For the next ten days or so, Han Li lived exceptionally comfortably. Each day, apart from the time spent on the road, he would return to his cultivation state, occasionally testing his newly acquired abilities and experimenting with developing new skills.
Relying on his powerful mental strength and the negligible assistance from the will of the plane, he quickly mastered the use of other elements. Of course, in his current state, he still needed the help of soul bones to use these new abilities.
As for mobilizing the evil power, it could only be used by either activating the domain or directly attaching it to his martial soul.
Nevertheless, he was very satisfied. He could now say that he finally had a bit of a sense of security and no longer had to worry about dying suddenly.
The change in his mindset also brought slight changes to his speech and behavior, all of which were noticed by Guang Ling.
Guang Ling was very pleased with his transformation. His disciple finally had the demeanor of a powerhouse. Although he was good before, he still lacked some sharpness. Now, even his last shortcoming had been filled.
Han Li also noticed the admiration in his master's eyes. He couldn't help but think to himself that this must be how parents feel when they see their children succeed.
On the twelfth day at noon, a luxurious carriage entered Heaven Dou Imperial City. After making several turns, it drove into a mansion.
"We'll stay here for now. This house was purchased in the name of a chamber of commerce, so it won't attract attention for the time being," Han Li said, dismissing the coachman and looking at everyone.
"Does the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect buy mansions in every city?" Dugu Bo observed the building, which was even more magnificent than his residence, and made a joke.
"Probably. I don't know; there are just too many," Han Li replied with a smile.
"Tsk, you are rich, kid," Dugu Bo remarked, thinking of the gold card Han Li had given him.
"I don't like money. Money is meaningless to me. The happiest time for me was when I first arrived at Wuhun City and received the Soul Master stipend," Han Li recalled a famous quote from his previous life and borrowed it.
Then, he saw the others looking at him with strange expressions. They shook their heads and walked past him to choose their rooms.
"Why doesn't anyone believe me?"
Han Li was a bit troubled. He swore he was telling the truth.
"It seems that the improvement in your strength has indeed brought some changes to your style. This is what your master hoped to see. Keep it up," Azure Luan said, stopping by Han Li and smiling as he patted his shoulder, making a rare joke.
"Ha."
Han Li blushed slightly from Azure Luan's teasing and could only respond with a dry laugh.
After quickly choosing their rooms, everyone gathered in the hall again.
"Should we go visit Xiao Xue?"
Guang Ling asked Han Li.
"Sure, it's been over a year, so it's a good time to check in on her," Han Li said. He then looked at the group.
"After that, we'll start dealing with the soul core matters. If there's anything you're unclear about, make sure to ask Martial Uncle for guidance."
The group nodded lightly in agreement.
During their journey, Han Li and Azure Luan had nearly perfected the entire process, even though they hadn't started directly.
"I'll ask Qian Renxue about Ye Lingling's situation and get back to you once we confirm the Ye family's status. A day or two won't make a difference," Han Li said, addressing Dugu Yan. This was something he had promised earlier.
"Alright," Dugu Yan replied straightforwardly, never being capricious about such matters.
"Are we going over directly, or should we have someone contact her first?"
Han Li turned his gaze back to his master. With his god-like perspective, he might be more familiar with the Crown Prince's residence defenses than Qian Renxue herself.
"Hmm, we can go directly. Last time we passed by, I arranged a way to meet with her, so we can bypass Salas," Guang Ling answered confidently.
"Great, let's go directly then. Maybe we can even snag a royal dinner," Han Li joked as he stood up.
"Looks like we, master-disciples, are off to a feast. Sorry to leave you guys behind," Guang Ling quickly stood up, put his arm around Han Li, waved to the others, and walked out.
The group laughed and started discussing soul core information with Azure Luan.
On the other side, the master and disciple duo made a simple disguise and entered a shop not far from the Crown Prince's residence.
Guang Ling left Han Li, approached a counter, and after mentioning several obscure items that weren't in the shop, he put down a gold soul coin and walked back to Han Li.
"Done with the contact?"
Han Li found the scene somewhat amusing but used a bit of his soul power to mask their conversation.
"Yes, from now on we'll use this place; it's more efficient," Guang Ling replied casually, then walked with Han Li to the waiting area.
Sure enough, after they sat for less than ten minutes, a staff member approached and handed them a box.
"Let's go; all the information is inside," Guang Ling said, taking the box and leading Han Li out.
Once they reached a secluded spot on the street, Guang Ling took out the box and retrieved an envelope, reading the information inside. After memorizing it, he handed the paper to Han Li.
Han Li took a look and saw that it was a route map for entering the Crown Prince's residence, even indicating that the guards had been diverted, allowing direct entry.
"It seems her control over Heaven Dou has increased significantly," Han Li remarked as a flame rose from his hand, burning the paper.
