Chapter 295: Finals → Grand Finals
For a full two hours, they had emptied nearly two thirds of the wine on the table. The floor was littered with broken wine jars.
Qian Renxue finally stopped reaching for another jar, and the tears on her face had dried. Strands of her golden hair clung to her cheeks, whether from tears or spilled wine, making her look like a golden kitten abandoned in the rain.
"Thank you."
Her rationality seemed to have returned as she looked at Han Li.
"You're welcome."
Han Li swallowed the last sip from his jar, casually placed it on the ground, burped lightly, and stretched to find a more comfortable position. Tonight, he had truly drunk his fill.
"Grandfather told me everything."
Qian Renxue's gaze drifted through the open door, landing in the courtyard.
"Do you need comfort?"
Han Li tilted his head, speaking the second sentence of the night.
"No need."
Qian Renxue withdrew her gaze and met his eyes.
"That's good. I've never been good at comforting people anyway."
Han Li rubbed his stomach. Even though the alcohol had been mostly dissolved by his soul power, he still felt a slight fullness psychologically.
Qian Renxue watched his movements and finally smiled.
Having someone to indulge in madness with it felt good.
Even though this guy had still deceived her, she felt much better. The knot in her heart had largely unraveled. Compared to when she was a child and could only cry in secret, this was a vast improvement.
And now, she finally understood why she had always received that kind of attitude from her.
At this thought, Qian Renxue's expression darkened slightly, and her hands clenched.
Seeing that she was starting to spiral again, Han Li casually kicked over a nearby wine jar and shut his eyes.
"I'm drunk. My head feels fuzzy. If you have something to say, now's your chance. I might still give you an answer. By tomorrow, I won't remember anything."
Qian Renxue was startled by the sound, then processed his hazy words. At first, she hesitated, but then she understood his meaning.
"Thanks, but there's no need. This is something I need to face on my own."
After a long silence, Han Li heard her response. There was still some confusion in her voice, but mostly, it was determination.
Han Li sat up properly and opened his eyes. Qian Renxue's expression was serious.
Well, she was handling this better than he had expected.
Then again, it wasn't too surprising it was Qian Renxue, after all.
Even without his presence, she had endured the divine trials alone. The most he had done was give her a space to vent.
Han Li studied the strands of hair still clinging to her face. With her current expression, it was quite the sight. Shaking his head, he waved his hand, conjuring an ice mirror in front of her.
Qian Renxue looked up and met her reflection slightly swollen eyes, messy hair. Her body stiffened for a moment before she calmly began fixing her hair.
Only when she had fully restored her usual composed appearance did Han Li dismiss the mirror.
"I'll probably begin my god trials soon," Qian Renxue suddenly said.
"Hmm. You'll definitely succeed."
Han Li answered without hesitation, sounding more confident than she did.
"You trust me that much?"
Qian Renxue glanced at him sideways. Even her grandfather had only said he was "hopeful" for her.
"You're Qian Renxue."
Han Li spoke with a sigh, without even looking at her.
"Yeah… I am Qian Renxue."
Qian Renxue's smile returned, her usual confidence lighting up her features once again.
"Then, how about a race? Let's see who ascends to godhood first."
There was a flicker in her gaze, as if something had crossed her mind.
"In this, I will not lose."
Han Li shot her a glance. This girl had just recovered from her emotional crisis and was already back to her competitive streak almost like Er Zhuzi.
"I already heard about your progress from Grandfather. It's not so certain."
Qian Renxue shook her head, clearly disagreeing.
"Fine. And what do I get if I win?"
Han Li saw through her intentions. She wasn't interested in the competition itself she had something else in mind.
"The loser must fulfill one condition for the winner, no questions asked."
Qian Renxue raised her Angelic Sacred Sword, her gaze burning with determination.
"Alright. No problem."
Han Li nodded without hesitation. Tonight was special he might as well humor her.
No matter how much the divine trials favored her, there was no way Qian Renxue would surpass him in speed.
In the original timeline, her divine trial had been ridiculously lenient, yet it still took her five years to ascend from Spirit Emperor to God. Even if that time were shortened, it would still take at least three years.
And in three years, even if Han Li delayed as much as possible, his own plans would be long completed. More than that, the longer he waited, the faster his growth would accelerate.
"Alright, it's a deal."
Qian Renxue extended her right hand toward Han Li, seemingly expecting a handshake to seal their promise.
Han Li chuckled, and their palms met in midair.
Pa!
Xiu'er calmly withdrew her hand and looked toward the referee.
"Tianshui Academy wins."
