Untying the Knot

Bibi Dong caught the parchment scroll, her gaze settling on its title.

Treatise on the Truth of Martial Souls.

There weren't many words, but the strokes were steady and firm.

Su Chen sat back down at the desk and rubbed his aching wrist.

"Teacher, let's be clear first. This thing's written rather bluntly. If Yu Xiaogang sees it, he probably won't sleep a wink."

Bibi Dong didn't respond.

The first chapter discussed the origins of martial souls.

"Martial souls are not inherently noble or lowly. Their difference lies in the completeness of their origin. Innate soul power is merely an outward manifestation of that origin, not the sole measure of a martial soul's worth."

Rows upon rows of examples followed.

Su Chen had reorganized awakening records from Spirit Hall branch halls across the land over the past century, as well as soul master cultivation records and changes after Soul Ring absorption.

For the same Blue Silver Grass martial soul, some possessed only half a rank of innate soul power, while others could reach rank seven.

Likewise, among beast martial souls, some soul masters had considerable innate soul power but began to stagnate after reaching rank twenty.

Su Chen didn't ramble about "hard work." Instead, he laid the problem out plainly.

Meridians, soul power circulation, Soul Ring attributes, martial soul compatibility—missing any one of these could affect a soul master's future.

"Yu Xiaogang's line, 'There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters,' isn't entirely wrong."

Su Chen picked up another draft and casually handed it over.

"But putting that line first without explaining the method makes it empty nonsense. Low-level soul masters will only think they can't cultivate because they haven't worked hard enough. But some have blocked meridians, some use the wrong method to circulate soul power, and some choose the wrong direction for their first Soul Ring. What are they supposed to rely on to struggle?"

Bibi Dong turned to the second page.

<Refuting the False Proposition of "Useless Martial Souls">.

A single sentence was written there.

"Common iron may be forged, and grass and trees may grow. What matters is not whether a martial soul is ordinary, but whether the soul master has found its origin."

Bibi Dong's fingertips paused slightly.

That sentence made her think of her Twin Martial Souls.

Death Spider Emperor, Soul-Eating Spider Emperor.

From the moment they awakened, they had been destined to bring fear, devouring, and slaughter.

The outside world revered the Pope's power, but no one had ever asked how much pain those two martial souls had brought her.

The Rakshasa Divine Sense had taken advantage of that pain precisely because of it.

Su Chen glanced up at her.

"Teacher, your martial souls aren't evil either."

Bibi Dong raised her eyes.

"You can tell?"

"A martial soul is power. Power doesn't have a brain. Whether it's used to save people or harm them depends on the person wielding it. Something like the Rakshasa God, that's what it means to treat crooked ways as truth."

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, then continued reading.

The latter half of the second chapter concerned widening the meridians and reshaping martial souls.

Su Chen had broken down the basic concepts of the Supreme Guidance Art. He hadn't included the entire core technique, only explained the effects of soul power cycles on the body and martial souls.

One page contained a diagram of the human meridians.

Dense lines stretched from the dantian through the limbs and every part of the body.

A note was written beside it.

"Soul power should not merely accumulate within the body. Each effective cycle of soul power grants the body another measure of carrying capacity and gives the martial soul another measure of room to grow."

Bibi Dong read very slowly.

At her realm, she naturally understood the value of these things.

This wasn't merely an article refuting Yu Xiaogang.

It was a new direction for cultivation.

If ordinary soul masters could master the basic method of cycling soul power, then the soul masters Spirit Hall trained each year would all become far stronger than before.

"What about the third chapter?"

Su Chen pushed Ten Core Competencies to the edge of the table.

"This is the main event."

Bibi Dong opened the third chapter.

<Tracing the Sources of Materials, Distinguishing False Theory in Name and Substance>.

There were no insults at the beginning, nor any mockery.

Only a list of dates.

Spirit Hall's hunting records across the generations.

Spirit Hall's internal casualty statistics.

Comparative records of different soul beast ages and the limits soul masters could endure.

Yu Xiaogang's proposed "first Soul Ring limit of four hundred and twenty-three years" was prominently listed among them.

Moreover, Spirit Hall's internal archives had already contained similar conclusions more than twenty years ago.

Only those records were more detailed.

Age, physique, martial soul strength, the soul master's soul power rank at the time, even the causes of casualties after failed absorption—they had everything.

Su Chen had written one sentence at the end.

"These materials were bought with the lives of countless soul masters. Later generations plucked out fragments, concealed their sources, and claimed them under their own names. This is not theory, but theft."

