Beast Calamity

Before the temptation of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, any Titled Douluo stuck at rank 90 would go mad.

The fact that Bibi Dong had not immediately dragged Meng Xuanji into a secret chamber for interrogation was already the result of her suppressing her greed with all her might.

If soul rings could be stripped away, Bibi Dong might truly have torn Meng Xuanji's soul rings out of him alive.

"Teacher, it was in the library. I found it behind a hidden door there."

Meng Xuanji took the opportunity to hand over his Angel Gold Key.

Bibi Dong did not take it. She merely stood where she was, carefully recalling the secrets hidden within the library.

"You went to the restricted section?"

"Is that what that place is called? Then it should have been there."

For now, Meng Xuanji could only play dumb while knowing full well what was going on. The smarter he appeared at a time like this, the more likely he was to provoke Bibi Dong's wariness.

After all, a clever fool was far easier to control than an arrogant genius.

Bibi Dong was no simple-minded woman. She saw through Meng Xuanji's act at a glance, yet they tacitly agreed not to expose it.

On the contrary, she rather liked Meng Xuanji's restrained attitude.

At the very least, it showed that she held enough weight in his heart that he did not dare face her with his truest self.

Bibi Dong's finger lightly touched Meng Xuanji's chest. The next moment, a blood-red soul bone appeared over his chest.

"Teacher, what are you—?"

"Shh. Don't speak."

Bibi Dong injected soul power into the soul bone and placed a sturdy restriction upon its surface.

Without realizing it, Meng Xuanji felt his chest become much lighter. His previously stifled breathing suddenly eased.

Bibi Dong withdrew her finger.

"The malevolent aura of this soul bone is too heavy. Even I would not dare use it carelessly. For your safety, I have placed a seal on it. Once you have sufficient strength to control it, the seal will naturally be lifted."

"Really? Thank you, Teacher. But if this soul bone is truly important, I would be willing to offer it to you. I believe that even if I became useless because of it in the future, Teacher would still support me for the rest of my life, right?"

Bibi Dong smiled and stroked Meng Xuanji's innocent little face.

"Silly child, if I truly removed your soul bone, you would have died long ago."

"Until you possess enough strength, never reveal your soul rings to outsiders. Otherwise, they will certainly bring disaster upon you."

"As for this filial devotion of yours, hehe, I'll accept it. I already have a torso bone, so even if I took yours, I could not use it. Rather than leave it with me to go to waste, it would be better to give it a proper home on your body."

What Bibi Dong lacked now was a left leg bone. If Meng Xuanji had possessed one, she might truly have considered trading one of his legs for a lifetime of wealth and glory.

Meng Xuanji was right. Even if Bibi Dong truly crippled him over a soul bone, as long as he did not die, she would certainly support him for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, all of that was merely hypothetical.

The stone in Meng Xuanji's heart quietly dropped.

Whew, thank goodness. Thank goodness the Symbiotic Blood Lotus didn't give me a soul bone from some other part of my body, or I might have needed a disability certificate today.

Bibi Dong gently stroked him, soothing Meng Xuanji's startled heart before turning to Hu Liena.

"Hu Liena, come over too."

"Yes, Teacher."

As Bibi Dong looked at her two students standing before her, she revealed a rare, kindly smile.

"The talents of you two are enough to lead the tide of an era even across the entire Douluo Continent. I am greatly looking forward to what you will achieve in the future."

"Do not disappoint my expectations. One day, the future of Spirit Hall will fall into your hands, so you must strive to prove yourselves."

"Yes, we understand, Teacher."

"Now then, that concludes the first matter. Meng Xuanji, Hu Liena, I will tell you the second matter next."

Bibi Dong let out a deep breath.

"I have decided to cultivate the two of you as Spirit Hall's next Holy Son and Holy Maiden."

"Really, Teacher?!"

Hu Liena's mouth fell open in shock.

Hearing it from others and hearing it from Bibi Dong herself were entirely different matters.

The former might have been insincere flattery driven by self-interest, but the latter was a genuine announcement of her position as Holy Maiden!

"Do not be surprised. I know you must be very excited inside right now. I was much the same back then. After learning that I had become the Holy Maiden, I was so excited that I could not sleep all night."

"However, you must also understand that Spirit Hall's Holy Son and Holy Maiden require more than powerful cultivation. They must also make outstanding contributions to Spirit Hall."

"Therefore, I have decided to give you two an opportunity to temper yourselves."

As Bibi Dong spoke, she took two platinum tokens from her soul tool. Four emblems on each had already been lit.

One had to know that even the Papal Token, which commanded authority across the continent, had only six emblems. The value of these two tokens with four lit emblems was self-evident.

"These are protective talismans I am leaving for you before your departure. If you encounter evildoers outside Papal City, you may take out these tokens at any time and seek help from the nearest Spirit Hall branch. The people there will certainly help you."

"Not long ago, a great number of villages surrounding Papal City were attacked by unknown soul beasts. Many residents of those villages and towns were frightened and injured as a result."

"Those towns usually provide Papal City with daily supplies. Due to the disturbance caused by the soul beasts, this supply chain is already showing signs of breaking down."

"Therefore, I plan to send you two there to investigate. Once you find the soul beasts, you may summon Spirit Hall's deacons to eliminate them at any time."

"I have already sent a five-ring Soul King ahead of time to assist you. There should not be much danger throughout the process. Once you resolve the beast calamity, I will naturally place the credit for this matter upon you two and accumulate merits for your future promotions."

"Yes, thank you, Teacher, for nurturing us."

To put it bluntly, Bibi Dong was sending the two of them outside to pad their resumes. A beast calamity? So close to Papal City, there probably would not be any ten-thousand-year soul beasts reckless enough to come cause trouble.

Besides, they would have a five-ring Soul King assisting them. In a small place like a village or town, that person was the unquestioned authority, the kind whose word was law.

In Meng Xuanji's eyes, this barely counted as a mission. It was practically a vacation perk.

But on second thought, it made sense. Hu Liena and he were only six years old, so Bibi Dong could not possibly entrust them with anything too important.

"By the way, Teacher, there is something I want to ask you," Meng Xuanji said.

"What is it?"

"Hu Liena and I have already received our points, but where should we collect the spirit herbs?"

"So that is what you wanted to ask. Hehe, the spirit herbs are naturally stored in Spirit Hall's treasury. You may go exchange for them yourselves."

Bibi Dong raised a pale jade finger and lightly pressed it against her somewhat weary brow.

"You children are going out for training, while your teacher must get busy as well. Because of the Elder Hall matters, I have not had any more energy to teach you two these past few days, so I can only send you out."