Just as Han Li was gradually teaching the modified techniques to a few people, Qian Renxue quietly handled the Ye family's matters.
That afternoon, Han Li and the others were doing their daily training in the practice field when there was a knock on the courtyard door.
With a quick scan of his spiritual power, Han Li showed a look of surprise and then turned to the others.
"Alright, take a break. Xue Qinghe is here with Ye Lingling."
Han Li emphasized the name "Xue Qinghe." After all, Ye Lingling was not yet fully one of them, and it was best to wait until the martial soul oath was completed.
"Don't worry, we'll be careful," Dugu Yan replied with a playful smile. However, she thought to herself that soon, they wouldn't need to keep things secret anymore.
The group walked toward the courtyard gate to greet the two.
As the door opened, Han Li welcomed them in.
"A rare guest indeed! It seems everything went smoothly if you have time to visit personally."
Han Li teased Qian Renxue, who was still disguised as Xue Qinghe.
"Indeed, everything went smoothly, and even the subsequent troubles have been avoided."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue removed her disguise right in front of everyone, returning to her original appearance.
"What are you doing?"
Han Li was puzzled by Qian Renxue's actions. He had no interest in monitoring everything in real time, so why reveal herself directly?
"No choice. Among the guards I brought, during a test with a direct descendant of the Ye family, two of them unintentionally triggered a martial soul fusion skill. He's from the Angel Legion—you know what that means."
Qian Renxue's face showed a mix of helplessness and relief as she explained.
"Oh, this..."
Han Li was genuinely surprised. This was something he hadn't anticipated, but judging by the situation, it seemed the outcome was still positive.
"Luckily, I had brought two elders with me, and we weren't short on manpower. Plus, only a few people from the Ye family witnessed the scene. In such a situation, it's fortunate that the Ye family head can distinguish right from wrong, so there were no casualties."
"In any case, the Ye family has now joined the Spirit Hall and pledged their allegiance directly to me," Qian Renxue continued, skipping over some details, but the group was already imagining the scene.
"Was that a violent takeover?"
Han Li was the only one among them who dared to joke at this moment.
"Not really. As long as the Ye family's martial soul issues are resolved, the whole family will pledge their loyalty to its master. This has been their ancestral rule for hundreds of years. We had no conflicts," Ye Lingling suddenly interjected.
"And given the current situation, it might not even be a bad thing."
"Exactly," Qian Renxue said with a smile, looking at Han Li.
"It seems I've taken away one of your people."
"Oh, no you haven't. I stopped her, and here she is, delivered to you personally," Qian Renxue replied, pointing at Ye Lingling and curiously observing the reactions of the other women.
This person wasn't here to deliver anyone; she was just here to watch the fun. Too bad for her—everyone already knew about Ye Lingling.
Han Li gave Qian Renxue a look of mock annoyance before glancing at Ye Lingling.
"Now that you've brought her, you can leave."
"No rush. I have other matters to discuss," Qian Renxue said, a bit disappointed at the lack of reaction from the group. She sat down and gave Han Li a meaningful look.
"We'll take Lingling to see her room first. You two can talk," Shui Bing'er said, understanding Qian Renxue's intention. She took the initiative to lead the group towards the backyard.
"Alright, you go ahead," Han Li didn't stop them. Judging by Qian Renxue's demeanor, it seemed there was a letter from the Worship Hall, and it might involve the Qian family, something she didn't want others to know.
Once the group had left, Qian Renxue took out a letter and handed it to Han Li.
"Here, it's from my grandfather," she said, her expression becoming more serious.
Han Li nodded, took the letter, and quickly read through its contents.
After a while, he finished reading and put the letter away.
"Alright, then let's find some time for me to help you condense a soul core."
As expected, it was a report from his master to the higher-ups about the soul core matter, and Qian Daoliu, after learning about it, did not object.
"I can't believe I'm the last to know. You're something," Qian Renxue said with a hint of resentment as if saying, "I thought we were friends, but you kept this from me."
"The old man made it very clear in the letter, so don't blame me. I don't want to get involved in your family's matters. If I mess up your opportunity, the Grand Uncle will kill me," Han Li replied, not falling for her act. He noticed that as they spent more time together, Qian Renxue had become more relaxed around him.
"Alright, I'll give you a pass," Qian Renxue pouted, acknowledging his explanation.
"Hmm, let me give you a few more techniques. This time, don't say I didn't tell you," Han Li said, handing over a set of carefully compiled techniques to Qian Renxue. It wasn't a big deal to him.
