After twenty days of arduous travel, the Spirit Master team that had drawn the most attention in this era finally arrived in Spirit City.
The towering city walls stood eighty meters high, built entirely of granite that gleamed with a cold sheen in the sunlight. Spirit City was hexagonal and built against the mountainside. At its highest point, Pope Palace shone with dazzling splendor, like a divine palace from which a god surveyed the mortal world.
For ordinary Spirit Masters, this was the end of their dreams, a hall of glory.
But to Shrek Academy now, it was a colossal cage, the gaping maw of a beast that had already opened wide.
The carriage slowly passed through the city gate.
Through the window, Tang San looked at Pope Palace, the symbol of Spirit Hall's supreme authority, and trembled despite himself.
In the past, he might have been filled with ambition, vowing to make a name for himself here and fight for the glory of the Clear Sky Sect.
But now, he felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, walking step by step toward the butcher's chopping block.
"We're here."
Flender's voice was somewhat subdued. He, too, felt the oppressive atmosphere of the city. And with the secrets Tang San and Xiao Wu carried in mind, along with the demon who had been watching them all along, even this money-loving dean was now unsure of himself.
The team was assigned a designated hotel in the western part of the city.
Compared with the luxurious VIP building where Heaven Dou Royal Academy was staying, Shrek Academy's accommodations were rather shabby. But that wasn't what upset Tang San most.
What upset him most was that, just as he got out of the carriage, he saw Yu Tianyu stepping down from a luxurious carriage.
And beside Yu Tianyu was not only Huo Wu, who had completely fallen into the role of his servant, but also Shui Bing'er of Skywater Academy. She was walking at his side, and the two seemed to be discussing some application of ice-type Soul Power. Their manner was quite intimate.
"Even Shui Bing'er..."
Tang San clenched his teeth. He remembered that Shui Bing'er had been haughty during the promotion tournament, but her eyes had been clear. Now, though, the way she looked at Yu Tianyu held an unmistakable hint of admiration.
How much more did this demon intend to take before he was satisfied?
Yu Tianyu seemed to sense Tang San's gaze.
He stopped, turned around, and smiled brightly at Tang San across the bustling crowd.
Then he raised a hand and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Tang San stiffened all over. He quickly lowered his head, grabbed Xiao Wu, and hurried into the hotel, like a frightened mouse.
Inside the hotel room.
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.
Tang San's dejection, the shadow of the Clear Sky Hammer being crushed, and the enormous unknown threat had left the theoretical master frantic with worry. He knew that, in Shrek's current state, winning the championship at the finals was nothing but a pipe dream.
What was more, the backlash from Twin Martial Souls had always hung over him like a sword.
If they didn't solve this problem, Tang San wouldn't just fail to win the championship—his entire future could be ruined.
"No, I have to go."
Grandmaster stopped, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes. "Only she knows how to cultivate Twin Martial Souls. For Xiao San's sake, I'll swallow my pride."
"Teacher, where are you going?" Tang San asked, watching Grandmaster straighten his clothes as unease rose in his heart.
"I'm going to see Bibi Dong."
Grandmaster took a deep breath and spoke the name that made the entire continent tremble. "She's the current Pope, and the second person in history to possess Twin Martial Souls. Only she can save you. Only she can tell you how to resolve the conflict between your Martial Souls."
"See the Pope?!" Tang San was stunned. "But we and Spirit Hall..."
"Don't worry, Xiao San."
Grandmaster patted Tang San on the shoulder. His stiff face forced out a faint, confident smile. "Bibi Dong and I... have some history between us, after all. Though we haven't seen each other in many years, I believe she won't do anything to me. For your sake, I'd even kneel and beg her if I had to."
Hearing his teacher's words, Tang San was moved to tears.
This was his teacher! He was willing to bow to their greatest enemy for Tang San's sake!
"Teacher... please be careful."
"Wait for good news."
Grandmaster clutched the Spirit Hall Elder Token tightly in his hand. It was the last thing he could rely on. He believed that with this token, and the romance he and Bibi Dong had once shared, he could at least secure a chance to live.
This was Tang San's only hope now.
Watching Grandmaster leave, he prayed silently: Teacher, you have to succeed. Once the Twin Martial Souls problem is solved, I'll still have a chance to turn things around!
Pope Palace, council hall.
A mural of Angel God's descent adorned the lofty ceiling. Golden sunlight streamed through the enormous windows and spilled over the papal throne, the symbol of supreme authority.
Bibi Dong wore a golden ceremonial gown and the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown. Holding a scepter, she was so dignified that no one dared look directly at her.
Time seemed to have left no mark on her face. Instead, it had given her a mature, deadly charm.
A VIP seat had been set up to one side of the hall.
At that moment, Yu Tianyu sat there, leisurely holding a cup of tribute tea from Bibi Dong's private collection.
