The night passed without incident. The next morning, the group gathered as expected at the training ground.
When the four of them arrived, they discovered that Han Li was already there, fiddling with something at the edge of the training ground.
"What are you doing?"
Shui Bing'er walked over, curious as she looked at the incomplete soul bone in Han Li's hand.
"It's a simple energy-gathering formation with a gravity-altering function. Although it's not as good as the setup in Wuhun City, it's still basic infrastructure," Han Li replied with a smile, burying a piece of the soul bone carved with strange patterns into the ground.
"Alright, now you should feel it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the others on the training ground felt a weight press down on their bodies, as if a force was exerted all over them.
"It's about two to three times the usual gravity, perfect for daily training," Xiu'er, who was the most sensitive to these things, quickly assessed.
"Mm, Xiu'er is right. Regular training methods are only supplementary for us now, so this setup is more than enough for daily practice," Han Li said, satisfied as he felt the gravity on his body.
This was the second product he had introduced, after the one that concealed auras and altered appearances, and it seemed to be working well.
Apart from Zhu Zhuqing, who was still adjusting, the other three appeared to handle it with ease.
"Take your time to get used to it. Don't push yourself too hard initially; it'll do more harm than good," Han Li cautioned Zhu Zhuqing specifically, as she tended to push herself too hard in training. He didn't want something meant to be beneficial to backfire.
"Understood," Zhu Zhuqing responded, returning to her usual state as she nodded.
"Carry this with you. Although it doesn't have the gravity effect, it still helps gather energy," Han Li said as he handed each of them a small trinket. He had crafted these from leftover materials and even carved them to resemble their spirit forms, making them pretty good keepsakes.
They accepted them joyfully, and Dugu Yan even planted a kiss on his cheek, clearly pleased.
Han Li then taught them the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and after experiencing another boost in their cultivation speed, they were once again amazed.
As for other techniques, Han Li was still refining them with his knowledge. Once they were more aligned with the rules of the Douluo Continent, he would teach them later.
In the enthusiastic atmosphere, the five finished their morning training.
"You can schedule your own training time from now on. I have to go out for a bit," Han Li said, turning to the others.
"Are you going to see Qian Renxue about Lingling? Do you need me to come with you?"
Dugu Yan asked casually.
"Yes, I'm going to see Qian Renxue, but it's not just about Ye Lingling; I also need to deal with Zhuqing's situation," Han Li said, recalling what Yu Xiaogang mentioned last night, unable to suppress a laugh.
"Maybe next time. I'll take you along when I go to see Ye Lingling," Han Li said, turning to Dugu Yan to reassure her.
"Alright, that works," Dugu Yan agreed. Since she wasn't familiar with Qian Renxue, she figured she'd feel awkward being there during their conversation, so she agreed.
"Is there any more trouble with Zhuqing's situation?"
Shui Bing'er asked, holding Zhu Zhuqing's hand to ask the question on her behalf.
"Even if there's trouble, it's not our problem. We'll just leave it to Qian Renxue to handle. After all, no one knows Zhuqing is with us. Once everything blows over, it won't matter even if they find out," Han Li said shamelessly.
Zhu Zhuqing was from the Star Luo Empire, she went missing from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and her teacher and teammates were from the original Shrek team. What did any of this have to do with him, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall?
"You better not let Qian Renxue hear that, or she'll challenge you to a duel," Shui Bing'er said with a laugh, amused by his shameless response.
"It's fine. She has to handle it whether I pass it to her or not," Han Li replied, showing no trace of guilt.
"Alright, I'm off," he said, leaving them with those words as he exited the courtyard and headed towards the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's residence.
Though he spoke nonchalantly, this was still his mess to clean up. Ignoring it completely would be irresponsible, especially since he still needed Qian Renxue to find an excuse to bring Ye Lingling over. Having Dugu Yan make contact and take her away wasn't the best option.
Since they had exchanged intelligence yesterday, Qian Renxue seemed to have anticipated his visit today, and this time she acted faster than before. Almost as soon as his message was delivered, Han Li was invited inside.
Seeing Han Li restore his aura and appearance right in front of her, Qian Renxue couldn't help but ask, "You already have this ability, so why didn't you use your token to come in directly? Why did you have to take that secret route?"
Han Li was taken aback—why did he take that route? It wasn't impolite to enter by concealing his aura, but he could have just followed the formal visiting procedure.
"I forgot. Maybe I felt it was more ceremonial that way. Next time, for sure," Han Li replied confidently, causing Qian Renxue to shake her head. He was a true disciple of Grandpa Guang Ling.
"Forget it. It's not important," Qian Renxue brushed off the topic, looking at him with a hint of complaint in her voice.
"You acted too quickly. You only got the academy's identification proof from me yesterday, and then you immediately took Zhu Zhuqing away, causing such a commotion. You should have at least given me a heads-up."
"What if I told you it wasn't intentional? Would you believe me?"
