Unlike the grand, ostentatious procession escorted by the Royal Knights heading toward Spirit City from the Heaven Dou Empire, another figure chose to embark on the path to Spirit Hall early, alone, and in secret.
Yu Xiaogang.
He wore an old cloth robe, faded from washing, his face still pale from unhealed severe injuries and weary from days of mental exhaustion. Yet deep within his eyes burned a flame bordering on obsession. Tang San's exposure of the Clear Sky Hammer in the Promotion Tournament, his near-fatal injuries, Xiao Wu's disappearance, Shrek Academy teetering on the brink… all of it weighed on him like heavy shackles, making it hard to breathe. But he knew he could not collapse, especially because in Tang San, he saw unprecedented hope—Twin Spirits! Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer! This was the potential to break the limitations of Martial Souls and create a miracle! However, the method of cultivating Twin Spirits, particularly how to attach Soul Rings to the second spirit without causing the body to explode, had always been a forbidden mystery in the Soul Master Realm. If there was anyone in the world who might know, or even master this method, it could only be… the place where she resided.
He had to go. For Tang San, and for that unresolved obsession in his heart… and a secret anticipation he himself was unwilling to acknowledge.
He told no one, not even Flender or Liu Erlong. Leaving only a brief letter, he slipped away from Heaven Dou City in the darkest hour before dawn. Relying on his familiarity with the geography of the Soul Master Realm and a certain understanding of Spirit Hall, he journeyed tirelessly toward that holy land and center of power in the hearts of the continent's Soul Masters—Spirit City.
Days later, when he finally stood at the foot of the majestic, sacred, and awe-inspiring Spirit City, gazing up at the Papal Hall bathed in holy light atop the distant mountain peak, even with his resilient temperament, he couldn't help but feel a moment of dizziness and… a bone-deep chill. This was the place where he had once gained knowledge, and also where his love and dignity had been buried.
Without the slightest pause, and without heading to the usual registration area for ordinary Soul Masters, he relied on memory, bypassed the main road, and made his way toward a relatively secluded side gate behind the Papal Hall—a gate he had once been permitted to use as an "Honorary Elder." He knew that given his current status and his relationship with that person, approaching the main gate would only invite humiliation, and he might not even get a chance to be announced.
Guarding the side gate were two Hall Guardian Knights clad in silver armor, their auras steady, at least at the Soul King level. Seeing Yu Xiaogang's shabby attire and unfamiliar face, they immediately blocked his path with vigilance.
"Halt! This is a restricted area of the Papal Hall. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to approach!" The knight's voice was icy, carrying the unique arrogance of Spirit Hall.
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm. "Please announce me. An old acquaintance, Yu Xiaogang, seeks an audience with Her Holiness the Pope. I have urgent matters to inquire about."
"Yu Xiaogang?" The knight frowned, seeming to recall the name vaguely, but upon seeing Yu Xiaogang's appearance, a flicker of disdain passed through his eyes. "Her Holiness the Pope is occupied with countless affairs. Do you think you can see her just because you wish to? Leave at once!"
Yu Xiaogang had anticipated this. Slowly, he retrieved the dark Pope's Decree from his robes and raised it high. "Behold this decree, as you would the Pope herself! I have urgent matters and must see Her Holiness the Pope!"
The Pope's Decree! The expressions of the two knights changed drastically. They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and hesitation in each other's eyes. This token could not be forged—the unique Soul Power fluctuations it emitted and the six patterns upon it were symbols of the Spirit Hall's highest authority. In theory, the bearer of this decree held privileges equivalent to those of an elder.
"You... wait here!" One knight dared not delay. Leaving these words, he turned and hurried inside to report. The other knight remained vigilant, his gaze fixed on Yu Xiaogang with complex emotions.
The wait was not long, but for Yu Xiaogang, every second felt infinitely drawn out. He could sense the curious, scrutinizing, or indifferent glances cast his way from the surroundings, and he could clearly feel the oppressive, ever-present aura emanating from this palace—the scent of power, and also... the source of his painful memories.
Finally, the knight who had gone to report returned, his expression even more peculiar than before, carrying a trace of something barely perceptible... pity? He approached Yu Xiaogang, his tone still stiff, but his attitude had shifted. "Her Holiness the Pope has decreed that the bearer of the decree may enter. Follow me."
Yu Xiaogang's heart clenched. Gripping the Pope's Decree tightly, he followed the knight through the heavy side door. They passed through a deep corridor flanked by cold stone walls and burning Soul Guidance Lamps. The air was so quiet that only the sound of their footsteps remained. The further they went, the stronger the intangible Imposing Aura and solemn atmosphere became.
Finally, the knight stopped before a massive, ornate door intricately carved with angels and Martial Soul patterns. Bowing, he announced, "Your Holiness, the visitor has been brought."
"Enter." A cool, authoritative, and utterly emotionless female voice came from within the hall.
The knight pushed open the heavy door, motioning for Yu Xiaogang to enter, then respectfully remained stationed outside.
