Bibi Dong: Yu Xiaogang? Don't know him!

He entered Pope's Hall without a hitch. A woman in a perfectly fitted, light-purple evening gown stood there from head to toe. The dazzling dress glittered with more than a hundred red, blue, and gold gemstones. The Nine-Curve Purple-Gold Crown atop her head shone with countless rays of light, while she held a scepter nearly two meters long and inlaid with innumerable gems. Her fair skin and nearly perfect features made it impossible to describe her nobility or elegance. She was none other than the current Pope of Spirit Hall—Bibi Dong.

"Teacher."*2

Ye Kai and Hu Liena stepped forward and saluted.

"Someone has already reported Xiao Kai's situation to me. Have you thought about what path you want to take from now on?" Bibi Dong looked at her disciple before her, recalling when she had first found him.

Four years ago—

"Teacher, look at that child over there." Young Hu Liena, whom Bibi Dong had brought along to hunt soul beasts, pointed in a direction.

Bibi Dong looked where her disciple was pointing and saw a toddler who might not even have been two years old standing blankly beside the river. His silver-white hair was disheveled, and although a little dust covered his delicate face, it could not hide his astonishing charm. A trace of confusion showed in his blood-red eyes, as if he were troubled over how he was going to survive, making anyone who saw him feel an irresistible urge to pity him.

In truth, Ye Kai had just been brought over by a kind-hearted truck driver and was wondering how to find out what world this was when he saw a stunning woman walking toward him with a girl.

Hmm? Could she be some kind of perverted noble young lady with a fetish for love—? Although he had only just transmigrated, Ye Kai had seen his reflection in the nearby stream. To be shameless, he even wanted to take the child with that face home himself.

"Little brother, why are you here all alone? Where are your daddy and mommy?" Hu Liena could not help asking as she looked at the pitiful yet adorable child before her.

"..." Her only response was silence.

Bibi Dong noticed the wariness in the little boy's eyes. Thinking of the strange fetishes some nobles on the continent possessed, she wondered if the child had escaped from some place like that. She released her soul rings, and nine rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red—shone brilliantly. (According to the setting, Hu Liena was six years older than Tang San. In other words, the year Hu Liena awakened her Martial Soul was when Qian Xunji was severely wounded. Bibi Dong then devoured Qian Xunji and took over as Pope. At this point, she should theoretically have already become a Title Douluo.) "Little one, do you believe us now?"

Are these soul rings? A woman, so young, already a Title Douluo, and accompanied by a black-haired little girl. This must be Bibi Dong. Ye Kai recognized the special effects before him and thought to himself.

Seeing Ye Kai waver, Bibi Dong withdrew her Martial Soul and instinctively extended her hand, inviting him. "We're from Spirit Hall. Are you willing to come back to Spirit Hall with me?"

Bibi Dong did not know why she had said that. She had probably just thought the child was too pitiful. (She would absolutely never admit that she had fallen for his looks and simply wanted to hold the child in her arms and ruthlessly rub that handsome little face.)

Spirit Hall is indeed a powerful backer during the early and middle stages. I just don't know if I can pull this love-brain back to reality. But even if I can't, I'm only about two years old and have nowhere else to go. Joining Spirit Hall is my only choice. After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Kai extended his hand as well. One large hand and one small hand clasped together like that.

"Judging from the information fed back by my Martial Soul, the Healing path should be a good choice."

Ye Kai's voice pulled Bibi Dong back from her memories. "Healing? That's not bad either. Have you decided what you want for your First Soul Ring?"

Bibi Dong knew that her disciple had loved spending time in the Library since childhood. Eighty percent of Spirit Hall's collection had been read by him under the identity of the Pope's disciple, and he had gained a deep understanding of it. The remaining twenty percent had not been read only because he still had to spend time training in the Training Field. With his wealth of knowledge, she merely needed to help him hunt the soul beast for his First Soul Ring.

Ye Kai opened the System Panel and discovered that the original six-hundred-year soul-ring limit had changed.

Name: Ye Kai

Martial Soul: Tree of Life (Modified)

Soul Power: 10

Soul Ring Limit Available: 800 years (1,200 years)

Soul Rings: None

Soul Skills: Teleportation, Cleanse Heaven and Earth

Talent: Transcendent Charm

Items Held: None

Current Mission: None

Favorability: Hu Liena (80), Qian Renxue (80), Bibi Dong (70)

Healer Points: 10,000

Oh? Eight hundred years. That should be the increase in physical strength brought about by awakening my Martial Soul. But System, what's with the 1,200 years?

