A Path to the Future, Bibi Dong's Intent

Tuoba Yan traced the Storage Soul Guide Device on his ring. He retrieved the corpse of the masked man from within.

The body smelled faintly of decay.

Tuoba Xi waved his hand, and his Soul Power coalesced into a gust of wind, blowing away the mask from the man's face.

After examining him for a moment, Tuoba Xi asked, "Who is he?"

"The man from Soul Hunting Valley who threatened to kill me!"

"That's impossible. Soul Hunting Valley is heavily guarded; I personally oversee it. A petty criminal wouldn't be able to sneak in."

"Grandfather, nothing is impossible. This assassin would rather commit suicide than reveal his backer."

Hearing Tuoba Yan's words, Tuoba Xi actually smiled, "Yan'er, you wouldn't suspect the Pontiff did this, would you?"

Tuoba Yan nodded, "It's not entirely out of the question."

Tuoba Xi scoffed, analyzing the situation, "Let's put aside the fact that the Pontiff wouldn't gain anything from killing you. If she wanted you dead, it would be as easy as breathing! She's a Peak Douluo!"

"Sigh…"

Tuoba Yan sighed, saying, "Grandfather, you still haven't taken my words to heart. Because of the Seclusion Chamber Douluo, the Pontiff's heart has become twisted. Our Tuoba Clan are the in-laws of the Qian Clan. You also oversee the Soul Hunting Squad. If I wanted to uproot the foundation of the Qian Clan, I would target the Tuoba Clan first."

Tuoba Xi, a man of unwavering loyalty, was taken aback by Tuoba Yan's words.

He had always dedicated his life to serving the Qian Clan, believing that strengthening their position would elevate the family.

In the original storyline, that's precisely what he did.

During the War of the Gods, for the sake of the Qian Clan and the Martial Soul Hall, Tuoba Xi willingly allowed Bibi Dong to consume his spirit power and Soul Power.

Bibi Dong had always maintained a flawless facade.

No one within the Martial Soul Hall questioned Bibi Dong's motives for strengthening it.

If Bibi Dong's true goal was to overthrow the Martial Soul Hall and uproot the foundation of the Qian Clan, then Tuoba Xi felt a chill run down his spine, and he couldn't help but shiver.

Tuoba Xi paced back and forth in the room. After a while, he analyzed Tuoba Yan's words, "So, you're saying the masked man's purpose in killing you was to sow discord between our Tuoba Clan and the Martial Soul Hall, especially concerning the Qian Clan?"

"Or even to force us to rebel!" Tuoba Yan added the words Tuoba Xi dared not say, "It's possible Bibi Dong wants to use my hand to sabotage the Martial Soul Hall from within. If I were to die, and the investigation led to Bibi Dong, what would you do?"

Loyalty was ingrained in Tuoba Xi's bones.

He had never considered rebelling.

Tuoba Xi's eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he said, "How could I remain indifferent if my grandson were murdered? Even if the net breaks, I, Tuoba Xi, will create a storm, and seek justice before the Grand Elder."

Tuoba Yan nodded, "That's right. Perhaps that is Bibi Dong's true intention."

Tuoba Xi shook his head slightly, denying it, "Yan'er, these are all your speculations. We cannot draw conclusions without evidence. I'm more inclined to believe that someone from our clan suffered a major setback recently and wants to kill you out of spite. It could be the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it could be one of the two imperial families, or it could be another clan!"

Recently, Tuoba Yan had suggested an idea to Tuoba Xi.

Many clans were watching the Tuoba Clan's movements, making it difficult for them to conduct normal activities.

So, Tuoba Yan suggested they turn the situation to their advantage, by heavily acquiring an item with some inherent value, setting a trap to cause those who were spying on the Tuoba Clan to stumble.

In the end, the Tuoba Clan made a massive profit of fifteen billion Gold Soul Coins.

From the two imperial families to the Martial Soul Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, to wealthy nobles—all lost a significant amount of money.

It was possible that someone was enraged by this and wanted to kill Tuoba Yan out of personal vengeance.

Tuoba Yan nodded, "It's also possible. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Star Dou Imperial Family, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect… they all have motives and are suspects."

Tuoba Xi said, "Alright, Yan'er. Don't mention this to anyone. I'll investigate this matter discreetly. We mustn't wrongly accuse anyone before there's evidence. I swear to you, once there's evidence, I will bring the culprit to justice, no matter who they are!"

Tuoba Yan trusted Tuoba Xi's oath.

Since crossing over, Tuoba Yan had felt the warmth of familial affection from Tuoba Xi.

Tuoba Xi walked up to Tuoba Yan and put a hand on his shoulder, asking, "You've already graduated from the Junior Soul Master Academy. What are your plans for the future?"

"I want to become the Pontiff!"

"Hmph, ambitious, truly my grandson."

Tuoba Xi nodded, a proud smile on his face, "Without the cultivation of a Title Douluo, becoming the Pontiff is merely being a puppet in the Elder Hall. I believe you will one day become a Title Douluo."

Tuoba Yan had thought things through.

The Tuoba Clan was one of the eight major clans affiliated with the Martial Soul Hall and subservient to the Qian Clan.

Most of the clan's core members held important positions within the Martial Soul Hall.

To separate the clan's core members from the Martial Soul Hall and have them stand independently with him was almost a pipe dream.

Qian Dao Liu was a coward.

Qian Ren Xue was a love-struck fool.

And Bibi Dong was a madwoman who wanted to destroy her own family's foundation.

None of these three were worth Tuoba Yan's dedicated service.

The Qian Clan's current generation had no one worth supporting, and the Tuoba Clan couldn't break free from the Martial Soul Hall and stand on its own.

What should he do?

After greeting the members of the Tuoba Clan guarding Soul Hunting Valley, Tuoba Yan suddenly understood.

He would become the Pontiff.

If no one was worthy of assisting him, he might as well be the "emperor" himself.

He would firmly grasp power in his own hands, command the Martial Soul Hall, unify the world, and dismantle Bibi Dong's schemes.

Tuoba Yan stood in the room, watching the departing back of Tuoba Xi as he left through the doorway.

Sunlight streamed through the crack in the door, stretching Tuoba Xi's shadow long and thin.

The next day, Tuoba Yan was summoned by the Guardian Knights and proceeded to the Pontiff's Hall to meet with Pontiff Bibi Dong.

According to the rules of the Martial Soul Hall, geniuses who graduated directly from the Junior Soul Master Academy and entered the Hall's inner sanctum would receive one-on-one training from the Martial Soul Hall.

The Martial Soul Hall would arrange for Soul Douluos or above to secretly protect their safety.

Xie Yue and Hu Li Na were exceptionally talented and were chosen by Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo respectively.

Spirit Eagle Douluo was originally responsible for the safety of Zhang Ping, who possessed the Golden Waist Flying Swallow Martial Soul.

Because Tuoba Yan was a fire-attribute Soul Master, with the same Martial Soul attribute as Spirit Eagle Douluo, Bibi Dong used this as an excuse and specially assigned her close friend, Spirit Eagle Douluo, to be solely responsible for his safety.