Celebratory Team Dinner

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Among the seven team members, there were three strong attack types: Lin Yongming, Chen Wu, and Wang Yu.

The agility attack type was Dong Xiaofang, whose spirit was the Phantom Fox.

The strength type, also known as the defensive spirit master, was Wu Zhi, whose spirit was the Giant Rock Beast.

Zhang Yuling was the support-type spirit master, with the Staff of Light. Her four spirit rings included healing, attack enhancement, and defense enhancement abilities, making her spirit extremely powerful.

The last role, the control-type spirit master, naturally fell to Bibi Dong, who would act as the team's brain and commander.

Among the seven, the only missing role was another agility attack-type spirit master. However, Lin Yongming's speed was not inferior to that of an agility attack-type spirit master.

"So, Wang Yu and Wu Zhi, you two will stand at the front on either side. Chen Wu will stay behind to protect Zhang Yuling. Lin Yongming and Dong Xiaofang will take the flanks, and I'll be in the center."

"Tomorrow, we'll practice this formation against the academy's instructors," Bibi Dong explained, assigning everyone their positions.

"Understood!" Lin Yongming and the others nodded.

"Captain, I have one more question. Who is she?" Chen Wu raised his hand, pointing at Lan Yinhuang.

"Let me introduce her. This is my fiancée, Lan Yin. I hope you don't mind me bringing her along," Lin Yongming introduced Lan Yinhuang to the team.

"Your fiancée! She's so beautiful. I thought she was a friend of the Saintess," Wang Yu said with a honest and good-natured smile.

"Deputy Captain, how old are you? You already have a fiancée?" Dong Xiaofang asked in surprise.

"I'm 21," Lin Yongming replied with a slight smile.

Bibi Dong's eyes immediately turned to him, and she secretly rolled her eyes. "21? More like 12, reversed."

"No wonder you're already a Spirit King. It's because of the age difference," Chen Wu said, his competitive spirit reignited.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Lan Yin. I hope I'm not intruding," Lan Yinhuang said, standing beside Lin Yongming.

"Not at all. It's nice to have a beauty watching us train," Wu Zhi quickly replied.

"Hey, Wu Zhi, are you saying Xiaofang and I aren't beauties?" Dong Xiaofang kicked him lightly.

"No, it's just that we've been together for so long. I'm used to seeing you two," Wu Zhi defended himself innocently.

"Oh, so you're tired of us? Xiaoling, give me your spirit skill boost. I'm going to teach him a lesson," Dong Xiaofang said, rolling up her sleeves.

"Wait, Xiaofang, I was wrong! Brother Bear, save me!" Wu Zhi quickly hid behind Wang Yu.

"Alright, enough joking. It's almost lunchtime. Let's go eat," Bibi Dong said, looking at her rowdy teammates.

"Let's go! The Captain's treating us. We should go to the Seven-Story Restaurant," Wu Zhi suggested.

"Exactly. It's our first time meeting the Deputy Captain. The Captain wouldn't be so stingy, right?" Chen Wu added.

"Fine, you're all ganging up on me. Alright, I'll splurge today. But don't think I'll go easy on you during training tomorrow," Bibi Dong said, playing along.

"Tomorrow's problems are for tomorrow. Let's go to the Seven-Story Restaurant!" Chen Wu and the other two boys quickly ran out of the training room, as if afraid Bibi Dong would change her mind.

"Captain, Deputy Captain, we'll follow them," Dong Xiaofang and Zhang Yuling said before leaving the training room.

"What's this Seven-Story Restaurant you're talking about?" Lan Yinhuang asked, surprised by how eager everyone was to leave.

"The Seven-Story Restaurant is the most expensive restaurant in Spirit City. Its chefs come from both empires, so if you want to try Heaven Dou City's specialties in Spirit City, the Seven-Story Restaurant is the place to go," Bibi Dong explained, though she looked a bit pained.

"Is it really that good?" Lan Yinhuang asked in amazement.

"Of course. This meal will cost at least 500 gold spirit coins," Bibi Dong said helplessly.

"Wow, that's really expensive," Lan Yinhuang said, shaking her head in surprise.

"My arrival has really put a dent in your wallet, Saintess," Lin Yongming said apologetically.

"It's fine. Consider it a welcome dinner for you. You've been part of the Spirit Hall for so long, but this is your first time in Spirit City. With the talent you've shown, even though your eyes are still a problem, Teacher thinks highly of you," Bibi Dong said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Lin Yongming.