As the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's hope and an unparalleled genius who had displayed Dragon God's Power, he had aroused Bibi Dong's interest. Spirit Hall wanted to unify the continent, and someone like him had to be either recruited or destroyed. Today was Bibi Dong's "interview" with Yu Tianyu.
"Yu Tianyu, your talent truly astonishes me."
Bibi Dong's voice was cool and authoritative. "At such a young age, you can withstand the pressure of a Titled Douluo. You even crushed the Clear Sky Hammer's true form with your bare hands. Join Spirit Hall, and I can make you the Holy Son, with a status second only to the Pope."
"His Holiness the Pope is too kind."
Yu Tianyu set down his teacup, showing no sign of being flattered. "But the title of Holy Son is just an empty honor to me. Rather than joining, I'd prefer to cooperate."
Just as Bibi Dong furrowed her brows, preparing to act—
A Palace Guard Knight hurried in and dropped to one knee.
"Your Holiness the Pope, someone outside is requesting an audience. He's carrying an Elder Token."
"An Elder Token?" Bibi Dong paused. "Who is it?"
"He says his name is... Yu Xiaogang."
At the name, Bibi Dong's hand tightened abruptly around her scepter. A storm surged through her previously placid eyes.
Anger, resentment, longing, pain... Countless complicated emotions mingled in her gaze.
"Let him in."
Bibi Dong's voice trembled slightly, but it quickly turned cold again.
Yu Tianyu sat to one side, the corners of his mouth lifting in an amused smile.
The show was about to begin.
A moment later, Yu Xiaogang's slightly stooped figure entered the splendid hall.
When he saw Bibi Dong seated high above him, his expression grew unusually complicated. But then he spotted Yu Tianyu sitting off to one side.
"You... What are you doing here?!"
Yu Xiaogang was aghast. He had thought this would be a private meeting. He hadn't expected his greatest nemesis to be here as well!
"I'm an honored guest of His Holiness the Pope. Why shouldn't I be here?"
Yu Tianyu spread his hands with a smile. "You, Grandmaster, should be comforting your sniveling disciple at the hotel. What brings you here? To reminisce?"
Bibi Dong looked coldly at Yu Xiaogang but showed no intention of sending Yu Tianyu away.
"Yu Xiaogang, you came to see me. What do you want?"
Under Bibi Dong's icy gaze, Yu Xiaogang had no choice but to steel himself and ignore Yu Tianyu.
"Bibi Dong... Your Holiness the Pope."
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and straightened his back, trying to project an unyielding dignity. "I came here to ask you for something."
"I want to know how you solved the backlash from Twin Martial Souls."
At those words, Bibi Dong laughed in fury.
"Yu Xiaogang, you're still as selfish as ever. We meet again after twenty years, and the first thing you do is ask something of me?"
"This is for that disciple of yours, Tang San, isn't it?"
"Yes," Yu Xiaogang said righteously. "He's a genius, and my pride. I don't want to watch him go astray on the path of cultivation. You were the first to possess Twin Martial Souls. This experience may mean little to you, but to him, it's a lifeline."
"In exchange, I can guarantee that, if you tell me the method, Tang San will never oppose Spirit Hall."
At last, Yu Tianyu couldn't hold back. He burst out laughing.
"Ha ha ha! This is hilarious!"
Yu Tianyu slapped his thigh, laughing so hard he doubled over. "Grandmaster, Grandmaster, is your face made of city walls?"
"Yu Tianyu! This is no place for you to speak!" Yu Xiaogang snapped, humiliated and furious.
"Why not?"
Yu Tianyu rose and walked toward Yu Xiaogang step by step. The terrifying pressure made Yu Xiaogang retreat without thinking.
"What gives you the right to make promises on Tang San's behalf? The fact that you're his teacher?"
"Don't make me laugh. Tang San is a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect. He's Tang Hao's son. He and Spirit Hall have a blood feud over his mother. And you claim that if you give him the method, he won't oppose Spirit Hall?"
"Do you think His Holiness the Pope is a fool, or are you just an idiot yourself?"
Yu Tianyu's words were like a sharp blade, slicing straight through Yu Xiaogang's hypocritical façade.
Bibi Dong's expression darkened as well.
"Yu Tianyu is right." Bibi Dong stared coldly at Yu Xiaogang. "Yu Xiaogang, how much do you think your promise is worth? Do you think I'd be foolish enough to nurture a powerful enemy who'll come after me?"
"No, that's not it!"
Yu Xiaogang panicked. "Bibi Dong, you know my theory. There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Spirit Masters! I only wanted to prove my theory..."
"Enough!"
Yu Tianyu interrupted him again. "Stop talking about that ridiculous theory of yours."
"There are no useless Martial Souls?"
