First Meeting

Chapter 3: First Meeting

Absorbing the Spirit Ring proves to be a difficult task. Yugi had to familiarize with the foreign and chaotic residual spirit and convert it into usable one. Moreover, there's also the residual soul of the Purple Thunder Rat that had to be purged first. 

His approach to this problem was similar with the nature transformation that he used, only reverse. If the nature transformation changed a pure spirit power into elementals, absorbing the Spirit Ring can be done by changing it into his own pure spiritual power.

After getting the gist of it and know what to do next, everything went smoothly. He converted the energy emmited from the spirit ring that it become an exact copy like his own Spiritual Power, Yugi integrated the Spirit Ring into his Martial Soul, evolving it. His body glowing and let out a blinding light.

The light subsided and Yugi opened his eyes. 

Immediately after that, he noticed there are two people waiting in the vicinity. It was a little girl with her master that he happened passed by when he was chasing after the Purple Thunder Rat.

He thought for a bit and realized what was they're after. He then stood up, storing the rat carcass into his bag and jumped from the crater.

"Although it was unneeded. I'm grateful for your protection." Yugi cupped his hand to the expensive looking young girl. 

"You are welcome. Now, tell me who are you? Where is your master?"

"This humble person name is Yugi. Sadly, my master, Master Oogway, has passed away. If it's not improper, may I know your name, Young Miss?"

Yugi knows that this world, while it has some western element to it. The people still have the characteristic of typical Chinese characters depicted in the novel. There's Young Master cliché everywhere. So, in order to avoid such cliché from happening he even forced himself to be respectful toward this little girl. That's why he used subservient tone when talking to her, even if the word that come out from his mouth a complete bullshit.

Yet, her next word was enough to make him shocked.

"Bibi Dong."

He widened his eyes and looked at her face observing her every facial features. The hair is ashen pink like how it was in the donghua, and her face while still looks like a child it's still has certain charm to it. When she grow up, she would definitely become a country-toppling beauty.

She is a misunderstood antagonist, and the kind of crazy girl that was way too his liking. Moreover, thanks to the villainized Yu Xiaogang fanfics ..., he began to see Spirit Hall and Bibi Dong with sympathy and thought that perhaps they were the actual good side. After all, while their method is extreme but everything that they do is for the betterment of common people. Even if that means a complete revolution by destroying the pre-established governmental system.

'I'm not a lolicon, but for her ... no, that's dangerous thinking. Begone, evil thought!' Yugi was starting to question his own sexual preference. But really, he as a man who lived through two lives never seen a beautiful child like this Bibi Dong.

"I'm a bit bothered with your stare, is there anything stuck in my face?" Bibi Dong clearly saw the myriad emotions that was on the young boy's expression. 

"No, it's nothing." Yugi shook his head in flustered manners. "Then if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."

"Wait!" Bibi Dong called out.

"Yes?"

"What was that blue lightning just now, how can you move so fast?"

Yugi thought about how to answer for a moment and then he said. "It's my Innate Skill."

"Innate Skill?"

"Yes, you know that when awakening a Martial Soul there's a slight chance of awakening an Innate Skill. That was my Innate Skill." 

"Hmmm ... tell me more," Bibi Dong put on thoughtful expression by furrowing her brows and asked him to explain it further.

"For example, one has the beast martial soul and even before this person break through Rank 11 and become a Spirit Master, some people could utilize the Martial Soul by transforming one body either fully or partially into the characteristic of the said beast martial soul. That can be considered as Innate Skill, or Initial Skill."

"Ahhh ... so that's the case." Bibi Dong finally understood what he was referring to.

"Boy, I'm Yue Guan ... an elder from Spirit Hall." introduced the beautiful guy in female robes as he instantly appeared in front of him.

After he came, for some reason he exuded his pressure toward Yugi. But the boy only flinched as he controlled his Spiritual Power to alleviate the pressure.

"Nice to meet you Elder Yue Guan, but is it necessary to put this much pressure on me?" Yugi cupped his hand to the gay man as he grit his teeth. 'You damn trap, is there a need to do this?'

"Elder Yue, what are you doing? Stop!" Bibi Dong reprimanded Yue Guan for what he did.

