Bibi Dong's Concerns

At the other end of the training ground, behind a large tree, Cao Feng withdrew his gaze, turned, and left without a sound.

He had watched the entire thing.

From being suppressed at level eighteen until he finally collapsed under level-forty pressure, then breaking through to level nineteen on the spot.

All kinds of trump cards had emerged one after another.

That performance had been even more outrageous than he had expected.

He had definitely gone easy on Zhao Lie before.

Fifteen minutes later, Pope's Palace.

The hall was so quiet that the crackling of the candle flames could be heard.

A dark-red carpet covered the long table, stretching from the entrance all the way to the steps at the far end.

Bibi Dong sat upright at the end of the carpet, her fingers resting on the armrest and tapping it now and then.

Cao Feng stood midway along the table, bent deeply at the waist.

His report sounded calm, but his pace was noticeably half a beat faster than usual.

"Within a month, he broke through from level seventeen to level eighteen. He revealed all sorts of trump cards and only failed to withstand the pressure at level forty. The breakthrough was triggered under pressure, and he reached level nineteen on the spot." He paused, then added, "It was extraordinarily terrifying."

As Cao Feng spoke, the scene he had witnessed on the training ground kept replaying in his mind.

Level-forty pressure—that was a full twenty-two and a half levels above him.

He was actually thrilled beyond words, but he could hardly curse in front of the Pope. He could only keep a straight face and force down the words, "That kid is a fucking monster."

Bibi Dong's fingers paused against the table.

After several seconds of silence, Bibi Dong spoke. Her voice was not loud, yet everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.

"The Behemoth Spirit's bloodline talent truly exceeded expectations. Blood-Qi Protection was triggered passively, which means the bloodline has already fused with his body to a very high degree."

Bibi Dong parted her red lips, her tone calm. "The only question is whether this bloodline ability was innate or awakened later."

She had lived for decades and seen countless geniuses.

But someone at level eighteen enduring level-forty pressure was unheard of.

Even she had been far inferior at the same level.

Moreover, whether one could withstand soul power pressure also depended on one's will.

This child's will was even tougher than his body.

After pondering for a moment, Bibi Dong withdrew her gaze, and her tone returned to normal. "The academy's resources will be tilted toward him. Issue cultivation supplies at three times the highest standard of the Genius Class, and allocate an extra batch of thousand-year soul beast meat for his meals. His physical strength is his greatest trump card, so we need to build it up. Do not let him lack nutrition."

"Yes."

Cao Feng lowered his head in acknowledgment, inwardly startled. This standard was no less than what the Holy Son and Holy Maiden received.

Ye Xunhuan, that kid, was truly lucky!

"Also..." Bibi Dong rose to her feet and walked to the window. "If he reaches level twenty before the Champion Selection, come find me. I will send someone to take him hunting for his second Spirit Ring."

Cao Feng's heart skipped another beat.

Obtaining a soul master's second Spirit Ring was such a simple matter that any teacher in the academy could handle it easily. Yet the Pope herself intended to send someone.

This treatment was comparable to that of the three members of the Golden Generation.

"Yes, I understand." Cao Feng lowered his head and accepted the order, though his heart was churning like a stormy sea.

Bibi Dong turned and returned to the table, tracing a circle on its surface with her fingertip as though considering something. Only after a while did she continue.

"After he obtains his second Spirit Ring, we need to increase the intensity a little."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell him that in the individual matches during the championship, two people will be allowed to attack him at the same time. For soul beast matches, pick soul beasts with strong bloodlines for him to fight. Do not give him any soft targets."

The corners of Bibi Dong's lips lifted slightly, her smile carrying a hint of amusement. "For team matches, only he and Xu Qingqing will be allowed to form a team against other complete soul master squads."

Cao Feng's mouth twitched. He could understand the first two, but the last one was simply absurd.

Two people against an entire team?

Could it be that the Pope had a grudge against Ye Xunhuan?

Of course, he did not dare say that.

"What? Do you think it is too harsh?"

"A little..." Feeling the Pope's sharp gaze, Cao Feng lowered his head even further and hurriedly corrected himself. "No, not harsh. Your Holiness is wise."

Bibi Dong said nothing more and waved a hand to dismiss him.

Cao Feng bowed in salute, then turned and walked out.

