Being a Cultivator is indeed not an easy task, especially when you can't cultivate.
Fortunately, neither of them was the type to be silent. After setting up a thin barrier of soul power, they started chatting casually.
"By the way, I heard from my grandfather that Senior Guang Ling wants you to challenge someone after you return. Who is it? Is he very strong? Does he have any accomplices? Do you need my help?"
Ever since Dugu Yan fully transitioned to an Assault Soul Master, her desire for combat had been high, and she hadn't officially sparred with anyone yet. So, she was always looking for an opportunity to have a go.
Han Li didn't count since she couldn't even touch him. How could that be considered sparring?
Hearing her question, Han Li gave her an amused look.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Of course, why else would I ask you?"
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, you're out of luck then. You might end up being resented by your idol."
Han Li still clearly remembered that she had mentioned her admiration for the current female Pope, Bibi Dong, so he teased her with a remark.
"Huh?"
Dugu Yan opened her mouth wide, looking puzzled.
"Yes, my master wants me to... um, challenge her disciple, Hu Liena. Do you still want to participate now?"
Han Li suddenly stopped mid-sentence and raised his eyebrows at Dugu Yan.
"Participate? Why not? An idol is just an idol. I haven't even met her. Since we're at odds with her, we need to fight and fight hard. So it turns out that things are this chaotic even within your Martial Soul Hall, with the Worship Hall and the Pope Hall not getting along."
Dugu Yan was initially stunned, but then she firmly stated her position without hesitation and even added a bit of sarcasm at the end.
"Well, my master and I belong to the Worship Hall, so do you and your grandfather. But it doesn't matter; it's their business from the previous generation. We don't need to care about it as long as we ignore it," Han Li roughly explained the faction issue to her and then added after some thought.
"Won't you get into trouble if you beat up the Pope's disciple?"
Dugu Yan became even more worried.
"No problem, just control the intensity. Besides, she's a few years older than me. If she can't beat me and has to bring in her elders to trouble me, they'll be the ones in more trouble. Hmm, come to think of it, I haven't met her yet. It's fine," Han Li reassured her.
Hearing his answer, Dugu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to ask something else, there was a commotion from Xiu'er, who was cultivating.
They immediately lifted the soul power barrier and moved over.
"It's nothing, maybe it's even a good thing."
With just a glance, Han Li relaxed.
At this moment, Xiu'er was enveloped in a purple-golden light, and her heart was beating intensely. However, there was no sign of pain on her face; instead, she looked very comfortable.
"Are you sure she's okay? Her heart is glowing and beating so fast," Dugu Yan asked somewhat uncertainly. She had a good impression of this girl who was a few years younger and didn't want to see anything bad happen to her.
"Don't worry, she's fine. Like you, Sister Xiu'er's martial soul is evolving. Actually, 'evolving' isn't quite accurate; it should be 'enhancing.' Her high-level martial soul is quite formidable, and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum alone can't cross this threshold," Han Li reassured her, giving her hand a gentle tug.
"Are you talking about the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear? I've never heard of anyone having that kind of martial soul," Dugu Yan asked in surprise. She knew what had happened to Xiu'er and was aware that her current martial soul was a mutated Crystal Bear.
"You're right, it's the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. But that's impossible for now. Sister Xiu'er's foundation isn't strong enough, even with the support of the immortal herb. She would need to reach the Soul Sage level before her martial soul could fully evolve," Han Li confirmed her guess and shared his speculations.
"I didn't expect you to have such high expectations for Xiu'er," Dugu Yan said, looking at Han Li with a hint of jealousy.
"Hah, what kind of jealousy is this? If your martial soul continues to evolve as I plan, it won't be any weaker than the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Besides, your current martial soul is already one of the top ones on the continent," Han Li replied, holding her hand and finding her reaction both amusing and exasperating.
"Uh, I forgot. My martial soul has only recently evolved. I tend to subconsciously think it's still the Jade Phosphor Serpent," Dugu Yan said, turning her head away in embarrassment.
For a moment, Han Li was speechless. Girl, you were just talking with me about finding someone to fight, and now you've forgotten? Really, you're something.
Dugu Yan also felt a bit awkward, but fortunately, Xiu'er had always been an understanding and considerate girl. Even at this moment, she didn't forget to ease the situation.
