Bibi Dong Has Another Man!

Golden light rippled as Qian Xunji opened his eyes and sat up from the bed. The lingering heat on his forehead and the memories in his mind left him somewhat dazed.

"Could it... have been a dream?"

He lowered his head and looked at his hands. His skin was smooth, without the slightest trace of burns.

His Soul Power was abundant, even stronger than before.

He raised a hand to touch his forehead. It felt warm beneath his fingers, not like the normal temperature of skin.

Moreover, he could feel a faintly raised pattern there.

"It wasn't a dream."

He immediately got out of bed and strode to the mirror in the bedchamber.

His reflection appeared in the mirror, but right at the center of his forehead, there was now a mark.

The mark was roughly three centimeters long, brilliant gold, and shaped like a lotus flower.

Simply staring at it, he could sense the power of light contained within.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully passing the God of Light's First Trial: Audience with the Divine Heart! ]

[ Reward obtained: God of Light Brand. ]

[ The brand comes with basic skills: ]

[ God of Light Shield: Activates the power of the brand to form a shield composed of Divine Light Power in front of the user or a designated target. It possesses extremely strong defensive power and provides additional resistance against dark, evil, and unclean attribute attacks. ]

[ Light Dispels Evil: Infuses Divine Light Power into an attack, dealing substantial additional damage to targets with dark, evil, undead, unclean, and similar attributes, with a chance of triggering a purification effect. ]

Qian Xunji looked at the mark in the mirror, and the corners of his lips slowly lifted.

He had succeeded!

Not only had he avoided the tragedy of his father's sacrifice, but he had truly set foot upon the path of inheriting the God of Light's legacy.

Though the process had been like getting roasted alive, the result was satisfying.

These two additional skills were also extremely useful. Light Dispels Evil, in particular, was practically the perfect weapon for dealing with certain Evil Soul Masters in the future.

"Half a year from now, the Second Trial... Light Dissolving Evil Miasma?"

Qian Xunji repeated it quietly, anticipation flashing in his eyes.

He calmed his mind, and the God of Light Brand vanished.

"I've been gone for three days. I wonder how Dong'er is doing?"

He pushed open the bedchamber doors and headed toward the Pope Palace.

Inside the hall, Elders Jiang Mo and Qian Jun were staring miserably at a pile of documents.

Hearing footsteps, the two raised their heads. When they saw who had arrived, delight immediately appeared in their eyes.

"Your Holiness the Pope, you've finally returned!"

Heaven knew how they had survived these past three days.

With the Pope absent, every matter requiring attention had been piled onto the two elders.

Now that the person in charge had returned, they were naturally overjoyed.

"Mm, you've worked hard."

Qian Xunji walked to the papal throne and casually flipped through the reports on top. "Has anything urgent happened today?"

"Reporting to Your Holiness, nothing of significance has occurred. The various branch halls are operating normally, and the borders are peaceful," Elder Qian Jun replied respectfully.

"That's good." Qian Xunji set down the report. "Where is the Saintess? Has she cultivated today?"

Falling Devil Douluo hurriedly replied, "The Saintess left early this morning. She said she had something to do with Ling Yuan."

"She went out?" Qian Xunji raised a brow.

So early? With Ling Yuan? Were the two girls out shopping?

"Mm."

Qian Xunji nodded, then turned and headed out of the hall. "Handle these matters for now. If there's anything you can't decide, leave it until I return later."

"Your Holiness?!" Jiang Mo and Qian Jun were both dumbfounded. The joy on their faces instantly collapsed into bitter expressions.

They still had to handle them?

Yet Qian Xunji seemed not to see their resentful gazes. Without slowing his stride, he disappeared beyond the hall doors in the blink of an eye.

After leaving the Pope Palace and reaching a relatively secluded corridor, Qian Xunji stopped and closed his eyes.

The next second, vast spiritual power spread out from him, covering the entirety of Spirit City.

Countless Soul Power fluctuations lit up within his senses, varying in strength and attribute.

He quickly filtered through them, searching... Before long, he captured the fluctuations belonging to Bibi Dong's martial soul and Soul Power.

They were near the commercial district in the eastern part of the city.

But... Qian Xunji's brows slowly furrowed.

Beside the Soul Power fluctuations of Bibi Dong and Ling Yuan was another unfamiliar fluctuation.

And it was extremely close to Bibi Dong's, practically right beside her.

Who was that?

An indescribable sense of unease and irritation rose in his heart.

Hadn't Yu Xiaogang already been dealt with?

Could some other blind fool have appeared?

He concealed his presence, his figure turning into a streak of golden light as he shot toward the source of the Soul Power fluctuations.

In Spirit City's eastern district, outside Brocade Pavilion, a shop specializing in fine ready-made clothing and high-quality fabrics.

Qian Xunji hid in the shadow beneath the eaves of the building opposite. His gaze passed through the shop's open doorway, clearly taking in the scene within.

Bibi Dong was holding a dark blue brocade robe, comparing it against a tall man whose back faced the entrance.

Moreover, Bibi Dong wore a delighted smile on her face.

Ling Yuan was rummaging through the clothes rack nearby while cheerfully saying something to the man, making Bibi Dong unable to suppress a laugh as well.

The relaxed, harmonious atmosphere between the three of them, the happy smile on Bibi Dong's face...

It all pricked Qian Xunji like a thin needle.

His heart sank with a thud.

Who was he?

Why was Dong'er so close to him? Why was she smiling so happily?

She was even helping him pick out clothes?

Was this world's plot-correction force really that powerful? I'd just snuffed out one romantic prospect, and now it had stuffed another random man beside my disciple?

Countless thoughts tinged with jealousy and anger surged through his mind.

Qian Xunji's gaze gradually turned cold.

He believed he had treated Bibi Dong well enough, gently enough, and he had clearly sensed her dependence on him and the steadily growing affection she held for him.

He had only been gone for a few days.

And some unfamiliar brat had appeared who could make her smile this happily?

"No. Absolutely not."

"Yu Xiaogang was the first. It seems he won't be the last."

"I don't mind... cleaning up another one." After muttering to himself, he looked toward the roof of the shop.

"I'll find a chance to jump down from the roof, kill him with one sword strike, and retreat immediately."

"Mm... worth a try."

Inside the shop, Bibi Xi was surrounded by his elder sister and the somewhat scatterbrained Ling Yuan, trying on clothes until his head ached.

"Sis, there's really no need to spend so much. I have clothes to wear."

Bibi Xi looked at the dazzling array of luxurious garments, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

He was used to rough cloth and hemp clothing. These fabrics felt smooth to the touch and looked expensive at a glance.

"How could that do?"

Bibi Dong shot him a reproachful look, then picked up another moon-white robe. "You definitely haven't had many good clothes these past years."

"And it's not just for you. We need to pick out some for Father and Mother to bring back as well."

Ling Yuan leaned over with a smile. "Exactly. Young people should dress more brightly."

"Look at this one, how festive it is! You'll definitely look spirited in it! You'll absolutely be the most handsome man in the village!"

Bibi Xi looked at the red floral garment bright enough to blind someone and twitched at the corner of his mouth. He rolled his eyes at Ling Yuan. "Miss Ling Yuan, your taste... truly stands apart."

Ling Yuan did not mind in the least and simply grinned.