"I've looked into Yu Xiaogang's past. Because of his Martial Soul's innate mutation, his innate Spirit Power was only half a level. On top of that, his Martial Soul—Luo San Pao—has that bizarre Spirit Ability release method. As a result, he was mocked by the members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for many years and regarded as the shame of the sect.
"People who grow up in that kind of environment usually end up one of three ways: either insecure and cowardly, or self-reliant and strong, or insecure yet fiercely proud.
"Yu Xiaogang belongs to the third type—deeply insecure, yet possessing an intense sense of pride. He's always wanted to produce some kind of achievement to prove himself. That so-called 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls' is precisely his proof to those who once mocked him.
"Unless he sees his theories recognized by the Spirit Master world and gains the respect of everyone, there's no way he'll retreat into seclusion with you.
"Judging from his behavior that day, at least for now, your position in his heart ranks below that."
Tian Hao explained everything calmly, forcing the girl to face reality.
"We…"
Bibi Dong wanted to retort, but she didn't know how.
She had spent no small amount of time with Yu Xiaogang and naturally understood his burning desire to prove himself. Thinking carefully, it really was impossible for him to retreat into seclusion with her. She had simply been too wishful.
"No matter what, I still have to kill you. You hurt Xiaogang."
The more she thought about it, the angrier Bibi Dong became. She stopped being reasonable—today, she was determined to make this bastard pay.
"Killing me is easy for you. You'd only need to move a finger. But have you ever considered that my existence might also be a trial His Holiness set for you?
"If I die or end up crippled, it would mean that Saintess Bibi Dong has failed the assessment yet again. What kind of outcome do you think that would bring?
"Would His Holiness conclude that you're beyond saving and directly let what almost happened that night truly happen?
"Or send someone to kill Yu Xiaogang?
"Just as killing me would be effortless for you, sending someone to kill Yu Xiaogang would be just as effortless."
Tian Hao spoke with a smile, utterly delighted as he watched the girl once again fall into a dazed stupor.
Since he had chosen to show himself in this incident, he was naturally not afraid of Bibi Dong coming for revenge.
"How can you people be like this?"
It took her a long while to come back to herself. Bibi Dong felt like crying, her heart filled with grievance.
"I'll say it again—you're too stupid. If you'd thought all this through when you met Yu Xiaogang, things wouldn't have reached this point."
With a wicked grin, Tian Hao stepped forward. It was time to study this Saintess.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing Tian Hao approach with ill intent, Bibi Dong instinctively retreated. But Tian Hao advanced step by step, finally pinning her against the wall. He braced his arms on either side of her shoulders, preventing her from escaping.
"Saintess, you wouldn't want anything to happen to Yu Xiaogang, would you?"
Leaning close to her ear, Tian Hao spoke softly, his smile utterly sinister.
So what if she was powerful? As long as she had a weakness, he could grip her tightly.
"What do you want to do?"
Bibi Dong's expression changed as she grew alert. What was this bastard planning now?
"Son, what do you want for dinner tonight? Mom will—"
At that moment, the door suddenly opened. His mother, Sun Feng, froze halfway through her sentence when she saw the scene inside. Snapping back to her senses, she hurriedly closed the door again.
"Son, your dad and I have to work overtime tonight. Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that too. You take care of your own meals—don't worry about us."
Her voice drifted in from outside, leaving Tian Hao stunned. He had the distinct feeling that his mother had misunderstood something.
"What do you want? I'm warning you—don't get any improper ideas."
Seizing the chance to slip free, Bibi Dong coldly demanded an answer, issuing a warning not to go too far.
"Relax. Even if I were interested in you, His Holiness the Pope wouldn't agree. I'd probably be the first one chopped to pieces. I'm not an idiot like Yu Xiaogang, the type who'd die under the peony and still think it romantic."
As he spoke, Tian Hao took out a large syringe he had prepared in advance.
"I just want a bit of your blood."
Smiling cheerfully, Tian Hao had long yearned to obtain the Saintess's blood.
Back in the secret chamber of the Pope's Palace, Qian Xunji had been present, making it inconvenient for him to act. But this was his own home. Since Bibi Dong had delivered herself to his door, not taking advantage to draw a tube would be a crime deserving of divine punishment.
