Bibi Dong: Bring Him Here!

Hearing 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 the Pope... What I said was by no means an excuse."

"The Soul Master cultivation system has been passed down for tens of thousands of years. From ancient times to the present, the sole source of Soul Rings has been Soul Beasts. This is an iron law deeply rooted throughout Douluo Continent, part of the rules of heaven and earth."

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

"Though we have made some modest achievements in our respective fields, all that knowledge rests upon the foundation that 'Soul Rings come from Soul Beasts.' Soul Beast Extinction is like pulling the firewood from beneath the cauldron. The foundations of all our research have been emptied."

Bibi Dong's face was as still as water. 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 the Soul Ring compatible with the Martial Soul, how to make the Soul Ring carry Soul Skills... We have absolutely no foundation in any of this."

"Your Holiness the Pope, 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 a 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's fingers lightly tapped the Pope Scepter, producing muted 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 tried over the past few days as well, 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 Soul Masters in the future will be stuck at bottlenecks, desperately needing Soul Rings to break through?"

"Do you know what kind of despair those exceptionally gifted young Soul Masters showed when they learned of Soul Beast Extinction?"

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

Beads of sweat seeped onto Elder Yun Shuo's forehead. He did not dare reply.

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 forcibly establish an entire theoretical system for Soul Beast Martial Souls.

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

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

Elder Yun Shuo was taken aback.

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

"Yu Xiaogang?"

Surprise appeared on Elder Yun Shuo's face. Naturally, he had heard of this man, a theoretical genius mocked by countless people yet secretly admired by just as many.

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

"Your Holiness the Pope, though this man has a reputation for talent, but... it is said he can never break through the third ring in this life, and his temperament is eccentric. I fear..."

"There is nothing to fear." Bibi Dong cut him off. "I understand him better than you do. Soul Beast Extinction has destroyed the foundation of his theories as well. But unlike you, he is someone capable of carving out a bloody path from a desperate situation."

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

"He never accepts his fate."

Elder Yun Shuo fell silent for a moment, then bowed. "This old man understands. I will send someone at once..."

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

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

The brush tip hovered above the paper, yet did not fall for a long while.

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, drew a deep breath, then began to write.

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

She did not write anything personal. The entire letter concerned confirmation of Soul Beast Extinction, the predicament facing the Soul Master cultivation system, and Spirit Hall's determination to establish the Soul Master Creation Institute in search of a way forward.

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

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

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

Finally, she pressed the Pope's golden seal onto it.

"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 withdrew from the side hall, only Bibi Dong remained in the vast palace.

She leaned against the cold Pope Throne and gazed at the empty hall, suddenly feeling a little cold.

"Xiao Gang..."

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

"Will you come?"

Nuoding City, Nuoding Academy.

Other than 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 Soul Beasts still hung over the entire academy, and the students gradually divided into several groups.

One group had completely given up, believing there was no longer any hope in cultivation, and had begun muddling through life as they waited for death.

Another refused to believe it. They were convinced Spirit Hall and the two great empires would surely find traces of Soul Beasts. They continued cultivating diligently, waiting only for Soul Rings before making a breakthrough 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. Even if he wanted to observe a battle between Soul Masters, it was difficult to do so.

If he wanted to create more Soul Skills on his own more quickly, towns with Soul Fighting Arenas were the best places to settle.

He had stayed at Nuoding Academy before because he had not yet broken through and had no real ability to protect himself.

Though he still barely did now... at least he possessed some fighting ability.

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

Before leaving, Su Mo also visited a blacksmith shop and commissioned a weapon.

As for the money?

For now, he could only use Xiao Wu's.

He did not dare go to Spirit Hall for certification, so he could not claim the subsidy for newly certified Soul Masters. He could only live off Xiao Wu's subsidy.

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 weapons made for ordinary people, but he was not.