Chapter 93: Perfectly Choosing the Strongest

As for whether she could defeat the enemies in the virtual world, Bibi Dong had never had the slightest doubt.

She was a top-tier powerhouse with twin martial souls and the inheritor of the Rakshasa God's divine position. In the entire Douluo Continent, only a handful of people could make her feel wary. How could she possibly fail?

With this thought, Bibi Dong slowly opened her right hand. Dark purple soul power emitted an invisible, powerful suction force, instantly drawing the black eye-mask-shaped soul tool from Ju Douluo's hand into her palm.

Seeing this, Ju Douluo showed no resistance, respectfully allowing Bibi Dong to take the mysterious soul tool.

Bibi Dong steadily put on the eye-mask-shaped soul tool and activated it with her spiritual power.

In an instant, she felt a dizzying sensation, and the surrounding scenery rapidly shifted. When she regained her senses, she was already in a vast and grand plaza.

Looking up, it was the incredibly familiar Spirit Hall's Martial Soul Plaza. Every blade of grass, every tree, every brick and tile was identical to reality.

A hint of surprise flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes as she incredulously surveyed her surroundings.

Such a real, almost tangible scene, was it truly just an illusion?

Doubts arose in her mind. Before she could investigate further, several glowing options slowly appeared before her: Single Player Mode, Multiplayer Mode, Simulated Combat, and Challenge Mode.

The meanings of single and multiplayer modes were self-evident. Simulated Combat was for two people with soul tools to battle each other in this virtual world, but the rewards for winning were meager compared to defeating virtual opponents in single or multiplayer modes.

As for Challenge Mode, it offered challenges of different difficulties. Passing higher difficulties yielded richer rewards, and it was also divided into single-player and multiplayer challenges.

In essence, it was equivalent to St. Freya Academy's holographic strategy.

Bibi Dong elegantly lifted her hand, extended a slender finger, and unhesitatingly tapped the Single Player Mode option.

Although interested in Challenge Mode, she was only there to test it out for now, so she chose Single Player Mode, which allowed her to understand this virtual world fastest.

In an instant, countless avatars flashed rapidly before her eyes like a revolving lantern, dazzling her. Finally, five avatars steadily came to a halt.

The first was a handsome young man, with the annotation "Sky-Reaching Douluo, Yun Ming" below.

The second was a white-haired, wrinkled old man, labeled "Dragon God Douluo Mu En."

The third was a disheveled old man with mixed black and white hair; the words "Gluttony Douluo Xuan Zi" appeared before her eyes.

Following them were two female avatars.

One had hair like a waterfall of black, an exquisitely beautiful face, and exuded a cold yet mature aura, annotated as "Death God Douluo Ye Xishui."

The last was a peerless woman wearing a black eye mask, with silver hair like silk and an ethereal, cold temperament like a frosty moon, annotated as "Snow Moon Douluo, Jingliu."

Bibi Dong's delicate brows furrowed. She had never heard of any of these five individuals.

Neither in the intelligence of the Spirit Hall nor in historical records was there any trace of these five Titled Douluo.

With five unfamiliar opponents, Bibi Dong could only infer their strength based on their titles.

"Dragon God" and "Death God" immediately sounded unfathomable; how could anyone associated with gods be ordinary in strength?

As for "Gluttony," a legendary pure-blooded true dragon, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, a divine beast-like existence. To use it as a title meant the martial soul must have an extraordinary origin, definitely not an easy opponent.

As for "Sky-Reaching," such an overbearing title suggested strength that should not be underestimated.

Since it was her first time entering this virtual world, although Bibi Dong felt confident, she decided to proceed cautiously.

Though she prided herself on her extraordinary strength, she still deeply understood the principle of "picking the softest persimmon to squeeze."

After a brief deliberation, Bibi Dong extended her finger again, gently tapping on the avatar of Snow Moon Douluo Jingliu, thus confirming her opponent.

As her selection was confirmed, countless shimmering light dots, like summer night stars, appeared out of thin air, rapidly converging and merging.

In a blink of an eye, a silver-haired female sword immortal, with an ethereal and refined aura, a captivating beauty, and a heroic posture, appeared before her.

Bibi Dong's expression hardened. Her golden scepter gently tapped the ground, emitting a dull thud.

