Grandmaster? Just a Pitiful, Tragic Fool

After the lengthy meeting in the Pontiff Palace ended, Su Chen was the first to slip out.

Besides not wanting to be dragged around and bombarded with questions, he also felt that Bibi Dong was not quite in the right state of mind tonight. He decided to let His Holiness the Pope calm down for a night first.

As for what he would use Bibi Dong's promise to obtain, he had already thought it through, so there was no need to rush.

Except...

"Kid, His Holiness the Pope wishes to see you."

Su Chen sighed and looked helplessly at Yue Guan, who was blocking his path.

The latter wore a sour expression, glaring at him with obvious displeasure.

"Can I not go?"

Su Chen made one small attempt at resistance.

"What do you think?"

The look on Yue Guan's face turned dangerous.

I don't even get this kind of treatment. You should be secretly celebrating, and yet you're acting unwilling!

"Fine, I knew it."

The white-haired boy spread his hands and sighed again.

He really did not want to see Bibi Dong tonight.

Yue Guan:

I'm so pissed. This brat is begging to be beaten!!

After going around the Pontiff Palace and walking roughly three hundred meters along an exquisitely carved stone path, a distinctive garden came into the boy's view.

A faint, elegant fragrance drifted over on the morning breeze, easing some of the boy's fatigue.

The pale light of dawn in the east dispersed the last trace of darkness from the horizon. Only then did Su Chen realize that the night had already passed.

A lot had really happened last night, but...

Thinking of the soul bone in his Soul Tool, a smile curled across the boy's lips.

The gains had been quite substantial as well.

"We're here. Go in."

When they reached the garden gate, Yue Guan muttered those words and crossed his arms as he stood to one side.

"Huh? You're not coming in?"

the boy asked in confusion.

Yue Guan:

What do you mean by that?

I stopped here because I wasn't allowed inside, damn it!!

"Hurry up. Don't keep His Holiness the Pope waiting!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo shot him an irritated glare, then turned away and ignored him.

A private audience?

Su Chen felt utterly helpless. Hopefully this woman will restrain herself a little.

People need boundaries. Show some of the bearing expected of the number one hidden boss of the Douluo world. Don't act like some sheltered little girl.

But then again, it made sense. If she had truly seen the world, how could she have fallen for someone like Yu Xiaogang?

The garden was lush with branches and leaves, fragrant with plants and flowers. It was exquisite without feeling crowded. As Su Chen walked along the shaded path, he felt the circulation speed of his Chakra increase by several degrees.

Huh, it's actually a Mimic Cultivation Environment?

The boy's eyes lit up as he eagerly looked around. He had always been interested in anything that could increase cultivation speed, especially since this was used by the Pope herself. It had to be the finest kind.

In an instant, countless research topics sprang into his mind. Could this place amplify the refinement speed of Chakra, the cultivation speed of Mental Energy, and even the absorption speed of Natural Energy?

And what was the principle behind a mimic environment? Couldn't a simplified core be made and carried around?

Could multiple environments be stacked?

At that thought, Su Chen practically itched to begin researching on the spot.

"Do you like it here?"

A pleasant, slightly husky voice sounded beside his ear. The boy nodded instinctively, then suddenly came to his senses and immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique!

Then, unsurprisingly, a smooth, soft sensation touched his face again. A slender jade-like hand was gently pinching his cheek.

Before a Twin Martial Souls Titled Douluo like Bibi Dong, the Body Flicker Technique he could currently use was indeed rather insufficient.

Fortunately, Su Chen had another move.

Pop!

Smoke rose up. The Su Chen who had just been in her grasp instantly transformed into a flower, while he himself appeared three meters away in a flash.

"An interesting ability. You truly are such an interesting little fellow."

Bibi Dong blinked her wine-red eyes, set the flower in her hand on the ground, then thought for a moment before picking it back up and placing it into the vase in the pavilion.

"Your Holiness the Pope, please do not touch people so casually."

Su Chen looked with some exasperation at His Holiness the Pope, who had changed into a different outfit.

She wore a pink nightgown, her smooth gradient-colored hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her delicate collarbones and half of her fragrant shoulders were exposed, while the loose nightgown could not conceal her stunning figure. She had lost some of her usual cold nobility and gained a touch of languid softness.

