Though Yu Xiaogang had already poured countless hours and immeasurable effort into finding a way to evolve his spirit, giving up was never an option for him.
Then, after presenting his "Ten Core Competencies of Spirits" theory, something unexpected happened—Bibi Dong's affection for him finally maxed out!
One day, Bibi Dong approached Yu Xiaogang with an unexpected confession: she was in love with him and wanted to marry him.
In the past, Yu Xiaogang would have hesitated, fully aware of his shortcomings and feeling unworthy of her affection. But now, inflated by the recent praise he'd received as a so-called master of spirit theory, Yu Xiaogang had become delusional, truly believing he deserved Bibi Dong.
Plus, from the start, Yu Xiaogang's interest in Bibi Dong had always been strategic. He had his sights set on gaining access to the vast library of Spirit Hall. Marrying Bibi Dong, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, would make him the son-in-law of Spirit Hall, giving him easy access to its secrets and knowledge.
And so, Yu Xiaogang accepted Bibi Dong's proposal.
However, marrying Bibi Dong wasn't that simple. She had to get permission from her teacher, Qian Xunji.
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong's emotions were in turmoil. Anger, coldness, shame—all these feelings swirled inside her like a storm.
She had always believed that meeting Yu Xiaogang was a blessing from the heavens, a fateful encounter between two kindred souls. But now she realized that Yu Xiaogang had ulterior motives all along. He wasn't some scholar driven by a love for learning; his reading had been nothing more than a means to find a way to evolve his spirit.
And to make matters worse, he had used her, taking advantage of her innocence to access Spirit Hall's knowledge, disguising himself as a spirit theory master, and deceiving her feelings!
At that moment, Bibi Dong felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart. Were Yu Xiaogang's feelings for her all just a lie? What about all the suffering she had endured, and the years she had persisted? Was it all for nothing?
In the study of the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong felt a bitter urge to laugh, but no sound came out. Instead, tears welled up and silently rolled down her cheeks, leaving wet trails on her flawless face.
The more she thought about it, the more it hurt. Unable to hold herself up any longer, Bibi Dong collapsed onto her desk, her body trembling with silent sobs.
But after a moment, she forced herself to sit up, trying to convince herself. Even if Xiaogang had approached me with ulterior motives, after all this time, his feelings for me must be real!
In truth, Bibi Dong's feelings for Yu Xiaogang weren't as deep as they might have seemed. Their relationship hadn't been tested by real hardships. Yu Xiaogang had always been dependent on her, and to Bibi Dong, his only appeal was his supposed "talent."
But now, after everything had been laid bare, could Yu Xiaogang still hold the same place in her heart as before?
The answer was clear—Of course not!
Yet, the bond between Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang was unique. They had been torn apart before they ever truly became a couple, thanks to Bibi Dong's teacher, Qian Xunji. And then there was the "Secret Chamber Douluo" incident, where Bibi Dong was violated by Qian Xunji.
There's a kind of love that is defined by the pursuit of what one cannot have. The harder it is to attain something, the more desperately one desires it, until that desire becomes an obsession. In Bibi Dong's twisted mind, Yu Xiaogang had become her unattainable obsession.
If she were to deny her feelings for Yu Xiaogang, it would be like denying herself, denying all the suffering she had endured. The emotional foundation that kept her going would crumble.
So, Bibi Dong had no choice but to convince herself that her love for Yu Xiaogang was real.
The live broadcast continued.
After confessing her love and proposing marriage to the so-called "Master," Bibi Dong went to Qian Xunji to tell him about it.
Upon hearing the news, Qian Xunji was thunderstruck, anger boiling over. The disciple he had painstakingly nurtured, the future hope of Spirit Hall, wanted to marry a nobody, a failure from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. To him, this was nothing short of betrayal!
In a fit of rage, Qian Xunji outright refused to allow Bibi Dong to be with Yu Xiaogang.