In an instant, a verdant Death Spider Emperor phantom slowly emerged behind her, emitting a chilling and horrifying aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

At the same time, nine soul rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red—slowly rose from beneath her feet, dazzling with light and exuding an imposing aura.

The simulated Jingliu opposite her, seeing this, instantly condensed an ice sword in her hand that emitted an extreme coldness. Wisps of cold air seemed to materialize and spread, freezing the surrounding air.

The next second, nine soul rings—black, black, black, black, red, red, red, red, red—also rose from beneath her feet.

Seeing Jingliu's terrifying soul ring configuration, Bibi Dong's eye twitched sharply, and a strong ominous premonition suddenly surged in her heart.

However, before she could react, Jingliu's figure flashed, like a dazzling silver river pouring down, carrying a magnificent sword intent that could freeze all things, transforming into a brilliant sword light that struck with the force of thunder.

That terrifying strike seemed to contain the mighty power to shatter stars, as if it aimed to split the entire world in half.

Bibi Dong's pupils constricted. She only had time to subconsciously raise the Papal Scepter in her hand, attempting to block this world-shaking sword.

But the next moment, an irresistible, terrifying force surged over her. Her body, soul power, soul, and even her thoughts were instantly frozen.

Immediately after, her body was mercilessly split in half by the sword light, transforming into countless light dots and dissipating within this virtual space.

"Hoo—!"

On the main seat of the Papal Hall, Bibi Dong abruptly snatched off the Simulated Universe login device. Her forehead was covered in dense cold sweat, her breathing rapid and heavy, and her eyes were filled with utter horror.

Recalling that moment before death, facing Jingliu's astonishing sword, she was so helpless and desperate, with no escape or defense, only able to await her demise.

The instant Jingliu drew her sword, Bibi Dong's defeat was already sealed. That bone-deep sense of despair felt like an invisible hand, pulling her back to that unbearable night, to that secret room that had caused her agonizing despair.

"Your Holiness!? Are you alright?" Ju Douluo cautiously asked upon seeing the situation.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them immensely, his heart suddenly tightening.

Bibi Dong, covering one eye with her hand, had her other eye glowing with an eerie purple light, filled with terrifying ferocity. Her gaze at him was like looking at an irreconcilable enemy.

That terrifyingly substantial gaze caused Ju Douluo's heart to skip a beat. A strong sense of mortal danger, like a maggot clinging to bone, tightly entwined his soul, as if dragging him into endless hell.

"Hmph, I'm fine. You may leave!" Bibi Dong took a deep breath, forcing down the surging anger and resentment within her. She struggled to suppress her emotions, her expression gradually returning to calm, and waved her hand at Ju Douluo.

"Yes, your subordinate takes his leave!" Ju Douluo felt as if he had received a great pardon and did not wish to stay a moment longer.

Bibi Dong's terrifying and ferocious gaze in his mind sent shivers down his spine. Just a moment ago, he genuinely believed that he would die there.

Bibi Dong leaned wearily back in her seat, her expression haggard. She raised a hand to cover her forehead, murmuring, "Did I choose wrong? Could Qian Daoliu withstand that sword? Are they truly real, or are they illusions?"

Originally, Bibi Dong had guessed that these Titled Douluo, whom she had never heard of, were merely fabricated phantoms in the virtual world.

But Jingliu's sword completely changed her mind.

How could a fabricated existence wield such a sword, so imbued with strong personal will and unique conviction?

The one she fought might only be a phantom, but that person must truly exist somewhere.

In this world, there really was a Snow Moon Douluo, a peerless sword immortal. And her strength was countless times greater than that of the renowned Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—she was a true sword immortal standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Within the grand, exquisitely carved and painted main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the atmosphere was originally peaceful and serene.

Only the occasional clear bird song from outside the window broke the momentary tranquility.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin was immersed in the virtual world created by the soul tool, his aura seemingly still. Only his slightly trembling eyelashes indicated that his inner self was not calm.

Suddenly, with a "bang!" Chen Xin abruptly snatched off the soul tool, the force of his movement causing the nearby table to shake a few times.

His face was unusually pale, devoid of color, yet two fervent flames burned in his eyes.

Then, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, his laughter echoing powerfully in the spacious hall for a long time: "Hahaha! This is the way of the sword, this is the pinnacle! I understand, I understand!"

