Chapter 135: A Name Known Across the Continent and the Stolen Four Years
It wasn't until the afternoon that Guang Ling returned to the courtyard with Dugu Yan and Xiu'er.
"Han Li! Han Li!"
Still half asleep, Han Li heard his master's voice. Before he could respond, the door to his room was pushed open.
"Mm… Master, Yan, Xiu'er, is everything done on your side?"
Han Li shook his head to wake himself up a bit.
"Hmm? Didn't you say you were about to break through? Did you run into a problem?"
This wasn't the first time Guang Ling had seen him in this state, so he immediately caught on.
The two girls beside him also put away their smiles and looked at him with concern.
"It's nothing, Master. I just suddenly felt a bit exhausted. You know, there's been a lot going on lately. After taking on the title of Holy Son, I let my guard down for a moment, and I thought I was about to break through. Turns out it was a false alarm. But even though I didn't break through, my soul power still increased a bit."
Han Li walked to the side, dampened a towel, and wiped his face. Instantly, his sleepiness disappeared.
Seeing him smiling again, looking full of energy, the three finally sighed in relief.
"If anything happens, tell me. I'll take care of it for you."
Guang Ling stepped closer, looking at him seriously.
Han Li was moved by his master's concern and smiled. "Don't worry, Master, really, it's nothing. I probably won't be leaving Spirit City for a while. If something does come up, do you think I could hide it from you?"
"If you're fine, that's good. Just don't keep things bottled up."
Guang Ling patted his shoulder and didn't press the matter further.
"Alright, go change your clothes. You're still wearing that outfit what, are you waiting for me to start calling you Holy Son?"
Guang Ling pointed at his ceremonial robe, now wrinkled from sleeping, and the slightly crooked platinum crown, trying to lighten the mood.
"Can I?"
Having had some time to recover and feeling his master's playful tone, Han Li's mood returned to normal.
"What do you think?"
Guang Ling narrowed his eyes mischievously, just waiting for him to slip up.
"Ha, just kidding."
Han Li quickly turned around and walked toward his wardrobe.
"You three should give me some space I need to change."
With different reactions from all three, Han Li changed into more comfortable clothes and was immediately dragged off to the dining hall.
According to them, the banquet had been boring, they hadn't eaten enough, and Han Li had to compensate them. The best way? Cooking for them himself.
Laughing and teasing along the way, the group shared a proper meal together.
For Han Li, the whole Holy Son situation passed without much fuss. He didn't think much of it.
Of course, he still made two visits afterward one to the Elder's Hall and one to the Papal Hall, where he officially submitted his request for soul bones.
His requirements? Five pieces, each at least 50,000 years old, preferably with Ice, Fire, Strength, or Spirit attributes.
Whether they would fulfill his request or not that remained to be seen.
But across the continent, the news of his title shook the world.
At the same time, every Spirit Hall branch publicly announced the same official decree:
"A new Holy Son has been appointed Han Li. His emblem is a bow."
Every major faction was thrown into chaos, and intelligence networks immediately sprang into action.
They had no choice but to take this seriously.
The last time Spirit Hall made such an announcement was decades ago.
And the previous Holy Child? She was now the Pope herself.
Who exactly was this mysterious Han Li?
Spirit Hall's upper ranks had no one with the surname Han.
Was he another commoner prodigy, like Bibi Dong?
Before long, intelligence reports circulated among major factions.
Name: Han LiBackground: Orphan raised by Spirit HallOrigin: Tian Dou Empire, Phanos Province, Nuoding CityMartial Soul: Ice Fire Divine Dragon BowTalent: Innate Full Soul PowerNoble Status: Honorary noble of the Tian Dou Empire (title only, no land)Other Details: Unknown
With so little information, spies and curious spirit masters flooded into Nuoding City, hoping to uncover more.
The City Lord, Xiao, who had been notified in advance by Spirit Hall, profited immensely from the sudden economic boom.
After all, Nuoding City was his domain now. He controlled the market prices.
And since he was now recognized as Han Li's uncle, and had Spirit Hall's backing, no one dared cause him trouble.
Those who felt scammed could only curse silently before leaving empty handed.
Meanwhile, over in Tian Dou Empire, someone had the bright idea of using Han Li's name for political propaganda.
They declared him a symbol of friendship between Tian Dou and Spirit Hall.
Strangely enough, this actually worked.
A bunch of gullible low level spirit masters fell for the ploy and joined the military.
When Han Li later heard about this, he couldn't stop laughing.
But considering Qian Renxue was still undercover in the empire, he let it slide.
He knew she wouldn't ignore this.
After all, Spirit Hall was her family's business.
Han Li was merely its public figure, and no one even knew what he looked like.
Sure enough, not long after, Guang Ling brought back an update.
Tian Dou officials had sent an apology to Salas, and the military underwent a personnel reshuffle.
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, used this opportunity to insert her own people into the army.
While the continent's political landscape shifted, Han Li's daily life remained unchanged.
He continued his harsh yet luxurious training in Spirit City.
As the Holy Son stayed out of the public eye, interest in him gradually faded.
He became a name, nothing more.
Occasionally, his title would be casually mentioned in conversation:
"Spirit Hall's Holy Son, Han Li... I wonder what kind of person he is?"
And so, as time passed, four years quietly slipped away.
One early morning, an extravagant carriage left Spirit City, blending into the passing crowds.
Although luxurious, such carriages were no longer a rare sight on the continent.
"Yan, you really don't want to go keep your grandfather company? You know, he's probably bored up there driving the carriage alone."
A black clad young man sat up from his reclining chair, looking at the red haired girl sprawled out on the bed, flipping through a book.
"Nope. If you want to go, go yourself."
"We agreed he'd visit every six months. I even cleaned a room for him. But what happened?"
"If we weren't traveling now, he'd still be in Tian Dou City, acting like I don't exist!"
Annoyed, the girl snapped her book shut and glared toward the front of the carriage.
"Hey, relax. At least he really does visit every six months. He just doesn't stay long."
The young man got up, grabbed her by the waist, and fixed her messy clothes before pointing forward.
"Go on, be good. You haven't seen him in a while."
"…Fine. Only because you said so."
She pouted, looking reluctant but her steps were quick.
"Haha, she really falls for your tricks."
A blue haired girl chuckled after watching the scene unfold.
"This must be what Han Li calls 'tsundere'."
Another girl, with light brown hair and round bear ears, added with a smile.
"If she hears that, she'll probably tickle you two to death."
Han Li lay back in his chair, rocking gently.
"So, where's our first stop? You can tell us now, right?"
The blue haired girl asked.
"Haven't decided. We'll just go with the flow. Fate will guide us."
Han Li replied in his usual mystical tone, which the girls had long since grown used to.
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