The purple-golden light around her quickly receded, and she opened her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the two of them standing beside her, looking at each other without saying a word.
She blinked and curiously asked, "What's going on with you two?"
Only then did Han Li and Dugu Yan realize she had woken up, and the awkward atmosphere immediately vanished. Both turned their heads to look at her.
"Nothing much, Sister Xiu'er. How do you feel?"
Han Li extended his hand to help her up, asking with a smile.
"Very comfortable. I feel like my body has become much more transparent, and even the speed at which my soul power circulates has increased. Hmm, my martial soul seems different too," Xiu'er said, moving her round ears adorably as she spoke.
Han Li and Dugu Yan both looked at her head, following her movements and noticed that there were indeed new changes.
It turned out that Xiu'er's ears, which were originally crystalline and transparent, now had a faint layer of purple-gold around them, making them look more luxurious and beautiful.
"Sister Xiu'er, try activating your martial soul and see if there are any new changes," Han Li suggested, wanting to assess her martial soul's changes.
"Okay," Xiu'er responded and immediately entered the martial soul possession state.
The main changes in her martial soul possession were concentrated in her hands, so Han Li looked directly at them.
As expected, Xiu'er's martial soul had undergone further enhancement. Originally, her hands turned brown during martial possession, but now their color had changed to purple-gold. Moreover, the front of her palms had a faint metallic sheen, though sharp claws hadn't fully formed yet.
In addition, Xiu'er's entire body was now covered in a layer of purple-gold light, indicating a significant increase in strength compared to before.
"Xiao Li, I feel that after activating my martial soul, my strength and defense have increased by about thirty percent. The crystallization ability has also improved, though only by about ten percent," Xiu'er said happily, her eyes squinting with joy as she spoke about her new changes.
Curious, Dugu Yan walked over and tried to pinch Xiu'er's arm but found it blocked by the purple-gold light.
"Congratulations, Sister Xiu'er. Perhaps now your martial soul should be called the Purple-Gold Crystal Bear," Han Li said, clearly happy for her.
"Alright, then I'll go with Xiao Li's suggestion. From now on, my martial soul will be called the Purple-Gold Crystal Bear," Xiu'er replied sweetly, her emotions even more intense than her joy over the martial soul's evolution.
"Alright, let's go eat. The kitchen should have everything ready by now. We'll conduct a detailed test of your martial soul tomorrow when I get back from the Worship Hall," Han Li said to the two of them.
"Let's go, Xiu'er. Waiting for you has made me hungry," Dugu Yan said, taking the initiative to pull Xiu'er towards the door. Han Li smiled and followed them.
After quickly finishing their meal, the three of them split into two groups and went into neighboring rooms.
Dugu Yan and Xiu'er temporarily stayed together. One reason was that Dugu Yan had just arrived today, and Han Li wanted Xiu'er to keep her company. The other reason was that Dugu Yan had requested it, saying that they felt like old friends at first sight and had a lot to talk about. Naturally, Han Li didn't object.
Han Li didn't go to sleep immediately after returning to his room; instead, he began his training. This was a persistent endeavor that allowed no slack, and he hadn't yet completed his minimum daily training time.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, when Han Li got up for his usual exercise, he found that the two girls had also arrived at the training ground. However, they didn't look very refreshed, indicating they had stayed up late talking. Han Li didn't say anything since they had no pressing matters today and could catch up on sleep later.
After completing his daily workout, Han Li informed them that he needed to visit the Worship Hall in the morning and then left first.
When he arrived at the front hall, he found Guang Ling already there.
"Good morning, Master. Are we heading out now?"
Han Li greeted him and casually asked.
"Yes, let's go early. We should've paid our respects as soon as we returned yesterday," Guang Ling said, noticing that Han Li was ready and immediately started walking outside.
"By the way, Master, do we have a five-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Bear available?"
Han Li asked, quickening his pace to catch up.
"Have you given it to Xiu'er already? That's quite an enhancement," Guang Ling immediately understood the situation.
"Yes, she took it last evening. The improvement is significant, and her martial soul has mutated, becoming much stronger," Han Li said, unable to hide his happiness.