With these bursts of wild laughter, Chen Xin's aura suddenly underwent a drastic change.

An incredibly sharp sword intent shot up into the sky, almost piercing through the ceiling of the main hall.

At the same time, his soul power aura also soared wildly, like an erupting volcano.

In an instant, his Titled Douluo strength, originally at Rank 96, broke through in one fell swoop, successfully entering the brand new realm of Rank 97.

"Uncle Sword?"

"Cowardly man?"

Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who were nearby, were stunned by this sudden change.

They looked at Chen Xin with both shock and joy, their faces full of disbelief.

The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion and shock. They simply couldn't understand how Chen Xin had suddenly broken through just by entering the world of that soul tool.

After a good while, when Sword Douluo Chen Xin's wildly surging aura gradually subsided, Ning Fengzhi quickly stepped forward, his face full of pleasant surprise, and eagerly asked: "Uncle Sword, did you receive a reward?"

For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Douluo Chen Xin breaking through to Rank 97 was undoubtedly incredibly good news.

After all, for a Titled Douluo, every rank increase not only extended their lifespan by a hundred years, but their martial soul would also evolve, and their strength would far surpass what it was before the breakthrough.

In the world of Titled Douluo, a single rank difference was even greater than the difference between a Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo.

Sword Douluo slowly shook his head, his face pale, but the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide: "No, I lost, and I lost terribly. I couldn't even block one of her swords."

"Then why did you, old fellow, suddenly break through? Did you take some medicine?" Bone Douluo Gu Rong said half-jokingly, half-seriously, with a hint of undetectable envy and disappointment in his tone.

His own strength was already one rank lower than Sword Douluo's, and now with Chen Xin's breakthrough, the gap between them had widened even further. This made him happy for his old friend but also left a sour taste in his mouth.

Sword Douluo's eyes gleamed with an unusual light, a fervent pursuit of swordsmanship and deep gratitude: "That's because my opponent, she showed me a stronger way of the sword, the true way of the sword!"

It turned out that, in the Simulated Universe, Sword Douluo was assigned five opponents, just like Bibi Dong.

And relying on his keen intuition, cultivated through years of immersion in swordsmanship, he unhesitatingly chose Jingliu, who also used a sword.

Although in that short, almost negligible battle, he couldn't even block one of her swords, it was in that instant of life and death that he seemed to push open a door to a brand new world, seeing the true way of the sword, seeing his future path of swordsmanship.

So, at the moment of death, he successfully broke through, shattering the bottleneck that had plagued him for decades in one fell swoop.

"Opponent? Aren't the simulated people in that soul tool's virtual world fake?" Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, his eyes filled with doubt.

Ever since he obtained these soul tools, he had arranged for many disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to experiment with them.

According to feedback, most of the opponents that appeared were unfamiliar faces never before seen on the Douluo Continent.

Sword Douluo's gaze was incredibly firm, his tone resolute: "No, they are real. At least my opponent, she is real. Even if the one I fought was a fake, she must truly exist somewhere in this world."

In his view, that captivating swordsmanship, that sword intent containing endless power, and his opponent's unwavering conviction, how could they be fabricated?

"I see, it seems I underestimated this soul tool. I will send people to collect more of these soul tools."

Ning Fengzhi's expression was grave as he spoke solemnly.

He deeply trusted Sword Douluo's judgment; his intuition had never been wrong all these years.

"Fengzhi, quickly give me one of those soul tools! I want to see how amazing it is," Bone Douluo Gu Rong was already a bit restless with excitement, eager to try it.

Since Sword Douluo could break through with it, he also wanted to try. Perhaps he could also use this opportunity to break through to a higher realm.

Ning Fengzhi smiled bitterly and shook his head. He knew Bone Douluo's thoughts too well.

However, he knew that things probably wouldn't be that simple.

Sword Douluo's breakthrough wasn't due to gaining a reward by defeating an opponent, but rather by witnessing a higher level of swordsmanship.

Bone Douluo's talent was inherently inferior to Sword Douluo's, and he didn't follow the path of swordsmanship. To break through solely because of a single battle would be incredibly difficult.

After all, if battles alone could lead to breakthroughs, those Titled Douluo who had been stuck at bottlenecks for a long time would have already been fighting amongst themselves.