Dialogue

"My words were already clear enough, weren't they? I meant exactly what I said."

Yan paused his pen slightly, then turned to look directly at Bibi Dong and said with utmost seriousness, "If I had truly caused that chaos during the day merely to attract the higher-ups' attention, wouldn't that be rather ridiculous?

"A dispute among a group of children at the Junior Soul Master Academy—no matter how well they performed, could it really make Spirit Hall's experts view them differently?"

Yan's question caught Bibi Dong off guard. She unconsciously followed that line of thought and quickly arrived at an answer.

Although Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena had performed remarkably well during the day, drawing comments from many Titled Douluo, in the eyes of every expert present, including Bibi Dong, what had happened during the day had been nothing more than a farce, not worth paying attention to.

Bibi Dong had come to see Yan tonight not because of the disturbance during the day, but because of Hu Liena. Hu Liena had confessed many things to her, and Bibi Dong felt that the girl had been deceived. She was deeply dissatisfied, so she had come.

Yan continued, "I have never placed my hopes of rising through the ranks on some petty dispute at the Junior Soul Master Academy, because I know perfectly well that such a minor disturbance is nothing more than a farce in the eyes of true experts.

"What I truly wanted was simply to leave an impression on Spirit Hall's higher-ups, especially Your Holiness, the Pope.

"Then, when the right time came, I would seize an opportunity and truly make you see me in a different light. What I did not expect was for that opportunity to come so soon."

Yan spoke earnestly to Bibi Dong. That had indeed been his original plan. However, he had not fully explained certain steps of it, particularly the scheme behind the day's events.

On the surface, the plan during the day had appeared to be Yan's scheme to stand out and make a name for himself. Yet in truth, whether it was his outstanding performance in the arena, Demon Charm's slaughter across the training ground, or their final thrilling duel—

It had all been merely groundwork, groundwork that would naturally allow Hu Liena to come into contact with Bibi Dong. Though they had looked almost too exhausted to stand after their fight, Yan's intention from the very beginning had only been to bring Hu Liena and Bibi Dong together.

In the original story, Hu Liena and Bibi Dong had been as close as mother and daughter. Yan had gambled on the affinity and bond between them. Demon Charm being broken by him, Hu Liena being sent flying onto the platform and landing in Bibi Dong's arms—none of that had ever been coincidence. It had all been part of his scheme.

Afterward, Hu Liena telling Bibi Dong that Yan had orchestrated the chaos had also been something he had specifically instructed her to reveal.

If Hu Liena wanted to stir Bibi Dong's empathy, the two of them had to first establish genuine feelings between them. The most basic requirement was trust, which was why he had told Hu Liena to reveal everything she knew.

What did Hu Liena know? Just like Xie Yue and Tuo Ba Hong, she only knew that Yan had manipulated everyone in the Junior Soul Master Academy and caused that disturbance.

As for what came afterward—how the girl would meet the Pope and form a bond with her—no one but Yan could have imagined that this, too, had been part of a scheme.

Naturally, he would never speak of that scheme. In Bibi Dong's eyes, planning the chaos during the day merely showed that he had a bit of cleverness.

But if she learned that he had been plotting the bond between her and Hu Liena from the very beginning, this woman might very well kill him in a fit of humiliation and anger.

Yan had been gambling, of course. With his foreknowledge, he had gambled on the affinity between these two women, wagering that the pair who shared such a deep mother-daughter bond in the original story would form a connection the moment they met. Fortunately, he had won. Bibi Dong had actually come to find him tonight, something he had never expected.

Yet hadn't he spent so long planning precisely for an opportunity like this? At his young age, trying to rise to prominence merely by displaying his talent was nothing but a fool's dream. The reactions of those Titled Douluo during the day had made that clear. They might have held a little appreciation for them, but they did not truly care about these talented children.

And the bargaining chip Yan had prepared for his meeting with Bibi Dong was naturally not his own talent, but the things he had painstakingly written over the past several days.

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "You want to seize an opportunity and rise through the ranks. What makes you think I will give you that opportunity?"

"Because of... these."

Yan casually flipped his notes open to a certain page, then turned and pointed toward the map behind Bibi Dong. "If Your Holiness, the Pope, is willing to give me a chance, then please take a look at these."

Bibi Dong turned in the direction Yan indicated and looked at the map beneath the dim light. Her expression was fairly normal at first, but after looking at it several more times, traces of astonishment flashed through her eyes.

Yan spoke again and handed over his notes. "Your Holiness, the Pope, may also take a look at these notes I wrote."

Bibi Dong could not help turning around to take them. Comparing Yan's notes with the map, she moved back and forth before the map, searching through it continuously. The surprise in her eyes became harder and harder to conceal.

Yan did not speak again. Instead, he rose and walked slowly to the oil lamp. After fiddling with it for a while, the light grew a little brighter, illuminating the entire study much more clearly.

"Phew..."

After a long while, Bibi Dong slowly placed the notes back on the desk. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath, as if pondering something.

When Bibi Dong spoke again, her eyes carried far more complicated emotions. "How did you obtain these things, and why have you been paying attention to this information?"

"The map and the notes are naturally the result of information I gathered and organized. They should be of some help to Your Holiness, the Pope."

Yan lifted the teapot and poured himself a cup, then returned to the desk and sat down. "I have always believed that the most important thing about a person is not some so-called innate talent, but this."

Yan raised a finger and tapped his head, then continued, "If I want to rise through the ranks with Your Holiness's help, I must naturally let you see my value.

"Your Holiness, the Pope, had only just ascended to the position of Pope when you eagerly relocated Papal Hall and began constructing Spirit City. What does that indicate? It indicates that Your Holiness wishes to accomplish great things. Combined with your apparent lack of security, it means there should not be many people available for you to use.

"Then, based on some of your initial behavior, I became even more certain of those conclusions. Naturally, I made my plans accordingly. It seems I guessed correctly. These things should be of some help to you, shouldn't they?"

Bibi Dong walked over to Yan and lowered her head slightly to look at him. "Do you know that what you have done is very dangerous? I have read these things. I have already memorized their contents. I could kill you at any time."

First chapter update. Brothers, please give the story some saves and keep reading. Don't just stockpile it. I just spoke with my editor, and the current number of continuing readers is under four hundred, so advancing to the next round will be difficult. I'm sincerely asking for follows and saves here. Even if you just follow and casually read a few chapters, that is still support.