Bibi Dong's Scheme

The moment Hu Liena saw Bibi Dong, she ran up affectionately and took hold of Bibi Dong's arm.

"Teacher, I missed you so much."

Bibi Dong brushed Hu Liena's tousled hair behind her ears and said, "Nana, you're not a child anymore. Why are you still so reckless?"

"Before Teacher, I'm still a child."

Hu Liena giggled like a lark as she crouched beside Bibi Dong.

"Heral, tell me about Jin Yan again."

Heral had been kneeling ever since entering Pope's Palace. Only now did he finally straighten up a little. After seeming to organize his thoughts, he said, "Your Holiness, Jin Yan has been cultivating diligently at the academy these past days, or reading in the library. He rarely attends classes anymore."

Bibi Dong frowned deeply. Heral's report was far too vague, and it did not contain what she wanted to know. She interrupted directly, "How strong is he?"

Heral lowered himself even further. After a long while, he stammered, "Th-this... according to the combat instructors' reports, he rarely reveals his Martial Soul during practical combat classes, and his Soul Rings have never appeared. Moreover, the opponents assigned to him are all too low-level, so we have no way of determining his true strength."

"Useless!" Bibi Dong snapped. "You can't even handle one child!"

Heral trembled as he knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head. "Please forgive me, Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong closed her eyes. After some unknown thought crossed her mind, she said, "So, that means the boy has no friends either?"

"Yes. He has always kept to himself, and there are very few people who can spend time with him."

A cold smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face. "Change the rules for this year's sixth-year graduation assessment. I'll have someone notify you of the details in a few days. You may leave for now."

Heral felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Bibi Dong sat upon the Pope's throne, deep in thought as her fingers traced the scepter in her hand.

"Teacher, why were you asking about that Jin Yan?" Hu Liena, who had been sitting quietly nearby, finally spoke.

"Nana, I told you to test him back then. Did you do it?" Bibi Dong asked as she looked toward her favorite disciple.

Hu Liena's face reddened. Over the past five months, she had long since forgotten about testing Jin Yan. She had often gone over to bother him instead, but Jin Yan rarely paid her any attention. That had infuriated Yan, who stayed by her side.

Seeing Hu Liena's expression, Bibi Dong knew that her disciple was unreliable, so she did not pursue the matter further. Instead, she asked, "Nana, have you encountered any problems in your cultivation recently?"

This was an agreement between master and disciple. At the end of every month, Bibi Dong would answer Hu Liena's questions about cultivation. After all, Bibi Dong had only recently taken over the enormous Spirit Hall, and she had to familiarize herself with everything bit by bit. Her official duties were truly overwhelming, leaving her little time to guide Hu Liena, so the two had set aside this time.

Before Hu Liena left, Bibi Dong called out to stop her. "Nana, come with me. I have something to give you."

With that, she led Hu Liena to a secret chamber beneath Pope's Palace.

"Teacher, what are you giving me?" Hu Liena skipped after her into the secret chamber and asked impatiently.

"Nana, you're level twenty-nine now, aren't you?" Bibi Dong asked.

Upon hearing that, Hu Liena could not help lifting her head proudly. Like a proud peacock, she said excitedly, "Of course. So, am I impressive, Teacher?"

Bibi Dong did not stint on praise. She nodded and said, "Very impressive. I was about at your level when I was your age."

"Hehe." Hu Liena ran over and wrapped an arm around Bibi Dong's shoulder. "I'm not that impressive. Don't think I don't know—Teacher was much more impressive than me back then."

A rare fond expression appeared on Bibi Dong's face. She reached out and tapped Hu Liena's nose with a smile. "All right, stop flattering me."

"That's just the truth." Hu Liena chuckled. "By the way, Teacher, what exactly are you giving me?"

"You're so impatient." Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at her. With a flash of light, she took a pink, furry tail over a meter long from her Soul Tool.

Handing the tail to Hu Liena, she explained, "This is an External Soul Bone produced by a nine-thousand-year Charm Demon Fox. Its age is a little low, but as your strength increases, its age will increase accordingly. It is the Soul Bone most suited to your Martial Soul."

"Teacher, this... this is too precious." Even Hu Liena could not help stammering at this moment.

Though she was the Pope's disciple, she had never even seen a Soul Bone before. Spirit Hall's important treasures were usually stored in the treasury. Even as the Pope's disciple, she could only enter the treasury with the unanimous consent of the elders. Even when she became Bibi Dong's disciple, her gift had merely been a Storage Soul Tool with twenty-four cubic meters of space.

As she looked at the Soul Bone radiating a treasured glow, she felt somewhat at a loss.

"It's fine. This is an External Soul Bone I collected when I was young. It was meant for you all along," Bibi Dong said.

"Nana, absorb it here now. I'll stand guard for you."

Only then did Hu Liena relax. She sat cross-legged upon the stone platform at the center of the secret chamber and began regulating her Soul Power.

Over the past two days, all the academy's students had grown tense. The annual assessment was not just for the sixth years; students of every grade had to take it, and they had to meet the requirements or be sent back to the Martial Soul Academy in their place of origin.

Even Jin Yan could feel the tense atmosphere around the academy. Even those students who usually hated cultivating the most had begun working hard over the past two days.

Jin Yan sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed and slowly opened his eyes after cultivating.

He had already received a message from his grandfather, Golden Crocodile Douluo. He knew that he would be participating in the sixth-year graduation assessment to compete for the sixty-thousand-year Spirit Condensing Wisdom Skull Bone that had appeared in the original story. His grandfather had even made a wager with Bibi Dong. It could be said that if Jin Yan won this competition, he would obtain two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.

No matter what, Jin Yan naturally wanted the Spirit Condensing Wisdom Skull. Even if he did not absorb it himself, he could save it to reward his subordinates in the future.

Moreover, as a renowned Head Spirit Bone from the original story, its quality was naturally beyond question. It could serve perfectly as one of his reserve Soul Bones.

With that thought, Jin Yan lay back on his bed and gradually fell into a deep sleep.

Three days later, it was finally the day of the academic assessment. The assessment content for first through fifth years had already been issued a few days ago, all of it consisting of practical combat assessments.

Only the content of the sixth-year graduation assessment had yet to be announced. The students had merely been told to gather at the main training field, where the assessment content would be explained that day.