Bibi Dong found it hard not to associate this matter with Xiao Wu.
The moment Xin's words confirmed the connection, something sharp and sour rose within her chest. It was not just jealousy in the ordinary sense—it was the feeling of being excluded, replaced, and measured against someone she did not even understand. Her gaze toward Xiao Wu subtly changed, no longer calm or analytical, but faintly edged with resentment.
Teacher Xin, for her sake, is actually going to hunt his own 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone!
The thought made her emotional balance tilt further. In her understanding, 100,000-year spirit rings and Spirit Bones were treasures that even top powerhouses guarded with their lives. Yet Xin spoke of them as if they were something to be reassigned, or even reclaimed for another disciple.
"What you said is not wrong. Your 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone are indeed related to this Disciple of mine."
Bibi Dong's question was affirmed by Xin!
That confirmation landed like a stone thrown into still water. There was no hesitation in his tone, no attempt to soften the implication. It was direct, almost too calm, as if he were stating a simple fact rather than revealing something deeply personal and consequential.
Bibi Dong felt even more sour!
Her expression stiffened for a brief moment. Even her composure, usually maintained through years of political authority and control, began to show subtle cracks. The sense of being "secondary" in importance—compared to a disciple she had never properly interacted with—was difficult to accept.
Xiao Wu, however, looked at Teacher Xin with confused and incredulous eyes, "Teacher? 100,000-year spirit ring, Spirit Bone? For me?"
Her voice carried genuine disbelief. Unlike Bibi Dong, Xiao Wu's confusion was not rooted in pride or status, but in simple lack of understanding. In her perception, she was just one of many students in the academy. The idea that something of such magnitude was tied to her directly felt unreal.
"That's right, it is indeed for you. However, it's not so much 'for' you as 'returning' it to you."
Xin glanced at Xiao Wu and Bibi Dong, then gently guided both of them to sit at the cherry blossom table. The petals drifted around them as if forming a quiet boundary between reason and emotion.
"This is a long story. I hope that after I speak frankly, both of you will try to remain rational."
His tone carried a rare sense of caution, as though what he was about to explain required careful listening and even greater restraint in reaction.
"Supreme Pontiff, do you still remember that the reason I just refused you was because of a shallow fate?"
At the mention of that phrase, Bibi Dong's fingers tightened slightly. "Shallow fate" had already become a lingering thorn in her mind, an explanation that felt more like rejection than clarity.
"The one with a deeper fate than you is this Disciple of mine, Xiao Wu. She was among the first group of Disciples to study with me. She and you are destined to be incompatible, like fire and water."
The words fell steadily, without embellishment. Yet their meaning was anything but light. It was not simply favoritism—it was a declaration of incompatibility between paths, something that could not be resolved through negotiation or compromise.
"Therefore, as long as she is here, I cannot keep you."
That sentence finally broke through Bibi Dong's restraint.
Bibi Dong's face turned extremely unsightly; she was almost unable to hold back an outburst.
Even if she endured to the extreme, she couldn't bear to be treated this way.
For someone of her identity, rejection was one thing—but being told that her presence itself was incompatible with another disciple, especially one she did not even know, felt like an erasure of her worth within this academy.
Bibi Dong stood up:
"Teacher Xin, I have never met this Disciple of yours before, at most I saw her at the Soul Master Competition. How can there be incompatibility like fire and water? I believe I have shown you the utmost respect, but you cannot bully me like this!"
Her voice trembled slightly at the end—not from fear, but from emotional strain. The contradiction between her identity and her current position was becoming unbearable.
"This feeling is really unbearable. Yu Xiaogang used me before, and now Teacher Xin, you are also using me. Why do all the men I encounter treat me like this? What exactly should I do to make you treat me a little better? Even if you just lie to me, it would be fine."
Her words came out in fragments, as though something long suppressed had finally cracked open. Beneath the Supreme Pontiff's authority was still a human being capable of frustration, disappointment, and wounded pride.
"I am a person with self-respect too."
The final sentence carried a quiet, broken edge.
Strong as the Supreme Pontiff was, tears could not be stopped from welling up in her eyes at this moment, and two clear tears fell as she looked at Xin.
If it weren't for Xin's peerless countenance, shining brightly amidst the cherry blossoms and stimulating her spirit, she might have already unleashed her spirit rings and caused a huge commotion in Heart of Fire Academy.
The falling petals seemed to slow as her tears dropped, contrasting sharply with her usual dominance. For a moment, the image of power and authority blurred into something far more fragile.
"Supreme Pontiff..."
"It's not what you think."
Xin hadn't expected Bibi Dong to be so angered that she cried. After all, she was no longer in her tender youth; she now held a high position and possessed great strength. Her tears indicated that she was truly enraged.
Xin quickly glanced at Xiao Wu:
"Xiao Wu, tell the Supreme Pontiff about the grudges between you two."
"Don't worry, I've already talked to her. No matter how big the matter is, the teacher will handle it. You can speak freely."