Bibi Dong's fingers slowly tightened.

She had seen that archive.

When they were young, Yu Xiaogang had also asked her about soul beasts, Soul Rings, and martial soul mutations.

Back then, she hadn't thought much of it.

She had even believed that although the man's soul power was meager, he was willing to study theory and at least had convictions of his own.

Looking at it now, that so-called conviction had been nothing more than turning other people's blood and sweat into fame.

Su Chen leaned back in his chair.

"And there's an even more interesting part."

"Yu Xiaogang says there are no useless martial souls. Yet on the other hand, he says the stronger the martial soul, the higher the innate soul power."

"By that logic, does a martial soul with zero innate soul power count as useless? If not, why can't it cultivate? If it does, who was that first statement meant to fool?"

"The contradiction is so blatant, he can't even smooth it over."

Bibi Dong slowly closed the parchment scroll.

"Enough."

Su Chen blinked.

"Teacher, does it hurt you to see this?"

"Hurt?"

A trace of coldness surfaced at Bibi Dong's lips.

"I merely think I misjudged someone back then and wasted some time."

Her words were soft, yet it felt as though a stone that had weighed on her heart for years had finally been moved aside.

Memories of the past surged forth.

Yu Xiaogang's inferiority, Yu Xiaogang's cowardice, and those pompous words he had spoken when he left.

She had once believed it was helplessness, that fate had played a cruel trick.

Only now did she realize that someone who didn't dare face even himself had no right to speak of truth, martial souls, or the future of soul masters.

Bibi Dong looked at Su Chen.

"Did you write this to vent Spirit Hall's anger?"

"Just happened to do it."

Su Chen pointed at the thin booklet.

"Leaving something like this in the Library Pavilion will mislead people. If someone follows it when choosing a Soul Ring and something happens, who's responsible?"

"Besides, Spirit Hall's materials can't be freely taken by outsiders to make themselves look like masters."

The chill in Bibi Dong's eyes gradually faded.

In its place came an irrepressible sense of satisfaction.

"Elder Gui, Elder Yue."

Two figures entered from outside the pavilion.

The moment Yue Guan stepped through the door, he complained in a pinched voice.

"Your Holiness, you finally remembered us. Old Gui stood outside for ages with a face as long as a coffin lid. He scared passersby so badly they barely dared to breathe."

Gui Mei shot Yue Guan a glance.

"Shut up."

"Oh? Not letting people talk now?"

Bibi Dong handed him the parchment scroll.

"Read it."

Yue Guan hadn't thought much of it at first.

Something written by a six-year-old child—no matter how astonishing, how astonishing could it really be?

But after reading the first chapter, the smile vanished from his face.

By the third chapter, Yue Guan had directly picked up Yu Xiaogang's book and compared the two.

"This... this bastard really dared to do it?"

Gui Mei turned to the source citations, his gaze darkening.

"Some of these archives came from the final records of Spirit Hall soul masters who died in service."

"Using what the dead left behind to make a name for himself. Isn't he afraid of retribution?"

Yue Guan sneered.

"And people out there still call him some great master. Turns out he's just a book thief, and he can't even steal properly—his beginning and ending don't match."

Su Chen lifted the tea that had gone cold, took a sip, and frowned.

"Who made this tea? It's bitter as medicine."

Yue Guan immediately changed his expression.

"Your Highness is still young. Drink less of this stuff. Tomorrow, I'll have someone bring you fruit tea. Something sweeter."

Gui Mei looked at the parchment scroll, his voice still low and solemn.

"Your Holiness, this book cannot be circulated only within the hall."

Bibi Dong raised a hand.

"Pass down my order."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both became solemn at once.

Treatise on the Truth of Martial Souls is to be copied by Spirit Hall and sent to every major hall, branch hall, and academy."

"Any soul master academy under Spirit Hall shall list it as the first textbook for theory classes."

"The third chapter shall be printed in its original form, without any deletions or alterations."

Yue Guan's eyes lit up.

"Are we putting Yu Xiaogang on display before the entire continent?"

"Not putting him on display."

Bibi Dong looked at Ten Core Competencies, her tone calm.

"We're letting everyone see exactly what kind of thing this so-called master really is."

Gui Mei accepted the order and turned to leave.

Yue Guan followed behind him, then looked back at Su Chen with a smile.

"Your Highness, once this book reaches Heaven Dou City, even vegetable sellers on the streets will probably be discussing Yu Xiaogang."

"That's his good fortune."

"Fame always comes at a price."