The referee glanced at the academy member lying unconscious on the stage after being slapped down by Xiu'er and then loudly announced the result.
"Tianshui! Tianshui!"
Cheers erupted from the audience as Xiu'er walked off the stage.
That night, Qian Renxue stayed at Han Li's place until dawn before leaving. By the time she left, she appeared no different from usual, and Han Li even noticed that her spiritual power had grown slightly.
And so, the highly anticipated finals of the Soul Master Tournament officially began.
The match just now was the final battle before the grand finals, securing Tianshui Academy's last remaining spot.
Through the unspoken understanding between Han Li and Bibi Dong, while the Royal Fighting Team was forced to clash with Tianshui Academy, the Royal Fighting Team 2 miraculously cruised through weaker opponents and secured another spot in the finals yesterday.
Naturally, the final remaining spot belonged to Spirit Hall Academy.
Xiu'er and the others had participated in this stage following Shui Bing'er's mother's wishes. Given that the individual strength of their team members was slightly weaker compared to the top talents from other academies, Xiu'er and the others were their trump card for individual duels to prevent unexpected upsets.
Reaching the grand finals and showcasing Tianshui Academy's teamwork to the entire continent was enough for Shui Bing'er.
As she and the other Tianshui Academy members said, they would no longer participate in the grand finals and would leave the rest up to Han Li and his team. This made Han Li chuckle, but he understood their decision and agreed.
On a side note, Blazing Academy and Divine Wind Academy were unlucky. The same applied to Star Luo Royal Academy, who, without Han Li's interference, ended up clashing with each other.
The "Nether White Tiger" met "Wind Fuels Fire," resulting in both sides suffering heavy losses during the team battle. In the individual matches, Feng Xiaotian fought while injured, managing to defeat three opponents and secure a victory, but his injuries forced their withdrawal from the tournament.
In the stands, Bibi Dong slowly left under the watchful eyes of many.
Han Li nodded at Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi before also making his way back to his residence.
Throughout the match, he had been communicating with Qian Renxue via spiritual sharing. The Heaven Dou Empire had already made its move, and by the time tomorrow's match concluded, news should start spreading.
I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's reactions after tomorrow. Han Li mused, stepping forward to meet those waiting for him.
Inside a house in Spirit Hall, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao sat together, discussing the recent matches.
"Second Brother, just as you predicted, Spirit Hall has hidden quite a lot. It will be very difficult extremely difficult for Xiaosan and his team to claim victory."
The two brothers had blended into the crowd and closely followed every match in the finals.
Spirit Hall Academy's overwhelming dominance was expected due to their age advantage. However, what suffocated them was the individual prowess of the four Tianshui Academy contestants three Spirit Emperors and one Spirit King, all with ten thousand year fourth rings.
What they didn't know was that this was after Han Li had concealed the color of their spirit rings.
"No matter. Even if they don't claim the championship, they've already accomplished more than enough."
Tang Hao shook his head. To be honest, Tang San had yet to reveal the five black spirit rings on his Clear Sky Hammer. Even so, he had miraculously entered the grand finals while posing as a Blue Silver Grass Spirit Ancestor. That alone had exceeded his expectations.
"Tomorrow, Xiaosan will give them a real shock."
Thinking about the five pitch black spirit rings on Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Hao couldn't help but smile. A temporary loss meant nothing his son would be the one laughing in the end.
"Hmm… If anything happens, I'll handle it. I've already been discovered."
Tang Xiao looked at Tang Hao with a serious expression.
Unlike Tang Hao, his disguise had never been particularly well done. He had also left some intentional traces to test the waters.
On the first day of the finals, he had already sensed the attention from Bibi Dong and several others in the stands. However, since no one had approached him or monitored him, he had finally relaxed.
"Alright."
Tang Hao nodded indifferently.
From his perspective, if Spirit Hall planned to act, they would have done so long ago. Since they hadn't made a move yet, they likely wouldn't at all.
What occupied his mind now was how to deal with Yu Xiaogang and Canghui Academy after the tournament.
He had received Yu Xiaogang's letter, but the man himself had yet to return, hiding in Yu Yuanzhen's residence, making it impossible for Tang Hao to reach him.
As for Canghui Academy's Seven in One Fusion Technique, he had missed the opportunity to deal with them in Heaven Dou City because he had rushed off to help Tang San obtain a spirit ring. By the time he had rejoined the group, Ning Fengzhi's Sword Douluo had been with them, preventing him from acting.
He would have to wait for the return trip.
The two brothers continued their casual conversation as night fell.
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