Chapter 990: I

“So are we just leaving the Mother Superior alone?” Faxia found the Pope’s remarks heretical and steered the topic back to Luo Quan.

No matter what, the Mother Superior is one of the most vital figures in the Dawn Church; even if the Pope falters, she cannot.

Of course, given the current peace across the cosmos, it’s quite difficult for the Mother Superior to even encounter danger—her safety isn’t much to worry about—but Faxia cares more about when she’ll accept this identity.

Throughout history, every Mother Superior has been a devout follower of the Dawn Church; it can’t be that this generation’s Mother Superior becomes an atheist.

If that’s the case, the impact on believers would be profoundly negative.

And when the future Son of God is born, how can he lead the people of the Dawn Church if raised by a mother who doesn’t believe in God?

The previous Son of God was already erratic—he loved traveling since he was young, roaming the cosmos, and hasn’t returned to the Huanyu Star in over a decade.

There’s no hope for him; we can only rely on the next one.

But now the new Mother Superior is just like this—it’s truly worrying whether she can raise the Son of God into a devout and outstanding individual.

Crucially, according to the scriptures, the Church is forbidden from raising the Son of God in place of the Mother Superior, for God’s child may be guided only by God Himself or the Mother Superior; anyone else attempting to do so is an act of usurpation.

So although Faxia was inwardly frantic, he could only remain an observer.

“Relax, my Grand Archbishop,” Benjamin III appeared remarkably calm. “Think carefully—throughout history, has any Mother Superior ever failed in upbringing?”

“But throughout history, she’s the only one who’s an atheist,” Faxia softly emphasized.

“Grand Archbishop Faxia!” Benjamin III could no longer bear it and slammed his scepter hard against the floor.

The dull thud echoed throughout the palace, and Faxia himself shuddered violently.

“Never forget your place, Faxia. As one of the most exalted figures in the Dawn Church, nothing the Mother Superior does is for you to judge.”

Even if she’s an atheist, even if she worships another religion or is a heretic, once she becomes the Mother Superior, you must treat her with the utmost piety and reverence!”

“Not like this—whining and questioning like some bitter woman.”

Benjamin III rarely rebuked a Cardinal so harshly, especially since Faxia was his longtime personal friend.

But this time, the Cardinal’s excessive skepticism toward the Mother Superior was truly unimaginable during such a strict era of Church doctrine.

Perhaps it was because this Pope himself was never serious, causing those beneath him to follow suit.

But when correction is needed, it must be done—never ignored just because of personal friendship.

Some boundaries admit no ambiguity.

“I was wrong,” Faxia immediately recognized his error after being scolded, placing a hand over his chest and bowing his head in apology.

“You don’t need to apologize to me—just don’t treat the Mother Superior with prejudice going forward. You’ve only just met her; how do you know she isn’t a worthy Mother Superior? Preconceptions are dangerous.”

Benjamin III’s tone softened slightly, every word revealing his deep expectations for Luo Quan.

He was no prophet, possessing no foresight—but he believed in the Lord of Light.

If she was chosen by the Lord to become the Mother Superior, there must be a reason; as a believer, you simply must believe unconditionally. Any hesitation means insufficient faith.

………………

“Alright, it seems this believer has a deep bond with his cat. But I must say—romance between different species rarely ends well, unless this cat evolves into a cat-girl.”

Luo Quan watched the comments and seriously offered advice to this deeply sinful netizen.

With the Huanyu Star’s technology, animals can be rapidly evolved into human form.

Whether through technological means—using special light waves—or through cultivation methods—helping the cat cultivate into a human—these paths are common and have high success rates.

But the problem is: once a pet with low intelligence becomes human and its intellect surges, will it still want to remain a pet? No one can say for sure.

Still, the mere option of turning the cat into a cat-girl is enough for furries to ignore all risks—if it succeeds, it’s pure ecstasy; minor risks are negligible.

After listening to five viewers’ confessions, today’s confession segment finally ended.

While viewers remained eager for more, they also gained a fresh understanding of human diversity:

“I used to think humans could only ever be human—but now I realize how narrow-minded that view was.”

“This is undoubtedly the most effective livestream stunt I’ve seen in months. I don’t know about her theology, but she’s definitely a talent in livestreaming.”

“You didn’t remind me, I’d forgotten she’s even the Mother Superior—I just watched her as a stunt streamer.”

“Continue tomorrow—I can’t wait to see even more outrageous, thrilling confessions.”

“This isn’t outrageous enough? Even I, a pervert, found it perverse.”

………………

Judging from netizens’ comments, they were quite satisfied with this livestream.

Luo Quan hadn’t expected her imitation of a certain Earth streamer’s stunt to work so well.

Clearly, the bizarre is a topic humanity can never escape—it draws massive attention anywhere.

But if the topic becomes too extreme, it’s uncertain whether the platform will allow her to continue broadcasting.

Her platform is the largest livestreaming service on the Huanyu Star, open to all ages, so its review standards are strict; if content is too inappropriate, it will be banned.

Although the Huanyu Star also has legal platforms for explicit livestreams, if she were forced to switch platforms over just one livestream, it would be entirely unnecessary.

So if the moderators issue her a warning, this segment must be terminated.

The good news is the moderators haven’t said a word so far—perhaps they’re enjoying it too.

“By the way, I need to clarify something with everyone.”

After the confession segment ended, Luo Quan remembered a serious matter and looked directly into the camera: “I saw some viewers comment that my performance slot at the Anniversary Gala is due to my identity as the Dawn Mother Superior.”

