An exchange

Xu Xiaotang was so angry her teeth itched, but there was nothing she could do about him.

She could neither beat him in a fight nor outdo him in her studies, so she could only let him bully her.

Ugh! You really do have to beat your little brother while he's still young!

The next day.

It happened to be the start of the school year at the Spirit City Senior Soul Master Academy.

Having recently broken through to rank twenty-eight, Xu Xiaotang arrived at the brand-new campus in high spirits.

As luck would have it, she ran into Hu Liena, who had also come to attend classes.

"Hello, Nana!"

Xu Xiaotang greeted her with a smile and took the initiative to walk over and chat.

When Hu Liena saw that it was Xu Xiaotang, her expression grew complicated. Ever since learning two months ago that Xu Xiaotang and Xu Xiaonian were not biological siblings, she had felt ill at ease.

Neither of us is his biological older sister, so why do you get to spend all day with Xiaonian while I can't?

With mixed feelings, Hu Liena reluctantly rallied her spirits and chatted with Xu Xiaotang. When she learned that Xu Xiaotang had already reached rank twenty-eight, she was stunned.

Wasn't Xu Xiaotang only rank twenty-six just over two months ago?

How had she reached rank twenty-eight so quickly?!

Two ranks in two months—even Hu Liena could not catch up to that speed on a galloping horse.

Something's wrong. Very wrong!

Just then, Hu Liena noticed the dark purple begonia pattern on Xu Xiaotang's forehead. It looked strangely familiar.

That's right! The one on the back of Teacher's neck had a very similar color and aura.

And lately, she had often heard her teacher mention how smoothly her cultivation was progressing.

Something's wrong!

Suppressing her doubts, Hu Liena quickly ended the conversation. After sitting through the day's classes distractedly, she immediately went to the Papal Palace to find her teacher.

Hu Liena entered Bibi Dong's study with practiced ease.

"Nana, is something wrong?" Bibi Dong looked slightly surprised, and a little worried.

After all, this was not the day of Nana's weekly visit, and she looked terribly anxious. Had something urgent happened?

"Teacher, there's something I want to ask you."

"Ask away. As your teacher, I must answer my student's questions."

"Well... what exactly does the pattern on the back of your neck mean? Can it speed up your cultivation?"

Bibi Dong looked thoughtful at her words and asked in return, "Nana, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Hu Liena answered honestly, "Today, I saw a pattern on Xu Xiaotang's forehead with the same color and aura. Although its shape was completely different, they looked as though they had come from the same person's hand."

"And Xu Xiaotang has actually advanced two ranks in just two short months. She never had such an outrageous cultivation speed before."

"The Xu family most likely can't afford miraculous elixirs or immortal herbs... and your cultivation has been unusually smooth lately too, Teacher, so I thought..."

After listening to her analysis, Bibi Dong looked approving.

"Nana, your analysis is correct. Xu Xiaonian's god-level martial soul, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, does indeed have the miraculous ability to bestow blessing marks that accelerate cultivation. For certain people, it can even soothe disturbances in the soul."

At this point, Bibi Dong truly felt a trace of heartfelt gratitude toward Xu Xiaonian.

Over the past two months, she had absorbed Xu Xiaonian's soul power twice more and discovered that it really could suppress the harmful disturbances in her soul caused by the Rakshasa God Trial.

At last, she no longer had to slaughter innocents indiscriminately. There was a chance for her to turn back.

The Rakshasa God Trial had to continue, and her grand plans for an empire still had to advance, but perhaps she could adopt a gentler approach.

If she could avoid launching a large-scale war, that would be best.

"Teacher, is that really true?" Hu Liena asked in shock. "Is this what makes a god-level martial soul so powerful? It can actually change someone's inborn talent?"

"That effect is practically comparable to those legendary hundred-thousand-year immortal herbs and medicines that can cleanse the sinews and marrow."

"And it seems Xiaonian can bestow this effect on more than one person. That's simply outrageous."

Bibi Dong gave her a gentle look. "Nana, how about this? I'll arrange for Xu Xiaonian to give you a blessing too."

"But..." Hu Liena's expression tightened. "Teacher, please don't force Xiaonian. Giving someone a mark might affect his own cultivation."

Bibi Dong smiled knowingly at her words.

"As for Xiaonian's compensation, I'll exchange something of equal value with him. I certainly won't let him lose out, so you can rest assured."

In truth, even without Hu Liena pointing it out, she would not have let Xu Xiaonian lose out.

After all, in her heart, Xu Xiaonian's standing was now second only to Nana, her personal disciple.

As for Yu Xiaogang? Who was that?

I don't know him, I'm not familiar with him, and he has nothing to do with me.

Bibi Dong found nothing strange about these thoughts that so thoroughly abandoned her past. It had always been a relationship destined to lead nowhere. Even after so many years, her present suffering had left her with a lingering trace of attachment to the past.

Now that Xu Xiaonian had resolved the root of her suffering, she had seen daylight again and completely severed the ties binding her to the past.

Yu Xiaogang? Just a useless fool who hadn't even reached rank thirty.

The courtyard residence outside the Papal Palace.

"It's been more than ten days since I broke through to rank twenty in soul power. My foundation is more or less solid now."

Xu Xiaonian took out a sheet of writing paper and wrote Zhu Zhuyun a letter, asking her to come to Spirit City.

There was no other reason: he wanted her to be the next candidate for sacrifice.

Before that, though, he could first condense a second soul ring for his Holy Spirit Purcell martial soul.

Aside from the Void Seal I didn't choose last time, what other seals will appear this time?

The Eternal Seal alone had already allowed Xu Xiaonian to obtain a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Once he condensed his second soul ring, the Void Seal's ability to let him teleport without any recovery delay and ignore physical attacks would enhance his actual combat strength no less than the Eternal Seal had.

Xu Xiaonian was just about to begin cultivating when a gate guard came to report.

"Lord Xu, His Holiness the Pope summons you."

"Hm? Again?"

Xu Xiaonian raised an eyebrow. He remembered that only a few days had passed since he last fed Bibi Dong his soul power. She already wanted more?

There really is no field ruined by plowing, only an ox worked to exhaustion.

Feeling speechless, Xu Xiaonian arrived at the Papal Palace and immediately saw Bibi Dong seated on the Gilded Throne, with the alluring young Hu Liena standing beside her.

"Greetings, Your Holiness."

"Xiaonian, I summoned you because I have something to give you."

Bibi Dong spoke with a smile, then waved a hand. A long, narrow box flew toward Xu Xiaonian, who caught it securely.

Xu Xiaonian's arms sank under its weight, and he was secretly astonished. This weight... I can exert over ten thousand kilograms of force with both hands, yet I'm actually struggling a little to hold it.

Whatever is inside this box must weigh close to eight thousand kilograms.

"Open it and see. Do you like it?"