A Loophole in the Mission

Bibi Dong withdrew her palm and added, "I believe you should have already guessed that the final mandatory mission I required you to complete was my ultimate assessment for you."

Qian Yun nodded. Although this final mission seemed to have been completed smoothly, every step—from the infiltration to the kills—was a comprehensive test of their abilities. Even when they thought victory was certain, had they chosen not to dispose of those corpses, it would not have been impossible for them to capsize in the gutter at the very end.

Bibi Dong's tone turned slightly more serious as she asked Qian Yun, "Xiao Yun, do you remember what the mission objectives were?"

Qian Yun answered honestly, "Annihilate all Evil Spirit Masters and rescue the hostages."

"Mm," Bibi Dong said. "Then why didn't you completely eliminate the Evil Spirit Masters?"

Qian Yun was stunned, and Hu Liena was equally bewildered. They were certain that every Evil Spirit Master on the list had been wiped out; how could there be a mistake unless the intelligence was wrong...

Wait, as Qian Yun thought of this, the image of a blonde man suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Unless, that guy counted as an Evil Spirit Master too...?!

Seeing his expression, Bibi Dong already knew what he was thinking. "According to the intelligence I received, the hostages should have already turned into Evil Spirit Masters by the time you arrived, right?"

"Yes." Qian Yun nodded indifferently, then added, "But he hadn't fully transformed yet, nor had he joined forces with them."

Bibi Dong smiled faintly. "Then did he choose to attack you in the end?"

Qian Yun was instantly rendered speechless. He glanced at Hu Liena and could only nod in silence.

No matter what he said, Yabojin possessed the abilities of an Evil Spirit Master at the time and had actively attacked them. Regardless of his motives, in terms of behavior, he was no different from that group of Evil Spirit Masters.

Bibi Dong looked at the two dejected figures, yet she remained unrelenting. "And when he begged you to kill him back then, why didn't you do it?"

Qian Yun kept his head down, silent. Seeing this, Hu Liena quickly stepped forward, took Bibi Dong's hand, and pleaded, "Teacher, we know we were wrong. It won't happen again next time!"

Bibi Dong held her hand back and said earnestly, "I don't want your apologies. I only want you to remember firmly that you must never show mercy to an enemy, nor should you ever harbor wishful thinking!"

Hu Liena nodded obediently. "Yes, we will definitely remember!"

Bibi Dong glanced at the still-silent Qian Yun and sighed inwardly; it seemed he was still unconvinced.

"Alright, let's end the mission debriefing here." Bibi Dong said. "Although there were flaws in this mission, given your outstanding performance throughout, I judge you to have passed."

Hu Liena secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had been worried that Bibi Dong would punish them further.

"Next, I will arrange for you to go to the Martial Soul Academy for advanced studies."

Qian Yun was startled. What the hell was this Martial Soul Academy? Why did Bibi Dong want to arrange for them to study?

Although they were still young, just looking at their spirit power, even Shrek Academy, which "only accepted monsters," would have to look at them differently.

Moreover, they possessed exceptional knowledge of spirit masters; ordinary spirit master academies could no longer teach them anything.

If one were to talk about actual combat, what could be more convincing than the experience of repeatedly slaying Evil Spirit Masters? With the backing of Martial Soul Hall, he could say without hesitation that going to an academy was a complete waste of time!

Seeing their shocked expressions, Bibi Dong explained, "You may not know this, but my Martial Soul Hall also has spirit master academies, though due to the circumstances, we cannot recruit students on a large scale. However, while the academy is small, the competition within is anything but. Even as you are now, you will feel significant pressure once you enter."

Hu Liena asked curiously, "Then why send us there?"

She wasn't stupid. Judging by Bibi Dong's tone, she and Qian Yun would likely be "sent" there, so why go out of their way to suffer in that so-called Martial Soul Academy?

Bibi Dong's red lips parted slightly. "For the sake of the future Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. And I need you to win the championship!"

Qian Yun suddenly understood. So that was what it was for! In fact, if you counted the time, it was indeed time to prepare. The difficulty of winning this elite spirit master tournament, which was open to the younger generation across the entire continent, was by no means small.

Even a team as strong as Martial Soul Hall's could not claim to be able to suppress those powerful sects that had been passed down for thousands of years.

Qian Yun looked at Bibi Dong, whose smile was filled with deep meaning, and began to understand her intentions.

Deep and calculating as she was, she naturally wouldn't go to such lengths for a mere championship. What she wanted was nothing more than to use this to see the true strength of the younger generation across the continent and to win over other forces to pave the way for her hegemony.

And besides... Hu Liena wanted to become the Saintess of Martial Soul Hall. While Bibi Dong's word was effective, it wasn't the deciding factor.

If Hu Liena wanted to ascend to a high position, she needed strength, and she also needed achievements that could prove her excellence. The championship of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament was undoubtedly an excellent halo to have!