The two followed the instructions and moved towards the Crown Prince's residence.
A quarter of an hour later, they found themselves in the main house of the Crown Prince's residence, without entering the underground chamber.
"Grandfather Guang Ling, Han Li, you're here," Qian Renxue said happily as she saw the two brought in by Snake Lance Douluo.
This time, she did not maintain the appearance of Xue Qinghe but revealed her true form.
"Congratulations, it seems your progress is fast; you no longer need to maintain the appearance of Xue Qinghe all the time," Han Li teased, cupping his hands with a smile.
"Thanks for your previous reminder. It indeed made things a lot easier," Qian Renxue replied with a cheerful smile, showing that she was in a good mood.
The three casually found seats and sat down. Qian Renxue looked at Han Li, "Grandfather Guang Ling told me you've been missing for over a year. You went to the City of Slaughter, right? How was it? Was it interesting?"
"Interesting?"
Han Li chuckled, "There's nothing but killing there. If you don't end up with psychological issues, consider yourself lucky."
Qian Renxue looked a bit disappointed, "Really? I was thinking of going there myself since you went."
Han Li lowered his head silently, thinking that while anyone else could go, she and her grandfather should avoid it. If they went, it might trigger a semi-divine battle.
"By the way, I heard you've gathered a group of geniuses to participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament?"
Han Li changed the topic to avoid discussing the City of Slaughter.
"Yes, do you want to join? Most likely, your opponents will still be Hu Liena and her team," Qian Renxue's expression became interesting, even encouraging Han Li to participate.
"No, I'm not interested in playing house. But Bing'er and the other are representing Skywater Academy. I hope the team you send doesn't face them too early, getting eliminated before even facing the main opponents," Han Li said with a smile, looking at Qian Renxue.
"No worries. I don't expect them to win anyway. It's partly to give Ning Fengzhi some face and partly to irritate that woman and the Star Luo Empire," Qian Renxue said, clearly seeing the situation. She admitted that while the new Heaven Dou Second Team was talented, she didn't think they could compete with Hu Liena and her team. Her public statements were just to maintain her identity as the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Is there anyone among them that you have your eyes on?"
Han Li asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Qian Renxue meaningfully.
"Yes, there's a food system soul master with innate full soul power that I'm trying to recruit, but he seems to like Ning Rongrong and is still hesitating. As for the others, their identities aren't suitable. Two more with innate full soul power have martial souls that are a bit repulsive to recruit, and they seem to have some aversion to Spirit Hall. Only one with a mutant martial soul shows some inclination to join, but I don't like him," Qian Renxue glanced at Han Li, uncertain about his intentions, but answered nonetheless.
"Oscar, huh? He's worth recruiting, a real talent," Han Li acknowledged.
Han Li nodded in agreement with Qian Renxue's decision.
"Do you have someone on the inside?"
Qian Renxue was surprised, as her intelligence didn't show Han Li had contacted anyone.
"No, I just ran into Zhu Zhuqing before and had a brief chat," Han Li said with a bright smile, making Qian Renxue shiver involuntarily. Knowing Han Li, he wouldn't approach an outsider without a reason.
"Are you interested in her? But she's from the Zhu family of Star Luo, not easy to deal with. Besides, what are you planning to do about Ye Lingling?"
Qian Renxue thought of Zhu Zhuqing's fiery figure and her refusal to perform a martial soul fusion technique with Dai Mubai, frowning slightly and her voice carrying some emotion.
Han Li didn't notice anything unusual in her expression and continued, "Has the Ye family fully shifted to your side?"
"They are still neutral, but they have no other choice. It's just a matter of time," Qian Renxue said, shaking her head as Han Li's words brought her back on track.
"This time, I will solve Ye Lingling's martial soul problem. I'll make her swear by her martial soul and control her. As for the Ye family, you can pull them in. Consider it a gift from me," Han Li laid out his plan to Qian Renxue.
"Alright," Qian Renxue agreed immediately, showing her trust in Han Li in such matters.
"By the way, how long will you stay in Heaven Dou this time? Got time for a spar?"
Qian Renxue's eyes sparkled with intense fighting spirit, clearly wanting to regain her footing.
"I'll be here for a while, but I have some matters to handle first. There's no rush; we have plenty of time later," Han Li declined her challenge, feeling that her combat strength was still a bit lacking for him.
"Okay," Qian Renxue showed a hint of disappointment but regained her fighting spirit, knowing Han Li would be around for a while.
"Is there anything you need my help with? I'm much freer now and can offer a lot more support," Qian Renxue asked confidently, looking at Han Li.
"If I need help, I won't hesitate to ask. But for now, can I get a royal feast? I'm hungry," Han Li responded with a smile, not hesitating to make a request.
Qian Renxue was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
This natural way of interacting as friends was the reason why she treated Han Li differently from others.
"A feast, of course, as long as you can eat it all."