Yu Xiaogang stepped inside, and the door closed silently behind him. The hall was exceptionally vast. Light streamed down from the high dome, casting pillars of illumination upon the mirror-smooth floor. The air carried a faint, cool fragrance. At the far end of the hall, upon the high papal throne, sat a graceful, elegant, and exquisitely beautiful figure. She wore the Amethyst Gold Crown, held a scepter, and was draped in magnificent papal robes. Her stunning face appeared somewhat blurred in the interplay of light and shadow, save for a pair of profound purple eyes that gazed calmly at Yu Xiaogang as he entered, as if looking at a stranger.
Bibidong.
Yu Xiaogang's heart contracted violently, and he instinctively held his breath. Despite his mental preparation, truly facing this face and this identity again brought an indescribable sense of suffocation and piercing pain. Forcing himself to steady his mind, he walked forward step by step, stopping about a dozen meters from the throne and giving a slight bow.
"Your Holiness," his voice was somewhat hoarse.
"Elder Yu, it has been many years." Bibidong's voice remained cool and calm, betraying neither joy nor anger, as if merely addressing a long-unseen subordinate. "You come bearing the Pope's Decree. What is your business?"
"I..." Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at the figure on the throne, even though that gaze made his heart tremble like an abyss. "I want to know how to resolve the conflict of Soul Ring attachment during the cultivation of Twin Spirits."
He asked directly, without any pleasantries, because he knew that any superfluous words would seem pale and laughable at this moment.
Bibidong did not seem surprised. Her purple eyes remained unperturbed as she calmly countered, "Why do you think I would know?"
"Because you are the Pope, the leader of the Spirit Hall, possessing the most knowledge and secrets in the Soul Master Realm," Yu Xiaogang said solemnly. "And also because... you are a possessor of Twin Spirits."
He spoke the last sentence very softly, yet it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing a faint, almost imperceptible ripple in Bibidong's ever-calm eyes. But it was only a ripple, gone in an instant, as if it had never been there.
"The cultivation of Twin Spirits is extremely perilous. The slightest misstep can lead to bodily explosion and death," Bibidong's voice remained calm, as if stating a fact unrelated to herself. "Even I only barely found a path after experiencing life and death and paying an unimaginable price. This method is not for those without great perseverance, great fortune, and great backing. Who are you asking for? That child named Tang San? Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer?"
She knew after all. Yu Xiaogang's heart tightened, but he was not surprised. Given the intelligence capabilities of the Spirit Hall, it was only natural for them to know that Tang San had revealed his Clear Sky Hammer during the Promotion Tournament.
"Yes," Yu Xiaogang admitted frankly. "Tang San is exceptionally talented, with a resilient character. He is a rare genius seen once in a century. He needs the right method; he cannot repeat the mistakes of his predecessors."
"Predecessors?" A faint, almost imperceptible curve of mockery appeared at the corner of Bibidong's mouth. "Elder Yu, you overestimate yourself, and you overestimate that child. There is no fixed 'correct' method for cultivating Twin Spirits. Everyone's Martial Soul is different, their physique is different, their circumstances are different, so their path is different. My path may not suit him. Even if it did..."
She paused, her gaze falling back on Yu Xiaogang. That gaze was cold and distant, devoid of any warmth, as if she were merely appraising a worthless object. "...why should I tell you?"
Why should I tell you?
Five simple words, without any additional emotional embellishment, made Yu Xiaogang feel a bone-chilling cold and utter despair more than any sharp mockery or angry rebuke could. This was not a refusal; it was a fundamental disregard, a boundary-drawing indifference. There was no lingering affection between them anymore; it had long since vanished.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling, but he could no longer utter a single word. All his reasons, all his persistence, seemed so pale and powerless before these words. Yes, why should she tell him? Was it because of a past that had long since dissipated into thin air? There was nothing. In her eyes, he was perhaps just an unwelcome visitor, holding an expired voucher, coming to disturb her.
He gazed at the figure seated high upon the throne, as distant and untouchable as a deity in the clouds, feeling for the first time with such clarity the insurmountable gap between them. It was not merely a difference in status and strength, but a complete separation of hearts and worlds.
"Leave." Bibidong no longer looked at him, her gaze fixed on the void. Her voice regained its initial calm and authority, devoid of any superfluous emotion. "Take your Pope's Decree and depart from the Spirit Hall. Do not return."
The order of expulsion had been given, leaving no room for negotiation, not even a single word of explanation.
Yu Xiaogang stood frozen in place, like a statue stripped of its soul. After a long while, he slowly, with immense difficulty, turned around, his back appearing even more hunched than when he had entered. He made no further sound, only trudged forward with steps as heavy as if filled with lead, dragging a long shadow behind him as he moved step by step toward the ornate hall doors that separated him from the outside world. Each step felt as though he were treading on shattered glass, carrying silent agony.
Only when his figure vanished beyond the hall doors, only when the heavy doors slowly closed once more, dividing the inside and outside into two separate worlds, did the vast hall return to its deathly silence. Bibidong remained seated upon the throne, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever. Only her deep violet eyes, fixed on the direction where Yu Xiaogang had disappeared, betrayed a flicker of an abyssal vortex deep within, before settling into eternal stillness.
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