"Championship? Uh... okay! We will definitely take it!" Hu Liena felt a headache coming on, but she promised with full confidence nonetheless.

Bibi Dong laughed. "Hehe, don't be careless. Although the academy is small, those who are selected are no ordinary people. You might even find yourselves in life-threatening danger."

"Hmph, they're the ones who should be careful!" With Qian Yun by her side, her confidence was overflowing.

With the matter settled, the two of them did not linger.

"Xiao Na, you go back first. Xiao Yun, stay." As they were leaving, Bibi Dong suddenly called out to Qian Yun.

"Yes!"

After Hu Liena left, only Qian Yun and Bibi Dong remained in the vast, empty hall. Qian Yun stood in place, his back against the massive stone door, feeling the cold wind buffeting his back. Before him was Bibi Dong, standing with her back to him before her throne, and behind her was the cold stone ceiling. The two stood in silence, and for a moment, Qian Yun felt that the Bibi Dong before him seemed somewhat lonely.

After a long while.

Bibi Dong took the initiative to step forward, took Qian Yun's hand, and said softly, "Come with me."

"Mm."

Qian Yun had thought this would be a slightly romantic stroll, but facts proved he was still too naive.

He had just moved his feet when he suddenly felt as if his body had lost all weight, moving forward at high speed. Immediately after, before he could even utter a curse, his entire body was ascending rapidly.

Qian Yun only felt the scenery before him flashing by—first the stone-gray, then the azure of the sky and the whiteness of the clouds, and then the green. Finally, Qian Yun felt his feet touch solid ground.

Qian Yun shook his slightly dazed head, and the scenery before him gradually became clear.

What met his eyes was an endless, churning sea of clouds. Looking into the distance from here, one could see the mountains in their entirety, and even in the far reaches of the horizon, one could seemingly see the rising crescent moon and the stars becoming increasingly distinct in the sky.

"Are you alright?" Bibi Dong's clear, gentle voice could be heard even over the howling wind.

Qian Yun looked down at his feet, then scanned his surroundings and swallowed hard, forcing himself to say, "I'm actually fine."

They were currently standing atop a sheer cliff, and looking down, there was nothing but a sea of clouds that seemed to have no bottom.

Faced with such a height, to say something quite embarrassing, Qian Yun felt his legs going a bit weak.

His feet moved instinctively closer to Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong saw his movement, reached out to pull him a little closer, and then steadied his shoulders.

Due to the difference in their heights, Qian Yun was pressed against her soft abdomen. Being this close, his cheeks could even feel Bibi Dong's body heat, the beating of her heart, and the alluring fragrance emanating from her.

Bibi Dong held Qian Yun as she gazed into the distance, her tone sounding somewhat melancholy as she spoke, "What do you think of this world?"

Qian Yun looked up at her, but due to the angle, he couldn't clearly see her expression.

"I think this world is rotten," Qian Yun stated his opinion calmly.

"Oh?" Bibi Dong seemed surprised by his answer. "Why?"

Qian Yun smiled. "Because I've discovered that most people in this world aren't happy, and Teacher doesn't seem happy every day either."

Bibi Dong murmured, "Is that so...? Is it that obvious?"

"But I also think this world is beautiful. Because I've discovered that Teacher is a kind and intelligent beauty."

Bibi Dong remained indifferent. Once upon a time, she really was as Qian Yun described—beautiful, intelligent, and poised. It was only after those events occurred that she grew from an innocent girl into an iron-fisted Pope with ruthless methods.

"You..." Realizing her composure was wavering, Bibi Dong quickly changed the subject. "Why did you let that Evil Spirit Master go?"

Qian Yun also felt it was time to tell her the real reason. Although Bibi Dong's change just now was subtle, it did not escape the observant Qian Yun beside her.

"Because I feel he can still be saved. My Crown Martial Soul seems to have the ability to purify negative effects."

Bibi Dong lowered her head and asked in shock, "Really?"

Qian Yun shook his head. "I'm not sure either; I've only succeeded once so far."

Bibi Dong automatically ignored the uncertainty in his words, extended her fair palm toward him, and said, "Why don't you try?"

"Ah?"

This time it was Qian Yun's turn to hesitate. How was he supposed to try this? Like before, by channeling his soul power into her dantian?

That was impossible! For a mere two-ring soul master to try and shake the soul power of a Title Douluo was nothing more than a pipe dream!

Bibi Dong didn't waste any words. The air above her palm twisted, and slowly, a mass of blood-red substance appeared in her hand.

The moment this blood-red substance appeared, a mountain-toppling, sea-crushing wave of negative emotions pressed down on him, making him nearly lose his footing. It was only after manifesting his Crown Martial Soul that he felt slightly better.

Qian Yun's face turned pale as he examined the blood-colored mass. Although it looked similar to the one inside the blond man, this mass, in addition to being tyrannical, actually contained traces of purity! Compared to what Qian Yun had encountered before, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.