His steps were neither fast nor slow, afraid that walking too quickly would make him seem unsteady.

Only after entering the corridor outside Pope's Palace did Cao Feng let out a long breath.

The pressure of speaking with the Pope was simply too great.

His back had broken out in a cold sweat, and even his clothes were soaked.

Yet the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously. He needed to build a good relationship with that kid!

That kid's future was limitless.

Pope's Palace returned to silence.

Bibi Dong sat alone at the end of the long table, her fingers beginning to tap the surface again.

The rhythm was neither hurried nor slow, just as before.

But after several taps, she stopped.

Her brows drew together slightly.

Behemoth Spirit.

A strength-type, assault-type beast spirit.

It followed the path of overwhelming all techniques with sheer force, breaking through everything with power. The more direct and ferocious it was, the stronger it became.

The body was the weapon, and strength was everything.

And what about herself?

Devouring Soul Spider Emperor, Death Spider Emperor. Poison, control, and spiritual power combined as one.

She followed a sinister and unpredictable path, emphasizing striking after the enemy moved and using softness to overcome strength.

It was completely opposite to the Behemoth's path.

If she truly took this child as her disciple... what could she teach him?

Teach him how to use poison? The Behemoth had no such ability at all, and according to the information she had researched, one of the Behemoth's traits was immunity to all poisons.

Teach him control? The Behemoth relied on crushing opponents head-on. At most, he could obtain a Spirit Ring with a gravity-suppression effect to make it easier to close in on enemies.

Teach him spiritual power? That was possible. Legend had it that when Behemoths fought the Dragon Clan, they usually lost because although their bodies were evenly matched or even slightly superior, their spiritual power was overwhelmingly suppressed.

Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time.

She did not want to misguide a talented student.

Cao Feng walked all the way to the academy gate before the sweat on his back finally dried. Instead of returning to his office, he headed straight for the dormitory building.

The Pope's words had to be delivered as soon as possible.

When he reached the dormitory building, the dorm manager saw Cao Feng and hurriedly stood to greet him.

Cao Feng waved a hand and went straight upstairs.

Third floor, Room 301.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Coming!" Xu Qingqing's voice came from inside, followed by the slap-slap of slippers against the floor.

The door opened. Xu Qingqing still had half an apple in her mouth. She looked up and froze.

"Teacher Cao?!"

She recognized Cao Feng.

On the day she enrolled, her father had bowed and scraped before the man standing in front of her. He was an important figure in the academy.

Cao Feng nodded. "Is Ye Xunhuan here?"

"He is, he is!" Xu Qingqing hurriedly pulled the door open and stepped aside to let him in. "Please come in, Teacher Cao!"

Ye Xunhuan was leaning against the headboard, flipping through an atlas of soul beasts. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and was also startled.

Why had Cao Feng come looking for him?

He quickly sat up straight. "Teacher Cao."

Cao Feng walked to the middle of the room. Without ceremony, he pulled over a chair and sat down.

"I came to tell you something." Cao Feng looked at Ye Xunhuan, his tone far more relaxed than it had been in Pope's Palace. "It is the Pope's decision."

Ye Xunhuan sat up straighter.

"The first matter." Cao Feng raised one finger.

"Starting next month, your cultivation supplies will be issued at three times the highest standard of the Genius Class. In addition, an extra batch of thousand-year soul beast meat will be allocated for your meals."

Xu Qingqing's eyes widened as she listened.

Three times?! Thousand-year soul beast meat?!

Wait, did that mean she could enjoy the benefits too by sticking with Ye Xunhuan?!

Ye Xunhuan was also somewhat surprised. "Why?"

"I reported your performance today to the Pope." Cao Feng spoke lightly and raised a second finger.

"The second matter: if you reach level twenty before the Champion Selection, the Pope will personally send someone to take you hunting for your second Spirit Ring. Most likely, it will be one of the elders, though I do not know the specifics."

The room fell silent for a second.

Xu Qingqing's mouth formed an O.

An elder would personally take someone to obtain a second Spirit Ring?! What treatment!

Although Ye Xunhuan really was a monster, there was no need to make such a huge fuss over a second Spirit Ring, was there?!

Ye Xunhuan's heart also skipped a beat.

This was a little too high-profile.

But he did not show it on his face. He merely nodded. "My thanks to the Pope."