Bibi Dong led Gu Han to a quiet open courtyard behind one of the side halls of the Spirit Hall. The surroundings were beautiful—fragrant flowers in bloom, with the gentle breeze stirring the air. Scattered around the space were various play structures designed for children.
"Junior brother, this is where I usually train alone. You can teach me here," Bibi Dong said, letting go of Gu Han's hand. Her eyes sparkled with excitement—she had always been interested in the idea of self-created soul skills.
Although she possessed innate full soul power and even twin Martial Souls—making her one of the most gifted soul masters of her generation—Bibi Dong was, after all, still a girl. She liked beautiful things. Her two spider-type Martial Souls, both fierce and somewhat grotesque, held little appeal for her.
She even disliked using Martial Soul Possession. But self-created techniques were different—even as a beast-type soul master, she could use them without full transformation, allowing her to fight elegantly.
Looking at the excited girl before him, Gu Han smiled. "Senior sister, don't rush. I've got two sets of techniques: one is a powerful fist technique, and the other is a grappling art. Which would you like to learn?"
"Hmph, I'm not a child! I want to learn both!" Bibi Dong giggled proudly, making it clear that only kids choose—she wanted it all.
Gu Han was a little surprised but amused. "Alright then, let's start with the grappling art."
"Okay, let's do it!" Bibi Dong nodded eagerly.
"Watch carefully, senior sister."
Gu Han began demonstrating the technique. While it was called a grappling art, it incorporated intricate palm strikes and joint locks as well.
The movements were fluid yet complex, graceful yet forceful, like picking a plum blossom or plucking petals from the air. Combined with agile footwork, the technique gave off an unpredictable, flowing rhythm.
As he demonstrated, Gu Han also explained each move along with the internal flow of soul power required.
Bibi Dong was dazzled. She watched intently but couldn't keep up. By the time Gu Han finished his demonstration, she was still stunned, blinking in a daze.
"How was that, senior sister? Do you like this grappling style?" Gu Han asked with a chuckle.
"Uhh… Junior brother, you moved way too fast. I couldn't follow at all," Bibi Dong replied, overwhelmed. It looked amazing, sure—but it was so complex she couldn't make sense of it.
"No worries," Gu Han laughed. "I'll teach you step by step, one move at a time."
"Mm!" Bibi Dong nodded earnestly, then tilted her head curiously. "Junior brother, how does your brain even work? How do you come up with such beautiful techniques?"
Even though she couldn't understand it yet, the elegant complexity of the forms had clearly impressed her.
"I created them during my spare time, and then refined them further through the simulation training room. So now, these self-created techniques are fairly complete."
Of course, what he just demonstrated was only the basic set. Even for someone as talented as Bibi Dong, mastery had to come one bite at a time.
"Wow… You're amazing, junior brother!" Bibi Dong gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Come on, let's begin. I'll teach you one move at a time, and show you how to circulate your soul power for each."
"Okay, okay!" Bibi Dong was indeed very gifted—and she practiced with incredible seriousness. It was also clear she deeply disliked her own Martial Souls, and perhaps saw in Gu Han's techniques a chance to fight in a way that didn't rely on them.
"Raise your hand a bit higher here," Gu Han said, gently adjusting her arm.
Training grappling techniques inevitably involved physical contact. At first, Bibi Dong was shy about it—but when she realized Gu Han never acted inappropriately, her trust and affection for him grew stronger.
Two and a half hours passed in the blink of an eye. Bibi Dong finally managed to memorize the first complete set of grappling moves. All she needed now was more practice to polish it.
"Let's stop here for today, senior sister," Gu Han said. "This is just the first set. There's a second and third palm form as well—we'll cover those next time."
"Alright," Bibi Dong replied, a little tired despite her enthusiasm. No matter how much she liked this beautiful and effective style, physical strength had its limits.
The two sat on a bench to rest and sipped water. After a moment, Bibi Dong suddenly stood up.
"Wait here, junior brother!"
"Okay."
She dashed off, her little legs carrying her back to her personal quarters.
This place—her private training area—was actually the rear garden of the Holy Maiden's Hall.
Bibi Dong rushed into her room and pulled open a drawer. From inside, she retrieved a small booklet.
"Found it!"
She flipped through it to confirm, then ran back to the garden and handed the booklet to Gu Han.
"Here, this is for you."
"Huh? What is this?" Gu Han asked, accepting it and opening the first page.
"This is the Spirit Hall's highest-level meditation technique—taught to me by my master. You're teaching me your self-created skills, so I'm not learning for free," Bibi Dong said proudly, crossing her arms and turning her head with an adorable pout. Her flushed cheeks, still rosy from training, made her look even cuter.
Gu Han couldn't help but smile and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Thanks, senior sister. I'll gladly accept your gift."
Bibi Dong froze, staring up at his bright, sunshine-like smile and handsome features. Her ears turned red.
Then she quickly put on her usual bossy act, hands on her hips. "Hmph! No respect at all! I'm your senior sister—how can you pat my head like that?"
"Sorry, you were just too cute—I couldn't help it," Gu Han replied with a grin. At this moment, Bibi Dong was indeed charming, and her personality was especially endearing.
"Hmmph~"
Her round, chubby cheeks puffed up like little buns as she scolded him seriously, "No more head-pats in the future! Or I'll tell Master you're bullying me!"
"Yes, yes. I wouldn't dare," Gu Han said, placating her like one would coax a child.
Bibi Dong pouted again but didn't press further.
Just then, a teasing voice drifted down from above.
"Oho? So you're the new student His Holiness the Pope took in. Not bad—quite a handsome one, aren't you?"
"Who's there?!"
Both Gu Han and Bibi Dong were startled. They looked up to see a boy dressed in ornate ceremonial robes perched on the edge of the Saintess Hall's rooftop, his legs dangling over the side, swinging lightly in the air.
"Elder Guang Ling? What are you doing here?" Bibi Dong called out, recognizing him immediately. Gu Han also knew who it was—and it suddenly made sense why he hadn't sensed the person's presence at all. As expected of a Titled Douluo.
"Correction—Guang Ling Worshiper, thank you very much," the boy replied playfully as he leapt down from the roof.
He walked over to them. He wasn't tall—only a little taller than Bibi Dong herself, standing just over 160 cm.
It was often said that Martial Souls enhanced a soul master's physical condition and stature—but Guang Ling seemed to be an exception.
Despite having reached Rank 96, he looked, acted, and even felt more like a child.