Bibi Dong Tries to Dissuade Him? No

"Creak."

Li Zha opened the door.

Hu Liena was standing outside.

She was carrying breakfast delivered from the academy cafeteria.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

The sight of breakfast eased some of Li Zha's morning irritation.

But after what had happened yesterday,

he still felt a little awkward seeing Hu Liena.

"You really didn't suffer any backlash yesterday?"

Li Zha shook his head. "No."

Hu Liena stared at him for a while.

"But you looked like you were in a lot of pain yesterday."

"...A normal reaction to absorbing Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue."

"Grandpa Gui said the same thing, but he refused to tell me what kind of reaction it was."

Li Zha took the breakfast and turned back into the room.

"Then don't ask."

He had no desire to dwell on the subject.

Hu Liena followed him inside and carefully shut the door.

"Little Brother Li Zha, there's something else."

"What?"

"I want to see your Flaming-tipped Spear again."

The hand holding Li Zha's food paused, and he looked at Hu Liena in surprise.

"What do you want to see it for? It's not like you haven't seen it before."

Hu Liena sat down beside him, her eyes flickering slightly.

"When I saw your Flaming-tipped Spear yesterday, I had a strange feeling."

"It felt like the circulation of soul power in my body sped up. Even my cultivation bottleneck loosened a little."

Li Zha frowned.

Could observing the Flaming-tipped Spear also aid cultivation?

When he had fought Yan yesterday, Hu Liena had indeed remained nearby.

Could the heat released by the Flaming-tipped Spear accelerate the circulation of soul power beyond just fire attribute soul power?

But he had never heard of such a thing.

He was thinking of the Flaming-tipped Spear he had summoned during his fight with Yan.

However, what Hu Liena had in mind was the Flaming-tipped Spear from when he had devoured the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

Though Li Zha could not figure it out, he still raised his right hand.

Red light gathered.

The Flaming-tipped Spear appeared in his palm.

"Clang."

The butt of the spear pressed against the floor, and several thin cracks immediately spread through the stone tiles.

"Look all you want."

Hu Liena circled the Flaming-tipped Spear twice.

She reached out and touched the spear shaft, but the soul power within her showed no change at all.

"Strange."

"What is it?"

"I suddenly can't feel anything today."

Refusing to believe it, Hu Liena grabbed the spear shaft again and held on for several breaths.

There was still no response.

She looked up at Li Zha.

"No, that's not right. I clearly felt something yesterday."

"Do you have another Flaming-tipped Spear?"

Li Zha fell silent.

He looked at Hu Liena as if she were an idiot.

After several breaths, he finally forced out a sentence.

"What nonsense? There's only this one."

"Then why did it feel different yesterday?"

Hu Liena found it strange as well.

Back then, she had clearly seen Li Zha's Flaming-tipped Spear through his clothes.

It had made her heart race, and she had even felt her soul power improve.

Now that she was touching it up close, she could not feel a thing.

Li Zha had just put away his martial soul.

His hand suddenly froze.

He suddenly realized something.

He lowered his head and looked.

"..." Silence.

If he really had to put it into words, he might indeed have two "Flaming-tipped Spears."

"Could it be that Senior Gui forcibly explained it... and told her that it was the Flaming-tipped Spear?"

Li Zha's mouth twitched.

Other than that, he could not think of any reason Hu Liena would ask whether he had a second Flaming-tipped Spear.

But whether it was real or not,

he did not want to stay on this subject any longer.

He immediately changed the subject. "By the way, Hu Liena."

"I want to see His Holiness the Pope. Can you introduce me?"

Hu Liena paused and looked at him.

"What do you want to see Teacher for? Didn't you just meet her yesterday?"

"The preparations are complete."

Li Zha raised his right hand, soul power circulating through his palm.

"The Undying Lotus Root has absorbed the energy of the Whale Glue, and my body has returned to peak condition."

"I'm preparing to go to Star Dou Forest to hunt a soul beast."

Hu Liena's expression changed.

"You still want one that's ten thousand years old?"

"Mm."

"I shouldn't have asked."

Hu Liena got up and headed for the door.

"Since you want to see Teacher, come with me."

Hu Liena did not refuse Li Zha's request.

Because she believed she could not dissuade him.

But Teacher definitely could.

Absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring as one's first soul ring? Only a lunatic—or someone determined to die—would do something like that.

