Capítulo 136: [DD]: 136
"Oh, tell me more."
Han Li turned his head with interest, ignoring the battle happening nearby—it was too weak to be worth watching.
Yue Guan signaled to Gui Mei to keep an eye on the three people fighting, then turned back to Han Li.
"After learning that you had entered the Slaughter City, Nana also intended to go in, but she was stopped by the Pope, who sent the three of them to Disorienting Grand Canyonn for training. They just came out not long ago."
"Disorienting Grand Canyon?"
Hearing this, Han Li paused for a moment before realizing what it was. It was a training ground fully controlled by the Spirit Hall, something Guang Ling had mentioned before.
However, their strength had increased too quickly, and since Han Li had other purposes for going to the Slaughter City, Guang Ling hadn't brought it up again.
"Oh, that's not bad."
Han Li admitted he couldn't find much to compliment, so he just responded symbolically.
Yue Guan detected his perfunctory tone, causing his lips to twitch involuntarily. He understood—Han Li wasn't impressed.
Actually, Yue Guan had a good impression of Han Li. For one thing, Han Li had taken good care of the plants Yue Guan had given him, later trading some high-quality herbs and gifting him seeds of rare plants.
Though now those plants were being tended by Dugu Bo, which irked him a bit, overall, there was nothing to complain about.
"Aren't you planning to return to Wuhun City soon?"
Yue Guan glanced at the two new girls following Han Li, feeling something familiar about them but unable to pinpoint it.
"Probably not. I haven't had much time to travel around, so I'll explore more before going back. Otherwise, the Pope might get annoyed with me," Han Li joked casually. Now that he was no longer lacking in self-defense abilities, his courage had naturally grown.
But this remark left Yue Guan speechless—he didn't know how to respond and didn't dare to either.
"By the way, have you gathered the soul bones I requested?"
Han Li didn't mind and instead suddenly remembered the soul bones he had requested as the Holy Son—something the Spirit Hall had yet to deliver.
With more people by his side, the need for soul bones was only growing.
"We've collected three pieces, but the other two still lack suitable ones," Yue Guan replied with a sigh of relief as Han Li finally changed the topic. Yue Guan had been involved in the process, so he knew the details. His tone was filled with envy.
"That's good. I should make time to go back and get them. I wouldn't want them to end up as prizes for some Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."
"Oh, Elder Ju, Elder Gui, why not just step down from your elder positions and join me in the Worship Hall? I'll give you the remaining two soul bones," Han Li said, half-jokingly, half-seriously, as he glanced at the two.
Yue Guan stiffened, and even the black mist surrounding Gui Mei trembled slightly.
To be honest, they were tempted at that moment.
But, dear Holy Son, couldn't we talk about this privately? The Pope's disciple is still right here.
"Thank you for your kindness, Holy Son, but we're satisfied with our current positions. We can only offer our thanks," Yue Guan quickly replied, his gaze subtly passing over Hu Liena's figure.
He regretted his words immediately, wishing he could slap himself.
"Alright then. I'll extend the invitation again once I get the soul bones," Han Li said, amused by their reactions. He wasn't surprised and intentionally left the door open for future discussions.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a discreet glance and decided to stay silent. The more they spoke to this guy, the more likely they were to mess up.
They hadn't lowered their voices, so Hu Liena and the others heard everything. The exchange sparked something in Hu Liena, and she unleashed a powerful soul skill, accurately hitting the Phantom Fox they were fighting. With Xie Yue breaking through its defenses, her soul fire precisely killed the beast, and a black soul ring slowly floated up from its corpse.
She exhaled deeply, adjusted her breathing, and walked toward Han Li.
"Oh, hello, long time no see," Han Li greeted them with a slight smile, noticing that the three of them hadn't even stabilized their breathing yet.
Hu Liena, who had been ready to confront him, suddenly felt like she was punching a pillow. All her anger deflated, leaving her feeling stifled.
But what could she do? Disgrace her teacher by acting out? Looking at Han Li's smiling face, she had no choice but to lead the others in paying their respects. "Greetings, Your Highness the Holy Son."
Xie Yue and Yan also bowed in respect.
"Not bad, you've reached the Soul King level. Keep it up," Han Li said in a friendly tone.
Hearing this, Yan, who was trailing behind, couldn't help but shiver slightly.
A few years ago, he had spoken to them in this same tone, and as a result of that battle, they were utterly disgraced.
Especially him—once highly regarded by the top echelons, after that battle, he almost became synonymous with stupidity and weakness. No matter where he went, it felt like everyone was mocking him behind his back.
Now, hearing that familiar tone again, a deep-seated fear welled up within him, leaving him too scared even to look up at Han Li.
Sensing her teammate's distress, Hu Liena grew even angrier, but all she could do was clench her teeth and fists tightly.
What could she say? That Yan was weak?
Yan wasn't weak at all; he was even outstanding among his peers. It was just that the opponent was stronger.
Even for her, if she faced Yan head-on, she couldn't guarantee a hundred percent victory. But against Han Li, who was younger than them yet had thrown them into the abyss, even as the Pope's disciple, she couldn't say or do anything.
