Yu Xiaogang, Stop Deceiving Yourself

Spirit City, library.

A young girl stood behind a bookshelf, her slender fingers grazing the spines of the books until they finally came to rest on a yellowed tome.

"Compendium of Spirit Beasts... this is the one." The girl whispered to herself, pulling out the volume, which was thick enough to knock someone unconscious, and clutching it to her chest as she prepared to turn around.

Just then, a voice drifted over from the other end of the aisle.

"Excuse me, miss."

The girl glanced sideways to see a man of average build walking toward her.

He looked ordinary, his expression carrying a hint of decadence, yet his eyes lit up the moment they met her face.

"Could you lend me that book in your hand for a moment?"

"Just for a little while; I need to look up some information recorded inside."

The girl raised her eyes, sizing up the stranger before her, and spoke slowly:

"Who are you? I don't believe I've ever seen you before."

The man pulled his lips into a slightly stiff smile and introduced himself:

"My name is Yu Xiaogang. I am a newly arrived librarian, as well as a master of theory specializing in martial spirits."

"A master of theory specializing in martial spirits?" The girl showed no intention of handing over the book. "You study martial spirits exclusively?"

"That is correct." Yu Xiaogang perked up, taking half a step forward. "I have made significant breakthroughs in the study of martial spirits. If you are interested, I..."

"Yu Xiaogang, are you spouting nonsense again?"

A clear, resonant voice abruptly cut between them.

"You are merely a Great Spirit Master. Even if your research into martial spirits were thorough, what does it amount to?"

The two turned toward the sound to see a handsome youth emerging from the shadows between the bookshelves.

He walked with a composed gait, stopping before Bibi Dong and bowing slightly, his voice gentle and polite. "So it is Her Highness the Saintess. I hope you haven't been hoodwinked by this man?"

Bibi Dong studied him and asked, "You know who I am?"

"My name is Zhao Linchuan. I am a newly arrived librarian and an enthusiast of martial spirit research."

The youth's voice was neither servile nor overbearing, his gaze clear as he met her eyes.

"Who in Spirit City does not know the name of the Saintess?"

Bibi Dong frowned slightly and turned her gaze to Yu Xiaogang. "I wouldn't say that; he doesn't know me."

She narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. "It is truly strange. The library is one of the core areas of Spirit Hall. How did a Great Spirit Master like you manage to sneak in?"

Yu Xiaogang straightened his back, attempting to maintain his dignity.

"I entered Spirit Hall under the status of a master of martial spirit theory, specially invited for academic exchange and research."

Having said that, he looked at Zhao Linchuan, his brows furrowed.

"Who are you? I don't know you at all..."

"Yu Xiaogang, stop deceiving yourself."

Zhao Linchuan interrupted him without ceremony, stepping forward to block the space between Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang.

"You claim to be a master of martial spirit theory, yet your strength is only that of a Great Spirit Master."

"Someone who hasn't even stepped into the intermediate threshold of the path of a Spirit Master—what could you possibly research?"

Zhao Linchuan leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed directly on Yu Xiaogang. "I won't say anything else, but do you even know how a Soul Elder cultivates?"

"Do you know what aspects one must pay attention to when a Spirit Master absorbs a spirit ring?"

He said with a tone of disdain, "You wouldn't know, because you're nothing but a piece of trash with only twenty-nine levels of Soul Power!"

"You!" Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red instantly, the veins on his forehead bulging as he hissed, "A person's achievements should not be measured by the level of their spirit power. I..."

"Very well." Zhao Linchuan interrupted him again. "Since we aren't judging by strength, let's talk about something else."

He raised a hand. "Since you call yourself a master of theory, tell me the limit of the age of spirit rings that can be absorbed at each level of a Spirit Master."

"This is the most fundamental yet core topic in the spirit world. Surely you, a 'master,' must know this by heart?"

His finger hovered in mid-air, curling slightly. "You wouldn't be unable to answer, would you?"

Yu Xiaogang's mouth opened and closed, beads of sweat seeping onto his forehead.

His theoretical research leaned toward martial spirit classification and mutation; regarding the limits of spirit rings—a topic requiring vast amounts of case studies and data, and one strictly guarded by major factions—he truly knew very little, perhaps even less than some veteran Spirit Masters.

He subconsciously gripped his sleeves, his gaze beginning to wander.

Zhao Linchuan glanced at Bibi Dong, raising an eyebrow with a hint of 'suspicion' in his eyes.

"Your Highness the Saintess, this man seems to have ulterior motives."

He leaned half a step closer to Bibi Dong and lowered his voice.

"I just saw him trying to strike up a conversation with you. He might be trying to build a connection to extract classified information from you."

Bibi Dong's gaze darkened, her voice turning suddenly cold. "He is indeed suspicious. A Great Spirit Master has no business being a librarian in a place like this."

She turned to the side, her voice sharp. "Someone! Go and bring Curator Wilson to me at once!"

Before long, a slightly plump middle-aged man came jogging through the bookshelves.

He stopped before Bibi Dong, bowed low, and spoke in a panicked tone, "Your subordinate Wilson pays his respects to the Holy Maiden."

"Wilson." Bibi Dong raised a hand and pointed at Yu Xiaogang. "Who is this person? How did he appear in a place like this?"

Wilson cast a fleeting glance at Yu Xiaogang, his Adam's apple bobbing as he steeled himself to answer.

"Reporting to the Holy Maiden, this is the second young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Young Master Yu Xiaogang."

"Oh? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect?" Zhao Linchuan raised an eyebrow, his voice becoming meaningful.

He walked slowly toward Wilson. "Curator Wilson, if my memory serves me correctly, the Upper Three Sects are of one mind, while with our Spirit Hall..."

He paused slightly, his gaze fixed on Wilson's face. "We have always been polite on the surface, but beneath that, there have been no shortage of frictions, and even hidden grudges."

He stopped in front of Wilson, looking down at the middle-aged man who was half a head shorter than him.

"Under such circumstances, why would they send their own successor to our Spirit Hall?"

"Exactly!" Bibi Dong took over, stepping forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhao Linchuan. "You have sat in this position for so many years; you should understand this logic, shouldn't you?"

Wilson's legs went weak, his knees buckling as he nearly collapsed to the floor. "Your... your subordinate understands..."

"Since you understand!" Bibi Dong's voice turned abruptly stern, her gaze like a blade. "How dare you allow him to enter the library?!"

Zhao Linchuan sighed softly, his eyes sweeping over the towering bookshelves around them as he spoke with a worried tone.

"This place houses the massive collection of classics accumulated by our Spirit Hall over tens of thousands of years, containing the growth trajectories of countless geniuses and numerous exclusive secrets."

He looked at Yu Xiaogang, his tone grave. "If he happens to have the ability to never forget what he sees and imprints all of this into his mind to take back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, then everything will be ruined."

"Wilson!!" Zhao Linchuan's words were like a spark to a powder keg. "Do you know your crime?!"