"Ahaha, apologize young boy. I was just curious." he smiled and tried to let it go as a joke, but inwardly he grew more cautious. A Spirit Master that can handle a pressure of a level 89 Spirit Douluo? Was it because he's too weak or this boy is just too abnormal.

"To have such strong elder as a bodyguard, seems like Miss Bibi Dong is indeed a bigshot."

"Let me re-introduce myself. My name is Bibi Dong, Saintess of the Spirit Hall." Bibi Dong spoke in a slightly weird tone as if wanting to make herself sounds regal. "In few years to come, I'll be the next Supreme Pontiff. How about it, would you like to join my Spirit Hall? I appreciate your talent and potential. If you join us, we will give you every resource that you need. If you want to, I will arrange some of our Elder to guide you in cultivation."

A Spirit Master without a master, no matter how unique he is, there's no way he could advance without proper guidance or vast amount of resource. And judging by his name and manner, it looks like he's a commoner. He must be dancing with joy after she passed an olive branch to him.

"I will humbly refuse to your offer, Saintess."

"Then, I welco- ... huh, wait. Did you just reject my invitation?" Bibi Dong asked not expecting such answer. 

"I still have something to do in this forest and I don't have any plan on joining any organization."

"Boy, if I were you, I'll accept her offer right here and now. Did you know that just how wealthy and resourceful our Spirit Hall is? You won't get that far if you only rely on yourself." Chrysanthemum Douluo put some words, but with that tone of his it was more a threat rather than persuasion.

"I see." but Yugi was unfazed.

"This brat ..."

"Elder Yue!" Bibi Dong called out his name to stop him from doing anything excessive. She then looked at the young boy once again and took out something from his storage Spirit Tools. "This is my personal insignia, if you ever change your mind please come and find me in the Supreme Pontiff Palace in Holy City."

She handed over the silver and gold metal emblem to Yugi and then turned her head. 

"Elder Yue, we're finished here. Let's go!" 

Chrysanthemum Douluo used his Martial Soul to fly bringing Bibi Dong with him.

'To think I would meet Bibi Dong this early ..., I wonder, should I stop the tragedy that would happen to her? Nah, that would be foolish. Fighting against the current Pope ..., why seeks death when you can pursue happiness? Besides, if I do that won't that practically prevents Qian Renxue from spawning?' Yugi shook his head to dissolve the notion of changing the course of history.

Qian Renxue was born from the result of Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong's master who forced himself on her. Thus caused Bibi Dong to hate him to the bone even as far as finishing him off after he got heavily injured by Hao Tian Douluo. Bibi Dong never showed her love to her own daughter who was born from such act, as Qian Renxue reminded her to her master. At the end of the story ... Qian Renxue sacrificed her lives to block Tang San's attack that could kill her. It serves as a wakeup call to Bibi Dong as she realized that she still has a feeling for her daughter. But all of that was too late.

Thinking about it, it was not surprising that she was obsessed with Yu Xiaogang. He was the person of opposite gender closest the most with her before her own master r*ped her. Perhaps that small degree of liking turned into a heavy obsession after that tragic turn.

'Damn it, I feel so worthless ... how could I let such a fine girl to suffer such tragedy?! Shitf*ck with all of this.' Yugi thought pattern got affected by his own emotion. 

The current Pope, Qian Xunji was already a Titled Douluo. Going against him openly means suicide with Spirit Hall is at his beck and call. He would need at least become a Titled Douluo to hold a candle against him. And he needs to do it before 20 as if his memory didn't fail, Bibi Dong conceived Qian Renxue on her late teens to early twenties.

Meaning he only have a decade at best if he wanted to help her escape that tragedy.

"Damn, it's easier to completely disappears from her life and not care for her at all." 

The conflict between Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji started because of Yu Xiaogang close relationship with Bibi Dong. Yugi didn't know much about it, after all, he never finished reading the novel, manhua or watch all the donghua episode. He only knows scarce information from the various fanfictions, and that's also with various thought and perspective of the fanfic's authors. 

