[DD]: 121

The Martial Soul Oath was non-negotiable. Under Han Li's subtle influence, it had become an accepted step among them. Although the extreme version of the pact had been put away by Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't avoid the standard version.

After taking the oath, Zhu Zhuqing noticed that the group's warmth towards her had increased to yet another level.

Soon after, they brought her to the dining table, where the questions started flowing one after another, and lunch began as planned.

"In the afternoon, are you planning to continue shopping or join me in training her?"

Just as the conversation was veering into more personal territory, and the girls started getting handsy with Zhu Zhuqing, Han Li intervened, changing the topic.

If things continued like this, he'd have to make a quick exit—after all, Zhu Zhuqing was already too embarrassed to even lift her head.

"Let's train together. We can plan another shopping trip with Lingling later."

Dugu Yan responded without hesitation. The group had already agreed on this earlier.

"That works. We can help her develop her Martial Soul too," Han Li said, nodding as he swallowed his food.

"Develop my Martial Soul?"

Zhu Zhuqing finally lifted her head to look at Han Li, familiar with the term. She had read about it in her family's records, but if she remembered correctly, her ancestors had only started developing their Martial Souls after reaching the Soul Sage level.

"Yes, developing your Martial Soul. And you've already started, haven't you? Just this morning."

Han Li finished his food before looking at her and confirming.

"You mean, when I attacked for the first time?"

Zhu Zhuqing thought back to that moment. She did feel more connected to her Martial Soul, but she hadn't given it much thought, assuming it was just a result of breaking free from her mental constraints.

"Didn't you notice? Your soul power increased by three levels because of it."

Han Li was surprised that she hadn't realized it until now.

"I..."

Zhu Zhuqing finally focused on her soul power and found that both its quality and quantity had indeed improved. But she had been so caught up in recent events that she hadn't noticed.

"Understandable. After all, it's not every day that a Soul Elder challenges an experienced Soul Sage. Three levels isn't much to someone like you," Han Li teased, causing the three girls to stifle their laughter.

"You..."

Zhu Zhuqing's face turned bright red, but she couldn't form a coherent response. If it had been just Han Li, she might have retorted, but with the three girls present, she didn't know what to say.

"Alright, we won't tease you anymore. But you are too weak. You need to focus on getting stronger—put all your energy into training."

"Get ready. I won't go easy on you like they do," Han Li said, his smile fading as he released a hint of killing intent toward Zhu Zhuqing.

The moment she felt the killing intent, Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul instinctively activated, her face turning pale as her body trembled like a black cat facing a deadly threat.

"In seven days, you need to be able to stand firm under this pressure and launch a normal attack. Got it?"

When it came to training, Han Li never held back. However, the smile he gave Zhu Zhuqing added an immense psychological burden.

As soon as he finished speaking, the killing intent receded. It took Zhu Zhuqing a full half minute to recover, her face regaining its color.

"Can I know your current strength?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked, biting her lip, unwilling to accept her situation.

Some information about Han Li wasn't a secret—she knew he was only a few months older than her. But now, she couldn't even withstand a sliver of his aura, which was a huge blow to her confidence.

Han Li didn't respond directly but instead signaled to the three girls.

"Dugu Yan, twenty years old, level 67 Battle Soul Emperor."

"Xiu'er, seventeen years old, level 66 Battle Soul Emperor."

"Shui Bing'er, fifteen years old, level 62 Battle Soul Emperor."

Three different voices spoke in succession, leaving Zhu Zhuqing stunned. The oldest was only seven years older than her, yet they were thirty levels above her. Shui Bing'er was less than two years older, and Han Li hadn't even revealed his level, implying that he was likely even stronger—perhaps already a Soul Sage.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's confidence seemingly shattered, Dugu Yan felt a pang of sympathy. She glared at Han Li, knowing this was his typical approach—he'd done the same to them in the past.

She moved to Zhu Zhuqing's side, taking her hand to comfort her.

"Don't worry. You'll improve quickly too. I was around your level at your age, and it wasn't until I met Xiao Li that my strength started to soar."

Her words were sincere, and Zhu Zhuqing, sensing this, felt somewhat comforted. Otherwise, she would have been utterly mortified.

Still, she couldn't ignore the glaring gap in their abilities. Her efforts seemed insignificant in comparison to theirs.

"Yes, I will work twice as hard."

After holding back for a while, this was the only response she could muster—the one her new boss liked to hear the most.

"Good attitude, I approve."

