Yu Xiaogang's Value

Bibi Dong frowned slightly and tightened her grip on the scepter, feeling that Su Cheng's words seemed to carry some hidden meaning.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Su Cheng spread his hands. "This is a secret method I developed for my own special circumstances. Telling you would be useless anyway. And frankly, this method concerns my Martial Soul. I doubt anyone would be willing to reveal their Martial Soul's weaknesses to the public, would they?"

He had no intention of mentioning Yu Xiaogang. That was a useful chess piece, one to be played at a crucial moment.

There was no point in saying it now. It would only put her on guard.

Bibi Dong was somewhat suspicious of that explanation, but she could never have imagined that Su Cheng knew about her past with Yu Xiaogang. Nor was she willing to give up the only hope she had at present.

"Just say it. What benefits do you require before you give Spirit Hall the method for remedying malignant Martial Soul mutations?"

Even though Su Cheng had already emphasized that it was a secret method suitable only for an individual, she had absolute confidence in Yu Xiaogang.

In Bibi Dong's heart, that man was strong and confident, one of the greatest minds in the world. All he lacked now was a line of thought.

"Oh?" Su Cheng scrutinized Bibi Dong and said with a trace of amusement, "Then, Your Majesty the Pope, what price are you prepared to pay? In my view, this secret method is extremely precious, but Spirit Hall's other elders may not see it that way. How do you intend to make up the difference?"

Bibi Dong's frown deepened.

With her strength, killing the man before her should have been as easy as crushing an ant. Yet his gaze at that moment made her feel as though he had seen straight through her.

"First, tell me what you want."

"100,000 Year Spirit Rings." Su Cheng raised three fingers. "Three of them."

"What?!"

Bibi Dong's eyes widened as she cried out, shocked by his shameless greed.

Not only Bibi Dong—even Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, who were in the Worship Hall at that moment, were left somewhat speechless.

What did a 100,000 Year Spirit Ring represent?

To any Titled Douluo, it was something beyond reach. With a single 100,000 Year Spirit Ring, fighting opponents above one's level would be effortless.

She immediately shouted harshly, "Impossible! Don't even think about it!"

Bibi Dong knew that she had been too flustered by her concern earlier and had appeared overly impatient. She believed Su Cheng had seen how desperately she wanted the secret method and was therefore making an exorbitant demand.

But three 100,000 Year Spirit Rings were absolutely impossible. She was not insane to that extent.

"Then I suppose there is nothing to discuss."

Su Cheng shrugged and said casually.

To be honest, he did not have many needs from Spirit Hall at the moment. He had already obtained the resources he needed, while everything else was optional.

"Your Majesty the Pope, then I'll take my leave."

With that, he turned to leave.

At that moment, Bibi Dong called out to stop him, her face dark. "At most, one."

"What?"

"One 100,000 Year Spirit Ring in exchange for your secret method. I advise you not to go too far." She spoke through gritted teeth.

Su Cheng was somewhat surprised.

His earlier words had mostly been a probe. He had not actually expected to get even one Spirit Ring.

After all, he had made it perfectly clear that this method was suitable only for himself.

He had not expected this woman to truly be willing to pay such a steep price.

But he clearly could not refuse now. Refusing again would be practically equivalent to provoking her.

He did not want to anger Bibi Dong completely. If she truly went berserk, things would become very troublesome.

As for Qian Daoliu, Su Cheng was not certain that he would completely fall out with a fully enraged Bibi Dong for his sake.

They were not that close, after all.

Given Qian Daoliu's temperament, for the sake of "the greater good," it was hard to say what choice he would make if matters truly became irreparable.

After all, Bibi Dong had already been undergoing divine trials for years. The depths of her strength were impossible to gauge.

That level 99 High Priest could only serve as a deterrent. Su Cheng had never truly regarded him as his trump card.

Besides, Su Cheng had no intention of refusing. He stood to gain enormously from this deal.

He immediately nodded in agreement.

Bibi Dong secretly gritted her teeth at the sight, though she said disdainfully, "I'm just afraid you won't have the ability to absorb it when the time comes."

"Doesn't matter. It isn't being prepared for me anyway."

"?" Bibi Dong's expression immediately darkened. "You're preparing it for Qian Renxue?"

"Obviously."

After leaving the hall, Su Cheng looked back at the Pope's Palace and sneered inwardly.

Bibi Dong's blind confidence in and worship of Yu Xiaogang struck him as ridiculous.

What Su Cheng had said earlier was not an excuse. This method of balancing attributes was currently suitable only for himself. Other Martial Souls would require tailored treatment.

Malignant Martial Soul mutations arose when accumulated attributes conflicted with the main body. The principle sounded simple enough, but how could one so easily discern the precise attribute changes in different Martial Souls?

Moreover, Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls were worlds apart. With Yu Xiaogang's abilities, it would be a miracle if he could figure it out. Not to mention that his Luo Sanpao was inherently a special case, not something as simple as a malignant mutation.

What truly surprised Su Cheng was Bibi Dong's current state of mind.

Her attitude was nothing like that of someone toward a first love that had left behind regrets in her youth. It was more like she was worshipping an idol in her heart.

Did Bibi Dong truly love Yu Xiaogang?

She probably had, once.

The innocent Saintess, newly arrived in the world, had fallen in love at first sight with the learned but frustrated theory Grandmaster. Over the course of several months together, he had filled the emptiness in her heart.

But after so many years, what kind of love could endure for that long?

Back then, one had been the Spirit Hall Saintess, while the other had been an outcast of the Upper Three Sects. With such utterly unequal statuses, they could not possibly have loved each other openly.

When calculated that way, how long could they truly have spent together? They probably had not even gotten to know one another deeply.

After being separated for so many years, the image of Yu Xiaogang in Bibi Dong's heart likely depended on her own imagination to fill in the gaps.

Even if Yu Xiaogang truly had been as lofty as he had appeared before Bibi Dong back then, by now he probably could not match the perfect image she had painted in her heart.

Much less when Yu Xiaogang fundamentally lacked that kind of ability.

Su Cheng's speculation was not without basis.

Logically speaking, even if lingering feelings remained, they should not have become so twisted.

For an illusory possibility, she was willing to pay a 100,000 Year Spirit Ring.

After all, Bibi Dong was not the same as Liu Erlong.

One was the clear-headed foolishness born of inexperience, while the other genuinely had no brain. There was a considerable difference between the two.

Now, this feeling seemed more like an obsession.

Her hatred for Qian Xunji, her love for Yu Xiaogang, and perhaps even the influence of the Rakshasa God's divine will.

Yu Xiaogang had already become a symbol in Bibi Dong's heart—her spiritual pillar and emotional anchor.

If that faith were to collapse in such a state, who knew what consequences it would bring?

"What a lunatic..."

Su Cheng shook his head with a sigh, though a smile curled at the corner of his lips.

He was extremely satisfied with today's discovery. In an instant, even more ideas flashed through his mind.

At the final stage, relying on Qian Renxue alone might not be safe enough. Yu Xiaogang's usefulness might turn out to be far greater than expected.

Besides, someone like Yu Xiaogang would be incredibly easy to use, because his desires were simply too obvious.

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