"It seems the Saintess really respects her teacher," Lin Yongming remarked.

"Yes. Actually, I'm an orphan. Teacher told me that I was found in a small village when I was two years old. The village had been destroyed by evil spirit masters."

"Later, Teacher brought me to Spirit City. When I was six, I awakened with innate full spirit power, and Teacher took me as his disciple. Naturally, I respect and admire him from the bottom of my heart," Bibi Dong explained.

"I see. I didn't know you had such a tragic past. I thought you had some powerful elders backing you," Lan Yinhuang said, patting Bibi Dong's shoulder sympathetically.

"Sorry for bringing up painful memories," Lin Yongming said awkwardly.

In the original story, Bibi Dong's background was never explained. She appeared directly as the Pope, not the somewhat innocent young girl before him now.

"It's fine. Teacher has always been strict with my training, but he's been very good to me in other ways."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. They've probably been waiting for us. Let's go," Bibi Dong said with a smile.

"Alright."

After hearing Bibi Dong's story, Lin Yongming finally understood how devastating the events of the original story must have been for her.

After all, it was her most respected and admired teacher who ruined her life.

But Lin Yongming couldn't say anything about it, as those events hadn't happened yet.

"Am I affecting the course of their fate? Maybe none of this will happen, and I'm just overthinking things," Lin Yongming thought to himself as he walked behind the others.

"Xiao Ming, what are you thinking about? Let's go," Lan Yinhuang said, noticing Lin Yongming lagging behind. 

"Nothing, let's go," Lin Yongming said with a slight smile.

When they reached the academy gates, they heard Chen Wu and the others calling out to them.

"Captain, Deputy Captain, hurry up! Just thinking about the food at the Seven-Story Restaurant is making me drool," Chen Wu shouted.

"I shouldn't have taken you to the Seven-Story Restaurant last time," Bibi Dong said helplessly.

Since the Seven-Story Restaurant was so expensive, Chen Wu and the others couldn't have gone there many times. The last time they went was two years ago, when the Spirit Hall team was first formed.

Led by Bibi Dong, the seven of them arrived at a large open area where the Seven-Story Restaurant stood alone.

The restaurant was surrounded by a beautiful garden, and the building itself was a seven-story European-style castle.

"Welcome to the Seven-Story Restaurant. Do you have a reservation?" a server greeted them politely at the entrance.

"No, we came on a whim," Bibi Dong replied calmly.

"Alright, please follow me," the server said with a smile, leading them inside.

As they entered the grand hall, the luxurious decor and exquisite decorations left Chen Wu and the others in awe.

"Don't touch anything. Just look. If you break something, you'll be in trouble," Bibi Dong warned her restless teammates.

She then led them to the front desk and said to the server, "Please arrange a private room for eight."

"Are you elite students from the Spirit Academy?"

"Yes."

"Please follow me."

Soon, the group was led to a smaller private room on the second floor, though it was still over thirty square meters in size.

"Here's the menu. Please order," the server said, handing out menus.

"Chen Wu, Wu Zhi, remember, no wasting food. We'll order fifteen dishes for the eight of us," Bibi Dong reminded them.

"Got it, Captain!" The two then ordered their favorite dishes.

After everyone had ordered one dish each, it was Lin Yongming's turn.

"Lan Yin, you order for me," Lin Yongming said helplessly.

"Deputy Captain, I'll order for you. Let's get the seafood platter," Chen Wu said eagerly.

Bibi Dong's face darkened, but she said nothing.

Lan Yinhuang looked at the menu and saw that the seafood platter cost a whopping 899 gold spirit coins. It included lobster, king crab, and more.

"Seafood? Xiao Ming and I haven't had much seafood. Let's get the seafood platter."

"As for me, since you've all ordered meat dishes, I'll get a vegetarian dish—stewed mushrooms with seasonal vegetables," Lan Yinhuang said, handing the menu to Bibi Dong.

"Alright, you've all ordered one dish each. I'll order the rest."

Bibi Dong then ordered eight more dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables.

"Oh, and bring us a bottle of fruit wine," Bibi Dong added.

"Understood. I'll take your orders to the kitchen. Please wait about half an hour," the server said before leaving and closing the door respectfully.

"Captain, you're really going all out today. I'm going to eat my fill," Wu Zhi said, patting his stomach.

"Eat your fill? I can't tell if you're fat or just muscular," Dong Xiaofang teased.

"I'm the team's only strength-type spirit master, your strongest shield. Of course, I'm muscular," Wu Zhi retorted.

