Meeting Bibi Dong

That was right. The move that had split the Howling Moon Wolf King into four was Swallow Reversal—and only an incomplete version at that.

And the Heroic Spirit summoned by Wu Ling's first Spirit Skill was obvious: Sasaki Kojiro!

Sasaki Kojiro, Miyamoto Musashi's rival who had appeared countless times in Japanese anime. Yet in FGO, he was merely a fictional character who had never truly existed. The Sasaki Kojiro who appeared in the Fifth Holy Grail War was nothing more than an unnamed swordsman who had mastered Swallow Reversal and been forcibly given the name Sasaki Kojiro.

He knew no magecraft and did not even possess a Noble Phantasm, yet Wu Ling had willingly used a hundred-year Spirit Ring to summon this mere one-star character from the game.

The reason was his swordsmanship, which was enough to reach the realm of Noble Phantasms, as well as that move classified in the game neither by rank nor type—an Anti-Person Demonic Sword: Swallow Reversal!

This technique ignored the concepts of time and space in the real world, overlapping two simultaneous flashes to create slashes from three directions.

It was a "Multidimensional Bending Phenomenon" that transcended speed, finesse, feints, and all such elements.

An unnamed swordsman who knew neither magecraft nor magic had, despite its limitations, reached the supreme realm of the Second Magic.

In the anime, Sasaki Kojiro had once driven back Berserker-class Heracles and the poster girl Saber through swordsmanship alone.

Had his weapon, Monohoshizao, not been too ordinary and chipped during his clash with Saber, even Saber, with her A-rank Instinct, might have fallen beneath his blade.

In the game, Sasaki Kojiro, with three strengthening quests and one Interlude, was one of the low-rarity war gods. Back when the game had few characters, he had served as a dragon-slaying Sword Saint for a long time. It could be said that he fought with a one-star stat sheet against five-star opponents. Players once said that if he were given the Saber class, he would definitely be a five-star.

Most importantly was his legend. The secret sword called Swallow Reversal had been created specifically to cut down swallows.

The game had briefly mentioned that the "swallow" Kojiro had cut down was an animal capable of creating Clones, tearing through space, and breathing fire. When Wu Ling first learned of it, he had complained, "There is definitely something wrong with the swallows where you people come from!"

Thus, after considering every factor, Wu Ling had chosen to make his first Spirit Skill summon Sasaki Kojiro.

And the effects of the Spirit Skill suited Wu Ling perfectly. Once he activated his first Spirit Skill, his physical abilities would multiply, and he would instantly learn every technique Sasaki Kojiro possessed, including Swallow Reversal.

At the same time, Sasaki Kojiro's Mind's Eye (False), Transparency, and Comprehensive Insights from the game were also bestowed upon Wu Ling. Wu Ling had detected Gui Mei through Mind's Eye.

Of course, even after using his first Spirit Skill, Wu Ling's current strength was nowhere near comparable to Sasaki Kojiro as a Heroic Spirit. The gap was simply too vast.

A person's physical abilities could rise by ten or twenty percent, but Wu Ling's had increased severalfold at once. At present, he could only barely unleash two slashes of Swallow Reversal. If he forcibly attempted a third, his body would likely split open from the pressure.

Yet even an incomplete Swallow Reversal had deeply shocked Gui Mei, because he had seen those two slashes clearly.

Gui Mei understood that those two slashes were not some simple feint or flashy clone trick. They had truly been unleashed by one person, as though a single person had delivered slashes in different directions from two separate worlds, only for those two worlds to overlap.

Having understood this, Gui Mei eagerly stepped forward to ask about it. Wu Ling, who had long noticed him through Mind's Eye, answered his questions calmly.

"Swallow Reversal?"

Gui Mei kept repeating the name of that stunning strike. He wondered whether, at the same level, he could have dodged it.

Seeing Gui Mei speaking with Wu Ling, Uncle Liu awkwardly straightened his clothes in the distance. Then he carefully walked behind Gui Mei, lowered his head, and waited for the Title Douluo's judgment.

Though Uncle Liu had been careful enough, his movements still drew Gui Mei's attention.

Interrupted, Gui Mei lost interest in thinking further. Wu Ling had also earned a measure of his approval through that earlier strike.

"You are quite good. Are you interested in joining our Spirit Hall?"

Wu Ling tilted his head. "But I already joined before this, didn't I?"

Gui Mei shook his head slightly. "It is different. I am inviting you to join the way he did."

As he spoke, Gui Mei pointed at Uncle Liu. Wu Ling immediately understood. In a cultivation world, this would be the difference between an outer disciple and an inner disciple.

Without needing to think further, Wu Ling decisively agreed.

"Good. I promise you this: if the Pope has no interest in you, then I will take you as my disciple."

Even with Gui Mei directly setting such terms, Wu Ling merely replied calmly, "Thank you, sir."

"Unmoved by honor or disgrace. Very good. I will take you to meet the Pope today. Is there anything you need to pack?" Gui Mei praised with a nod.

Wu Ling did not answer immediately. He tilted his head toward Uncle Liu, and Gui Mei followed his gaze.

When Uncle Liu saw both of them looking at him, his wildly racing mind took over. Without a moment's hesitation, he shouted, "Young master, rest assured! We will certainly look after your father!"

Wu Ling nodded, unconcerned by Uncle Liu's change in address. Only then did he reply to Gui Mei, "Sir, I am ready. When do we leave?"

"Very good..." The more satisfied Gui Mei became, the less he knew what to say. In the end, he could only use those words to express his feelings.

With their enormous difference in height, Gui Mei simply lifted Wu Ling up. Naturally, he protected him with Soul Power, then released his restraints and flew swiftly toward Spirit City.

Uncle Liu brushed the dust from around himself and gazed at Ghost Douluo's figure, already vanished in the distance. He could not help but shout in praise, "Mighty indeed, my lord!"

Only then did he remember that he was still in the middle region of the Soul Hunting Forest. His expression changed, and he hurriedly left.

As a Title Douluo, Gui Mei naturally possessed incomparably abundant Soul Power. Under his protection, Wu Ling could not feel the slightest turbulence. He even slept comfortably for a while.

Wu Ling did not know whether they stopped along the way. When he awoke, however, a city more than ten times as magnificent as Nuoding City stood before him. He knew that this was the legendary Spirit City.

Wu Ling felt as though he were watching a revolving lantern, the scene flashing once before changing again.

After more than a dozen such "lantern flashes," Wu Ling arrived at the center of Spirit City, before a towering white palace.

Beneath gates dozens of meters tall, Wu Ling keenly felt his own smallness.

Gui Mei released him and set him down. "Come. Meet the Pope with me."

Gui Mei merely showed his token to the guards. Without even needing to announce themselves, he led Wu Ling straight inside.

After walking for nearly five minutes, Wu Ling arrived before the seat within the grand hall. Sitting upon the throne was the current Pope of Spirit Hall—Bibi Dong!