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Yu Xiaogang was tearing out page after page from Treatises on Martial Soul Theory and Ancient Texts when his hands suddenly slowed.
It was because the archives were so quiet at this moment it felt almost eerie.
He turned his head slowly and saw two librarians in white robes bowing respectfully to a violet-haired woman in the center, clad in luxurious robes traced with golden patterns.
Bibi Dong?!
Besides Bibi Dong's sudden appearance, something else baffled Yu Xiaogang most.
One of the white-robed staff was actually holding a crystal orb that glowed with soul light.
Inside the crystal, he could vaguely see… himself.
"Your Holiness, what brings you here?" Yu Xiaogang calmly closed the book now missing pages, feigning nonchalance as he stuffed it into a hidden slot in the shelf.
He thought to himself: Luckily I already stored the torn leaves of the ancient text in my soul tool.
Seeing his feigned composure, Bibi Dong sneered. "So this is the face of the so-called No. 1 theoretical master on the entire continent?"
"Your Holiness, what do you mean by that? I'm merely here to consult books and look up information. You know as well as I do that research into martial soul theory can't be done without masses of data," Yu Xiaogang replied without changing expression.
"Heh. So your 'research' is just copying Spirit Hall's materials word for word?" Bibi Dong mocked.
"Bibi Dong! What is that supposed to mean? When have my theories ever plagiarized Spirit Hall?" Yu Xiaogang demanded loudly, trying to drown out the unease in his heart.
A crushing pressure slammed him flat onto the floor.
"Bring it here." Bibi Dong extended her hand. A white-robed staffer passed a book to her.
Bibi Dong then tossed the ancient text A Ten-Millennia Compendium on Martial Soul Cores before Yu Xiaogang and said:
"Yu Xiaogang, what else do you have to say? Do you recognize this book?"
Struggling, Yu Xiaogang picked up the ancient text.
The eight bold characters of A Ten-Millennia Compendium on Martial Soul Cores stared back at him.
His pupils shrank violently; his face changed color.
He hadn't expected that his "Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls," plagiarized from Spirit Hall's theory, would be discovered by Bibi Dong.
His heart pounded as his brain raced.
Then he recalled the grand principle he'd taught Tang San all along:
When something happens, never admit it—just act like you don't know anything.
He absolutely could not admit to plagiarism. Otherwise, his lifelong reputation would be ruined!
"'Grandmaster'" was the very foundation of his existence. If his theories were all plagiarized,
then how would he face the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Tang San, Liu Erlong, or old Flender ever again?
"I don't know anything! What is this book? What does it have to do with my theories?"
"You're slandering me! Clearly you adapted my theories and compiled this so-called Ten-Millennia Compendium on Martial Soul Cores!" he argued frantically.
"Thief crying 'Stop thief.' Did you think I didn't foresee you trying to quibble?" Bibi Dong said coolly.
"Quibble? It's your Spirit Hall that stole my theories!" Yu Xiaogang clung to his last straw and refused to let go.
"Heh. Yu Xiaogang, do you know why I haven't already thrown you out of the Pope's Palace?" Bibi Dong's tone was scornful.
"What do you mean?!" Yu Xiaogang's panic turned to dread. Was all of this a trap laid by Bibi Dong?
"I learned years ago that you plagiarized from A Ten-Millennia Compendium on Martial Soul Cores. Do you know why I didn't announce it?"
"Because I feared you'd bite back and accuse Spirit Hall. As expected, your reaction today proves me right," Bibi Dong explained, voice flat.
"Heh, so what if I plagiarized Spirit Hall's theory? As long as I insist you plagiarized me, who can prove otherwise?" Yu Xiaogang tore off the mask entirely and went for broke.
Clap, clap, clap!
Bibi Dong applauded him, one measured slap after another.
Yu Xiaogang stared at her in confusion, not understanding why she was clapping.
"You're right about one thing: I can't, by myself, prove you plagiarized Spirit Hall. But this crystal can."
She took the orb from the other white-robed staffer and gently caressed its clear surface.
"What do you mean? How could that sphere prove anything?" unease crept into Yu Xiaogang's voice.
"Spirit Hall's foundations are beyond your imagination. This is an ancient soul tool—the 'Image-Preserving Crystal.' Inject soul power,
and it records images and sound within ten meters of the crystal."
"Yu Xiaogang, enjoy the show." With that, Bibi Dong poured violet soul power into the crystal.
A moment later, rainbow light shot from the orb.
A three-dimensional projection bloomed before them all.
In the projection, a stubbly, unkempt middle-aged man with a cropped head kept tearing out yellowed pages from an ancient book.
Each page he ripped out, Yu Xiaogang stuffed into his soul tool.
