"Martial Soul Possession!"
Almost without needing Han Li to prompt her, Zhu Zhuqing actively entered a cultivation state. At least in terms of enthusiasm and attitude, she was fully committed.
However, despite her efforts, she tried for a full ten minutes without successfully reentering the state she had been in that morning. Instead, her frustration began to grow.
Still, she didn't complain and continued trying.
The other four remained silent, simply watching her quietly. There was nothing shameful about failure; they were more interested in seeing how long she could persist.
And so, an hour passed quietly.
Zhu Zhuqing still hadn't succeeded. The closest she got was when the Evil God soul crystal flickered slightly, but then it fell silent again.
"Alright, stop for now. Continuing like this won't help you succeed."
Finally, Han Li called an end to her attempts.
Zhu Zhuqing released her Martial Soul Possession, but she couldn't hide the disappointment in her eyes.
She felt as if Han Li and the others had practically spoon-fed her the solution—she could smell the aroma of success but still ended up spitting it out.
"Don't be discouraged. This was just your first attempt, which only means you took the wrong approach. It's not a big deal."
Han Li wasn't bothered by her failure; it was a normal part of the process.
Asking a primary school student to solve advanced math problems and expecting them to find the solution right away is unrealistic, even if that student had once scored full marks in a primary school math competition.
"Remember what I told you before: 'Invisible to the eye, silent to the ear, that is the essence of the Nether.'"
"The Hell Civet is your Martial Soul, with the cat as its core and the Nether as its attribute. The Zhu family has already developed the cat aspect extensively as part of their tradition, so there's no need for me to add anything there."
"But the Nether, or the dark attribute, is what I want you to develop. If you can't fully understand it right now, at least try to start applying it."
"What do you think is the biggest difference between the Hell Civet Martial Soul and other similar Martial Souls?"
Seeing her still confused, Han Li decided to change his teaching approach.
"It naturally comes with some stealth abilities and certain elemental powers."
Zhu Zhuqing answered without hesitation, this being something she had been taught countless times since childhood.
"Exactly. That's the main characteristic of your Martial Soul. However, many people tend to rely on their soul skills in combat and often overlook the innate traits of their Martial Soul."
"When acquiring soul rings, people typically rely on the experience passed down by their predecessors, choosing soul beasts that align with their Martial Soul to enhance their combat abilities."
"This approach, while not wrong, can lead to overlooking certain aspects of the Martial Soul, preventing its full potential from being realized."
Given how basic Zhu Zhuqing's understanding was, Han Li had to break down the concepts into simpler parts for her to grasp.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded continuously as she listened to Han Li.
"So, when I ask you to develop your Martial Soul, I'm not asking you to mimic the cat. I want you to explore the dark attribute that it carries."
"By harnessing the dark attribute and combining it with the cat's agility, you can enhance your stealth and silent movement. That's what you need to focus on now. As for integrating this into your attacks, that will come later in your training. Understand?"
"Thank you. I'll try again."
Zhu Zhuqing finally grasped the key point and understood why she hadn't been able to get into the right state earlier.
In the morning, she had unintentionally aligned with what Han Li had just explained, pouring all her focus into that one attack.
Now that she understood the principle, Zhu Zhuqing, though not the most gifted, was knowledgeable and perceptive enough to quickly get into the right state.
This time, she succeeded in capturing the essence, reentering the state she had been in before.
The most noticeable change was the faint layer of black mist rising around her, though it was still quite thin. But at least it was a sign of progress.
"Try moving around and compare the difference between being in a normal state and being in the shadows. Also, experiment with actively using those elements to achieve the results you want."
Seeing that she had grasped the basics, Han Li gave her another timely reminder.
"Alright."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't waste words. After a brief response, she began following his suggestions, running through various exercises in the training ground.
Although by the time she exhausted her soul power, she could only make the Evil God Soul Crystal faintly glow intermittently, it was still a significant improvement compared to before.
"Good, not bad. Keep working in this direction. For now, don't remove the pendant; wearing it during training will also help you."
Noticing that she was ready to continue, Han Li stopped her, cautioning against overtraining and exhausting her body.
"Restore your soul power first. Then you can continue practicing. Xiu'er, Bing'er, you two can apply some pressure on her during the training, but be careful not to injure her."
"Sister Yan, prepare the letters. I'll head to the guild to pick up some standard medicinal herbs, and I'll bring them back shortly."
With that, Han Li left the training ground with Dugu Yan.
After finishing the letters, Han Li left the courtyard and headed towards the guild.
About half an hour later, just as he was nearing the courtyard on his way back, he noticed someone lingering near the entrance, seemingly up to something.
"Who are you?"
Silently, Han Li appeared behind the man, revealing his true appearance.
