Seeing Dugu Bo obediently shut his mouth, a smile once again appeared on Guang Ling's face.
This rapid change of expression made Dugu Bo grumble internally. He thought to himself: Enjoy your moment. When Yan Yan and this kid get together, even if you're stronger and older than me, in terms of seniority, I'll still be like an uncle to you.
Han Li, noticing their expressions, couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. The interaction between these two was quite amusing.
Perhaps due to the noticeable changes in Han Li's external soul bones, which now look more like the changes that occur when a head soul bone is activated, Dugu Bo misjudged after observing him for a while. Unable to hold back, he asked, "What soul beast's head bone is that? It's peculiar; I've never seen anything like it."
Hearing this, Guang Ling's lips curled slightly, casting a disdainful glance at him. As expected, this wild Titled Douluo was ignorant, not even recognizing external soul bones.
(Note: This is an exaggeration. Dugu Bo does know about external soul bones.)
Seeing Dugu Bo about to turn to Guang Ling, and another verbal spar was about to ignite. Han Li quickly spoke up to divert his attention: "Senior, this is not a head soul bone but two external soul bones. They didn't originally look like this. It was only during this Martial Soul evolution that they upgraded together, and they've just reached fifteen thousand years."
Dugu Bo gasped, looking curiously at the antennae on Han Li's head and his right eye, filled with envy but unsure what to say. Just two external soul bones, and they're already at fifteen thousand years. He felt a pang of jealousy.
After a moment, he turned to look at Guang Ling. "Your Martial Soul Hall is truly wealthy. These are two external soul bones. You, as his master, are generous. But then again, Han Li's talent is worth it."
Hearing his praise, Guang Ling felt a surge of satisfaction but still maintained a composed demeanor: "Don't misunderstand. While it's true that Martial Soul Hall has ample resources and I cherish him as his master, we don't have spare soul bones to lavish on a child so extravagantly. These two external soul bones were obtained by Han Li himself during soul ring acquisition, purely by chance."
Dugu Bo was taken aback by this response—this was not what he had expected. Then he glanced at Guang Ling's proud face with a peculiar expression. Since they weren't provided by Martial Soul Hall or Guang Ling, what was he boasting about? One might think he was the one who dropped the soul bones. However, considering Guang Ling's current demeanor, Dugu Bo wasn't foolish enough to say it out loud.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he looked at Han Li with wide eyes: "You were only at level twenty-three before. Are you saying you obtained an external soul bone each time you acquired a soul ring?"
Han Li calmly nodded, acknowledging it.
"You've got some luck, young man. I've lived my whole life and today is the first time I've seen so-called external soul bones, and I saw two at once on you." Dugu Bo circled Han Li twice, observing closely before reluctantly withdrawing his gaze. Want some? I know where to find more. Just head to the Star Dou Great Forest and slaughter all the Man Faced Demon Spider below three thousand years old. Maybe, just maybe, you'll find one.
Han Li noticed Dugu Bo's gaze and made a jest in his mind but didn't say it out loud. If he did, he would truly be considered a freak.
Regarding the Eight Spider Lances, Han Li planned to intercept them, but sacrificing a soul ring for it was too costly. He intended to reserve it for his team.
To be honest, he wasn't too fond of spider legs and poison. Although he was committed to being a strategic player, he preferred to make a grand entrance and magnificently crush everyone.
As for poison, his Martial Soul already had fire poison and ice poison. Spider legs might look acceptable on a beautiful girl, but for his back, he wanted wings, whether real or fake.
Discreetly glancing at Dugu Bo, Han Li thought about how the Eight Spider Lances were originally part of his plan to win over Dugu Bo. The plan had deviated, but if he wanted to get along well with Dugu Yan in the future, gifting it to her wouldn't be out of the question.
After all, external soul bones grow with their owners. Giving it to a Titled Douluo would limit its growth potential, which was why he hadn't invited his master to obtain the Eight Spider Lances in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Alright, don't bother with him. Tell us what changes have occurred," Guang Ling grabbed Dugu Bo, who was wandering around and looked at Han Li.
"The abilities haven't changed much; they've mostly been enhanced from their original state. The antennae are still tied to my first soul skill. Besides a significant boost in their original functions, affinity has further improved to control, 100% control. The soul power consumption is manageable, but the mental power consumption has increased."
"Also, the temperature sensitivity has become sharper, making it easier to detect disguised enemies. When releasing mental power attacks through the antennae, the amplification has increased to 2.5 times. I can also selectively add different elemental powers, causing others to fall into rage or slow their thinking."
"For the eagle eye, its base abilities have significantly increased and gained similar capabilities. Unlike the temperature feedback of the antennae, its ability leans more toward X-ray vision, allowing me to see through the enemy's soul power flow. However, this consumes a lot of soul power. Based on my rough estimate, I can't keep it active for more than three minutes before my soul power is depleted."
