Chapter 100: Yu Xiaogang is Hypocritical, Inferior, and Useless
Flipping through "The Ten Core Competencies of Spirits," which Qin Xuan had annotated, Bibi Dong couldn't bear to look and closed the book, shutting her eyes in pain.
Her hands were trembling. It wasn't a book; it was an execution order for her feelings.
Every page held the theories she had once worshipped, the "wisdom" that had captivated her. And next to every key passage, in stark red ink, was Qin Xuan's cold, analytical dissection.
Where Yu Xiaogang wrote, "The first ring limit is 423 years," Qin Xuan had noted: Plagiarized from Spirit Hall Restricted Archives, Vol. 4, Section 3, compiled 70 years ago.
Where Yu Xiaogang wrote, "On the non-rejection of certain plant-type Spirit Beasts," Qin Xuan had annotated: A direct copy of the research notes of Elder Ju Hua's (Yue Guan) predecessor, stored in the Elder Hall. No original research conducted.
It went on, page after page. Every "brilliant deduction" was a theft.
Only at this moment did she realize how pathetic Yu Xiaogang was, how incredibly, devastatingly foolish.
His wisdom, which he was so proud of and which had once captivated her, had been false from beginning to end.
The real Yu Xiaogang was, in fact, a hypocritical, insecure man with no talent whatsoever. He was a parasite who had fed her lies, and she, a supposed genius, had devoured them.
But even so, a small, stubborn part of her heart whispered, as long as Yu Xiaogang truly loved her, that alone was enough.
"I will start anew with Xiao Gang," Bibi Dong said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I will supervise him in completing his own theoretical research."
"As for those Spirit Masters who were harmed by Xiao Gang's theories, I will do my best to compensate their families with Xiao Gang in the future."
"You still haven't answered my previous question." Qin Xuan's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "If your teacher doesn't agree to you being with Yu Xiaogang, what will you do?"
Bibi Dong thought for a moment, her face hardening with resolve. "Compared to me, you are more suitable to be the next Supreme Pontiff now. Regardless of whether my teacher agrees... I will resign from my position as Holy Maiden. Then, I will cultivate diligently to become a Titled Douluo Elder of Spirit Hall."
Qin Xuan continued to press, his questions like a surgeon's scalpel. "What if one day the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or Yu Xiaogang become enemies with Spirit Hall?"
"If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan truly becomes an enemy of Spirit Hall, I will not show mercy," Bibi Dong said seriously, her loyalty to the institution that raised her still intact.
"As for Xiao Gang," she hesitated, "I can't bring myself to harm him. But I will capture him, restrict his personal freedom, and prevent him from ever harming Spirit Hall again."
"Aren't you afraid of trusting the wrong person?" Qin Xuan noticed that Bibi Dong had changed.
She no longer seemed to blindly idolize Yu Xiaogang as in the original story, making him the center of everything without any sense of right or wrong. She seemed to be no longer purely infatuated.
"I believe in Xiao Gang," Bibi Dong said firmly, though her voice lacked its earlier conviction.
Qin Xuan's gaze was sharp. "Last question. What made you determined to be with Yu Xiaogang, even if it meant giving up your position as Holy Maiden and the Supreme Pontiff position you've longed for? What is it about him that makes him worth your sacrifice?"
He took a step closer. "In terms of cultivation, Yu Xiaogang is neither diligent nor talented; he is a complete waste."
"As for his so-called proud wisdom, I have already proven to you that it was acquired through false plagiarism."
Bibi Dong smiled gently, a fragile, heartbreaking expression. She didn't answer the question directly. "Can I interpret that as you asking why I ultimately chose Xiao Gang, and not you?"
"You have to let me lose clearly, don't you?" Qin Xuan said indifferently.
"Indeed," Bibi Dong's gaze softened, but it was filled with a deep, profound sadness. "Xiao Gang has almost nothing commendable about him. Hypocritical, insecure... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a clown."
She elegantly turned around, looking through the gaps in the jungle towards the distant, shining Douluo Hall.
"It's just that human emotions are often not formed overnight. I was already with Xiao Gang before I truly understood what love was. Because of my own talent, I couldn't find someone who could truly connect with me. I was isolated."
"So I gave up searching," she whispered, "and instead looked for someone who could surpass me in other aspects."
"It was Yu Xiaogang who attracted me with his 'wisdom'. Although now... now it seems his so-called wisdom might all be fake."
