After returning to the Martial Soul City, Su Cheng and Bibi Dong each went their separate ways to the Elder's Hall and the Pope's Hall.
Bibi Dong went back to understand the situation of the Martial Soul Hall during this period, while also handling some backlog of trivial matters.
Although there weren't many areas where her intervention was needed now, she couldn't simply be a passive bystander.
Su Cheng, on the other hand, went to meet with Qian Daoliu.
Regarding the matters of the Haotian Sect, it's still necessary to inform them.
There's no need to conceal such matters.
When Qian Xinji was in power, he didn't hesitate to suppress the three upper sects. Qian Daoliu, constrained by his own commitments and morals, was reluctant to take action against the Haotian Sect, but that didn't mean he would restrict others.
Moreover, the Tang Hao brothers' activities didn't revolve around the Haotian Sect's vicinity.
Conflict among soul masters was common, and after the Haotian Sect dispatched several Spirit Douluos for retaliation, and they were eventually defeated, there wasn't much to say.
In these past few years, Bibi Dong's progress has been rapid, not far behind Su Cheng.
Her accumulation was extraordinary. With the special environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, she had successfully condensed the eighth soul ring and ascended to a Spirit Douluo before returning.
After handling a small amount of public affairs in the Pope's Hall of the Martial Soul City, Bibi Dong returned to her own room.
After standing silently in the room for a moment, she first took out the two volumes of martial arts manuscripts that Su Cheng had given her from the soul tool, then took out a stack of thick notes.
Then she walked to the drawer on the side of the room, unlocked it, and took out a small stack of books, placing them neatly on the desk.
After everything was done, she sat down at the desk and picked up the second volume of innate martial arts that had just arrived, flipping through it.
While carefully studying, she also continuously wrote down her thoughts on the blank paper on the table.
In the past, Bibi Dong didn't have the habit of taking notes like this, or rather, she didn't have the habit of reading and writing at all.
Before meeting Su Cheng, her cultivation method was very regular and simple.
She meditated every day to absorb soul power systematically. When her soul power reached its limit, she would go to receive guidance from Qian Xinji and then deepen her understanding of her Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul under his guidance, practicing the soul skills attached to the soul rings repeatedly, and finally engaging in a certain degree of combat training.
The whole process was quite mechanical, and she didn't need to delve into anything herself.
However, after following Su Cheng for three and a half years, her cultivation content changed drastically from the past.
The most fundamental change was that she needed to have stronger autonomy.
A lot of knowledge had to be learned and understood by herself.
Su Cheng's initial requirement was simple, just let her read, read a lot of books, about twenty books a week.
If it was just reading, it wouldn't be too difficult, even memorizing it wouldn't take too much time. But Su Cheng's standard was comprehension and digestion, gaining her own insights from them.
This was quite challenging for her.
Because of her lack of self-study in the past, she was very lacking in independent thinking ability, with little knowledge accumulation. It was difficult for her to make analogies at first, and even the occasional flashes of insight were fleeting.
In order to complete Su Cheng's assigned learning tasks, she gradually began to try taking notes, recording her thoughts and ideas during her studies.
However, the Martial Soul Hall's collection of books couldn't be scribbled on casually, hence these manuscripts.
As the learning deepened, Bibi Dong also found another benefit of doing this. Many of the contents of the books could often corroborate each other. If she revisited her previous notes after some time, she would often come up with many new understanding and thinking pathways.
The content of the second volume of innate martial arts was not much, all of which were core essence.
The key lies in the complicated process of summarization. When it truly evolved into a cultivation method, it wouldn't require too many words to explain clearly.
Not long after, Bibi Dong finished reading this volume of martial arts.
At the same time, her right hand kept writing, and she unwittingly filled the pages with dense writing.
After finishing reading, she subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
The content of this second volume of martial arts is based on the first volume, continuing to cultivate and nourish the foundation. Although understanding its connotations and digging into the essence of the martial arts method is extremely difficult, practicing it is relatively easy, and the difficulty is even lower than that of the first volume.
Looking at the thick manuscripts accumulated over the years in front of her, Bibi Dong's expression became somewhat complicated.
These things, in fact, most of them had become useless waste paper, and the knowledge had already been completely digested and absorbed by her, but she couldn't bear to discard them.
In these simple words, they recorded her growth over the years, recalling many memorable scenes, and even recorded the deep emotions she hid deep in her heart, reluctant to speak of.
She lightly pursed her red lips, reaching out to take the earliest notes and flipping through them casually.
"…There are so many cases of soul masters dying accidentally due to absorbing soul rings, and some soul masters even explode and die when absorbing a thousand-year-level third soul ring. It's really hard to imagine.
"Does this mean that the factors affecting soul masters' absorption of soul rings are not fixed and cannot be directly defined by a theoretical limit?