Yu Tianyu casually waved a hand. A bolt of lightning exploded in the hall.
"Then answer me this. If there really are no useless Martial Souls in this world, why are you still only a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster?"
"You say it's because of Martial Soul Mutation? What about Liu Erlong? She had a mutation too. Why is she a Spirit Saint?"
"Admit it, Yu Xiaogang."
Yu Tianyu leaned close to Yu Xiaogang, his eyes full of contempt. "You're a failure. Your so-called theory is nothing but a fig leaf to hide your own incompetence."
"You've pinned your hopes on Tang San not because you want what's best for him, but because you want to prove that you're not worthless."
"A selfish, utterly hypocritical man like you doesn't deserve to stand here."
"You... You..."
Yu Xiaogang turned deathly pale, his chest heaving. He could barely catch his breath.
Every word had struck home.
Bibi Dong looked at the pathetic, spineless man before her. The last vestige of affection in her heart vanished.
That's right. How had I ever fallen for such a failure?
Compared with the domineering, perceptive Yu Tianyu before her, Yu Xiaogang was nothing but a heap of mud that could never be shaped into anything.
"Get out."
Bibi Dong waved a hand, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust. "Guards, throw him out."
"Bibi Dong! You can't treat me like this! I have an Elder Token..."
Yu Xiaogang tried to struggle, but two Palace Guard Knights had already grabbed him and dragged him out like a dead dog.
"An Elder Token?"
Yu Tianyu picked up the token that had fallen to the floor and tossed it casually in his hand. "Tang Hao gave you that, didn't he? You came here waving around a token from the man who beat you up. You really are something."
The doors slammed shut.
The hall fell quiet again.
Bibi Dong looked at Yu Tianyu, admiration in her eyes growing stronger.
"Well said," Bibi Dong said coolly. "I've wanted to say that to him for a long time."
On the streets of Spirit City.
Yu Xiaogang wandered in a daze, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
He had failed.
He had not only failed to obtain the method for cultivating Twin Martial Souls, but Yu Tianyu had also humiliated him in front of Bibi Dong. Worse, he could feel that Bibi Dong had completely lost whatever affection she'd once had for him and now despised him.
"Teacher!"
Tang San, who had been anxiously waiting outside the hotel, hurried to meet Yu Xiaogang as soon as he saw him return. "How did it go? Did the Pope... agree?"
Yu Xiaogang looked up at his hopeful disciple. His lips trembled, but he couldn't say a word.
Seeing his teacher looking utterly devastated, Tang San's heart sank.
"Did... did you fail?"
Yu Xiaogang shut his eyes in pain and nodded.
"Not only did I fail, but..."
"But what?"
"Yu Tianyu was there, too." Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth. "It was him! He interfered! If he hadn't driven a wedge between us, Bibi Dong would surely have remembered our past!"
Him again!!
Tang San clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
That demon had humiliated him in the arena, and now he was cutting off every possible way forward behind the scenes!
"Xiao San... I'm sorry. I was useless." Yu Xiaogang's eyes filled with tears.
Watching his teacher weep, Tang San felt a corner of his edifice of faith collapse with a crash.
So all the talk of invincible theories and old ties to the Elders was just a joke in the face of absolute power and authority.
Hope turned to despair once more.
Since no one would help him, he could only rely on himself.
The next day, to clear his head, Tang San took Dai Mubai and the others out to walk around and get some air, while also surveying the area.
But fate had other plans.
On a bustling street, they ran straight into three people.
Two men and a woman.
The woman at the front had fiery red hair and was stunningly beautiful. More importantly, she exuded a natural charm, every frown and smile capable of captivating the soul.
Hu Liena.
The two men beside her were one grim-faced and sinister-looking (Xie Yue), and the other burly and arrogant (Yan).
They were the three Soul Kings of Spirit Hall Academy Team, hailed as the "Golden Generation"!
"Well, if it isn't that useless team from Shrek Academy?"
Yan's gaze swept over Tang San and the others, his face full of disdain. "I heard you got beaten like dogs in the promotion rounds. How do you still have the nerve to show up for the finals?"
"What did you say?!"
Dai Mubai had a short fuse. He was about to lose his temper on the spot.
"What? You want to fight?"
Yan sneered, and a terrifying surge of Soul Power erupted from him.
Level fifty-two!
The scorching aura of flames pressed down on Dai Mubai, a Soul Ancestor, until he could barely breathe.
Tang San's eyes narrowed.
A Spirit King! And one with a top-tier Martial Soul!
Was this the foundation of Spirit Hall?
"Don't lose your temper, Mubai." Tang San held Dai Mubai back. If they fought now, they would definitely be the ones to suffer.
"Heh, you're pretty good at holding back."
Hu Liena regarded Tang San with casual disdain, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes. "I heard you have Twin Martial Souls. What a shame—you chose the wrong teacher and ruined your cultivation."