"You call that 'a bit'?"
Staring at the syringe—thicker than her forearm—Bibi Dong was so angry she wanted to stab someone.
Blood itself wasn't an issue, but pulling out something that huge—what was that supposed to mean?
Were you trying to drain her dry?
"This is the only kind of syringe I have."
Putting on an innocent expression, Tian Hao indicated that this was the only size available.
"Don't be too greedy!"
After hesitating, Bibi Dong finally rolled up her sleeve and extended her fair, pale arm.
For Xiaogang's sake, she endured it!
"Bear with it. It'll hurt a little."
Tian Hao beamed as he simply wiped and disinfected the area, then pierced the pale blue vein with the needle. He gently pushed the plunger slightly, injecting a small amount of liquid that was extremely difficult to detect into her bloodstream, before slowly drawing blood.
At first, Bibi Dong didn't feel much. But after a while, she sensed something wrong—her head grew increasingly dizzy.
"What, are you afraid of blood? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Before the girl could question him, Tian Hao turned the tables, then pulled the syringe out.
At the same time, he stayed on guard. The moment Bibi Dong showed any sign of activating her Martial Soul, he'd grab her arm and slam her around—just like the Hulk smashing Loki.
Spirit Masters were a fragile profession. Without Martial Soul possession or Spirit Abilities, they were nothing special—especially since he had just slipped Bibi Dong a dose of medicine.
This sudden reversal only made the already-dizzy Bibi Dong even more confused. In the end, her vision went black and she fainted.
Seeing the girl lose consciousness smoothly, Tian Hao finally let out a sigh of relief and laid her on the bed.
He didn't act immediately. Only after ten minutes, once the medicine had fully taken effect, did he finally relax.
"O foolish young lady—human hearts are treacherous. Let this be a lesson for you."
After sighing with emotion, Tian Hao stepped forward. Once he confirmed that Bibi Dong had truly fallen into deep unconsciousness, he wrapped her with mental power. Like storing something in a storage soul tool, he drew her entire body into his spiritual sea.
Studying Bibi Dong's blood was nothing compared to studying her entire body.
This was another ability awakened in his spiritual sea after his Spirit Power reached Rank 10. Not only could it store energy bodies like Spirit Rings, it could even store physical matter and living beings.
Without delay, he used the power of the spiritual sea to shrink his mental consciousness down to an infinitesimal level and enter Bibi Dong's body, observing the differences between her and a normal person.
Knowing that a poison-attributed Spirit Master like Bibi Dong had extremely strong drug resistance, Tian Hao didn't directly observe things at the cellular level. He merely examined the abnormalities on a macroscopic level before sending her back out.
Then he picked up the large syringe again and continued drawing blood, also collecting some cells from her scalp and palms.
After finishing, he ignored the unconscious girl and excitedly got to work, eventually placing everything into cold storage.
Of course, he didn't forget to feed her the blood-replenishing medicinal soup he had prepared in advance.
Though it had already cooled, its effects were unaffected.
"Gurgle…"
Once everything was done, Tian Hao rubbed his growling stomach and went downstairs to the kitchen. Seeing the already-steamed rice, he knew his parents had prepared it before leaving.
Their whole family liked eating rice. His father would usually wash and steam it as soon as he got home in the evening, while his mother would come up to ask what dishes he wanted.
The rice was ready—he only needed to cook a few dishes.
In his previous life, he'd been a shut-in who rarely went out. To avoid starving to death, he had taught himself some cooking. Not amazing, but at least edible.
Soon, he finished two cold dishes, a stir-fried egg dish, stir-fried greens, and an egg drop soup. The whole process took no more than ten minutes.
Carrying four dishes and one soup to the dining table, Tian Hao filled a large bowl with rice and started eating.
He had only taken a few bites when a long sword suddenly rested against his neck—the very same blunt thousand-forged tungsten steel sword he used for practice.
No need to think about who it was. It could only be the Saintess.
Her poison resistance really was outrageous. That drug was enough to knock a pig out for three days and three nights, yet she had woken up in just half an hour.
Tian Someone-or-Other: Bibi Dong's poison resistance is truly insane. Compared to Poison Douluo, they're complete opposites.