"Holy Son? Is the situation this serious this time?"
Han Li was somewhat surprised. The commotion was much larger than he had anticipated.
"No choice. That woman, Bibi Dong, touched the bottom line of our elder brother. She wants to secure the position of Holy Maiden, but she's a bit too presumptuous."
Han Li saw a flash of coldness on the faces of Guang Ling and Azure Luan as they responded.
Back when Bibi Dong became the Holy Maiden, no one opposed it because her talent was exceptional, unmatched by anyone of her generation, and the former Pope was her teacher.
But Hu Liena? Not only was she not born with full innate soul power, but her martial soul wasn't strong enough either. Most crucially, there was a direct descendant of the Qian family with a twenty-level innate soul power angel martial soul in her generation. She had nothing impressive to offer. Just having the Pope as a teacher wasn't enough to qualify her.
"Hmm, I understand, Master, Martial Uncle. I will ensure victory while performing as splendidly as possible."
Han Li responded decisively.
His response made Azure Luan glance at him. Given his personality, he might have hidden his strength and continued to stay low-key in the past, but it was unexpected that he was so proactive this time.
Han Li noticed his Martial Uncle's gaze, he smiled but didn't say anything.
If it were before Guang Ling took him out this time, he might have done as Azure Luan thought—just muddling through, not making too much of a scene, and continuing to hide and grow.
But now, he felt it was better to step into the spotlight directly, seize as many benefits as possible, and make himself stronger faster.
Not to mention other resources, just the soul bones. If he remembered correctly, as the Holy Son or Holy Maiden, he could request the entire Martial Soul Hall to unconditionally collect five soul bones for him.
Of course, he also had to demonstrate corresponding value so that the time to acquire the soul bones would be minimized. Although he currently didn't care much for those soul bones, it didn't matter. There were many people around him; there would always be suitable ones. Almost free soul bones—if he didn't take them, he would be letting himself down.
"Very good, full of spirit."
"Then get ready. Three days later, at the training ground in the Pope's Hall, give them a good beating for me."
A flush of excitement crossed Guang Ling's face. The fledgling eagle he had nurtured was finally ready to make its debut.
"Yes, Master," Han Li responded loudly.
In the following days, two more titled Douluo joined their training ground, observing their situation and occasionally offering corrections, making it quite lively.
Among them, Shui Bing'er had the toughest time. Admittedly, her first soul skill was very strong, extremely strong.
A group instant directional control skill, combined with powerful attacks, could be considered a first-sight killing weapon.
But unfortunately, her level was the lowest, and her current attack capability was extremely limited. She could only rely on the cold air inherent to her martial soul to harm enemies. It could be said that except when facing sparring partners, she could not resist the other three.
Not to mention Han Li's ice immunity. His control over ice elements was far superior to hers, making it impossible for her to fight him.
Dugu Yan was indeed affected by her control, but only for a moment. The blood flames surged, and Shui Bing'er had to give up.
Xiuer, on the other hand, was the most affected by her control but didn't care at all. With two amplification skills activated, she could simply break through the ice with brute force. The chill of a mere martial soul couldn't harm her in the slightest. Once Shui Bing'er's soul power was nearly exhausted, Xiuer would catch up and finish her with one claw—K.O.
"We'll see after Martial Uncle accepts her as a disciple," Han Li thought silently. "Once her martial soul evolves, with the capabilities of an Ice Phoenix, she should be able to control some ice elements. By then, teaching her a few techniques will at least give her some offensive abilities."
In the routine of daily training, three days passed quickly, and the day of the battle arrived.
...
Early in the morning, Han Li's residence was unusually lively.
Except for Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile, who were still in seclusion, the other five Worships arrived early at Han Li's place.
As Guang Ling put it, this was to assert dominance, exuding a strong societal aura that made Han Li want to cover his face and retreat.
Guang Ling, satisfied with their grand lineup, waved his hand and said, "Let's go."
Thus, a group of nine people, under the respectful gazes of the guards, made their way grandly toward the Pope's Hall. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were off to annihilate the top three sects.
As they reached Pope Mountain and proceeded toward the Pope's Hall, people kept stopping to pay their respects, slowing their progress.
Finally, they entered the arena.
