Han Li didn't return to the stands after the battle; instead, he walked directly out of the arena.
"What's wrong? Not happy even after winning?"
A voice that shouldn't have been there at that moment sounded behind Han Li.
"Master, why are you here?"
Han Li turned his head and looked at him in surprise, along with the three girls behind him.
"My disciple won, so as his Master, I naturally have to come and congratulate you. Azure Luan Shibo can make decisions on the other matters for me."
Broad Hill reached out and ruffled his hair, messing it up.
"I'm not unhappy, it's just that I'm not used to this kind of occasion..."
Han Li's words were cut short by Broad Hill's gaze.
"Alright, I've been through your age too, how could I not know what you're thinking."
"Isn't it just that you feel like you clearly won, but those people's applause only came after your Grand Uncle-Master clapped? You feel like the applause wasn't for you, the victor, right?"
Broad Hill looked at the somewhat awkward Han Li with amusement, teasing him.
"A little bit."
Han Li, having his thoughts exposed, could only respond vaguely.
"This kind of thing is actually very common when you're in a large power, it's just that this time the situation is a bit more special, so it's more obvious."
"You're usually quite smart, so why are you so hung up on this kind of thing? Or do you think that your Shibo and I, as well as Xiu'er and the others, aren't genuinely happy for you?"
Broad Hill playfully punched him on the shoulder, then gestured with his thumb towards the three girls behind him.
Han Li was taken aback, then looked up at the three girls who still had some excitement on their faces and were smiling at him. A warm feeling rose in his heart, and most of his depression dissipated.
"Yeah, I was just being sentimental."
Han Li's expression returned to normal, and he smiled.
"That's right, it's just applause from some irrelevant people. When things are over, they'll still have to smile and fawn over you when they meet you again."
Broad Hill chuckled and put his arm around his shoulders, walking straight ahead.
"But, you were really impressive on the field just now, kid."
"Be grateful for your weakness, I was even afraid of accidentally hurting you." Broad Hill imitated the words Han Li had said in the arena, even putting on an arrogant expression.
Ahhh! Listening to Broad Hill's imitation, Han Li suddenly felt the urge to run away.
The three girls behind them couldn't help but laugh.
Xiu'er and Shui Bing'er were better, at least covering their mouths lightly, only their shoulders shaking slightly as they lowered their heads.
Du Gu Yan, on the other hand, really laughed out loud, gasping for breath, and even leaned on Xiu'er's shoulder, her body twitching.
"Master, stop it, I was just trying to vent your anger."
Han Li said, somewhat exasperated.
"Really? I didn't feel that way. I think you looked really cool beating people up while talking."
"'The weak still have a chance to become strong, but fools are beyond saving.'"
"And, you're too mean, kid. The injuries they suffered are probably not as bad as what they heard you say. After this, the three of them will probably have psychological shadows whenever they hear your name."
"Honestly, do you have any similar lines? Teach me some, so I can say them when I fight in the future."
"Hey, why are you running? It won't hurt you to teach me a few lines."
"Alright, alright, slow down, okay, okay, I won't say it anymore, wait for us."
...
On the way back to Elder Mountain from the Pope's Hall, Broad Hill's voice and the soft laughter of several girls echoed continuously.
Of course, there was also the sound of the air being torn apart by Han Li, who was walking ahead in silence, burying his head in the ground. Even though Han Li felt that his skin was thick enough, in the following days, whenever he saw the others smiling at him, he couldn't help but feel his cheeks burning and his toes curling.
Seeing his reaction, the others didn't dare to tease him anymore.
However, they secretly exchanged the "famous quotes" that Han Li had said in that match in private. To be honest, they really thought it was cool, and even wanted Han Li to teach them some more.
A week had passed since the end of that competition. Apart from the initial few days of awkwardness, it didn't have a significant impact on Han Li's life afterward.
Azure Luan Shibo later returned and told them that Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong had jointly issued a gag order to everyone present, forbidding any disclosure of the details of the competition.
Well, that was pretty good. The reputation of Hu Liena and the others was temporarily preserved.
However, almost all those present were high-level or soon-to-be high-level members of the Spirit Hall. Hu Liena could forget about becoming the Saintess, and the incident would forever be an obstacle to the trio's future promotions within the Spirit Hall.
As for Han Li, his name finally began to circulate among the higher echelons of the Spirit Hall after this competition, marking his true debut on the stage.
There was also good news: after spending more than ten days with Shui Bing'er, Azure Luan Shibo finally decided to take her as a disciple.
However, she didn't make a big show of it like Broad Hill. She didn't take her to the Elder Hall either, simply informing the others, and that was that. It was very much in line with her character.
And Han Li once again requested to move into the city.
Broad Hill didn't object this time and agreed immediately.
Because he was also planning to move, and not only was he moving, but he also encouraged Azure Luan Shibo to move to the city with him.
Speaking of which, besides Qian Daoliu, the only Elders permanently stationed on the mountain were the two of them.
Having grown accustomed to being around their disciples, Broad Hill couldn't bear the thought of the place returning to its former desolation after they moved down the mountain. If he wanted to have fun, he would have to make a special trip down the mountain, so he might as well move down with them.
Fortunately, Han Li had prepared for this. After making money, he bought all the courtyards around the mansion that Golden Crocodile Elder had given him, even connecting them, all in preparation for inviting the two of them to live there.
No sooner said than done, they moved. None of them lacked storage space or money. That very day, they packed some belongings and headed straight for the mansion in the city.
Seeing the relaxed expressions on the faces of the youngsters after arriving at the foot of the mountain, Broad Hill and Azure Luan Shibo exchanged a glance and smiled.
This was one of the reasons why Han Li insisted on moving down the mountain. Although the mountain was good, with guards patrolling around the clock, he always felt a bit uncomfortable with all the rules.
"I'll take care of Bing'er's Simulated Environment."
After touring the place and choosing a courtyard, Azure Luan Shibo took the initiative to speak.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Martial Uncle. I wouldn't dare compete with you for a disciple," Han Li replied with a smile.
Shui Bing'er rolled her eyes at him and chose the courtyard next to Azure Luan Shibo as her residence. This was something her teacher had already discussed with her.
"As for Bing'er's Martial Soul, let's wait until tomorrow night. I'll have people dismantle and transfer the ice element-related things from my Simulated Environment here during the day tomorrow. She should be able to use them."
Han Li thought for a moment and said to the brand-new Master and disciple duo.
"Alright, you can handle that," Azure Luan Shibo nodded. "Once her Martial Soul problem is resolved, I'll take her to obtain her Second Soul Ring and visit her family to reassure them."
Han Li nodded awkwardly. He seemed to hear his Martial Uncle saying to him, "I'm going to clean up the mess for you and Broad Hill."
Just wanted to let everyone know, there will be only three chapters today, 6k! With the plot reaching this point, those familiar with Douluo should know that we're approaching a time skip. The two chapters I prepared to connect with the later part of today's writing felt a bit off, so I'm readjusting them. Let me save up a few days' worth of drafts before updating 10k words a day. I'll organize the detailed outline for the later parts in the next few days.
I was used to updating 6k words a day before, so when it was released, I said that I would occasionally update explosively. After updating 10k words a day for ten days, I couldn't handle it all at once, I'm really sorry.
I will definitely not drop the story, don't worry, everyone. I haven't even taken a day off from writing.
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