"No... no."
"I wouldn't dare, it was... it was the Fourth Worshipper and the Holy Son who said so."
Long Tao's face turned pale with shock, his body trembling, and he didn't dare to look into those narrow phoenix eyes.
"Hey, lift your head, don't be so spineless, you just claimed to have had a great awakening."
Long Tao's shoulder was suddenly patted, and a teasing voice came to his ear. Turning his head, he saw the sunny and handsome face of none other than Luo Fancheng.
"Don't talk nonsense, quickly pay your respects to His Holiness the Pope."
Long Tao was almost scared to tears.
How could he not be afraid? There is a saying widely spread on the Hunwu Continent: "Better to offend Yama than to provoke the Female Pope," which shows how terrifying Di Weiyang's reputation is.
"Fourth Worshipper, huh." Di Weiyang's phoenix eyes flashed with cold light as she said indifferently, "How can the remnants of the old era judge the prodigies of the new era?"
Long Tao was dumbfounded. He thought that when he suggested Luo Fancheng should aim to slap the faces of the Worshipper and the Holy Son, the Female Pope would have heard and it would be over for him.
But it seemed she didn't care at all, showing disdain for the Worshipper, and instead... seemed to have a high opinion of Luo Fancheng?
Long Tao's heart stirred, no, the meaning behind her words was more than just approval.
Luo Fancheng, neither humble nor arrogant, looked directly at the Female Pope's unparalleled face, secretly amazed.
What a Female Pope of the Temple.
Not only was she stunning, but she also exuded an overwhelming aura. Even Worshippers of at least level ninety-five couldn't catch her eye, reduced to remnants of the old era.
"Hey, aren't you afraid of my teacher?" A young girl with a purple ponytail asked curiously.
Luo Fancheng replied, "Why should I be afraid?"
The girl's cherry lips parted slightly, revealing a pair of cute little fangs. His question left her at a loss.
Shouldn't he be afraid?
Many high-ranking and powerful people, under the strong aura of the Pope teacher, were like mice seeing a cat, uneasy and unable to lift their heads, just like the little steward and the surrounding villagers.
At this moment, not only was the Holy Maiden curious, but even the Female Pope was slightly surprised.
Having been in a high position for many years, coupled with her terrifying strength, there were very few who dared to meet her gaze. This young man was indeed different.
Moreover, the Female Pope, who never cared about others' appearances and was face-blind, vaguely felt that this young man was excessively handsome, exuding a special charm.
Luo Fancheng's lips curled into a handsome arc, "If you act with integrity and have a clear conscience, even if the Female Pope is present, what is there to fear?"
The purple-haired Holy Maiden was slightly dazed by that smile, wondering how there could be such a good-looking man in the world, her peach lips opening and closing.
"Aren't you afraid my teacher will take action against you?"
Luo Fancheng shrugged and smiled, "Afraid or not, it's death either way, so why be afraid?"
"Besides, if you two wanted to harm me, there'd be no need for so much talk, you could just act."
Long Tao, listening on the side, was sweating coldly, thinking he was doomed. These words were simply insubordinate, audacious, and reckless.
Brother, no, Ancestor! You are truly brave, even daring to confront the Female Pope without giving face?
Even if you're not a simp, a few flattering words wouldn't hurt, there's no need to be so tough, losing her favor is as good as waiting for death.
The purple-haired Holy Maiden's lips parted slightly, turning to the cold and beautiful Female Pope beside her in surprise, "Teacher, you were right, this guy is really special, different from the other men in the Temple."
Find the original at "pawread dot com".
The Female Pope's cold lips remained closed, not responding, but her eyes showed a hint of approval.
She had always disliked sycophants and opportunists, and Luo Fancheng's unyielding attitude deeply resonated with her.
After some thought, she spoke, "I, the thirteenth generation Female Pope of the Temple of Light, Di Weiyang, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Long Tao, who had been tense, was instantly dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning.
Damn!
What, taking a disciple?
Did he hear wrong?
The Female Pope decided to take Luo Fancheng as a disciple?? This didn't match his imagined scenario of mutual destruction.
Rumor had it that the Female Pope was aloof, disliked strangers, and especially disliked men.
The surrounding villagers exchanged glances, seeing the wide-eyed expressions on each other's faces. Though they dared not speak, they heard everything.
This Luo Fancheng was incredible.
Three sentences and he got the Female Pope to take him as a disciple?
"Why?" Luo Fancheng asked calmly.
Damn!
Long Tao pulled at his hair with both hands, his eyes red and bloodshot.
Brother, are you crazy? The Female Pope wants to take you as a disciple, and you hesitate? Instead of being overjoyed and quickly kneeling to thank her, what nonsense are you thinking?
Nearby, the villagers were already shocked, their jaws dropping as they recalled.
He... has always been this brave?
Oh, seems like it, from a young age, he was super brave. Most villagers still remember him going hunting alone at eleven, returning to the village with scars and a gray wolf's head.