Her current boss, Han Li nodded in satisfaction. This was one of the few areas where she could keep up with her peers in terms of talent.

Here, Han Li mentally criticized Feng Xiaotian again. Despite giving him advice through other channels, Feng Xiaotian continued to do things his way, leaving Han Li no choice but to give up on him.

Letting go of his desire to help and respecting others' destinies, Han Li decisively abandoned him.

"You all keep chatting; I need to prepare some things for the afternoon."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing slowly start to integrate into the group, Han Li decided to make his exit. Besides, he did have some things to take care of.

After receiving a reply, Han Li went into his room and retrieved the Evil God soul crystal, which he had set aside for a while.

Previously, when he was breaking through to condense his soul core, he considered dealing with it then but ultimately decided to keep it.

Unlike other sources of power, this soul crystal contained a complete trace of the Evil God's divine power and legacy, which he intended to study.

Although the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud wasn't a bad option, it was still of a lower tier. With something better in his possession, he naturally wouldn't settle for a second-rate item.

Without hesitation, he infused his source power into it. The residual consciousness and power of the Dark Devilgod Tiger within the soul crystal were wiped out without a trace.

Then, using the killing intent he controlled, and drawing on the patterns he had learned in the City of Slaughter, he began to inscribe enchantments on its surface. Unlike in the City of Slaughter, where the patterns extracted power from the user, here they were reversed, drawing power from the Evil God soul crystal.

An incense stick later, Han Li admired his work, then took out a prepared necklace and placed the soul crystal inside, completing the job.

He didn't touch the core of the soul crystal, instead using it as a catalyst to serve as an accelerator for Zhu Zhuqing's training.

Of course, this was also meant to mislead the gods watching him. Feigning ignorance was the best strategy for him now—if he knew everything, it would surely alarm the gods.

Having finished the preparatory work, Han Li walked back out and saw that Zhu Zhuqing was already able to converse normally with the others, though she still spoke little and seemed a bit reserved.

But it was a significant improvement. Considering her naturally reserved personality, this was a huge step forward.

"Alright, let's head to the training ground to test your basic physical data, and then I'll create a training plan for you."

Without engaging in small talk, Han Li got straight to the point, opting to save any further conversation after training.

Seeing that Han Li had spoken, the three girls also put away their smiles and led Zhu Zhuqing to the training ground.

With their assistance, Han Li quickly gathered Zhu Zhuqing's basic data.

'Not bad. Her stats were above average for a regular soul master, but her body showed signs of hidden injuries from overtraining, most of which had formed within the past year.'

This made sense. When she was still with the Zhu family, even if she wasn't highly valued, she would have had access to all the necessary resources. After all, the Zhu family had a well-established training and cultivation system that wouldn't have been this harsh.

"Your previous training was too rough. We'll need to readjust your body."

Han Li spoke bluntly, scoffing at their earlier training methods.

Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together, not arguing back. She knew this too, but after leaving her family, she lost access to those resources and had to increase her training intensity to maintain her cultivation speed.

"Extend the original seven days to ten. We'll start with three days of medicinal baths. After the evening sessions, wait for me in your room, and I'll help you adjust your body."

Han Li shook his head—his workload was about to increase again.

When he finished speaking, he noticed the four girls all looking at him with different expressions.

"It's just a normal adjustment."

Han Li emphasized this, slightly annoyed, causing Zhu Zhuqing's face to flush bright red.

"Keep this with you and try to use your Martial Soul to connect with the aura on it."

Ignoring their gazes, Han Li tossed the freshly made necklace to Zhu Zhuqing.

"This is the Dark Devilgod Tiger's Neidan?"

The girls were familiar with the neidan and recognized it immediately.

"Yes, have her try to connect with it. Although the Dark Devilgod Tiger isn't a perfect match for her, it's still a superior version of the Hell Civet, so there will be some benefits."

"Plus, its domain is quite suitable for her. It's invisible to the eye and silent to the ear—essentially the essence of the Nether. In a way, the two are interconnected, both being variants of the dark attribute, with the evil power being the superior force."

"Even absorbing a small amount, without causing a mutation, would make her Martial Soul much stronger than it is now, where she's only using the basic capabilities of the Civet."

Alright, Han Li was being quite tactful. Zhu Zhuqing had no real concept of this and was merely using her Martial Soul's raw power in combat.

"Try to recapture the state you were in this morning, then focus on sensing the pendant and see if there are any changes."

Han Li casually explained and then issued his first instruction to Zhu Zhuqing.