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[After the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect demanded an exorbitant price, Bibi Dong finally obtained a top-tier secret medicine.]
[Unfortunately, the price Qian Xunji paid for this was so great that he couldn't even feel happy seeing his Disciple's fourth spirit ring.]
[Especially since the cost this time came entirely from Qian Xunji's own private coffers.]
[As the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji's word was law, but there was still that problem: Qian Daoliu was above him, keeping him in check.]
[With Qian Daoliu around, did Qian Xunji want to use Spirit Hall's public assets to settle the trouble caused by his own selfishness?]
[He couldn't move them; he couldn't move them at all.]
[In short, after some communication, Qian Daoliu protected Spirit Hall's public assets, Bibi Dong obtained a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring, and Yu Xiaogang and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect received a pile of good things.]
[A World where only Qian Xunji was hurt had been achieved.]
[On this side, she obtained her fourth spirit ring, which was the Spirit Ability to counter mental attacks that Bibi Dong had been longing for.]
[The source of the spirit ring was a Spirit Beast called the Nether Spirit Poison Spider.]
[This was one of the reference options Yu Xiaogang listed for her after Bibi Dong had come to consult him repeatedly.]
[This spider Spirit Beast possessed an extremely powerful mental toxin that, when applied to an opponent, could effectively attack them on a mental level.]
[At the same time, these toxins could enhance their toxicity by devouring mental power.]
[It could be said that as long as Bibi Dong successfully applied this mental toxin to an opponent, they would suffer unless they had a way to detoxify.]
[As a master of using mental force, the Nether Spirit Poison Spider's toxins could also be applied to oneself, allowing them to devour external mental force to achieve a defensive purpose.]
[In passing, it could also strengthen one's own mental force for a short time.]
[A Spirit Ability that integrated offense, defense, and support—Bibi Dong was quite satisfied after obtaining this skill.]
[Even someone like Qian Xunji, who had a very negative opinion of Yu Xiaogang, couldn't say anything against it after experiencing Bibi Dong's Fourth Spirit Ability.]
[Because compared to Bibi Dong's current Spirit Ability, the ones Spirit Hall had selected for her from their own Spirit Beasts were actually a bit embarrassing to present.]
[Among those Spirit Beasts, the one Qian Xunji thought was best was a Spirit Beast called the Thorny Armor Spider.]
[This was a Spirit Beast with extremely strong defensive capabilities.]
[The Spirit Ability this Spirit Beast could provide would most likely be its signature Thorny Spider Armor.]
[A Spirit Ability that could clothe a Spirit Master in armor while also applying toxins to an opponent who attacked the armor.]
[Comparing it to the Nether Spirit Poison Spider provided by Yu Xiaogang, it also provided defense and could apply toxins.]
[It was just that one was physical, while the other was mental.]
[However, the Thorny Armor Spider was a Spirit Beast specialized in defense; its toxins, while useful, were only the icing on the cake.]
[The Nether Spirit Poison Spider was different; it specialized in the mental realm, and its mental toxin's attack power was ridiculously strong.]
[This made Bibi Dong both durable and capable of dealing damage.]
[The difference in quality was immediately apparent.]
[However, being durable and capable of dealing damage was relative. When Bibi Dong obtained her fourth spirit ring and gathered her teammates from the Second Team, they prepared to work together to hand Yu Xiaogang his first defeat.]
[And then they were soundly thrashed by Yu Xiaogang.]
[It could only be said that with Bibi Dong's current mental force, defending against Yu Xiaogang's Second Spirit Skill was fine.]
[But wanting to attack Yu Xiaogang through the Fourth Spirit Ability's mental toxin?]
[That was truly wishful thinking.]
[That said, in that battle, a well-prepared Bibi Dong and the others still caused Yu Xiaogang a lot of trouble.]
[After finishing their daily sparring, Yu Xiaogang led everyone through a summary, and only then did the group disband.]
["The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin. Have you decided which division you're going to compete in?"]
[Watching the other team members leave, Bibi Dong looked at Yu Xiaogang.]
[The tournament format for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament is divided into Qualifiers, Promotion Matches, and the Finals.]
[Of course, the only ones that truly matter are the Qualifiers and the Finals.]
[As long as you can pass the Qualifiers, you can head to the Finals.]
[As for the Promotion Matches between the Qualifiers and the Finals, they are just for ranking the advancing teams to facilitate the final arrangements.]
[And incidentally, to allow the two great Empires to screen for talent.]
[As the Second Team of Spirit Hall Academy, Yu Xiaogang and the others couldn't be directly seeded into the Finals like the First Team, so they had to find a place to participate in the Qualifiers.]
["Let's stick with the Heaven Dou Empire; I don't really like the Star Luo side."]
[Yu Xiaogang said without any hesitation.]
[As the current greatest source of turmoil on the Douluo Continent, the Star Luo Empire maintained a constant ambition for expansion.]
[Of course, it wasn't that the Heaven Dou Empire didn't have such thoughts.]
[It was just that compared to the Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou's ambition was much smaller.]
[This was basically due to the respective imperial families.]
[The Dai Family of the Star Luo Empire's imperial house possessed the White Tiger Spirit and a love for war and slaughter; it was an instinct carved into their bones.]
[So as long as the Star Luo Empire remained in the Dai Family's hands, its ambitions would never cease.]
[Meanwhile, for the Xue Family of the Heaven Dou imperial house, their Spirit was the Swan.]
[Compared to the White Tiger, the Heaven Dou imperial family, with their Swan Spirit, had much less interest in external expansion.]
[Of course, different environments forged different atmospheres.]
[The Star Luo Empire was constantly preparing for war, which made the people there value martial arts, creating a strong culture of belligerence.]
[It was said that in the most pugnacious towns of the Star Luo Empire, when two people's eyes met, a fight would break out between them.]
[So compared to that kind of environment, Yu Xiaogang still preferred the atmosphere here in the Heaven Dou Empire.]
[At least he had lived here for so many years, and it wouldn't make him feel oppressed.]
["The Heaven Dou Empire... true, part of the reason you're participating in this tournament is because of His Excellency Thunder."]
[Bibi Dong suddenly remembered the reason Yu Xiaogang wanted to participate in this tournament in the first place.]
[Initially, it was a task assigned by His Excellency Thunder, and combined with Yu Xiaogang's own desire to verify some ideas about team composition, it led to the creation of the current Second Team.]
[Thinking about it this way, Lin Fei and the others really should thank His Excellency Thunder. If not for him, who knows when Yu Xiaogang would have gotten around to verifying this hypothesis.]
[Perhaps it would have been after graduating from Spirit Hall Academy and returning to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.]
[In that case, Lin Fei and the others might have only been ordinary Spirit Masters.]
["...That reason can be ignored, really,"]
[Yu Xiaogang said after a brief silence upon hearing this.]
[He hadn't chosen the Heaven Dou Empire just to cater to his father's desire to show off his son.]
["Oh~, I understand, I understand."]
[Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, Bibi Dong nodded with a look of realization.]
[He definitely chose the Heaven Dou Empire to cater to His Excellency Thunder.]
[Tsk tsk tsk, what a stubborn man!]
[Facing Bibi Dong's teasing gaze, Yu Xiaogang was suddenly speechless.]
[He wanted to explain, but after thinking about it, there seemed to be no need.]
[So, Yu Xiaogang chose to give up.]
[Forget it, forget it. I'll just treat it as catering to my father.]