"Wait, wait, Supreme Pontiff, why are you lying down?"
"What kind of person do you take me for?"
Yin Ziping?
Seeing that Bibi Dong had actually sealed her spirit power, a gust of wind gathered the surrounding cherry blossoms, forming a cherry blossom bed, and she lay back onto it.
The sudden shift in posture was so unnatural that even Xin's usually composed expression cracked slightly with confusion. The soft petals beneath her formed an almost ceremonial resting place, as if the environment itself had misinterpreted the gravity of her action and turned it into something strangely symbolic.
Xin quickly moved several Cherry Blossomto support Bibi Dong's moist, delicate body and said:
"This price is not anything else! It is that you will lose the power you are so proud of, and it may even cause your spirit power Rank to regress.
What I want is your 100,000-year spirit ring and 100,000-year Spirit Bone."
His voice remained steady, but there was a firmness beneath it that left no room for misunderstanding. This was not a casual demand, nor was it driven by personal desire in the ordinary sense. It was calculated, precise, and directly tied to the system's requirements and the cultivation path he had to secure for his disciples.
Xin stated what he wanted.
When the 100,000-year spirit ring and 100,000-year Spirit Bone came out of Xin's mouth, Bibi Dong's eyes opened, and her face instantly changed:
"100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone?!"
Her voice sharpened, disbelief cutting through her earlier composure like a blade. Even for someone of her rank and experience, such items were not things casually spoken of, let alone demanded in exchange for entry into an academy.
"How did you know I have a 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone?"
Bibi Dong became much more clear-headed.
The earlier emotional haze vanished almost instantly, replaced by suspicion and caution. Information of this level was deeply concealed, even within the highest ranks of Spirit City. The fact that Xin stated it so directly suggested either terrifying insight—or something far more unknown.
One must know that she rarely made a move, especially using the power of a 100,000-year spirit ring was extremely rare.
Teacher Xin should have never seen her reveal her spirit ring configuration, let alone the existence of a 100,000-year Spirit Bone?
Her mind quickly ran through possibilities, recalculating every encounter, every moment of interaction, searching for a leak or exposure. Yet nothing made sense. That was precisely what unsettled her most.
"A 100,000-year Spirit Bone and a 100,000-year spirit ring are what all Spirit Masters in the current Spirit Master's world dream of.
That's why I said this opportunity is very heavy for you."
Xin did not answer Bibi Dong's question.
His refusal to explain was not evasion, but control. Some truths, if revealed, would create unnecessary complications. Instead, he kept the focus on the consequence of the choice itself, not its origin.
Before confirming Bibi Dong's choice, this was to protect his students.
The academy was still growing. Any instability introduced by external forces—even someone as powerful as Bibi Dong—could ripple through his carefully structured teaching system. His caution was not personal distrust, but institutional responsibility.
"Is there only this one choice?" Bibi Dong gritted her teeth.
Her frustration was no longer emotional alone; it was strategic. For someone accustomed to commanding outcomes, being placed in a binary decision felt constricting.
"The second choice is to leave Heart of Fire Academy and return to the Supreme Pontiff Palace."
Xin said indifferently, as if he could accept whatever choice Bibi Dong made.
His tone made it clear that neither outcome would disturb him deeply. There was no persuasion, no attempt to soften the decision—only structure and consequence.
Shallow or deep destiny, that was how it was; her appearance order was wrong.
"You are already a Rank Nine Titled Douluo, and you have more than one 100,000-year spirit ring.
Teacher Xin, you shouldn't be someone who would resort to unscrupulous means to obtain a 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone."
"Moreover, even if I were willing to give them, how would I give them?
The 100,000-year spirit ring has already been absorbed and attached to my Spirit; it cannot be removed.
And I have also absorbed the 100,000-year Spirit Bone… my 100,000-year Spirit Bone… is a torso bone.
To remove it, I'm afraid I, I…"
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth.
Her words carried both logic and resistance. Unlike earlier impulsive declarations, this was grounded in reality. Spirit rings and Spirit Bones were not exchangeable objects; they were fused with the body and soul. The implication of removal was not loss of power alone, but potential destruction of the self.
To remove the 100,000-year torso bone from her would, at best, leave her half-paralyzed and severely injured, and at worst, result in instant death!
This price was indeed too heavy.
If she died, she would have nothing.