Attack is Defense

As the medicinal power within his body gradually subsided, Su Ming checked his condition.

Because he lacked a spirit ring, his level remained at thirty, but he could clearly feel a vast, surging energy contained within his body.

This energy far exceeded the level of a level thirty spirit power.

He only needed to attach a spirit ring to unlock the shackles and send his level skyrocketing!

Collecting his thoughts, Su Ming washed away the grime from his body and lay down on his bed to rest.

The next day, Su Ming arrived at the Pope Palace.

It was a quiet day, and Bibi Dong was sitting on a soft couch above the long steps.

She was not wearing her brilliant golden Pope robes that symbolized supreme power today, but had instead changed into a simple, elegant, moon-white form-fitting dress.

The dress outlined her tall, slender proportions perfectly, highlighting her slim waist and straight legs.

She appeared less sharp, possessing a touch more coldness and casual ease.

"Your Holiness, I have returned," Su Ming said, bowing not far from her.

Hearing his voice, Bibi Dong set aside the ancient book she had been reading.

Su Ming glanced at the title: Complete Guide to Rare Plants of Douluo Continent.

A thought stirred in Su Ming's mind; it seemed Bibi Dong already knew the entire process.

Bibi Dong raised her gaze, fixing it on Su Ming with a hint of interrogation.

"I am curious, how did you know Dugu Bo's lair was in the Sunset Forest? And how did you know the medicine—the immortal herbs—there could help you purify your Martial Soul?"

Su Ming had long anticipated that Bibi Dong would ask this, and he had already prepared his answer.

"I did not know Dugu Bo was in the Sunset Forest; encountering him was a stroke of luck. As for the immortal herbs, I saw them while I was studying at Shrek Academy. I actually didn't have full confidence that they could solve the problems with my Martial Soul."

Shrek?

Bibi Dong tapped her fingers lightly against the armrest of the couch, seemingly skeptical of Su Ming's answer.

Su Ming remained calm under her gaze.

He believed that Bibi Dong would not waste time on such trivial matters, nor would she send people to Shrek for a detailed investigation.

Sure enough, she did not press the issue further. She said coldly, "Release your Martial Soul."

"Yes."

Su Ming responded.

He channeled his spirit power, and accompanied by a low phoenix cry, a massive, pure-black Evil Phoenix emerged behind him, spreading its wings to tear through the air.

Its body was bathed in black flames, yet there was no scorching heat; instead, it radiated a deathly, icy chill!

The air seemed to stop flowing at that moment, and the surrounding light dimmed.

The pure, extreme evil energy transformed into a layer of black airflow, thick as physical ink, churning wildly in the air around Su Ming.

Seeing this, Bibi Dong, sitting on the couch, felt a stormy sea rise deep within her heart.

She was a dual Martial Soul possessor, and both her Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Eater Spider Emperor were top-tier evil-attribute Martial Souls on the continent.

Yet, the purity of the extreme evil attribute radiating from Su Ming's Martial Soul was already faintly on par with her dual Spider Emperors!

In terms of the mysterious rules of devouring, it was even more overbearing and purer than her Spider Emperors.

Such a pure evil-attribute Martial Soul. This attribute power is even stronger than my Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Eater Spider Emperor were initially, Bibi Dong thought, startled.

Her Martial Soul was also of the evil attribute, and she had always believed her own was at the peak level!

She had not expected Su Ming's to be even more supreme!

It was so strong that even her own Martial Soul felt a sense of suppression under the majesty of this pure evil energy!

Of course, this was without her using her spirit power; it was a pure level suppression between Martial Souls!

Bibi Dong suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. A chill rose in her eyes as she looked at Su Ming, but it vanished instantly, replaced by a trace of relief.

Rakshasa God...

So, if she had not obtained the inheritance of the Rakshasa God, then the one who would have obtained it should have been the Su Ming standing before her!

"Indeed, your Martial Soul is very pure and powerful now," Bibi Dong said calmly after a moment, having regained her composure.

"It is all thanks to Your Holiness's guidance," Su Ming said modestly.

There was no leader who did not enjoy being flattered.

He retracted his Martial Soul, then lightly brushed his right hand across his storage ring.

With a faint flash of treasure light, immortal herbs, each radiating a moist, lustrous glow, appeared in his palm.

Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid! Love-Sickness Heartbroken Red! Snowy Swan Kiss...

The great hall was instantly filled with a variety of delicate fragrances.

Su Ming handed over the immortal herbs and said, "These are other immortal herbs obtained from the Sunset Forest. Su Ming wishes to offer them to Your Holiness the Pope, to repay the grace of your cultivation over the past three years."

An innocent man is guilty only because of his treasure.

He knew he couldn't hide the fact that he possessed other immortal herbs from Bibi Dong.

Rather than being passively questioned by her, it was better to offer them proactively to leave a good impression.

After all, there is a very true saying: the best defense is a good offense!

Of course, Su Ming didn't feel any heartache giving them away now; one could only consume one immortal herb, and having already eaten what he needed, keeping the rest served little purpose.

Bibi Dong looked at these immortal herbs, momentarily stunned.

She knew Su Ming had other immortal herbs, but she had not expected him to offer them all up!

In this world of spirit masters where interests reign supreme and deceit is rampant, faced with peerless treasures capable of changing one's destiny, Su Ming not only didn't hoard them but was the first to offer them to her without reservation.

She looked at Su Ming, a glimmer of gratification and admiration flashing deep in her eyes.

It seemed that in these three years, her understanding of him had been far too shallow!

This kind of temperament and courage was simply not something an ordinary person could possess.

Bibi Dong did not reach out to take the herbs; instead, she stood up, walked over to them, and examined them closely.

A flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

With her vision and cultivation, she could naturally sense how pure and powerful the energy contained within these immortal herbs was.

It was a power that did not belong to any spirit beast or spirit master, but rather an unknown force from outside the spirit beast system.

"No wonder it could resolve the Martial Soul shackles so easily."

Bibi Dong murmured, then sat back down on the soft couch.

The look of surprise in her eyes vanished.

She looked at Su Ming and said again, "I am very pleased that you have this heart. However, you should keep these things for yourself."

Su Ming did not speak.

He was calm inside, for he knew there was a high probability that Bibi Dong would return them to him.

Bibi Dong continued, "My Martial Soul has long since set, and I have already reached this level of cultivation. Although these herbs are miraculous, for me now, the practical effect they could provide is negligible."

"Using them on me would be a waste of heaven's gifts. Do not squander your own opportunities; put them away."

After saying this, she added, "Or, if you feel someone else is more suitable for these herbs, you may give them to them."

This was a hint that Su Ming could give them to the Golden Generation, though whether he chose to do so was entirely his own business.