Only the guild and Qian Renxue knew the information about this place. Since he had just come from the guild, the only one who could find him here was the latter.
As for the possibility that this person didn't belong to either faction, Han Li would personally take care of it.
"Greetings, Holy Son. Please forgive me for not being able to salute properly. I'm here on behalf of the Young lady. This is information regarding Zhu Zhuqing from the Heaven Dou Academy. Please take a look."
The visitor was a Soul Emperor, not weak, but since they were still on the street, he didn't salute and instead humbly made a gesture, offering a letter with both hands.
"Alright, wait a moment."
Han Li took the envelope, opened it directly, and read the contents.
After reading, he burned the letter in his hand, letting the ashes fall to the ground.
"Go back and tell her that Zhu Zhuqing is with me. As for everything else, she can handle it herself. Once I finish what I'm working on, I'll personally go see her."
Originally, Han Li had planned to find Qian Renxue after finishing his actions tonight, but since she had already sent someone over, there was no need to rush.
"Yes, Holy Son."
The Soul Emperor saluted again with a gesture, quickly scanning the surroundings before leaving swiftly.
Han Li shook his head and re-entered the courtyard.
He wasn't concerned about the visitor's identity because he sensed the aura of the Angel Martial Soul on the Soul Emperor, something that couldn't be faked.
After preparing some medicines suited to Zhu Zhuqing's current condition, he saw the group emerging from the training ground.
"There are no servants here, so you'll have to prepare the medicinal bath yourself. Although the facilities are a bit basic, they've been modified and should be sufficient for your training needs."
Glancing at Zhu Zhuqing, who was almost being carried out by the others, Han Li immediately noticed that she had merely exhausted her soul power again, rather than overexerting herself. He handed the medicine package to Xiu'er.
"Once she recovers a bit, Sister Xiu'er, show her around the place."
A while later, the guild had delivered their meal. After a quick wash, everyone was lively and energetic again.
"By the way, I'm going out tonight. I'll need to adjust her body when I get back, so don't wait up for me. You can start your training."
Han Li said this to Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er.
According to their previous training schedule, tonight's dual cultivation training was supposed to be theirs.
"Alright, take care of your business first. Need any help?"
Shui Bing'er looked up at him and asked.
"No need. I'll be more efficient on my own, and there's no real danger."
Han Li shook his head, declining.
He planned to meet Tang San tonight. Due to the situation with Zhu Zhuqing, he hadn't fully copied Tang San's techniques, only some incomplete soul power circulation routes. Since Tang San's emotional state was also volatile today, it was the perfect opportunity to strip him bare—bringing others along would only be inconvenient.
"Alright then."
Dugu Yan said, somewhat disappointed.
She had initially been eager to join Han Li on his night mission, but it seemed her hopes were dashed.
"Better focus on your training. Once you reach the Soul Sage level and gain your Martial Soul True Body, your cultivation speed will increase even further. Even without me, your dual cultivation with Bing'er is still quite fast."
Han Li, knowing her personality, just smiled and didn't mind.
Then he noticed Zhu Zhuqing blinking in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about.
"If you're bored, use this time to teach Zhuqing a few things. I'll leave that task to you."
"No problem."
Dugu Yan readily accepted the task, seeing it as preparation for Lingling's arrival.
After dinner, Han Li checked on the situation before leaving the courtyard and heading straight to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
In the luxurious villa of the Emperor Team Two at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy:
The group had just finished dinner, but the atmosphere was particularly heavy.
Ning Rongrong wasn't there. She had returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan immediately after the incident that morning and hadn't returned since.
In the afternoon, Flender had taken Dai Mubai to visit the Ye family.
After consulting Xue Qinghe, Ye Mu, whose Martial Soul was also the Nine Heart Begonia, personally diagnosed and treated Dai Mubai.
As the Soul Master healer had previously concluded, the situation had not improved. The basic functions remained, but anything beyond that was out of the question.
After they left, Ye Mu couldn't help but admire the precision of the technique, even considering forming a connection with its wielder. However, she only entertained the thought—probing further wasn't in the Ye family's survival strategy.
"Zhu Zhuqing disappeared. After she left the training ground, no one saw her again."
"The prince and the three deans have mobilized their forces to search. If they find her, they'll notify us immediately."
Flender looked at the silent group and finally relayed the feedback he received from the school.
"Mubai, as for the Star Luo Empire, it's up to you to decide. The prince has sent word that he'll fully support whatever actions you take."
Hearing Flender's words, Dai Mubai couldn't help but clench his fists. At least there was some good news.
"Alright, everyone, go rest. I'll take advantage of the night to search again—she couldn't have just vanished into thin air."
With that, Flender left the room and disappeared into the darkness.