"Impossible. A thousand-year first ring absolutely cannot exist. Dong'er must have meant her first Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
Yu Xiaogang felt that his core competency theory had been insulted. Forgetting his heartache for Bibi Dong, he immediately began to argue.
"That's right. Only after absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring can you understand the gap between a Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
Absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as your first ring is impossible."
Tang San spoke up as well. He had Twin Martial Souls and cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, yet he had struggled to absorb a four-hundred-year Soul Ring.
Even if he took a gamble, five or six hundred years would have been his limit.
A thousand years? No one under heaven could do it.
No one contradicted them, because two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red were recognized across the continent as the strongest Soul Ring configuration.
Qian Xunji, up on the sky screen, had no idea he was being shown live.
He continued to question Bibi Dong.
"Bibi Dong, I'll ask you again. Who am I?"
Bibi Dong froze for a moment, then replied, "Teacher, you are the strongest person in the world today. You broke through to Titled Douluo at nineteen and became a rank ninety-nine Peerless Douluo at thirty. You are the first person, past or present, to do so.
You are the supreme Pope of Spirit Hall, the strongest person in the world today."
"Hahahaha! Good, very good."
Qian Xunji laughed again. He turned around and asked, "Then who are you?"
"I am the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall and your only personal disciple, Teacher."
Bibi Dong's voice was weak, and she sounded far from confident.
"And who is Yu Xiaogang?"
"He, he, he is the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's leader. He is the wisest person in the world."
Bibi Dong lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise her head.
"Nothing but trash. He plagiarized theories from Spirit Hall's library, organized them, and slipped in some groundless speculation. That makes him wise?
A frog at the bottom of a well dares speak of how vast the heavens are?
A mayfly born at dawn and dead by dusk dares prattle about spring and autumn?
Bibi Dong, you're as stupid as a pig!"
Qian Xunji was furious. She had devoted so much effort to raising this disciple.
"No, Teacher.
Xiaogang really is outstanding. His poor talent isn't his fault.
But he never lost heart or gave up on himself. He possesses world-shaking wisdom, and the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul he wrote are an exquisitely profound theory.
He once said that there are no trash Martial Souls, only trash Soul Masters.
You can't look down on him just because he was born with half a rank of Soul Power."
"No trash Martial Souls, only trash Soul Masters?
He insulted himself twice in one sentence. He really is a talent!"
"No, Teacher, you don't understand him at all.
I love him. He isn't like you say he is."
How could Bibi Dong listen? The love in her heart had gone to her head.
But below the sky screen, some people had listened.
Ning Rongrong's bright eyes flickered as she fell into thought.
Dai Mubai also gave it some thought. The Grandmaster... seemed to be somewhat overrated.
They had all been awed by Tang San's achievements, so they viewed the Grandmaster through a special filter.
But now, they suddenly came to their senses.
Was what the Grandmaster had shown them really so profound?
Ma Hongjun and Oscar might not have realized it, but Dai Mubai and Ning Rongrong, both from extraordinary backgrounds, were certain their families had similar knowledge.
Why did it sound so unfathomable when it came from the Grandmaster?
They instinctively looked at the Grandmaster, only to see his face darken. At a loss, he wanted to explain, but he opened his mouth and stumbled over his words.
He panicked. His Ten Core Competencies theory actually had such a huge flaw.
Had he been insulting himself? For more than twenty years?
"Oh, Grandmaster, your Ten Core Competencies theory seems a little overrated."
Ning Rongrong showed her little devil's smile for the first time in a long while. Once the filter shattered, nothing stood up to scrutiny.
The improvement in their physical condition over the past two years had been useful, but it didn't seem to have been all that useful.
Besides, what kind of profound training method was carrying stones?
They were still growing. Even if they grew naturally, their physical condition would have improved somewhat, wouldn't it?
"Ning Rongrong, what nonsense are you talking about? How could my Ten Core Competencies theory possibly be overrated?
I painstakingly compiled it over decades."
Yu Xiaogang still wanted to argue, but he couldn't come up with a definite explanation for the remark that insulted himself.
Just then, however, Tang San spoke up. Still as loyal as a dog, he wore a profound expression, looking as though he had seen through the deeper meaning in the Grandmaster's words.
