For two whole hours, they had emptied nearly two-thirds of the wine on the table.
The floor of the room was littered with broken wine jars.
Qian Renxue finally stopped her action of opening another jar, and the tears on her face had also ceased.
Much of her hair on both sides was stuck to her face—whether from wine or tears, no one could tell. She looked like a little golden kitten that had been abandoned.
"Thank you."
It seemed Qian Renxue's rationality had returned, and she looked at Han Li across from her.
"You're welcome."
Han Li swallowed the last mouthful of wine from the jar in front of him, casually placing it on the floor. He burped, stretched, and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. Tonight, he had truly had his fill.
"Grandfather has told me everything."
Qian Renxue's gaze drifted toward the open door and landed on the courtyard.
"Do you need comfort?"
Han Li turned his head and spoke the second sentence he had said since their meeting tonight.
"No, I don't."
Qian Renxue withdrew her gaze and met his eyes.
"That's good. I've never really been good at comforting people."
Han Li rubbed his belly. Although the wine had mostly been dissolved by his soul power, he still felt a bit bloated, at least psychologically.
Qian Renxue looked at his actions and finally revealed a slight smile.
Having someone to accompany her in her madness felt good.
Even though this guy had lied to her, she felt much better. The knot in her heart had mostly unraveled. It was far better than when she used to hide and cry in secret as a child.
Now, she finally understood why she had always been treated that way.
Thinking of this, Qian Renxue's gaze darkened again, and her hands involuntarily clenched.
Seeing her about to spiral back into her emotions, Han Li shifted, kicked over the jar at his feet, and closed his eyes.
"I'm drunk. My head's a bit unclear. If you have something to say, say it now. Maybe I'll give you a response. But by the time I wake up tomorrow, I won't remember anything."
Qian Renxue was startled out of her thoughts by the noise, and hearing his hazy voice, she froze for a moment before understanding what he meant.
"Thank you, but there's no need. This is probably something I need to face on my own."
After a while, Han Li heard Qian Renxue's response. Her voice still carried some confusion, but there was more determination in it.
Han Li straightened up and opened his eyes. The expression on Qian Renxue's face was very serious.
Hmm, she was much stronger than he had expected.
Well, it wasn't particularly surprising. After all, she was Qian Renxue.
Even without his intervention, she would have passed the trials of the god on her own. His presence merely provided her with a channel to vent.
Han Li glanced at the little angel, her hair still stuck to her face. Matching her expression, he shook his head and waved his hand, summoning an ice mirror in front of her.
Qian Renxue looked up at the reflection, seeing her slightly swollen eyes and messy hair. Her body stiffened for a moment, but then she calmly began to fix her hair.
Once she had returned to her usual appearance, Han Li waved his hand and dispelled the mirror.
"I'll probably be going to take the god trial soon," Qian Renxue suddenly said.
"Hmm, you'll succeed."
Han Li responded without a second thought, more certain than she was.
"You believe in me that much?"
Qian Renxue was a bit surprised by his answer. Even her grandfather had only high hopes for her.
"You are Qian Renxue, after all."
Han Li said with a sigh, though he didn't look at her.
"Yes, I am Qian Renxue."
Qian Renxue smiled brightly, her powerful confidence returning.
"So, how about we see who can become a god first?"
Qian Renxue's gaze flickered as she looked at Han Li, seemingly thinking of something.
"In this matter, I absolutely won't lose."
Han Li glanced at her. This girl's mood had just improved, and now she was acting up again—there was a stubborn streak in her.
"I already heard about your situation from my grandfather. It's not so certain."
Qian Renxue shook her head, clearly disagreeing with him.
"Alright then, tell me, what if I win?"
Han Li could tell that her true intention wasn't about the competition; she had something else she wanted to say but was being indirect.
"The loser has to unconditionally agree to one request from the winner."
Qian Renxue drew her Angelic Holy Sword, her eyes burning as she stared at him.
"Alright, no problem."
Han Li nodded without hesitation. Given the special circumstances tonight, he figured he would just humor her. Even if the divine trial was lenient, there was no way Qian Renxue could become a god faster than he could.
In the original story, her divine trial had been relatively easy, but it still took her five years to go from Soul Emperor to godhood. Even if she managed to shorten the time, it would still take at least three years, right?
And in three years, even if Han Li took his time, he would have already completed his plans. Not to mention, the longer he waited, the faster his progress would be.
"Alright, it's a deal."
Qian Renxue extended her right hand toward Han Li, clearly intending to seal the deal with a handshake.
Han Li smiled and clapped his hand against hers in midair.
...
Slap!
Xiu'er calmly withdrew her hand and looked toward the referee.
"Skywater Academy wins!"
