The Spirit Hall's collection of books was vast.
This was the crystallization of human wisdom developed over countless years of cultivation and progress, and it served as the best testament to the deep heritage of the Spirit Hall.
The collection not only contained knowledge related to cultivation and combat but also covered the disputes between empires, the rise of various powers, and the detailed histories of the continent.
The contents about cultivation were a given, with numerous books summarizing past experiences regarding the cultivation of soul masters, research on soul beasts, and even the development of soul rings and soul skills.
Even obscure historical secrets and rare, unique texts were mostly gathered here.
As for the two major empires and the three top sects, they didn't have access to such a wealth of resources. And for other sects, nobles, and many academies, there were hardly any unique heritages left that Spirit Hall wasn't already aware of.
The reason Su Yue was allowed into the Spirit Hall was primarily to give her access to these precious books.
If they had relied solely on Su Cheng's verbal instruction, the amount of knowledge would inevitably be limited, and it would have consumed considerable time and energy. It was far more efficient for Su Yue to read and learn on her own.
In fact, many of the books were beyond Su Yue's current level of access. She was only permitted to borrow those related to cultivation.
But the history of Spirit Hall's rise and fall, as well as the development of major powers, could only be viewed by core members.
After all, any great power that truly rises, no matter how noble or selfless its original goals may be, cannot avoid bloody struggles and dark schemes along the way.
In other words, hidden within these texts were many of Spirit Hall's own dark secrets.
There were even records of past collusions with evil soul masters.
Naturally, these things could not be made public.
The fact that Su Yue had the opportunity to see them now was mainly due to her connection to Su Cheng's mentorship.
Bibi Dong had even specially advised Su Cheng that he could appropriately study these topics.
The evil attributes of one's Spirit needed to be suppressed and controlled, but that alone was not enough.
Temporary suppression only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Once emotions spiral out of control one day, the evil thoughts that have accumulated over time could erupt with even greater force.
That's what happened to her.
The descent into darkness had been swift. In an instant, she had undergone a transformation from within.
So this time, she chose to allow Su Cheng to understand the darkness within human nature, to know that even beneath the glorious Spirit Hall lay an unspeakable history, and through that, to comprehend the meaning of power, darkness, and duty.
Since Su Cheng was allowed to read this, there was little point in hiding it from his sister, Su Yue, so both of them were given the same reading privileges.
The pile of books in front of Su Yue at this moment mainly consisted of some cultural and historical volumes that Su Cheng had specifically selected for her, as well as a few energy manipulation techniques of note.
As for knowledge about soul rings and soul skills, Su Yue didn't need that.
She was practically a living ancestor in matters of soul beasts and Spirit, and her Spirit's essence was also different from that of ordinary soul masters, so she didn't need to study such relatively simple things.
However, a few small techniques were worth learning from, as human soul masters were still highly creative in such areas.
Su Yue sat in a chair by the window, slowly flipping through the pages of a book in her hands.
The bright sunlight poured in through the window, casting a slanting beam on the side of the beautiful woman's black-haired figure. Her fluttering strands of hair cast faint, flickering shadows on her face, forming a vivid and timeless picture.
However, at this moment, she seemed somewhat distracted.
It had already been more than half an hour, yet she hadn't finished a single book. With her abilities, this amount of time should have been enough for her to read through six or seven books and grasp their contents.
"...Self-important fool. What's so great about him, anyway?"
Su Yue suddenly tossed the book onto the table, irritably ruffled her hair, and let out a long sigh.
Then she leaned back against the chair and stared absentmindedly out the window.
Her eyes had no focus as scenes from the past flashed through her mind...
"Show me proper respect."
On their first meeting, that person had used a special method capable of revealing the aura of the Dragon Tomb in exchange for a request that she had found puzzling.
How had she felt back then?
Confused? Or amused?
Probably both.
But that person had indeed been somewhat different.
"You're the first friend I've made in this world."
But at the time, she had rejected him, saying, "You're overthinking it. We're not friends."
...What about now?