The two soon arrived at Papal Hall.

After the guard went inside to report their arrival, he emerged again not long after.

"His Holiness the Pope will see you."

The hall doors slowly opened.

Bibi Dong sat high above, her gaze falling upon Li Zha.

"This is our second meeting, Li Zha.

Nana says you wish to hunt your first soul ring."

"Tell me every target you have chosen."

Li Zha stood in the center of Papal Hall and gave a slight bow.

"My first choice is the Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast."

"My second choice is the Blazing-Shadow Explosive-Flame Wolf."

"My last choice is the Molten-Ridge Rift-Earth Rhino."

Bibi Dong lightly tapped her scepter with her fingers, narrowing her eyes slightly.

She could not claim to know every soul beast.

But she happened to know all three that Li Zha had named. They were commonly found among ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

Bibi Dong spoke calmly.

"The Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast ranges from nine thousand to fifteen thousand years."

"The Blazing-Shadow Explosive-Flame Wolf is around fifteen thousand years."

"The Molten-Ridge Rift-Earth Rhino commonly ranges from six thousand to twenty thousand years.

"The three you chose are all soul beasts at the ten-thousand-year level or above."

"Your Holiness is truly knowledgeable."

Li Zha flattered her.

There was nothing wrong with that. If he wanted to hunt ten-thousand-year soul beasts, Spirit Hall would have to lend a hand.

On his own?

Those were ten-thousand-year soul beasts. Going alone would be exhausting, and he might not even get anything out of it.

If one flattering remark could reduce the difficulty of the hunt by ninety-nine percent, why not?

Hu Liena stood to the side and looked at Bibi Dong.

"Teacher, he has been talking about ten-thousand-year soul rings all this time. Neither Grandpa Gui nor Grandpa Ju could persuade him."

"And he just devoured Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. He may not have fully recovered yet."

"Why not let him rest for a few days first?"

Li Zha turned to look at her.

Who asked you to bring up the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue?

Bibi Dong had indeed caught that crucial piece of information.

Her gaze instantly swept toward Li Zha.

"Whale Glue? And ten-thousand-year Whale Glue at that? Li Zha, what are you trying to do?"

Li Zha quickly bowed. "In reply to Your Holiness, my Undying Lotus Root required the life force nurtured within ten-thousand-year Whale Glue."

"I had no choice but to consume the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. If there had been a better immortal herb containing the life attribute or something similar,

Li Zha would certainly not have consumed Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue."

"Teacher, what exactly is Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue?"

Hu Liena asked curiously.

It was precisely that curiosity that dispelled Bibi Dong's suspicions.

Otherwise, she would have imagined an entire scandalous drama in her mind!

"Don't swallow things carelessly next time, especially something like Whale Glue."

Li Zha nodded. "Yes, Your Holiness."

"However," Bibi Dong shifted the subject, "what is this about a ten-thousand-year soul ring that Nana mentioned?

The soul beasts you named are all ten-thousand-year ones. Don't tell me you intend to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring as your first soul ring?"

The corners of Hu Liena's lips lifted slightly.

Now someone can stop you, right?

I may not be able to stop you, but I refuse to believe Teacher can't either!

A ten-thousand-year soul ring? Once you explode and die, it'll be too late for regrets!

Li Zha nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"That's right. For my first soul ring, I intend to choose one from those three soul beasts."

"Good. You've got guts."

Hu Liena:?

Her smile instantly froze.

That was a ten-thousand-year soul beast!

What did she mean, he had guts?!

They would be difficult enough to hunt! Even if they killed one, there was no way a mere Soul Master like Li Zha could absorb its soul ring!

Hu Liena was utterly dumbfounded.

She had thought that after hearing this, Teacher would immediately reject Li Zha's request.

Even if she did not scold him, she should at least make Li Zha absorb a hundred-year soul ring first.

The universally acknowledged limit for a Soul Master's first soul ring was only around four hundred years.

Yet Li Zha had asked for a ten-thousand-year ring right away, exceeding that limit by more than twenty times.

How was that any different from seeking death?

But what Bibi Dong offered was approval laced with encouragement!

In the end, she could no longer hold back. Dropping to one knee, she saluted and asked,

"Teacher, he plans to make his very first soul ring a ten-thousand-year one. Are you really not going to talk Junior Brother out of it?"