After chatting for a while, considering that both Han Li and Du Gubo had just walked out of the City of Slaughter, Guang Ling and Azure Luan urged the two to rest.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, everyone got up early. It wasn't because they had slept well, but rather because they were still somewhat unaccustomed.
Having stayed in the City of Slaughter for so long, any slight disturbance around them immediately triggered a reaction, frequently waking up Guang Ling and Azure Luan as well.
There was no helping it. As soon as these guys opened their eyes, their martial soul would instantly possess them, and their killing intent was unconcealed.
"I feel like if I stay with you guys for a few more days, I'll become neurotic," Guang Ling said helplessly, mercilessly teasing the five.
"It won't be like this after a few days," Han Li replied a bit awkwardly, as he had made the most noise last night.
"There's a small town nearby; let's go stay there for a few days. Besides, the matters of the commerce guild require your decision," Azure Luan suggested with a smile.
"Okay, by the way, Master, what's going on with the commerce guild?" Han Li immediately agreed and then asked, turning his head.
"What could it be? Recently, we've been clashing with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Didn't you foresee this from the start?"
Guang Ling shook his head, not particularly concerned about such matters.
"Oh, it looks like the Seven Mysteries Sect is indeed developing well, even better than I expected," Han Li said with sudden realization, a smile spreading across his face.
"Yes, very well, especially in the past year," Azure Luan, who had the most contact with the commerce guild, spoke with a smile.
"Xiao Li, before you entered the City of Slaughter, the news that you subsidized the Soul Master Legion spread widely within the Spirit Hall."
"After the news spread, especially among the lower-level soul masters, they decisively shifted their patronage to our guild, which also influenced some of the nobility."
"Now, the Seven Mysteries Sect Commerce Guild is thriving. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's business in the Heaven Dou Empire has suffered some pressure."
"Is that so? Haha, this really surprises me," Han Li was taken aback after hearing his master's explanation, not expecting his past actions to bring him such benefits.
"More than that, your reputation within the Spirit Hall is quite high now. How about it? Are you interested in becoming the Pope? I can help you talk to Xiao Xue and your Grand Uncle. If it's you, they probably won't object," Guang Ling teased, recalling the internal calls within the Spirit Hall and his meeting with Qian Renxue.
"Don't joke about that. Whoever wants to be the Pope can be the Pope," Han Li almost blurted out his true thoughts.
Azure Luan also shook his head helplessly, not commenting on the master and disciple pair's joke about the Pope's position.
After speaking, Han Li pondered for a moment and then asked, "The background of the Seven Mysteries Sect Commerce Guild shouldn't be hidden from Ning Fengzhi, right? Have there been any conflicts?"
"Ning Fengzhi hasn't made a statement, and both sides have shown restraint. After all, in your previous decisions, our positioning was more focused on serving the common people, with not many high-end products."
"The only conflict was because of Ning Fengzhi's daughter. She, provoked by someone, smashed a shop in a small town. Ning Fengzhi personally came to apologize and compensated three times the loss, which wasn't a big deal."
"However, due to his visit, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School started competing with us for the low-end market, causing some dissatisfaction within the commerce guild."
"After all, the people involved were chosen by you, and Guang Ling and I didn't want to handle it personally," Azure Luan explained the whole story, waiting for Han Li's response.
"Is there malicious competition?"
Han Li raised his eyebrows, seemingly not surprised by the choice of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
"No, Ning Fengzhi still abides by the rules, but as a result, he has shared some of the profits," Azure Luan shook his head, giving a relatively fair judgment.
"Then there's no need to worry about it. Just continue laying out the channels as per the original plan. Once we get to the town, gather all the heads; I'll have a talk with them," Han Li pondered for a moment and made his decision.
Pure money no longer held the same appeal to him as it once did; having enough was sufficient.
His initial intention in establishing the commerce guild was to make money while trying to improve the lives of the common people and, incidentally, to build an intelligence network. However, his loyal subordinates gradually replaced the need for intelligence advantages.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's willingness to join now wasn't something unacceptable to him.
If they wanted to share in the profits, fine; if they wanted fame, fine—just as long as they could hold on to it in the end.
However, the people below him, now with extra thoughts, needed a bit of a wake-up call.
And Ning Rongrong, who had smashed his shop—he noted that down.
After a simple tidying up, the group headed towards the town and moved into a large courtyard belonging to the commerce guild.
Over the next few days, they led relatively leisurely lives, though this did not include Han Li.
His intuition was correct. On the afternoon of their arrival in the town, the consciousness of the plane awoke from its slumber.
After a warm greeting, it was immediately put to work by Han Li, dedicating its limited enthusiasm to infinite research.
During this time, Han Li also met with several heads of the commerce guild. After about an hour, some left with glowing faces, while others departed pale and respectful.
On the afternoon of the fifth day, Han Li finally emerged from his room and handed the neidan to Dugu Yan.
Judging by the expression on his face, he was in a very good mood.
"What's the big news?"
Guang Ling asked lazily, comfortably lying on a chair.
