Two hours later, Hu Liena and the two others gradually awoke from their meditative states. Hu Liena opened her eyes, and they were filled with excitement.
"Teacher, my martial soul has undergone a slight change."
Bibi Dong was deeply shocked, never expecting this medicinal pill to actually possess the effect of a martial soul evolution. "Nana, quickly tell me what kind of change!"
Hu Liena said excitedly, "Teacher, my martial soul has evolved into the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, my soul power has also reached rank 56, and I have a premonition that I can break through to rank 60 in less than a year."
Bibi Dong nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at Xie Yue and Yan, "How are you two?"
Xie Yue said, "Reporting to His Holiness the Pope, my martial soul hasn't undergone any obvious changes, but it feels sharper, and my soul power has also reached rank 57 and a half."
Yan also said happily, "Reporting to His Holiness the Pope, my martial soul has also evolved, and I have acquired Ultimate Fire."
What? If progress in soul power was one aspect, then martial soul evolution was even rarer. Right now, Yan's changes were even more gratifying than Hu Liena's.
Bibi Dong said happily, "Good, good, good. You should go back and rest first, then properly absorb this power. I hope you put on a good performance in the finals."
Hu Liena and the other two said in unison, "Yes."
Chrysanthemum Douluo asked, "His Holiness the Pope, may I ask who gave this medicinal pill?"
Bibi Dong frowned and said, "Shangguan Li gave it to me, saying it serves as the foundation for cooperation."
"Then this foundation is a bit too powerful. Refining this medicinal pill requires not just heat control, but also immortal-grade herbs. As Your Holiness knows, immortal herbs are exceedingly rare, yet Shangguan Li gave three stalks of them to you for free. There might be some conspiracy behind this."
What Chrysanthemum Douluo said was correct, but Bibi Dong did not feel there was any problem. Even if there were problems, she could no longer back down.
Bibi Dong said, "Even knowing there is a conspiracy, I cannot retreat. I can only push forward."
Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "Still, perhaps I am speaking out of turn, but Your Holiness, you must be careful of those two."
"I know."
On the way back.
Shaohua asked, "You just handed such precious medicinal pills over to Bibi Dong like that? Aren't you afraid she will go back on her word?"
Shangguan Li shook her head. "I'm not afraid. And even if she regrets it, I won't. These medicinal pills were prepared specifically for the Golden Generation."
"True. Although the Golden Generation is decent, they are still a notch lower compared to the current Tang San. If things proceed the same way as in the original timeline, they will definitely suffer defeat." Shaohua analyzed the differences between Spirit Hall and Shrek Academy with a calm expression on her face.
Shangguan Li said, "Indeed. We'll have to ask Dugu Yan about what's going on with Shrek Academy in a bit."
"Do you think Yan Yan will pay attention to them?"
"I told her before I left, so it should be fine, right?"
Actually, Shangguan Li herself could not guarantee that Dugu Yan would help her keep an eye on Shrek Academy.
Whether Dugu Yan heard Shangguan Li's words or not, the Heaven Dou Team emerged directly from their carriage the moment they arrived in Spirit City.
"Sister Li, Sister Hua, long time no see! Neither of you accompanied me, and I'm so heartbroken."
Shangguan Li brought her palms together and said apologetically, "Sorry, the two of us had some matters to attend to these past few months, so..."
Shaohua also nodded. After all, they were the ones who had promised Dugu Yan to accompany her to participate in the Elite Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, and they were also the ones who stood her up.
Dugu Yan puffed out her cheeks in a huff, but she was still sensible. "Fine, I forgive you. But you must watch the finals, because I will definitely be playing in them."
Shangguan Li said, "I promise you. But do you still remember what I told you before I left?"
"Of course I remember-to pay more attention to Shrek Academy."
"Then how are they doing?"
Dugu Yan originally wanted to speak, but seemed to think of something and found it somewhat hard to put into words. "I'll tell you when we get to the hotel. Some things aren't convenient to discuss here."
Shangguan Li said, "That's fine too."
Just as the few of them continued chatting, Teacher Sun of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy arrived. "Dugu Yan, how could you leave the team without authorization? Even though you are the captain, you don't have any special privileges."
"Who are you lecturing?" Shangguan Li and Shaohua were displeased. Dugu Yan was a child they had doted on since she was little; how could she be reprimanded so casually?
Teacher Sun also noticed Shangguan Li and Shaohua's rather poor complexions, and said in a low voice, "I am very sorry, very sorry. Then Dugu Yan is free to move about as she pleases for now."
Shangguan Li asked, "Yan Yan, what's up with this Teacher Sun? You didn't really run off without permission, did you?"
Dugu Yan shook her head. "I already discussed it with him in the carriage. This Teacher Sun is our team leader following Teacher Qin. He seems to dislike everyone on our team and has a bad attitude toward all of us."
This Teacher Sun was simply one of those modern wealth-haters. He clearly despised wealthy people, yet had no choice but to attach himself to them to survive-truly a hypocrite.
Shangguan Li also talked about quite a few things along the way, though naturally omitting the excessive slaughter of the past month. Because that matter was far too bloody, letting Dugu Yan know about it too early was unwise; she had to at least wait until the finals were over.
One had to admit that Dugu Yan lived a truly blessed life. From a young age she had her grandfather doting on her, and after meeting Shangguan Li and Shaohua, she had their pampering as well. With her own strong innate strength, she presented a wealthy, pampered persona to everyone else.
If Dugu Yan were merely a noble young lady, it would be fine for her to remain ignorant of these things, but she was a soul master. Facing the potential wars ahead, she had to understand the cruelty of reality.
Upon arriving at the inn, Dugu Yan said, "Didn't you ask me to keep an eye on that Shrek Academy earlier? Well, sometimes I actually didn't want to look, so I asked Grandpa to investigate instead. It turns out that this Tang San is no simple character. He actually drains the vitality of other soul masters to strengthen his own power, so he has become an evil soul master."
What? Shangguan Li was deeply shocked, yet it was also within expectations. Given Tang San's psychological issues, without proper guidance, he would inevitably degenerate into an evil soul master sooner or later.
The reason Tang San had not turned out this way in the original timeline was because his journey had been far too smooth-sailing. A path of unhindered smooth sailing would not breed any evil mindset.
Shaohua asked in disbelief, "Really? Old Poison confirmed it too?"
Dugu Yan nodded solemnly. "At first I didn't dare believe it either. After all, Tang San has decent talent and even possesses twin martial souls-how could he walk such a demonic path? But Grandpa told me with absolute solemnity not to provoke him."
"When is Old Poison arriving in Spirit City?" Shaohua asked.
"Grandpa said he should arrive around the same time as me. After all, he had some matters to attend to and didn't travel with me."
At this moment, Dugu Bo was not forming a persona, but had fallen into an ambush and was forced to halt his journey.
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