Finding Someone

Qian Xunji saw the resolve in her eyes and knew he could not stop her. He nodded. "All right, but you must stay by my side."

"Mm!"

Very soon, two hundred capable Soul Masters from the Spirit Hall Branch of Yelin City were urgently assembled. Guided by the precise locations Qian Xunji transmitted through Spiritual Power, they split into dozens of teams and began contacting and investigating the more than one hundred Soul Masters with spider martial souls.

Qian Xunji personally joined several searches near the Hot Spring Inn, accompanied by Bibi Dong and Ling Yuan.

However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment often became.

Two hours passed, and reports began arriving one after another.

"Reporting, Your Holiness. Wang Tiechui, blacksmith of the eastern district, martial soul: Ironback Spider. Soul Elder, forty-two years old. Not the target."

"Reporting, Your Holiness. The proprietress of Zhiyun Workshop on South Street, martial soul: Seven-Colored Poison Spider. Soul Grandmaster, thirty-eight years old, female. Not the target."

"Reporting, Your Holiness. Zhang Dali, dock laborer, martial soul: Wolf Spider. Soul Master, twenty-five years old, burly build. His appearance does not match the description."

"Reporting, Your Holiness. Li Yun, an inn guest, martial soul: Man Faced Demon Spider. Soul Ancestor, twenty-eight years old, from the Star Luo Empire, ordinary appearance..."

Report after report came in, yet none of them was that Bibi Xi.

Some Soul Masters were displeased at being disturbed late at night, while others were terrified, unsure why Spirit Hall had suddenly begun investigating them. Yet faced with the Pope's personal presence and pressure from the branch hall, they all cooperated with the questioning.

Not one person was named Bibi Xi. Not one bore even the slightest resemblance to Bibi Dong, and no one knew a young man named Bibi Xi.

As the night deepened, bustling Yelin City fell completely silent.

The investigation was nearing its end, and the final few locations also sent back their results—still nothing.

By the time they returned to the Hot Spring Inn, it was already the latter half of the night.

The anticipation on Bibi Dong's face had long since vanished.

Ling Yuan was also full of apology and confusion. "How could he not be here? I clearly met him... Could he have left Yelin City so quickly?"

Qian Xunji walked over to Bibi Dong and rubbed her head.

"Dong'er, don't lose heart yet."

"What martial souls did your parents have? If your younger brother's martial soul did not mutate, it should be a similar type of spider martial soul."

"My father's martial soul was the Death Spider, and my mother's was the Soul Devouring Spider... Both were very powerful spider martial souls."

"Death Spider and Soul Devouring Spider..." Qian Xunji mused. "My detection did not find the aura of either of those spider martial souls."

"Unless... your brother's martial soul mutated and became another type entirely. It may even no longer have a spider form."

"The direction of martial soul mutations is difficult to predict. That is also possible."

"I don't know..."

"Xiao Xi was only four years old then. He hadn't awakened his martial soul yet."

Qian Xunji pondered for a moment. "There is another possibility. As Ling Yuan said, he may have already left Yelin City."

"After all, they met several hours ago."

"Then... what do we do?"

After a brief thought, Qian Xunji said, "How about this? I will issue an order for the Spirit Hall Branch of Yelin City to send people to closely monitor every entrance and exit of the city over the next few days."

"At the same time, I will draw a portrait of that Bibi Xi based on Ling Yuan's description and distribute it."

"As soon as they find a young man of similar age and appearance entering or leaving the city, they are to stop him and question him immediately."

Ling Yuan's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea. We can wait for the rabbit by the tree stump—he has to enter or leave the city eventually!"

Hope reignited in Bibi Dong's heart.

She stood and rested her forehead against Qian Xunji's shoulder.

"Thank you, Teacher..."

Qian Xunji's body stiffened slightly as he wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders.

"No need to thank me. You are my disciple, so your affairs are naturally my affairs."

Ling Yuan watched from the side and quietly let out a breath of relief.

The night passed without further incident.

The following morning, the Lantern Festival, which had been lively for days, came to a complete end, and the city returned to its usual rhythm.

Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong, and Ling Yuan boarded a carriage bound for Spirit City.

The carriage rolled steadily out through the city gates and onto the road home.

After returning to Spirit City, life gradually returned to its familiar course.

Qian Xunji threw himself into Pope Palace. Faced with the piled-up official documents and memorials, he once again put on the mantle of the Pope and began working busily.

Bibi Dong and Ling Yuan also returned to their daily cultivation and the assignments given to them by Spirit Hall.

Inside Pope Palace, Qian Xunji was reviewing a report sent from Heaven Dou Sacred Hall.

Just then.

[ Ding! Detected that Bibi Dong's emotional fluctuations have stabilized into sweetness, while her trust in and closeness toward the host continue to deepen. ]

[ Favorability has surpassed the key threshold: 50%! Current favorability: 55%! ]

[ Congratulations, host, for receiving a milestone reward: Encyclopedia of Level 1 Soul Tools ]

As soon as the system notification faded from his mind, a book so thick it could be used as a brick appeared out of thin air on Qian Xunji's desk.

The cover bore the title Encyclopedia of Level 1 Soul Tools, along with a line of smaller text: "From beginner to master, from lighting to blasting—you deserve it."

Qian Xunji's eyes lit up. He immediately put down his pen and eagerly opened this treasure.

It was filled with illustrations and text documenting all sorts of strange and unusual Level 1 Soul Tools.

For example: Night Pearl: a basic lighting Soul Tool. It glowed when infused with Soul Power, its brightness could be adjusted, and it consumed little energy. Its drawback was that the light was somewhat cold and might affect sleep quality.

Gale Boots: shoe-type Soul Tools fitted with a small wind-attribute acceleration formation. They could slightly increase movement speed, making them suitable for travel or escape.

Warm Jade Pendant: after being worn, it maintained a constant comfortable temperature in a small area around the wearer, warm in winter and cool in summer.

Explosive Fireball: after Soul Power was poured into it, it could be thrown to produce a small-scale fiery explosion equivalent to the full-force attack of a level-ten Soul Scholar.

Qian Xunji read with great interest. Though these were all merely Level 1 Soul Tools with simple functions, the ideas behind them were ingenious.

Moreover, many were practical for daily life. He could gradually promote them within Spirit Hall, subtly changing everyone's perception of Soul Tools and laying the groundwork for higher-level communication devices and the like in the future.

"Good stuff!"

He could not help but praise it, as if he had already seen the bright future of Spirit Hall's flourishing Soul-Guided Technology.

Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly remembered what he had promised Bibi Dong in Yelin City.

"Oh, right, System. Do you have... tools for making cakes?"

"Like an oven? An egg beater? Piping bags, that sort of thing?"

"I remember you said you would provide assistance according to my needs?"

[ Ding! Detected host requirement: dessert-making toolkit. ]

[ Reward issued: Basic Baking Kit. ]

A flash of white light flickered across the desk again, and beside the thick Encyclopedia of Level 1 Soul Tools, a pile of oddly shaped metal items instantly appeared.

An oven with a silver-white metal casing, a transparent viewing window on the front, and several knobs came into view.

Besides that, there were several metal bowls of varying sizes, a set of handled beaters, a pile of piping tips and piping bags, as well as scales, measuring cups, molds, and more...

There was even a bag labeled yeast and baking powder.

Qian Xunji stood up and circled the pile of items several times. He especially examined the oven, touching its cool, smooth surface.

"System, you're incredible. You even have this!"