Bibi Dong looked at Xin in surprise.
Xin didn't speak.
Xiao Wu spoke first, looking at her warily:
"Do you think Teacher Xin is like those ruthless Spirit Masters? Even knowing I am a 100,000-year Spirit Beast, Teacher Xin treats me like any other Disciple and will not harm me. This Yearning Heartbroken Red, which tests true emotions, is the best gift Teacher Xin gave me, representing the trust and inseparability between me and Teacher Xin. You will never understand!"
Her tone carried both defiance and conviction, as if she were shielding something far more precious than herself. The Yearning Heartbroken Red in her arms glowed faintly, its petals radiant yet delicate, as though responding to the emotional intensity surrounding it. Xiao Wu held it tighter, instinctively guarding it from even the slightest threat.
"Is that so? Yearning Heartbroken Red… a very beautiful name. You've nurtured it so brightly. Can it test true emotions?"
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong's jade hand couldn't help but reach for the Yearning Heartbroken Red, but Xiao Wu quickly protected it, hugging it to her chest.
The movement was swift and instinctive. There was no hesitation in Xiao Wu's action, only absolute refusal. The flower was not merely an object—it was a symbol of trust, something she could not allow to be touched carelessly, especially not by someone she still could not fully understand.
Bibi Dong withdrew her hand slightly, her expression growing more contemplative. The faint curiosity in her eyes deepened, but it was now mixed with something more complex—uncertainty.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, her gaze falling on Xin, and she couldn't help but feel some doubt:
"So, Teacher Xin taking my 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone wasn't to use his power to strengthen his Disciple, but to stand up for her?"
Her voice was calm, but beneath it lay layers of skepticism she could not fully suppress. The idea itself felt contradictory to everything she had experienced in the world of Spirit Masters—where power, resources, and spirit rings were always tied to personal gain or strategic advantage.
"But her mother is already dead. What's the use of taking out a Spirit Bone and spirit ring? Moreover, Spirit Masters hunting Spirit Beasts and absorbing spirit rings is the Dao of Cultivation. What did I do wrong?
Or, is Teacher Xin trying to use this as an excuse to kill me and avenge his Disciple while I'm weak?"
The question hung heavily in the air. For Bibi Dong, logic and survival instinct intertwined. In her world, strength justified action, and action always carried intent—rarely benevolent, almost always self-serving. The possibility that someone would act purely for the sake of another without hidden ambition felt alien, almost unacceptable.
"It seems His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff still doesn't trust me. In your eyes, if I am such a treacherous villain who takes advantage of weakness, why bother asking? You could simply walk away without debate."
Xin shook his head and said indifferently.
His voice was calm, almost detached, yet carried a quiet weight that subtly shifted the atmosphere. There was no anger in his tone, only a faint sense of resignation, as if he had already seen through countless similar misunderstandings and no longer found them surprising.
Seeing a hint of disappointment appear on his exquisitely handsome face, and his eyes dimming slightly, Bibi Dong immediately became nervous and quickly explained:
"Teacher Xin is certainly not that kind of person. It's just that I truly don't understand Teacher Xin's intention."
Her reaction came faster than expected, almost instinctive. For someone like Bibi Dong, who stood at the pinnacle of authority, such hesitation was rare. Yet Xin's expression seemed to disrupt her usual composure in a way few people ever had.
"Your hunting of Spirit Beasts to obtain spirit rings is an act to enhance your strength, which cannot be judged as right or wrong; it's merely a difference in stance.
However, is it wrong for someone to avenge their loved ones?"
Xin took a sip of cherry tea and said:
His tone remained even, but the words themselves carried a quiet weight. The contrast between his casual action and the depth of his statement made the atmosphere feel even more tense. The faint aroma of cherry tea lingered subtly, oddly grounding amid the confrontation.
"My intention is actually very simple. Since Xiao Wu has acknowledged me as her Teacher, the Academy is naturally her home, her backing. It's understandable that you hunted a 100,000-year Spirit Beast to obtain a rare treasure, but my intervention for my Disciple is also for Karma. My taking your 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone is also to give Xiao Wu's mother a chance at rebirth, to revive her, thereby settling this Karma. Only then can the Academy accept your appointment, and that is all."
The words settled into silence like a stone sinking into deep water. The concept of "Karma" introduced a dimension beyond simple conflict or revenge—it reframed the entire confrontation into something neither purely moral nor purely strategic. Whether one believed it or not, the conviction behind it was unmistakable.
For a brief moment, even the tension between them seemed to pause, as though the world itself was waiting to see how this doctrine of fate and consequence would ultimately unfold.