The smile and warm reply Yu Xiaogang had expected never came.
Bibi Dong lifted her eyes. Her purple-black gaze swept over him, and she gave a slight nod as acknowledgment.
The smile on Yu Xiaogang's face immediately froze in place.
His heart sank. An inexplicable panic and irritation surged within him, tightening his chest.
He panicked because Bibi Dong was so cold toward him. He could tell there was no chance of moving their relationship forward.
He was angry because he had taken the initiative to show her kindness, only to be met with such a humiliating snub.
Yet he could do nothing about it. All he could do was silently get angry once, then get angry again.
Yu Xiaogang noticed that Bibi Dong was heading toward the stairs leading to the top floor of the Library Pavilion. A glimmer lit his eyes.
"Bibi Dong, are you going to the top floor? Haha, I've been studying Martial Soul Mutation Theory lately, and there are a few difficult questions I need to consult the books on the top floor about. Could you... let me go up with you?"
Bibi Dong furrowed her brows slightly, deep in thought. Seeing that Yu Xiaogang was treating him like thin air, Su Chen spoke up.
"The top floor of the Library Pavilion is a core restricted area of Spirit Hall. There have always been rules against anyone who isn't a senior member of Spirit Hall entering."
"If Grandmaster insists on going up to consult the texts, it's simple enough. Join Spirit Hall and make a contribution. Once you hold the rank of Purple-Robed Bishop or higher, you'll naturally be allowed up there. You can even borrow any books inside and copy them to your heart's content."
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened. Anger and disdain welled up inside him, igniting the pride buried deep in his bones.
He was the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and he had been a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan all his life.
Even if he had been cast out, his bloodline had not changed. How could he possibly join Spirit Hall?
He still had to take Spirit Hall's Martial Soul Theory and use it to prove to his father and his clan that he, Yu Xiaogang, wasn't a good-for-nothing.
Yu Xiaogang suddenly gave a cold snort, smoothly taking the moral high ground. His voice rose a little. "Everyone knows Spirit Hall possesses the most complete and advanced system of Martial Soul Theory in the world. You hold the continent's most precious knowledge of cultivation, yet you keep it locked away in your library instead of passing it on to the people, letting Martial Soul Theory languish."
"If you made these theories public and let every Soul Master on the continent learn from them, people wouldn't blindly absorb Soul Rings anymore or waste their own talent for nothing. You wouldn't seem so selfish, either. Good things should be shared with everyone to benefit the continent."
Good grief, what selflessness! What concern for the whole world! I almost believed him.
Su Chen thought Yu Xiaogang certainly had a way with words. No wonder he could win over two women.
Given the Angel Family's style of education, they really couldn't stand this kind of moral blackmail.
Su Chen nodded. "Grandmaster, your argument certainly sounds lofty and righteous. It's hard to refute."
The corners of Yu Xiaogang's mouth immediately curled into a smile, but Su Chen's next words made his expression sour.
"Since Grandmaster cares so deeply for the world, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan holds the top-tier resources of one of the Upper Three Sects, countless acres of fertile farmland, and countless treasures, enjoying the continent's finest resources for generations."
Su Chen looked Yu Xiaogang straight in the eye. "Then why not lead by example, Grandmaster? Take all the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's assets—all its gold, silver, and farmland—and distribute them throughout the continent's poorest regions. Support the people so everyone can have enough food and clothing, and let this continent be free of hunger, cold, and poverty."
"Such benevolence and boundless love for the people, such selflessness—surely a man of Grandmaster's magnanimity wouldn't refuse."
Yu Xiaogang's whole body trembled, and his face turned deathly green.
His chest heaved violently. Rage shot straight to his head, and even his fingertips began to tremble.
Was this kid even speaking like a human being?
Give away all our wealth?
Why?
"Grandmaster, are you unwilling, or do you lack the standing to return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Or are you afraid to go back? You're a good-for-nothing, and you're scared of being humiliated."
Su Chen looked at him in confusion. Bibi Dong parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she stayed silent.
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead bulging.
He had never imagined that a mere kid would dare contradict him, much less criticize him.
Yu Xiaogang felt the rage inside him becoming impossible to suppress.
Putting on the condescending air of an elder, he scolded, "You're young, yet you've got a sharp tongue. What do you know? How dare you point fingers at me here?"
Su Chen's expression didn't change. "In the world of Soul Masters, age has never determined who is superior."
"There are only peers, seniors, and juniors. There's no distinction between children and elders."
"Why don't you show us your Soul Power cultivation, Grandmaster? I, Su Chen, am a Soul Grandmaster. I wonder whether your cultivation is still stuck at the Soul Grandmaster rank."
The anger on Yu Xiaogang's face froze completely, replaced by utter disbelief and shock.
He stared at the handsome young man before him.
A Soul Grandmaster?
He had already reached the Soul Grandmaster rank?
Yu Xiaogang considered himself reasonably talented, but because of his Martial Soul Mutation, his potential had been limited. It had taken him a full decade and more to barely break through to the Soul Grandmaster rank.
But this...
Yu Xiaogang clearly remembered that it had been less than two years since he awakened his Martial Soul.
The boy had already caught up with the results of his more than ten years of arduous cultivation?
One year for ten?
Yu Xiaogang stood there in a daze, his mind already numb.
"Xiao Chen, let's go!"
Bibi Dong took Su Chen's hand and headed to the top floor.
When she looked at Yu Xiaogang, she was clearly disappointed.
The Library Pavilion on the top floor was very spacious.
Yet hardly anyone was there.
Only an old man sat quietly inside.
"Elder Li, I've brought Xiao Chen to register the details of his Martial Soul."
"All right, Saintess. His Holiness the Pope has already sent someone to inform this old man."
The old man slowly rose and took out a book he had prepared earlier.
"Su Chen, yours is the first Martial Soul of its kind on the continent. Registering it in the Library Pavilion will let your descendants refer to it, change their Soul Rings, and change their path of cultivation. Generation after generation can develop the power of this Martial Soul."
"Su Chen, there's no need to hide anything from me. Tell me all about yourself. This old man won't go around telling people."
"Grandmaster Li, my first Soul Skill is to summon attendants. I can summon at most two, and the new Soul Ring is spider-type."
Su Chen wasn't a fool. He wasn't going to reveal everything.
He could teach his descendants himself.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang came to his senses on the second floor, only to see that the two of them had already gone inside.
He immediately started panting like an ox. Bibi Dong was too selfish.
She really hadn't taken him up with her.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was seething with rage and helplessness,
a palm slapped his butt.
"Hey, do you want to go to the top floor?"
"Grandmaster, right? I can help you."
Yu Xiaogang was about to fly into a rage, wanting to know who dared to hit him.
Then he heard a gentle, feminine voice.
Just from the voice, he could tell the other person was a beautiful and gentle woman.
When he turned around, Yu Xiaogang's expression froze in shock. The person before him was a tall, broad-built man with a scar on his face.