"The original Corrosive Haze of the eagle eye has slightly mutated. It can now choose to ignite or freeze the marked target, and healing soul skills are halved in effectiveness during the mark's duration. Additionally, the damage from the next attack after marking has further increased to 50%."
After Han Li finished speaking, he ignored their reactions, retracted all his external soul bones, and sat back down to eat the cooked food.
After a long while, the two also sat down silently and began eating without speaking.
It wasn't until they had nearly finished two days' worth of food that they put down their chopsticks, leaning back in their chairs contentedly. With time to process, Guang Ling and Dugu Bo finally accepted Han Li's extraordinary abilities.
A newly advanced level thirty Soul Elder, with physical strength and defense comparable to a regular level sixty Soul Emperor (perhaps slightly less), soul power solidity and destructive force equivalent to a level fifty Soul King, and mental strength slightly hinted at in the previous conversation.
Under normal circumstances, Han Li's mental power wasn't much different from a typical Soul King's, but with his soul bones and elemental additions, he could even injure a Soul Sage. Of course, this would deplete his mental strength temporarily, posing a significant risk, and he could only manage one such attack.
Overall, disregarding sustained output capability and considering short-term burst power, treating Han Li as a Soul Emperor was entirely reasonable—he might even be a strong one. The key point was that he wasn't even eight years old yet.
"By the way, Xiao Li, with your enhanced mental power and elemental control, has your control over arrows improved?" Guang Ling suddenly remembered something.
Han Li was momentarily stunned by his master's question before responding, "Indeed, it has improved. I can now fully control elemental arrows."
Then, he scratched his head awkwardly and continued, "But, Master, haven't you forgotten that my soul power is inherently imbued with strong corrosiveness? Even if I can fully control it, the moment the arrow pierces through the body, those above the Soul King might still be able to resist it a bit, but those below the Soul King will inevitably get hurt. They're simply too weak."
"So, you still can't spar?" Guangling asked, somewhat troubled.
"Oh, not really. I can control the arrows to explode prematurely. Even if I only use the impact force generated by the energy, most of the Soul Ancestors shouldn't be my match. Hmm, even if I just stand still and throw fireballs and ice shards, I should be able to win," Han Li thought for a moment and gave a rather conservative estimate.
Dugu Bo's mouth twitched at Han Li's words, but he couldn't refute them. He had participated in the previous tests and knew Han Li indeed had the strength to back up his claims.
"That's good. When the opportunity arises, help me teach a few people a lesson."
Guangling's lips curved slightly, recalling his initial intentions when he took Han Li as a disciple. Back then, Bibi Dong had made a fuss in the Hall of Worship, and he still needed to settle that score.
The Pope wasn't an appropriate target for now, so he would start with her disciples. He hoped they could withstand Han Li's firepower.
"Yes, Master."
Han Li responded helplessly, fully aware of Guangling's thoughts. Since obtaining his first soul ring, Guangling had always been concerned about this issue, and now it seemed that the time had finally come.
He hoped it wouldn't cause too much trouble and that he should prepare in advance.
The Golden Generation, huh? For the sake of his master, Han Li thought silently, he'd just have to make them suffer a bit.
"How much grudge do you have against that person for sending Xiao Li to bully Soul Masters below the Soul King level?"
Although Dugu Bo didn't know the specific details, he could tell from their conversation and expressions that Guangling was planning to have Han Li bully someone, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for Han Li's opponents.
"Why, do you want to know?"
Guangling turned around, looking at Dugu Bo with a faint smile.
"No, I don't."
Dugu Bo answered decisively. In his view, Guangling had a black heart, and he didn't want to get involved.
Seeing the two about to continue bickering, Han Li quickly interrupted.
"Master, Senior, now is not the time to discuss this. My matters are resolved, so now it's your turn."
Hearing Han Li's words, the two immediately closed their mouths and looked at him intently, making Han Li so uncomfortable that he took two steps back before stopping.
"Who goes first?"
Han Li asked tentatively, looking at the two elderly men.
"I'll go first." ×2
Two voices sounded almost simultaneously, making Han Li's eardrums seem to wail in protest.
"Alright, stop. Listen to me first."
Han Li raised his hands to stop the two. He didn't want to hear them argue over something so trivial anymore.
Seeing them quietly sit back down, Han Li organized his thoughts and said, "Let's start with Master. You mentioned before that your comprehension has already reached level ninety-eight, and only soul power accumulation is lacking. Is that correct?"
Guangling glanced at the somewhat shocked Dugu Bo and crossed his arms, nodding proudly in confirmation.
"Well, that makes it simple. Moreover, after my martial soul evolved, I gained absolute control over ice-element attributes. At that time, you won't need to take those supplementary medicines anymore. As long as you lift the soul power restriction protection from my martial soul, I should be able to directly suppress the icy poisonous attribute of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. Although my soul power also has a corrosive nature, it is negligible for you. The recovery effect you naturally have during cultivation should keep you unaffected."
