Standing in front of the carriage with her arms crossed and an expression of absolute determination, Bibi Dong clearly had no intention of backing down.
Yu Xiaogang looked at her and felt a headache coming on.
He hadn't received any notice from Pope Qian Xunji before leaving Spirit City. That meant Bibi Dong's appearance here was entirely her own decision.
And that was precisely the problem.
Although Yu Xiaogang had only met Qian Xunji a handful of times, those few encounters, combined with the information he had gathered over the years, were enough for him to form an impression of the man.
Qian Xunji possessed an exceptionally strong desire for control.
Everything had to proceed according to his plans.
Everything had to remain within his grasp.
Now imagine how such a person would react when his prized disciple suddenly ran off without permission to follow someone else.
The answer was obvious.
He would be furious.
Massively furious.
The more Yu Xiaogang thought about it, the more troublesome the situation seemed.
"We're going to obtain my third spirit ring."
He pointed toward himself.
"What exactly are you following us for?"
His tone was full of helplessness.
Bibi Dong, however, looked completely justified.
"Of course I'm coming to watch you absorb your spirit ring."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Don't think I'm stupid."
Yu Xiaogang raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Bibi Dong immediately began listing her reasoning.
"Your first spirit ring was a thousand-year spirit ring."
"That alone was equivalent to an ordinary Spirit Master's third ring."
She raised a finger.
"Then your second spirit ring was around four to five thousand years old."
"That's already comparable to what a normal Spirit Master would absorb as a fourth spirit ring."
A second finger followed.
"So tell me..."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"If your first ring matched a third ring, and your second matched a fourth ring, then what kind of spirit ring are you planning to absorb for your third?"
Without waiting for an answer, she declared confidently,
"A ten-thousand-year spirit ring."
Her tone was absolutely certain.
"And your second spirit ability is a mental-type spirit skill."
She pointed at him triumphantly.
"You're obviously preparing yourself to absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring."
"The evidence couldn't be more obvious."
Seeing her analyze everything step by step, Yu Xiaogang wasn't particularly surprised.
He had never considered everyone on Douluo Continent to be foolish.
While there were certainly many fools, there were also plenty of intelligent people.
And Bibi Dong was undoubtedly one of them.
"Fine."
He nodded.
"Your logic is sound."
Then he immediately pointed out the biggest flaw in her plan.
"But did His Holiness the Pope agree to this?"
Bibi Dong froze slightly.
Yu Xiaogang continued mercilessly.
"We're not taking a stroll around Spirit City."
"We're heading near Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"That's an extremely long journey."
"You'll be gone for quite some time."
He folded his arms.
"Do you really think His Holiness will happily allow his disciple to disappear from his sight for that long?"
For the first time, uncertainty appeared on Bibi Dong's face.
"I..."
She hesitated.
Then she quickly straightened her back.
"I left a letter for Teacher."
Yu Xiaogang stared at her.
"He'll definitely agree."
The confidence in her voice sounded slightly forced.
She clearly wasn't as certain as she pretended to be.
Yu Xiaogang rubbed his forehead.
"This is acting first and reporting later."
"You should have asked for permission first."
"Then come find us afterward."
He pointed at himself again.
"Otherwise, if you suddenly disappear and we only return months later, guess who His Holiness will come looking for?"
Bibi Dong blinked.
Yu Xiaogang pointed directly at his own face.
"Me."
"As his disciple, you'll probably get a lecture."
"But I'm not a member of Spirit Hall."
"Do you think he'll hesitate to punish me?"
Bibi Dong immediately understood.
Even so, she wasn't willing to give up.
The opportunity before her was simply too important.
A third spirit ring that exceeded ten thousand years.
Something that had never happened in history.
No matter what, she wanted to witness it with her own eyes.
Taking a small step forward, she looked directly at Yu Xiaogang.
Then she put on a pitiful expression.
"Please?"
Her voice softened considerably.
"I really want to see it."
"Please take me with you."
The pleading expression immediately reminded Yu Xiaogang of several past incidents.
Over the past few years, Bibi Dong had gradually figured out some of his personality traits.
Most importantly—
She had learned that he responded better to sincerity than force.
Once, after a Spirit Fighting Arena match, Yu Xiaogang had bought some snacks while walking through the streets.
