The setting sun stained the broad road outside Spirit City a deep red.
The gray robe Yu Xiaogang had once kept neat was now smeared with dirt and dust, and had even been torn to shreds.
He walked down the deserted road, utterly lost.
His eyes were blank as he stared at the ground ahead. His steps staggered, and several times he nearly tripped over tiny stones by the roadside.
The Grandmaster who had once stood high above everyone in Nuoding City now looked as though his backbone had been ripped out.
Tang San followed behind Yu Xiaogang in silence.
His shirtfront was still splattered with blood, and pain in his abdomen sent cold sweat streaming down his face with every step.
But he didn't wipe the sweat from his brow. He only watched the hunched figure ahead, his gaze filled with conflicting emotions.
The air around them was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
They walked for a long time.
Yu Xiaogang seemed to notice the deathly silence behind him.
He stopped and turned around.
Looking at his battered disciple, Yu Xiaogang forced a dry smile onto his stiff face, one uglier than tears.
He reached out with trembling hands, hoping to pat Tang San on the shoulder.
"Xiao San..."
Yu Xiaogang swallowed, desperately trying to maintain the last shred of a teacher's dignity in front of his disciple.
He hurriedly offered an explanation, his voice rushed and powerless.
"Listen to your teacher."
"My Ten Core Competitivenesses theory is absolutely right. It's a truth proven through countless rounds of deduction and verification!"
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists, trying to make his words sound more convincing.
"That boy named Lin Yuan isn't normal! He's just too strange!"
"Spirit Hall must have used some unbelievably evil forbidden technique that shortens one's lifespan to forcibly raise the age of his Soul Rings!"
"Right, that has to be it! A method that burns through your life is bound to lead nowhere!"
Yu Xiaogang kept making excuses for his theory, a trace of eager hope in his eyes as he longed to see Tang San agree with him.
But—
Tang San only raised his head, very slowly.
His face, usually warm and full of reverence for his teacher, was now perfectly calm, without a ripple.
He didn't nod or pick up Yu Xiaogang's thread.
Tang San gave Yu Xiaogang a long look. His voice was faint, without the slightest fluctuation.
"Teacher."
Tang San tilted his head slightly, looking past Yu Xiaogang's shoulder toward the last sliver of sunset about to sink into darkness.
"I want some peace and quiet."
Just five simple words.
Yet they landed like a resounding slap across Yu Xiaogang's face.
Yu Xiaogang's hands, still suspended in midair, went rigid. He felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.
From Tang San's calm tone, he heard a deadly note of distance and distrust.
The crack in their supposedly unbreakable teacher-disciple bond had finally split wide open in the wake of Spirit Hall's crushing defeat.
Tang San didn't look at Yu Xiaogang again. He simply dragged his badly injured body past him, limping with every step.
Yu Xiaogang was left alone, rooted to the spot like a weathered, crumbling stone statue.
Inside Spirit Hall's highest-grade inner sanctum.
The light was soft, and the faint fragrance of orchids lingered in the air.
With no outsiders to disturb them, the solemn, murderous atmosphere in the hall vanished in an instant.
Lin Yuan's arm rested naturally around Bibi Dong's slender waist. Her pleasant body fragrance filled his nostrils as he enjoyed this intimate, tender moment of everyday life.
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes were half-lidded with languor.
She reached up with her soft, delicate hands and gently stroked Lin Yuan's dark hair.
Her fingertips passed through his locks, full of affection and adoration.
"It feels like Yuan'er has grown up so much in the blink of an eye."
Bibi Dong's red lips parted, her voice carrying a woman's unique charm and pride.
She tilted her head slightly and looked at the handsome face so close to hers, the smile in her eyes growing brighter.
As the one who truly held power in Spirit Hall, she kept close watch on Lin Yuan's cultivation progress.
At only twelve years old, he had already reached the terrifying peak of Rank 69, a Soul Emperor!
His pace was unprecedented and would never be surpassed. Across the entire continent, there wasn't a second person like him.
"You're at Rank 69 now, just one final step away from becoming a Soul Saint."
Bibi Dong lightly pinched Lin Yuan's cheek, her tone full of indulgence and expectation.
"You don't need to worry about Soul Rings."
"As soon as a top-grade Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast suited to your Nine Nether Beast Martial Soul appears, Aunt Dong will tell you right away and hunt it for you herself."
Hearing her weighty promise, Lin Yuan's lips curved slightly, and the arm around Bibi Dong's waist tightened.
"Then thank you, Aunt Dong."
Bibi Dong lightly tapped his nose, a crafty glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"Don't thank me just yet."
Bibi Dong shifted into a more comfortable position, nestling almost entirely in Lin Yuan's arms.
"Besides the Soul Ring, I have another piece of good news for you."
At that, Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, curiosity rising in his heart.
Anything Bibi Dong called good news had to be something special.
"What good news?"
Lin Yuan lowered his head, gazing straight into Bibi Dong's deep, captivating eyes.
Looking at his curious expression, Bibi Dong's beautiful face blossomed into a meaningful smile.
Her red lips moved, and she asked lightly, a teasing note in her voice.
"Do you miss Qian Renxue?"
At Bibi Dong's teasing question, Lin Yuan's eyes shifted, and the figure of a pretty girl with a waterfall of golden hair appeared in his mind.
Come to think of it, it had been years since they last met.
"What? Is Aunt Dong thinking of letting me leave Spirit City and get some fresh air?"
Lin Yuan naturally kept both arms around Bibi Dong's slender waist, then asked in return.
The smile on Bibi Dong's beautiful face deepened. She raised a slender finger and affectionately straightened the slight wrinkle in Lin Yuan's collar.
"A message came from the Heaven Dou Empire. There's an extremely important confidential letter that needs to be delivered to Qian Renxue in person by someone completely trustworthy."
"That girl has been undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family for so many years. Every step she takes is fraught with danger, and she doesn't even have anyone by her side she can speak openly with."
As she spoke, a rare note of sorrow entered Bibi Dong's voice.
"She's been away from home for a long time. It's about time she saw you, her younger brother. Would you be willing to make the trip for Aunt Dong?"
Lin Yuan didn't hesitate over the assignment and immediately agreed.
"Don't worry, Aunt Dong. Leave delivering the letter to me."
"I've always been able to trust you with things."
Bibi Dong patted Lin Yuan's hand and gently reminded him, "Go pack your things. You can leave whenever you're ready. Take plenty of people with you, and be careful on the road."
Before you continue