Bibi Dong's Shock, Little Junior Sister Hu Liena (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Gu Han made up an excuse about needing to search for a special medicinal herb and bid farewell to Zhao Wuji and the rest of the Shrek group.

Gu Han and Yue Guan then set off on the journey to Spirit Hall.

Xiao Wu had originally wanted to follow, but Gu Han considered that there were many Title Douluo within Spirit Hall. Even with the Thousand-Change Mask, he could not guarantee her safety, especially with Qian Daoliu holding the fort.

He had Xiao Wu stay at Shrek Academy for the time being, asking Ning Rongrong and the others to look after her, and promised he would return as soon as possible.

Six years later, he stepped into Spirit City once again.

As Gu Han felt the air, which seemed to hold the scent of all sorts of delicacies, he felt a sense of detachment, as if a lifetime had passed.

The buildings of various styles along the streets remained the same.

However, with his now-heightened perception, he could detect two auras within Spirit Hall that had been tracking him ever since he entered Spirit City.

Without lingering, Yue Guan brought him directly before the Pope Hall.

"Go in yourself; Her Majesty the Pope is waiting for you." Yue Guan smiled, and his figure dissolved into the light and shadow, vanishing.

Gu Han straightened his robes, glanced at the great doors, and stepped inside.

The towering dome, the stained-glass windows reflecting the sunlight, and the Pope's throne at the far end—it felt as though, in the vast Spirit City, this was the only place that had not changed.

Bibi Dong was still wearing that black, gold-embroidered papal robe, a purple-gold crown upon her head, and a jeweled scepter in her hand. Her exquisite face showed no trace of the passing years.

Yet, those purple eyes had been fixed on him the moment he stepped in.

She watched the youth walking in from outside the hall. His frame was tall and straight, and while his features appeared somewhat ordinary due to the Thousand-Change Mask, his eyes were far more composed.

He barely overlapped with the image of the six-year-old child in her memory.

What made her frown slightly was that she could not see through the aura of this youth; it was as if he were separated by a layer of mist, giving her a sense of unreality.

"Disciple Gu Han pays respects to Teacher." Gu Han stopped, bowed, and spoke in a resonant voice.

"Six years have passed. You have changed quite a bit."

Bibi Dong's voice remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"It seems your training outside has allowed you to grow significantly. Release your martial soul and spirit rings; let Teacher see exactly what level you have reached in these six years."

"As you wish, Teacher."

Gu Han focused his mind, and five spirit rings rose from beneath his feet in sequence: purple, purple, black, black, black.

When those three black, ten-thousand-year spirit rings—especially the last one, which was nearing the hundred-thousand-year level—emitted their spirit power fluctuations, even someone of Bibi Dong's temperament felt her fingers tighten around her scepter. A flash of undisguised shock crossed her eyes as she looked at Gu Han.

A thirteen-year-old Spirit King with five spirit rings, three of which were ten-thousand-year ones.

This had already far surpassed anything recorded in the existing archives of Spirit Hall; it even overturned all knowledge in the spirit master world to date. Even if Gu Han stood alone, he was enough to rewrite history.

However, what shocked Bibi Dong even more was yet to come.

Gu Han did not retract his spirit rings; instead, he raised his left hand.

Under the gaze of Bibi Dong's suddenly constricted pupils, a long sword wreathed in extreme cold suddenly appeared from his palm.

A second martial soul.

"This... what is this?!"

Seeing the second martial soul appear, Bibi Dong stood up abruptly from the Pope's throne, her aura uncontrollably stalling for a brief moment.

"Twin martial souls! It is actually twin martial souls!"

As a possessor of twin martial souls herself, she knew deeply how rare and powerful they were.

Gu Han's first martial soul, the Karma Scissors, had already been enough to surprise them, but now he had awakened a sword-type martial soul that was clearly of the Extreme Ice attribute.

"Teacher, this is my second martial soul, the Sky Frost Sword. I awakened it due to a fortuitous encounter during my training."

Gu Han had long since prepared his explanation, so he spoke without blushing or skipping a beat, attributing everything to accidents and serendipity.

The system was his greatest secret, and he could not let it be exposed to anyone.

After hearing this, Bibi Dong slowly sat back down on the throne, but her gaze remained fixed on the Sky Frost Sword in Gu Han's hand and the history-altering spirit ring configuration at his feet. She remained silent for a long time, not because she didn't know what to say, but because she needed time to digest the continuous shocks.

Just then, a delicate, curious voice drifted in from outside the hall.

"Teacher, did you call for me?"

Before the words had faded, a young girl walked in with a graceful, swaying gait.

She had long, orange hair, fair skin, and a figure that was just beginning to mature. Her entire being radiated a moving, seductive charm.

As Hu Liena walked into the great hall, she immediately noticed Gu Han standing in the center.

Of course, beyond seeing the person himself, what drew her attention even more was the terrifying spirit ring configuration at Gu Han's feet and the rather handsome-looking long sword in his hand.

A look of deep surprise and curiosity flashed through her eyes. She walked slowly to Bibi Dong's side and immediately asked in a soft voice, "Teacher, who is this?"

Bibi Dong reined in her outward emotions, returning to her usual majesty, and said indifferently, "He is Gu Han, your senior brother. He is a disciple I took in several years ago. Because he has been out gaining experience all these years, he was only able to return today."

"Senior brother?"

Hu Liena blinked, looking Gu Han up and down with a particularly interested smile on her face. "So I have a senior brother after all? No wonder I've never seen you in Spirit Hall; it turns out you've been out training this whole time."

Gu Han gave a slight nod toward Hu Liena, which served as his greeting.

Having witnessed Gu Han's astonishing rate of growth, thoughts surged through Bibi Dong's mind, though it was unclear what she was pondering.

She waved her hand and said to Hu Liena, "Nana, you may go for now. I still have things to discuss with your senior brother. In the future, if you have any questions you don't understand, you can ask him."

"If he dares to bully you, just tell me, and I will beat him for you."

"Hehe, alright, Teacher." Hu Liena let out a giggle and replied obediently. As she reached the door, she cast one more curious glance at Gu Han before turning to leave.

The great hall was once again left with only the master and disciple.

Gu Han took the opportunity to retract his martial soul and spirit rings. He looked at Bibi Dong, and suddenly thinking of something, he spoke up: "Teacher, um... this disciple has a favor to ask."

"Speak." Bibi Dong looked at Gu Han and revealed a rare trace of a smile. Even if Gu Han hadn't said it, she already knew where his thoughts were.

"This disciple wishes to make a trip to the Heaven Dou Empire," Gu Han said, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible anticipation. "I want to go see Sister Xue."

"Fine, fine, fine. You brat, you only think about seeing Xue'er. You haven't been back in so long and didn't even think to check on this old man."