But Bibi Dong was stubborn and insisted on being with Yu Xiaogang.
Qian Xunji couldn't take it anymore and had Bibi Dong locked up, forbidding her from any contact with the outside world.
After confining Bibi Dong, Qian Xunji stormed off to confront Yu Xiaogang, ordering him to leave Spirit City and never see Bibi Dong again.
By this time, Yu Xiaogang had grown arrogant from all the flattery he had received in Spirit City. Furious at being called a failure, he stood his ground, refusing to leave. He insisted that his love for Bibi Dong was real and that he wouldn't leave unless Bibi Dong herself told him to.
Seeing through Yu Xiaogang's true intentions, Qian Xunji was filled with rage and almost wanted to kill him on the spot. But fearing a conflict between Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he held back his anger, coldly promising that he would make Bibi Dong see Yu Xiaogang for who he was before leaving to enlighten his misguided disciple.
What Qian Xunji didn't expect was that later that night, Bibi Dong managed to escape her confinement, intending to elope with Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang, focused on accessing Spirit Hall's library, wasn't moved by the romance of elopement and made excuses to stay behind.
Bibi Dong's escape was quickly discovered, and Qian Xunji was informed. His fury reached a breaking point, leading him to take the most extreme measures: he imprisoned Bibi Dong in the secret chamber, where the "Secret Chamber Douluo" incident took place.
Of course, the broadcast only showed Bibi Dong being confined in the secret chamber, then cut away to Yu Xiaogang. This caused Bibi Dong, who had been seething with anger, to visibly relax, a wave of relief washing over her.
Meanwhile, after being confronted by Qian Xunji, Yu Xiaogang had a moment of clarity, realizing he truly wasn't worthy of Bibi Dong. What if Bibi Dong were to come to her senses, realize how he had deceived her, and leave him? What would he do then?
Soon after, Bibi Dong visited him, coldly telling him that he was nothing but a failure and that she had been wrong to trust him. She told him to leave.
Yu Xiaogang's worst fears had come true. Overcome with a mix of anger, self-loathing, and panic at being found out, he fled Spirit City that very night.
Afterward, Yu Xiaogang met Flender and Liu Erlong, and the three of them began to wander the continent together.
With his ties to Bibi Dong severed, Yu Xiaogang no longer had any standing in Spirit City. His theories became a laughingstock, and Spirit Hall publicly rejected them.
Yu Xiaogang was furious, believing Bibi Dong was behind it. He saw her as heartless, thinking that all the love he had given her over the years had been wasted!
Driven by despair, Yu Xiaogang turned to alcohol, his body and mind steeped in melancholy.
Learning of his tragic past, Liu Erlong's maternal instincts were triggered, and she grew to admire Yu Xiaogang's "talent," eventually falling in love with him. Yu Xiaogang, feeling betrayed by Bibi Dong, saw nothing wrong with moving on to someone new.
Without the hope of accessing Spirit Hall's vast library, and being convinced he could never find a way to evolve his spirit and shed his title of "failure," Yu Xiaogang doubled down on his spirit theory research, hoping to prove his worth that way.
But after all these years, his theories remained stagnant, still centered on the "Ten Core Competencies of Spirits" he had first proposed in Spirit City—a pathetic joke in the eyes of many.
Everything came to a head when Yu Xiaogang decided to fully commit to the path of spirit theory research, hoping to redeem himself through his work. The moment froze, and time seemed to stop.
Suddenly, a line of blood-red text appeared before everyone's eyes, and a cold voice echoed in their ears:
[Question: Who is the most important person in Yu Xiaogang's heart?]
[Reward: A random cultivation method (top-tier meditation technique, chosen according to the identity of the final correct answerer. If a soul beast answers correctly, they can also receive a meditation technique suitable for soul beasts).]
Note: If you are interested you can read up to chapter 50 at patreon.com/MythMosaic.
Please use the direct link, as searching for my page doesn't seem to work for some reason.