Yu Xiaogang gaped at the projection, unable to believe what he was seeing.
As time passed, the 'Image-Preserving Crystal' trembled softly—
and then played his own words, one syllable at a time:
"Heh, so what if I plagiarized Spirit Hall's theory? As long as I insist Spirit Hall plagiarized me, who can prove I copied from Spirit Hall?"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned ashen. He knew his life was finished.
If it had only been theft earlier, he would at most bear the label of "petty thief."
But after personally admitting he had plagiarized Spirit Hall's theory, he had truly become a shameful plagiarist.
From now on, he would no longer be Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
He would be "Yu Xiaogang the Plagiarist."
"This is fake! It's fake!!" he screamed, breaking down.
"Search his soul tool and retrieve the torn pages," Bibi Dong ordered, unmoved.
The white-robed staff strode toward him at once.
In Yu Xiaogang's eyes, they suddenly became terrifying.
"I didn't steal! I didn't steal!!" he babbled, collapsing.
Before long, page after yellowed page of torn ancient leaves was pulled from his soul tool.
And all of it was recorded by the Image-Preserving Crystal.
"Your Holiness! I beg you—please don't make this public!" Yu Xiaogang sobbed. "I beg you! I can make Tang San never oppose Spirit Hall again!!"
"I'll even leave Erlong if you command it!"
"Just—just don't publish this!!"
"Get out! You disgust me!" Bibi Dong said with revulsion.
She truly hadn't expected Yu Xiaogang would sell out Tang San and Liu Erlong just to save his name.
"Drag him out—and reclaim his Spirit Hall token."
"As you command, Your Holiness." The two white-robed bishops hauled Yu Xiaogang from the archives.
"Wait. Lock him in the death cells for three days as punishment for tearing the ancient texts. Make sure he doesn't die," Bibi Dong added.
Yu Xiaogang kicked frantically, unaware what the death cells meant. He only shouted louder, "Bibi Dong!! Please!! Don't show the recording to the public!!"
Bibi Dong ignored him. For a man who had chased fame his entire life,
publicizing his theft and plagiarism was the harshest punishment.
She decided to place the Image-Preserving Crystal at the center of Spirit City, guarded day and night to play the recording without pause.
She would also publish Yu Xiaogang's plagiarism across the newspapers, spreading it through the entire Douluo Continent.
After dealing with Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong felt her thoughts clear.
Even the Rakshasa's evil whispers dimmed a little.
Yu Xiaogang's sheer repulsiveness had dulled her hatred of Qian Xunji somewhat.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to hate Qian Xunji—or thank him for breaking them apart.
Fortunately, she had now seen Yu Xiaogang's true face. Otherwise, her life would only have been wasted on a delusion.
She had more important matters to handle—the newly emerged Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
Its sudden appearance, together with the upheaval in Star Dou Forest, made Bibi Dong sense the undercurrents behind the events.
For this year's All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament finals, she would have to personally observe the Ten Thousand Beasts Academy.
She only wondered whether Xiao Xue and Ye Lan could triumph over such a terrifying academy.
The two white-robed staff dragged Yu Xiaogang to the Hall Guardians and instructed, "Her Holiness orders this man confined to the death cells for three days. See it done—and don't let him die."
Two Hall Guardians clamped his neck and joints, chuckling with excitement. "Leave it to us. Heh-heh."
"What are the death cells!? Let me go!! I won't go! I'm a Spirit Hall elder! I'm a direct line of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!!" Yu Xiaogang thrashed and howled.
Hearing him claim to be a Spirit Hall elder yet again, one Guardian lost his temper and slapped him hard. The force puffed one side of his face up like a pig's head.
Yu Xiaogang went quiet at once.
A Guardian snarled, "Just hearing it makes me mad. Of all things to pretend to be, you had to pretend you were a Spirit Hall elder.
Swaggered in front of us and even offended Her Holiness."
"If you don't want the death cells, I'll 'downgrade' you," the other Guardian said oddly.
Hearing he wouldn't go to the death cells, Yu Xiaogang exhaled in relief.
The 'death cells' sounded terrifying—he might die just going in.
He had no idea what "downgrading" meant.
Originally, the death cells were a silent, lightless, cramped space. Inside, time lost all meaning.
Many tough men couldn't last two days—but at least there was no real danger to life.
The "downgraded" dungeon the Guardians meant, however, was… interesting.
Soon, the two Guardians escorted Yu Xiaogang to the entrance of an underground prison.
The entry was a narrow corridor, lit every few dozen meters by two torches.
On either side were large cells reeking of stench.
At the sight of the Guardians, many inmates shrank back into the shadows, not daring to make a sound.
Cross these Guardians, and your good days were over; going hungry for days could leave you half-dead.
