Bibi Dong Summons Him

The other end was white, like holy light from above the heavens, radiant and illuminating every direction.

Their bodies were entwined and spiraling, forming a strange Taiji diagram in the void. They merged with and restrained each other.

Then the scene shattered.

Lu Mingfei abruptly opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the clothes on his back were soaked through.

He lowered his head and looked at his right hand.

The Black Dragon King tattoo still lay quietly across the surface of his skin, but at some point, an extremely faint ring of silvery-white lines had appeared around its edge. They were so subtle that they would have gone unnoticed without a careful look.

He sat there in a daze for a long time.

What had that scene meant?

Why had the white dragon's power always hidden from him, yet taken the initiative to reveal itself today?

Lu Mingfei raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling both shaken and bewildered.

He thought for a long time but found no answer.

Moonlight streamed in through the window and fell on the back of his right hand.

Under the moonlight, the ring of silvery-white lines flickered faintly, then slowly faded, disappearing once more into the gaps between the Black Dragon's scales.

Lu Mingfei leaned against the headboard and gazed at the moon outside, his thoughts in turmoil.

He had too many unanswered questions and too many secrets waiting to be unraveled.

But he knew that panicking would not help.

The only thing he could do now was keep training and keep growing stronger.

Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, then opened them again and murmured to himself, "Tomorrow, I'll go Soul Hunting, obtain my first Soul Ring, break through to Soul Grandmaster, and then keep climbing. When I've climbed high enough—high enough to look down upon this world—I'll be able to find everything I'm looking for."

He lay back down and closed his eyes. This time, he quickly sank into sleep.

After he fell asleep, the Black Dragon tattoo on the back of his right hand began to glow silver once more.

This time, the silver light lasted longer than ever before.

The shape of the tattoo could vaguely be seen undergoing subtle changes.

Extremely fine silver lines began to emerge from between the Black Dragon's scales.

It was as though something was awakening, slowly lifting the veil from its face.

Early the next morning, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, the training grounds of the Primary Training Camp were already packed with people.

Several trainees who had reached a bottleneck stood fully equipped and ready to depart. Each of them was brimming with energy, excitement written across their faces.

Today was the day they would head to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts.

For every Soul Master, obtaining their first Soul Ring was one of the most important events of their lives. It represented the step from ordinary person to true Soul Master.

Zhou Dashan stood at the front of the group, with Jin Hu and two other instructors behind him. Each wore a Soul Tool at his waist, and all of them looked solemn.

He swept his gaze over the group and confirmed that everyone was present. Just as he was about to wave for them to set out, a black carriage suddenly came speeding in from outside the camp, its hooves striking the flagstones with a rapid clatter.

The carriage stopped at the edge of the training grounds. The curtain was lifted, and a slender figure stepped down. Her long purple hair drifted gently in the morning breeze.

Huang Fei.

Zhou Dashan's brows drew together slightly.

Huang Fei was a member of the Inspection Corps directly under the Pope. In theory, she should not have appeared at the Primary Camp at a time like this.

He hurried over and cupped his hands. "Lady Huang Fei, you're..."

Huang Fei's gaze passed over Zhou Dashan and landed precisely on the thin, small figure at the back of the group. Her voice was cool and even. "Lu Mingfei stays. Everyone else departs according to the original plan."

A faint commotion arose among the group.

When Lu Mingfei was pulled out of the formation, he still wore a bewildered expression.

He had been standing on tiptoe and looking at the carriage in the distance, wondering whether he could cadge a comfortable seat for the journey, when he was suddenly singled out and told to stay behind.

Chen Xiaolu raised his eyebrows at him from within the group, his expression clearly asking what trouble he had gotten himself into this time. Lu Mingfei could only respond with an innocent, bitter smile.

Zhou Dashan glanced at Lu Mingfei, then at Huang Fei, and asked no questions.

He knew the rules of the Spirit Hall better than anyone.

Since Huang Fei had personally come to take someone away, it had to be the Pope's order. A minor instructor from the Primary Camp had no right to ask about it.

He waved his hand and led the remaining trainees onto another large carriage.

Jin Hu vaulted onto the driver's bench. With a shout, the sound of hooves gradually receded, soon disappearing around the bend at the camp gates.

Only Huang Fei and Lu Mingfei remained on the training grounds.

"Lady Huang Fei."

Lu Mingfei finally could not hold back his question.

"What... is going on?"

"His Holiness the Pope wishes to see you." Huang Fei was concise. She turned and walked toward the carriage. "Follow me."

Bibi Dong again.

Lu Mingfei could not help feeling his heart jolt. He had only met His Holiness the Pope a month ago, and the oppressive force of her presence still made his legs go weak whenever he thought about it.

Only a month had passed. Why did she want to see him again?

Had he performed poorly somewhere and was about to be returned?

Or had... the monthly report mentioned the abnormal mass of power inside him?

Muttering to himself, Lu Mingfei climbed into the carriage. Huang Fei sat opposite him, as usual, resting with her eyes closed.

The carriage sped all the way through the front hall of the Spirit Hall, the corridors, and the layers of courtyards before finally stopping outside the familiar quiet room.

Huang Fei raised her hand and knocked. Bibi Dong's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

This time, Lu Mingfei pushed the door open and entered without much hesitation.

Bibi Dong was still seated behind the same low wooden table, her posture exactly the same as it had been a month ago.

When Bibi Dong's purple eyes fell on Lu Mingfei, they carried a scrutiny he could not quite understand.

"Lu Mingfei."

Bibi Dong spoke in an unhurried voice. "You've been at the Primary Camp for a month. I've read Huang Fei's monthly report. Your Soul Power control has improved significantly. Although your foundation in combat is poor, you make up for it by being willing to work hard. Zhou Dashan's evaluation of you is that your attitude is proper and your rate of improvement has exceeded expectations. You've done well."

Lu Mingfei straightened his back a little. There were probably very few trainees in the entire Primary Camp who had received a single "you've done well" from Bibi Dong.

But he knew Bibi Dong had definitely not summoned him merely to praise him.

Sure enough, Bibi Dong changed direction. "But you have one problem. You've been stuck at level twenty in Soul Power for a month. If you don't add a Soul Ring, your progress will stagnate."

She paused, her purple eyes narrowing slightly.

"Your Martial Soul, the Black Dragon King, is a supreme existence among dragon-type beings. A Hundred-Year Soul Ring would barely be usable for you.

"If you want to truly unleash your Martial Soul's potential, your First Soul Ring must be at least a Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

Lu Mingfei blinked as he digested the weight of those words.

A Thousand-Year Soul Ring was a level that only a Soul Elder could challenge.

He did not have a single Soul Ring yet, and he was supposed to go hunt a Thousand-Year Soul Beast directly...

He had read in Basic Knowledge of Soul Masters that, in theory, a Soul Master's first Soul Ring could withstand a cultivation period of at most a little over four hundred years.

Beyond that limit, the power of the Soul Ring would rebound against its host.