Su Yue sighed. In truth, the moment she chose "Su Yue" as her human name, she had probably already accepted the idea of "friendship."
Later on...
"Your upgrade reward: a new portion of Dragon God bloodline."
"Just how much are you hiding?"
"That's none of your business. Just focus on cultivating. Don't worry, I can definitely feed you. It's not that hard to raise a dragon."
"Go to hell."
"…"
"This isn't right. Your elemental coordination is off."
"I know that myself. Stop with the pointless comments; I know better than you."
"…"
"Su Cheng, go ask how much that thing costs and buy one for me. I want to try it."
"Why don't you do it yourself? Are you mute, or just incapable of asking?"
"Are you going or not?"
"Fine, seriously, you're like a child."
"…"
"Sigh, little runt, you've grown so fast. You're taller than me now."
"Then shouldn't you be calling me 'sister'?"
"…"
In the past, she had almost no sense of time. Sometimes a single slumber would pass in the blink of an eye, spanning dozens or hundreds of years.
But now, it seemed that every day of the past few years was still fresh in her memory.
"Tch, it's only been three or four years."
Su Yue raised her arm to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight. "As expected, humans are such boring creatures. Those heavy, burdensome emotions—they only add frustration and discomfort. What's the point?"
She suddenly felt a bit fatigued and closed her eyes for a brief rest.
"…But this is what real life is, isn't it? I used to think I was strong, but I wasn't even as good as Di Tian or Bi Ji. I wasn't even as good as Xiao Wu, that little Soft Bone Rabbit who had cultivated for a hundred thousand years and taken human form.
"Heh, Su Cheng says she's gradually losing herself. But what about me? What am I?
"I guess I never even had something like that to lose…"
She wasn't a normal living being at all.
She had no life or past of her own.
No emotions or personality of her own.
She was just a pitiful, incomplete copy and fragment of the Dragon God.
---
In the Pope's Hall, Bibi Dong stood with her back to Su Cheng and asked calmly, "Su Cheng, do you want to participate in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament?"
"I'll pass."
"Oh?"
Hearing this response, she seemed a bit surprised and turned to look at the young man behind her. "You don't want to win a championship and make a name for yourself?"
"I'm not interested."
"That's unusual. Most soul masters your age are eager for attention."
"I guess I matured early," Su Cheng responded casually.
How bored would he have to be to fight against a group of Soul Elders and Soul Kings?
Forget about him—Su Yue had no need to participate in the Soul Master competition either.
Doing so would only draw attention to herself and provide no benefits whatsoever.
This competition should ideally follow the original course, so he could observe how fate would correct the paths of the Shrek Seven Devils after losing the immortal herbs over the past few years.
Of course, what he called the "fate line" was merely a name he came up with on a whim. Su Cheng didn't fully understand the deeper reasons behind it.
Sitting across from him, Bibi Dong had no idea about his thoughts.
She was merely thinking about what Su Cheng might have gone through in his childhood. The confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of pity.
Indeed, for anyone to have experienced disdain and cold stares at such a young age, it would force them to mature early.
The fact that he had maintained his composure up to this point was already quite remarkable.
Bibi Dong's change in expression at that moment didn't escape Su Cheng's notice. He instantly guessed that this Pope had once again come to her own strange conclusions, which left him feeling slightly amused but also helpless.
There was no way to explain it either, so he could only let her mind wander.
"Yes, it's fine if you don't participate. I was only asking because I was concerned that you might overthink it. But seeing your reaction, I realize I was being too sensitive," Bibi Dong nodded slightly.
Then she explained seriously, "Your Spirit is too unique and not suitable for revealing in front of too many people at the moment."
Though discrimination against Spirits in the Soul Master world was not as severe as it used to be, some Spirits that leaned toward evil were still allowed to be used normally and wouldn't face much hostility.
Take Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, for instance. If he had been around during a period of strict enforcement, he would have been highly criticized. But now, it wasn't much of an issue.
However, Su Cheng's Black Dragon Spirit exuded an aura that was simply too sinister, which wasn't ideal.
