In the small town, after a brief rest, the group left directly. Guang Ling and Azure Luan had been away from Wuhun City for some time and needed to send a message to inform them of their situation.
"By the way, Xiao Li, when we were coming here, Xiao Xue mentioned she had scouted some talents. She plans to have them participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament to challenge the team selected by the Pope's Hall. Are you interested in picking a few people to join the fun?"
Guang Ling remembered something and looked at Han Li with interest.
"The Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament? How much time is left?"
Han Li asked, feeling a bit out of touch, as he had been detached from his peers for a while.
"About half a year or so. What do you think? Want to give it a go?"
Guang Ling seemed very enthusiastic about it.
"No, it's pointless. I am the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, so I will have to represent Spirit Hall. Forming a separate team would be somewhat disrespectful to the Pope. Having two teams from Spirit Hall would only make us a laughingstock," Han Li shook his head, showing no interest.
He then turned to look at the three girls and noticed that Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er seemed intrigued.
After some thought, he said to them, "If you're interested, you can participate for fun."
"Mm, Bing'er, contact Aunt Su. Skywater Academy now has a semi-public relationship with me. If you want to play, you can compete under the name of Skywater Academy. As for the competition rewards, we don't need them; consider them a gift for Aunt Su."
"Even if Skywater Academy wins the championship, it shouldn't offend the Pope's Hall too much since they are an affiliated force," Han Li added. This was also a way to repay for taking Shui Bing'er away. Over the years, he had frequently used the resources of the business guild to help Skywater Academy develop.
Now, among the major elemental academies, Skywater Academy was the most prominent, although its relationship with other academies had never quite returned to what it was before.
A trace of joy flashed across Shui Bing'er's face, and she nodded gently. Her mother would be very happy to hear this news.
"What about Lingling?"
Dugu Yan suddenly asked, looking at Han Li.
"Mm, I'll help her with that when we get there. For now, she should stay at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Qian Renxue also needs people, and she probably wouldn't be happy if we poached her talent," Han Li remembered the problematic Ye Lingling and decided to discuss her situation with Qian Renxue when he arrived in Heaven Dou.
"Can Xiao Xue also condense a soul core?"
Guang Ling asked again.
"It's possible, but we should wait until Master returns to Wuhun City and discusses it with the Grand Uncle. Her situation isn't something we can decide on our own," Han Li gave a clear answer but chose to be cautious. Unlike teaching techniques, this required Qian Daoliu's approval.
"Yes, that's true," Guang Ling considered for a moment and decided to inquire further when he returned.
Han Li ignored his master's reaction, closed his eyes, and entered a state of light sleep. Now that he had some free time, he wanted to check on the situation over there in advance.
In the spiritual space, Han Li looked at the now much brighter small light sphere and extended his right hand. The small light sphere traced an arc and landed directly in his palm.
"Great Father, congratulations on your advancement," the small light sphere exclaimed as soon as they met, eager to flatter him.
"You look much better now," Han Li said, in a good mood, as he gently squeezed the surface of the small light sphere.
"Yes, Father, I have now taken control of more than half of the domain and can interact with other intelligent beings besides you," the small light sphere seemed to be boasting of its achievements, completely indifferent to Han Li's squeezing.
"Good job on handling that Iceworm. When is it expected to reach the designated location?"
Han Li's lips curled into a slight smile. What was originally just a contingency plan had achieved its goal ahead of time, which made him quite happy.
"At its current pace, it will take about a month. It is very cautious and doesn't fully trust me, so I can't control it directly," the small light sphere conveyed with a hint of disappointment.
"Don't worry about it, you've done very well," Han Li encouraged, patting the surface of the sphere as if it were a head.
He hadn't expected the plane's consciousness to be of much help in this regard, so this outcome was a pleasant surprise. He was already very satisfied.
Hearing his praise, the small light sphere brightened up again and cheerfully circled Han Li before landing on his shoulder.
"I want to check on the situation in Heaven Dou City. Can you broadcast it?"
Han Li smiled at its antics and gave the command once it settled down.
"Of course, Father," the small light sphere stopped its bouncing, and a beam of light shot out from it, forming a light screen in front of Han Li.
"This is the person you've been monitoring, Tang San. He has currently arrived at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and the hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast is with him," the small light sphere reported, showing the scene of Tang San and Xiao Wu training on the screen.
"Has her true identity not been discovered?"
Han Li asked curiously.
"Haven Dou Academy hasn't discovered it yet. The Clear Sky Douluo has been regularly concealing her aura in secret," the small light sphere explained.