"But even so, I have already been attracted to him. The person was fake, but my feelings at that time were real. I cannot erase my own past."
The gentle breeze blew, her hair and robes swayed with the wind. Her eyes trembled, and her golden armor shimmered. At this moment, Bibi Dong looked like a painting.
In the painting, a beautiful, tragic female war god.
"Is that all?" Qin Xuan stared blankly, a little lost in thought. He had expected a better reason.
"Yes," Bibi Dong turned slightly, forcing a smile. Her star-like eyes flickered with a strange light, revealing a hint of unshed tears. "That's all."
Although she had explicitly rejected him countless times in the past, Qin Xuan would always find ways to take advantage of her, making her waver.
She worried that if this continued, she would eventually become the person she hated.
Therefore, she made up her mind to end this unclear, ambiguous relationship.
Perhaps one day she would regret it, but short pain is better than long pain.
If one hesitates, one will suffer for it.
"You've really grown, haven't you?" Qin Xuan's face showed no joy or sorrow. "You're no longer the naive Holy Maiden you once were."
He paused, his expression unreadable. "But it's far from enough. You haven't seen the true ugliness of human nature yet."
Bibi Dong looked at him, confused by his sudden shift in tone.
"Given that you have indeed grown a little, I'll give you a piece of advice." He stepped close, his voice low.
"The path is your own choice, and there's no going back. I accept your decision."
"Also," his eyes became deadly serious, "Be careful of your teacher, Qianxun Ji."
After Qin Xuan finished speaking, he left on his sword, a streak of red light vanishing over the trees, and returned to the Elder Hall.
Watching the place where Qin Xuan disappeared, Bibi Dong's emotions gradually crumbled. The strength that had held her up vanished. She finally squatted on the ground, burying her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
The Bibi Dong who used to blindly give everything for Yu Xiaogang no longer existed.
She was grieving for two men at once. She was grieving the death of the "wise" Yu Xiaogang she had once loved, an idol that was now a shattered, hollow fraud.
And she was grieving the loss of Qin Xuan, the man who had seen through her, challenged her, and, in his own way, was the only one who had ever treated her as an equal.
Perhaps, just as Qin Xuan said, she was no longer the naive Holy Maiden she once was.
After nearly two years of repeated meetings with Qin Xuan, she had re-established her own values.
Although Yu Xiaogang's wisdom was fake, at least, until now, Yu Xiaogang had not truly done anything to betray her.
If Bibi Dong had chosen to break up simply because she discovered Yu Xiaogang was a complete good-for-nothing, Qin Xuan might have looked down on her instead.
The Sect Competition was held in Spirit City.
Compared to the capital cities of the Two Great Empires, Spirit City was much smaller, not even one-tenth the size of a capital city.
But the shock it brought to the Spirit Masters was still significant.
The hexagonal city walls were all built according to the specifications of a capital's main city. Each wall was 80 meters high and over 30 meters thick, entirely constructed from granite. The walls were all guarded by Spirit Masters, wearing Spirit Hall's specialized uniforms.
Three of the city walls were already engraved with three enormous reliefs: a brilliant, noble chrysanthemum; an incomplete, shadowy human figure; and a radiant star crown.
These were three of the six patterns on the Supreme Pontiff Decree that had been confirmed. Spirit Hall occupied two (Yue Guan and Gui Mei), and a Titled Douluo with a Star Crown Spirit from the Star Luo Empire occupied one.
Originally, the Heaven Dou Empire, as one of the Two Great Empires, could also have occupied a pattern, but because it had no Titled Douluo, it lost its qualification and it fell into Spirit Hall's hands.
The remaining three pattern slots would be obtained by the Upper Three Sects.
This Sect Competition was no small matter.
Because it would represent the structure of the Spirit Master's world on the Douluo Continent for the next 30 years.
Sects that won the title of Upper Three Sects could not only engrave their Titled Douluo's Spirit on the Supreme Pontiff Decree, but Spirit Hall would also engrave reliefs on the remaining three city walls of Spirit City.
Such an honor was enough to drive any Spirit Master Sect crazy, because it signified their Sect's status in the Spirit Master's world, gaining recognition from all Spirit Masters. Even the arrogant Clear Sky Sect, known as the 'World's Number One Sect,' was no exception.
In addition, Spirit Hall would also rank Beast Spirits and Tool Spirits.
If the Clear Sky Sect wanted to maintain the Clear Sky Hammer's title as the 'World's Number One Tool Spirit,' they had no choice but to participate.
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