Chapter 291: Conversation with Qian Daoliu
By the time the Heaven Dou division's qualifying matches concluded, Han Li and his group had already arrived in Spirit City.
Stepping down from the carriage, Han Li looked at the city, which seemed even more prosperous than before.
"Finally home."
It had been a long time since he was last here, and he was surprised to find himself feeling a sense of belonging.
"So this is Spirit City?"
Zhu Zhuqing curiously observed her surroundings. It was her first time here.
"Yes. Alright, let's head home first. Your room is ready. I'll take you on a proper tour later."
Han Li squeezed her hand, pulling her along toward the residence. He had already sensed that his master, his senior uncle, and Old Man Dugu were inside, drinking.
"Master! Senior Uncle! Old Man!"
Since it was his own home, the moment he stepped through the threshold, Han Li shouted out loudly.
"Stop shouting and get over here already."
After catching up with everyone, the girls headed to their rooms to help Zhu Zhuqing settle in and familiarize herself with the place. Han Li, meanwhile, stayed behind to chat with the three elders.
Seeing that all the "daughters in law" had left, Guang Ling struck first.
"Well, well, if it isn't the future god himself. You still remember you have a master, huh?"
His voice was thick with sarcasm.
Guang Ling had already reached Rank 99 and had received relevant knowledge from Qian Daoliu himself.
Even Dugu Bo, thanks to his "connections," had managed to squeeze into the Elder Hall and was now at Rank 96. Because of Han Li, Qian Daoliu had not excluded him from the discussions when explaining things to Guang Ling and Qing Luan, making him a part of the inner circle.
"Master, what are you saying? It's all Senior Uncle's fault. He's the one who wouldn't let me tell you!"
Han Li didn't even hesitate before shifting the blame onto Qian Daoliu he was the only one who could carry it.
Guang Ling shot him an exasperated look but didn't argue. This did involve the Qian family's legacy, after all. Still, he only half believed Han Li's words. But what could he do? This was his disciple.
"Fine, whatever. I can't be bothered to argue with you."
"But you sure came back fast. The Heaven Dou side just ended, didn't it?"
"Well, it's like this..."
Seeing his master's curiosity, Han Li began explaining. There were quite a few interesting moments along the way. Later, after the girls finished unpacking, they joined the conversation, which lasted late into the night.
The next morning, Han Li woke up as usual. Looking at the slightly unfamiliar room, he was reminded that he was back in Spirit City.
After a brief morning workout and breakfast, he greeted the others and headed toward the Elder Hall.
He had yet to meet with Qian Daoliu, and the simplified version of Xuantian Skill was still in his spatial wristband. There were a lot of things he needed to discuss in person.
After greeting a few senior uncles and elders, Han Li was unexpectedly led away by Qian Daoliu to the latter's private residence.
It was extremely simple. This was Han Li's first time seeing where Qian Daoliu lived.
Apart from a bed, there were only two meditation cushions on the floor and a small angelic statue placed as an offering.
"A bit plain, but make yourself comfortable."
Qian Daoliu gestured toward the cushion.
Han Li blinked. It was indeed spartan his teacher had the aura of a devout ascetic. Nonetheless, he obediently sat down.
"Let's get straight to it. I want to know what stage you're currently at."
Qian Daoliu wasted no time.
Most of his understanding of Han Li's situation had come through letters and second hand reports from Guang Ling and the others. He had never gotten a direct, firsthand impression.
So, this was about laying everything on the table. Han Li muttered internally but remained calm he had already planned his explanation.
"Only during this trip did I finally get a definitive answer. My inheritance isn't about receiving a god's position. It's more like creating one."
Han Li glanced at Qian Daoliu and saw that he was listening attentively, so he continued.
"However, compared to truly creating a godhood, my process is much simpler. I only need some faith energy or rather, even without it, I can still become a god. It would just take longer."
Han Li extended his hand, revealing a small seed infused with the aura of various divine energies, placing it between them.
Qian Daoliu didn't touch it directly but quietly observed its aura. He felt suppressed by it.
That wasn't all. As Han Li moved, the disguise on his body dissipated, revealing six blood red, hundred thousand year soul rings and a platinum colored soul ring above his head.
Sitting across from him, Qian Daoliu felt an urge to retreat something deep within him recognized that, on a fundamental level, Han Li's life form was superior to his own.
Han Li quickly withdrew his aura and retracted his soul rings, then looked back at Qian Daoliu.
"That's about it. My body and spiritual power have already begun transforming into a divine physique and divine consciousness. Faith energy is just an accelerator."
"Even without faith energy, at most, in two hundred years, I will have fully completed my transformation."
"You've probably noticed it too the energy density across the continent is slowly increasing."
Han Li added another comment. His own cultivation was accelerating the absorption of cosmic energy by the Douluo Star. Due to its vast size and the fact that he hadn't undergone a complete transformation yet, the effects weren't particularly noticeable. However, ever since he became a Spirit Sage and began transforming his body into a divine vessel, the changes were already perceptible at least to those who were attuned to them.