Luo Fancheng ignored the envious gazes around him. As a transmigrator, he was naturally wary of this world, believing there was no such thing as a free lunch, and no one would be good to another without reason.
Naive people are all dead.
He needed to know why she wanted to take him as a disciple, after all, on the surface, his Martial Soul seemed useless, only he knew its true potential.
The purple-haired Holy Maiden bared her little fangs, angrily saying, "Damn, I have this urge to bite you to death!"
"Do you know how many prodigies want to join my teacher's ranks? As numerous as carp crossing the river, even the arrogant Holy Son knelt at her door for three days."
"But my teacher didn't even spare him a glance."
Though Luo Fancheng was very handsome, and she found him pleasing, she really wanted to bite him to pieces now. He had no idea how rare it was for the Pope teacher to open her golden mouth.
The Female Pope's face was as cold as ice, expressionless.
"You want a reason?"
"Yes." Luo Fancheng nodded, sticking to his view.
"Swish!"
The sun was high in the sky, the summer heat intense, but the surrounding temperature rapidly dropped.
Everyone couldn't help but shiver, their faces showing fear.
An emperor's wrath could cause a million deaths.
The Female Pope's proud figure exuded an overwhelming pressure, her phoenix eyes fixed on Luo Fancheng, devoid of any emotion.
"I, Di Weiyang, have never needed to explain my actions to anyone."
Around them, Long Tao and the villagers felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles, even though the Female Pope wasn't targeting them, the powerful aura made their skin crawl.
They could only anxiously look at Luo Fancheng, who remained silent. Brother, Ancestor! Speak up, say something!!
The purple-haired Holy Maiden also felt something was wrong, her heart skipping a beat. The Pope teacher seemed truly angry, no one had ever dared to defy her.
No one expected that at this irreconcilable moment, Di Weiyang spoke again:
"But, today I can give you a reason."
"This Pope..."
"Favors you."
"Is that reason enough?"
The cold and domineering words fell, and silence enveloped the surroundings. Not only Long Tao and the villagers, but even the Holy Maiden was left with her cherry lips agape, full of disbelief.
People were stunned.
How could it be? The Holy Maiden knew her teacher well, principled and firm, when she said no explanation, she meant it.
What was happening today?
"Enough."
Luo Fancheng bowed his head, performing the disciple's salute.
"Disciple Luo Fancheng, greets teacher."
Di Weiyang nodded, her lips curving into a fleeting smile, making everything around seem dull in comparison, leaving everyone in awe.
"Lack of talent can be remedied, but a flawed person has no cure."
"Luo Fancheng, that Fourth Worshipper is blind, but in this Pope's eyes, you are excellent."
Luo Fancheng caught a glimpse, his heart skipping a beat, but the smile vanished quickly, returning to her cold demeanor.
After the apprenticeship, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Was he really not afraid of death?
Come on, only a fool wouldn't fear death. Luo Fancheng wasn't a saint, he valued his life, and in the face of death, he could have a very flexible moral bottom line.
In fact, he thought things through before doing anything, and it turned out he was right this time.
First, he did need a reason to judge her purpose in taking him as a disciple, caution is key to longevity.
Second, his little wife Su Jiuer was the Demon Emperor, even if she couldn't win, she could take him and run, right?
Third, who was he in his past life, a master psychologist of Aquaman level, understanding various women's personalities like the back of his hand.
For an ice queen's aloof personality, the softer and less confident you are, the more she looks down on you.
Those who avoid the queen's gaze are destined to be despised by her, in her eyes, the weak are all subjects.
To conquer the queen, one must be stronger and more domineering, but not like some adolescent delusional Dragon Ao Tian, the details are too many to elaborate.
Luo Fancheng shook his head.
Damn, what nonsense was he thinking?
It must be his past life's Aquaman occupational disease acting up, he had no intention of being a rebellious disciple, absolutely not now.
The urgent task was how to get on the right track of cultivation, to study what was going on with the two Martial Souls, and where the treasure indicated by the sheepskin map was.
Su Jiuer hadn't told him much about Soul Masters before, and now that he had awakened his Martial Soul, he was stepping into a new realm.
Alas, in this world, the weak have no rights, without strength, it's hard to move an inch, and there are rumors of Evil Soul Masters causing trouble in the dark. Fortunately, he had an Empress wife and a Female Pope master, providing some safety.
"Brother Fancheng, I'm Bai Yingyue, you can just call me Ying Yue from now on."
The girl, with her long legs in black boots, ran to Luo Fancheng's side, her purple ponytail swaying as she spoke charmingly.
Luo Fancheng's lips twitched, "Call you Senior Brother? Shouldn't you be my Senior Sister instead?"
"Oh, it's all the same, all the same! Being a sister is too troublesome, I've always wanted a brother to care for me."
Bai Yingyue stuck out her tongue, as if remembering something, her breathing became rapid:
"By the way, that dragon blood the Fourth Worshipper gave you, throw it away quickly."
"Throw away the dragon blood? What do you mean?" Luo Fancheng was puzzled.
Proofreader: Peter Pan