"Mm? What new thing have you come up with this time?"
Guang Ling instantly put down his wine glass and scooted over to Han Li's side, asking nervously.
After the incident with Xiu'er last time, he had been specifically reminded by the Grand Worship to keep an eye on this kid, making sure he focused on his cultivation instead of coming up with weird stuff again. Regardless of whether those things were dangerous, the key was not to waste valuable cultivation time.
Well, Guang Ling didn't say this out loud; otherwise, Han Li would despise Qian Daoliu for a few sentences. The reasoning was clear, but it was absurd to agree to let Qian Renxue go undercover during such a valuable time.
Seeing the attention of the two big shots focused on him, Han Li chuckled and handed over the paper in his hand. He leisurely found a stool to sit down on, waiting for them to finish reading.
However, instead of questions, he was met with two strange looks staring straight at him.
Hmm?
Han Li frowned. Was there something wrong with the data on the paper? Impossible; he had checked it thoroughly. There was no problem.
Then he saw Guang Ling speak with a regretful expression, "Xiao Li, I know you're quite mature, but you're still young. Hmm~ It's normal not to 'rise' yet. This area is deep; you can't handle it. I'll just accept this record for now and give it to your Uncle Crocodile; he needs it."
"Mm, you'll understand in a couple of years. It's not something you need to worry about right now," Guang Ling consoled him while the paper was directly sent to his storage space.
Hearing this, Han Li didn't need to guess; his face instantly darkened. He looked at the seemingly young old man with gritted teeth, "Thank you for your concern, Teacher. You truly are a good teacher."
"No need to thank me. It's also my oversight. I should have arranged for someone to educate you about these things. You can go back now; I'll arrange it for you later," Guang Ling said cheerfully, waving his hand dismissively.
"No need, and give me the paper. I'll talk to Uncle Crocodile myself. You, old man, can stay cool wherever you please." Han Li was furious. This time he was genuinely a bit broken. His painstakingly collected data and records were taken as if he were selling fake medicine. If he weren't no match for Guang Ling, he would have punched him in the knee.
Seeing him genuinely angry, Guang Ling realized he might have misunderstood Han Li. He quickly took the paper from his belt and, skipping the front parts, went straight to the end.
There, it was particularly noted:
"So, based on the above data and records, I preliminarily believe that whale glue, in addition to its aphrodisiac properties, can also enhance the physical strength of soul masters to a certain extent, especially during their early stages. If enough or high-quality whale glue is consumed, it might break the maximum age limit for a soul master's soul ring absorption."
"Note: The first four rings are all possible. If consumed in large quantities before awakening the martial soul, the effects are unknown and need testing. For the fourth soul ring, sufficient spiritual power is required to obtain a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Specific circumstances vary depending on the individual and need further research."
After reading, Guang Ling's mind went blank. If this hypothesis was true, the world of low-level soul masters might indeed undergo a revolution.
He dumbly handed the paper to Azure Luan, who also went straight to the end. After reading, the usually composed Azure Luan couldn't help but stand up. He looked at Han Li and then at the content on the paper, opening his mouth but closing it again, unsure of what to say.
After a long while, the two of them finally sat back down, but no one touched the wine glasses on the table. They exchanged glances, signaling each other to speak. In the end, Guang Ling lost.
"Good disciple, is your hypothesis true?"
Guang Ling sidled up to Han Li, smiling ingratiatingly, and asked softly, afraid of startling his disciple.
"It's fake; it's just for aphrodisiac purposes," Han Li replied expressionlessly.
"So, it's real then," Guang Ling straightened up and muttered, "We must inform the Grand Worship immediately. This information cannot be leaked casually."
"Teacher, did you forget this was my discovery?" Han Li's soft voice came from the side.
Hearing his words, Guang Ling's face showed a hint of embarrassment. He had been so anxious that he almost forgot it was his disciple's achievement.
"Haha, how could I forget? I was just saying. Of course, how to handle it is up to you," Guang Ling laughed it off.
"So, Xiao Li, what do you plan to do?" Azure Luan asked from the side.
Han Li's expression softened a bit. Indeed, when it came to important matters, his Martial Uncle was more reliable than his teacher.
Han Li sat up straight and spoke seriously, "Martial Uncle, this is just a hypothesis, although I am more than ninety percent certain it's feasible. It definitely needs to be reported, but before that, we need to test it, and I also need to take care of some things first. Only then will I report it, and I guarantee it won't harm the interests of the Martial Soul Hall."
Azure Luan thought for a moment and then spoke thoughtfully, "So, you plan to gather a batch of whale glue in advance, once the tests confirm its effectiveness?"
Han Li nodded, confirming his words.
