, Zhao Ling clicked "upload" on the diary. The entry was rated A+, earning him an 80,000-year external soul bone, which quickly fused into his body.
Seeing the reward, Zhao Ling's eyes lit up. It hadn't been easy, but after all his efforts, he finally completed his set of soul bones. Though the overall quality still wasn't that high...
His best two soul bones came from hunting the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors—dropped thanks to sheer luck.
The weakest one came from killing a 10,000-year Iron Arm Demon Ape. Even after receiving system upgrades multiple times, it still hadn't reached the 20,000-year mark.
However, external soul bones had growth potential. An 80,000-year starting point was already quite high—likely to reach 100,000 years soon. Zhao Ling was satisfied.
After absorbing the new external soul bone, his soul power slightly increased. But perhaps due to his already immense power, his level didn't rise.
Not that he cared. In just 15 years, he had gone from nothing to a Level 93 Title Douluo—already an incredible feat.
After closing his diary panel, Zhao Ling began chatting with Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo—his demeanor calm and confident.
After all, he was a Title Douluo with three 100,000-year spirit rings—he had every right to be confident.