Who to strike down? Who to win over? Two 100,000-year spirit bones

Bibi Dong cast a quick glance at Zhao Linchuan, who was still busy at the front desk, then leaned closer to Yan Lingji and whispered:

"Sister Lingji, you... you aren't joking, are you? How could he be that kind of person?"

Yan Lingji looked at Bibi Dong's earnest and nervous expression, let out a soft laugh, and smiled:

"Of course I was joking. Who knew you'd actually take it seriously?"

Bibi Dong froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief. Her entire body relaxed as she leaned back into her chair, patted her rather impressive chest, and muttered:

"That's good, that's good... I knew Linchuan wasn't that kind of person."

"He's a righteous hero with a heart for justice, how could he..."

"...You said he's a hero?"

A moment later, Zhao Linchuan walked over with two room cards.

He pushed one toward Bibi Dong and tucked the other into his soul tool. "You're in 521. Lingji and I are in 520."

Bibi Dong took the card and spun it on her fingertip. Suddenly remembering something, she asked:

"By the way, we've been out for so long. Shouldn't we head to the Sunset Forest tomorrow to hunt a soul ring for Sister Lingji?"

"Of course." Zhao Linchuan sat down across from her, a mysterious smile appearing on his face. "But before we hunt for the ring, I have a gift for you both."

"What gift?" Bibi Dong's eyes lit up as she guessed, "Is it beautiful jewelry?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Zhao Linchuan chuckled, keeping her in suspense. "I guarantee it'll be a big surprise."

"Hmph, you just love to keep people hanging."

Bibi Dong pouted in dissatisfaction, but there was nothing she could do about him.

She picked up her teacup for a sip, and when she set it down, her expression had returned to a serious one.

"Let's talk business." Her voice dropped half a notch. "You mentioned before that you wanted to win over some sects and destroy others. Do you have a plan for that? Who are we winning over? Who are we destroying?"

Zhao Linchuan leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers against the table twice.

"I'm already working on it," Zhao Linchuan said slowly. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is hailed as the world's number one support-type spirit sect. That is the one I intend to win over."

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect is known as the world's number one beast-spirit sect. I intend to destroy them."

"Hiss..." Bibi Dong drew a sharp breath. Then, as if something had occurred to her, a flash of realization crossed her eyes. "Are you planning to use Yu Xiaogang to stir up trouble for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect?"

"Exactly." Zhao Linchuan nodded, his smile carrying a hint of coldness. "This matter can be handled as either a minor or major issue. At the very least, we can simply banish him from Spirit City."

"At the most, he stole the secret techniques of our Spirit Hall. Wiping out the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect would be perfectly justifiable."

Bibi Dong looked at him, a flicker of admiration in her eyes.

"You really are wicked," she said softly, then pressed further, "What about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? How do you plan to infiltrate them? How will you win them over?"

"I just told you," Zhao Linchuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, unhurried, "I'm already handling it."

"What have you handled?" Bibi Dong looked confused. "These past few days, we've either been killing people or on the way to kill people. We haven't done anything else!"

"Let me put it this way."

Zhao Linchuan spoke slowly, and both Bibi Dong and Yan Lingji leaned forward instinctively.

"There is a Title Douluo in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect known as Bone Douluo. You know him, right?"

"I do." Bibi Dong nodded. "What about him?"

"That man is a rogue cultivator by origin," Zhao Linchuan explained to them calmly. "For some reason, he developed a very peculiar habit."

"Whenever a genius spirit master appears in the outside world, it triggers this obsession. He will do everything in his power to assassinate that genius."

Bibi Dong's eyes slowly widened.

"You mean?"

"I mean," Zhao Linchuan's tone grew heavier, "we lure Gu Rong into attacking us, then we set an ambush and kill him in return."

"After that, we will have a legitimate reason to take military action against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

He took a sip of tea, giving Bibi Dong time to process this, before continuing:

"Ning Fengzhi is a man who values profit above all else. He leans whichever way the wind blows."

"When the time comes, I'll have my teacher step in. I'm not worried about him refusing to surrender."

Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully after listening. She lowered her head to ponder for a moment before speaking:

"It would be best to cripple Chen Xin as well. That way, even if Ning Fengzhi doesn't surrender, it won't matter."

"At worst, we can just replace the sect master."

Zhao Linchuan looked at her, a flash of surprise in his eyes, which then melted into admiration.

"Smart." He reached out and naturally patted her head. "As expected of the Saintess of Spirit Hall."

"You're treating me like a child!" Bibi Dong pouted and swatted his hand away, though her earlobes turned a faint shade of red.

She turned her head away, picking up her teacup to pretend to drink, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Half an hour later.

The three of them finished their dinner on the first floor of the tavern.

After the meal, the three chatted for a while in the lobby.

As the night deepened, the three returned to their respective rooms.

Room 520.

The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom, and mist drifted out from the gap in the door, carrying the faint scent of soap.

Zhao Linchuan sat on the sofa by the window and took several items out of his storage soul tool.

Two God-Bestowed Soul Rings, a 100,000-year adaptive torso bone emitting a faint golden light, and a 100,000-year Four-Winged Holy Feather Beast right leg bone.

Among them, the torso bone and one God-Bestowed Soul Ring were rewards given by the system after he saved the woman named Ah Yin.

As for the right leg bone and the other God-Bestowed Soul Ring, they had been accumulated over these past few days.

He stared at the items for a moment, his mind made up.

He intended to give the torso bone to Yan Lingji so that she could fuse with a 100,000-year soul ring without any pressure when she obtained her seventh soul ring.

She was his woman, and he could not allow any accidents to happen to her.

Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open from the inside, and a cloud of warm mist surged out.

Yan Lingji walked out wearing a peach-colored bathrobe.

She walked over barefoot and sat down beside Zhao Linchuan.

"What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought."

"I was thinking about what kind of gift to give you."

Zhao Linchuan snapped out of it, picked up the torso bone and one of the God-Bestowed Soul Rings from the coffee table, and placed them in her hands.

"This is a 100,000-year torso bone, along with a God-Bestowed Soul Ring."

"Absorb that soul bone tonight, and keep the soul ring to use when you reach your seventh ring."

"This..." Yan Lingji looked down at the items in her palm, her fingers tightening slightly.

Over the past few days, Zhao Linchuan had educated her on the preciousness of soul bones, and she had confirmed with Bibi Dong that the scarcity of high-year soul bones far exceeded her imagination.

Not to mention a 100,000-year soul bone, even a 30,000-year soul bone could cause a kingdom to fall into turmoil in a short period of time.

Yet at this moment, he had casually placed such an item into her hands.