Listening to their conversation, Guang Ling asked puzzledly, "Xiao Li, why do you need to collect a batch in advance? Even if it's useful, you and Xiu'er don't need that much."
Han Li glanced at his teacher with slight irritation, "Teacher, I need money, a lot of money. I love research, but research requires funding. I may not be short of money now, but I can't keep asking you for funds. I'm planning for the future."
"When the time comes, I'll sell most of the whale glue I collect to the Martial Soul Hall, just with a small handling fee. You can't expect me to contribute this information for free, right? Even if there are rewards after reporting it, what do you think I'll get? I don't care about fame, soul bones are limited in number, and high-quality ones are even rarer. In the end, the reward will be gold soul coins, so I might as well earn them myself."
After Han Li finished speaking, both Guang Ling and Azure Luan nodded in agreement. They didn't have a full set of soul bones either, maybe just one or two missing, and they didn't need gold soul coins right now, so they hadn't considered this issue. Thinking about it this way, it indeed made sense.
"So, you came to us to discuss this?" Guang Ling finally realized his disciple's intention.
"Yes, and to let you and Martial Uncle make some money too. Your followers' families probably aren't that wealthy either. It's best if everyone can make money together, isn't it? Besides, I'm still young and will need their channels to collect whale glue," Han Li said eloquently.
Hearing this, Guang Ling and Azure Luan exchanged glances, feeling slightly tempted. They couldn't expect others to contribute for free. Over the years of their cultivation, especially after Bibi Dong took power, their followers' families had only been doing so-so. Now, with such an opportunity, why not take it?
"Alright, we agree to your proposal. Let's proceed with the testing first," Guang Ling and Azure Luan exchanged a glance and decisively replied.
"It's best to find those with average talent and older age. If any accidents occur during the testing, it'll be easier to handle." Although Han Li was confident there wouldn't be any issues, he still offered a reminder.
"By the way, can they take it directly?" Guang Ling asked another question.
"No, it needs to be dissolved with high-temperature flames first and then consumed. After that, they can directly begin their cultivation," Han Li added.
"Alright then, you two sit tight for a moment. No need to find additional people; there are suitable candidates within the residence. I'll make the arrangements," Azure Luan suddenly interjected.
Guang Ling seemed to have thought of something and nodded in agreement, watching Azure Luan leave.
"Martial Uncle is...?" Han Li looked at his teacher after Azure Luan had left.
"It's nothing. He's probably arranging for a relative of his younger brother. Not very close, with average talent, and has a habit of flaunting your Martial Uncle's status to indulge in frivolous behavior. He recently sought refuge here. Don't worry about it; if the experiment succeeds, he'll benefit from it," Guang Ling said with a hint of disdain, clearly not fond of the mentioned relative.
"Oh," Han Li responded, not prying further into his uncle's family matters.
"Why haven't you married, Teacher? Don't you want to leave behind an heir?" Han Li suddenly asked. If his teacher started now, perhaps his younger brother could catch a ride to the God Realm.
Guang Ling's expression stiffened. Could he say that he had been too focused on cultivation in his younger days? By the time he considered it, most of his peers were either married or close to death, and his desire had waned.
"What do you know? A good archer must have no distractions. Only then can their archery reach divine levels. That's how I managed to break through to level 97 first. Trust me, Xiao Li, only this way can you achieve the pinnacle of archery," Guang Ling stubbornly insisted.
Han Li glanced at his stubborn teacher but refrained from retorting by mentioning that even Qian Daoliu, at level 99, had a granddaughter in her teens.
The teacher and disciple chatted briefly before seeing Azure Luan return with a joyful expression.
"Did it work?" Guang Ling blurted out at the sight of his face.
"It worked. Following Xiao Li's method, after consuming a piece of millennium whale glue, his body's capacity for soul ring age increased by about 400 years, not quite 500. However, that might be due to his inherently poor physique."
"Rest assured, I used soul power to seal his vision and taste, telling him it was a rare natural treasure. He doesn't know what it was. This is the last time I'll help him." Azure Luan added with a somewhat displeased expression. If not for the blood relation, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill this relative. Now, it was at least a case of waste utilization.
"Uh, Martial Uncle is indeed thorough in his considerations."
Seeing his usually gentle uncle speak so harshly, Han Li could only respond awkwardly.
"Since it works, what are we waiting for? Further detailed testing can be done later. Let's first discuss how to proceed with the acquisition," Guang Ling eagerly proposed.
"Alright."
Han Li and Azure Luan exchanged a glance and then joined the discussion.
Over an hour later, the three of them looked at the plan on the table and the contracts in front of each of them with satisfied smiles.
Azure Luan chuckled a few times, then quickly stopped. This wasn't good; spending too much time with this master and disciple duo seemed to be affecting him. It was detrimental to his image. However, looking at the contents of the contract, he couldn't help but feel pleased.
