If Han Li had been in a relatively good mood before speaking, now, as he soared through the sky, he was twice as happy.
Tang Hao was already severely injured, and after this incident, his condition worsened. The most critical point was that he now held a grudge against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
It's well known that on the Douluo Continent, you can't fake a martial soul, so Han Li's ice-attribute Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda must be real.
Han Li felt no psychological burden about setting up both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Tang Hao. As for why he didn't take the opportunity to eliminate Tang Hao, it was because he had his plans.
Han Li wanted to become a god, and while he wasn't entirely dependent on the power of faith, that didn't mean he didn't need it. He did. The power of faith, this universal energy, became increasingly important the further one progressed.
In his scheme, the Clear Sky Clan was a critical piece.
And Tang Hao occupied a more significant role than the original protagonist, Tang San. Tang San could only be considered the result, while Tang Hao was the essential catalyst.
Therefore, Han Li could never allow Tang Hao to die quietly in the wilderness.
The reason heroes are popular is largely because villains provide contrast. Without them, the story's excitement and plot would lose much of their luster — that much is certain.
As for Bibi Dong, Han Li shook his head. His current foundation still relied on the Spirit Hall, and their conflict was more of an internal one. With Qian Renxue's presence, he couldn't go too far for now.
As for cultivating his forces, it wasn't that Han Li hadn't considered it, but the cost was simply too high. Even if he managed to train them, what would be the point? Was he going to turn against the Spirit Hall?
In this context, it was better to focus resources on cultivating a few high-end combatants, which would be more advantageous for him.
As for armies opposing soul masters — that's a joke.
On the Douluo Continent, the so-called army versus soul masters only applies to low-level soul masters, like those below the Soul King level.
For soul masters above the Soul King level, unless they recklessly charge into army formations and fail to manage their energy, an ordinary army wouldn't even be able to touch their shadows.
As for ordinary people having effective means to fight soul masters, Han Li held the key to that.
One method was Tang San's pride, hidden weapons. Once mass-produced, they could harvest low-level soul masters on a large scale. The other method was gunpowder, something Tang San had ignored but could be used to propel hidden weapons.
As a modern person, Han Li understood how terrifying gunpowder could be. As long as the quantity was sufficient, even if the craftsmanship was a bit crude, on the Douluo Continent, no one below the god level could withstand it. As for gods, since he wasn't one yet, he couldn't make any judgments. After all, gunpowder was a product of the Douluo Continent as well.
Although he didn't know how to produce related weapons, he could still offer suggestions. Once they had a direction, with the skills of the Blacksmiths' Association and the cooperation of various mystical soul skills, it wouldn't be difficult to achieve.
Would Han Li release this knowledge now? Obviously not.
Of course, just because he wouldn't release it didn't mean he wasn't taking action.
From the moment he obtained the gunpowder formula, he had directed the Seven Mysteries Merchant Guild, which had already spread across the continent, to begin collecting materials under various pretexts. He also took control of the resource production areas.
As for the Spirit Hall, he hadn't informed them.
The Spirit Hall was too large. If any actions were detected, various factions would easily catch wind of it, which would lead to complications.
He would also need to find time to visit the Star Luo Empire and return to Wuhun City. It would be best to settle everything before the Soul Master Competition, so there would be fewer troubles later on.
After quickly organizing his thoughts, Han Li sped up his return.
...
At Heaven Dou Academy, Tang San suddenly opened his eyes, confused after cultivating.
He had sensed something was wrong for several days, but since he still had unresolved matters with Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and had been staying in Heaven Dou City, he thought it was just his mind being unsettled, along with the relative scarcity of Blue Silver Grass in the area. So, he hadn't paid much attention.
But today, he was cultivating in a simulated environment. Not only were there other plants around, but Blue Silver Grass was everywhere. So why?
Why had his cultivation speed dropped so much?
Moreover, he faintly felt that all the Blue Silver Grass was resisting him, while the other plants didn't seem to have changed compared to before.
Tang San got up in confusion and walked outside. He wanted to try cultivating in a normal environment to see if the issue was with the simulated space or with himself.
It was important to know that the Blue Silver Grass in the simulated environment had been meticulously cultivated by the academy, with many of them nearly becoming the lowest-level soul beasts. They had always provided a significant boost to his cultivation.
After leaving the simulated environment, Tang San casually picked a patch of grass, sat down, summoned his martial soul, and entered a cultivation state, attempting to connect with the Blue Silver Grass.
Moments later, Tang San opened his eyes, his expression grim.
Once again, he had been repelled by the Blue Silver Grass outside, though it was less obvious due to the presence of many weeds in the external environment.
Tang San was bewildered. What was going on? Could anyone tell him?
However, he didn't give up. Perhaps something was wrong with the Blue Silver Grass in this area?
