"Yes, I guess I understand the gist of it, but won't this have significant repercussions? It might not be good for the reputation of the Martial Soul Hall."
Han Li was still somewhat uneasy. Although if Shui Bing'er could become his junior sister, it would be great and save him the trouble of trying to win her over later, wouldn't this lead to a major escalation?
"You, you're just too cautious, always overthinking things."
Guang Ling pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair.
After letting go of the disgruntled Han Li, he proudly said, "Reputation? Heh, it's only useful when I need it. And right now, I don't think we need it. You don't seriously think the Martial Soul Hall stands firm purely because of its reputation and prestige, do you?"
"You're wrong, Xiao Li. We rely on strength—pure, overwhelming strength. The kind that makes every family and sect across the continent, including the two empires, bow to us. Reputation is for the common folk. Among powers, if I crush you, how it's spun is up to me."
"True, when you were born, Bibi Dong had already taken the stage. Without the support of the Worship Hall, her methods have been much milder. If it were earlier, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would likely be fine."
"As for that Thunderclap Academy, ha, it would've been gone long ago. Those trash academies wouldn't have had the chance to sway back and forth, let alone dream of taking control of that city. Who gave them the guts?"
Guang Ling spoke with disdain as if things should naturally be this way.
"Speaking of which, it's all because of that useless Qian Xunji. If not for him..."
Halfway through his rant, Guang Ling realized it was inappropriate and waved his hand dismissively.
"In any case, you need to understand that the Martial Soul Hall is currently at its peak in a thousand years. If nothing had gone wrong, by the time you were to become a Titled Douluo, the Martial Soul Hall should've already unified the continent. Now, we can only say we are temporarily lying low, waiting for the right moment."
"The so-called Three Upper Sects standing together—that's because if they didn't stick together, they'd not last half a year. Of course, Tang Chen is formidable, but there's been no news of him for years."
Guang Ling thought for a moment and added this last part, as he was likely not a match for Tang Chen now.
"I'm telling you all this to let you know, don't be afraid. If things escalate, so be it. With your master—uh, with your Grand Uncle backing you up, everything will be fine. Bibi Dong has made a mess of the Martial Soul Hall these years, even weakening its aura. What nonsense. If not for your Grand Uncle holding things together, she probably wouldn't even hold onto the Pope's position."
Guang Ling sneered, his words dripping with disdain for Bibi Dong's incompetence.
This woman has no brains. Couldn't she think it through? What was she afraid of? After all, she is the Pope. Even if they don't support her, could they just sit by and watch her dignity get tarnished?
If she were a bit tougher, things wouldn't be such a mess now. Her actions are no different from splitting the Martial Soul Hall. And that idiot Qian Xunji, scheming with undercover plans without showing them to us, ended up wasting talents when Xiao Xue discovered it and insisted on carrying it out.
If Qian Xunji were still alive, Guang Ling would have given him a thrashing and a couple of kicks.
These two @#￥%...&!!
Seeing his master fuming alone, Han Li could guess what he was thinking.
With Guang Ling's words, Han Li's doubts were finally put to rest.
Perhaps it was due to preconceived notions, but even though he had always felt that the actions of the Martial Soul Hall were somewhat off, he hadn't thought much about it.
He simply assumed that because of its quasi-religious nature, even though its strength was unmatched, they had no ambitions of unifying the continent.
It wasn't until today, after Guang Ling's speech, that he realized the current situation of the Martial Soul Hall was entirely due to the setbacks caused by two consecutive generations of Popes. No wonder everyone was waiting for Qian Renxue to grow up.
After a while, Guang Ling calmed down from his agitated state and regained his composure.
"So, don't overthink it. I've got everything under control. Just tell me if you're willing to give up the immortal herb or not. I'll bring you back a talented junior sister as a bonus. As for Xiao Xue, um, you should work harder to get another wife."
Guang Ling almost blurted out, "Xiao Xue, you don't stand a chance," but quickly diverted the topic to Shui Bing'er to cover his tracks.
"So, you and Uncle Azure Luan discussed this with me just to get the immortal herb, huh?"