"What are the influencing factors? Martial soul talent? Soul master physique? Or the type of soul beast?
"However, when I absorbed the sixth soul ring myself, I also surpassed the so-called theoretical age limit. Now looking back, I was indeed too impulsive at the time. Ignorance breeds fear. If I knew this knowledge, I might not even dare to absorb a twenty-thousand-year soul ring.
"But what was the reason I succeeded at that time? I wonder if there are any relevant records in other books.
"Cheng Xue helped me at the time. If it weren't for him, I might have failed and died.
"How did he do it? How could he influence my will when absorbing soul rings and help me resist the impact of soul ring power?
"Oh right, he even possesses a hundred-thousand-year seventh soul ring."
Reading her own sentiments at the time, Bibi Dong couldn't help but smile wryly.
At that time, her understanding of soul rings was very shallow, and she even thought these things were extremely amazing discoveries.
But now, looking back, it's almost obvious.
Soul rings can indeed help soul masters break through bottlenecks, but in the end, they are external forces.
How could the absorption of different types of foreign energies into the bodies of soul masters with different physiques be identical?
The so-called theoretical limit of absorbing soul rings, the fluctuation of data, is almost inevitable.
"After unexpectedly inserting this sentence in the middle, the notes return to their original track.
"The composition of soul rings is also vaguely mentioned in the book.
"Is there some kind of connection between soul rings and martial souls? I can ask Cheng Xue about this.
"I wonder if these crude ideas will satisfy him, or if he'll think I'm too superficial..."
Reading up to this point, Bibi Dong's smile fades, silently sighing.
It's been almost four years now, but she still doesn't dare to confess her feelings to him.
Underneath that cold mask, what kind of emotions are hidden, she can never quite figure out.
She can only cautiously probe, trying to find opportunities to indirectly reveal her feelings.
Bibi Dong doesn't dwell on it further, moving on to another note.
"Even ninety-level Title Douluos struggle to absorb hundred-thousand-year soul rings during breakthroughs, facing great risks?
"There's also a significant difference between hundred-thousand-year soul beasts; 'hundred-thousand years' is just a broad term. Just as ten-thousand-year soul beasts include ten thousand years and ninety thousand years, hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are similar.
"But after reaching the hundred-thousand-year level, soul rings clearly undergo a qualitative change, just like hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. What causes this? Is it the attributes? Or is it because hundred-thousand-year soul beasts can transform into human form, as the legends say?
"What kind of soul beast did Cheng Xue's seventh soul ring come from? I still can't see through his depth.
"The greatest advantage of Twin Martial Souls lies in the late stages of cultivation, the powerful combat strength brought by attaching high-year soul rings to the second martial soul, and the ability to reduce the difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck of surpassing Title Douluo level by absorbing high-energy soul rings.
"Perhaps when I start cultivating the second martial soul, I'll have the chance to catch up to him?
"But hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are rare, do I even have the chance to obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?"
She gazes at the paper in her hand, pondering for a moment before circling 'Twin Martial Souls' and 'Hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings'.
"...His self-created soul skill is unexpectedly powerful.
"I originally thought the reason for the Heavenly Hammer martial soul being hailed as the number one weapon martial soul was its own quality, but now it seems that might not be the case.
"The true strength of the Heavenly Hammer lies in the Heavenly Nine Absolute and the Great Asura Hammer. Without these two supreme techniques, the Haotian Hammer would just be an ordinary top-tier weapon martial soul, far from being a unique existence.
"At that time, Cheng Xue was able to suppress Qian Xunji, whose cultivation reached the level of a Title Douluo, which couldn't be achieved with just a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. The key lies in those terrifying sword techniques; even standing behind him without facing the edge directly, I could feel their terrifying power.
"Perhaps the key to self-created soul skills lies not in the technique, but in the will. Without reading so many books, I might never have understood this. Feeling the power of the soul, realizing one's own pursuit, and steadfastly striving to achieve it, that's true strength.
"Relying on talent, with my Twin Martial Souls, I might be able to become a powerful Title Douluo, but I may not reach the heights of the Great Elders. Cheng Xue is right; relying solely on hard work will never give me the opportunity to vie for the title of the strongest in the world.
"I must become the strongest..."
In these stacks of notes, not only does Bibidong's own thinking deepen gradually, but the weight of the name 'Cheng Xue' seems to increase continuously.
If Su Cheng knew about this, he would probably not be surprised why Bibi Dong was able to pick up the Heartbroken Red herb.
With almost blank life experiences, a unique and powerful Twin Martial Soul, plus extraordinary innate talents, she embodies a more extreme personality.
But with this temperament, it's not surprising that the Bibi Dong in the original timeline gained recognition from the Rakshasa God and gradually turned mad.
