"You, this? You just walked out like that?"
Dugu Bo was the first to speak. Clicking his tongue twice, he sized up Han Li, who didn't have a single scratch on his clothes, as if he were looking at a monster.
"Oh, you mean this? I gained quite a bit from this experience, so it's not surprising that I could pull this off. Right, Master?" Han Li smiled and turned to look at Guang Ling.
However, Guang Ling didn't respond. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the Ice and Fire Bow in Han Li's right hand.
No, it might no longer be appropriate to call it the Ice and Fire Bow. The bow had completely transformed.
The originally red and blue Ice and Fire Bow had now lost its blue color, which had turned into a milky white, similar to the water of the Extreme Cold Pool of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The red had become even more vivid, turning into a vermilion hue. The mixture of milky white and vermilion made it look less magnificent than before but inexplicably more menacing.
The most peculiar change was that the previously sharp side blades of the bow limbs had turned into two dragon bodies, one white and one red. The grip of the bow was now flanked by two exquisite dragon heads, and the tips of the bow limbs had transformed into dragon tails. The bowstring, which previously required the infusion of soul power to manifest, was now naturally connected by a faint red energy line, finally completing the bow.
"As we expected, my Martial Soul has evolved."
Seeing his master's interest, Han Li handed over the bow with his right hand. Unlike others, his bow didn't give him the sensation of someone touching his own body, so there was no harm in letting his master take a look.
Guang Ling, noticing Han Li's gesture, swallowed and wiped his hands on his robe before preparing to receive the bow with both hands.
Unexpectedly, just as Guang Ling's hands were about to touch the bow, the new Ice and Fire Bow let out a dragon's roar and emitted a burst of energy, repelling Guang Ling. Even Dugu Bo, standing nearby, was not spared and was also flung away.
Fortunately, both were titled Douluo and reacted quickly, using their soul power to protect their bodies in time, avoiding injury. Nonetheless, they still looked a bit disheveled, their hair disrupted by the shock.
"Master, Senior, are you all right?" Han Li was also startled by the sudden outburst from the Ice and Fire Bow and quickly called out. Fortunately, the energy burst in an arc, leaving him unaffected.
"What is this?"
The two titled Douluo exchanged glances, disregarded their appearances, and gathered around Han Li again, carefully examining the Ice and Fire Bow in his hand. This time, however, no one attempted to touch it.
Han Li also looked down at the bow in his hand. The red and white colors flowed along the bow, and the two dragons on it seemed to come to life, exuding a slight majesty.
After a while, Guang Ling raised his head and said uncertainly, "Perhaps after evolving, your bow has gained a spirit and no longer wants to be touched by anyone other than its owner."
Dugu Bo chimed in, "That's possible. I can also confirm that your Martial Soul now carries a high level of dragon might. Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon cannot compare to this aura."
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Guang Ling's eyes brightened. He looked at Han Li and said, "That could very well be the case. It might be similar to the situation with your Sixth Uncle and Seventh Uncle."
"Maybe, I'm not sure. We'll have to study it more in the future."
Han Li smiled, avoiding a direct answer to the question.
"My Ice and Fire Blades has also been enhanced."
To Dugu Bo's bewilderment, Han Li's Ice and Fire Bow directly transformed into the Ice and Fire Scimitar Blades, now resting in his hands.
As expected, the Ice and Fire Scimitar Blades had undergone significant changes. It might now be more appropriate to call it the Dragon Blades.
"Didn't you say he wasn't a twin Martial Soul?"
Dugu Bo turned to Guang Ling, his face full of indignation. How could this master not know his disciple well enough to even distinguish whether he had twin Martial Souls?
Guang Ling shot a disdainful glance at Dugu Bo, crossing his arms and showing a clear disinterest in engaging with him.
Han Li chuckled and explained, "Senior, my master didn't lie to you. I'm indeed not a twin Martial Soul. It's just that my Martial Soul has two forms."
As he spoke, he raised his hand slightly, revealing a black and purple soul ring hanging like a pendant. The first black ring was faintly tinged with a red glow.
"Hey, Han Li, your first soul ring?" Guang Ling also noticed this, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes, perhaps because this evolution was so well-suited to my Martial Soul, my first soul ring evolved along with it. Currently, it's about fifteen thousand years old. Moreover, it will continue to increase in age as my strength grows. It can be considered my life-bound soul ring. The original amplification has now reached 100%." Han Li couldn't hide the joy on his face.
However, he soon looked troubled and said, "But the exclusivity of the elements seems more pronounced now. It completely rejects any elements other than the Ice and Fire elements. Not only that, my soul power has also changed, becoming faintly red. In the future, it might be a luxury to transfer my soul power to others."
Han Li put away his Martial Soul and gathered a cluster of faint pink soul power in his hand.
"The density and elemental concentration of your soul power seems off."
