Scenes from her memories unfolded one after another. Bibi Dong's once-beautiful past was now revealed in a cold light, leaving behind only the cruel reality.
The increasingly close relationship between the young saintess and the useless master could not be concealed from the upper echelons of the Spirit Hall, especially from Pope Qian Xunji. Qian Xunji's expression grew harsher by the day. He repeatedly summoned the two, sternly warning them about their positions and ordering them to keep their distance. He even approached Yu Xiaogang several times in secret, issuing grave threats.
"Yu Xiaogang, know your place. You're nothing but trash from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan. Don't do anything to disgrace yourself or us."
"Stay away from the saintess, and don't bring shame upon your father or your clan…"
At the time, Tang Chen—pillar of the Three Uppers and titled Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect—had long since mysteriously vanished. The Clear Sky Sect had lost its former might, and the other two great clans had faced their own heavy blows. By now, Spirit Hall's vague inclination to show "goodwill" towards the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan had completely faded in the face of the changing situation.
In Qian Xunji's eyes, Yu Xiaogang's value had plummeted. Worse, he was now a "stain" that might tarnish the saintess's future reputation. Under increasing pressure from Qian Xunji, Yu Xiaogang's resolve, however, never wavered. The fear of power and his instinctive awe assaulted him again and again.
But having finally gained limited access to the third floor of the library thanks to his involvement with the saintess, and with the secrets of the Martial Souls at last beginning to reveal themselves—he felt giving up now would be too great a loss. So, clenching his teeth, he endured the pressure.
He learned to act craftier, never confronting Qian Xunji head-on any longer. Instead, he began subtly influencing the saintess through carefully chosen words. Even seemingly casual mentions of Qian Xunji's tyranny, knowledge blockade, and ruthless interference with the feelings of youth fanned the seeds of rebellion and longing for freedom already present in the saintess's heart.
As expected, the hot-blooded young saintess Bibi Dong started clashing more and more with her master to protect this hard-won love. Their master-disciple relationship quickly deteriorated, the conflicts growing sharper each day. In hindsight, this somewhat alleviated the pope's direct pressure on Yu Xiaogang, giving him more time to focus on advancing his knowledge.
This balance—open resistance paired with hidden manipulation—lasted another two years.
The memories froze on a perfectly ordinary day, yet the saintess in the scene looked entirely different. No longer did she wear the delicate, pinkish-purple dress of old. Instead, she wore a deep, regal purple palace gown. Her face was still breathtaking, but her eyes were cold as frost, as if all tenderness had been stripped away overnight, leaving only a hard shell that barred all warmth from outsiders.
Seeing herself this way, Bibi Dong, observing from outside the scene, trembled violently, deep pain welling in her eyes. Only the night before, she had endured the darkest, most unbearable night of her life—the man she once regarded as both father and mentor had used the vilest means to destroy her last trust, shattering her beautiful illusions of the world.
Now, in this memory, the saintess stood before the man she had wholeheartedly trusted and cared for, confronting him with icy poise. In one corner of the library, Yu Xiaogang wore his usual gentle smile, but was greeted by cold, almost merciless words.
"Yu Xiaogang, do you really think someone like you… is worthy of a saintess? That's just wishful thinking."
"Dong... Dong'er? You…" Yu Xiaogang's smile instantly froze—shock and disbelief clouded his eyes. He reflexively stepped forward, wishing to take her hand, hoping to comfort her.
"Shut up!" The saintess sharply cut him off. "The only reason I ever approached you was for the Martial Soul theories you brought from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect. Did you truly think I'd fall for a trash like you?"
The word 'trash' stabbed into Yu Xiaogang's sensitive, fragile pride like a razor. All color drained from his face, leaving only a sickly flush. The remnants of astonishment in his eyes turned swiftly to outrage, as he stared at the saintess as if seeing her for the first time.
Bibi Dong, meeting his gaze that barely bothered to hide hatred, felt as if her chest was being crushed—pain suffocating her. But she forcibly suppressed her emotions. Without warning, her soul power erupted, slamming fiercely into the unsuspecting Yu Xiaogang.
Thud!
Yu Xiaogang flew over ten meters back, landing badly on the floor with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The saintess looked down at him, eyes filled with cold contempt and ridicule, as if staring at a worm.
"You can't even withstand a trivial soul pressure… Pathetic. Even a pig is more useful. Utterly laughable."
With that, she turned away—never looking back at him again, her cold steps echoing as she left.
Yet, the moment she had turned, a single translucent tear slid silently from the dead corner of her eye—of course, this, Yu Xiaogang did not see. All he saw was her departing back, leaving him trampled and discarded without a word.
"...Damn it."
Yu Xiaogang lay on the ground, lifting his head to glare at the fading purple silhouette, rage welling up uncontrollably in his eyes.
"So even Bibi Dong looks down on me. That… sanctimonious woman! That wretched bitch!"
