Just as she was about to defect, Bibi Dong obtained a simulator.

Chapter 53 Past
[Wuhun City is vast; it's the largest city you've ever seen on the Douluo Continent.]

It was a bustling place, with people coming and going, but you were drawn to the magnificent Papal Palace, visible from outside the city.

You might want to go in and take a look, but you won't have the chance.

That afternoon, you officially began living in this not-so-large orphanage.

[At seven years old, after a year of secret training and battles, your soul power has significantly improved.]

Only then do you realize how exceptionally gifted you are.

How exceptionally privileged are they?

Bibi Dong was a little annoyed by the vague wording. "At least tell me the specific changes that have occurred this year."

"So he started hiding himself all along?"

Suddenly, Bibi Dong thought of Xia Yu's tragic past and realized what was going on.

"The trauma he suffered as a child was too great, which makes him unwilling to trust anyone."

[At eight years old, Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan, who entered the orphanage a few years earlier than you, were all noticed by the higher-ups of the Spirit Hall because of their talents and began a series of training sessions and missions.]

Every time you see them return, either exhausted or covered in wounds, you can't help but feel secretly relieved.

"What are you glad about? Are you glad that you didn't come into the sights of the Spirit Hall's higher-ups?"

Bibi Dong was speechless. She didn't know how much strength Xia Yu was hiding, but if he joined the Spirit Hall, she would definitely take this guy, who also had twin spirits, as her disciple.

Bibi Dong believed that Xia Yu would grow to be even better and stronger than he is now.

You've heard from time to time that the Pope of the Spirit Hall has been in a bad mood lately, and people are often being severely punished by her. You believe these three people are suffering from this kind of torment.

Furthermore, you don't want to tie yourself to the Spirit Hall; you believe your future holds limitless possibilities.

"what?"

Bibi Dong was stunned.

"Did he think that Nana and the others were being tortured by me? Even if I'm sick, why would I bring a few orphans to torture them?"

She recalled that she was still immersed in pain and couldn't pull herself out. Although her emotions were not very stable, she shouldn't have done something like what Xia Yu said.

Not to mention, within a few years, she took Hu Liena as her disciple, and her emotions gradually stabilized with Hu Liena's companionship.

"Why does this child like to overthink things!"

Bibi Dong was furious. How could they fabricate something that she had never done?

[When you were nine years old, one night when you returned home, you happened to see Xie Yue squatting in the corner of the yard, looking at the moon.]

He asked you where you'd been, but you ignored him, and inexplicably, you two got into a fight.

You thought knocking him to the ground was the end of it, but you never expected that you would see him every time you returned from outside.

He often talked about challenging strong opponents, and then he charged forward with his fists clenched.

But each time he only gets slapped a few more times, and what's interesting is that he doesn't make a sound when he's being hit.

When you asked him why, he said he wanted to keep your secret as long as he couldn't beat you, and then brag about it once he could defeat you. For this, you punched him a few more times.

[You don't know when it happened, but you've made a friend, even though he's a bit of a jerk.]

Bibi Dong's lips twitched, and she suddenly remembered Xie Yue and Xia Yu's usually close, brotherly relationship. "Is this how you two make friends? One of you is the one who hits, and the other is just the one who gets hit?"

She felt that she was getting old, and that young people should try these novel ways of making friends more.

[At ten years old, your strength has improved considerably again. Xie Yue has stopped seeking a beating. Although he can't see through your soul power level, he now understands his own limitations.]

He is a genius in the eyes of others, but you are a genius among geniuses who far surpass him.

Seeing that he seemed to have matured a lot after being beaten up for a year, you felt a little regretful.

At eleven, when you returned home one night, you saw someone else.

Aunt Liu is looking at you with a worried expression. You expected her to ask you all sorts of questions about where you'd been and what you'd done, but she didn't.

She asked you if you were hungry, then took you to the cafeteria, which she had already cleaned, and made you a bowl of dumplings she had made herself.

She sits across from you, her eyes filled with an unyielding sorrow that even the most skilled actress couldn't fake.

You remained silent, and she, unperturbed, began to speak on her own.

Her life was a long journey that began in an orphanage and would end there as well.

In her youth, her talent as a Soul Master ignited her courage to venture into the world. As her wings grew stronger, she stepped out of the orphanage into this chaotic world, full of dreams. Fate was kind to her; she met a good man, and soon they built their own little family.

However, happy times are always fleeting. When she returned home clutching the money she had earned by risking her life to hunt spirit beasts, she was met with a scene of utter devastation—the cruelty of the evil spirit master had instantly shattered her entire world.

With the assistance of the Spirit Hall, she personally killed her enemy, unleashing all her grief and rage in that fatal blow.

Having avenged herself, she finally returned to the Spirit Hall's orphanage, using her broken yet warm wings to protect the poor children who, like she once was, longed for care.

Her tone was flat, as if this wasn't a story she had personally experienced.

You ask her why she said those things to you.

She said you resembled her deceased child, and from the first moment she met you, she gave you the tenderness that would never fade from her heart.

[But the more she gets to know you, the more she realizes that you two are completely different people. She knows you have your own secrets, but she also asks you to trust her, because in her heart you are also her child.]

Looking into her eyes, you suddenly recall the distant past, and your mother, who also loved you dearly.

Thinking of Aunt Liu's unwavering sincerity and gentleness towards you all these years, you nodded, and she pulled you into her arms. Tears fell from her eyes onto your face, salty and persistent.

The dumplings tasted delicious; they reminded you of home.

"No wonder, no wonder."

Bibi Dong was somewhat relieved that Xia Yu hadn't threatened him with his Aunt Liu as he had previously suggested.

If that were done, there would be no way to undo it.

She couldn't even imagine facing Tang San in the open and Xia Yu hidden in the shadows in the future. Even if the Spirit Hall had a few more gods, Bibi Dong felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

At fifteen, you're no longer so afraid; you show others your true self.

[Xie Yue and his sister Hu Liena have also moved away long ago, seemingly having become well-known geniuses in the Spirit Hall.]

[At eighteen, you've come of age. Thanks to Aunt Liu's help, you successfully rented a reasonably cheap apartment in Wuhun City.]

Not long after, you applied for a transfer to Longcheng, but your application was rejected by someone, I don't know who.

(End of this chapter)