Chapter 418: Yu Xiaogang: “Are You Trying to Rebel? This is the Elder’s Token! Make Way!”
Feng Xiaotian stared in disbelief at Su Ming and Huo Wu—were they really in a relationship already? They hadn't even known each other that long! Feng Xiaotian glanced at Huo Wu, hoping she'd say it was a lie, but her expression was genuine, leaving him feeling utterly defeated.
Su Ming didn't care what was running through Feng Xiaotian's mind. If he bothered Huo Wu again, there would be no mercy. After watching Huo Wu board her carriage, Su Ming returned to his own.
Upon entering, he felt the tense atmosphere. Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan were all silently staring at him, creating a "pressure-cooker" environment.
"Brother Su Ming," Ning Rongrong finally broke the silence, "can you explain when Huo Wu became your girlfriend?"
Clearing his throat, Su Ming replied nonchalantly, "Well, after I sparred with her yesterday, she was so impressed by my strength and charm that we just… got together." Su Ming said this shamelessly, and if Huo Wu were here, she'd probably want to punch him.
"Ew~~"
His words earned a wave of eye-rolls and jeers from the girls, and he scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. Maybe he'd exaggerated a bit, but it wasn't that far from the truth!
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang, after saying his goodbyes to Tang San and Flender, rode alone toward Spirit Hall. He intended to ask Bibi Dong for training methods for twin spirits. Now that Tang San had reached Soul King level and had his devouring ability, he could soon start cultivating his second spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer. Solving the conflict between twin spirits was urgent!
Yu Xiaogang was confident in his charm; surely, Bibi Dong wouldn't refuse him.
Ten days later…
Riding without rest, Yu Xiaogang finally reached Spirit Hall. When he attempted to enter the Pope's Palace, a group of guards immediately stopped him.
"Who goes there? This is the Pope's Palace. Leave immediately!" two guards said sternly.
Yu Xiaogang scowled and responded coldly, "Then see what this is!" He proudly took out the Elder's Token given to him by Tang Hao, holding it high. He anticipated the guards' deference, assuming they'd kneel and let him through.
The two guards exchanged glances, examining the token closely. After a moment, they seemed to come to a decision.
One second. Two seconds…
Contrary to Yu Xiaogang's expectations, they showed him not the slightest bit of respect—in fact, they looked at him with hostility.
The next moment…
"Ow! What are you doing?! This is the Elder's Token! How dare you, lowly guards, lay hands on the holder of an Elder's Token!" Yu Xiaogang shouted in pain, shocked that the guards would respond to the token by beating him!
Unable to resist, Yu Xiaogang's soul power was only at level 29, while these guards were well over level 50, tasked specifically with guarding the Pope's Palace.
"Bibi Dong! Bibi Dong! Look at the kind of people Spirit Hall has trained! They don't even recognize an Elder's Token!" Yu Xiaogang shouted in fury, trying to attract attention.
The commotion drew others' attention, but the guards, undeterred, continued to punch and kick him. Why? Simple: the Elder's Token he held was an old version—a fake.
As decreed by the Pope, anyone caught with a counterfeit Elder's Token could be "disciplined." In other words, if you could beat them, do so; if not, call someone who could.
Just then, the doors of the Pope's Palace opened, and Bibi Dong stepped out, looking at Yu Xiaogang's bruised face with hidden satisfaction. To her, this was just a minor punishment for the man who had deceived her for twenty years—an unforgivable act!
Years ago, Su Ming had critiqued the Elder's Token in his diary.
The Elder's Token was meant to symbolize the authority of Spirit Hall elders. However, when they originally crafted the token, they made a foolish mistake. The token bore six emblems, only three of which represented Spirit Hall, while the other three represented the upper sects. This made no sense, as these sects weren't even affiliates of Spirit Hall. Why honor them on Spirit Hall's own token?
This was Su Ming's first criticism.
The second issue was that anyone holding the Elder's Token could issue orders to Spirit Hall members, a bizarre rule. The Hall had even given Elder's Tokens to the three upper sects. Su Ming found this incredibly foolish. Yu Xiaogang's token, after all, had come from Tang Hao—a known enemy of Spirit Hall! Could such a person truly qualify as an elder?
In the original story, this token allowed Yu Xiaogang unimpeded access to see Bibi Dong, purely because it was "token over person," Su Ming's third point of critique. A token should have been bound to a specific individual. Otherwise, what if someone unqualified held it? Would Spirit Hall still have to obey them?
When Bibi Dong had read Su Ming's thoughts, she realized how right he was. Since Spirit Hall intended to unify the continent, it was inevitable that they'd clash with other sects, and simply recalling the tokens now wasn't realistic.
Thus, Bibi Dong conceived a different solution: a new batch of tokens. The new tokens would no longer bear the symbols of the three upper sects, marking a clean break.