One solid thing that he knows about this plot is that: Qian Xunji forced Bibi Dong because in the first place Yu Xiaogang is too close with her and the old man got jealous. In result, Bibi Dong bred an extreme hatred toward her master, to the point where she killed him with her own hands and refuse to acknowledge Qian Renxue as her daughter.

If he disappeared from her, won't that prevent any tragedy that bound to happen? But that would also mean that Qian Xunji might built a happy family with Bibi Dong.

"Arghhh ..., knowing the plot is suck, what am I supposed to do now? Should I go and snatch her from her scum master? If I decide to prevent that tragedy, then what am I supposed to do with other tragedies that happening in this land, for example ..., Dugo Bo's family, Xiao Wu's mother, Ah Yin, Ye Lingling's clan?!"

Knowing everything that would bound to happen is not always a good thing. Especially if you realized that it was nigh impossible thing to prevent it. And he realized that just now.

"Fuck it all man ..., just like Satoshi said, 'Gotta Catch 'em all!' I won't leave anyone behind. I, as a man who transmigrate, promised to build myself a harem!" he roared out loud, letting out all of his emotion.

With that in mind, Yugi become much more motivated to grow stronger. In this dog-eats-dog world ... an empty talk is useless, but an empty fist is still useful. Especially if it was a strong one.

After returning to his cave, Yugi summoned out his martial spirit. Only those with cultivation of Soul Master capable to materialize their martial spirit and use it for battle. Thus, for the first time, his martial soul got materialized in the material world. 

"Come forth, my Martial Soul."

A blinding light engulfed the tattoo on his right hand, and a creature popped out. He was expecting the weird dog/hog-like hybrid, but what come out was an entirely different creature.

Marsupial body, short legs, whitish-blue fur, long fluffy tail that parted into two at the tip, canine-like head with big wing-like pair of ears, and red eyes with purple gem embedded on its forehead. 

"Carbuncle?"

Its appearance reminded him of Carbuncle in one of the Final Fantasy games that he used to play.

The carbuncle-like creature tilted its small heads in confusion before exlaimed.

"Cabu? Ca!!" it dived happily toward Yugi and rubbed his head on his clothes.

"Well, let's call you that for now ..." Yugi rubbed back the fluffy fur as he felt that the name Luo Sanpao is too derisive.

After absorbing the spirit ring from Purple Thunder Rat, he also got the martial skills. The ability is [Quick Charge], it stored spiritual power in the form of Lightning and then sent it toward his enemy by electrocuting from distance or upon contact.

"Well, I should be thankful it's not farting ..." 

Yugi hypothesized that perhaps Martial Soul has something to do with the Spirit Master's own thought and perception. The original Yu Xiaogang while he claimed to be the peerless theorist master in Douluo Continent, still think under his subconscious that he has trash martial soul. Thus, the skill that was generated also become very lousy. It could be because of that, or it's because the quality of the first spirit ring. 

Regardless, Yugi feels like the Spirit Skill he got his advancement to Soul Master is pretty cool. He also feels like his Rank is already at Level 20 and he was more than ready to have another breakthrough by absorbing the second spirit ring. But he postponed it because he feels like adding a spirit ring caused his control over Spiritual Power is not as good as before. It's like, the spirit ring restricts the flow of Spiritual Power in his body.

Yugi sealed the cave that has become his base and hiding spot in the Star Dou Forest these past three years. He did it by channeling his spirit power to raise stone and dirt, the same method that he used when opening this cave. 

'The spirit ring is a great way to raise Spirit Power, but also serves as a restriction to Spirit Master's control over it. Using an Earth Release like this consume much spirit power unlike before. Do I have to destroy my spirit ring and cultivate without spirit ring? Like that one fanfic ...' Yugi mused as he felt his control become worse after absorbing his first spirit ring.

But destroying the spirit ring would mean that he would never be able to absorb another one in the future. Meaning that his Carbuncle would stick with that form and never evolve. That was not desirable outcome for him.

'I'll stick with my exercise plan and train my control until I get familiarize again ... destroying spirit rings maybe a good way to overcome the limitation my lack of talent, but I already have the answer for that without destroying it anyway.' Yugi thought to himself.

He then departed to the direction of Suotuo City of Balak Kingdom.