Contract Tome

As Tang San accepted his award and Bibi Dong raised no objection, Xu Yu told him that Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

What? Tang San clenched his fists. Xiao Wu's identity had been discovered?

He looked back at that helpless figure, then at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and the youth beside her holding a Brilliant Gold Scepter.

It was he who had alerted him to the fact that Xiao Wu had been exposed as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Tang San was shocked upon learning it. Though he had long known Xiao Wu was not human, hearing that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast coveted by every Soul Master still stunned him.

No wonder the atmosphere was so oppressive. Greed flashed in every expert's eyes. So it was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Obtaining her was equivalent to obtaining a 100,000-year Spirit Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. No wonder!

But Spirit Hall had killed his mother and forced his father into hiding for so many years. Their enmity was as deep as a sea of blood. How could he possibly join Spirit Hall?

Tang San was torn. In over forty years of memories, he had never struggled as he did at this moment. He clenched his teeth so hard that he bit through his lips, blood spilling out.

He did not know what to do. But his father had painstakingly raised him and given him his first taste of familial love. How could he let his father down?

"I choose... not to join... Spirit Hall!"

Tang San made his difficult decision.

"Very good!" Bibi Dong's gaze remained calm, as if she did not care, yet both Xu Yu and Tang San could sense the killing intent within it. It was directed not only at Tang San, but also at Xiao Wu behind him.

"Ghostly Moon Guan, seize that girl!"

At her commanding shout, the two Titled Douluo who had been waiting in formation burst from the crowd. Their surging auras came crashing down. Tang San flew into a rage and spun around to save his sister and beloved.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Poison Douluo, and the other experts on Shrek's side summoned their Martial Souls. A gigantic sword blocked the way—it was Sword Douluo who had acted.

"Does the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda wish to become Spirit Hall's enemy?" Bibi Dong's eyes radiated chilling cold. Ning Fengzhi fell silent, clenched his fists, and retreated. There was no need to go to war with Spirit Hall over a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Besides, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could not afford such a fight.

"Xiao Wu!" Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot as he shot back through the air. But how could he stop two Titled Douluo from capturing someone?

He could only watch helplessly as two huge hands reached for his defenseless sister. The situation had taken an unexpected turn, but how could Flender and the others allow a disciple of their academy to be taken away?

The three-in-one Martial Soul Fusion Skill was completed in an instant, but it was shattered after resisting for only a moment. With a pfft, the three spat blood and collapsed to the ground. Xiao Wu was helplessly seized by Ghostly Moon Guan and dragged into the Pope's Palace for confinement.

The hatred in those eyes disappearing into the darkness stabbed deeply into Tang San's heart. He knelt on both knees, gasping for breath. He hated himself. He had known Xiao Wu's identity was unusual, so why had he still let her come along? Just for the championship?

"Hahaha!" Tang San laughed madly, tears streaming down his face as he laughed.

Just for the championship, he had allowed his sister to fall into mortal danger!

Just for the championship, he had believed her identity would not be discovered. Why had he been so confident?

Why? Tang San roared at himself and wept toward the sky.

Seeing Tang San consumed by grief, the Shrek members could not bear it. The heavily injured Golden Iron Triangle slowly rose to their feet. They were still Shrek's sky. They could not fall.

Grandmaster stepped forward with a token in hand and questioned, "As an elder of Spirit Hall, I have the right to know why Your Excellency the Pope has captured a disciple of my Shrek Academy."

"Why did I capture a disciple of Shrek? If a Soul Beast's Form Transformation counts as a Shrek disciple, then Shrek itself deserves scrutiny."

"What? A Soul Beast Form Transformation?" The Shrek members were stunned. Xiao Wu was not human!

Xiao Wu was actually not human!

As everyone reeled in shock, Tang San roared, "Give Xiao Wu back to me!" and charged into the Pope's Palace. Naturally, Flender and the others could not let Tang San take such a risk alone. They released their Martial Souls one after another, intending to force their way into Spirit Hall.

Of course, they were simply throwing their lives away.

In the end, every member of Shrek Academy was captured and escorted to holding cells near the Elder Hall. However, the guards were attacked at dusk, and Tang San, whom Your Excellency the Pope valued, was rescued. That was a matter for later.

"What an enviable bond between master and disciple!"

After all of Shrek had been captured, Xu Yu watched their retreating figures and sighed. Sun Chuantao, Zhang Ping, and the other two gave him strange looks. He envied them for throwing their lives away?

But ever since Xu Yu woke up, he seemed to have changed. Zhang Ping felt this most deeply. Before the match, Xu Yu had even confessed to her. Although she had rejected him, he should not have become so completely indifferent, should he?

That sigh also reached Bibi Dong's ears. She glanced back and took note of Xu Yu.

Just as she announced the end of the event and prepared to leave, she paused, turned back, and said calmly, "Xu Yu, come to the Pope's Palace tonight."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Pope!" Xu Yu secretly rejoiced. Was Your Excellency the Pope planning to give him a special favor?

"And bring the soul bones with you."

"Th-this..." Xu Yu's face froze at once, then twisted into a bitter grimace. I found those three soul bones.

Tang San had thrown them away because he did not want them, and Xu Yu had picked them up. Why should he bring things he had found to the Pope's Palace?

But when he saw Bibi Dong narrow her eyes slightly, Xu Yu was forced to agree, utterly unwilling.

Your Excellency the Pope snorted coldly. What a brat, trying to play clever tricks in front of her.

After she left, what Bibi Dong did not know was that Xu Yu cursed her eighteen times!

"Congratulations, congratulations!" In Sun Chuantao and Li Kai's eyes, Xu Yu had received the Pope's favor.

Zhang Ping also offered a few indifferent congratulations before leaving. Xu Yu was baffled, and Sun Chuantao explained in surprise, "Before the match, you said your Brilliant Gold Scepter and Zhang Ping's Golden Bird were a perfect innate match, and you even confessed to her. Did you forget?"

Now that Sun Chuantao mentioned it, that really had happened.

But Zhang Ping seemed to have rejected Xu Yu. What was wrong with being a little indifferent? Surely no one would notice he had been replaced, right? Filled with worry, Xu Yu bid farewell to Sun Chuantao and Li Kai and returned alone to his private dormitory room at Spirit Hall Academy.

He sat cross-legged on his bed to rest. Once his Soul Power had recovered by more than half, he thought for a moment, his expression turning grave, then spread open his left hand. An ancient bronze Contract Tome appeared in his palm.

Xu Yu's eyes narrowed. Wasn't this the Contract Tome?

How had it followed him to the Douluo Continent? The thing that had blocked Shrek's Martial Soul Fusion Skill for him during the match must have been the Contract Tome's barrier.

He opened the first page of the Contract Tome. Three red words enclosed in brackets—"Not Activated"—were exceptionally glaring.

It was already only the lowest-grade Bronze Tome, yet it was not even activated.

How was he supposed to activate it?

Xu Yu flipped through the Contract Tome several times but still could not find any clue, so he could only store it back inside his body.

The Tome was a pure energy construct, so he did not have to worry about anyone discovering it after storing it within himself.

After resting in his dormitory for a while longer, he organized his words in his mind. Only after finding no obvious flaws did he head toward the Pope's Palace. He was quite uneasy as well, not knowing why Bibi Dong had summoned him.