Having often sparred with Han Li, Guang Ling immediately noticed the abnormality in his soul power.
After some thought, he also conjured a cluster of soul power and slowly approached the faint red soul power in Han Li's hand. Unexpectedly, Han Li's soul power started to gradually erode Guang Ling's soul power when enveloped by it. Although the speed was slow, the trend was evident.
It should be noted that while this was a casual release of soul power by Guang Ling, the gap between a Grandmaster and a Titled Douluo was not small. Moreover, Guang Ling was already at level ninety-seven. The fact that Han Li's elemental power could erode his soul power, even slightly, was remarkable.
Intrigued, Guang Ling conducted a series of tests with Han Li, ultimately determining that the density of Han Li's soul power was almost comparable to that of a Soul King. In terms of pure elemental strength, even Guang Ling, a Super Douluo, found his ice element inferior, making him quite envious.
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo, standing nearby, felt like an inexperienced child having his worldview constantly challenged. He began to question his life's worth, feeling as if the past decades had been lived in vain.
When he was young, he considered himself a genius. But now, he realized that the gap between geniuses could be as vast as the gap between humans and dogs. Compared to this kid in front of him, he was a worthless so-called genius.
While the master and disciple duo were enthusiastically studying the new changes, they suddenly heard a crisp sound from beside them. Turning their heads, they saw a red handprint on Dugu Bo's face, and his hand was still raised.
Clearly, for some unknown reason, this Poison Douluo had slapped himself.
Seeing the master and disciple looking at him, Dugu Bo awkwardly smiled but said nothing. Instead, he joined their discussion. He was determined to secure this potential future grandson-in-law, regardless of his pride. From today, Dugu Bo will be Han Li's loyal supporter, willing to eliminate any threats against him. He believed that Han Li would be moved by his actions. He would compensate for his granddaughter's age and talent shortcomings with his strength until Han Li called him "grandfather."
Heh, being a grandson first and then a grandfather—Dugu Bo believed he would be the ultimate winner. This thought made him chuckle, causing the master and disciple to shiver with discomfort.
Seeing the old man join in, the master and disciple didn't mind. Some things were bound to be exposed as long as Han Li used them.
Moreover, this was their future number-one henchman, and especially since he was willing to ingratiate himself.
With the help of two Titled Douluo, Han Li quickly tested the strength of his evolved Martial Soul.
Within an hour, the basic tests were completed, and the trio's initial excitement had worn off, replaced by hunger pangs.
Thus, under Dugu Bo's watchful eyes, Han Li decisively took out the pre-prepared table, chairs, pots, bowls, utensils, water, seasonings, and high-quality fresh ingredients from his wristband.
The three of them moved a bit away from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and set up a hotpot.
Soon, the fresh morning air was filled with a tantalizing aroma, especially since Han Li had added some medicinal herbs that could be used as spices to the broth, making the scent even richer.
Watching the meat slices in the pot change color, Guang Ling picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. After swallowing, he looked at Han Li.
"Should we give your Martial Soul a new name? Calling it the Ice and Fire Bow and Ice and Fire Blade after its evolution seems inappropriate."
"We must change it! A strong Martial Soul deserves a fitting name. Your Ice and Fire Bow and Ice and Fire Blade sound too ordinary. Honestly, even before the evolution, those names didn't do it justice."
Dugu Bo, having just swallowed a piece of vegetable, chimed in with an air of authority.
Guang Ling nodded in agreement. He had considered suggesting Han Li change the names before, but Han Li never seemed to care, always saying that as long as the meaning was clear, it was fine. However, with such significant changes to the Martial Soul, a name change was necessary.
Feeling the spiciness in his mouth, Han Li took a small sip of fruit juice and thought for a moment before replying, "Let's call them the Ice and Fire Dragon God Bow and Ice and Fire Dragon God Blade. That seems fitting."
Guang Ling and Dugu Bo exchanged glances, reading a similar discomfort in each other's eyes, but they reluctantly nodded. It was at least better than before, so they accepted it, albeit grudgingly.
After all, they couldn't think of better names at the moment, and Han Li himself didn't seem to mind.
"What's the level of your Martial Soul now? Has it reached the height we anticipated?" Guang Ling asked abruptly.
"No, only halfway. During this evolution, I felt there was still room for improvement. But maybe because my level was still too low, I couldn't withstand it, and my Martial Soul reached a temporary saturation point. I was afraid of any accidents, so I gave up. I'll think about it again when I reach Soul King or Soul Sage. For now, it's enough."
Han Li understood his master's underlying question and answered vaguely.
The Angel Martial Soul is a god-level Martial Soul, which is a secret of the Martial Soul Hall. Even though Dugu Bo has defected to their side, he is still just a personal bodyguard and hasn't officially joined the Martial Soul Hall.
