Midnight.
In the middle of his sleep, Lin Fan's heart suddenly tightened, a strong and inexplicable sense of danger flashing in his mind.
He immediately opened his eyes—only to find someone sitting quietly at the edge of his bed in the dark.
As his vision adjusted, Lin Fan recognized the figure. At the same time, the person seemed to notice that he had woken up.
Suddenly, the world spun—the scene changed to the garden outside the hotel, as if by teleportation.
A breeze passed, and Lin Fan, dressed in nothing but thin sleepwear, shivered. He looked at the woman before him and asked in confusion,
"Elder sister… who are you?"
Could she have discovered my identity? Lin Fan thought suspiciously.
To infiltrate the hotel silently and teleport someone out… only Bibi Dong could manage something like that.
At that moment, Bibi Dong stood about a meter away, looking at Lin Fan with calm eyes.
But since Lin Fan was currently using the identity of "Lin Xuan," there was no way he could reveal her name first. He had to pretend not to recognize her.
"Didn't your uncle tell you who I am, before letting you come to Spirit City for the finals?"
Bibi Dong asked with a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Lin Fan furrowed his brow as if thinking deeply. Then, feigning cautious speculation, he said,
"Are you… Her Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong?"
"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Bibi Dong asked, interest piqued.
Lin Fan replied earnestly:
"Uncle Lin Fan specifically told me that the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall isn't just incredibly powerful—she's also one of the most beautiful women on the entire continent, with very few equals."
"And you, elder sister, managed to silently teleport me out here. You're also the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and this is Spirit City. So… I guessed you must be the one my uncle mentioned: Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong."
When it's time to flatter—flatter hard. Winning the championship is secondary. If my identity gets exposed, the whole mission is ruined.
Bibi Dong was taken aback, then let out a slight smile.
"You know how to sweet-talk. Or is that just what your uncle says about me?"
As expected, women may act indifferent on the surface, but everyone loves a good compliment.
"Yes, that's exactly how my uncle described you," Lin Fan said with a sincere expression.
"Though personally… I think he was wrong."
"Oh?" Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow. "What did he get wrong?"
"Now that I've seen you in person, I think… you're even more beautiful and stronger than he described," Lin Fan praised without hesitation.
Seeing Lin Fan's honest and admiring gaze, Bibi Dong's hostility faded significantly.
"You're certainly smoother than your uncle."
She paused, then said,
"Where is Lin Fan currently cultivating? Has he finished his closed-door training? It's been half a year."
"Pardon the question, Your Holiness… but why are you so concerned about my uncle?" Lin Fan asked cautiously.
Bibi Dong snorted.
"That man said he would come and find me during the finals. Now there are only two days left, and he hasn't shown up—I'm very upset."
Lin Fan gave an awkward smile.
"I honestly don't know where he's cultivating. Before going into seclusion, he just told me to participate in the elite tournament—and specifically instructed me to win the championship."
"Oh?" Bibi Dong's voice turned curious. "Did he tell you anything else? Why did he insist on you joining?"
Lin Fan replied carefully:
"Uncle said that Her Holiness is generous and had prepared three spirit bones of over 10,000 years for the tournament champion—including one that's 50,000 years old."
"I don't know if that's true or not."
"What?!" Bibi Dong was shocked. "He told you that… half a year ago?"
Indeed, she had prepared three high-quality spirit bones as the championship prize. Originally, she wanted to award them directly to Hu Liena's team.
But due to opposition from senior elders in Spirit Hall, she had to make them into official rewards.
Her rationale was simple: Spirit Hall's team was so strong that winning was a near certainty, so the bones were practically guaranteed to go to her people. That was the only reason she dared to offer such rare rewards.
And now… Lin Fan had anticipated all of this and even sent his nephew to compete. This showed just how much confidence he had in Lin Xuan's abilities.
"So Lin Fan already knew I'd offer spirit bones? That means… he was also aware of our team's strength. He must truly believe Lin Xuan can stand against Hu Liena and the others," Bibi Dong muttered to herself.
"Yes. But my uncle mainly wanted me to use this elite tournament as a trial by fire," Lin Fan added seriously.
"So… you think you can take on my team?" Bibi Dong asked with a smirk, half amused, half probing.
"To be honest, Your Holiness, after watching your team's matches… I'm not very confident," Lin Fan replied sincerely.
I'd better act cautiously when fighting Hu Liena and the others. Gotta make it look close, Lin Fan thought to himself.
"From what I've seen, you've only used two spirit skills so far, and yet you took down the Star Luo Royal Team with a single century-level attack," Bibi Dong continued pressing.
"Sigh. The last three spirit skills I have are all self-enhancing techniques to boost my strength and power. Uncle said the early ones weren't important," Lin Fan replied helplessly.
"I see. Well, it's late. You should go back to sleep." Bibi Dong no longer gave him a hard time.
"Thank you, Your Holiness. I'll take my leave." Lin Fan nodded and turned back toward the hotel.
Bibi Dong stood silently, watching him walk away.
"Wait… what was I here for again?"
Then it hit her.
"Ah. You sly bastard, Lin Fan. You taught your nephew to speak like this just to make sure I wouldn't do anything to him."
Originally, Bibi Dong came at midnight to make sure Lin Fan couldn't compete in the next rounds.
But after all those compliments, her train of thought was completely derailed—and she couldn't bring herself to act.
"Fine then. Perhaps this is a good thing. Lately, Hu Liena and the others have had it too easy under our protection. If they lose to Lin Xuan, it might be the push they need to improve."
After murmuring to herself, Bibi Dong returned to the Pope's Hall and sat in meditation.
Meanwhile, back in bed, Lin Fan exhaled in relief.
"That was close. I thought Bibi Dong had seen through my disguise. Luckily, it was probably just the pressure I've been exerting that got to her."
"She likely came to eliminate me from the finals. Thank goodness I sweet-talked my way out of it."
As he lay down, Lin Fan quietly decided:
In the next match, I'll make it look like Hu Liena's group is giving me trouble…
The Next Day.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan stood before Bibi Dong in the Pope's Hall.
"The finals are about to begin," Bibi Dong said coldly. "If you lose to Shrek Academy's Lin Xuan, the three of you will spend the next three years training in the Misty Valley."
The three shivered. They knew what kind of place Misty Valley was.
Yes, Your Holiness! the trio replied seriously.