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Tang San wasn't surprised that Bibi Dong had figured out Xiao Wu's true identity.
In the past, it was understandable that Bibi Dong might not have noticed, as Xiao Wu had a method to suppress her spirit beast aura before reaching the Spirit Saint level. But after Xiao Wu had condensed her Blood Essence Pill, Soul Power Core, and Spiritual Form, it would be a courtesy, a matter of social tact, if Bibi Dong still pretended not to know.
Now that Xiao Wu had become a Spirit Saint, she was fully human.
Bibi Dong bringing it up now was likely to test his reaction. After all, she had once hunted a hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Boned Rabbit, the very enemy Xiao Wu sought revenge against. "My seventh spirit ring for the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor came from a hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Boned Rabbit. To be honest, this spirit ring doesn't match well with the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor at all. Fortunately, it was used as the seventh ring, granting me a Martial Soul True Body ability and a physical technique spirit skill I named: Spider Emperor's Eight-Stage Tightening Lock."
Eight-Stage Tightening Lock? No wonder Bibi Dong never used this ability in the original story. This type of physical technique is entirely incompatible with a spiritual-type Martial Soul like the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor.
Even though Bibi Dong's formidable physical strength could execute it, her status wouldn't allow her to use such a technique... Wait, didn't she try to use it on me last time?
Tang San quickly dismissed that thought and said, "Indeed, the Soft Boned Rabbit doesn't suit you."
"That's not the point," Bibi Dong said, fixing her gaze on Tang San. In a quiet but piercing tone, she asked, "If your woman were to clash with me, seeking revenge, who would you choose to support?"
"Actually, reconciliation is possible," Tang San sidestepped the question, which was tantamount to the classic dilemma of [Who would you save first, me or your mother?], and suggested another possibility.
"Reconciliation? How so?" Bibi Dong asked curiously. Could Xiao Wu have given up on her revenge?
"Actually, the remnant of Xiao Wu's mother's soul has already been retrieved from you, and I have a resurrection ability. Right now, she's being nurtured in the Starry Sky World, awaiting revival," Tang San decided to reveal the full truth after some thought.
"How bold!" Bibi Dong's fury flared without her needing to raise her voice, her aura pressing down on Tang San like the wails of countless vengeful souls. "When did you do this?"
"When you were holding me," Tang San lied smoothly, remaining unshaken under the oppressive aura.
In truth, he had extracted Xiao Wu's mother's fragmented soul during the challenge after the Tournament.
But he couldn't say that; otherwise, the nature of the situation would change entirely...
Hearing Tang San's explanation, Bibi Dong's overwhelming aura dissipated. After all, that incident wasn't entirely Tang San's fault. If he had noticed something and took the opportunity to retrieve the Soft Boned Rabbit's soul... was it an even trade? Had she lost or gained?
"Is the restored soul still the original one?" Bibi Dong, temporarily setting aside her chaotic thoughts, asked about the Immortal True Spirit.
"Our research on the Immortal True Spirit has only led us to acknowledge its existence," Tang San admitted. Despite ongoing research by him and other Spirit Masters in Spirit Hall, using the fallen souls in the eighteen layers of hell within the Throne of Kindness and Death, progress was nonexistent.
After all, once the Immortal True Spirit emerges after a soul's natural death, it immediately vanishes. Currently, there's no way to capture it... Obviously, this is beyond their current level of understanding. "For mortals with emotions, memories and the soul's outer shell are fundamental, while the Immortal True Spirit is more like a soul tool battery."
Though both Tang San and Bibi Dong knew that the Immortal True Spirit couldn't simply be compared to a "soul tool battery," but rather represented the true essence of self, they were powerless to explore it further at their current stage.
"In the future, we should avoid tampering with souls as much as possible," Bibi Dong continued, "Otherwise, people will become nothing more than mass-produced, living soul tools—just with memories and emotions." She didn't linger on the topic, indicating her tacit approval of Tang San's decision.
"Of course," Tang San nodded. Who could have imagined that not only could the physical body be cloned, but even the soul could be replicated? It was a terrifying prospect.
This universe held too many unknowns...
---
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
The six outer cities of Spirit Hall became even more prosperous, with their territory expanding by an additional 20%. This growth was primarily due to the two empires restricting population migration, which reduced the influx of people into Spirit City.
Nonetheless, development continued, especially in the Soul Tool Technology City, where the scent of a genuine industrial revolution was in the air, with a constant stream of innovative soul tools emerging.
As for the two empires:
In Star Luo, things remained the same. The empire was embroiled in heated debates over whether to research weaponized soul tools, leading to slow progress. Zhu Zhuqing, leveraging her relationship with her sister Zhu Zhuyun and brother-in-law Dai Weisi, sought to secure a position within the government, gathering like-minded individuals to begin handling imperial affairs. Her style—decisive, stoic, and serious—earned her considerable respect.
Many young people in the country idolized her.
Interestingly, since Zhu Zhuqing stayed away from soul tool affairs, some families considered bringing her into their fold to counterbalance Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun...
Meanwhile, in the Tian Dou Empire, Emperor Xue Qinghe, after solidifying her power over the past two years, began to target the hereditary nobility, attempting to emulate Star Luo by abolishing other duchies and kingdoms.
When news of this broke, the leaders of many smaller nations banded together to form the "New Tian Dou Alliance," also known as the New Tian Dou Federation, led by the Barak Kingdom. They repeatedly petitioned Xue Qinghe to rescind the order.
However, Xue Qinghe stood firm, determined to carry out large-scale reforms within the empire. She even saw it as an opportunity: once she quelled the rebellion, her prestige would be at its peak. By then, even if she revealed her true identity as a woman, few would dare oppose her—and those who did would not be among her allies and could be easily dealt with.
As for Emperor Xue Ye, he had been bedridden for nearly a year and was expected to pass away soon.
Yet, the tragedy of being an emperor was that, as death approached, there were few around who were genuinely mournful. When he finally passed, during his funeral, there would likely be a crowd of people, many of whom had no real connection to him.
In response to the split of the Tian Dou Empire into the original Tian Dou and the New Tian Dou, Spirit Hall declared that it would not interfere in the internal strife but would focus solely on aiding displaced civilians.
This stance further endeared Spirit Hall to the common people within Tian Dou, who began to hold it in higher regard than either the original or the new empire. The public's grievances against Emperor Xue Qinghe were more pronounced than those against the nobles of New Tian Dou.
After all, the common folk were unconcerned with the upper echelons' plans; they only knew that Xue Qinghe's orders had caused the empire to split, worsening their living conditions.
In terms of propaganda and public opinion, the old nobles of New Tian Dou were no less skilled than Xue Qinghe.
If Xue Qinghe hadn't stirred up trouble, they might have endured. But she not only intended to establish an imperial examination system to select talent based on merit but also sought to strip the hereditary nobles of their titles.
This was something they could not tolerate!
It was an attack on their very foundation!
So they had no choice but to rebel—not out of treachery, but to make Emperor Xue Qinghe understand that the stability and longevity of the Tian Dou Empire depended on the existence of these nobles!