A few days later, in various competition zones across the two major empires, numerous young Spirit Masters from the younger generation were showcasing impressive skills on their respective stages in hopes of qualifying for the final rounds.
Spirit Elders and Spirit Ancestors, some in their teens, emerged one after another, their combat prowess drawing cheers and applause from countless onlookers.
However, all this commotion did not affect the normal operations in Spirit City at all.
Whether it was the young Spirit Masters under the banner of Spirit Hall or the powerful elders and deacons, they remained as busy as ever, engrossed in their duties and cultivation, paying little attention to the tournament's progress.
On this day, along the broad avenue that led from the library to Pope Mountain, a tall and graceful figure weaved through the crowd.
Her crystal-like silver hair shimmered with a radiant glow under the sunlight. Her cold and aloof, exquisitely beautiful face, paired with her unique purple eyes, resembled rare and flawless gems.
The girl stood nearly 1.8 meters tall, making her quite striking even among female Spirit Masters.
With her perfectly upright figure, supple waist and hips, and her long, elegant legs, she captured the attention of both the native residents of Spirit City and visitors from afar. Their gazes instinctively followed her, drawn to her presence.
As Spirit Masters, they were not unfamiliar with beauty—handsome men and beautiful women were plentiful in the Spirit Master world. After all, the current Pope on Pope Mountain was known as an unparalleled beauty.
Yet, even with their high aesthetic standards, they couldn't help but be momentarily entranced upon seeing this girl.
It wasn't just her stunning appearance; the girl's cold and ethereal temperament, coupled with her distinctive eyes and hair, elevated her beauty to another level.
Su Yue ignored the astonished stares and walked straight up Pope Mountain, stopping at the entrance of the Pope's Palace, where she was promptly blocked by the guards.
"I'm Su Yue. I'm here to see Su Cheng," she said coolly, addressing the head guard.
These past few days, Su Cheng had spent most of his time in the Pope's Palace, receiving "guidance" from Bibi Dong.
Most members of Spirit Hall were aware that the Pope had recently accepted a new disciple with exceptional talent. However, since Su Cheng rarely appeared in public, not much was known about him.
Upon hearing Su Yue's voice, the guards scrutinized her closely before finally recognizing her as the girl who had arrived with the Pope's new disciple a few days prior.
Though her appearance hadn't changed, her eye color and hair were now different. Yet, these changes made her look like a completely different person.
After some hesitation, the guards decided not to refuse her entry. Instead, one turned to relay the message inside the palace.
Before long, Bibi Dong and Su Cheng emerged together from the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong's eyes flashed with a brief moment of astonishment as she looked at Su Yue, now sporting a new look.
Silver hair and purple eyes—such a combination was rare. Was this due to the influence of her Silver Dragon Spirit?
However, Bibi Dong didn't dwell on it too much. A person's aura and spirit were the true indicators of identity. Changes in appearance due to one's spirit were common in the Spirit Master world.
As for altering one's appearance mid-way, there were many spirit abilities and spirit bones that could achieve similar effects.
Thus, Bibi Dong guessed that Su Yue's earlier black hair and black eyes had likely been a disguise.
This was understandable.
Given how striking her current appearance was, it made sense to conceal it for practical reasons when out in public.
Glancing at Su Cheng beside her, Bibi Dong teasingly remarked, "Are you two really blood-related siblings?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah," Su Cheng mumbled in response.
"Your sister is much more attractive than you."
Though Su Cheng was also quite good-looking, he paled in comparison to the current Su Yue.
Bibi Dong's comment wasn't meant as a probe; it was merely an offhand remark.
After all, the two shared similar high-quality spirits and spirit forms. Since they came from the same place, it would be more surprising if they weren't related.
"Haha, I think so too," Su Cheng replied nonchalantly, though he found it odd why Su Yue had suddenly dropped her disguise.
While it didn't pose much of an issue, drawing too much attention could be inconvenient.
"Su Cheng, there are some things in the books I don't understand. Come and explain them to me," Su Yue said, without paying any attention to Bibi Dong's casual remark. Her gaze didn't linger on the Pope for even a second.
