When Wang Li returned home, he discovered that Xue Xing had come again. He brought various precious gifts, all of considerable value.
Back when Dugu Bo purchased the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, he spent 150,000 gold soul coins. However, the gifts Xue Xing sent this time together were definitely worth more than 150,000 gold soul coins.
For the sake of winning over Dugu Bo, Xue Xing truly spared no effort.
Wang Li shook his head and chose not to bother about it.
Over the next few days, Wang Li stopped wandering around. Instead, he focused on cultivation and gathered a large amount of information to research soul beasts suitable for his sixth soul ring.
There was now a key issue. Animal-type soul beasts that could reach over fifty thousand years were already rare, and plant-type soul beasts were even rarer among the rare.
Therefore, Wang Li could only select several possible options as backups so that when the time came to search, he would not be at a loss.
Four or five days later, although Xue Xing did not come that day, Xue Qinghe arrived.
At the entrance of the Dugu residence.
Since the Crown Prince had come, Wang Li and Dugu Yan personally went to the gate to welcome him. This was a courtesy they could not neglect.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Xue Qinghe waved his hand and spoke gently:
"There is no need for formalities. After hearing that the two of you had returned, I would have come earlier if not for my busy affairs."
"Brother Wang Li, Miss Dugu, it has been more than a year since we last met. I have brought you some gifts."
Wang Li responded with a smile throughout.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Please come in."
Accompanied by Wang Li and Dugu Yan, Xue Qinghe entered the Dugu residence and asked again:
"Is His Excellency Jade Phosphor at the residence today?"
Dugu Yan frowned slightly but still replied:
"Your Highness, my grandfather is at home, but he prefers quiet, so I hope Your Highness will forgive us."
Xue Qinghe did not mind and instead said with a smile:
"It is no problem. In fact, my visit today is mainly for the two of you. I have heard that in the past year and more, both of you have already broken through to the Soul King realm."
While leading the way, Wang Li replied:
"That is indeed the case. We are both soul masters, and cultivation is the most important thing. After experiencing the incident with Bishop Salas, we became even more diligent in our training, which allowed us to break through successfully."
Xue Qinghe showed an expression of amazement, but inside he was reflecting deeply. Suddenly he felt lost, wondering whether all these years spent undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire were truly worthwhile.
His talent was not poor; it could even be considered top-tier. However, because of his undercover life, even his own cultivation had to be carried out cautiously.
As a result, his progress over the years had been slow. Only because of his excellent innate talent had he still surpassed most geniuses of the same age.
But today, Wang Li and Dugu Yan stood before him. Dugu Yan's talent was merely comparable to that of the Golden Generation, yet Wang Li's talent was comparable to his own innate twenty-level soul power.
Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue, felt her pride shattered. All the things she had done, sacrificing her cultivation for this mission,did it truly have meaning?
For a brief moment, Qian Renxue felt that her grand ambitions were nothing more than fleeting illusions.
After arriving in the main hall, Xue Qinghe sat on the left side while Wang Li and Dugu Yan sat on the right. The main seat remained empty, as it would be inappropriate for any of them to take it.
Servants of the Dugu family brought tea and snacks before quietly leaving.
Wang Li said:
"Your Highness once said that you hoped we could defeat the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation and uplift the prestige of the Heaven Dou Empire. Now we can confidently reply to Your Highness that this time we will definitely defeat the Golden Generation and bring the championship to Heaven Dou."
Back then, Xue Qinghe had indeed said this. However, at that time his first thought had been to defeat the Golden Generation in order to make that Pope regret her actions.
But now, the talents of Wang Li and Dugu Yan had reached a point where Xue Qinghe could no longer ignore them.
Xue Qinghe said gently:
"Indeed. I also believe that with you two here, victory will belong to Heaven Dou, and the championship will belong to Heaven Dou. Once you return with the title, you will also be graduating."
"Brother Wang Li, Miss Dugu, after you graduate, would you be willing to become guest advisors or honored worshippers of the empire?"
Hearing this, Wang Li pondered for a moment before speaking solemnly:
"Your Highness, as citizens of Heaven Dou, it is only natural for us to serve the Heaven Dou Empire. However, we are still very young, and this is the best period for cultivation. We wish to focus on training and perhaps travel for a period of time, striving to break through to higher realms as soon as possible."
These words were deliberately ambiguous. They neither accepted nor rejected the offer, and the reason given was quite reasonable,focusing on cultivation.
Xue Qinghe nodded in agreement.
"That is true. You are still young and should devote more time to cultivation."
At this point, Xue Qinghe stood up and took out a golden token from his storage soul tool. One side bore the words Heaven Dou, while the other side bore the name Qinghe.
"This is my personal token. Of course, it does not officially represent anything. But if you encounter trouble in the future or need assistance, as long as you present this token, most imperial guest advisors, worshippers, governors, and city lords will be willing to help you. Take it."
Wang Li stood up as well. He looked at Xue Qinghe, then at the token, stepped forward, and accepted it with both hands before speaking gratefully:
"Thank you, Your Highness. Back then you helped resolve my difficulties, and now you are giving me this token. I am truly grateful."
Xue Qinghe's smile grew even warmer. Wang Li had not directly pledged allegiance to him, but that did not matter. Sooner or later, he would bring Wang Li under his command. With such talent, Wang Li would surely become a great asset to him in the future.
After exchanging a few polite words, Xue Qinghe invited Wang Li and Dugu Yan to visit the Crown Prince's residence.
Wang Li only replied that he would definitely visit next time. For now, he still needed to continue cultivating and make the final preparations for the Soul Master Tournament. This excuse was quite effective.
…
After Xue Qinghe left, Dugu Yan frowned and said:
"Xiao Li, you accepted the Crown Prince's token. Are you planning to ally with him? Wasn't that a bit rash?"
Wang Li put away the token and said with a smile:
"Sister Yanyan, accepting the Crown Prince's token does not mean I have accepted his recruitment. It was simply his goodwill, and refusing it might not have been appropriate."
"Let's just keep it for now. After the Soul Master Tournament ends, we will continue cultivating for a while. Once our strength improves further, we can travel across the continent."
"This time we won't go to remote mountains or forests. Wherever it is prosperous and lively, that's where we will go. Just you and me. As long as nothing major happens, we can keep traveling and enjoying ourselves."
Dugu Yan smiled warmly, linked her arm with Wang Li's, and said gently:
"I'll listen to you."
Wang Li knew that Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue, and Qian Renxue was Xue Qinghe. If he encountered sugar-coated gifts, he would accept them. If he encountered cannon shells, he would throw them back.
In the end, no power or authority could compare to one's own strength.
Over the next three months, Wang Li truly focused on serious cultivation. By the time the Soul Master Tournament was approaching, he had advanced from level fifty-eight soul power to level fifty-nine soul power.
After the Soul Master Tournament ended, he might be able to directly search for the soul beast needed for his sixth soul ring.
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