Yu Xiaogang stared in horror at the filthy cells and blurted instinctively, "Could you arrange a cleaner cage for me? Are the cells here single-occupancy?"
"Single? You think you're on holiday?" one Guardian laughed.
The other Guardian took out a huge ring of keys from his soul tool.
The keys jingled as he selected the largest one.
By then the three of them had reached the deepest part of the prison. Yu Xiaogang swallowed hard, staring at the abyssal dark.
The Guardian with the key quickly undid the massive chains. He pushed the door open and flung Yu Xiaogang inside.
In the dark cage, more than a dozen pairs of eyes shrank back when someone was tossed in.
They didn't know who he was, nor whether the Guardians would be watching over him.
Then the Guardian spoke: "This man offended a Spirit Hall elder and infiltrated the archives to steal vital Spirit Hall materials. Do me a favor and take good care of him. Remember—don't kill him. Handle him, and you'll have meat and wine every day."
Yu Xiaogang's face changed drastically. "Don't hit me! Don't hit me!!"
This deepest row of cells housed prisoners Spirit Hall kept forever. Some hadn't seen a woman in ten or even twenty years.
Now, upon seeing Yu Xiaogang's "soft skin and tender flesh," their eyes gleamed with lechery.
"Relax, relax—we won't hit you. We'll take good care of you," a burly brute with yellowed teeth and oil-black skin laughed.
Lewd laughter rippled through the cell.
"H-how… how will you take care of me? I—I'm a man!" Yu Xiaogang stammered, inching toward the door, trying to escape.
Seeing his panic, the Guardians smiled in satisfaction and swung the door shut.
A hand reached to a switch at the side.
Click.
Flames flared to life. Only then did Yu Xiaogang see clearly that there were more than a dozen dark-skinned inmates in the cage—each one heavily muscled.
Sweat beaded his forehead. He clutched the thick iron bars and begged the Guardians, "My lords!
My lords, I was wrong—send me to the death cells! I want the death cells!!"
"Heh. It's too late to beg now. Enjoy the next three days," one Guardian said.
"You may begin," the other Guardian ordered.
In an instant, more than a dozen burly men dragged Yu Xiaogang deeper into the cell. With the lights on, they finally got a full look at him—unusually "fair and tender."
The next day, a piece of news swept across the Douluo Continent.
Spirit Hall's official bulletin detailed Yu Xiaogang's plagiarism of Spirit Hall's theories and his capture for stealing its research.
Countless citizens were aghast. Although Yu Xiaogang's theory had already been surpassed by the "Scholar" Ye Lan,
he had, after all, called himself "Grandmaster" for over twenty years and still had many supporters.
But when Spirit Hall presented irrefutable evidence, Yu Xiaogang instantly became a plagiarist reviled and condemned by all.
"I told you—how could a man that old who hasn't even reached Soul Elder be any kind of 'theory master'?"
"Disgusting! He put on the Grandmaster act for years by plagiarizing Spirit Hall's theories!"
"Right? Thankfully our wise and mighty Pope personally arrested him, or Spirit Hall would've been slandered by Yu Xiaogang as the plagiarist."
"Infuriating—so many precious materials, torn up by him!"
"People like that should be dunked in a pig cage!"
"Why couldn't he be a Star Luo man? As a Heaven Dou native, I'm sick that someone like him is one of us."
"Thank goodness the 'Scholar' Ye Lan is Heaven Dou too, or our kingdom's reputation would be ruined. We'd have no comeback when Star Luo mocks us."
"Long live the Pope!"
"Long live the Pope!"
Heaven Dou City, Royal Academy training grounds.
"Rongrong, faster! Did beating Oscar make you slack off? Look how far Lingling's run already!" Ye Lan urged Ning Rongrong lazily.
Ning Rongrong pouted and muttered, "Stinky Ye Lan, all you do is tell me to hurry while you lie there napping!"
Zhu Zhuqing laughed. "Beat Ye Lan one day and you can nap too."
"That's impossible in this lifetime! Teacher's a total monster!" Ning Rongrong wailed.
She misunderstood Ye Lan. Though he was half-reclined, the "Formless Form" was being trained constantly—she just couldn't see it.
While Ye Lan observed the academy's training on one hand and honed the Formless Form on the other,
a silver-armored figure appeared before him. Ye Lan turned and brightened. "Uncle Wolf!"
"Xiao Lan, come with me. Elder Chrysanthemum and Elder Ghost from Spirit Hall are looking for you," Silver Wolf nodded, explaining.
"Hm? What for?" Ye Lan was puzzled. At this timing… could Bibi Dong want something?
Silver Wolf shook his head, indicating he didn't know, then took Ye Lan to the back mountain.