She simply looked past her and focused directly on Su Cheng.
"Uh…" Su Cheng hesitated for a moment, turning to seek Bibi Dong's permission. "Teacher?"
"If you want to go, go ahead," Bibi Dong said with a soft gaze and a calm voice. "You should also spend more time reading those books. It'll benefit you. If you have any questions, feel free to come ask me. The guards at the Pope's Palace won't restrict your access."
"Understood."
As the brief conversation between Su Cheng and Bibi Dong unfolded, Su Yue couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly.
As they walked toward the library, Su Cheng occasionally glanced at the girl beside him, pondering why she seemed a little off.
Su Yue remained expressionless, her gaze fixed ahead as if she hadn't noticed anything unusual.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, a smile suddenly curved at Su Yue's lips. She abruptly turned to face Su Cheng, and their gazes locked.
"…"
"Do you think I'm beautiful?"
She asked casually.
"…"
Su Cheng averted his gaze, feeling slightly awkward.
After the minor conflict a few days ago, the two hadn't seen each other since.
In truth, the previous dispute wasn't much of a problem for Su Cheng. He was used to Su Yue's occasional temper, and it didn't bother him.
The real issue was that he didn't feel the need to explain much. With her intelligence, Su Yue, the Silver Dragon King, should be able to understand most things on her own once she had access to resources. There wasn't much reason for him to instruct her.
Besides, he had his own matters to attend to, particularly building rapport with Bibi Dong.
Since he had chosen to recognize her as his teacher, it was crucial to ensure she fully trusted him. Otherwise, it might not be easy for him to leave Spirit City and act independently in the future.
"So, what don't you understand?" Su Cheng asked offhandedly.
"A lot of things. Human emotions are too complex. In many of these stories, the protagonist's motivations make no sense. But these things do happen in real life, so I need you to explain them to me," Su Yue replied indifferently. "What's the matter? Are you unwilling to teach me now?"
"What? No, that's not it."
"Then why ask so many questions? You'll see when we get to the library. I've gathered all the books with questionable points."
Her tone softened slightly when she heard Su Cheng's response.
—As for admitting fault for her previous remarks, that was clearly out of the question.
In her mind, she hadn't done anything wrong. Su Cheng's actions were, in fact, a form of betrayal.
Acknowledging the inheritor of the Rakshasa God as a teacher—what did that make her?
Wasn't she, the Silver Dragon King, more worthy than a mere mortal undergoing a god's inheritance?
Still, the Silver Dragon King wasn't so petty. She would let it slide this time.
Unfortunately, Su Cheng didn't seem to understand her good intentions, as he continued to wonder why she had suddenly reverted to her original appearance.
Su Yue was no longer the loli she had been years ago.
The combination of silver hair and purple eyes, paired with her exquisitely perfect facial features, made her truly irresistibly alluring, always distracting him, no matter how hard he tried to focus.
If he had to interact with her like this on a daily basis in the future, it would be a tremendous test of his willpower.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed.
For Su Cheng, life in Spirit City was monotonous and uneventful.
Every few days, he would visit the library to answer Su Yue's questions, chat a little, and casually admire her beauty.
Ever since she revealed her true appearance that day, he didn't know what she was thinking, but she hadn't bothered disguising herself again. She seemed indifferent to Su Cheng's attempts to convince her otherwise.
Even her personality seemed to undergo some changes, becoming more outgoing and lively.
At first, Su Cheng found it a bit strange and suspected that she had been affected by something, perhaps even triggered after encountering the heir of the Rakshasa God.
But as time passed, Su Yue's behavior appeared normal, so he stopped asking.
People naturally change, and for Su Yue, who hadn't spent much time among humans, this transformation was definitely more beneficial than harmful.
During this period, Su Cheng had also "met" many members of the Spirit Hall, including the three members of the Golden Generation and the two titled Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Besides that, the "master-disciple" relationship between him and Bibi Dong was no longer just a formality. Their daily interactions had become so close and casual that they resembled a true master-disciple bond. Their conversations had no unnecessary formality or restraint.
