In Ling Feng's Sea of Consciousness, Bibi Dong watched Yu Xiaogang's performance, feeling deeply conflicted.
She no longer had a body, only a fragment of her divine soul, and without her hormonal rose-tinted glasses, she could see Yu Xiaogang clearly.
Had I really suffered so much because of him back then?
Those tribulations had involved both her and Qian Xunji, but their root cause was that she had fallen in love with Yu Xiaogang.
Looking back now, she had suffered for so many years for nothing.
Bibi Dong didn't speak up to defend Yu Xiaogang. She simply stayed quietly in Ling Feng's Sea of Consciousness and watched.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang act like this, Ling Feng felt a little better.
He continued to fan the flames. "Bishop, if he wants to prove who he is, can't he just show us his Martial Soul?"
"I've heard that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has the strongest Beast Martial Soul in the world. As the clan leader's son, his Martial Soul must be the mighty Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, right?"
The Purple-Robed Bishop nodded. "That's right. Since you claim to be from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, show us your Martial Soul!"
The higher-ups of Spirit Hall might have known about Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul Mutation, but this Purple-Robed Bishop didn't.
"You... you're going too far!"
How could Yu Xiaogang possibly have a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul?
His Martial Soul was Luo Sanpao, a creature that could only fart.
To Yu Xiaogang, these two men asking him to reveal his Martial Soul was nothing less than an insult.
"Hmm?" The Purple-Robed Bishop frowned and released his Soul Power pressure again.
"No wonder you didn't dare release your Martial Soul to resist my Soul Power pressure just now. You're a fraud after all!"
"You dare impersonate a disciple of one of the Upper Three Sects and cause trouble in Spirit City? You must be tired of living!"
Yu Xiaogang suddenly stiffened. He could feel the killing intent coming from the Purple-Robed Bishop before him.
"I... I really don't have a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, but that's because my Martial Soul underwent a malignant mutation!"
Yu Xiaogang stammered beneath the Soul Power pressure.
"I... I can prove who I am. I have proof of my identity in my Soul Tool!"
At that, the Purple-Robed Bishop released his hold on Yu Xiaogang once more.
"So it's a case of Martial Soul Mutation? What does it matter if I offend someone like that?" the Purple-Robed Bishop thought.
"Take it out," the Purple-Robed Bishop said.
Storage Soul Tools were extremely precious. The Purple-Robed Bishop already had a good idea of what was going on: the man before him was probably telling the truth about his identity.
Ordinary clans and unaffiliated Soul Masters couldn't possibly own a Soul Tool like that while only at the Soul Grandmaster level.
Yu Xiaogang was unbearably humiliated. He felt around his waist and took out a token from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
The Purple-Robed Bishop glanced at Yu Xiaogang's discolored trousers, then took the token with distaste and examined it.
Authentication was his specialty. Though he wasn't as skilled as a Soul Master from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he could still tell whether the token was real.
The Purple-Robed Bishop handed it back to Yu Xiaogang and sneered. "Hmph. So the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has a good-for-nothing like you in its ranks!"
"You..."
Yu Xiaogang wanted to bring up his clan as a backing, but he was already an outcast. What right did he have to do that?
The Purple-Robed Bishop ignored Yu Xiaogang. Clearly, because of his identity, he wouldn't pursue the matter of him causing trouble earlier.
He turned to Ling Feng. "Young man, you have excellent talent."
"To reach level thirty-four at such a young age and possess a ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring—that's remarkable. Would you be interested in joining Spirit Hall?"
"With your talent, you could go straight to the Spirit Academy after joining Spirit Hall."
"The best young Soul Masters from across the continent study there. I'm sure you'll progress even faster there!" the Purple-Robed Bishop said.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that this young man before him, who looked even younger than he was, had already reached level thirty-four.
That sort of talent would only count as average among the geniuses in his clan, but the other man's ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring certainly earned him extra points.
Ling Feng had come for Bibi Dong in the first place, so of course he was willing to join the Spirit Academy.
"Bishop, I'm willing to join Spirit Hall and study at the Spirit Academy!" Ling Feng said.
"Excellent, excellent! I believe that one day you'll be proud of the decision you've made today!" the Purple-Robed Bishop said.
"However, I have one small request. I hope you'll grant it, Bishop!" Ling Feng suddenly said.
"Oh? What is it?"
Ling Feng pointed at Yu Xiaogang, who had just gotten back to his feet. "Bishop, this man slandered me as a fraud. I want to fight him in the Soul Fighting Arena and settle the score!"
The Purple-Robed Bishop looked at Ling Feng, who was showing his edge, in surprise. He hadn't expected that to be Ling Feng's request.
"Aren't you afraid of the clan behind him? He's a disciple of one of the Upper Three Sects," the Purple-Robed Bishop asked.
Ling Feng shook his head. "Bishop, are we members of Spirit Hall supposed to yield to the Upper Three Sects?"
"And he was the one who slandered me first. Asking him to answer for it is only fair!"
"Well... you're right. Spirit Hall is the leader of Soul Masters everywhere. Why should we fear them?"
The Purple-Robed Bishop nodded and agreed to Ling Feng's request.
He looked at Yu Xiaogang. "Your name is Yu Xiaogang, correct? You slandered a genius of Spirit Hall. Now fight Ling Feng and settle things with him, and I won't pursue your offense."
Watching the two of them band together, Yu Xiaogang was utterly aggrieved.
"Shameless! He's already a Soul Elder, while I'm only a Soul Grandmaster. Is it fair for him to challenge me?" Yu Xiaogang said.
Ling Feng smiled. "Since you know your cultivation is inferior to mine, why did you slander me?"
"As a disciple of one of the Upper Three Sects, you called me a fraud. Was that fair to me?"
"If you don't dare fight me, then you'll have to compensate me for the damage to my reputation!"
Ling Feng pointed at Yu Xiaogang's belt. "That Soul Tool looks pretty good. Why not hand it over as an apology?"
"No way!" Yu Xiaogang clutched his belt.
"That Soul Tool is worth tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins. How could I give it to you?"
"Hmph. So you'll accept my challenge?" Ling Feng demanded.
With someone like Yu Xiaogang, Ling Feng intended to press his advantage to the fullest.
He'd make Yu Xiaogang a laughingstock, so he'd never be able to deceive anyone again!
"I... I accept!" Yu Xiaogang had no choice.
He believed the other man wouldn't dare kill him. At worst, he'd get beaten up—and that was easier to accept than losing his Storage Soul Tool.
"Good! You've got guts!" Ling Feng said. "Bishop, sorry to trouble you, but please take us to the Soul Fighting Arena in Spirit City!"
The Purple-Robed Bishop also wanted to see Yu Xiaogang get beaten, so he nodded readily.
He handed the hall's affairs over to the Yellow-Robed Grand Deacon, then took Yu Xiaogang and Ling Feng toward the Soul Fighting Arena in Spirit City.
There were many Soul Fighting Arenas in Spirit City. Otherwise, how could the city host the Soul Master Tournament for the continent's advanced Soul Master academies?
No matter how much Yu Xiaogang dragged his feet, the three of them still reached a nearby small Soul Fighting Arena.
A small Soul Fighting Arena like this was more than enough for a Soul Elder and a Soul Grandmaster.