"Mother."
Lin Qiu cut her off, his expression earnest. "My path is one of fierce, domineering power. This Extreme Yin treasure would be poison to me. But for you, it's an unparalleled tonic."
"Besides..."
Lin Qiu paused, his voice softening. "All these years, you've spent so much of yourself caring for me and serving Spirit Hall that your cultivation has slowed considerably. Let this medicine be a small token of your son's devotion."
Bibi Dong's eyes reddened at his words.
Her life had been filled with hardship and suffering. She had endured too many betrayals and too much pain.
The only comfort in her heart was the child standing before her.
Anyone else who obtained such a heaven-defying treasure would have hidden it away at once. Yet Lin Qiu had given it to her without a moment's hesitation.
"Good, good child."
Bibi Dong stopped refusing. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then immediately brought out the Extreme Yin Soul Flower.
"I'll take it now. Stand guard for me."
Without hesitation, she swallowed the flower.
Boom!
In an instant, a terrifying pillar of purple-black light burst from Bibi Dong and shot into the sky.
Dark clouds gathered above the entire Pope Palace. Two enormous phantoms of the Spider Emperor appeared and disappeared among the clouds, their shrieks shaking the soul.
It wasn't evil. It was the supreme majesty of an emperor.
Lin Qiu stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching.
As the Extreme Yin Soul Flower's medicinal power surged through Bibi Dong, the impurities in her killing aura were rapidly refined. Her Soul Power surged at a visible rate.
Level 98... peak Level 98...
The force of her long-accumulated power finally erupting was simply astonishing.
Mother was already supremely talented. If that old schemer, the Rakshasa God, hadn't set her up—and if she hadn't wasted several years being lovesick—she should have become a god long ago.
Now that she had this precious medicine from a higher-dimensional world to replenish her foundation, Bibi Dong would be made whole. She might even surpass her original fate. In the future, she could walk an invincible path even without relying on a divine position.
At that thought, Lin Qiu's brow suddenly furrowed.
He had remembered the root of that so-called "lovesickness."
Yu Xiaogang.
That man who called himself the "Grandmaster" was really just a plagiarist who peddled theories, lived off women, and was as useless as he was melodramatic.
Bibi Dong had never forgotten him. In the original story, she had even spared Tang San several times because of him, ultimately bringing about Spirit Hall's destruction.
This is a troublesome problem to solve.
Lin Qiu rubbed his chin.
Bibi Dong's feelings for Yu Xiaogang were too complicated. If he killed the man outright, she might resent Lin Qiu for the rest of her life—and even develop a mental affliction.
The best solution was to make Bibi Dong see the man's true nature, or let him bring about his own ruin.
Just then,
the emotionless mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Lin Qiu's mind.
[ Ding! The system has detected an evil cultivator in the surrounding area. ]
[ Target: Yu Xiaogang. ]
[ Identity assessment: A charlatan who uses "theory" as a pretext for fraud and misleads his students. His conduct is heretical. ]
[ Quest issued: Vanquish evil and uphold the righteous path. ]
[ Quest description: As a disciple of a righteous sect (the system considers Shrouding the Heavens a righteous sect), the host is duty-bound to purge the filth near the sect and suppress the arrogance of evil cultivators. ]
[ Quest reward: Ten jin of Source Stone. ]
Lin Qiu blinked, then the corner of his mouth curled into an amused smile.
"Interesting."
"The system really classified Yu Xiaogang as an evil fraud?"
It wasn't exactly an unfair judgment.
That so-called theory—"There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters"—was a joke to begin with.
If Tang San hadn't had Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power, not to mention the cheat of being a transmigrator, then what? Try that theory with an actual Blue Silver Grass owner.
Would they even make it to Level 10?
Besides, most of Yu Xiaogang's theories had been plagiarized and pieced together from books in Spirit Hall's library. Then he had turned around and taken a swipe at Spirit Hall.
"Where does the system say he is?" Lin Qiu asked in his mind.
[Location: The market in the commoner district on the outskirts of Spirit City. ]
A cold glint flashed in Lin Qiu's eyes.
Spirit City?
Yu Xiaogang wasn't staying in Nuoding City. What was he doing in Spirit City?
It didn't take much thought to figure out.
By now, Tang San must have run into a bottleneck in cultivating Twin Martial Souls, or Yu Xiaogang had come to Spirit Hall to seek a cultivation method so he could show off.
You really are a good-for-nothing. Without my mother, you're not worth a damn.
Lin Qiu let out a cold laugh.
"Since you've delivered yourself to my door, don't blame me for being ruthless."
He glanced at Bibi Dong, still in deep meditation. Her breathing was steady, and she was at a critical stage of transformation. She wouldn't wake for at least several hours.