Han Li rolled his eyes at him, ignoring the latter part of what he said. His master might not be serious, but he was. He didn't mind having another junior sister.
"Don't make it sound so bad. What do you mean by 'targeting the immortal herb'? Just tell me if you want a junior sister or not."
"If you hadn't already set your sights on that girl, you wouldn't have spent time going through those academy records, right? Why didn't you pay more attention to Feng Xiaotian, who also has innate full soul power? You glanced at his file and tossed it aside."
Guang Ling glanced at Dugu Yan and Xiu'er, who couldn't hear their conversation, with a teasing look.
"A mutated Stormwind Double-headed Wolf can't compare to an Ice Phoenix, which is a top-tier beast Martial Soul."
Han Li adamantly denied that his interest was because the other party was a girl and insisted it was purely due to the Martial Soul's quality.
"Alright then, do you think Dugu Yan would believe that?"
Guang Ling sneered.
"Then go tell her. Tell her that I was just browsing records while you were trying to take the immortal herb from me to get me a beautiful junior sister. Let's see who she believes."
Han Li had a nonchalant attitude, knowing that he hadn't acted on anything yet, whereas Guang Ling had already spoken about his intentions.
"Cut the nonsense. Just tell me if you'll give it or not."
Guang Ling demanded.
"Fine, fine, I'll give it. Since you've asked, how can I refuse?"
Han Li sighed. His master always acted first and reported later.
"Don't play dumb. Don't think I don't know. You deliberately mentioned Shui Bing'er to me and talked about her Martial Soul's uniqueness in front of Dugu Yan just to have an excuse to approach her later."
"Now that I'm handling everything for you, what more could you want?"
Guang Ling looked at his disciple with a disgruntled expression. This kid was cunning, often bringing up the topic casually. Did he think Guang Ling was oblivious? He had played these tricks himself back in the day.
"Fine, Master, say whatever you want. What can I, as your disciple, do? For the sake of your reputation, I can only bear these sins. Oh, it's such a burden."
Han Li put on a bitter face, shaking his head and sighing, as if he was bearing an unbearable weight.
"Get up! Have you rested well? If so, get ready for some real combat."
Guang Ling laughed and cursed, not waiting for Han Li to continue his pretense. He directly dispelled the soul power barrier, looking as if he was ready to listen to whatever Han Li had to say.
"Alright, let's go for some actual combat training. Sister Xiu'er, you can take a break today and get familiar with the new changes in your martial soul. Sister Yan, come with me for some testing, and let Master help you devise a training plan."
Han Li immediately snapped back to normal, earnestly addressing Dugu Yan and Xiu'er as if their previous conversation had been about this all along.
"Okay, sure..."
Hearing his words, Dugu Yan and Xiu'er nodded.
"Alright then, let's go. Little Yan, you can watch from the side for now, observe how I train Xiao Li, and prepare yourself mentally."
Guang Ling glanced nonchalantly at his disciple, who seemed no different from usual and then smiled kindly.
Over the next hour, the training ground was intermittently filled with Han Li's muffled groans, causing Dugu Yan to tremble on the sidelines, her gaze toward Guang Ling changing drastically.
Reluctantly discarding the wooden stick he had grown fond of using, Guang Ling re-evaluated the duo's basic stats. After leaving a note about formulating a training plan, he left casually.
The next day, Guang Ling handed over the new training plan. Over the next half month, their lives became exceedingly fulfilling.
Guang Ling even invited two Soul Kings from the Angel Legion to teach Han Li and Dugu Yan aerial combat techniques.
After serving as live targets for two days, they gradually improved from their initial awkwardness.
Just yesterday, Guang Ling brought new information. After Golden Crocodile Douluo went into seclusion, Qingluan Douluo also entered seclusion.
Azure Luan's seclusion made the other Worships restless, their gazes toward Guang Ling becoming ominous.
While Han Li was immersed in his new training, feeling his rapid progress, Guang Ling excitedly interrupted his cultivation.
His plan—oh no, his idea—had finally been approved by Qian Daoliu, though Qian Daoliu had reminded him to be cautious.
"So, Master, why are you looking for me? Since Grand Uncle has agreed, you should go ahead. I still need to train."
