Huang Wei swam to the pool's edge and hauled himself out, water streaming down his body. His bare torso glistened in the sunlight—fortunately, white shorts preserved his modesty.
In his excitement at seeing Bibi Dong, he didn't think twice. Instead, he flashed his brightest smile. "Teacher! What brings you here today?"
Then, without warning, he launched himself forward—
—and latched onto Bibi Dong's thigh like a koala, looking up at her with pitiful puppy-dog eyes. "Teacher, I missed you so much~"
Bibi Dong's entire body went rigid.
Her expression darkened instantly. "Get. Up. And put on some clothes. You're completely improper meeting people like this!"
Her tone sharpened with rare severity. Her grip on the gem scepter tightened until her knuckles turned white.
If he weren't my direct disciple, I'd have kicked him across the courtyard by now.
Behind her, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan all swallowed hard, giving mental thumbs-up.
This kid has guts. We'll give him that.
Huang Wei's wet body had thoroughly soaked Bibi Dong's elegant white legs, leaving glistening trails of water.
Realization finally dawned. "Ah—sorry, sorry!" He scrambled back with an awkward laugh.
He quickly pulled a towel from his Crimson Crystal Chain soul tool and wrapped it around himself, leaving only his head poking out adorably.
"Teacher, is this better?" He grinned innocently.
"Clothes. Real clothes." Bibi Dong's tone was flat, exasperated.
Huang Wei spun around and, using the towel as a privacy screen, quickly changed into fresh garments—a tailored green outfit that fit him perfectly.
This was a standard set Bibi Dong had commissioned specifically for him, designed to match his proportions exactly. She'd chosen green because his Black Turtle martial soul generated emerald armor upon possession, and the color coordination looked striking.
Huang Wei spread his arms, modeling the outfit. "How do I look, Teacher? Though I think I've grown a bit taller since leveling up. I might need new ones soon."
Bibi Dong nodded, her expression softening. "It suits you well. When you outgrow it, I'll have new ones made."
Her patience with Huang Wei was extraordinary. Anyone else would have already been trembling on their knees in terror.
The truth was, Bibi Dong had come to see Huang Wei almost as a son. She glimpsed in him a shadow of what motherhood might feel like—none of the distance or formality, just genuine warmth. She liked that feeling.
Even with Hu Liena, there had always been a barrier of teacher-student reverence. Respectful, but distant. Cold.
What Huang Wei offered was different. Not awe and separation, but closeness. Familial comfort.
That's what she treasured.
"Little Wei," Bibi Dong began, transitioning smoothly to business, "I came here today to introduce you to your new teammates."
She gestured to the three young people behind her. "These three comprise the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall. The leader is Hu Liena—captain of the team, my first direct disciple, and your senior sister. Her martial soul is the Heavenly Fox."
"This is Xie Yue, Nana's older brother. His martial soul is a crescent blade that can split into two halves."
"And this is Yan. His martial soul is the Flame Lord."
"All three are seven years your senior, and they've all reached level thirty—Soul Elder rank."
Her gaze settled back on Huang Wei. "You will be their fourth member."
The words had barely left her mouth when—
[Ding! Mission Alert: Join the Golden Generation as the fourth member. Reward options:]
[Option One: Turtle Shell Defense Doubled]
[Option Two: Turtle Claw Enhancement + Water Dragon Cannonball]
[Option Three: Black Armor Whirling Escape Technique]
Huang Wei's expression lit up like fireworks.
Is this even a mission? This is a freebie!
Zero effort, maximum reward. Only an idiot would pass this up.
"System, I choose Option One!" he shouted internally without hesitation.
As a turtle, defense was everything. The harder he was, the safer he'd be.
Speed? Attack power? He didn't need them. He had two divine-tier equipment pieces handling counter-damage.
[Option One selected successfully. Reward will be distributed upon task completion.]
Perfect.
Huang Wei snapped back to the present moment, blinking at the three Golden Generation members. He greeted them cheerfully. "Hello, Senior Sister! Hello, fellow teammates! Please take care of me from now on! My defense is ridiculously strong—if you don't believe me, feel free to test it!"
The hot-blooded Yan immediately took the bait. "Oh? Then I'd love to experience just how powerful your martial soul's defense really is!"
Though they'd heard Bibi Dong describe Huang Wei's capabilities in the Pope's Palace, hearing about something and experiencing it firsthand were completely different.
Curiosity burned in all three of them. They had to try.
Bibi Dong frowned slightly. "Little Wei... will this be safe?"
After all, she was a Titled Douluo, and even she'd felt intense pain from his counter-damage. Yan was only a Soul Elder. If he couldn't handle the backlash and collapsed...
And she knew Yan's personality—he was completely reckless when fired up.
Huang Wei's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Honestly? I'm not sure if something will happen. Teacher, maybe you should call a high-level healing soul master to stand by, just in case?"
"A wise precaution." Bibi Dong nodded approvingly.
She immediately drafted a short message and infused it with soul power. The letter vanished in a flash of light.
Platinum Bishop Salas received it within moments. As one of Bibi Dong's most trusted subordinates, he sprang into action immediately, summoning one of the Pope's Palace's finest Contra-level healing soul masters.
Minutes later, a mature woman arrived, dropping to one knee. "Your Holiness!"
"Activate your martial soul and observe from the sidelines," Bibi Dong commanded. "If anything goes wrong during the upcoming test, heal them immediately."
"As you command!"
The woman stepped aside and summoned her martial soul—an enormous tree called the Void Mulberry, renowned for its restorative properties. Eight soul rings rose from beneath her feet in the optimal configuration: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.
A Contra-level healer. The best non-Titled Douluo healing available.
With preparations complete, Huang Wei tilted his head and smirked at Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.
"Actually... why don't all three of you come at me together? Save us some time."
The courtyard fell silent.
Xie Yue's eye twitched. "Arrogant little brat. You're only a level fourteen Soul Warrior. Don't act like you're on our level—we're Soul Elders!"
Hu Liena's competitive spirit flared. Though this junior brother had been praised by their teacher and possessed innate soul power, this level of cockiness was too much.
The three of them together? Their combined power could easily defeat even Soul Ancestors.
Bibi Dong's lips curved into the faintest smile. "Since Little Wei asked all three of you to attack together... why not humor him?"
Huang Wei shot her a grateful thumbs-up. Beautiful assist, Sister Dong.
"Well, if Teacher insists, we won't hold back!" Hu Liena put her hands on her hips, a challenging gleam in her eyes. "When we break through your turtle shell, don't come crying to us!"