"You!" Tang San glared at her. She could insult him all she wanted, but she couldn't insult his teacher!
Purple Demon Eye!
A flash of purple gleamed in Tang San's eyes as a mental attack shot straight at Hu Liena's eyes.
He wanted to teach the woman a lesson.
However.
"Pathetic little trick."
Hu Liena didn't even try to dodge. A flash of pink light appeared in her eyes.
Charm!
As a Control System Spirit King who specialized in spiritual power, her mental strength far surpassed Tang San's.
Boom!
Their mental powers collided in midair.
"Urgh!"
Tang San grunted. His brain throbbed as if it had been pierced by needles, and he staggered back several steps, blood streaming from both nostrils.
The backlash!
That was the difference in level and quality.
"That's all you've got?" Yan roared with laughter. "You can't even withstand a glance from Nana, yet you think you can win the championship? Go home and suckle at your mother's breast!"
The Spirit Hall students and passersby around them burst into mocking laughter.
Tang San wiped away his nosebleed, his heart filled with humiliation and helplessness.
Losing to Yu Tianyu was one thing, but could he really not beat even these people?
Just as the Shrek group was cornered and Yan was preparing to teach them an even more unforgettable lesson,
a languid voice suddenly drifted down from the tavern beside them.
"Hey, you little foxes and puppies over there. You're making too much noise."
Everyone looked up.
On the second-floor balcony, Yu Tianyu leaned against the railing with a bunch of grapes in hand, tossing the skins down below.
"Yu Tianyu!"
Tang San and Hu Liena cried out at the same time when they saw him.
But while Tang San was terrified, Hu Liena's eyes lit up.
Over the past few days, stories about Yu Tianyu had been spreading wildly through Spirit Hall. The Pope had met with him in person; he had defeated Feng Xiaotian with a single finger and crushed the Clear Sky Hammer with his bare hands.
This man was the center of attention among the younger generation.
"Yu Tianyu, this is Spirit Hall territory. Mind your own business!" Yan tried to sound tough, but wariness was plain in his eyes.
"Mind my own business?"
Yu Tianyu braced a hand on the railing and jumped straight down from the second floor, landing lightly between the two groups.
He didn't even glance at Yan. Instead, he walked straight up to Tang San.
"Tang San, didn't I tell you?"
Yu Tianyu reached out and patted Tang San's face as if he were a pet. "You're my toy. Until the finals begin, no one but me gets to bully you."
Then he turned to the Golden Generation.
"As for you..."
Yu Tianyu's gaze settled on Hu Liena, and a wicked smile curved his lips.
"You're pretty, but your Charm Technique is far too low-level."
"Since you're beautiful, I'll give you some advice."
"Get lost."
It was just one word.
But as soon as he uttered it, a terrifying dragon's might, originating from the ancient Dragon King, swept across the entire street.
Thump!
Yan and Xie Yue felt their legs give way. The bloodline suppression that seemed to come from the depths of their souls left them unable to control their bodies. They dropped to one knee.
Only Hu Liena managed to hold on through her powerful mental strength, but her face had gone pale, and sweat drenched her body.
"W-what is this pressure?!" Hu Liena stared at the young man in horror.
He had subdued the Golden Generation with a single word?!
"Can't you understand plain speech?"
Yu Tianyu took a step forward and gently lifted Hu Liena's delicate chin with his hand.
"I said, get lost."
Hu Liena gazed into those mismatched eyes so close to hers, her heart pounding wildly. Amid her fear, she felt an inexplicable urge to submit.
This man... was far too domineering.
"We're leaving!"
Hu Liena gritted her teeth, helped Yan and Xie Yue to their feet, and fled the scene in a sorry state.
The street grew quiet again.
Yu Tianyu turned around and looked at Tang San, who stood there stunned.
"Look, I saved you again."
"Touched?"
Tang San trembled all over, his head bowed low.
Touched?
No.
This was the ultimate humiliation.
Yu Tianyu had shown him through his actions that, in front of a true powerhouse, even the Golden Generation was trash. And since he was inferior even to them, he was trash among trash.
He was being protected only because he was a toy Yu Tianyu hadn't tired of yet.
"Get ready for the competition, clown."
Yu Tianyu laughed and patted Tang San on the shoulder, whispering in his ear:
"That rabbit seems to have put on a little weight lately. Remember to feed her less, or she'll be too greasy when braised."
With that, Yu Tianyu laughed loudly and walked away.
Tang San was left standing there, chilled to the bone.
He watched Yu Tianyu's retreating figure, then looked at the people around him pointing and whispering.
The world was so vast, yet there was nowhere he could find refuge.
In this cage called Spirit City, all that awaited him was the inevitable, bloody end.
Before you continue