"A direct path to Title Douluo, possibly even reaching Limit Douluo," Han Li replied, walking to the table and pouring himself a cup of tea. With a swirl of his soul power, he warmed it and drank it in one gulp.
"That powerful?"
Du Gubo jumped up and moved behind Han Li, massaging his shoulders flatteringly and pushing him to sit down while refilling his cup.
Azure Luan's face also flashed a look of surprise, though his temperament had always been rather indifferent, so he couldn't mimic Du Gubo's actions.
"Oh, that's it?"
Guang Ling said provocatively, glancing disdainfully at Du Gubo, showing a look of disdain.
He still had a herb perfectly matching his attributes in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, so he felt no burden. He had already achieved his dream of becoming a Limit Douluo.
Although he relied on his disciple, it did not stop him from looking down on others.
"Get lost. Come on, Xiao Li, tell us more," Du Gubo pulled out a fan from somewhere and fanned Han Li a few times.
"Neidan—I mimicked the formation of the neidan and devised a method to condense a soul core. Not only can it help soul masters breakthrough, but it can also accelerate cultivation."
"Of course, after condensing a soul core, the total amount of soul power won't increase, but it will greatly enhance soul power recovery and endurance, naturally improving combat effectiveness," Han Li comfortably enjoyed Du Gubo's service, casting a glance at his master.
Guang Ling's expression changed, and he quickly got up, pushing Du Gubo aside and snatching his fan, giving a few fanning strokes.
"Come on, good disciple, keep talking. I knew your discovery wouldn't be simple," Guang Ling's face was full of smiles as if he wasn't the one who had just looked down on Du Gubo.
This behavior caused Du Gubo and Azure Luan's faces to twitch involuntarily, turning their gazes away.
When it came to shamelessness, among all the people they knew, they were willing to call Guang Ling the strongest.
Dugu Yan and the other two women covered their mouths and laughed lightly. They were long accustomed to the playful bickering between the master and his disciple. In their words, Guang Ling was still very adorable.
Seeing his master's antics, Han Li couldn't help but chuckle as well.
"The neidan, or condensing the soul core, is both difficult and simple. Essentially, it's about learning from the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent—gathering the essence, spirit, and soul into a stable core," Han Li explained succinctly.
"Rather than training the physical body, soul power, and mental strength separately, which leads to fatal weaknesses in certain areas, resulting in being stuck at the Soul Saint stage or just before reaching Title Douluo," he elaborated on the essence of the soul core.
To be precise, the soul core Han Li had researched was different from the soul cores that appeared later. He had mainly referred to the principles of the neidan.
"Combining the three into one, using the advancement of soul power to actively drive the advancement of the other two, compensating for the lack of physical and mental training methods?"
Du Gubo, who had condensed a poison core and had some understanding, murmured while pondering.
"Exactly," Han Li nodded, confirming his explanation.
"But if that's the case, even if the condensation is successful, it would slow down the advancement of soul power because the other two also need to progress in sync," Guang Ling stopped fanning and said with some confusion. Azure Luan nodded in agreement.
"If it were just that, then yes, it would be as Master said. But I didn't say I was finished," Han Li continued.
"If we condense the soul core as I described earlier, it would indeed fill the gaps but also slow down the cultivation speed. Although it could eventually catch up, there would be too many uncertainties in the meantime."
Han Li shook his head at this point; the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent had suffered from this very issue.
"However, if during the condensation of the soul core, we use the soul core to absorb the power of space and store soul power directly within it, then things become simpler. As long as the soul core continues to rotate, it will continuously absorb soul power from the external environment. Whether in cultivation or combat endurance, it will no longer be an issue, and the problem of slowing down cultivation speed is directly resolved."
Han Li laid out the entire principle and looked at the three Title Douluo.
"If that's the case, then after condensing the soul core, the cultivation speed would increase. Any enhancement in any aspect could accelerate cultivation again, such as absorbing a soul bone," Guang Ling calculated based on Han Li's explanation and arrived at an even more astonishing result.
"Exactly, Master understands immediately," Han Li gave Guang Ling a thumbs-up, his face beaming with a brilliant smile.
Otherwise, it would be too unreasonable for him to risk venturing into Slaughter City just for some exploratory benefits and minor cultivation speed-ups.
"But the conditions for condensing a soul core are indeed quite stringent—the threshold is too high," Azure Luan glanced meaningfully at the three girls. Given their current strength, even sensing the power of space was difficult, let alone absorbing it.
"This is meant to be a cultivation method for geniuses. As for a mode suitable for regular people, that's a discussion for another time. Right now, I don't want to waste time on that, and besides, the flaws in that method are too significant and can easily lead to bottlenecks."
"As for Sister Xiu'er and the others, once we deal with the Dark Devilgod Tiger, everything will be fine. Otherwise, even if I can manipulate the power of space, there will still be some danger, and they will have to delay their progress," Han Li smiled at the three girls and then turned to the three Title Douluo as if contemplating something.