"However, the titled Douluo with the sword seemed to notice something when he went to find Ning Rongrong. Later, Tang Hao met with the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and reached an agreement," the small light sphere detailed the development of events.
"Oh? What kind of agreement?"
The situation seemed to be getting interesting. Han Li's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest as he asked with great interest.
"As long as Ning Fengzhi pretends he hasn't noticed anything and helps to keep it concealed, Tang Hao will provide a batch of hidden weapons to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at cost price," the small light sphere meticulously summarized the conversation between the two.
"So, does Tang San know about Xiao Wu's identity? Or is this just a unilateral promise from Tang Hao?"
Han Li became interested. He could confirm that without the immortal herbs, Tang San's current level of the Purple Demon Eyes was not enough to see through Xiao Wu's disguise and uncover the truth.
"Tang San currently doesn't know; it's just a unilateral promise from Tang Hao," the small light sphere directly answered.
"Is that so? That's quite interesting," Han Li said, revealing a rather malicious smile as he thought of something.
"Use your abilities to temporarily conceal Xiao Wu's identity. Given their connection, we should be able to leverage Tang San's luck. Use his luck to carry out the operation," Han Li pondered for a moment before making his decision.
"Understood. Please wait a moment," the small light sphere responded decisively. It never questioned Han Li's orders or asked for reasons.
After answering, the small light sphere dimmed as if it had shut down. A few seconds later, it lit up again.
On the screen in front of Han Li, he saw Tang San frown during his training, open his eyes to cautiously survey his surroundings, and then, finding nothing amiss, return to his training.
In Han Li's eyes, he could see a cloud of mist-like energy over Tang San's head flowing into the adjacent room.
"Good, very good," Han Li said with a wicked smile. The effect of Xiao Wu's soul ring was exceptional. Even if he didn't use it himself, he had other plans for it.
Now, being able to strike a blow at Tang San, who was destined to be his enemy, was quite satisfying.
"By the way, what about Zhu Zhuqing?"
Han Li suddenly remembered the trap he had set on his way to the City of Slaughter and turned his head to ask.
"Father, her situation isn't very good. She has deliberately distanced herself from the others and is unwilling to try the martial fusion technique with Dai Mubai. Among the group, she only maintains a friendly relationship with Ning Rongrong," the small light sphere seemed to anticipate Han Li's question and proactively switched the screen to show Zhu Zhuqing.
"Hmm, maybe I'll see her when I return this time."
Han Li glanced at her and then looked away, speaking with a hint of malicious amusement.
"No need to check on everyone else. Just give me a summary," Han Li decided against observing each individual. Most people were in training, and he wouldn't see much.
"All the members of Shrek Academy have joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, replacing their second team and gaining the qualification to participate in the competition."
"Other teachers have also joined but are responsible for teaching other students. Only Yu Xiaogang continues to train the second team, but only as an assistant coach. The responsibilities of the team leader and teacher are borne by Flender."
"What about Liu Erlong? Be specific," Han Li interrupted his dutiful son, as the storyline had changed from the original, requiring more detailed information.
"Half a year after you entered the City of Slaughter, the fourth prince Xue Beng died unexpectedly. Emperor Xue Ye was furious but found no clues, becoming somewhat disheartened and gradually giving power to the crown prince.
"Shrek Academy, having defeated the Haven Dou Imperial Academy during their training, was invited by Qin Ming to join Haven Dou Academy, smoothly becoming the second team.
"Although Yu Xiaogang does not meet the standards for a teacher, due to his background, the three deans discussed and hired him as an assistant coach, responsible only for training the second team."
"Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's identities are already known to the crown prince, who even invited them for a conversation, promising some support if they achieve good results," the small light sphere reported, with a hint of doubt.
"Oh, that fits Qian Renxue's character," Han Li said with a smile, motioning for it to continue.
"Liu Erlong, after Shrek Academy arrived in Heaven Dou City, had a conversation with Flender. However, due to her identity, she cannot frequently visit Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and the relationship between the three hasn't made substantial progress."
"Moreover, Qian Renxue is consciously targeting the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, causing Liu Erlong to be somewhat implicated. She was repeatedly refused entry and left in anger."
"As for Yu Xiaogang, he is still deliberately avoiding Liu Erlong, and with Tang San's luck diminishing, he has also been somewhat affected," the small light sphere detailed, knowing that Han Li had always been particularly concerned about Yu Xiaogang.
"Alright, keep monitoring. Let me know if anything interesting happens," Han Li said as he stood up, ending the conversation.