The two of them arrived at the training grounds.
Bibi Dong dismissed the attendants.
Only mother and son remained.
Purple light surged around Bibi Dong.
The Death Spider Emperor possessed her.
That suffocating, terrifying pressure was enough to make one's heart pound, even with her cultivation suppressed.
She didn't want to hurt Lin Qiu.
She only wanted him to know when to back down.
"Xiao Qiu, be careful."
Bibi Dong's figure flashed.
She was as fast as a bolt of thunder.
In an instant, she was in front of Lin Qiu.
An armored hand came at Lin Qiu's shoulder, accompanied by a sharp rush of wind.
She hadn't used a Soul Skill.
It was only a test.
Lin Qiu stood where he was, utterly still.
He hadn't even released his Martial Soul.
Just as Bibi Dong's palm was about to touch him,
he moved.
He merely raised a hand,
joined his fingers like a sword,
and gently pointed forward.
The gesture looked utterly ordinary.
There was no dazzling glow of Soul Power,
no earth-shaking display.
But to Bibi Dong's senses,
that single finger was like the collapse of a Primordial Divine Mountain, carrying an overwhelming force that could not be resisted.
It was the ultimate offensive power evolved from the Nine Secrets: Dou.
Though he had only grasped a fraction of it,
it was still enough to astound the world.
Bang!
A muffled thud rang out.
Visible ripples spread through the air.
Bibi Dong felt an irresistible force surge toward her.
The Spider Emperor armor, tempered through countless trials, let out a groan as if it could bear no more.
She was sent flying backward like a kite with its strings cut,
and staggered back dozens of steps
before she could finally steady herself.
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes widened in an instant.
A storm surged in her heart.
How was this possible?
Though she had suppressed her Soul Power, her physical strength was genuinely at the Titled Douluo level.
And yet Lin Qiu had sent her reeling with one casual flick of his finger?
What's more,
Lin Qiu hadn't even released his Martial Soul!
"Mom, you let me win."
Lin Qiu lowered his finger.
His expression remained calm.
Bibi Dong drew a deep breath,
calming the blood churning within her.
She looked at the tall, graceful young man before her,
and her gaze grew complicated.
Shock, relief, pride—
and a faint trace of sadness.
The child who used to follow her around all day, asking to be hugged and lifted up high,
had truly grown up.
He was so strong that even his own mother could barely fathom him.
"Well, look at you."
"You've been hiding your strength well."
Bibi Dong withdrew her Martial Soul.
The pressure around her faded.
She walked up to Lin Qiu and raised a hand,
as if she wanted to ruffle his hair as she used to.
But she realized Lin Qiu was already half a head taller than her.
Her hand paused in midair.
Then it came to rest gently against Lin Qiu's cheek.
Her palm was a little cool,
but it held a tenderness she'd never shown before.
"You win."
Bibi Dong's voice was a little low.
"You can go now."
Lin Qiu keenly sensed the change in Bibi Dong's mood.
He reached out
and drew her into his arms.
The Pope, feared throughout the world, seemed especially fragile in his embrace.
"Mom, don't be sad."
"It's not like I'm never coming back."
"A fledgling has to learn to fly, doesn't it?"
Bibi Dong buried her face against Lin Qiu's shoulder,
breathing in the clean, cool scent of the boy,
and her eyes reddened slightly.
"I know."
"I just... I just feel like it all happened too fast."
"In the blink of an eye, you've grown so big."
"Big enough that you don't need me to protect you anymore."
That strike just now
had made her understand completely:
Lin Qiu's strength went far beyond the level seventy-two he displayed.
That power seemed to transcend the realm of Soul Power.
Even if she broke the seal and used the strength of a Soul Douluo, or even a Titled Douluo,
she might not be able to beat him for certain.
The depths of this child's power were unfathomable.
This Douluo Continent truly could no longer contain this True Dragon.
A dragon could never take flight while trapped in a shallow pool.
"No matter how strong I become,"
"I'll always be your son."
"That will never change."
Lin Qiu said softly.
Bibi Dong lifted her head from his embrace
and composed herself.
Her usual grace and poise returned,
though her eyes still brimmed with affection as she looked at Lin Qiu.
She didn't ask where that freakish strength of his had come from.
Nor did she ask about the origins of those two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Everyone had their secrets.
As long as Lin Qiu was her son, that was enough.
"Since you're leaving,"
"Mom won't stop you."
"But there are a few things you must remember."
Bibi Dong pointed at Lin Qiu's chest, one finger at a time.
"First, never underestimate your enemies."
"Second, if you run into some old monster you can't beat, show them the Pope's Order—or just run."
"Third, don't let some vixen out there turn your head."
"Understand?"
Lin Qiu's mouth twitched.
What did that have to do with anything?
"Understood."
"Don't worry, Mom."
"No one who can hurt me has been born yet."
Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at him.
"Arrogant."
"That's enough. Get going."
"Stop hovering in front of me. You're getting on my nerves."
Though she told him to leave,
Bibi Dong still prepared a storage ring for Lin Qiu herself.
It was stuffed with Gold Soul Coins, as well as all kinds of precious healing pills.
There were even a few defensive Soul Tools.
Lin Qiu didn't refuse.
It was his mother's way of showing she cared.
Back in his chambers,
Lin Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed.
With a thought,
a pale blue system panel appeared before him.
[Host: Lin Qiu]
[Age: 12]
[Physique: Ancient Sacred Body (Awakening: 20%)]
[Realm: Sea of Bitterness Realm, Perfection]
[Cultivation Methods: Heavenly Emperor Scripture (Fragment), Nine Secrets: Jie, Nine Secrets: Xing, Nine Secrets: Dou...]
Looking at this impressive array of abilities,
Lin Qiu nodded with satisfaction.
Now this was what a transmigrator deserved.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer—
compared to those supreme imperial scriptures and divine arts, they weren't even fit to shine his shoes.
Just then,
the system's notification rang out of the blue.
[Ding!]
[New check-in mission detected!]
[Mission Description: In the distant Heaven Dou Empire, a prince from the Supreme Divine Dynasty is about to end up here.]
[He bears the Primordial White Tiger Bloodline and possesses the makings of a Great Emperor. His talent is terrifying beyond compare.]
[Host, please seek him out, defeat him, and shatter his Dao Heart.]
[Quest Reward: Source of All-Things Mother Qi (one wisp).]
Lin Qiu looked at the quest description.
The corners of his mouth twitched a few times.
The Supreme Divine Dynasty?
The Star Luo Empire?
Primordial White Tiger Bloodline?
Evil-Eyed White Tiger?
The makings of a Great Emperor?
Could it be Dai Mubai?
System, aren't you overselling this a little?
That spineless coward who only ever hung around brothels and taverns, then ran at the first sign of a powerful enemy?
The makings of a Great Emperor?
He was more like some stray dog by the roadside.
Still.
The reward was genuinely tempting.
The Source of All-Things Mother Qi.
It was the supreme treasure Heavenly Emperor Ye had used to forge the Cauldron of All-Things Mother Qi.
Even a single wisp weighed as much as ten thousand jun, enough to crush the void.
If he could refine it into a weapon,
he could absolutely forge the beginnings of an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon.
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