In the grand hall of the Pope's palace, only Yu Xiaogang sat quietly in a luxurious chair.
He paid no attention to the magnificent decorations around him, simply sipping his tea and pondering how to face Bibi Dong later.
His mood was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.
No matter how he interacted with Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang had to admit that he couldn't forget the woman he was about to meet.
Bibi Dong held a special place in his heart.
She was beautiful, noble, exceptionally talented; every positive attribute seemed to apply to her.
She was also the first person to truly acknowledge him.
But unfortunately, he couldn't risk the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
The warnings from Qian Xunji were not to be ignored.
Moreover, was he really that resolute? She ultimately chose the power of the Pope.
"I hope she still remembers our past a little…"
She was now the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, far from the ignorant girl she once was.
He usually dealt with people of immense power and influence. He didn't know how her attitude might change in this situation...
But regardless, this trip was necessary.
Tang San was his hope for the future, his significance was unparalleled, no one was more important than this child.
After guarding in the city of Nuoding for twenty years, he finally encountered such a talent. How could he give up?
"But…"
Yu Xiaogang's gaze became solemn.
"Tang San's identity is a problem."
The son of the culprit who killed the previous Pope, Tang Hao, the heir to the Clear Sky Hammer.
And from their few brief encounters, Tang Hao seemed to hold some resentment towards the Martial Soul Hall. In this complex relationship, could there be any variables?
However, the Martial Soul Hall should not know Tang San's true identity.
After all, Tang Hao had disappeared for so long, and Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer was never known to outsiders.
But this meeting today was risky.
Would Bibi Dong be interested in the existence of twin martial souls, and would she notice Tang San's presence because of it, then trace back to Tang Hao?
"Let's observe her attitude first."
Yu Xiaogang took a sip of tea.
"If Bibi Dong still cares about our past, directly admitting it might not be a bad idea, promising not to let Tang San and the Martial Soul Hall become enemies in the future."
At this moment, the grand arch of the hall opened, and a soft voice sounded from outside.
"You wait outside, without my command, no one is allowed to disturb."
"Yes."
Yu Xiaogang turned his gaze towards the door.
A woman walked in from outside.
She was draped in a luxurious black robe with golden trim, accentuating her near-perfect figure.
A Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown rested on her head, and the Pope's scepter in her hand tapped lightly on the ground, emitting a faint tinkling sound.
Fair skin, extraordinary beauty, a noble and sacred demeanor.
At this moment, Bibi Dong had none of the nervousness she had when alone. Her face was calm, her eyes deep as a tranquil pool, like a goddess descended to earth.
Their gazes met.
At this moment, subtle fluctuations appeared in Yu Xiaogang's indifferent expression: reminiscence, regret, and melancholy.
Bibi Dong looked at him, inexplicably reminded of the scenes in her dreams.
One of them was the first time she saw Su Cheng in this hall.
For some reason, she suddenly felt like smiling.
"Why have you come?" Bibi Dong said lightly.
Her voice was melodious and gentle, like a breath of spring breeze.
But Yu Xiaogang's gaze became somewhat bleak, placing his hands on the table in front of him and standing up.
"Yes, I've come. How have you been?"
Bibi Dong showed a faint smile, "As the ruler of the Martial Soul Hall, even the emperors of the two great empires must show deference to me. What could be wrong? Do you think I'm not doing well?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed, "Bibi Dong, I know the pain in your heart."
"Bibi Dong? Didn't you say that I almost forgot this name? Please call me the Pope, or address me as Your Majesty."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted slightly, a few traces of pain flowing in his eyes.
He turned around and walked back to where he had been sitting, seemingly lost in memories.
Watching his back, Bibi Dong was startled.
A strong sense of familiarity...
"Why have you come to me? We haven't seen each other in twenty years."
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart.
When he turned around, all the excess emotions in his eyes had disappeared, leaving only indifference.
"Your Majesty, I have a request."
"Oh? You've come to ask me for something? That doesn't seem like your style. It seems that time does indeed change a person. Speak."
Yu Xiaogang didn't explain, just said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I want to know how you managed to overcome the difficulty of twin martial souls back then."
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind turning, but she calmly said, "You don't need to know these things. It's meaningless to you."
"I have taken in a disciple, who has been training with me for eight years. Fortunately, he possesses twin martial souls like you. This child is exceptionally talented, and I hope to cultivate him into a strong individual."
"Twin martial souls..."
Bibi Dong's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Your disciple, does he have twin martial souls?"
She had indeed paid attention to Yu Xiaogang's movements.
On the contrary, because of the exceptionally realistic dream, she had learned quite a bit about Yu Xiaogang through the Martial Soul Hall's information network.
In her understanding, Yu Xiaogang did indeed take in a disciple several years ago.