Han Li decisively refused Guang Ling's temptation. He wanted to train and had no desire to get involved in this matter.
As for Shui Bing'er, wouldn't it be better to wait until Guang Ling brought her back?
If Guang Ling succeeded, given his relationship with Azure Luan, there would be plenty of opportunities to interact in the future. Going now would be more trouble than it's worth.
"Your master here finds it quite boring to travel alone. Since you're mainly practicing aerial combat now, I can accompany you on the road. Cultivating soul power doesn't necessarily have to be done at home, right?"
Guang Ling grabbed him, the expression on his face a mix of a smile and a threat.
"Master, can't you just let me rest properly? I've only been back for a few days. Because of this matter, I've had to delay my moving plans. Plus, the mimicry environment in the house in the city for Sister Yan is almost done; I still have to go inspect it."
Han Li didn't want to go out.
Though training wouldn't be much of a delay, he was currently living quite comfortably. Going out would mean roughing it again.
"Dugu Yan can inspect it herself. Do you think you know better than she does if it's suitable for her?"
"As for the news about Shui Bing'er, I first heard it from you. In any case, you're going, whether you want to or not," Guang Ling said stubbornly.
"Fine, I'll go. Isn't that enough? But some of my custom-made clothes won't be ready until tomorrow afternoon. The day after tomorrow, we'll set off. We'll fly straight there, quick and back."
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Han Li reluctantly agreed, deciding to finish the task as quickly as possible.
"Great, it's settled then. You continue your training; I'm leaving."
Seeing Han Li agree, Guang Ling swiftly left, fearing he might change his mind.
"Troublesome, I still need to come up with a reason to explain this to Sister Xiu'er and Sister Yan."
Han Li rubbed his head in frustration, unable to focus on his training.
"Never mind, I'll just blame it on Master. Whether they believe it or not, we'll deal with it later."
In just over a day, Han Li managed to persuade the two who wanted to tag along. He promised that this trip would not exceed a month and that he would unconditionally accompany them shopping ten times upon his return. Only then did they let him go.
Seeing Han Li's utterly defeated look, Guang Ling turned his back, unable to contain his laughter.
"Alright, cheer up. Although you might suffer in the future, at least you are happy now."
Listening to his words, Han Li felt something was off, but he couldn't be bothered to argue. Since he had already agreed, he might as well get it over with quickly.
So, he looked at Guang Ling and said, "Let's go then, my dear Master."
"Alright, let's set off."
In high spirits, Guang Ling didn't notice Han Li's tone. The two quickly left the city, and once out of sight, they spread their wings and swiftly disappeared into the sky.
...
Seven days later, two dusty figures appeared in the city where Skywater Academy was located.
Checking the time, the taller figure turned to the person beside him and said, "Let's rest for a night first. We'll visit the academy tomorrow. How about that?"
"Sounds good."
The person being asked answered without hesitation.
Needless to say, these two were Guang Ling and Han Li.
By sacrificing their travel comfort, they had indeed sped up considerably, reaching their destination in just seven days.
At the beginning of their journey, Han Li still had the mindset to enjoy the pleasure of flying. He even considered sparring with his master in the air from time to time, treating the trip like a vacation.
However, after a day had passed, Han Li fell silent. It wasn't just him; even Guang Ling lost his usual enthusiasm.
Eventually, they were traveling at Han Li's maximum flying speed almost non-stop. They would land to rest only when they were exhausted or had depleted their soul power. Once recovered, they would continue their journey, pushing themselves to the point of numbness.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely without benefits. Under this near-extreme soul power exertion, Han Li noticed that his soul power recovery rate and solidity had improved somewhat.
After seven days, it was as if he had completed a deeply intensive training regimen.
Of course, given a choice, he would rather bring along Xiu'er and Dugu Yan, traveling leisurely by carriage. This experience was too dreadful, and he didn't want to go through it a second time.
As they walked slowly down the street and reached the hotel entrance, their spirits finally began to improve.
"Let's take a carriage on the way back." ×2
Neither of them knew who said it first, but they both agreed that the return journey would be by carriage.