Within Heaven Dou Academy, the students witnessed a scene that left them utterly confused.
Tang San darted around various locations. Each time he reached a spot, he would sit down for about one or two minutes. Then, with a gloomy expression, he'd stand up again and move to another place to repeat the process.
"Isn't that the senior from Team Two? I think his name is Tang San. What is he doing?"
When Tang San and his team replaced the original members of Team Two, it caused quite a stir. Considering their age and talent were made public, the students were quite familiar with them.
"It looks like... he's cultivating?"
Someone nearby scratched their head, unsure.
"Cultivating? Is this some new accelerated cultivation method? I'll give it a try."
Some students took it seriously.
As a result, an odd scene unfolded: a line of students began following Tang San. They didn't approach him but simply mimicked his every move. Gradually, more and more people joined in.
By this point, Tang San's expression had darkened to the extent that it seemed like rain could fall at any moment.
Although he hadn't yet left the academy to test things further, Heaven Dou Academy itself was vast, covering several mountains. After testing in multiple locations, Tang San arrived at a dreadful conclusion: the problem lay with him.
Every single Blue Silver Grass he had come into contact with was rejecting him.
What frustrated him even more was the crowd following behind him, whispering, pointing, and either finding it amusing or thinking it was some new form of cultivation.
The chatter fell on Tang San's sharp ears, only worsening his already foul mood. He felt utterly humiliated.
If his Torrential Pear Blossom Needle had been crafted, and if the people following him weren't a group of nobles — and if they weren't in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy — Tang San swore he would have drawn his hidden weapons and killed all these annoying flies without hesitation.
These ignorant fools were already courting death.
The crowd had grown too large to ignore, and by that point, Qin Ming and Ye Lingling were drawn to the commotion.
After learning about the situation from the surrounding students, Qin Ming led Ye Lingling toward Tang San.
"Junior Tang San, what are you doing?"
Although Flender had informed Qin Ming that he had severed ties with Yu Xiaogang, to Qin Ming, Tang San was still his junior. Seeing him so upset, Qin Ming couldn't help but express concern.
"Nothing. I'm leaving."
Under normal circumstances, Tang San might have maintained his composure, even if he didn't want to reveal the truth. He would've exchanged pleasantries with Qin Ming.
But now, his mood was at rock bottom. He instinctively wanted to go to Yu Xiaogang for advice, but seeing Qin Ming reminded him that his teacher had been expelled.
Moreover, Yu Xiaogang was expelled after meeting with Qin Ming. This only deepened Tang San's sour mood, and he even started to harbor some resentment toward Qin Ming.
As the leader and teacher of Team One, Qin Ming must have known the identity of that control-type soul master, yet he hadn't warned him. Wasn't his status as a junior worth more than the nephew of one of the academy's board members?
Calling him "junior" with his words, but when it came to helping him, not even a small favor was offered. Worse, why didn't he stop his teacher from speaking out?
Tang San conveniently forgot that it was Qin Ming's recommendation that got him into the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and earned him his current position.
Watching Tang San turn and leave without another word, Qin Ming awkwardly smiled and glanced at Ye Lingling.
"He doesn't seem to be in a good mood."
"Mm," Ye Lingling responded softly, refraining from saying anything further that might embarrass Qin Ming, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright, let's go see the board members. We need to discuss your future training plan with them. I'm sure they won't refuse. It'll benefit both you and Team One."
Qin Ming's face brightened with a genuine smile.
He hadn't expected Ye Lingling's progress to be so tremendous, suddenly reaching level 46 (though disguised). According to Ye Lingling, this was due to consuming a treasured medicinal herb passed down by her family, but he was still very pleased.
The improvement in Ye Lingling's healing abilities represented another qualitative leap for the team, especially after he had experienced the effects firsthand.
With Ye Lingling's support, more aggressive combat strategies could be employed, allowing the team to advance further in the Soul Master Tournament.
As he looked at the quiet Ye Lingling, Qin Ming couldn't help but think of the departing Tang San. Comparing the two, he shook his head.
Never mind, the dean was right. It's best to minimize contact with that master-disciple pair in the future. They're ungrateful.
What Qin Ming didn't notice was the strange glint in Ye Lingling's eyes as she walked quietly with her head down.
After obtaining her fourth spirit ring and absorbing a soul bone, she gained the Blue Silver Domain, granting her extraordinary sensitivity to plants.
The moment she saw Tang San, even without activating her domain, she sensed something was wrong. Combined with what she overheard from the crowd, Ye Lingling quickly deduced the truth.
The Blue Silver King's revenge had already begun. Right now, Tang San was being rejected by the Blue Silver Grass, and his martial soul was half-crippled.
Hmm, I'll tell Xiao Li about this when I get home. He'll love this news.