Qian Renxue accepted them and casually flipped through a few pages before smiling. She was quite interested in them.
"No rush, you can read them later. First, let's set a time for me to help you condense your soul core," Han Li interrupted her as she was about to continue reading. With Ye Lingling now present, he was also ready to proceed with his next steps and would likely be leaving Heaven Dou City for a while.
"Let's do it the day after tomorrow," Qian Renxue said after a moment's thought. She glanced at Han Li, "What, do you have something planned?"
"Yes, I'm preparing to leave for a while to help them both obtain their fourth soul rings," Han Li didn't hide it, though that was just one of the reasons.
"I'm envious of you, being able to leave so freely. But it feels like you're even busier than I am," Qian Renxue first showed a look of envy, then added a teasing remark.
"I'm just working to build up your combat power," Han Li responded casually, turning her words back on her.
They then chatted casually about various topics, finding the conversation quite engaging. Qian Renxue had deliberately chosen this time to visit and even stayed for dinner before finally heading back to the Crown Prince's residence.
As for Ye Lingling, she stayed behind. Since Qian Renxue had already revealed everything on her side, Han Li and the others didn't need to be cautious anymore.
Like Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling also took a martial soul oath. However, unlike Zhu Zhuqing, she wasn't resistant to it. With Dugu Yan as her close friend, she integrated into the group even more quickly.
With a new member joining, Han Li naturally had more to do.
Fortunately, since Han Li had already interacted with Ye Lingling before, her situation was simpler than Zhu Zhuqing's. For now, she only needed to enhance her physical strength; other improvements could come gradually.
Dugu Yan took over the task of administering the whale glue, claiming that she knew the best way to approach Ye Lingling. Han Li didn't mind letting her handle it.
During this time, Han Li also took out the two remaining immortal herbs.
Ye Lingling was now at level 40, and Zhu Zhuqing was at level 35. It was time to enhance their strength without delay.
The next day at noon, after eating, Han Li called the two over and handed them the herbs.
Ye Lingling received the Damask Tulip, while Zhu Zhuqing got the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bonee. After explaining the effects of the herbs to them, he watched as they consumed them.
It wasn't until late at night that the two emerged from their cultivation, fully aware of the changes in their bodies and martial souls, and deeply appreciating the value of the herbs.
Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia underwent significant changes after consuming the Damask Tulip. The originally pink and white martial soul was now enveloped in a radiant golden and silver starlight, becoming more regal and magnificent.
The soul skills of the Nine Heart Begonia remained unchanged, still focusing on area-wide healing. However, after consuming the Damask Tulip, Ye Lingling could feel that her martial soul was continuously absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and the radiance of the sun and moon, day and night.
The life force she relied on to heal others, which used to come solely from her martial soul and her strength, was now partially supplemented by the energy of starlight.
Moreover, the essence of heaven and earth and the radiance of the sun and moon were constantly refining her, whether it was her spiritual power, physical body, or life force. Although the improvements were subtle, they were happening continuously.
From now on, she wouldn't have to worry about the negative effects of the Nine Heart Begonia.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, after consuming the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone, perhaps because she had been developing her martial soul for some time and always carried the Evil God Orb with her, the gray aura from the orb was also absorbed by her martial soul after her meridians were fully opened. She could feel that if this continued, her martial soul would further evolve toward the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
Han Li wasn't surprised by this, but he still shook his head. Zhu Zhuqing's path was a long one. Perhaps after absorbing a few more soul rings, her martial soul would evolve, but for now, it would only be strengthened. Her starting point was too low, and the Evil God Orb hadn't fully integrated. Reaching the strength of the Dark Devilgod Tiger would take some time.
After resolving the matters with the two of them, it was time for the appointment with Qian Renxue.
This time, they didn't go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. As the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, Xue Qinghe had a decent training ground of his own.
The two of them slipped away from their followers and arrived at Xue Qinghe's estate outside the city.
Half a day later, the blood-red sacrificial beam was shielded by Han Li, and the soul core was successfully condensed. After a brief test, the two returned to Heaven Dou City.
The next day, an inconspicuous carriage blended into the crowd as it left Heaven Dou City, heading towards the Star Dou Forest.
Inside the carriage, Han Li took out a blue silver grass leaf with golden veins from his wristband, a slight smile on his lips.
The destination of this journey was the Blue Silver Forest.