Here, I want to ask you all: isn’t this show called the Beauty Contest? Is my beauty so lacking that I can only appear on this stage through connections and favoritism?”

For years, Luo Quan has always been rational and cautious about praise for her talent—but when it comes to beauty, she has always been confident and proud.

The Huanyu Star Beauty Contest’s directors explicitly stated they invited the ten most beautiful people on the Huanyu Star to perform.

Although it’s a gatekeeper for the top ten, it’s chosen entirely by public vote, with zero bias—what does that have to do with my identity?

“So I’d like to ask those doubting netizens: is it because I’m not beautiful enough that you reached this conclusion, or do you have some insider information?”

Luo Quan pressed further, but now the comments were filled entirely with support—no discordant words could be seen.

“Looks like no one’s questioning anymore.”

Luo Quan chuckled, thinking these people were truly timid: “Anyway, the situation is as it is—I never considered using connections even for the Martial God Trial; why would I risk my reputation over this show?”

“Besides, I’ll be performing soon—everyone will soon see whether I belong on this stage.”

In the past, Luo Quan might have sworn oaths to prove herself.

But years in showbiz have taught her how to handle such situations.

Swearing oaths is the most useless and foolish method—the key lies in your actual ability.

If you demonstrate your strength, audiences will naturally accept you—even if you stay silent.

Conversely, if you can’t show real strength, no matter how eloquently you speak, you’ll still be criticized.

So three parts words, seven parts action—that’s the correct approach.

Don’t be fooled by the current criticism; after the Anniversary Gala ends, Luo Quan believes these voices will vanish entirely, because her ability speaks for itself—and she has this confidence.

Of course, her upcoming performance requires an excellent team.

While it’s impressive to handle everything alone, it’s not always practical.

Choral pieces require clear division between male and female voices to achieve beauty; a single vocal range would be too monotonous.

Moreover, more performers create greater momentum, so Luo Quan asked Bai Xingwei to help her assemble a professional symphony orchestra and choir.

Although the Huanyu Star’s instruments differ entirely from Earth’s, their tones are similar—every Earth instrument has a viable substitute among Huanyu Star instruments.

As for language, the choral lyrics are few—just use phonetic approximation; even if pronunciation is imperfect, no one will notice.

With a professional orchestra backing her, Luo Quan felt even more confident about this performance.

“Mother Superior, have you finished rehearsal so soon?”

In the dining hall, Bai Xingwei greeted Luo Quan with a smile as she walked in.

Luo Quan gave her a weary glance, too tired to correct her again.

Ever since she became famous online due to this identity, Bai Xingwei loved teasing her by calling her “Mother Superior.”

“Don’t call me Mother Superior—it makes me sound ancient.”

Luo Quan voiced her displeasure once more, but seeing Bai Xingwei’s grinning face, she doubted it had any effect.

“The music is short, so rehearsal didn’t take long. The people you introduced are all quite skilled.”

Luo Quan sat at the table, grabbed a large, glistening piece of spicy grilled meat, and bit into it fiercely.

Bai Xingwei winced at her uncouth eating: “You’re only like this at my place—if you ate like this outside, your beauty image would collapse instantly.”

“Do people on the Huanyu Star really care so much about manners?” Luo Quan swallowed the meat, stretching her neck—she’d assumed people here weren’t so shallow.

Bai Xingwei rolled her eyes: “Isn’t that obvious? Behavior and poise are also assets. A graceful, elegant beauty is far more pleasing than a foot-picking one!”

She thought Luo Quan was wasting her gift—she possessed a face rarer than any across the entire Huanyu Star, yet lived like a loser.

Though she didn’t pick her feet, she certainly wasn’t graceful—she resembled a tomboy.

Such women might be loved as buddies by men, but their beauty perception is inherently lower than other women’s.

Although Luo Quan now appears normal on camera—reserved, poised, elegant—

Who could guess how she behaves in private? If fans ever discovered this, her image would instantly collapse.

Neglecting these details leads to serious problems.

“Fine, I know—I’m only like this privately. Eating messily isn’t a big deal.”

Luo Quan thought Bai Xingwei was overreacting; she’d never act like this in public—context determines behavior.

Bai Xingwei pursed her lips and said nothing more.

“By the way, after you attended that lecture, did you make any breakthrough in Wu Gong?”

After so many days, Luo Quan finally brought up Wu Gong with Bai Xingwei.

Their previous sparring match, which ended in a draw, sparked heated discussion across the Huanyu Star Academy.

Many students were astonished that this new student, not even officially enrolled, could match Bai Xingwei at the same level—her strength was truly exceptional.

But Luo Quan knew Bai Xingwei had held back far more than just suppressing her cultivation—this wasn’t a draw; it was clear Bai Xingwei hadn’t intended to win at all.

In the short term, she certainly couldn’t catch up, but if she could witness Bai Xingwei becoming the strongest of the younger generation, it would certainly be a good thing.

“I’ve already broken through to the Divine Refinement realm,” Bai Xingwei said casually, unaware that this news alone would stir up a storm beyond.

A Divine Refinement expert under twenty—what does that even mean?

In nearly a thousand years of history, there have been few such geniuses.

“Do you need my help?” Luo Quan asked enthusiastically. “Though I doubt you do—our cultivation levels are too far apart.”

“True,” Bai Xingwei nodded, lips pressed together. “Our gap is too wide. A battle with suppressed cultivation won’t help solidify anything.”

“Pfft, you just started cultivating a few years earlier. Just watch—I’ll catch up eventually!”

Luo Quan looked at Bai Xingwei with defiance, speaking in a teasing tone.