Seeing the master and disciple talking in riddles in front of him, Dugu Bo glared at them but realized there were things he wasn't privy to. So, he aggressively grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
"By the way, Master, there's one more thing I forgot to mention. I'm at level thirty now and need to consider a new soul ring." Han Li casually said this while continuing to eat a fragrant piece of fish.
Guang Ling and Dugu Bo froze, their chopsticks suspended in mid-air, and they turned to look at Han Li as if he were a monster.
After a while, they put down their chopsticks. After hearing Han Li's words, they suddenly lost their appetite.
They had worked so hard to cultivate back in the day, but this kid just slept and not only evolved his Martial Soul but also increased his soul power by seven levels overnight. The bitterness in their hearts was palpable.
Han Li, not getting a response for a while, looked up to find them staring at him silently, their gazes somewhat eerie.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you have any suitable soul beast recommendations?"
Han Li frowned, feeling troubled. He had reviewed many materials but hadn't selected a suitable soul beast yet. He was hoping to get some guidance from his master.
The two exchanged a glance, sighed simultaneously, and picked up their chopsticks again. They decided it was better to eat than to argue with their stomachs.
Seeing their actions, Han Li finally understood and looked at them with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Master, Senior, there's no need for this. You know a bit about immortal herbs, right? Think about it, if immortal herbs are so miraculous, wouldn't the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that nurtures them be even stronger?"
"Besides, it's not without a cost."
Han Li saw their attention focused on him and paused before continuing, "Maybe because the energy in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was too strong, and I absorbed it directly through my Martial Soul, most of those immortal herbs have probably lost their effect."
"Oh, only the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew might still be useful, but that increases mental power. My soul power probably won't increase drastically in the short term. Just consider it as if I absorbed the immortal herbs ahead of time. It's the same, the same."
"Moreover, with the current quality of my soul power, my cultivation speed might slow down a bit in the future."
Han Li didn't mention that his Ice and Fire attributes seemed to be evolving towards ultimate attributes. There wasn't a corresponding concept for that yet, and the boundaries of ultimate attributes were very vague. He wasn't entirely sure.
Hearing his explanation, the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that they weren't happy for him, but having such an outstanding junior put a lot of pressure on them.
Especially Dugu Bo, who felt that if things continued like this, it wouldn't take ten years before he couldn't beat this kid anymore.
Seeing the two retaliate by taking everything from the pot, Han Li had no choice but to take out more ingredients and put them in. He was still hungry.
While waiting, the two Titled Douluo briefly united their front, strongly demanding that he spill everything at once to avoid hearing any more shocking revelations later.
Han Li thought about it and realized there weren't many things left to disclose. So he stood up directly.
As his soul power circulated, a layer of illusory dragon scales appeared on his body, covering him completely. The antennae on his head and the eagle eye on his right side also emerged. Like his Martial Soul, both the antennae and the eye had undergone significant changes.
The antennae were much shorter than before. If it weren't for the red and white coloration making them stand out in his black hair, they would almost be indistinguishable from the length of his hair.
As for the eagle eye, the change was less significant compared to the antennae. The original amber color had been replaced by a light red, and when activated, a faint red glow-like mist would drift toward the back of his head, making it look quite cool.
Guang Ling glanced at Han Li's new form and immediately said, "Come, punch me with all your strength."
Han Li didn't hesitate. As soon as Guang Ling's voice fell, he decisively swung a punch.
With a dull "thud," Guang Ling caught his fist and gradually increased the force, testing the defensive strength of the illusory dragon scales on Han Li's body.
Only when Han Li began to struggle and show signs of pain did Guang Ling release his hand and nod.
"Master, how is it?"
Han Li eagerly asked, wanting to know the current strength and defense of his physical body.
"Very strong. Your physical strength is even greater than I expected. In terms of sheer strength, force, and defense, you're on par with your Golden Crocodile Uncle at level fifty. Compared to other level sixty Beast Martial Soul Soul Emperors, you're not far off." Guang Ling looked at his disciple with great satisfaction.
"What do you mean 'not far off'? He's level thirty, he's a complete monster!" Dugu Bo murmured from the side.
"What monster? Watch your language. He's a genius, a prodigy, understand?"
Guang Ling, true to his unpredictable nature, flipped his attitude in an instant. One moment he was on the same page with Dugu Bo, and the next, he was unhappy with his choice of words.
Han Li also nodded in agreement. He was human and didn't want to be called a monster. Is that a compliment? No normal person would be pleased to be called a monster.
Seeing Guang Ling getting upset, Dugu Bo immediately shut his mouth.
Noticing Han Li also nodding in agreement, Dugu Bo thought to himself that "monster" really wasn't a good term. He had spoken without thinking.
Fine, genius it is. No problem. From now on, if anyone calls him a monster, he'll give them a good beating. If anyone calls him a monster, he'll take issue with them.
PS: Shrek Seven Monster: Are We Joke To You?
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