Choices for the Future

Qiangu Dongfeng then walked behind his desk.

He gestured for everyone to sit wherever they pleased.

He then settled into his large, spacious chair.

He looked at Han Li with a gentle smile, his gaze filled with the appreciation and expectation of an elder looking at a younger generation.

"You did very well today."

Qiangu Dongfeng said.

"But Shen Yi is a disciple of an elder in the Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy. Since you defeated her in public today, someone from Shrek will surely come to cause you trouble."

"However, rest assured; under the protection of the Spirit Pagoda, they won't dare to do anything excessive."

Han Li nodded without saying a word.

Watching Han Li's calm demeanor, a flicker of satisfaction flashed in Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes.

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"With your strength, you will undoubtedly take the championship in the upcoming Sky Sea Grand Competition."

"So, do you have any plans for the future?"

"For instance, is there any elite academy you have your heart set on?"

"The Spirit Pagoda has resources and partnerships with academies all across the continent. As long as you speak up, I can arrange it."

Han Li fell into deep thought.

In truth, he didn't have much need for an academy.

After all, relying on the Heavenly Bottle's ability to cultivate plant-type spirit beasts, he was never really short on resources...

Spirit rings, spirit bones, and rare treasures.

He could resolve all of these things on his own.

Therefore, money and cultivation resources had never been an issue for him.

This point alone ruled out the vast majority of academies.

Because looking back over the tens of thousands of years of the Douluo Continent, one could see that almost all academies served only two functions: providing resources and offering specialized training.

For ordinary spirit masters...

These two things were what they craved most, and they were the most important factors when choosing an academy.

But for Han Li, he didn't need an academy to provide resources, and as for specialized training—

He had his own ideas and direction.

His cultivation plan had long since been set.

Break through the eighteen seals of the Golden Dragon King, steadily increase his spirit power level, use the Heavenly Bottle to accelerate the growth of spirit beasts to obtain spirit rings, and gradually adapt to and fuse his two External Spirit Bones.

He had thought through every step clearly, and every step was advancing at his own pace; he didn't need anyone to tell him what to do or which direction to take.

So, whether he had an academy or not...

It was actually of no consequence to him.

Just like how Tang San's master became almost irrelevant after Tang San was taught the basics of spirit master knowledge...

It was essentially the same situation.

Because once the basic operating laws of the spirit soul system were understood, the remaining path could only be walked by oneself. The significance of a teacher was infinitely diminished, and the guidance they could provide became increasingly limited.

And the stage Han Li was at now was similar to Tang San's at that time...

He already understood the rules of this world.

Therefore, for the road ahead...

He didn't need anyone else to point the way.

Consequently, Han Li looked at Qiangu Dongfeng and asked in a calm tone.

"What arrangements does the Pagoda Master have in mind?"

Since it didn't matter to him, he decided to ask directly what Qiangu Dongfeng wanted.

As the Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, he certainly wouldn't ask this for no reason; he must have had some arrangement waiting for him.

Hearing this, Qiangu Dongfeng smiled slightly.

He crossed his fingers on the desktop and leaned forward slightly, his gaze toward Han Li filled with the approval of someone saying, "You are very clever."

"I have asked Yu Zhen and Old Chen about your situation."

"Judging by what they said, you seem to have already established a clear direction and goal for your future."

"Therefore, even if you went to an elite academy, you wouldn't gain much improvement."

"After all, as a core disciple of our Spirit Pagoda, you already enjoy five times the resource allocation of an inner court disciple of Shrek Academy."

"The resources of those ordinary academies are dispensable to you."

He paused, his gaze turning somewhat more serious as he continued.

"So, if you do not wish to attend the academy, you might consider going to one place—the Blood God Legion."

"There..."

"You can achieve even greater improvement."

As these words were spoken, Han Li was slightly taken aback.

He had not expected the plotline regarding the Blood God Legion to appear so early.

In the original work, the Blood God Legion was an extremely important milestone in Tang Wulin's growth; it was the front line of the continent's resistance against the Abyss Plane, filled with real combat and life-or-death tempering—a place that could truly transform a person.

According to the timeline, the original plot should have seen Tang Wulin encounter the Blood God Legion only after Shrek was bombarded, but in this life, due to Han Li's arrival and the interference of Qiangu Dongfeng, many things had been brought forward.

However, thinking about it carefully...

The Blood God Legion was indeed useful to him.

It not only possessed the most brutal combat environment but also countless powerful opponents and comrades-in-arms, capable of constantly forcing out his potential on the edge of life and death.

Furthermore—

Especially after the death of Wang Qiu'er in the past, the Golden Dragon Spear that had been taken by Tang Wutong was now inherited by him.

To be precise, Wang Qiu'er, as the Emperor Auspicious Beast, possessed a portion of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline herself.

That was why she could have such powerful physical strength and had obtained the Golden Dragon Spear from Gu Yuena.

It was just a pity that in the end, Wang Qiu'er sacrificed herself, and the Golden Dragon Spear fell into the hands of Tang Wutong...

But after the God Realm encountered the spatial turbulence, the Golden Dragon King broke free from his seal, and the Golden Dragon Spear returned with him, merging into the Golden Dragon King's body.

And now, the origin of the Golden Dragon King had been absorbed by him.

The Golden Dragon Spear naturally existed within his body as well, only it had yet to awaken and manifest.

The Blood God Legion itself was the core force on the continent for resisting the Abyss Plane; the battlefield environment and conditions there might perhaps stimulate the awakening of the Golden Dragon Spear.

Thus, Han Li spoke up.

"Very well, I will go."

Crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

Qiangu Dongfeng looked at Han Li with appreciation, the satisfaction in his eyes deepening.

He nodded, his tone carrying the gratification of an elder.

"As expected of a core disciple of our Spirit Pagoda."

"I knew you could distinguish between good and bad, and would not be like those indecisive people who hesitate at every turn."

As he spoke, Qiangu Dongfeng took an object out of his drawer.

It was a palm-sized heart-protecting mirror, silver-white in its entirety, with intricate soul guidance patterns engraved on its surface and a pale blue soul guidance crystal embedded in the center.

The heart-protecting mirror felt slightly heavy in the hand, emitting a faint, subtle energy fluctuation that was gentle and restrained.

"This is a level-nine trigger-type defensive soul guidance device; it can automatically activate to protect you when you encounter a crisis."

"And once triggered..."

"Below the level of a Limit Douluo, no one can break through its defense."

Qiangu Dongfeng handed the heart-protecting mirror to Han Li, his tone calm yet serious.

"I am sending you to the Blood God Legion only for you to train, not for you to throw your life away."

"That is the front line of the plane war, and the level of danger far exceeds any competition or assessment you can imagine."

"In the event you encounter unavoidable danger..."

"This thing can save your life."