A little over a month later.
Ling Feng finally arrived at Spirit City.
For that entire month, he hadn't spent all his time traveling. He'd cultivated as he went.
He hadn't only needed to cultivate his Soul Power and hone his Soul Skills, but also absorb and refine his External Soul Bone.
It was worth mentioning that after a little over a month, he could already freely summon and retract his External Soul Bone.
He had those two Immortal Herbs to thank for that.
The two Immortal Herbs had damaged his External Soul Bone, but after absorbing them, it had recovered as well.
All told, it was as if he had refined the Eight Spider Lances all over again.
His Soul Power had also risen by one level during this time, reaching Rank 34.
At sixteen, being a Rank 34 Soul Master made him a minor prodigy in this era.
At the gates of Spirit City, Ling Feng was stopped.
"Let me see your Spirit Handbook!" the gate guard said.
Ling Feng didn't resist. He took out his Spirit Handbook and handed it to the guard.
"Demon Spider Spirit, Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster? What are you coming into the city for?" the guard asked.
Ling Feng was actually already a Soul Elder, but he hadn't registered with Spirit Hall yet.
It wasn't that he didn't want the hundred Gold Soul Coins granted to Soul Elders. He was worried that revealing his ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring might bring disaster.
Though Spirit Hall wasn't some fallen, evil organization, a big forest was bound to have all kinds of birds.
Ling Feng feared that if he revealed his ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring at an outlying branch, the officials and bishops there might covet the secrets he carried.
But the chances of anything like that happening in Spirit City were much lower.
When the guard questioned him, Ling Feng replied, "I'd like to study at Spirit Academy!"
"Pfft!" The guard couldn't help laughing aloud.
"Judging by your age, you must be fifteen or sixteen, right? You're not even a Soul Elder, and you want to get into Spirit Academy?"
"Spirit Academy doesn't admit just anyone. I'd advise you not to waste your effort!"
Ling Feng wasn't angry. Instead, he asked, "Does that mean Soul Grandmasters can't enter Spirit City?"
The guard shook his head. "Of course not. Spirit City is the holy land of Soul Masters. We welcome all Soul Masters from Douluo Continent."
"Go on in. Good luck!"
The guard returned Ling Feng's Spirit Handbook and let him enter.
"I didn't expect this kid to be so trustworthy!" Bibi Dong thought, gazing at the familiar Spirit City with satisfaction.
For the past month, Bibi Dong had pretended to be asleep while secretly observing Ling Feng's character.
She had seen his diligence and honesty.
The moment he stepped into Spirit City, Ling Feng heard that familiar female voice.
"Is this Spirit City?" Bibi Dong asked, though she already knew the answer.
"You're awake?"
Ling Feng was a little surprised. He hadn't expected the Death Demon Spider that had sacrificed itself to him to recover some awareness so quickly.
Even the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Blue Silver Emperor had only regained a little consciousness more than ten years after its sacrifice.
"That's right. This is Spirit City. From the way you speak, it seems you know this place?"
Ling Feng was a little taken aback. He was now certain that this Death Demon Spider was no ordinary creature.
As a Soul Beast, it knew the holy land of human Soul Masters, Spirit City. Had it once been kept as a pet by some Soul Master?
Bibi Dong didn't bother to hide it. "That's right. I've been here before!"
"I knew it!" Ling Feng thought.
"Were you the pet of some Spirit Hall Soul Master, then? Is that how you came to Spirit Hall?" Ling Feng asked curiously.
Bibi Dong's breath caught. "Hmph! What nonsense are you talking? How could I be someone else's pet?"
After observing Ling Feng for a month, Bibi Dong felt she could let him in on a little secret.
With that thought, she said, "I'm the reincarnation of a deity from Spirit Hall. Of course I know it like the back of my hand!"
"What? A god from Spirit Hall?" Ling Feng was genuinely startled.
"Otherwise, why do you think I've stayed conscious even after sacrificing myself to you?" Bibi Dong said.
At the mention of a god from Spirit Hall, Ling Feng immediately thought of the Angel God.
But how could the Angel God have been reincarnated as a Death Demon Spider, and how could she know so much about Death Demon Spiders?
Still, the being inside him did seem to know Spirit Hall well, like a great figure from Spirit Hall reborn.
"Death Demon Spider, Death Spider Emperor... Could she be Bibi Dong?" Ling Feng wondered.
In an instant, Ling Feng thought of many things.
Bibi Dong was only seventeen or eighteen now, and at most a Soul King.
But the Bibi Dong of the future would be the empress of the Spirit Hall Empire and the God of Rakshasa.
Ling Feng also remembered the task she had entrusted to him: persuading the Bibi Dong of this era to go out and gain experience.
That meant the one inside him knew all about the calamity that awaited Bibi Dong in the future, too.
Who else could know all this besides Bibi Dong herself, from the future?
Ling Feng already had his answer, but he didn't say it outright.
"Are you the Angel God of Spirit Hall?" Ling Feng asked.
"The Angel God?" Bibi Dong thought of Qian Renxue and was dazed for a moment.
Before she died in her previous life, she had finally let go of everything.
So when she thought of Qian Renxue now, she didn't feel the same hatred. Instead, she missed her a little.
"Spirit Hall has more than just the Angel God. I'm the reincarnation of the God of Rakshasa!" Bibi Dong said.
"So it really is Bibi Dong! I never thought she'd be reborn!" Ling Feng thought.
But Ling Feng wasn't too afraid. If Bibi Dong had the power to do something herself, why would she need his help to change her tragic fate?
She still had to rely on him, didn't she?
Now that she had a weakness, Ling Feng could even use it to gain leverage over her.
"I don't know whether you really are the God of Rakshasa, Senior, but I'll do what I promised you," Ling Feng said.
Seeing Ling Feng's reaction, Bibi Dong felt a little gratified. "This kid wasn't even scared by me. He's got some backbone."
"Since you know Spirit City so well, how should I go about meeting the person you're looking for?" Ling Feng asked.
Bibi Dong thought it over. "Go register and update your Spirit Handbook first!"
"They'll test your cultivation. Once they see your ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring, they're bound to attract a lot of attention."
"They'll definitely try to recruit you. Then you can ask to join Spirit Academy, and you should be able to meet Bibi Dong."
Though Bibi Dong was the Pope's disciple, she was also a student at Spirit Academy.
Hu Liena was the same. Though she was Bibi Dong's disciple, she was also a student at Spirit Academy.
"Okay, I'll do as you say!"
Following Bibi Dong's directions, Ling Feng went to update his Spirit Handbook.
Though this was Spirit City, it also had the same functions as the outlying branches: residents could update their handbooks and collect their stipends.
Outside Spirit City, a young man arrived at the gates.
He wore his hair in a close-cropped cut and had a gloomy expression. His lips were thick and large, like two little sausages hanging from his face.
His clothes were rather fine. A belt studded with Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges was wrapped around his waist, and it looked quite valuable.