Even Hu Liena, whom Bibi Dong cherished like a daughter, found this situation incredibly perplexing.
Although Bibi Dong had always been kind to her, she was not the "gentle mother" type. She rarely displayed any warmth or tenderness.
Usually, Bibi Dong was imposing and strict with her disciples, with high expectations in all areas.
This made Hu Liena, despite her internal closeness to Bibi Dong, outwardly respectful and cautious, never daring to cross any lines.
But Su Cheng was different.
Sometimes, it seemed like this junior brother of hers didn't even regard Bibi Dong as a teacher. He would occasionally even refute some of her statements without hesitation.
The unintentional interactions between this master and disciple, combined with Bibi Dong's frequent indulgence, often left Hu Liena confused and astonished.
Inside the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong was reading a stack of documents, her brows gently furrowing.
"The Clear Sky Hammer?"
These documents had been sent from the Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City. The contents were all about the outstanding performance of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team in the current Spirit Master Tournament, as well as handwritten comments by Salas, the platinum bishop of the Spirit Hall.
It was clearly stated that the team's vice-captain, Tang San, had used the Clear Sky Hammer to defeat powerful opponents in a match.
However, his Clear Sky Hammer was only his second spirit, and no spirit rings had been added to it yet. His first spirit, Blue Silver Grass, had a fourth spirit ring at the ten-thousand-year level.
The combination of Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer, his age of nearly fifteen, and his innate full spirit power...
Linking these clues together, Tang San's identity was obvious.
He was the son of Tang Hao and that hundred-thousand-year spirit beast, the future enemy of the Spirit Hall.
Besides Tang San, the report also contained information about the team's captain, Zhu Zhuqing. It mentioned that the girl's spirit power was even higher than Tang San's, and her spirit was the never-before-seen Hell White Tiger.
But Bibi Dong didn't pay much attention to that.
Compared to an extremely powerful special spirit, Tang Hao's son, who harbored a deep grudge against the Spirit Hall, was a much bigger threat.
Moreover, she was well aware of how strong the potential of a twin spirit user could be.
If he were allowed to grow, he might bring about many troubles in the future.
"Tang San, Tang Hao..."
After pondering for a moment, Bibi Dong had made up her mind.
This person could not be allowed to live. While his spirit power was still low, it would be best to nip this threat in the bud.
Coincidentally, the teams that had advanced to the finals would be coming to Spirit City soon. She could use this opportunity to send a few Titled Douluo to ambush them on their way.
Not only could they kill Tang San, but they might also take care of other potential threats at the same time...
At this moment, Bibi Dong seemed to remember something and called a few guards from the Pope's Palace, "Summon Su Cheng to see me."
She intended to share her plan with this disciple of hers.
She was even considering having Su Cheng join the team for this operation.
This decision wasn't because Bibi Dong didn't trust Su Cheng, nor was it to test him or temper his strength.
Her reasoning was actually quite simple—she felt that it was better not to keep such things hidden from him.
If he found out later by accident, it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Different spirit masters should be educated in different ways.
Bibi Dong asked herself, if it were her younger self—when she was the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, burdened with the two evil spirits, Death Spider Emperor and Devouring Spider Emperor, yet still holding on to ideals of light and hope—faced with such a situation, she might have been shocked.
Su Cheng's spirit was also dark and evil, but his heart was as bright and pure as hers had once been. Therefore, she believed his personality was likely to be sensitive as well.
Keeping such a minor matter from him would only backfire.
Besides, over these recent months, Su Cheng had consistently given satisfactory answers during her teachings, demonstrating that he had already seen through many things. He understood that certain issues couldn't be judged simply by right or wrong, and she believed he was mentally prepared.
If it were her other disciple, there wouldn't be so much to worry about.
Hu Liena had been raised and trained by the Spirit Hall from a young age. She was well aware of the Spirit Hall's ways of doing things, and she knew that the interests of the Spirit Hall always came first. There was no need to be concerned about her mental state.
Bibi Dong gently placed the documents down and gazed out the window, deep in thought.
"I never had a good teacher, but I hope I can be a good one myself. Su Cheng, don't disappoint me..."