However, the current Bibi Dong, despite her mature and rational thinking due to her enriched knowledge, has become more extreme, stubborn, and self-confident.
After hesitating for a moment, Bibi Dong takes out the bottom-most note from the pile.
"...Finally, I don't have to stay in the Soul Hall to study anymore; Cheng Xue is going to take me out to travel.
"I'm happy, but I can't show it, otherwise he might change his mind.
"His attitude is still so annoying. In his eyes, I seem to have no charm at all, and he even told me to go find Yu Xiaogang.
"I really can't understand why Cheng Xue is so convinced that there's something between me and Yu Xiaogang. I haven't seen that person in six months.
"Even earlier, he inexplicably reminded me, just because I asked Yu Xiaogang a few questions?
"If it wasn't for this incident..."
Bibi Dong doesn't continue reading, sighing and putting it aside.
She has regretted more than once for going to Qian Xunji that day.
And she even said those inexplicable words, which were then spoken out by Qian Xunji in public.
To the Bibi Dong of the past, this teacher held an extremely high position and was the most respected elder.
That day, when Su Cheng said a few words about Qian Xunji, she was furious and impulsively wanted to verify it.
But the fact proved that Su Cheng was right, and Qian Xunji was not as she imagined.
She thought this teacher was the closest person to her, a respected elder, her lifelong reliance.
Actually, this thought wasn't entirely wrong, but she overestimated her own importance.
For Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong was indeed a disciple, but her greatest value was still as a potential weapon for the Soul Hall.
After many years of being together, perhaps there was some affection, but compared to the interests of the Soul Hall, it was far less significant.
"What a terribly foolish thing to do..."
Bibi Dong presses her forehead with her hand, feeling a bit amused and annoyed at her past actions.
If it were now, she would definitely not make the same stupid mistake again.
How much trust and affection can withstand such testing? What weight does she have, and why should she be so reckless?
But it's precisely because of this—
"Cheng Xue, what are you really after? What do I have that's worth your greed..."
For him, that person risked offending a ninety-ninth-level supreme Douluo and the number one force on the continent, breaking into the Papal Palace with just a Spirit Saint cultivation, piercing through it with a single sword, confronting the contemporary Pope in front of a group of Title Douluo elders.
After that, he even used the Primordial Art, an ancient unparalleled technique, and obtained a rare divine herb not even recorded in the Martial Soul Hall to solidify her foundation and overcome future obstacles in her cultivation.
The events in the secret chamber of the Papal Palace didn't cause too much psychological trauma to her in reality; what hurt Bibidong the most was the betrayal from a close elder and his disgusting intentions. Yet, shortly after, she found another new emotional anchor.
After a moment of silence, Bibi Dong gathers her emotions, looking at the other set of notes.
In fact, this part is what she truly wants to review in detail.
Before, during my travels and training outside, there wasn't much leisure time available for learning and reflection. Practicing the innate techniques, battling with the Haotian Sect, and escaping from pursuers occupied the vast majority of my time, leaving her only the opportunity to roughly record my insights.
"...Perhaps my previous ideas were really flawed. I shouldn't have pursued elusive concepts like freedom and equality.
"But what about Cheng Xue? He has never expressed his thoughts either, so what does he think?
"It seems that the Sea God Island is not a utopia; it also has many shadows and injustices, otherwise Cheng Xue wouldn't have come to the mainland.
"He asked me to help him once in the future, but what exactly is his purpose?
"In the end, it all boils down to insufficient strength. Cheng Xue is right; in this world, power speaks. Whoever has the stronger fist, their reasoning is more correct."
Bibi Dong continues to flip through the notes in silence.
"...I didn't expect there to be such a thing as the Heartbroken Red Herb in the world. There are no relevant records in the Martial Soul Hall, and Qian Xunji never mentioned it. But it makes sense; if the Martial Soul Hall knew about this place, they would have long since plundered it clean, how could it still exist now?
"I chose to take the Heartbroken Red Herb. Can Cheng Xue understand my thoughts? He's probably guessing blindly again, but it's okay; he will understand eventually.
"Looking at him, it seems like he has some stories too, perhaps someone from the Sea God Island? It's strange; this guy is actually a bit younger than me, yet he has so many messy thoughts.
"Underneath the terrifying Ice and Fire Spring Eyes, there must be something else hidden. Based on the natural environment, it's impossible for such a treasure trove to exist; it completely defies objective laws. Cheng Xue seems to know a thing or two about it, but he doesn't dare to investigate further. Cheng Xue is not a narrow-minded person; he couldn't be guarding against me.
"There are far more unknown secrets in this world than I imagined. I was too confident, blindly trusting the Martial Soul Hall; I shouldn't have. Speaking of which, what exactly is the Sea God Island? Is there existence of other continents beyond the Douluo Continent?"
