Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
When Wang Li returned home, he discovered that Xue Xing had come again, bringing an assortment of precious gifts, all of which were quite valuable.
Previously, when Dugu Bo bought the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, it cost him 150,000 Gold Soul Coins, but the value of the gifts Xue Xing had brought now easily exceeded that amount.
Xue Xing was truly pulling out all the stops to win over Dugu Bo.
Wang Li shook his head and decided not to concern himself with it.
Over the next few days, Wang Li didn't wander around. Instead, he focused on his cultivation, while also gathering plenty of information to research soul beasts that would be suitable for his sixth spirit ring.
Now, he faced a critical problem: there were very few animal-type soul beasts that were over 50,000 years old, and even fewer plant-type soul beasts.
As a result, Wang Li decided to select several options as backups, so that if the time came to choose, he wouldn't be left clueless.
Four or five days later, although Xue Xing did not come, Xue Qinghe arrived.
At the entrance of the Dugu family estate, the prince had arrived. Wang Li and Dugu Yan personally went to greet him; they couldn't afford to neglect this courtesy.
"Your Highness!"
Xue Qinghe waved his hand gently, speaking in a calm tone:
"No need for such formalities. I heard you two had returned. Had I not been so busy, I would've come sooner."
"Brother Wang Li, Miss Dugu, it's been over a year since we last met. I've brought some gifts for you."
Wang Li greeted him with a smile:
"Thank you, Your Highness. Please, come inside."
Accompanied by Wang Li and Dugu Yan, Xue Qinghe walked into the Dugu estate and once again asked:
"I wonder, is Lord Biling in the mansion today?"
Dugu Yan frowned slightly but then replied:
"Your Highness, my grandfather is at home, but he prefers quiet, so I ask that you please understand."
Xue Qinghe paid no mind and instead smiled:
"Of course, no problem. The main reason I've come today is to congratulate you both. I've heard that over the past year, you've both broken through to the Spirit King rank!"
As they led the way, Wang Li responded:
"That's correct. As soul masters, our focus is always on cultivation. After the events with Bishop Salas, we've become even more diligent, which is why we were able to break through."
Xue Qinghe looked on in admiration, but in his heart, he began to reflect. Suddenly, he felt lost, unsure if all these years of being undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire had truly been worth it.
He had great talent—perhaps even top-tier—but due to his life as an undercover agent, he had to be cautious even with his own training.
As a result, his progress had been slow, yet thanks to his excellent natural abilities, he still far outpaced his peers.
But now, seeing Wang Li and Dugu Yan, it was clear that Dugu Yan's talent was comparable to the Golden Generation, while Wang Li's talent rivaled that of someone with innate 20th-level spirit power, just like himself.
Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—had her pride shattered. Was all the effort she'd put into her mission, sacrificing her own cultivation, truly meaningful?
For a brief moment, Qian Renxue felt as though her grand ambitions were nothing more than fleeting illusions.
They reached the main hall, where Xue Qinghe took a seat on the left, with Wang Li and Dugu Yan sitting on the right. The host seat remained empty, as it felt inappropriate for anyone to sit there.
The Dugu family servants brought tea and snacks and quietly withdrew.
Wang Li spoke:
"Your Highness once said that you hoped we could defeat the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation and raise the prestige of the Heaven Dou Empire. Now, we can confidently tell you that we will defeat the Golden Generation this time, and the championship will belong to Heaven Dou."
Indeed, Xue Qinghe had said this before, but at the time, his main objective had been to defeat the Golden Generation in order to make the Pope regret her decisions. However, now, with Wang Li and Dugu Yan's talents having reached a level that Xue Qinghe could no longer ignore, his thoughts had changed.
Xue Qinghe spoke gently:
"Indeed, I also believe that with both of you here, victory will surely belong to the Heaven Dou Empire, and the championship will be ours. By the time you return with the title, you'll likely have graduated."
"Brother Wang Li, Miss Dugu, after your graduation, would you be willing to serve as imperial guest officials, or even as attendants?"
Wang Li paused for a moment upon hearing this, then solemnly replied:
"Your Highness, as citizens of Heaven Dou, it is certain that we will serve the empire. However, we are still very young, and this is the best time for cultivation. We want to focus on our training, and perhaps even travel for a while, in order to break through to higher realms as soon as possible."
His response was deliberately vague—neither accepting nor rejecting the offer, with a well-founded reason: prioritizing cultivation.
Xue Qinghe nodded approvingly:
"Indeed, you are both still young and should dedicate more time to your training…"
At this point, Xue Qinghe stood up, took a golden token from his storage soul tool, one side bearing the symbol of Heaven Dou and the other his own insignia. He continued:
"This is my personal token. Of course, it doesn't represent anything official, but if you ever run into trouble or need assistance, simply present this token, and those who are affiliated with Heaven Dou—such as guest officials, attendants, governors, or city lords—will likely be willing to help you. Take it with you."
Wang Li stood up as well, glanced at the token and Xue Qinghe, then walked over to take it, speaking with gratitude:
"Thank you, Your Highness. You helped me once before, and now you've given me this token. I truly can't express how grateful I am."
Xue Qinghe smiled even more warmly. Wang Li had not directly pledged allegiance to him, but that didn't matter. He would eventually bring Wang Li under his wing. With such talent, Wang Li would become a powerful ally in the future.
After exchanging a few polite words, Xue Qinghe invited Wang Li and Dugu Yan to visit the Prince's residence. Wang Li, however, politely declined, stating that he still needed to focus on his cultivation and prepare for the Soul Master Tournament. It was a reasonable excuse, and it worked well.
---
After Xue Qinghe left, Dugu Yan furrowed her brows and said:
"Wang Li, by accepting the Prince's token, are you planning to ally with him? Isn't that a bit hasty?"
Wang Li carefully stored the token and smiled:
"Yan Yan, accepting the Prince's token doesn't mean I've accepted his offer to join him. It's simply his goodwill, and rejecting it would have been impolite."
"Let's just hold onto it for now. Once the Soul Master Tournament is over, we'll continue our training, improve our strength, and then travel across the continent."
"This time, we won't head into the deep mountains or forests. We'll go to where it's lively and bustling—just the two of us. As long as nothing major happens, we'll enjoy ourselves."
Dugu Yan smiled, hooking her arm through Wang Li's and gently saying:
"Whatever you say."
Wang Li knew that Xue Qinghe was actually Qian Renxue, and Qian Renxue was Xue Qinghe. When presented with honeyed words, he would gladly accept them, but when faced with trouble, he would push it away.
No matter what power one holds, in the end, personal strength is paramount!
Over the next three months, Wang Li focused diligently on his cultivation. As the Soul Master Tournament approached, he broke through from Level 58 to Level 59 soul power.
By the time the tournament concluded, he would be ready to seek the soul beasts needed for his sixth spirit ring.
(End of Chapter)