After chatting for a while longer, Han Li was the first to take his leave. It wasn't that he was running off after finishing his business, but Guang Ling had sternly reminded him that it was time for his cultivation. He shouldn't let a few gold soul coins delay his important training. So, despite initially wanting to stay for a meal, Han Li obediently followed his Teacher's orders and hurried back to his cultivation.
Because the collection was done secretly, and given that the main collection point, Haimai City, was quite far from Wuhun City, with Wuhun City not paying much attention to the information from there, the plan proceeded very smoothly. In a short time, they had gathered a large amount of whale glue.
Han Li also became the first soul master on the continent to use a high-year whale glue training regimen to strengthen his body. His physical strength improved as desired, but the process and experience were quite indescribable. The taste of whale glue dissolved with high-temperature flames was overwhelmingly fishy, making him develop an aversion to seafood in the short term.
In the blink of an eye, six months passed during this process.
While training in a simulated environment, Han Li heard Xiu'er's shouting from outside and slowly emerged from his cultivation state, exhaling a breath of impure air and walking outside.
"Sister Xiu'er, what's the matter?" Han Li asked, smiling at the increasingly graceful young woman.
"Xiao Li, Guang Ling Douluo, and Azure Luan Douluo have sent someone to inform you to go to the residence; they have something to discuss with you," Xiu'er said, her face blushing as she looked at the now taller Han Li, who had grown to over 1.5 meters, slightly taller than her.
"Alright, Sister Xiu'er, wait for me at home. We'll have dinner together when I get back." As Han Li walked past, he leaned in and said this, then quickly left without waiting for Xiu'er's response.
"Okay," Xiu'er softly replied only after Han Li had left, seemingly answering his earlier question.
In Guang Ling's residence.
As soon as Han Li stepped over the threshold, he heard his Teacher's excited voice.
"Xiao Li, come here quickly; we're about to make a fortune!" Entering, Han Li saw Guang Ling's exuberant, somewhat exaggerated laughter.
"Congratulations, Teacher. If you find it too much, you can share some with me. I wouldn't mind," Han Li said with a smile.
"Share? No problem. Once we make the sale, I'll give you an extra million gold soul coins," Guang Ling said generously.
"From what Teacher says, it seems we're indeed going to strike it rich."
Han Li chuckled and added another comment as he sat down at the table.
"You little rascal, you make it sound like I've been stingy before," Guang Ling jokingly scolded, but it was clear he was in a great mood.
Azure Luan, seeing Han Li sat down, smiled and handed him a ledger, signaling for him to take a look.
Han Li accepted it but didn't open it. Instead, he placed it on the table and looked at the two elders. "I won't look at it. The remaining operations are up to Teacher and Martial Uncle. I'll just wait for my share. Next, we need to prepare to report this."
"Yes, we've held it back for half a year. It's indeed time to report it," Guang Ling said with a serious tone, his smile fading.
"Teacher, just report it as we discussed before. You can say it was my idea. There's no need to hide it for my sake," Han Li said earnestly, raising his hand to interrupt Guang Ling, who seemed about to speak. "You and I are different. You don't need to worry about it affecting me. I'm still young; the Grand Worship will at most criticize me a bit. But if it's you two, it would be different and could harm your relationships. We agreed on this beforehand, so let's not change our minds now."
Guang Ling and Azure Luan exchanged glances, their expressions fluctuating, unsure of what to feel. Was this their disciple protecting them?
Seeing their awkward expressions, Han Li shook his head and spoke up to comfort them:
"Teacher, Martial Uncle, don't feel like you're wronging me. If you think that way, I won't dare to ask for your help in the future. In the end, it was me who dragged you two into this. You know the Grand Worship's character; he won't have any issues with my little actions. By putting me in the forefront, he might understand better. Who doesn't look out for the younger generation, right?"
Guang Ling and Azure Luan, seeing his confident expression and recalling Qian Daoliu's past behavior, finally nodded in agreement.
Although they had initially agreed with Han Li, they had privately reached a consensus to renege on the agreement. They felt they couldn't shamelessly use their disciple and junior to cover for themselves, especially since they had also benefited. But Han Li had seen through their thoughts and proactively suggested putting himself in the forefront, making them feel cared for instead.
However, this was part of Han Li's plan all along. After a year of being together, he could feel the affection from his Teacher and Martial Uncle. Naturally, he chose to repay their kindness. He hadn't acted rashly; he had combined his memories with subtle probing to confirm Qian Daoliu's character.
A gentleman deceives with integrity, after all. Moreover, he wasn't being excessive or harming anyone's interests. By using his "research results" to gain benefits within appropriate bounds, who could find fault with that, right?