"Sea God Island..." Bibidong repeats the name quietly, already having some thoughts about it despite not knowing what Su Cheng had said before.
If there's a chance in the future, she must go there to take a look.
"...Practicing techniques, innate techniques. While others rely on meditation to passively increase their soul power, I actually have the opportunity to actively absorb soul power and cultivate rapidly.
"I originally thought my understanding of martial souls was profound, but after reading this technique, I realized that what I saw before was only superficial. I had never truly touched the core secrets of martial souls.
"Information.
"People always say that martial souls are reflections of the soul, but the essence of martial souls is actually the information in the bloodline. Once you grasp this essence, martial souls are no longer mysterious. Perhaps after reaching the pinnacle of Title Douluo, all insights should revolve around this point?
"I never expected Cheng Xue's innate talent to be so poor. No wonder, no wonder his perspective on people is so different.
"He has so much confidence in himself; only with such broad-mindedness could he be willing to pass on such an extraordinary technique to me. I can tell how much effort he put into this technique and how much he treasures it.
"Does this mean that I am actually that special person to him?"
"..."
Seeing this, Bibidong's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of a smile.
Continuing to flip through, it mainly consists of some insights and records about combat.
"...It's not easy to kill Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, but since I've decided to kill them, then so be it. After all, the Upper Three Sects and those decadent aristocrats in the empires are not fundamentally different; there aren't many good people there either. These two are hidden dangers even if they haven't caused trouble now; it's better to deal with them early on.
"But these two are quite strong; I need to think carefully about how to kill them. It's pure suicide to directly confront them alone; I need to gather intelligence first and see if I can find an opportunity when they are alone.
"My martial soul isn't good at direct combat; it's better to ambush. Even if I don't ambush, I need to find a way to make them lower their guard during the battle. The toxicity of the Death Spider Emperor, even Cheng Xue couldn't stop praising it; I must use this advantage.
"The people of the Haotian Sect are fools; as long as I can find a way to manipulate their emotions, I actually have a good chance."
She quickly browses through this part.
These past three years, most of her time has been spent in battle, besides training.
Many of these tactics and techniques have gradually become ingrained in her instincts, and the information that can be covered in writing is extremely limited.
Now, looking back, it serves more as a review of previous mistakes.
"...I successfully killed Tang Hao.
"My approach was correct. For soul masters, the pursuit of extreme attributes or overall balance has always been a difficult choice, with pros and cons on both sides, but I'm different; I have two martial souls.
"The Twin Martial Souls are my greatest advantage, not only in cultivation but also in development. Both Death Spider Emperor martial souls are extremely powerful, and I can fully enhance their poisonous characteristics and sharp spider spears.
"After this battle, Cheng Xue also appreciates me; I didn't let him down. I can feel that his attitude toward me is beginning to change."
"..."
"Darn it, the Haotian Sect is shameless! They actually sent so many Spirit Douluos to chase after the two of us, who are only Soul Saints.
"As expected, battles between soul masters should be cutthroat, with no one spared. The reason why we encountered such danger is all because I let Tang Xiao go; as Cheng Xue said, he probably went back to the sect to call for reinforcements.
"But there's nothing I can do about it; my strength is insufficient, and killing Tang Hao was already my best effort. In the future, if I do something like this again, I must ensure that there are no mistakes and absolutely no hidden dangers."
"...Damn it, Cheng Xue knows that beautiful woman! Otherwise, with his personality, he wouldn't actively ask me to spare her.
"And that woman has problems too; her gaze towards Cheng Xue is very strange, and even when all her teammates were dead, she still had a reluctant look.
"What's her background, just a Soul King; is she even worthy?
"I knew too little before. That's my fault; I didn't gather enough intelligence, and I didn't pay attention to Cheng Xue's attitude. I treated them all as enemies, didn't care about a weak Soul King, otherwise this oversight wouldn't have happened.
"She's just a Soul King; she could have been easily killed. Just because of a momentary negligence, I missed the perfect opportunity..."
After reading the last page, Bibi Dong's pretty face darkens slightly, and she bites her lip lightly.
These years of experience, although not easy, seemed beautiful, but the result turned out to be such a thing.
If it weren't for understanding Su Cheng's personality, she would almost suspect that the reason he was so determined to kill Tang Hao was because of Ah Yin.
Taking a blank piece of paper again, Bibi Dong writes on it word by word.
"I can feel that his attitude is changing; he's avoiding me.
"And he rarely mentions Yu Xiaogang's name now; he must have realized something.
"Cheng Xue, I will prove myself. I will become very strong, even stronger than you.
"When that time comes, I will be able to stand proudly by your side, and no one can stop us.
"Cheng Xue, I will take off your mask, I will definitely!"
...
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