But that disciple possessed a trash martial soul, the Blue Silver Grass.
When she first learned this news, she was somewhat excited.
Being able to cultivate a Blue Silver Grass martial soul soul master step by step to where he is today, even not inferior to those with top-tier martial souls, is enough to prove Yu Xiaogang's true talent and knowledge.
At this moment, her heartbeat seemed to slow for a beat.
There was a sense of weightlessness, as if she had stepped into thin air.
"What is the second martial soul of your disciple?" Bibi Dong's tone was slightly urgent.
She didn't know what she was expecting at this moment.
"...," Upon hearing this question, Yu Xiaogang hesitated.
"You should know that even if you don't say it, I can still find out."
"...His second martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer."
"The Clear Sky Hammer... It's actually the Clear Sky Hammer..."
Bibi Dong's eyes drifted slightly.
Yu Xiaogang thought it was because of the matter with the Clear Sky Sect that she was displeased.
However, the Clear Sky Sect had long severed ties with Tang Hao. It was just a Clear Sky Hammer, so it shouldn't be particularly serious.
He hurriedly added, "Rest assured, if you are willing to tell me how you did it back then. I can assure you that my disciple will never be at odds with the Martial Soul Hall in his lifetime."
But he didn't know that what Bibi Dong was concerned about wasn't those consequences at all.
In fact, in Bibi Dong's mind, she didn't particularly resent Tang Hao.
Qian Xunji died well.
If it weren't for Tang Hao, she might not have had the chance to successfully ambush that beast herself.
Bibi Dong stared at Yu Xiaogang.
"What is the innate soul power level of your disciple?"
"He has reached full innate soul power," Yu Xiaogang said proudly.
After all, this disciple was a peerless genius he had carefully selected.
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly. "So you have been lurking in Nuoding City for so many years without taking in any disciples just to wait for this person?"
"That's right," Yu Xiaogang nodded, his tone solemn. "Only he can prove my theory to the world."
"I understand."
Bibi Dong lowered her head for a moment, lost in thought.
Then suddenly she thought of something, raised her head to look at Yu Xiaogang, "Yu Xiaogang, you have also met a soul master named Su Cheng, haven't you?"
Yu Xiaogang was taken aback by the question, not sure why Bibi Dong was mentioning that person, and nodded, "Yes, I have."
"How do you view him?"
"Not bad, he's a rare talent."
"Talent..." Bibi Dong repeated silently.
Then she continued, "I heard that he has absorbed soul rings across year limits multiple times, and even had two ten-thousand-year soul rings and two thousand-year soul rings at the Soul King stage. What do you think?"
Yu Xiaogang frowned, not understanding why Bibi Dong kept asking about Su Cheng.
But now he needed help from her, and judging from her attitude, there seemed to be room for negotiation, a hint of nostalgia.
In order not to affect the situation, he pondered for a moment before saying, "This is indeed somewhat unexpected. But you may not know that my disciple also surpassed the normal absorption limit of soul rings for his third soul ring, reaching over two thousand years."
At this point, he began to analyze out of habit.
"From my observations, as long as the soul master's willpower is strong enough to withstand the extreme pressure and pain caused by cross-year limit absorption of soul rings, there is a chance to achieve greater gains. However, this approach is quite risky, and that Su Cheng probably also paid a considerable price for it."
After speaking, Yu Xiaogang looked indifferent, not minding revealing these secrets.
In his view, as long as he could obtain the method of cultivating twin martial souls, it was completely acceptable to exchange some of his research results.
"...,"
Bibi Dong looked at Yu Xiaogang in silence for a moment.
Then she nodded and asked, "So what do you think of your disciple compared to Su Cheng now?"
"Of course, Su Cheng is stronger for now, but when Tang San grows up, with the immense potential of twin martial souls, his future development space will far surpass Su Cheng's."
"Do you think so?"
Bibi Dong lightly pursed her lips, her gaze somewhat scattered.
But then she came back to her senses, her expression calm.
"To overcome the difficulty of twin martial souls, the key lies in having a strong enough physical fitness. As long as the physique is tough enough, and the two martial souls do not reject each other, it is possible to cultivate twin martial souls together. As for how to improve physical fitness, it depends on your abilities, relying on external things like soul bones and medicines."
Yu Xiaogang was overjoyed at these words.
He bowed deeply to Bibi Dong, saying in a deep voice, "Thank you."
This thank you came from the bottom of his heart.
For him, nothing was more important than Tang San's future development.
Watching Yu Xiaogang bow in gratitude, Bibi Dong remained calm.
"You may leave."
Yu Xiaogang silently nodded and turned to walk towards the door.
When he reached for the door handle, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
But after hesitating for a moment, he still opened the door and quickly left.
Bibi Dong sighed as she watched the empty hall door not far away.