"After you fully absorb it, I will release the suppression. By then, the corresponding poison should no longer harm you, and you might even take this opportunity to comprehend the ice attribute, possibly incorporating it into your abilities."
Although Han Li frequently used terms like "should" and "possibly," it was clear from his tone that Guangling and Dugu Bo both sensed this was almost a certainty.
Hearing Han Li's words, Guangling didn't hesitate to nod in agreement with Han Li's plan.
Han Li said no more. The trust between him and his master was sufficient; these somewhat taboo matters among soul masters were not issues for them.
Then, he turned his head toward Dugu Bo.
"Senior, although your problem can be resolved, it will undoubtedly be more difficult compared to Master's. You must have anticipated this, right?"
Dugu Bo nodded heavily, acknowledging his point.
"Very well, Senior, I offer you two choices regarding your issue. You can decide which one to take."
Without waiting for Dugu Bo's response, Han Li continued,
"Your problem mainly stems from the poison of your martial soul. Pardon my bluntness, but after briefly understanding your martial soul and combat methods, I have to say that I believe you've taken the wrong path. No, to be more precise, the path you chose is excellent, even more outstanding than previous Jade Phosphor Serpent soul masters. But you overlooked a crucial point: a snake martial soul with potent venom doesn't necessarily excel in poison resistance. This is the root of all the tragedy."
Dugu Bo's lips moved as if to retort instinctively, but considering his situation, he fell silent.
Han Li glanced at him and continued, "Perhaps you don't need me to point this out; you may have realized it, albeit not as clearly. But I think you've already taken some measures, right?"
"You're right. Since Yan Yan's father passed away, I've adjusted her soul skill acquisition. Her first two soul skills, although named after poison, are more like augmenting skills. The poison in her martial soul doesn't affect her. The poison in her body is more due to innate influences, but even so, as her level increases, the combined toxicity from her martial soul and innate poison still affects her significantly," Dugu Bo said after a moment of silence, looking up.
(Note: Dugu Yan's first soul skill, Jade Phosphor Red Poison, is an excitation poison that stimulates the nervous system, increasing attack power and speed by 20%. Her second soul skill, Jade Phosphor Blue Poison, is a paralyzing poison that eliminates pain, increasing her teammates' defense by 30%.)
"Good. Since you have a good understanding of this point, it makes further discussion easier," Han Li said, taking a few steps forward and retrieving a transplanted Aromatic Silk Beauty from his wristband.
Dugu Bo was puzzled. Wasn't this flower supposed to restrain poison, not detoxify it?
Seeing Dugu Bo's confused look, Han Li explained, "The first method is that I link my martial soul with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to cleanse your body. While I can't remove all the poison, I can eliminate about ninety percent of it. The remaining stubborn toxins can be pushed into your soul bones, and then you can ingest this Aromatic Silk Beauty in a special way to grant your body poison resistance."
(This involves creating a slight modification to the lore of Aromatic Silk Beauty, purely for plot purposes.)
"If you do this, even if you produce more poison in the future, your body will be able to withstand it, and your subsequent cultivation will be smooth. However, the cost is that until your body rebuilds the poison accumulation over these years, you will become very weak, possibly unable to defeat a strong Soul Douluo. The duration of this weakness depends on how quickly you recover your toxins."
Dugu Bo's heart was racing, but seeing Han Li's calm expression, he resisted the urge to immediately say, "I want that." With a hoarse voice, he asked, "What's the second option?"
"The second option is, have you ever considered changing your martial soul?" Han Li suddenly asked.
"Changing my martial soul?" ×2
This time, it wasn't just Dugu Bo who asked; even Guangling couldn't help but chime in.
"Oh, that's not quite accurate. It should be martial soul evolution. As far as I know, your original martial soul was just the Jade Phosphor Serpent, and later it evolved into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. Is that correct? So, you should be familiar with martial soul evolution," Han Li said with a mysterious smile.
Seeing his smile, Dugu Bo thought Han Li had learned this from the intelligence of the Martial Soul Hall. He couldn't help but curse in his heart, "Damn Chrysanthemum Douluo, why did you record my information so meticulously?"
Though he didn't mind others knowing his martial soul evolved later on, most soul masters believed his martial soul was originally the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. Only Yue Guan, who frequently "sparred" with him, would know this much detail.
Hearing all this information from Han Li made Dugu Bo feel as if he were naked in front of others, with no secrets left. This made him quite uncomfortable.
"Yes, as you said, my martial soul has evolved once," Dugu Bo admitted straightforwardly.
"You are well aware of the benefits of martial soul evolution. It's precisely because of this that you were able to become a Titled Douluo. So, are you willing to take another gamble? Perhaps, if you succeed, you can help your granddaughter break free from the toxic entanglement of her martial soul along the same path."
"Not only that, but the quality of your martial soul might also improve again."
Han Li's voice wasn't loud, but to Dugu Bo, it seemed to carry a certain magic, making it hard for him to resist the urge to agree.
=====
Support Me At Patreon.com/AbsoluteCode