"…That—Bibi Dong only said she came to see the Lord Dominator about something," Dugu Bo replied uncertainly to Lin Fan's question.
In truth, he wasn't sure what she had wanted. After all, she hadn't even had the chance to explain before he and Tang Hao had jointly forced her out of the Zerg hive.
"Lord Dominator, I've also heard that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has recently gained quite a few new Titled Douluo. Even that old man, Yu Yuanzhen, has broken through there," Dugu Bo added. "And… their soul rings seem to have undergone enhancements."
The moment Dugu Bo finished speaking, Tang Hao quickly continued, "I thought it necessary to report this to you. As for Bibi Dong—I chose to ignore her presence."
"I see. Keep a close eye on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's movements," Lin Fan said calmly.
He wasn't particularly alarmed. Now that the Zerg Broodmother had awakened, it was natural that other factions would scramble for power to counterbalance him.
"In that case, I'll go to the Pope's Palace myself," Lin Fan decided after a brief moment of thought. He already had a good idea why Bibi Dong had sought him out.
Spirit Hall couldn't possibly be unaware of the sudden rise of so many Titled Douluo within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Bibi Dong must have assumed that it was his doing.
"Ah, Tang San… I guess I'll take the blame for you this time," Lin Fan said with a wry smile. Tang San was probably the first person in history capable of making him take responsibility for something he hadn't done.
Meanwhile, in the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong was about to distribute several spirit bones to her subordinates.
"You all performed well in the Spirit Master Tournament. These are your rewards," she said, raising her hand—only for her voice to be interrupted by a calm, confident tone.
"Your Holiness, I've arrived," Lin Fan said as he stepped through the massive doors of the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong frowned slightly at the interruption but suppressed her irritation. She still needed his help to enhance Spirit Hall's strength. "Since you're here, you may as well watch."
She handed out three spirit bones to Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan—the same three as in the original events.
"Senior, without you, we wouldn't be here today. Please, these three spirit bones belong to you," Xie Yue said suddenly, bowing deeply and offering them to Lin Fan with both hands.
Bibi Dong froze in shock.
Three ten-thousand-year spirit bones—rare treasures that even most Titled Douluo could only dream of possessing—and they were being given away?
How could they possibly offer them to Lin Fan so readily?
"Well, since you insist, I'll reluctantly accept," Lin Fan said with a faint smile, taking the three bones. He was curious to see what kind of gene sequences could be extracted from these original-canon artifacts.
Bibi Dong's heart nearly bled at the sight. Even Spirit Hall would hesitate before parting with three such treasures at once.
"Alright, the distribution is settled. Now, allow me to introduce your new comrades," Bibi Dong said as she gestured toward the shadows behind her.
Ghost Douluo stepped forward, bringing out two figures.
"You two…!" Xie Yue's eyes widened in surprise when he recognized them—it was Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, two of the original Shrek Seven Devils.
"That's right," Dai Mubai said humbly. "We've now joined Spirit Hall."
Gone was the arrogant prince of Star Luo; in his place stood a respectful young man aware of his current weakness.
"You didn't go with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?" Hu Liena asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. "Or are you here as spies?"
Her words made Ghost Douluo and Bibi Dong both glance at the pair warily.
Truth be told, Bibi Dong had thought their recruitment had gone too smoothly. Hu Liena's remark only reinforced her doubts.
"N-no, absolutely not!" Dai Mubai quickly waved his hands. "The Shrek Seven Devils are no longer united. Tang San and Ning Rongrong were taken in by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, but the rest of us weren't."
That explanation made sense. Still, Xie Yue crossed his arms and added dryly, "Even mountain bandits have to prove their loyalty before joining. What will you offer as a token of faith?"
"Token of faith…?" Dai Mubai froze. He had no idea what he could offer. Once a prince of the Star Luo Empire, he was now just a stray spirit master with nothing to his name.
Bibi Dong watched him thoughtfully. "You said Shrek Academy hasn't joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. If that's true, I want to meet Flender myself."
To her, Shrek's students had proven their talent by making it to the finals. As someone who valued strength and potential, she wanted to bring that talent under Spirit Hall's control.
"No problem! Dean Flender's in Spirit City right now, along with Fatty and Little Ao," Dai Mubai said quickly, eager to please.
"Good. You have three days," Bibi Dong said.
But before she could continue, Lin Fan—who had been silently observing—finally spoke.
"Your Holiness, I believe it's time we talked," he said quietly. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's sudden surge in power, he wanted to return to the hive and prepare as soon as possible.
"Everyone, leave us," Bibi Dong ordered.
Once the hall was empty, her sharp gaze locked on Lin Fan. "Tell me—was it you who helped the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan create all those new Titled Douluo?"
"If I said it wasn't, would Your Holiness believe me?" Lin Fan spread his hands helplessly. His expression was perfectly calm.
"No."
"Very well then," Lin Fan said with a faint smirk.
Bibi Dong leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples tiredly. "Whatever they offered you, I can double it—triple it, even. All I ask is that you help Spirit Hall's Soul Douluos advance to the Titled Douluo rank."
Her tone carried exhaustion. Spirit Hall's future opponents were no longer just the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, but every major force across the continent. Individually they were weak, but united, they posed a serious threat.
"It's not impossible," Lin Fan said after some thought. "But the success rate isn't guaranteed. I'm sure Your Holiness understands."
He paused, then added, "My terms are simple—one spirit bone per Soul Douluo attempting the breakthrough, regardless of age. For a Titled Douluo, two spirit bones."
Lin Fan knew Spirit Hall didn't have many spirit bones to spare, so he didn't specify age restrictions. He didn't need the power, only the genetic material within them.
"Agreed," Bibi Dong said without hesitation.
Even though the price was steep, she had no choice. Lin Fan's conditions were the only path forward for Spirit Hall's rapid ascension—and time was something they could no longer afford to waste.
****
Well, my P*tr*on was banned and my S*bscribeSt*r is under review, so while my Sub is being activated, I'll be using K*-fi to sell advanced chapters. If you'd like to read those chapters (26+), you can go here:
ko-fi.com/shax07