"Rongrong, you're wrong.
Does a Soul Master have to be powerful in strength to be considered powerful?
The trash Teacher spoke of are those who make no effort to better themselves.
A Martial Soul did indeed limit Teacher's Soul Power, but it couldn't limit his wisdom.
A frog at the bottom of a well speaks of the vast blue sky; a mayfly discusses spring and autumn.
It is precisely because of this that Teacher's learning and wisdom shine through.
Seeing one spot and knowing the whole leopard-isn't that worthy of admiration?"
Yu Xiaogang stared at his disciple in astonishment, then burst out laughing.
As expected of his disciple, Yu Xiaogang's disciple was clever.
That's right. Whether a Soul Master was trash wasn't judged by Soul Power.
He had been born with half a rank of Soul Power, yet he had cultivated to rank twenty-nine. Wasn't that powerful enough?
He had a Trash Martial Soul but hadn't given up on himself, and he had even published the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. Wasn't that powerful enough?
"That's right. Xiao San truly inherited my teachings and grasped the true meaning of those words."
The Grandmaster straightened his back again, his nose pointing at the sky.
But Ning Rongrong and the others had already seen how guilty he looked.
Now that he was putting on airs again, he only confirmed their suspicions.
The Grandmaster was overrated.
Ning Rongrong touched her Soul Tool, pulled out a handful of melon seeds, and began cracking them.
She was eager to see what the Pope would do next and what punishment Bibi Dong would receive.
If it was only confinement, that would be far too disappointing.
After all, if someone committed Bibi Dong's kind of betrayal in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, their entire family would be implicated and beheaded.
Shrek was focused on the Grandmaster, but the many major powers were focused on Qian Xunji.
A Titled Douluo at nineteen and at the limit at thirty?
Was this really the former Pope? The Pope of their timeline hadn't been that formidable. Otherwise, how could Tang Hao have grievously wounded him?
Others were paying attention to the fact that the current Pope had once been so outrageously defiant.
And now she could still sit on the papal throne?
Absurd.
...Sky screen timeline...
Qian Xunji could no longer be bothered to say anything more. A piercing light shone in his golden eyes. "You persist in your delusion.
It seems your mind is made up.
In that case, I shall grant your wish."
Qian Xunji slowly raised his hand. Brilliant golden light transformed into chains that pierced Bibi Dong's limbs and held her suspended in midair.
"Ah!"
Bibi Dong cried out in pain. When had she ever suffered such torment?
She looked at Qian Xunji with some disbelief.
Her teacher was actually being so cruel to her?
Fine. This way, she would no longer owe Spirit Hall anything.
The two figures flew swiftly out of the Pope's Palace and arrived above Spirit City.
It was as though another sun had appeared in the sky, drawing the attention of Soul Masters throughout Spirit City.
At the Hall of Elders, Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo also rushed into the air, their expressions shaken.
Qian Xunji used boundless Soul Power to construct a throne in midair.
He sat upright upon the golden throne, his voice rolling like thunder from the heavens.
"Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong, has committed an unforgivable crime. I shall judge her before the Soul Masters of the world!"
Bibi Dong's expression was complicated. There was guilt and unease, but even more joy.
"Xiaogang, I'm coming."
In Spirit City, a million Soul Masters fell as silent as cicadas in winter, unable to understand what had happened to make the Pope so furious.
They were even more curious about what the Holy Maiden had done wrong to make the Pope, who had always doted on her, put her on trial in public.
The golden chains piercing her collarbones shook countless people to the core.
Just how furious was the Pope? Hadn't he cherished the Holy Maiden above all others?
Below the sky screen, Pope Bibi Dong felt both relieved and regretful.
She was relieved that she had not been violated on the sky screen, that history's course had changed, and that she had retained a shred of dignity.
She regretted that the sky screen had not shown the troubles she had been unable to speak of, making it difficult to clear up the misunderstanding between her and Xiaogang.
Me from the other timeline, I really envy you.
If your purity isn't violated, you and Xiaogang can fly away together as a pair, can't you?
Even if the world treats you coldly, even if you lose your exalted status as Holy Maiden, as long as you have Xiaogang, it will all be worth it.