Bibi Dong: Bring Him Here!

At Bibi Dong's icy question, Elder Yun Shuo's aged body trembled slightly, but he still forced himself to bow.

"Please quell your anger, Your Holiness... What this old man says is by no means an excuse."

"The Soul Master cultivation system has been passed down for tens of thousands of years. From ancient times until now, the sole source of Soul Rings has been Soul Beasts. This is an ironclad rule deeply rooted throughout the Douluo Continent, part of the laws of heaven and earth."

He raised his head, his aged eyes filled with bitterness and helplessness.

"Though we may have achieved something in our respective fields, all our knowledge was built upon the foundation that 'Soul Rings come from Soul Beasts.' The extinction of Soul Beasts is like pulling the firewood from beneath the cauldron. The foundations of all our research have been hollowed out."

Bibi Dong's expression was as dark as water, and she said nothing.

Elder Yun Shuo took a deep breath and continued.

"The direction of Self-Condensed Soul Rings is theoretically viable, but how to condense Soul Power into a stable Soul Ring structure, how to make a Soul Ring compatible with a Martial Soul, how to make a Soul Ring carry Soul Skills... We have absolutely no foundation in any of this."

"Your Holiness, it is like asking a group of people who only know how to build wooden houses to construct a steel fortress without any preparation."

"It is not that we are unwilling to give it our all, but... this requires time. It requires the accumulation and exploration of one generation, perhaps even several generations!"

"A hundred years is already this old man's most optimistic estimate."

As his words fell, the entire side hall sank into deathly silence.

Bibi Dong lightly tapped the Pope Scepter with her fingers, producing low, heavy knocks.

She knew Elder Yun Shuo was telling the truth.

Finding the direction was easy, but figuring out how to achieve it was the problem.

She had also tried over the past few days, yet she had found no clue at all.

But a hundred years?

She could not wait that long.

Spirit Hall could not wait that long.

The entire Soul Master world could not wait that long!

"A hundred years..." Bibi Dong's voice was low and dangerous. "Elder Yun Shuo, do you know how many people in the future Soul Master world will be stuck at bottlenecks, desperately needing Soul Rings to break through?"

"Do you know what expressions those extraordinarily gifted young Soul Masters wore when they learned that the Soul Beasts had gone extinct?"

"Do you know what the entire continent will become when countless Soul Masters realize they can never advance another step for the rest of their lives?"

Sweat beaded on Elder Yun Shuo's forehead, and he did not dare answer.

Bibi Dong rose to her feet, her papal robes stirring despite the absence of wind.

"What I want is not an answer a hundred years from now. I want a direction that can be used now!"

"If you cannot do it, then find someone more capable!"

Once again, Yu Xiaogang's figure surfaced uncontrollably in her mind.

The man whose heart she had once shattered.

The genius who had relied on a useless Martial Soul and meager Soul Power to establish an entire set of Soul Beast and Martial Soul theories through sheer force of will.

If it were him, would he have a different solution?

"Go to Nuoding City," Bibi Dong suddenly said.

Elder Yun Shuo was stunned.

"I will give you a name." Bibi Dong's gaze became complicated, filled with reminiscence, guilt, and a trace of indescribable expectation. "Yu Xiaogang, known as the Grandmaster. He lives in seclusion at Nuoding Academy's junior Soul Master Academy. Bring him back."

"Yu Xiaogang?"

Surprise appeared on Elder Yun Shuo's face. Of course he had heard of the man, a theoretical genius mocked by countless people yet secretly admired by countless others.

Though many of his theories were absurd, the man's knowledge of Martial Souls was indeed exceptionally profound.

"Your Holiness, though this man is renowned for his talent, rumors say that he can never break through the third ring in his lifetime, and his temperament is eccentric. I fear..."

"There is no need to fear." Bibi Dong cut him off. "I know him better than you do. The extinction of Soul Beasts has likewise destroyed the foundation of his theories. But he is different from you. He is someone who can carve a bloody path out of desperate circumstances."

Her voice lowered slightly, as though she were speaking to herself.

"He never accepts his fate."

Elder Yun Shuo fell silent for a moment before bowing. "This old man understands. I shall send someone at once..."

"No." Bibi Dong raised a hand to stop him. "You will go personally. Take my handwritten letter with you."

She returned to the Pope Throne, took a specially made Spirit Hall document, and dipped her brush in ink.

The brush tip hovered over the paper, yet did not fall for a long time.

What should she write?

Over the years, she had wanted to write to him countless times, but had always given up.

And now, her first letter would be because of official business.

Bibi Dong closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then set brush to paper.

Her brush moved like a dragon and serpent, quickly filling half the page.

She did not write a single personal word. The entire letter concerned the confirmed extinction of Soul Beasts, the predicament of the Soul Master cultivation system, and Spirit Hall's determination to establish the Soul Master Creation Institute to seek a way forward.

Only at the end of the letter did she pause briefly and add one line.

"If you are willing to come forth and lend your aid, Spirit Hall will provide every resource in its power."

She did not sign it "Dong'er." Instead, she wrote neatly, "Bibi Dong, Pope of Spirit Hall."

Finally, she pressed down the Pope's golden seal.

"Go." Bibi Dong handed the letter to Elder Yun Shuo. "Tell him Spirit Hall needs him. This continent needs him."

Elder Yun Shuo accepted the letter with both hands and solemnly bowed. "This old man will not fail Your Holiness's trust."

After Elder Yun Shuo left the side hall, only Bibi Dong remained in the vast palace.

She leaned against the cold Pope Throne, gazing at the empty great hall, and suddenly felt a little cold.

"Xiao Gang..."

She murmured softly, so quietly that only she could hear it.

"Will you come?"

Nuoding City, Nuoding Academy.

Aside from Xiao Wu, no one knew that Su Mo had broken through to become a One-Ring Soul Master.

In everyone else's eyes, Su Mo was still that ordinary third-year student with low Soul Power and a Broken Sword Martial Soul.

The shadow cast by the disappearance of the Soul Beasts still hung over the entire academy, and the students gradually split into several groups.

One group had completely given up, believing there was no hope left in cultivation, and had begun idling away their days.

Another refused to believe it, firmly convinced that Spirit Hall and the two great empires would surely find traces of Soul Beasts. They continued cultivating diligently, waiting only for a Soul Ring to break through in one stroke.

But none of that had anything to do with Su Mo.

He was already preparing to leave Nuoding Academy.

Nuoding City was still too small.

There was not even a Soul Fighting Arena in town. If he wanted to observe a Soul Master battle, it was difficult to do so.

If he wanted to create more Soul Skills faster, towns with Soul Fighting Arenas were the best places for him to settle.

He had remained at Nuoding Academy before because he had not yet broken through and lacked any ability to protect himself.

Though that was still somewhat true now... at least he possessed a certain level of combat power.

"Boss, forge me a sword from the finest refined iron, based on the dimensions of my Martial Soul!"

Before leaving, Su Mo also went to the blacksmith's shop and commissioned a weapon.

As for the money?

For the moment, he could only use Xiao Wu's.

He did not dare go to Spirit Hall for certification, so he could not collect the stipend for newly registered Soul Masters. He could only live off Xiao Wu's allowance.

With a weapon, his strength could improve considerably.

A steel-forged blade was far stronger than his current Martial Soul.

Other Soul Masters were unwilling to use ordinary weapons, but he was not.