Though there were many people seated, the place was exceptionally quiet. Those who could attend were mostly high-ranking members of the Martial Soul Hall and were well aware of the reasons behind today's battle.
Until a definitive outcome was reached, no one dared to make any moves. Even those who had already taken sides were somewhat nervous, hoping not to be implicated.
The group of nine took seats slightly to the left of the center, leaving the most central seats vacant, and sat down, waiting for the time to come.
Han Li took this opportunity to observe today's opponents.
Hu Liena, with black hair, didn't appear particularly beautiful at first glance, but she had a charming allure. However, this allure was only somewhat effective; the difference in their spiritual power was too great for Han Li to be affected.
Xie Yue, with red eyes and short silver hair ending in a gradient of red, had red butterfly patterns at the corners of his eyes. He looked like a handsome but cold individual.
Yan, a red-haired muscular figure with a fierce look in his eyes, seemed intimidating. However, his goofy expression when looking at Hu Liena was off-putting. In summary, he was a mere lackey behind the real threat.
From a short distance, the three who were not yet known as the Golden Generation were also observing Han Li.
Seeing the three distinctively styled girls beside him, a flash of disdain appeared in Hu Liena's eyes. To her, Han Li seemed too frivolous for someone so young, unworthy of great responsibility.
Her scorn was almost undisguised, something Han Li naturally noticed. He nodded and smiled at her, which only intensified Yan's hostility.
Han Li shook his head. Very well, since you've shown hostility first, I'll have no qualms about hitting hard later.
Xie Yue did not exhibit any hostility and even nodded in greeting. However, since he was Hu Liena's brother and she harbored strong animosity towards Han Li, he had no choice but to be cautious with him as well. At most, Han Li would go a bit easier on Xie Yue.
Just as Han Li was mentally arranging his opponents, two heavyweight figures finally entered the arena.
It seemed as if they had planned it, as one came from the east and the other from the west, descending from the sky. One radiated a holy platinum aura, while the other exuded a regal purple energy.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the two figures landed on the high platform at the front without even glancing at each other.
Led by the presiding bishop, everyone stood to pay their respects and then sat back down.
"Alright, let's begin."
Qian Daoliu's voice resounded in everyone's ears, finally lifting the oppressive atmosphere in the arena.
"Xiao Li, go ahead."
Guang Ling turned his head and smiled at his disciple, showing no sign of worry.
"No problem, Master."
Han Li stood up, cupped his hands in salute to his martial uncles and aunts, and then turned to walk into the arena.
At that moment, a voice came from behind him—it was Qian Daoliu.
"Win beautifully. If anything happens, this old man will take responsibility. But if I'm not satisfied, I'll recall the Angel Legion, and you can continue practicing aerial combat with Guang Ling."
Slightly surprised, Han Li turned to see Qian Daoliu staring at him.
"Understood, Grand Uncle. You said it, so watch closely."
Han Li smiled and answered, his sharpness intensifying. As he turned and walked forward, he felt a bit lighter.
It seemed that Bibi Dong's actions had indeed angered Qian Daoliu. This was the first time Han Li had seen Qian Daoliu show such a clear bias in public.
"Never mind," Han Li thought, "let's win this properly first. This is my first public appearance in this world."
His steps became lighter and he quickened his pace to the center of the arena.
Compared to his ease, the steps of the three opponents opposite him were heavy.
Firstly, they were facing him alone, while they were three, which already put them at a disadvantage in terms of momentum. But recalling Bibi Dong's instructions and their agreement with her, they could only brace themselves and walk into the arena.
Seeing that both sides had entered and were standing in place, the presiding bishop in the arena turned to look at the high platform. After receiving nods from Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, he redirected his gaze back to the arena.
"All four of you are outstanding talents of our Martial Soul Hall. A reminder: you may inflict serious injuries, but you must not cause permanent harm. Understood?"
Han Li and his three opponents nodded lightly to show their understanding.
"Good. On both sides, state your names. The battle will begin once the introductions are over."
After speaking, he stepped back a bit from the center of the arena and waved his hand to signal the start.
As soon as the bishop finished speaking, Han Li's voice rang out first. He had come with specific instructions from Guang Ling, after all.
