Bibi Dong fell in love! Yu Xiaogang became a clown!

Ning Lin read them out one by one. Every sentence was like a resounding slap, striking Yu Xiaogang hard across the face.

Bibi Dong said nothing.

She simply examined the books quietly, one after another, comparing them page by page.

Inside the Library, the only sound was the rustle of turning pages.

Yu Xiaogang's face had already turned ashen. He lay slumped on the floor, without even the strength to struggle.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Bibi Dong suddenly closed the last book.

She raised her head and looked at Yu Xiaogang.

There was no anger on her exquisite face, no furious outburst. Instead... she smiled.

She began to laugh.

Her smile was radiant, yet carried a desolation that chilled to the bone.

She laughed at her own innocence, her own stupidity, at how she had let such an utter fraud toy with her in the palm of his hand!

"Heh... hahahaha!"

Her laughter echoed through the empty Library, unbearably grating.

It made Yu Xiaogang's skin crawl, and he kept shrinking backward.

"Dongdong..."

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Bibi Dong's gaze turned as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"I'll count to three."

Her voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Get out of my sight."

"One."

Yu Xiaogang shuddered.

"Two."

He scrambled to his feet, fear overwhelming every shred of shame.

Before she could say "three," he had already rushed out of the Library without looking back, his retreating figure as wretched as a homeless dog.

Watching him disappear, Bibi Dong finally let her expression crumble, and her body swayed slightly.

Ning Lin reached out and steadied her by the arm.

"Thank you."

Bibi Dong regained her footing and thanked him softly, a trace of exhaustion in her voice.

"You've seen me make a fool of myself today."

She smiled self-mockingly.

"I knew what sort of person he was, but I never imagined he could be this shameless."

"It isn't shamelessness."

Ning Lin said evenly, "He simply thought you were a fool he could deceive however he pleased."

Those words hurt.

But after hearing them, Bibi Dong sighed in acceptance.

"Yes. A fool."

She raised her head, looking into Ning Lin's clear eyes, and said solemnly, "Scholar Ning, I, Bibi Dong, owe you a favor for what happened today."

Ning Lin smiled and released her arm.

"You're too kind, Your Highness."

"I simply happened to be there, and couldn't stand watching a worm gnaw away at the world of scholarship."

He glanced at the sky outside.

"I imagine you haven't eaten either, Your Highness. Why don't I treat you?"

"There's a Heavenly Fragrance Tower in Spirit City. The food is quite good."

Bibi Dong paused in slight surprise, then nodded.

"All right."

Inside a private room at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower.

The two sat facing each other, but there was no awkwardness between them.

After their conversation, Bibi Dong's understanding of Ning Lin took on a whole new dimension.

The man before her not only possessed unique insights into martial soul theory, but could speak effortlessly about Alchemy, medicinal properties, and even ancient lore.

He was witty and knowledgeable. Talking to him was a pleasure.

During their conversation, Ning Lin also caught a glimpse of another side of this future empress.

Stripped of the Saintess's halo, Bibi Dong seemed more like an innocent, carefree young woman, full of curiosity about the outside world.

She had grown up in Spirit Hall, where her life consisted of cultivation followed by more cultivation.

Everyone she interacted with was either a teacher or a friend, and her heart was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.

It was little wonder that a seasoned hand at romance like Yu Xiaogang could run circles around her with just a few words.

Sadly, that blank sheet would soon be stained with the darkest colors, in the cruelest way, by the person she trusted most.

"Scholar Ning, can those 'Breakthrough Pills' you mentioned really help Soul Masters increase their soul power quickly?"

Bibi Dong blinked her large eyes and asked curiously.

"Of course."

Ning Lin set down his chopsticks and answered confidently.

"I've recently been researching a pill formula called the 'Realm-Breaking Pill.' If I successfully refine it, it will allow a Soul Master below Soul King to advance one level without encountering a bottleneck."

"However, I'm still missing several main ingredients. I'll have to look for them in the Star Dou Great Forest."

"The Star Dou Great Forest?"

Bibi Dong's eyes instantly lit up.

"I'll go with you!"

The words practically tumbled out of her mouth.

"I'm curious about Alchemy too!"

Ning Lin looked at her expectant eyes and smiled.

"All right."

They hit it off immediately, and after finishing their meal, they left the Heavenly Fragrance Tower together.

Just as they reached a street corner, Ning Lin stopped, his gaze sweeping toward a dark alley nearby.

There, a venomous gaze was fixed firmly on him.

It was Yu Xiaogang.

He had planned to deceive Bibi Dong into letting him steal Spirit Hall's secrets, establishing his illustrious reputation as a "theoretical Grandmaster."

But now, Ning Lin had ruined everything!

Not only had he lost Bibi Dong, his greatest backer, but his reputation in Spirit Hall had been utterly destroyed!

Even all the waters of three rivers could not wash away this hatred!

Ning Lin merely gave him an indifferent glance before looking away, as though he were looking at an ant by the roadside.

At that very moment, a cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

[Ding!]

[A major deviation has been detected in associated individual 'Bibi Dong's' romantic history. Her original romantic path has been completely severed!]

[Historical correction increased!]

[Congratulations, host! You have received a special reward—Heavenly Flames: Bone Chilling Flame!]

[Bone Chilling Flame: a fusion of extreme cold and extreme heat, supreme among all flames. The single best flame for refining medicinal pills! Greatly increases pill-refining success rates and pill quality!]

An eerie white flame appeared out of thin air within Ning Lin's sea of consciousness!

Boom!

Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Lin instantly fused the Heavenly Flame with his own pure fire-attribute martial soul!

In an instant, a terrifying aura erupted from his body!

Under the tempering of the Bone Chilling Flame, his originally crimson flame martial soul began to mutate. Its color gradually turned an eerie white, radiating a pressure that made hearts tremble!

Driven by this power, his soul power climbed steadily higher!

Level forty-one!

Level forty-five!

Level forty-nine!

Boom!

The final barrier shattered with a thunderous crash!

Level fifty! Soul King!

Ning Lin slowly exhaled a stale breath. Like a ribbon of white silk, it lingered in the air without dispersing.

Perfect. On this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, I can take care of my fifth Soul Ring as well.

"Ning Lin, you..."

Beside him, Bibi Dong stared at him in shock.

The aura that had erupted in that instant had made even her heart tremble.

She could clearly sense that Ning Lin's aura had grown stronger by far more than a single tier!

Just who was this man?

As Bibi Dong looked at Ning Lin's calm, unruffled profile, the curiosity in her heart grew ever more intense.

The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The dense canopy blotted out the sky and sun. Sunlight could only slip through the gaps, scattering dappled spots of light.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and the roars of all manner of Soul Beasts.