Soon, the two of them landed beside a mountain spring.
Not far ahead stood a pavilion. Inside were two men in black armor.
One had skin so smooth it was like a baby's, features hovering between male and female—his beauty was strangely demonic.
Ye Lan thought: That must be Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.
The other radiated a suffocating murderous aura. His face was shrouded in shadow, features indistinct—obviously the inscrutable Ghost Douluo.
Silver Wolf led Ye Lan forward. "Elder Ghost, Elder Chrysanthemum, this is Ye Lan."
Both men nodded, clearly pleased.
Even setting everything else aside, Ye Lan's looks alone pushed anyone's natural favorability up by fifteen points at first sight.
And as the 'Scholar' in his prime—and someone valued by the Pope—talent and appearance together made the two Titled Douluo like him even more.
"Xiao Lan, these are Spirit Hall's renowned Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo," Silver Wolf introduced.
Ye Lan cupped his hands. "Greetings, Elder Ghost, Elder Chrysanthemum."
With that uniquely airy voice, Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "No need to be so formal—just call me Old Chrysanthemum. And this one beside me, call him Old Ghost."
"Old Ghost? Why don't you call him Old Chrysanthemum," Ghost Douluo grumbled.
Ye Lan smiled. "Nice to meet you, Old Chrysanthemum, Old Ghost. Just call me Xiao Lan."
Silver Wolf asked, puzzled, "Elders, what business do you have with Xiao Lan?"
"Elder Star-Mark, you must know how bumpy Xiao Lan's past has been. This concerns him. During the ranking stage of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Tang Hao's son appeared," Chrysanthemum Douluo said.
"What? You mean Tang Hao's son showed up in the rankings?" Ye Lan feigned anger.
So it was because of Tang San that Chrysanthemum and Ghost came to find him. Why not simply move against Tang San themselves?
"Indeed. Tang Hao's son is your opponent, Tang San. He is the twin-born martial soul of Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer. His Blue Silver Grass comes from his mother, the Blue Silver Emperor—hence his dual spirits," Chrysanthemum Douluo explained.
"Xiao Lan, what do you think? Her Holiness has delegated all matters concerning Tang Hao and his son to you. If you wish, I can go kill Tang San right now," Ghost Douluo said, the shadows on his face rippling as though speaking of a trivial errand.
Ye Lan instantly activated the "Eight-Faceted Exquisite Mind" and the "Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart," calculating how to handle Tang Hao, Tang San, and Xiao Wu.
He hadn't expected Pope Bibi Dong to consult his opinion on how to deal with the father and son.
He felt the respect from Bibi Dong and Spirit Hall—after all, Tang Hao was the Hall's most wanted fugitive, and by rights they didn't need to ask someone with no formal position.
But since Spirit Hall was proceeding this way, he needed to weigh the handling of Tang Hao, Tang San, and Xiao Wu carefully.
First, Tang San must not die.
He was a valuable "crop" Ye Lan intended to cultivate. If Tang San died, the hidden Tang Hao would become a serious problem.
Ye Lan couldn't guarantee Tang Hao wouldn't ambush him like the "Power Gorilla God" Titan had.
In such a case, even Uncle Wolf wouldn't be able to keep him safe.
Second, Tang Hao also must not die. If he could be easily beaten to death, that would have been done years ago,
not left until now.
Tang Hao must be Ye Lan's personal target of vengeance—only then could he be given the most despairing end.
Moreover, through Tang Hao's movements, Ye Lan needed to locate the Blue Silver Emperor's cavern.
Only when Tang Hao led Tang San there to train could he pinpoint the precise location through their positions.
He didn't want the Blue Silver Emperor for her soul bone, but to make Tang Hao taste the pain of loss.
Lastly, Xiao Wu must not die.
As for Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand-year soul ring and bone—Ye Lan had little interest.
Even if "Skill Selection" could choose a sacrificed soul skill, he doubted a Soft-Bone Rabbit would produce anything godly. If the only "life-related" trait of a rabbit was fertility, and the selected skill boosted fertility—that would be awkward.
Though Xiao Wu's bone and ring didn't tempt him, he was very interested in the two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts linked to her: the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python.
Their life force was immense. Even if Skill Selection didn't work on a sacrifice ring, the quality of a hundred-thousand-year soul skill wouldn't be shabby.
Most importantly, Xiao Wu was Tang San's soft spot.
Therefore, Xiao Wu must live.
Otherwise, even if Tang San were cultivated into the ultimate "crop," harvesting him would be difficult.
Without a weak point, Tang San could become an uncontrollable, invincible foe.
So—Xiao Wu must not die. She would be the leverage to restrain Tang San in the future.
(End of Chapter)