The referee glanced at the academy member who had been knocked unconscious by her slap onto the stage and loudly announced the result.
"Skywater!"
"SKywater!"
The stadium erupted with cheers as Xiu'er calmly walked down from the stage.
That night, Qian Renxue stayed with Han Li until dawn before leaving. By the time she left, she had returned to her usual self, and Han Li even noticed that her spiritual power had increased slightly.
Meanwhile, the finals of the Soul Master Tournament had officially begun under the eyes of countless spectators.
The match that had just taken place was the last one before the finals. Due to the matchups, Skywater Academy secured the final spot in the competition.
With the tacit understanding between Han Li and Bibi Dong, when the Heaven Dou Battle Team One faced off against Skywater Academy, Heaven Dou Battle Team Two somehow managed to pull off a series of lucky wins, securing their spot in the finals yesterday.
Of course, the other spot naturally belonged to the Spirit Hall Academy.
Xiu'er and her team had also competed. This was Shui Bing'er's mother's wish. Although the individual strength of their team members wasn't superior to the top students from other academies, Shui Bing'er and the others became the best choice for individual battles after the team battles ended, to avoid unexpected situations.
By entering the finals and showcasing Skywater Academy's team battle strength to the whole continent, it was already enough for her.
As she and the other members of Skywater Academy had agreed, they wouldn't participate in the finals, leaving it to Han Li and the others to do as they pleased. Though Han Li found this amusing, he understood their decision and nodded in agreement.
It's worth mentioning that Blazing Academy and Godwind Academy were rather unlucky. So was Star Luo Royal Academy, which ended up facing off against them without Han Li's intervention.
The Hell White Tiger clashed with the Wind and Fire combination, and in the team battle, both sides suffered mutual destruction. In the individual matches, Feng Xiaotian fought while injured, managing to defeat three opponents and win the match, but his injuries forced his team to withdraw from the rest of the tournament.
In the stands, Bibi Dong slowly left her seat under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
After nodding in acknowledgment to Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi, Han Li also headed back to his residence.
Throughout the match, Han Li had been maintaining mental communication with Qian Renxue. The Heaven Dou Empire had already made its move. By the time tomorrow's match was over, the news would likely have reached them.
Han Li couldn't help but look forward to everyone's reactions tomorrow, as he greeted the few people waiting for him.
...
In a room within Spirit Hall, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, the two brothers, were discussing the match that had just concluded.
"Second Brother, as you said, Spirit Hall is hiding a lot. If Xiao San and the others want to win, it's going to be very, very difficult."
The two brothers had blended into the crowd, closely watching the entire finals.
The strength of the Spirit Hall team goes without saying. Their age alone was enough to make the two brothers feel suffocated. What shocked them were the four individuals from Skywater Academy competing in the individual matches—a team of three Soul Emperors and one Soul King, all with ten-thousand-year fourth soul rings. What they didn't know was that Han Li's team had hidden the true nature of their soul rings.
"No matter. Even if they don't win the championship, it's already more than enough."
Tang Hao shook his head. In truth, Tang San had yet to reveal the five black soul rings on his Clear Sky Hammer. Even as a Soul Ancestor using his Blue Silver Grass, he had managed to miraculously make it to the finals, which was already beyond Tang Hao's expectations.
"Tomorrow, Xiao San will give them a real shock."
Tang Hao couldn't help but smile as he thought of the five pitch-black soul rings on Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer. Winning or losing a single match didn't matter. In the end, his son would be the one laughing.
"Alright. If anything happens, let me handle it. I've already been discovered."
Tang Xiao looked at Tang Hao, his expression serious.
Unlike Tang Hao, Tang Xiao's disguise had always been imperfect. There was an element of testing the waters.
From the very first day of the finals, he had felt the gaze of Bibi Dong and others from the stands. But up until now, no one had made a move or attempted to monitor him, which had finally allowed him to relax.
"Alright."
Tang Hao nodded indifferently.
In his opinion, if Spirit Hall had intended to make a move, they would've done so already. Since they hadn't acted by now, it seemed they wouldn't interfere.
What Tang Hao was thinking about now was how to handle Yu Xiaogang and Canghui Academy after the tournament concluded.
He had received a letter from Yu Xiaogang, but the man himself hadn't returned. Yu Xiaogang had been hiding at Yu Yuanzhen's place, preventing Tang Hao from getting close.
As for Canghui Academy's Seven-in-One Fusion Skill, when they were in Heaven Dou City, Tang Hao missed part of their journey due to rushing to help Tang San obtain a soul ring. Sword Douluo from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had also been with the group throughout, so Tang Hao hadn't been able to act. He would have to wait until they returned.
The brothers chatted idly, and as they talked, the sky gradually darkened.