Hearing her complaint, Han Li felt a bit embarrassed, but he hadn't meant for things to happen that way. Zhu Zhuqing had just been part of his casual arrangement, and he didn't expect the situation to explode yesterday. The main issue was Yu Xiaogang stirring up trouble.
Seeing the suspicious look Qian Renxue was still giving him, Han Li thought of how she had previously spread information painting the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall as a lecher, intentionally tarnishing his image. So, he had no choice but to briefly explain what had happened yesterday.
"No wonder they were so vague when they mentioned it to me earlier. They are useless," was Qian Renxue's assessment of the group.
"But how could they be so sure Ning Rongrong wouldn't get involved? Just because of Yu Xiaogang? He doesn't have that kind of influence," Qian Renxue immediately spotted a flaw in the whole situation after hearing his explanation.
Based on her current intelligence, Tang San was still just a talented commoner with some secrets.
"You're not hiding something from me, are you?"
Qian Renxue suddenly turned to Han Li, sensing something off about the whole situation.
"Uh…"
Just as Han Li was about to speak, there was a knock on the door outside.
"Your Highness, your teacher and Sword Douluo are here to see you."
"Understood. Please escort my teacher and Sword Douluo to the reception hall. I'll be there shortly."
Qian Renxue gave instructions to the person outside before turning to Han Li.
"I'll go see what they want first. Would you like to wait here?"
"Sure, go ahead. I can listen in from here," Han Li said, pointing to his head with a showy smile, clearly indicating his intention to eavesdrop.
"Suit yourself, as long as you're confident you won't be detected," Qian Renxue said, thinking of his unusually strong mental strength, and wasn't too concerned about his eavesdropping.
At this hour, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were probably visiting because of yesterday's events. If Han Li could hear everything in advance, it would save her from having to explain it later.
If she weren't uncertain about whether Han Li's disguise could fool Sword Douluo, and considering Ning Fengzhi was very familiar with Xue Qinghe, making Han Li's identity harder to conceal, she wouldn't have minded taking him directly to the meeting.
After leaving that remark, Qian Renxue transformed back into Xue Qinghe and headed towards the front hall.
After some polite greetings, the three of them took their seats.
"Teacher, did you come today regarding Junior Sister Rongrong's team?"
Xue Qinghe asked straightforwardly, in line with how they usually interacted.
"Yes, that's exactly why I'm here. But, Qinghe, I'm not here for Rongrong. She didn't take part in this incident," Ning Fengzhi, ever the sly fox, immediately distanced his daughter from the matter. Though Ning Rongrong indeed hadn't been involved, she was merely a background figure.
"Indeed, you're right. I've looked into it briefly, and, indeed, Junior Sister Rongrong wasn't involved. So what brings you here?"
Xue Qinghe responded with a smile, acknowledging his words, but then displayed a puzzled expression, as if unsure of the reason for his visit.
"First, tell me, how do you plan to handle this situation?"
Ning Fengzhi took a sip of tea and then looked at his disciple.
"I plan to handle it quietly. You might not be aware, but Zhu Zhuqing has gone missing. I've already sent people to search for her, but there's been no trace so far."
Xue Qinghe frowned and then let out a wry smile as he looked at Ning Fengzhi.
"Missing?"
Ning Fengzhi's eyebrow twitched. Ning Rongrong hadn't mentioned this when she returned, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's intelligence network wasn't strong enough to know this yet. This was indeed news to him.
"Yes, after she left the training ground, she disappeared without a trace, as if she vanished into thin air."
Ning Fengzhi frowned deeply, exchanging a look with Sword Douluo.
Disappeared from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy? Could it have been Tang Hao?
They had learned from Ning Rongrong that Zhu Zhuqing had nearly attacked several people indiscriminately.
After their last encounter, Ning Fengzhi had noticed that the once high-spirited Tang Hao had undergone a drastic change in temperament, becoming somewhat gloomy. Given his current disposition, he could do something like this.
Tang Hao, Tang Hao, you are a troublemaker.
Ning Fengzhi felt a headache coming on, regretting for the first time the agreement he had made with Tang Hao. Tang Hao had now become an uncontrollable and unstable factor.
"Is something wrong, teacher?"
Seeing his silence, Xue Qinghe asked with a hint of confusion.
"It's nothing. I just overthought it. I was originally worried that this incident might affect Rongrong's future at the academy, but now that Zhu Zhuqing has disappeared, it might be a good thing for her."
Ning Fengzhi maintained his composure as he spoke, though his excuse was rather clumsy, seemingly forgetting that he had just claimed not to be here for Ning Rongrong.
"Yes, I'll also send people to help you search for Zhu Zhuqing. After all, she is Rongrong's friend."
Ning Fengzhi quickly wrapped up the topic, clearly not wanting Xue Qinghe to press further.
"Thank you, teacher."
Xue Qinghe knew that Ning Fengzhi was hiding something or knew more than he was letting on, but since Ning Fengzhi had already said this much, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to push further.