In short, she had none of the gravitas a major boss should possess, much less any sense of boundaries.

"If you like it, you can cultivate here from now on."

Rather than answer the boy's reproach, Bibi Dong blinked playfully. "Oh, right. You still haven't told me what you want."

"You should think carefully before making your request. You only have this one chance. Of course, whatever you want, I can probably satisfy it."

Her words carried an underlying meaning.

Su Chen naturally understood what Bibi Dong meant. Just as in the Pontiff Palace, even if he asked for a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone right now, she might still grant it to him.

But he also knew that if he truly made such a request, their relationship would quickly return to how it had been at the beginning.

After all, Su Chen knew exactly what he had done. The Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone had already been an unexpected windfall. Asking for a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone would be somewhat ungrateful.

Bibi Dong was currently in a strangely impulsive state, so she naturally would not mind. But once she calmed down, that sort of greed would definitely leave a bad impression.

Even if she would not withhold resources from him, building mutual trust would become difficult.

Besides, Su Chen had long made plans for his future. If this soul bone did not suit him, then at this stage it could only be used to study Natural Energy.

That would be far too wasteful.

So...

"I've decided."

After a moment, the boy raised his head, a certain light glimmering in his dark eyes.

"I need a fully equipped laboratory with enough space, one that is earthquake-resistant, waterproof, impact-resistant, soundproof, and protected against eavesdropping."

That was Su Chen's request.

Compared to soul bones or other treasures that would not be of much help to him at this stage, this was the most suitable request.

Only by relying on Spirit Hall's immense influence could such a large laboratory be supported.

After all, Su Chen had looked into it. The materials required for some equipment really were not cheap.

With a laboratory, many of his projects could finally get underway.

"Wait, what did you say? A laboratory?"

A trace of astonishment flashed through Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes, both at the unfamiliar term and at the boy's request.

"Little fellow, have you misunderstood what I meant? I'm saying that you can make any request. For example, a soul bone even better than yours, or I could take you to hunt a rarer, higher-level soul ring, or treasures, rare Soul Tools, even... peerless beauties. In short, do you understand what I mean?"

She stopped concealing it and laid it out plainly.

Su Chen found everything before the last part perfectly normal, but when he heard that final offer, he immediately felt that His Holiness the Pope had quite a nasty sense of humor.

He was only six years old. What the hell would he do with a peerless beauty!

"Thank you for Your Holiness's kindness, but I have my own plans. This is what I want."

He shook his head and cupped his hands.

"You really are..."

His Holiness the Pope sighed helplessly, but the smile on her face visibly became gentler.

The boy was neither servile nor overbearing, neither arrogant nor impetuous. Even in such circumstances, he could resist temptation.

What an exceptionally outstanding little fellow.

"Fine, then explain first what this... laboratory is for."

What a fresh name. But laboratory...

Experiments?

His Holiness the Pope's delicate brows drew together as she suddenly thought of certain unpleasant things.

And after hearing Su Chen's explanation of a laboratory, her frown deepened.

"So this laboratory is for researching theories?"

The boy's description, along with the way his eyes lit up whenever he spoke of experimental research, brought back some unpleasant memories.

"Do you know how high your talent is? These empty, impractical things will only waste it. If you focus on cultivation, you will definitely surpass me within twenty years and become the youngest Titled Douluo. Even if you want a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, it is not as though I cannot give you one."

Though impatience was already beginning to rise in her heart, Bibi Dong still patiently explained it to the boy.

"Thank you, Your Holiness the Pope, but I have my own plans."

Su Chen inwardly sighed. The fact that Bibi Dong had directly offered a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was enough to show how highly she regarded him.

But unfortunately, the laboratory was also extremely important. To him right now, it was even more important than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Hmph!

Bibi Dong's pretty face immediately turned cold. She snorted and turned her head away. After a long while, she still could not resist turning back. "Since you like researching these things, then you must have heard the name Grandmaster, right?"

Mentioning that name again made her heart ache somewhat, but in order to set this outstanding child on the right path, she had no choice but to confront her own scar.

"Yes, I've heard of him."

Su Chen nodded calmly.

"An ignorant and incompetent, pitiful and tragic fool."