A group of children immediately surrounded him.
Feeling generous, he shared some of the snacks.
Unfortunately, those children became greedy.
Not only were they ungrateful, they even complained that he hadn't given them enough.
The result?
Yu Xiaogang snatched back everything he had given them.
Then he sat there eating the snacks himself while watching the children cry.
Bibi Dong had laughed for days after hearing that story.
Another time, they encountered a pair of siblings standing outside a food stall.
The brother and sister simply stared at the food silently.
Their eyes were filled with longing.
They didn't beg.
They didn't complain.
They didn't demand anything.
Seeing them, Yu Xiaogang immediately bought them snacks.
When they thanked him repeatedly, he became so embarrassed that he purchased an entire bag and stuffed it into their arms before walking away.
After seeing enough examples, Bibi Dong had reached a conclusion.
Yu Xiaogang had a soft heart.
You just needed to approach it correctly.
And now she was testing that theory again.
Looking at the pitiful expression on her face, Yu Xiaogang nearly laughed.
Did she really think she could use the same trick every time?
Yes, it worked.
But only because he knew exactly what she was trying to do.
Which somehow made it even harder to refuse.
After a long silence, he finally sighed.
"Fine."
Bibi Dong's eyes immediately lit up.
"But."
The single word stopped her celebration.
"You must listen to Uncle Lin during the journey."
"No causing trouble."
"No acting on impulse."
"And don't expect everyone to cater to you just because you're Spirit Hall's precious little genius."
Only then did Bibi Dong finally relax.
A brilliant smile spread across her face.
"Yay!"
She jumped onto the side of the carriage in excitement.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
This was her first long journey away from Spirit City.
And it would be spent witnessing history.
How could she not be excited?
Standing nearby, Lin Lang silently watched everything unfold.
His expression became strange.
Very strange.
He had genuinely believed Yu Xiaogang would refuse.
After all, wasn't this the same young master rumored throughout the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to possess a heart as hard as iron?
Lin Lang remembered another incident.
A clan elder named Ye Hengchuan had once sent his daughter to spend time with Yu Xiaogang.
His goal was obvious.
He hoped the two young people would develop feelings for one another.
The result?
Within days, the girl returned home crying.
According to her, Yu Xiaogang was a terrible person.
He never agreed to anything she wanted.
He never bought her anything.
And he never treated her specially.
Yet now, after a little pleading from Bibi Dong, he had surrendered completely.
The contrast left Lin Lang speechless.
After a moment, he shook his head.
Young people's matters were too complicated.
There was no point thinking about them.
With a wave of his hand, he signaled the coachman.
The coachman nodded.
The horses began moving.
The carriage slowly rolled forward.
Thus, Yu Xiaogang and his companions officially began their journey toward Heaven Dou City.
As it turned out, bringing Bibi Dong along wasn't a bad decision.
The long and tedious journey became far more enjoyable with her company.
Despite being the Pope's disciple and appearing somewhat difficult to approach at first glance, Bibi Dong was actually very easy to get along with once she considered someone a friend.
She seemed to have an endless supply of topics to discuss.
Sometimes she talked about cultivation.
Sometimes she shared her understanding of spirit power.
Other times she discussed books she had recently read.
And when she grew tired of serious subjects, she switched to gossip.
Stories from Spirit Hall Academy.
Students fighting over romantic interests.
Arguments between teachers.
Rumors spreading through Spirit City.
Every story seemed more entertaining than the last.
Even Yu Xiaogang found himself listening with great interest.
Occasionally, he contributed information of his own, causing Bibi Dong's eyes to widen in surprise.
As for Lin Lang...
The Spirit Douluo tried to maintain his dignity.
He really did.
Unfortunately, every time an interesting story appeared, his ears immediately perked up.
More than once, he sat quietly pretending not to listen while secretly paying attention to every word.
The smile on his face often remained for hours afterward.
After all, gossip was human nature.
Even titled douluos were no exception.
And so, amid laughter, stories, and endless conversation, the long journey gradually passed.
One day, as the sun rose over the horizon, the towering walls of the Heaven Dou Empire's capital finally appeared before them.
Their destination had arrived.
Heaven Dou City.
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