Bibi Dong's Failure

The boost provided by the Sacred Cloth was comprehensive; it not only enhanced recovery capabilities but also provided a twenty percent increase to spiritual power.

The lethargic Qian Xunji utilized this boost to force himself into a seated position and begin cultivation.

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Aries Sacred Cloth could even repair damage sustained by his martial soul.

Under the immense power unleashed by Tang Hao detonating his Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast ring, his Six-Winged Angel martial soul had suffered irreversible damage, even coming close to shattering.

However, the restorative power of the Sacred Cloth did not act solely upon his physical body; it applied to his martial soul as well.

Heh, it seems I owe this little one a favor. To extend a helping hand at a time when it risked exposing the secrets of her martial soul—it seems she has no ulterior motives against Martial Soul Hall. She is a promising seedling worth nurturing. That pedantic old man actually did something right for once!

Moreover, beyond the basic enhancements, these soul skills are also...

Amidst his sighs of admiration, Qian Xunji began to intensify the repair of his body and martial soul. Occupying such a high position, being unable to use his martial soul was a source of extreme agony.

Meanwhile, not far away, Bibi Dong had not seen Qian Xunji return to the Pope Hall to handle administrative affairs for dozens of days, confirming that he had indeed been severely injured.

An idea slowly took root in her mind, immediately followed by an endless chill that settled deep within her heart.

Do not disappoint me, Qian Xunji.

The next morning, after Qian Renxue visited her father as usual, she returned to the Douluo Hall to complete her daily training.

Bibi Dong, carrying a bowl of medicinal soup, slowly stepped into Qian Xunji's residence.

"Teacher..."

"Hmm?"

Qian Xunji slowly exited his meditative state, looking at Bibi Dong before him with a complex expression.

His feelings for this disciple were incredibly complicated: the intimate father-daughter bond of her childhood, the heartbreak following her betrayal, and the "breaking the jar" mentality that followed the incident in the secret chamber.

Due to the arrival of Qian Renxue, he had always wanted to mend his relationship with his disciple, but every attempt had ended in failure. This incident involving the Blue Silver Emperor had even been orchestrated to secure a hundred-thousand-year ninth soul ring for her.

He had not expected Bibi Dong to take the initiative to bring him medicine. Amidst his mixed emotions, a trace of wariness secretly sprouted in his heart.

"Dong'er, what brings you here?"

"I heard that Teacher was severely injured during the soul-hunting mission. Filled with guilt, I came to bring you some medicinal soup, hoping it might be of use to you."

Warily glancing at the steaming soup in her delicate hands, Qian Xunji, as a Titled Douluo, could naturally discern whether it was poisoned. Yet, after several observations, it appeared to be nothing more than a standard decoction for pain relief and blood nourishment.

Could it be that she has truly had a change of heart and is concerned for me?

Qian Xunji kept his guard up, enduring the pain in his meridians as he injected a sliver of soul power into the Sacred Cloth.

He then forced a smile onto his stern face.

"It is rare for you to be so thoughtful, Dong'er. I am very sorry that I failed to bring back the Blue Silver Emperor for you this time."

"It is of no consequence. We can plan for the soul ring once Teacher has recovered."

Glancing at the golden armor on Qian Xunji's body, Bibi Dong felt a strange sense of familiarity for reasons she could not explain.

But seeing Qian Xunji slowly lower his guard, Bibi Dong clenched her knuckles in excitement. The medicine she had added to the soup was the Soul-Locking Potion mentioned by the Rakshasa God; no matter how profound Qian Xunji's knowledge was, he would never be able to detect it.

Slowly taking the soup, Qian Xunji drank it all in one gulp in front of Bibi Dong, intending to show his disciple that he trusted her.

"Rest assured, once my injuries are healed, I will take people to help you hunt a hundred-thousand-year soul beast again."

"Very well, then I thank you in advance, Teacher."

Seeing that Bibi Dong had no intention of leaving, Qian Xunji sighed:

"The past is in the past. As long as you no longer think of that good-for-nothing, I can still entrust the management of Martial Soul Hall to you. I will need to recuperate for some time, so please handle the affairs of the Hall in my stead."

"Heh, the past?"

Estimating that the effects of the drug were beginning to take hold, Bibi Dong, who had been enduring her nausea while playing along with Qian Xunji, finally tore off her mask. Her eyes turned scarlet as she sneered:

"You say it is in the past, so it is? My dear Teacher, I will never forget what you did to me. Only your blood can wash away the humiliation in my heart."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Qian Xunji felt an immediate sense of dread. He realized instantly that the soup he had consumed was tainted; otherwise, even knowing he was injured, Bibi Dong—who only possessed the cultivation of a Soul Douluo—would never dare to be so insolent.

"You poisoned me?"

"Of course!"

"You could never detect a formula from the Rakshasa God. Now, you can only let me devour you."

A twisted sense of gratification appeared on Bibi Dong's beautiful face; she had been waiting for this moment for nearly ten years.

Eight spider legs slowly extended from her back, and Bibi Dong stepped forward toward Qian Xunji with a rhythmic gait.

Qian Xunji tried to mobilize his soul power without showing it, but he was shocked to find that he could not connect with his own power no matter how hard he tried. Bibi Dong's triumphant voice reached his ears the next moment.

"Qian Xunji, do not waste your energy. You will be unable to use your soul power for an entire day. Does this scene seem familiar?"

His heart sank to the bottom of a valley. Qian Xunji had no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it were alive; the precaution he had taken earlier paid off as the soul power remaining within the Sacred Cloth manifested as a Crystal Wall slowly emerging before him.

"Hmph, even if I had to choose ten thousand times over, I would never let you be with that good-for-nothing."

"My only regret is that I did not crush that toad who wanted to eat swan meat to death with one palm before you ever met."

"Shut your mouth! You disgusting bastard have no right to judge him. Go to hell!"

Enraged, Bibi Dong no longer had the patience to waste words on Qian Xunji, her eight spider legs merging into one as she thrust them fiercely toward him.

But a second before the attack could make contact, golden ripples shimmering like water erupted between the two of them.

Bibi Dong's gaze narrowed; at this moment, she finally recalled why the armor on Qian Xunji's body looked so familiar.

Combined with the soul skill before her, was this not the very armor worn and the exact soul skill used by the boy who had stood in front of her daughter back then?

"Hmph, Qian Xunji, you truly have regressed with age; do you intend to rely on a wet-behind-the-ears child to save your life?"

While scanning her surroundings for the figure of Lin Beiya, Bibi Dong increased the force behind her spider legs and continued to thrust forward.

To Bibi Dong's disappointment, however, she could not find Lin Beiya, and the attack she had unleashed failed to take effect.

Not only that, but the wall reflected her attack back in its entirety, striking her chest with even greater force than before and sending her flying into one of the stone pillars within the hall.

"Ugh."

With a pained groan, Bibi Dong slid slowly down the stone pillar to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood as she appeared exceptionally frantic.

"Why? Why are you still able to use soul power? Have you been lying to me this entire time?"

Qian Xunji watched Bibi Dong with cold eyes, and after struggling to his feet, he slowly made his way to the entrance of the hall.

Brushing one hand over the soul power barrier shrouding it, Qian Xunji channeled the last of the soul power remaining within his Sacred Cloth to unleash Starlight Extinction.

As the golden light surged, the soul power barrier Bibi Dong had erected upon entering the hall shattered instantly, signaling that her plans had fallen through.