Aside from her brother Xie Yue, she wasn't much stronger than Yan. Like Yan, Han Li had become her nightmare and inner demon, and countless times she had woken up from dreams, all because of that one punch Han Li had given her.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, will you participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament six months from now?"
After a long silence, Hu Liena finally forced herself to speak.
"Me? I won't go bullying kids, but Bing'er and the others might compete under the banner of Skywater Academy," Han Li replied with a laugh, shaking his head and pointing at the people behind him.
"You're not participating?"
Hearing this, not only Hu Liena and the others, but even Yue Guan and Gui Mei couldn't help but look at him, their faces full of surprise.
In their minds, including Bibi Dong's, it was assumed that Han Li would undoubtedly participate in this competition.
"Who said I have to participate?"
Han Li replied with a smile.
"Well, no one did. I just thought you'd represent the Worship Hall," Yue Guan accidentally voiced his thoughts.
"Elder Ju, your words aren't very conducive to unity. What Worship Hall, what Pope Hall? We only have one name, and that's Spirit Hall," Han Li said, quickly turning the comment around to Yue Guan and pointing to the people behind him.
"Besides, everyone knows about Skywater Academy's situation now. With them competing, it's enough. Even if something unexpected happens, we can still ensure that the championship belongs to our Spirit Hall."
"Of course, I don't mean to imply that I don't trust the three of you. It's just that I prefer to be cautious, which I'm sure everyone can understand. After all, everything is for the Spirit Hall," Han Li added with a hint of apology, calming the anger that had been rising in the three of them.
Hu Liena was furious, feeling like she was being treated like a child and being subtly told she wasn't good enough. But with Han Li giving this reason and even apologizing, what more could they say? Would they argue that Bibi Dong hadn't said the same things to them before?
It's worth noting that in recent years, Bibi Dong's life hasn't been as smooth as before. Though she still performed her duties as Pope, her influence in some matters had been diminished.
And the person responsible for these changes was Han Li, standing right in front of them.
"His Highness the Holy Son is right. Whether or not to participate is naturally up to you to decide," Yue Guan quickly mediated, noticing that the three were becoming emotionally unstable. He then shifted his attention to the people behind Han Li.
"Are these five behind you all reserve members of Skywater Academy?"
"It wouldn't be fun to spoil the surprise. You'll find out when the time comes," Han Li dodged the question, feeling it was a bit too forward to share details even though they were all part of the Spirit Hall but from different factions.
"Alright, we'll look forward to seeing their performance then."
Realizing Han Li wasn't going to give more information, Yue Guan also stepped back, ending the topic.
"Sure, but Hu Liena, shouldn't you adjust yourself and absorb the soul ring?"
Han Li had already taken a moment to confirm the age of the soul ring—around 25,000 years, which was an improvement. It seemed Bibi Dong had given her some benefits. Was it the fox tail?
"Yes, Nana, you should adjust your state and focus on absorbing the soul ring," Yue Guan urged.
He wasn't worried about the other two, but Hu Liena was like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. He didn't want to be caught up in her outburst, so he quickly found an excuse to send her off.
"Okay, Grandpa Ju."
Hu Liena bit her lip, glanced resentfully at Han Li, and took a good look at the girls behind him before moving to the soul ring and sitting down to meditate.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, would you like Elder Gui and me to assist you?"
Yue Guan asked, relieved that the potential conflict had been defused.
"No need, the soul beasts we need to hunt aren't that strong. We can handle it ourselves. You two should focus on them," Han Li replied, shaking his head.
Having them help him hunt soul beasts was out of the question. He didn't want to risk exposure, and besides, he was worried that the scene might scare a few people.
"Alright, two Elders, it was a coincidence to run into you here, so I won't keep you. I have things to attend to, so I'll be off."
"Elder Ju, if you're free, you should chat with Grandpa Dugu more often. He's been thinking about you," Han Li teased with a smile, then started to lead the people behind him away.
"Brother Xie Yue, see you later."
He cupped his hands to Xie Yue, then turned and left in the direction they had come from.
As for Yan, he didn't even dare to look up at Han Li the entire time, so there was no point in greeting him.
Watching Han Li and his group disappear, Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and sighed. They refocused on the three in front of them.
There's no harm in comparison. Compared to Han Li's composure and the aura of the girls behind him, their three little ones were completely outclassed.
Especially Yan—he didn't even dare to face Han Li. What's the point of training someone like that?
Fortunately, Xie Yue had performed well. Unlike Hu Liena, who couldn't control her emotions, maybe it would be a good idea to take Xie Yue as an apprentice and give him special training.
This was the first time Elder Ju and Elder Gui had such thoughts. After all, Xie Yue wasn't particularly valued by Bibi Dong, receiving only scraps of attention because he was Hu Liena's brother.
Given that, it might be better to bring him into their fold and pass on their skills.
After all, they were treated similarly under Bibi Dong—no better than Xie Yue. It was a case of shared misfortune, but Xie Yue was still a rough gem that shouldn't be wasted.
Just then, a small white flower, carried by the wind, drifted into Elder Ju's sight, and he suddenly froze.
He thought he might have figured out why those two unfamiliar girls behind Han Li had given him that inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It was the immortal herbs. One of them might be hard to confirm, but one of them was undoubtedly the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone, who was renowned alongside his martial soul.
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