Chapter 80: Roles Reversed The Serpentine Flower That Quietly Bloomed During Preparation
More than an hour passed, and Han Li was almost drifting off under the warm sunlight when the wooden hut behind him finally stirred. The door creaked open, and Dugu Yan, now in a fresh set of clothes, stepped out with her head slightly lowered, her face still tinged with red.
"How do you feel?" Han Li deliberately ignored the earlier incident and went straight to the point.
"I feel like my body's toughness has improved quite a bit, but I can't describe the exact changes," Dugu Yan replied, relieved that he had chosen to sidestep their awkward moment, though her cheeks still burned slightly.
"Give me your hand. I'll check how much your soul ring's age has increased." Han Li sat up straight and looked at the girl, who seemed like a different person now.
"Oh… okay."
Dugu Yan hesitated for a moment before extending her hand, as if unwilling to show any weakness in front of him.
Han Li found her forced composure amusing. He reached out with his left hand, grasping her wrist, while his right hand pressed gently against her forearm.
The moment he held her wrist, he clearly felt her body tremble slightly, tensing up before gradually relaxing.
Applying some soul power, Han Li squeezed gently, gauging the increase in strength. After a moment, he let go of her hand.
"Congratulations, Yan . Your third soul ring's limit has increased by about 450 years. Not bad at all. If future improvements follow this pattern, you should be able to absorb a 4,000 year soul ring in the short term. And if your martial soul evolution succeeds, even a 5,000 year soul ring should be within reach."
Han Li gave a conservative estimate of her third soul ring's potential.
"Really? I could reach 5,000 years?"
Even after witnessing so many things that shattered her previous understanding, Dugu Yan still found it hard to contain her excitement when it came to her own power.
"In a few days, once you've absorbed the immortal herb, you'll reach Soul Elder, and then you can test it for yourself. Why would I lie to you?" Han Li chuckled.
"Thank you, Xiao Li."
Dugu Yan lifted her gaze, sincerely expressing her gratitude only to meet Han Li's eyes.
At that moment, something about the scene felt strangely familiar. Then she remembered just over an hour ago, she had looked at this same boy and said the exact same words.
And back then…
As she recalled what had happened earlier, her face instantly turned crimson again. Still, she forced herself to speak. "I I was just thanking you. And about earlier, you are not allowed to tell anyone!"
"What happened earlier?" Han Li looked at her, genuinely puzzled.
"Right! Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened."
Dugu Yan first froze, then quickly blurted out her response, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her own unease.
"So, that's settled? See you later, then?"
Han Li turned halfway around and casually waved his right hand.
"You "
Dugu Yan opened her mouth as if to call him back but couldn't find an excuse.
"Relax, Yan , I really didn't see anything."
Han Li turned back just as he reached the platform's edge, flashed her a teasing smile, and then jumped off.
"You get lost! Ahhhhhh!"
Dugu Yan stomped her foot in frustration at the now empty platform. Huffing, she threw a few punches at the air, as if trying to land a hit on someone. Then, she crouched down, burying her head against her knees, lost in thought.
She didn't even realize that when she had been punching, she wasn't actually that angry or embarrassed anymore. Instead, her mind was filled with the image of that cheeky smile just before someone had jumped down.
Leaving the platform, Han Li made his way toward where his master was cultivating.
As he approached, he heard Dugu Bo's laughter. Curious, he picked up the pace.
Turns out, the two were in the middle of a game of chess. Dugu Bo had just made a winning move, causing Guang Ling to scowl in deep concentration while Dugu Bo happily tried to distract him with idle chatter.
Noticing Han Li's arrival, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. He immediately abandoned his attempt to break Guang Ling's focus and turned to ask, "Finished? How was the effect? And where's Yan Yan?"
"It's done. Yan absorbed the secret medicine well. Just from this session, her third soul ring's upper limit increased by about 450 years. If she continues and successfully evolves her martial soul, she should be able to absorb a 5,000 year soul ring," Han Li replied with a smile.
"As for Yan , she's resting right now."
"Come, come, Xiao Li, sit. You've worked hard."
Dugu Bo enthusiastically pulled Han Li to sit beside him, even fetching a chair and practically pushing him down into it, his wrinkled face stretching into a wide grin.
"It wasn't hard. It's what I should do."
Han Li thought back to what had happened earlier and felt slightly guilty, so his response lacked some confidence.
Guang Ling, who knew his disciple well, caught the subtle hesitation in his voice. He glanced up but, seeing nothing unusual, quickly refocused on the chessboard, contemplating his next move.
It had to be said Dugu Bo was a far superior chess player than Guang Ling.
Even though Han Li didn't understand chess, he could tell from how Dugu Bo chatted idly while playing, all while leaving his master frowning and struggling, that the old man was clearly winning.
In the end, Guang Ling, using the excuse that it was time for dinner, manually flipped the board, abruptly ending the game. For once, Dugu Bo got to enjoy a rare victory.
Happy moments always seem to pass quickly.
Every morning, Han Li would go to the platform to help Dugu Yan refine the medicinal effects of the whale glue to strengthen her body, and in the afternoons, everyone would train separately.
In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.
That morning, after Dugu Yan finished her daily dose of whale glue, Han Li ran a check and decided to put an end to the process.
"Have we hit the limit?"
Dugu Yan noticed that her improvement this time wasn't as significant as before and asked curiously.
"Yeah. You've reached about 4,200 years. Your body has developed resistance to the medicine. Even if you continue taking it, the increase won't be significant. For now, that's enough. The remaining medicinal energy is still stored within you it'll be released during your martial soul evolution."
Han Li let go of her wrist and spoke seriously.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead. When do we start?"
Dugu Yan's eyes burned with anticipation.
"Take today to rest and let your body recover. We'll start tomorrow."
Han Li exhaled, glancing around at their surroundings.
"What's wrong? You look like you don't want to leave this place."
Dugu Yan suddenly leaned in, lightly bumping his shoulder with hers. Resting her arms on his shoulders, she tilted her head and blew softly into his ear.
"Cut it out."
Han Li grabbed her hands, removed them from his shoulders, and gave her arm a light pat, signaling her to behave.
Ever since that day, Dugu Yan had become more and more uninhibited around him. What used to be just flirty banter had turned into frequent physical teasing.
And once again she was taking advantage of the moment to mess with him.
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