Just as Chen Ming thought the conversation was about to end, he suddenly saw Bibi Dong's lips move slightly. A trace of hesitation flashed across her face as she glanced toward Golden Crocodile Douluo and Qian Daoliu. After pondering for a long time, she finally spoke.
"Before you became Golden Crocodile Douluo's disciple… did you ever have another teacher?"
The teacher-disciple system in the Douluo world was rather unique. The relationship between disciple and teacher was not necessarily fixed or exclusive. A person could have multiple teachers as long as the teachers themselves did not object.
"Before this, I never had a teacher. Though I did acknowledge Poison Douluo Dugu Bo as my elder brother. My poison arts, medicinal knowledge, and much of what I know were learned from him. I've had senior figures who guided me, but no true teacher."
"You… think carefully again? Were you perhaps born in Holy Soul Village outside Nuoding City in Fasinuo Province of the Heaven Dou Empire, and studied at the Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy? Think carefully—was there someone at the academy who had a major influence on you?"
By this point, Bibi Dong's intentions were so obvious that anyone could see through them. Chen Ming forced himself to keep smiling as he answered, "Of course. The academy headmaster helped me quite a bit."
"And besides him?" Bibi Dong pressed in an almost interrogative tone. She stepped forward, her voice carrying both expectation and increasing madness.
"With all your theoretical knowledge, was there perhaps some great theory grandmaster guiding you? Even if not as teacher and disciple, did you receive someone's guidance while at the Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy?"
"I hope you can explain in detail."
"Your Holiness, I've already made myself very clear." Chen Ming took two steps closer toward Golden Crocodile Douluo, his expression turning cold and stiff.
"I am grateful to those who helped me. But for those who never helped me, I feel no gratitude."
"Your Holiness, I think today's conversation should end here."
"No!" Bibi Dong's eyes reddened slightly as she stepped forward, attempting to grab Chen Ming's shoulder, only to be stopped by Golden Crocodile Douluo raising a hand.
Golden Crocodile Douluo rose to his feet and stared at Bibi Dong with anger in his eyes. Beside them, Qian Daoliu remained seated, watching Bibi Dong with a meaningful gaze while one hand seemed to loosely grip at something invisible.
"You know exactly who I'm talking about. You're connected to Yu Xiaogang, aren't you? Otherwise you wouldn't react like this. Did Xiaogang mention me before? Were you taught by him?"
"Everyone in the world knows that Yu Xiaogang is the greatest theory grandmaster in the world. A disciple like you must be related to him somehow, or at the very least have received his guidance, right?"
"Your! Holiness!" Chen Ming felt something churn in his chest. It was not merely anger—it was disgust.
Bibi Dong's insistence on forcefully tying him to Yu Xiaogang for absolutely no reason made Chen Ming feel sick to the extreme. If not for activating his AI thought process, he felt he might have already lost control of his emotions.
"I know of Yu Xiaogang. He was a teacher freeloading around the academy. But my relationship with him ends there. We had no connection, and we exchanged fewer than ten sentences in total."
"The reason I knew who you were referring to is because while reading in the library, I once heard the librarians mention that decades ago there had also been someone with Spirit Power similar to mine who came to Spirit Hall to read books. That was how I learned his name."
"And because his Martial Soul is excessively unique, with no identical Martial Soul existing anywhere else in the world, I knew that this Yu Xiaogang was the same Yu Xiaogang from the academy."
"Beyond that, there is nothing else!"
"Your implications are far too obvious, far too forceful, and far too self-righteous. I respect you because you are a senior and because you are the Pope of Spirit Hall. But that is not a reason for unreasonable behavior."
"And as for theory grandmaster? No—even in Nuoding City, very few people had ever heard Yu Xiaogang's name. In the entire Spirit Master world, only a small number of people even know who he is. Your Holiness should not force your own thoughts onto others."
"No connection means no connection. Not teacher and disciple means not teacher and disciple!"
"Though my strength is weak, I will not accept such slander. Though I am still young, I cannot endure such humiliation!"
"Your Holiness, I've said everything that needs to be said. Let tonight's discussion end here."
Chen Ming cupped his hands toward Bibi Dong, then walked over to Golden Crocodile Douluo's side.
Right was right, and wrong was wrong. Just because someone was beautiful did not mean they could ignore reason.
Chen Ming hated the type of person who forcibly imposed their own beliefs onto others and demanded obedience. No matter how beautiful Bibi Dong was, he still found her disgusting.
In Chen Ming's view, talented people with rotten character were even more hateful than useless people with rotten character—especially those who were both highly capable and morally vile.
If not for Bibi Dong's overwhelming strength and destructive potential, things would not have ended with just this response. A Bibi Dong who abandoned rationality and simply caused destruction was even more dangerous than one scheming with her brain intact.
Otherwise, Chen Ming would not have answered so politely—he would have cursed her outright without holding back. The kind of verbal assault centered on her with her entire family tree caught in the blast radius.
Qian Daoliu stood up and stared at Bibi Dong for a moment before leaving the side hall with the other two, leaving Bibi Dong alone behind.
After everyone else departed, the previously dignified and graceful Bibi Dong began furiously smashing objects around the room. She looked like a madwoman whose schemes had been exposed, completely hysterical and utterly unlike her usual self.
...
After returning to the Consecration Hall, Golden Crocodile Douluo angrily recounted everything that had happened to the other elders.
Once they learned what the Pope had done because of Yu Xiaogang, the remaining five worship elders became so furious their hair practically stood on end, each of them starting to curse Bibi Dong in outrage.
Because of the matter involving Qian Xunji, they knew they were somewhat in the wrong. They could tolerate Bibi Dong establishing her own influence to a certain degree and turn a blind eye to some matters.
But this behavior was simply too humiliating.
What kind of thing was Yu Xiaogang? In their eyes, he was no better than trash. Useless in cultivation, useless in theory. He believed himself exceptionally talented, yet in reality he was inferior even to the servants sweeping floors in Spirit Hall.
He had not a shred of talent, yet possessed an abundance of arrogance.
In fact, in their eyes, Spirit Hall's current internal situation was inseparable from Yu Xiaogang's influence!
Previously, Bibi Dong wanted to add Yu Xiaogang's name to the cultivation method. And now she was trying to forcefully press someone into becoming Yu Xiaogang's disciple! If the two of them had not accompanied Chen Ming today, she might have even forced him to acknowledge it on the spot!
This was already beyond outrageous. It was so absurd that even Qian Daoliu had nearly wanted to draw the Angel Sacred Sword!
To put it bluntly, even the matter between Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong could hardly compare to how disgraceful this incident was. No matter how hard Qian Daoliu tried, he could not think of anything more humiliating than what Bibi Dong had just done.
"We absolutely cannot continue like this in the future. Even if we don't remove the Pope, we definitely cannot allow her to monopolize power anymore. Otherwise, Spirit Hall's ten-thousand-year reputation will inevitably be destroyed in a single stroke!"
"That's right, Big brother!"
"Bibi Dong has gone too far!"
Qian Daoliu, who had always endured things passively and had even once been described by Tang Chen as somewhat weak-willed, looked at the dark expression Chen Ming could no longer suppress. Thinking about the absurd stunt Bibi Dong had pulled, even he could no longer restrain his emotions and finally spoke in a heavy voice.
"Fine. From now on, whatever the Pope wishes to do must first pass through us."
"Xiao Ming, don't worry. Since the Pope dared to humiliate you like this, we will definitely compensate you, and we will absolutely make the Pope pay the price for it!"