It was similar to Bibi Dong's own Devouring Spider Emperor Spirit, which she almost never revealed to the public.
Concealing her twin Spirits was partly because she wanted to keep it as a trump card, but truthfully, with her current status and strength, she no longer needed to hide it.
The real reason was that as the supreme Pope of Spirit Hall, using such an evil Spirit could harm her reputation among the public, which would be detrimental in the future.
People tend to judge by appearances—this was just a reality of life.
As for whether Su Yue would participate in this competition, Bibi Dong had no real intention of asking.
She never planned to give Su Yue the opportunity.
Though Su Yue was indeed strong, stronger than the three members of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, what did that matter?
In Bibi Dong's view, with or without Su Yue, Spirit Hall Academy would still claim the championship.
She had all the information on the participating academies and team members. None of the other teams even had a Soul King-level Soul Master.
Letting Su Yue participate would only result in her overshadowing Bibi Dong's disciples.
This competition was designed to showcase the young Soul Masters of Spirit Hall.
She had even negotiated with the Elder Hall to provide three powerful spirit bones as the champion's prize, and the intended recipients were none other than Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.
Despite Su Yue's impressive talent, she had not yet earned Bibi Dong's full approval.
Compared to Hu Liena, whom Bibi Dong regarded as her own daughter, Su Yue's status was much lower.
Not to mention, Su Yue had only recently joined Spirit Hall and had yet to pass any tests. Her attitude didn't seem particularly friendly towards Spirit Hall either, making her unsuitable to be thrust into the team.
As for Su Cheng, his case was special.
Perhaps it was because of his Spirit, but she always felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to him, even a sense of comfort in his presence, which allowed her to forget many of her worries.
Bibi Dong took a few steps forward and stopped right in front of Su Cheng.
"You can rest assured. No matter the situation, or what you may face, I will never abandon you."
At this moment, the two were standing quite close.
As she spoke, a warm breath accompanied her words, and even the faint fragrance from her lips and teeth was clearly noticeable to Su Cheng.
Bibi Dong slowly raised her arm, patted Su Cheng on the shoulder, and gazed down at him, "You only need to remember, as long as I'm here, even if your Spirit is condemned by thousands, you'll always have your teacher to face it with you."
Seeing his reflection clearly in her eyes, Su Cheng felt a strange sensation.
He was somewhat touched but also a little confused.
He didn't understand why Bibi Dong, who didn't even know him in this simulation, was being so affectionate and kind.
The level of closeness had already far exceeded a typical teacher-student relationship.
Was it merely because of their similar Spirit auras?
Or was this a form of self-redemption for her?
But in his impression, Bibi Dong wasn't that kind of person.
Her demeanor, the weight of her words—this kind of warmth was something Su Cheng had never seen from her before. It was a stark contrast to the real Bibi Dong.
While Su Cheng and Su Yue were integrating into Spirit Hall, the All-Continent Soul Master Tournament was in full swing.
Preliminaries were being held in multiple regions simultaneously, and only the teams that qualified for the finals would head to Spirit City for the ultimate showdown.
As for the two teams from the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire that were directly qualified for the finals, they would arrive in Spirit City a few months early.
But Su Cheng wasn't particularly interested in the progress of the preliminaries.
For him, all he needed to do was wait quietly in Spirit City.
After the finals concluded, he would find a way to leave Spirit City and start laying the groundwork for the battles to come in the next few years.
By then, the true final showdown would begin.
Everything happening on the Douluo Continent was insignificant; the true challenge lay with the gods of the Divine Realm.
And with his current Limit Douluo strength, he wasn't even qualified to be a player on the board.
Only a few years later, when his strength reached the god level and Su Yue's power was restored to that level as well, would they be qualified to enter the game.
That was only part of it, though.
By then, his body would have naturally grown into its optimal state, giving him the chance to take things further.
In this simulation, he not only needed to complete the task but also attempt to break through to higher levels of strength, achieving heights he hadn't reached in reality.
At that point, the Dragon God bloodline, which had been sealed and unused within him, would finally come into play, and he could begin studying it.