Bibi Dong's Unease

Seeing Shang An's gaze settle on the six emblems on the token, Bibi Dong parted her red lips slightly and explained to him:

"You should be familiar with these six emblems as well. They represent the strongest Martial Souls in the world today, as well as the symbols of the continent's most powerful forces."

"This hammer is the Clear Sky Hammer, the symbol of the once number-one sect in the world, the Clear Sky Sect. It is also hailed as the continent's number-one Tool Martial Soul."

When Clear Sky Sect was mentioned, Bibi Dong showed no emotion. In truth, she had held no grudge against Clear Sky Sect or the Tang Hao father and son at first. She had even been grateful to Tang Hao for severely wounding Qian Xunji.

Unfortunately, she later became enemies with them because of Xiao Wu and Tang San. Coupled with her ambition to unify the continent, they had brought death upon themselves.

She pointed at the Seven Kill Sword emblem and continued:

"The sword is the Seven Kill Sword, the continent's number-one offensive Martial Soul. It also represents the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"The dragon is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the continent's number-one Beast Martial Soul. It represents the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

When speaking of the family Yu Xiaogang came from, Bibi Dong's emotions remained unmoved. She had long since let go of what needed to be let go. Xiao An was now the most important person in her life—he was her everything.

As for Yu Xiaogang, if he appeared before her, she would not mind granting him death.

"The ghost and chrysanthemum are the Martial Souls of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, representing Spirit Hall's strength."

Speaking of which, Ju Gui could represent Spirit Hall only because the Worship Hall kept a low profile and did not involve itself in affairs. The two of them were the active figures within the Elder Hall.

Then Bibi Dong's gaze fell upon the crown among the emblems, and blazing ambition appeared in her eyes. After purging the influence of the Rakshasa Demonic Thought and letting go of the obsession in her heart, Bibi Dong had developed the desire to unify Douluo Continent.

"This crown symbolizes Spirit Hall's supreme rule. It embodies Spirit Hall's unparalleled status among Spirit Masters."

She said it without pride or any other emotion, merely stating it calmly, as though it were only natural and not worth mentioning.

That was because she was not satisfied with Spirit Hall's current status. She wanted to unify Douluo Continent and become its first Female Emperor. She wanted to stand above all living beings and grasp supreme authority and power.

After finishing her introduction, Bibi Dong withdrew her gaze and finally looked at Shang An. Her eyes gradually softened, concealing deep affection.

This world would surely be hers, and it would be his as well.

No one could take it away. She had said so.

Shang An quietly listened as Bibi Dong explained. He already knew these things, and she knew that he knew. She simply wanted to talk with him a little longer.

After putting the Saint Son Token into Moonfall Star, Shang An took Bibi Dong's hand and led her to a sofa at the side.

"Teacher, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it? Teacher will agree to any request Xiao An has."

Bibi Dong doted on Shang An without restraint, wishing she could give him everything she had. She agreed immediately without even knowing what he wanted.

"Teacher, I want to go out and gain experience."

"What? Absolutely not!"

The moment she heard that Shang An wanted to go out and train, Bibi Dong was startled and rose to her feet.

"Xiao An, Teacher can agree to any other request, but absolutely not this one!"

"Why not? Didn't Teacher say you would agree to everything?"

Shang An tilted his head and looked at Bibi Dong, who had stood up.

Bibi Dong also realized that she had overreacted. She sat back down, restoring a calm exterior.

"Xiao An, you are only nine years old. You are still too young, and the outside world is far too dangerous. What if you encounter danger by accident? You are still young. It will not be too late to go out and train in a few years."

Bibi Dong patiently tried to persuade Shang An. She had already grown accustomed to having him by her side.

"Teacher, I am already a Soul Ancestor, and Elder Ling Yuan will be protecting me. There is no need to worry about safety."

Shang An looked straight into Bibi Dong's eyes, his gaze firm.

"No!"

Bibi Dong's tone was cold and hard.

"Teacher..."

Shang An still wanted to say something.

"No. If I say you cannot go, then you cannot go!"

Bibi Dong shouted at Shang An, then turned her head away so he would not see the moisture in her eyes.

"Ah!"

Shang An sighed, stretched out his hand, and drew Bibi Dong into his embrace. His left hand gently stroked her jade-like back.

"Teacher, there are things I need to do myself, and I need to personally understand this continent. I know Teacher cannot bear to part with me, and I cannot bear to part with Teacher either. But I must grow up eventually. I want to protect Teacher too, rather than always being protected by Teacher."

Bibi Dong's delicate body trembled lightly. Yes, Xiao An would grow up eventually. One day, he would leave her embrace, and what she needed to do was let go.

