"But if you've managed to overcome your innate soul power limitation through sheer effort and have achieved such impressive results, why did you try to drown yourself?" Bibi Dong asked.
The young man with the buzz cut looked weary and worn, his voice filled with pain. "It's true—I've clawed my way to where I am today through two hundred times the normal effort. But no matter how hard I try, the ceiling for a soul master still exists. Three years ago, I reached level 29, and since then, despite all my efforts, I haven't been able to break through. Everyone in my clan has concluded that I'm doomed to remain a failure who'll never reach level 30."
"I refused to give up. I tried countless methods to break through that bottleneck, but nothing worked. My clan grew more and more impatient. They saw me as a disgrace and eventually expelled me. I had nowhere to go. On the road, I was swindled out of my money and ended up wandering until I arrived here in Yelin City."
As he finished speaking, he looked out at the gently rippling surface of Yelin Lake. The implication was clear: after enduring so much suffering, he had decided to end it all.
Listening to his story, Bibi Dong was touched. Her heart softened.
A soul master born with only 0.5 innate soul power had still managed to reach level 29 through sheer will and determination. And yet his clan saw him as trash? They were blind!
It was precisely this kind of painful experience that could push even the most resilient person to the brink.
Bibi Dong gently advised, "I don't think you should give up like this. If you die, the 'trash' label will follow you forever. But if you live and break through that bottleneck, you can prove all those who looked down on you wrong."
"But…" the young man fell silent.
"I think I might be able to help you," Bibi Dong offered, a sudden impulse in her heart to lend a hand to this stranger.
"Really?" The young man trembled slightly, but then he shook his head and declined. "Forget it. My issue isn't a small one. You might not be able to help. I'll just face it on my own."
"I'm serious," Bibi Dong said. "My name is Bibi Dong. I'm the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall. Maybe the Spirit Hall has a method to help you break through your bottleneck."
At her words, a flash of sharp light passed through the young man's eyes.
"…Alright. Thank you." A flicker of gratitude appeared on his melancholic face. "You're the first person in this world who's ever been kind to me."
Having talked him out of suicide, Bibi Dong felt a sense of fulfillment. She smiled and said, "Well, I've introduced myself. What about you? What's your name?"
"My name is Yu Xiaogang."
Bibi Dong was stunned. The moment she heard his name, she realized something—the story he had just shared perfectly matched what she'd heard about someone before.
Yu Xiaogang—this was a name famous across the inner circle of the soul master world. The son of Yu Yuanzhen, someone who should have inherited extraordinary talent, but whose awakened spirit had instead mutated into a pig—complete with a farting soul skill. He had utterly disgraced one of the Three Upper Clans.
Back when she'd heard Qian Xunji recount Yu Xiaogang's past, she herself had laughed at him.
Now, the guilt in Bibi Dong's heart deepened.
Yu Xiaogang noticed her stunned expression and his eyes dimmed. "Sigh. I guess you've heard of me. You know I'm a failure, don't you?"
"No!" Bibi Dong quickly retorted. "Yu Xiaogang, if you were truly a failure, you would've given up long ago. But you didn't—you proved yourself. Just ask yourself, how many soul masters with only 0.5 innate soul power could ever reach level 29? I didn't understand you before, so I mocked you. But now that I've met you, I've seen a side of you the world doesn't know. I'm sorry, Yu Xiaogang. I apologize for my past behavior."
When Yu Xiaogang heard that she had once mocked him, a flash of bitterness passed through his heart. But outwardly, he smiled, as though he had come to terms with it. "It's okay. Everyone sees me that way. You were just following the crowd's opinion."
In that moment, Yu Xiaogang seemed to be enveloped in a wise, radiant aura that dazzled Bibi Dong.
"I heard your spirit is a detached-type. Could I see it?" Bibi Dong asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Luo Sanpao," Yu Xiaogang called out his spirit. A fat, purple pig appeared, oinking loudly.
Bibi Dong's gaze was immediately drawn to the ugly pig. Yu Xiaogang knew she was probably mocking it inwardly. He folded his hands behind his back and said, "This is my spirit, Luo Sanpao. I know he's ugly and weak. But I've never abandoned him, never blamed him. Because he is my spirit and my battle companion. From the moment I awakened him, I swore that one day, I'd stand with him at the pinnacle of this world."
As if moved by those words, Luo Sanpao—despite its pig-like face—showed a trace of human-like resentment, turning its head away from its master, seemingly unwilling to face him.
To Yu Xiaogang's surprise, Bibi Dong suddenly scooped Luo Sanpao up and hugged it tightly, nuzzling it excitedly. "Wow, what an adorable spirit!"
Yu Xiaogang's brow twitched. Are you blind? This thing looks like some freakish mix of pig and dog—how can you call that cute? But seeing how much Bibi Dong seemed to genuinely like it, he began calculating again. Maybe I can use this to grow closer to her… and turn the situation to my advantage.
"By the way," he said, feigning casual curiosity, "I'm curious—what's your spirit?"
"You don't know?" Bibi Dong asked, a bit guarded. She didn't like to talk about her spirit.
"I've spent the last few years focusing on cultivation," Yu Xiaogang said with a calm tone, hands still behind his back. "I don't know much about the world. This is the first I've heard that the Spirit Hall even has a Holy Maiden."
Hearing that, Bibi Dong glanced at Luo Sanpao, then back at herself. Even he can accept his spirit so naturally, she thought. But I can't even face mine… In her eyes, Yu Xiaogang's figure grew even taller and more admirable.
"Death Spider Emperor," Bibi Dong finally said, her voice low. "That's my spirit. When it's attached to me, I look… monstrous. I don't really like showing it."
Yu Xiaogang responded with genuine admiration, "No—I think a beautiful girl like you would never look ugly, no matter what spirit you have."
A faint blush spread across Bibi Dong's cheeks.
(End of Chapter)
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