Ding! Ultimate Life comes with tenfold healing speed. As long as the host is not instantly burst apart by a soul ring with too high a year limit, the host can absorb it through rapid recovery. However, the host will experience unimaginable pain.

I see. That makes sense. It would be like my body constantly tearing apart and recovering, tearing apart and recovering. In that case, I need to make new plans.

"Teacher, for now, I don't want to add a soul ring." Ye Kai made up his mind. There was no need to rush soul rings; steadily snowballing his strength was the most important thing.

"Xiao Kai, what are you talking about?" Before Bibi Dong could respond, Hu Liena could not hold back any longer.

"Senior Sister, why rush to add a soul ring?"

"Only after obtaining a soul ring can you continue cultivating Soul Power. Have you trained yourself stupid?"

"Nana, let Xiao Kai finish." Bibi Dong knew Ye Kai never spoke without reason. Perhaps he had developed some new ideas after spending all these years in the Library. As a teacher, she could not blindly reject her disciple.

"I'm not an Attack-type Soul Master like Brother Xie Yue and Brother Yan, nor am I a Control-type Soul Master like Senior Sister. As a Healing Soul Master, the first two soul skills actually make little difference to me, whether I have them or not. Even if I obtained the first two soul skills, I wouldn't be able to do much for someone seriously injured. Besides, Junior Soul Master Academy and Intermediate Soul Master Academy basically have no use for healing soul skills."

"Teacher, you know that I've been training my body all these years. After awakening my Martial Soul, I sensed my physical constitution through it. Taking the Martial Soul's characteristics into account, the additional year limit for my First Soul Ring should be around 1,200 years."

"1,200 years? Impossible. According to the records, the limit for a First Soul Ring is 423 years. Don't do anything reckless, Xiao Kai." Although she trusted that her disciple had his own considerations, casually adding a soul ring would cause problems.

"Teacher, are you talking about that Grandmaster's theory? Then I—"

Before Ye Kai could finish speaking, Bibi Dong interrupted him directly. "Don't mention that person!"

"Uh..." Ye Kai carefully observed Bibi Dong's expression. She did not look angry. Instead, she seemed... embarrassed and indignant?

Realizing that she had lost her composure, Bibi Dong closed her eyes and calmed herself. "I'm not acquainted with him."

Bibi Dong realized that when Yu Xiaogang was mentioned, she no longer seemed to have that same obsession. Instead, she worried that Ye Kai might misunderstand something.

Ever since she had brought Ye Kai home, Yu Xiaogang seemed to have gradually faded from her memories. When had that begun?

Had it started when three-year-old Ye Kai began massaging her every day after she finished handling governmental affairs?

Or had it started when four-year-old Ye Kai climbed onto a stool and cooked her a meal on her birthday—one that was not very tasty but was incredibly warm and heartfelt?

Or had it started a few days ago, when Ye Kai, claiming that he had grown up and should no longer share a bed with the Pope lest gossip spread, asked to move out of Pope's Hall and stop sleeping with her?

Bibi Dong discovered that after bringing Ye Kai home, the heart that had been surrounded by hatred and loneliness for so many years had been pried open by a tiny person through his actions, creating a small crack. It was just a pity that she...

A trace of hatred flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes. Qian Xunji, Spirit Hall, and the Angel Family—although Qian Xunji was already dead, this matter would not end just like that.

Unnoticed, Bibi Dong's favorability on the System Panel rose to 80.

"All right, Xiao Kai. Continue."

"It's like this. In my opinion, the so-called 423-year limit is nothing but a joke. Take the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as examples. Given the same age, gender, diet, and training, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul can absorb a 423-year First Soul Ring. Can the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul do the same?" Ye Kai questioned Bibi Dong and Hu Liena. Teacher Ye's little classroom was now in session~

"Most likely not. The increase in physical strength provided by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is not as great as that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon." Hu Liena was still pondering when Bibi Dong already gave the answer.

"Exactly, Teacher. That's what I wanted to say. If one began continuously training the body from childhood and raised one's physical strength, one could naturally add a soul ring with a higher year limit. I've trained my body every day all these years. In terms of physical strength alone, even Brother Xie Yue and Brother Yan can't compare with me. If you don't believe me, Teacher, you can call Brother Xie Yue and Brother Yan over. I can spar with them." Ye Kai issued an invitation to spar.

"Hmm... All right. Nana, go call the two of them to the Training Field. I'll take Xiao Kai there first." Bibi Dong pondered for a moment before agreeing to Ye Kai's request. She also wanted to see exactly what her youngest disciple could accomplish.