Lin Qiu summoned Elder Gui Mei and told him to guard the place. Then he blurred into a streak of golden light and silently left the Pope Palace.
Meanwhile,
in a bustling market square on the outskirts of Spirit City,
a middle-aged man in a gray cloth robe stood looking dejectedly at the towering Pope Palace. His face was stiff, his beard unkempt.
He was none other than Yu Xiaogang, whom the world respectfully called the "Grandmaster."
His eyes were complicated, filled with both anticipation and a measure of insecurity and resentment.
"Dong'er..."
Yu Xiaogang murmured to himself.
He really had run out of options this time.
Stubborn as ever, he had recently tried to return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to reclaim his place in the family and borrow some texts. The clan elders had thrown him out without mercy, calling him a disgrace to the family.
Yu Xiaogang could not accept it.
He had to prove himself!
If Tang San succeeded, then he, Yu Xiaogang, would be the foremost authority on theory!
But he still couldn't solve the problem of the backlash from Twin Martial Souls, so he could only swallow his pride and try his luck at Spirit Hall.
If only he could see Bibi Dong...
Given how deeply she loved him—and how guilty she felt—she would surely tell him the method.
Once he had it, he could cultivate a god!
Then everyone would bow down before him!
At the thought, the gloom in Yu Xiaogang's eyes faded, replaced by a strange excitement.
But...
He felt inside his empty pocket.
The long journey had drained his travel funds. He couldn't even scrape together the city's entry fee, much less pay someone at the gate to announce his arrival.
"Alas, the world is blind. If people knew I was the Grandmaster, how could they let me suffer like this?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed.
His gaze swept over the throng of commoners and low-ranked Soul Masters around him.
Here at the foot of Spirit City, the people were martial by nature. Nearly everyone discussed Soul Master cultivation, and they held Spirit Hall in the highest regard.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes shifted as an idea came to him.
If he couldn't get in for now, he might as well spread some of his theories here—and earn enough for his expenses while he was at it.
The commoners here hungered for knowledge. This was a rare opportunity.
It was also a blessing for this pack of fools!
With that thought, Yu Xiaogang straightened his clothes, put on a profound air, and walked with his hands behind his back to a nearby platform.
"Ahem!"
He cleared his throat, deliberately lowering his voice until it sounded hoarse and weathered.
"Everyone, lend me your ears."
The commoners and Soul Masters nearby stopped to look, curious about this unremarkable middle-aged man.
Seeing that he had drawn their attention, Yu Xiaogang raised his chin proudly.
"I am the theoretical Grandmaster of the Soul Master World, known as Yu Xiaogang. I once read ten thousand books in Spirit Hall's library and compiled the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul!"
At the words "Spirit Hall," the crowd stirred.
"A Grandmaster from Spirit Hall?"
"Could he be an elder?"
"He doesn't look like one. He's dressed so shabbily..."
Yu Xiaogang ignored their murmurs and continued.
"I passed through your fine city today and saw that although you're eager to pursue the martial path, you don't know how. It's truly a pity."
"I'm moved by compassion and willing to show you the way."
He held up one finger and waved it before the crowd.
"For just one Gold Soul Coin! One Gold Soul Coin buys you personal instruction from me, the Grandmaster, in the path of Martial Soul cultivation! Under my guidance, joining Spirit Hall in the future will be a piece of cake!"
The crowd erupted.
One Gold Soul Coin? That was several months' worth of expenses for an ordinary family!
But if they could really join Spirit Hall...
The eyes of several parents who had brought their children to awaken their Martial Souls immediately lit up.
To commoners, Spirit Hall was a holy land—the only chance to change their fate.
"This Grandmaster sounds convincing. Maybe he really is an expert?"
"Never mind. One Gold Soul Coin is nothing if it's for my child!"
Several plainly dressed commoners tremblingly pulled out their money pouches and prepared to step forward with their coins.
Yu Xiaogang saw the Gold Soul Coins, and a flash of greed crossed his eyes. But he maintained his lofty expression, inwardly sneering.
What a bunch of fools. A few words and they're hooked.
Spirit Hall's name really is useful.
Just as his hand was about to touch one of the coins,
a cool voice, edged with mockery, came from behind the crowd.
"Grandmaster? You look more like a con artist to me."
The voice wasn't loud, yet it crashed through the crowd like thunder.
The eager onlookers fell silent. The commoners who had been about to pay pulled back their hands, looking uncertain.
Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened, his hand frozen awkwardly in midair.
He whipped around and glared in the direction of the voice.
"Who said that? How dare you slander the Grandmaster!"
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