"It's fine. Eat as much as you want. If it's not enough, we can order more. Just don't waste anything. Today, you can enjoy yourselves," Bibi Dong said with a smile.

"Captain, don't smile like that. It's making me nervous. Are you planning some hellish training routine?" Zhang Yuling asked, sensing something was off.

"You'll see," Bibi Dong said mysteriously.

"Captain, just tell us. Otherwise, you'll ruin our appetites," Chen Wu said.

"Fine, it's nothing much. Starting tomorrow, Xiao Ming and I will team up against the five of you," Bibi Dong revealed.

"Haha! That's a joke!"

"Captain, you're overestimating us. With the Deputy Captain's Spirit Domain, we'd be like elementary school students. Why would he need to team up with you?" Chen Wu said seriously.

"Exactly. Halving our strength is too much. Our spirit power levels are already lower than the Deputy Captain's. Fighting him in his domain would be like fighting a child," Wu Zhi added.

"Haha! It's not that exaggerated. As they say, two hands can't fight four fists. If two of you grab my legs and two grab my arms, I'd be at your mercy," Lin Yongming joked.

"Wow, that's some humor!" Dong Xiaofang said exaggeratedly.

"Alright, Xiao Ming won't use his Spirit Domain. That should make it fair," Bibi Dong said helplessly.

In truth, when she first saw Lin Yongming's Dark Domain, she was also shocked. It confirmed what Qian Xunji had told her—Lin Yongming had indeed held back during their spar at the Pope's Hall.

"It seems I need to quickly advance my Death Spider Emperor to the Spirit Sage level. Then I can start cultivating both my first and second spirits. Only then can I close the gap in strength," Bibi Dong thought to herself.

"In that case, we'll give it a try. Two Spirit Kings teaming up? Piece of cake," Wu Zhi said arrogantly.

"Good, Wu Zhi. Your name suits you well. Tomorrow, I'll focus on you. After all, you're the tank," Bibi Dong said with a nod.

"Captain, that's not fair!" Wu Zhi said, on the verge of tears.

"Serves you right for running your mouth," Wang Yu said with a honest and good-natured laugh.

Although Lin Yongming had just met them, they were all young and quickly bonded, becoming a cohesive team.

Soon, two servers wheeled in a cart with their fifteen dishes, arranging them neatly on the table.

The fruit wine Bibi Dong had mentioned turned out to be grape wine.

Lan Yinhuang didn't stop Lin Yongming from drinking this time, as the alcohol content was low, and they were all spirit masters. Besides, one bottle split among eight people meant each person only got about 300 milliliters.

By the time Lin Yongming and the others left the Seven-Story Restaurant, it was already 2 PM.

"Captain, I'm so full. We didn't waste a single bite."

"Yeah, I ate too much. I need to go back to the dorm and rest."

Bibi Dong and the other three girls had a slight blush on their cheeks. Although the fruit wine wasn't strong, it had a bit of a delayed effect.

"Alright, you can head back to the academy. Don't forget, we're meeting in the training room at 9 AM tomorrow," Bibi Dong reminded them.

"Yes, Captain. We'll head back now," the five said before leaving for their dormitories.

"Lan Yin, let's go back too. I think I'm a bit dizzy," Bibi Dong said, leaning on Lan Yinhuang.

"Really? This is just a little dizzy?" Lin Yongming said, exasperated.

"Hmph, who knows? But I think she's doing it on purpose. The fruit wine wasn't that strong," Lan Yinhuang said, supporting Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's cheeks were now flushed, her fair skin tinged with red, making her look even more delicate.

"Alright, let's take her back to our hotel," Lin Yongming said helplessly.

"Xiao Ming, what are you planning?" Lan Yinhuang asked suspiciously.

"Come on, we can't take the Saintess back to the Spirit Hall in this state. What if the Pope blames us? It's still early. Maybe she'll sober up by evening," Lin Yongming said, rubbing his forehead.

"Maybe. Should I carry her?" Lan Yinhuang asked.

"If you don't mind, I can carry her," Lin Yongming said weakly.

"Fine, I'll carry her. I feel like she's doing this on purpose. I won't let her get her way," Lan Yinhuang said, pouting.

"She's so heavy. When we get back to the hotel, I'm going to dunk her in the bathtub to sober her up."

Lan Yinhuang grumbled the entire way back to the Spirit Hotel, carrying Bibi Dong on her back, much to Lin Yongming's amusement.

Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 228 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 40 power stones I will publish the next chapter.