"Martial Soul Hall, Han Li, eight years old, Martial Soul: Ice and Fire Divine Dragon Bow, Level 34 Assault System Battle Soul Elder, a disciple of Guang Ling Douluo. Please advise."
He deliberately emphasized his age and his master's name with soul power.
As his voice spread through the arena, many people in the seats showed astonished expressions. Eight years old and already Level 34—what kind of monstrous talent was this? Even the current Pope wasn't at Level 20 at that age.
Many knew that Guang Ling had accepted a disciple, but since the Worship Hall was always aloof and independent of the entire Martial Soul Hall's operational system, they were unaware of the specifics and didn't know much about Han Li.
When Han Li entered earlier, judging by his appearance, they thought he was around the same age as Hu Liena and the other two. They didn't expect him to be six or seven years younger.
On the high platform at the front, seeing everyone's reactions, Guang Ling couldn't help but lower his head, his body trembling uncontrollably, making one suspect that if he weren't here, he would burst into laughter.
Indeed, it was Guang Ling's doing, making the other Worships want to distance themselves from him, fearing that if Bibi Dong got enraged and fought Guang Ling, they might get splattered with blood.
Not far away in the stands, Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged, but up close, one could see her gripping her staff tightly, the veins on her hand bulging, clearly in extreme anger.
Behind her, the two Douluos, Chrysanthemum and Ghost, lowered their heads in silence, their thoughts unknown.
In the arena, Hu Liena's face had turned completely dark. She hadn't expected Han Li to play such a trick during the introductions. Who mentions their age during introductions?
She could already foresee that even if they won, the three of them would inevitably be talked about behind their backs. Not only was it three against one, but their opponent was also six or seven years younger.
At that moment, she wanted to turn around and leave, but remembering her teacher's instructions, she took a deep breath and endured. She had to win; she couldn't let her teacher down.
"Hu Liena, Martial Soul: Charming Fox, Level 35 Control System Battle Soul Elder."
"Xie Yue, Martial Soul: Moon Blade, Level 34 Assault System Battle Soul Elder."
"Yan, Martial Soul: Flame Lord, Level 34 Assault System Battle Soul Elder."
With the introductions over, the battle had technically begun, but neither side made a move, seemingly waiting for the other to act first.
Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but chuckle.
"You three don't want to make the first move? Then I won't be polite. But don't blame me for not warning you. If I strike first, you might not even have a chance to fight back."
"Shut up, you..."
Yan couldn't help but speak, but he stopped mid-sentence as he saw Han Li's body begin to glow. He quickly fell silent and began synchronizing with his martial soul.
"Martial Soul Possession." ×3
Almost instantly, the four in the arena completed their martial soul possession. However, one of them was slightly out of sync—his lips moved, but no sound came out.
But no one paid attention to this detail because at the same time, Han Li summoned his martial soul, and he also drew his bowstring.
Unlike usual, Han Li's martial soul bow now had three spirit rings—black, purple, and black—in their full size, just like an ordinary person's, arranged in front of his bow.
His posture as he drew the bow made many spectators stand up involuntarily.
The unprecedented soul ring configuration and the visually striking scene made people speculate whether he would shoot energy arrows as thick as the soul rings and utterly destroy his opponents.
However, in the next moment, after a slight flicker of the soul rings, three normal-sized arrows passed through the rings and flew toward the three opponents at an extremely slow pace.
This dramatic turn of events left everyone dumbfounded.
On the other side, Hu Liena and her two companions, who had been on high alert upon seeing Han Li's soul ring and bow-drawing stance, subconsciously relaxed when they saw the arrows flying so slowly.
Unlike their publicly known information, Han Li's information was highly confidential. Even Bibi Dong didn't know the effects of his soul skills; she only knew what soul beasts his soul rings came from.
Based on Bibi Dong's speculation, Han Li should have elemental enhancement and armor-piercing skills.
As for the Green Shadow Godly Eagle, due to the soul beast's age, they hadn't linked it to Han Li at all.
Thus, an unexpected scene unfolded. Perhaps trying to show off, Yan charged forward to meet the three arrows.
"Are these soft arrows a joke? Watch me send them back to you."
Yan laughed maniacally, extending his granite-covered right arm to grab the three arrows in mid-air...