"I'll check on it after we're done. The one we prepared earlier was a three-thousand-year-old bear, but it seems that's no longer sufficient. Once she absorbs the soul ring, she'll be a bona fide peerless talent for her age," Guang Ling said with some amazement. The power of the immortal herb was truly transformative for these young people, making him feel like he might have been born too early.
"Not only that, Xiu'er was at a very low level. After absorbing the soul ring, she should reach at least level twenty-three, and level twenty-five isn't out of the question. She might even surpass that," Han Li replied with a smile, sharing his speculation.
"Oh, right. She was only at level fourteen before," Guang Ling said, pausing as he realized he had overlooked this point.
"The more talented we are, the more it shows how good of a Master you are," Han Li remarked.
"That's true, haha. Alright, let's pick up the pace. I'm eager to see their reactions," Guang Ling said, increasing their speed as they chatted and laughed on their way to the Worship Hall.
In the Worship Hall...
Han Li greeted his martial uncles and elders with a customary smile and then stood obediently in place.
"Old Five, you two have been out for quite a while this time. It seems you had quite the harvest. Tell us about it," said the Golden Crocodile, who immediately sensed something unusual about the master and disciple duo.
Not to mention that Han Li had suddenly grown taller, the Golden Crocodile could also feel a significant threat emanating from Guang Ling.
"Of course. Three months. I couldn't have been busy for nothing," Guang Ling replied with a raised eyebrow, surprised that the Golden Crocodile was the first to notice something was off.
"Alright, stop keeping us in suspense," Qian Daoliu said, his eyes now open and glancing at the two of them. He had already received a letter from Qian Renxue and had some ideas but was still curious.
"Yes, big brother," Guang Ling responded, becoming more serious at Qian Daoliu's words.
"In summary, during these three months, Xiao Li and I had a fortunate encounter. I have now broken through to level ninety-eight, and as for Xiao Li, he is now at level thirty-four."
As he spoke, the master and disciple exchanged a glance and both summoned their martial souls, releasing their auras.
The Worship Hall instantly became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Except for Qian Daoliu, who remained calm, the other Worships had expressions of shock on their faces.
After a while, they regained their composure, but their true feelings were unknown.
"Good heavens, this isn't just a fortunate encounter; it's a miracle," said the Lion Douluo, unable to contain his astonishment.
He had watched Guang Ling, who had been weaker than him, rise to level ninety-eight within two years after taking on an apprentice, leaving him far behind.
Could it be that taking on an apprentice and then going out with them is the best way to advance after becoming a Super Douluo? Several of the Worships began to entertain the same thought.
"Fifth Brother, what kind of encounter was it that allowed you to break through again after just breaking through, and for Xiao Li to leap over ten levels in one go?" Jiang Jun, who usually didn't get along with Guang Ling, surprisingly addressed him as Fifth Brother out of sheer eagerness for progress.
Moreover, now that Guang Ling was at level ninety-eight, there was no chance of winning even if he and his brother teamed up.
"It's not that special. You should have heard of it. It's that immortal herb that Little Chrysanthemum always raves about. His martial soul is one of those herbs, and it just so happened that Xiao Li and I came across it," Guang Ling replied nonchalantly.
"So, that thing exists?" the Lion Douluo exclaimed, feeling a pang of regret as he remembered mocking Chrysanthemum Douluo for being obsessed with flowers. He couldn't help but want to slap himself—why hadn't he gone to take a look back then?
"Isn't that obvious? Otherwise, how would Xiao Li and I have broken through? But don't get your hopes up too high—immortal herbs don't have a significant effect on us. If the attributes match, they can only slightly enhance our martial souls."
"I was able to break through purely by coincidence, and I even had to use up all of Xiao Li's opportunities just to barely succeed. He didn't even get to consume any himself," Guang Ling said, rolling his eyes and giving a serious reminder.
"He didn't eat any, yet he still managed to leap over ten levels?" Jiang Jun's face twitched with disbelief.
"Xiao Li's martial soul evolved, which led to the increase in his soul power. Look at his martial soul and soul rings, and you'll understand," Guang Ling explained, motioning for Han Li to make his soul rings more visible.
Han Li nodded slightly, and the previously inconspicuous black, purple, and black soul rings instantly enlarged, fully capturing the attention of the onlookers.