But why did her chest feel so stifled? The Xiao An who once said, "Teacher is my entire world," had truly grown up. He was about to fly away.

Shang An sensed Bibi Dong's feelings and hugged her more tightly. If possible, he did not want to be separated from her either. But he was still too weak. If he wanted the strength to protect himself and her, he could not remain in a greenhouse forever.

He had to face the threat from the God Realm, and he also had to change Douluo Continent's original fate.

"Teacher, I am only going out to travel for a while. It is not as if I will never return. Spirit Hall is my home, and wherever Teacher is, that is my home."

Upon hearing those words, Bibi Dong could no longer maintain her dignity as his teacher. She fiercely hugged Shang An and vented her emotions.

After a long while, Bibi Dong finally calmed down.

"Xiao An, you... Then you must take good care of yourself."

Shang An knew Bibi Dong had agreed, but he did not feel any joy. Over the past few years, he had seen all the affection Bibi Dong had poured into him. He was not a good person, but neither was he a stone. Perhaps he had initially taken her as his teacher with selfish motives, but over the years, his heart had gradually been warmed.

As Bibi Dong's affection for him increased, she had gradually become family to Shang An as well.

In his previous life, he had seen too many partings and deaths and had become unwilling to invest his emotions lightly again.

He had left only himself to savor solitude, singing, "A loner who lives forever amid the loneliness of the mortal world," humming, "Alone, I dare not provoke the red dust," and becoming "a carefree, unfeeling immortal."

But in this life, there was abundant spiritual energy and a favorable world. His heart, once Ice Sealed, had begun to melt.

It was not that he did not want to accompany his teacher. Rather, he wanted more.

This separation was for the sake of eternity in the future.

Bibi Dong could feel the blazing heart so close to her, as well as Shang An's burning emotions.

She had tried to stop Shang An from leaving only because she was afraid of losing him. Because she could not accept losing Shang An, she was unwilling to let him face even the slightest risk.

Shang An had become her entire world. She did not know what she would do if he were gone. Perhaps she would drag the whole world down with her into burial!

"Teacher, I plan to leave Spirit City in three months."

Shang An hesitated for a moment. Looking at Bibi Dong in his arms, he still pushed the date back by another month. He had originally planned to leave after accompanying the little fox in the Bookstore for two months, but in the end, he decided to spend more time with Bibi Dong.

In any case, time was not that tight. It was simply that some things had to be done sooner or later.

"Three months from now?"

Bibi Dong was somewhat pleasantly surprised. She had originally thought Shang An would leave very soon. But since it would be three months later, she would have time to properly accompany Xiao An.

Hu Liena's two-month reading assignment was ultimately interrupted.

On the twenty-first day of studying in the Bookstore, Hu Liena sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough. After entering seclusion for three days, she successfully broke through to level forty.

She would originally have needed several more months to break through, but Shang An had taught her a qi cultivation method, the Heavenly Fox Clarifying Heart Method, greatly increasing her cultivation speed.

This Heavenly Fox Clarifying Heart Method was an ancient cultivation technique Shang An had once collected. It was suitable for those with fox demon bloodlines, making it perfect for Hu Liena.

Shang An had also taught Bibi Dong and Lingyuan Douluo the Taiyin Sunu Sutra and the Nine-Layer Fire Phoenix Art respectively. These techniques were all high-level cultivation arts that led directly to God Rank.

However, at Bibi Dong's level, while cultivation techniques were certainly helpful, it was not as though she could casually break through just by being given one. They could only accelerate her path to becoming a god.

Returning to Hu Liena, after breaking through to level forty, she was taken by several Spirit Hall Academy teachers to obtain her fourth Spirit Ring. Previously, having Bibi Dong lead the team with two Title Douluo accompanying them to acquire Spirit Rings had been a special circumstance.

Under normal circumstances, several Spirit Saints were enough to acquire Spirit Rings below the ten-thousand-year level. Even for the sake of safety, at most an additional Spirit Douluo would lead the team. Having a Title Douluo help acquire Spirit Rings was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

This time, Shang An did not accompany her. His role as Holy Son was not merely ceremonial. Before leaving, he needed to make plans for Spirit Hall and strengthen its influence across the continent.

Although Spirit Hall was currently powerful, it also had considerable hidden dangers. If it wanted to unify Douluo Continent, relying on Spirit Hall as it was now would still be somewhat insufficient. Even if the Worship Hall intervened and forcibly suppressed everything, all they would gain would be a broken and chaotic Douluo Continent.

That was not what Shang An wanted. Sometimes, economic and cultural infiltration was subtler and more effective than military suppression.