He whispered curses, each word dripping with venom.
Slowly, he pushed himself up, wiping away the blood from his lips. The anger on his face gradually faded, replaced by a chilling indifference. He brushed the dust from his clothes, as if nothing had happened.
"No matter. You're useless to me now anyways," he muttered with a haunting composure. "Over these two years, I've already copied and obtained nearly all the valuable theories here. At the perfect moment, I'll finally leave this forsaken place."
With a disdainful snort in the direction the saintess had left, he spat, "Saintess? You can't even access the chapel—a real treasure must be in there. Too bad… you'll never have the power to take me there! Fool. Useless."
Without a backward glance, Yu Xiaogang turned on his heel and strode off, opposite from the saintess, abandoning the place he'd lingered for years.
"Aaah—!!!"
Bibi Dong, witnessing the entire scene, finally let out a piercing, silent scream. Her whole body quaked like a leaf in the wind, her face drained to a ghostly white.
So… so that's what he saw in his eyes. That's how he regarded everything that happened—the pain I felt, the humiliation, the suffering, the cruel words I spoke against my own will to protect him… it was all just that!
Used and discarded like trash, trampled, spat upon, insulted as useless, cowardly— After all I'd done—betraying my master for his sake, risking the wrath of the Spirit Hall's leaders, even… paying the most painful of prices— All I received in return was hatred and humiliation.
"Yu Xiaogang… why? How could you do this to me…"
Bibi Dong's consciousness cried in agony, but her desperate call only echoed into the void—no one answered.
The memory continued to flow on, despite her spirit's collapse.
…
After leaving Spirit Hall, Yu Xiaogang quickly earned fame as a theoretical master among the lower ranks of the soul master world, thanks to the knowledge he'd brought from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, and the trove of diligently copied theories from Spirit Hall's library.
At the same time, his clever manipulation of his credentials—claiming experience with the three great sects and flaunting a scholarly persona—drew many ambitious, dissatisfied low-ranked soul masters to his side.
Not long after, Yu Xiaogang met Flender and the irascible Liu Erlong. Under Yu Xiaogang's careful guidance, the three started journeying together. With the Martial Soul Fusion Technique they developed, they made a name for themselves in the world of soul masters as the Golden Iron Triangle.
After all, Yu Xiaogang had grown up in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, learning much about martial souls. Through interactions with Liu Erlong, he and Flender quickly deduced her background from her martial soul, appearance, and temperament. After some probing, they confirmed that Liu Erlong was the illegitimate daughter of his uncle, Yu Luomian.
Recalling how, during a crisis in the clan, Yu Luomian never took a firm stand with Yu Xiaogang's father and himself, a trace of hatred flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. In further dealings with Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang became convinced that Yu Luomian, despite living apart from this illegitimate daughter, secretly held deep guilt and concern towards her, quietly monitoring her life from afar.
A dark scheme slowly took shape in Yu Xiaogang's heart.
Using his reputation as a theoretical master and his carefully crafted aura of brooding depth, he deliberately built a close relationship with Liu Erlong—a woman yearning for fatherly love and suffering profound loneliness.
Feelings began to subtly blossom in Liu Erlong's heart. Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, increasingly savored the thrill of manipulating others' emotions—especially the satisfaction of vengeance against Yu Luomian.
Eventually, as Liu Erlong became the more proactive side, they advanced to discussing marriage and even set a wedding date. But—on the eve of the wedding—
The scene shifted. Yu Xiaogang was alone in his chamber, his face no longer displaying that gentle, melancholic look he put on for Liu Erlong, but instead a scheming, amused expression.
"Grandnaster? Heh… Soon, the name Yu Xiaogang will echo across the entire continent as the master of theories—a figure to be enshrined in history…"
He fixed his collar in front of a mirror, curling his lips in mockery.
"How could I let an illegitimate daughter stain my honor and leave a blemish on my life?"
Yu Xiaogang basked briefly in the twisted pleasure of controlling others' fates.
He then changed into inconspicuous clothing and left, utilizing his past knowledge of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect to locate a secret contact point. There, by means of a special method, an anonymous letter was delivered to the chief of a scout outpost.
When all was done, hideous excitement twisted his face as he ghosted back to his quarters.
…
Come the day of the wedding—just as the ceremony was about to begin—Yu Luomian abruptly appeared at the venue with several Blue Lightning Tyrant experts in tow. Chaos erupted at once.
Yu Xiaogang, perfectly pretending to be the wronged, conflicted victim, fled in the gaze of all, never once looking back.
Liu Erlong was shattered. Flender raged. Yu Luomian wore a heavy, complicated expression. In the memory, only the fleeting glimpse of Yu Xiaogang's side profile as he escaped remained—a smile of triumph barely curled at his lips beneath his facade of panic.
….
Bibi Dong, quietly observing it all, finally fell so still that she seemed a lifeless sculpture.
Disillusionment.
Complete, utter disillusionment.
…