Qian Daoliu nodded. As the earthly representative of the Angel God, he had sensed minor shifts; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to let Han Li do as he pleased.
"You mentioned the Star Dou Forest…"
Qian Daoliu didn't finish his sentence but looked at Han Li instead. He hadn't paid much attention to the matter before, but after Guang Ling and the others brought back information about Tianmeng, he had started to take notice. It seemed that the depths of Douluo Continent concealed far more than he had previously believed.
Han Li rubbed his temples. He also found it a headache to deal with.
"That matter is connected to the Divine Realm, and I can't go into too much detail for now. But what you need to know is that they are enemies. In the short term, there's nothing we can do about them, nor do we need to worry. As long as the Divine Realm is watching me, they won't dare to act recklessly. Once I succeed and Xiaoxue completes her inheritance, they will be insignificant."
Han Li's response was somewhat vague. He gestured toward the sky there were things that, if he told Qian Daoliu now, might actually scare the old man. Besides, even he hadn't fully unraveled the mess of relationships involved.
"I just wanted to give you a heads up in case anything unexpected happens. You know, the spread of Xuantian Skill is… let's just say, a little unfriendly to soul beasts."
Qian Daoliu gave him a long, piercing look but remained silent.
A little unfriendly? That was an understatement. It was extremely unfriendly and even directly conflicted with Spirit Hall's traditional policies. Some of the rules regulating spirit beast forests had been established by Spirit Hall precisely to protect soul beasts.
If this wasn't Han Li's divine trial, and if it weren't for the fact that the Xuantian Skill had a later stage "patch" to compensate, Qian Daoliu would never have agreed to it.
What exactly is the Divine Realm planning? It seems like they want to wipe out the soul beast race entirely. That was the impression Qian Daoliu got from Han Li's godhood trial.
"Hand it over."
Qian Daoliu sighed. The world was becoming more and more incomprehensible to him, and the Angel God remained silent, refusing to answer his prayers.
Fortunately, no matter what happened, Xiaoxue would not be affected. And with the future development of Xuantian Skill, even if soul beasts truly went extinct one day, Spirit Hall would not decline because of it. That was his final reason for agreeing.
"Alright!"
Hearing this, Han Li grinned and, without hesitation, handed over three books. He had already prepared copies.
During the journey back, he had finally completed the final upgrades to the most advanced version of the Xuantian Skill. At the very least, from a theoretical standpoint, it was now fully functional and had passed the system's rule verification.
"That's settled, then. You handle the rest. As for Bibi Dong, discuss it with Xiaoxue."
Qian Daoliu glanced at the books in his hand and then looked at Han Li, effectively entrusting him with full authority.
"Rest assured, I will handle everything perfectly."
Han Li gave a solemn promise.
"When Xiaoxue returns, spend more time talking with her."
Qian Daoliu gave him another meaningful look.
"No problem. She should start her godhood trial soon."
Han Li didn't find anything unusual about this and readily agreed.
"Go, then."
Qian Daoliu shook his head and continued flipping through the manuals, saying no more.
"Understood, Grandmaster Uncle."
Han Li got up, feeling quite pleased. Now, he had no more burdens holding him back.
As Han Li's figure disappeared, Qian Daoliu put away the manuals and walked over to the Angel God statue, lowering his head in silent prayer.
Leaving Qian Daoliu's residence, Han Li felt significantly lighter. Now, he could move forward without restraint.
As for the Pope's Palace, he had no intention of going there at all.
It didn't matter what Bibi Dong's stance was at this moment, it was irrelevant. He had already been back for a full day, yet the so called "discussion about the finals" mentioned in her previous letter had never materialized.
Tricking others was fine, but don't deceive yourself.
For so many years, the relationship between the Elder Hall and the Pope's Palace had always been one of mutual non interference. Even when dealing with external affairs, they merely avoided hindering each other there had never been any genuine cooperation.
Besides, the Elder Hall was about to take action soon. The Spirit Master Tournament finals? That was a job for the Pope's Palace. He wasn't going to get involved.
Didn't Bibi Dong always dream of establishing the Spirit Empire? Well then, Han Li would help her put on a grand performance on the stage she had set up.
If anyone said the timing wasn't right, what did that have to do with him? What he wanted was faith. Let others worry about caution and vigilance leave that to Bibi Dong.
After all, to outsiders, wasn't the Pope and the Holy Son of Spirit Hall supposed to be working together? If Han Li openly declared something, would anyone believe that Bibi Dong was completely in the dark?
Unless she was willing to tear off all pretenses and openly turn against him, but with Qian Daoliu overseeing everything, she neither dared nor wished to. She had yet to accomplish her goal of annihilating the Qian family how could she possibly be satisfied now?
Just imagining the moment when Bibi Dong would be forced to put on a strong front while suppressing her emotions made Han Li grin to himself.
But soon, he wiped the smile off his face. These were just side amusements his real task was still ahead. He needed to go back and make sure everything was in place.