Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

For a moment, the wind lightly brushed through their hair in Gu Yue's recovery space, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Unwilling?

Han Li asked himself. No, he was willing. With the blessing of the plane's consciousness, he didn't need to worry about tampering with his soul, and he could rapidly increase his strength. The key point was that, in terms of power, the other party was essentially a wealthy benefactor—and she was quite beautiful as a human. Han Li had no reason to refuse.

But still… it felt a little strange.

He, Han Li, the one with cheats… In the end, he was still being "kept" by the old fairy—no, the old dragon lady. Even though it wasn't that direct and was a mutually beneficial relationship, the gist wasn't much different.

Come to think of it, was he at a bit of a disadvantage here? After all, this teaching method was something he had negotiated for, and now…

Never mind, he thought. Gaining strength quickly at this stage is worth it. I'll just have to tough it out.

Han Li shook his head and exhaled.

"All right, everything for the sake of getting stronger."

Then, he looked at Gu Yue and noticed a trace of discomfort on her face. She wasn't as calm as she appeared. They hadn't interacted much before, and even when they did, it was mostly about competing for benefits—one for himself, the other for her race.

Gu Yue didn't trust Han Li very much, and truthfully, Han Li didn't want to interact with her too much either. To put it bluntly, if he hadn't reached the necessary level of strength, he was fully prepared to betray the soul beast race if opposing the Divine Realm seemed unwinnable, and he wouldn't feel guilty about it.

Of course, even if he did reach that level of strength, he might still betray them—just with a bit more guilt.

Han Li glanced at Gu Yue, his thoughts dark.

This is just part of the deal. At most, after growing stronger, I'll help you get revenge. But if it comes down to it, it's more satisfying to make others your dogs than to be one yourself.

"Let me check the strength of your divine sense," Gu Yue said, unaware of his thoughts. She became more serious. Due to Han Li's soul core, his aura was quite restrained. Unless someone was strong enough to break through his defenses or make direct contact with him, even Gu Yue could only sense a rough outline of his power.

"How long will it take?"

Since he had already made up his mind, Han Li didn't hesitate any longer. He stopped concealing his aura and instead released it fully, asking about the time in the process. The Blue Silver Emperor was nearing maturity, and the others needed to keep up with their progress. If this process took too long, he would have to send the others away first.

"It depends on how well we cooperate. It could take anywhere from an instant to three days if things go smoothly," Gu Yue replied, inspecting Han Li's divine sense strength. She was surprised but then remembered that he was not lacking in faith power or immortal energy, so it seemed reasonable.

"Your divine sense is quite strong. After I use the water and fire rules to fill in the gaps, you can still bear two more complete rules."

"Of course, it's just an imprint. I can't say how much you'll be able to comprehend during the process. But since you can already directly perceive and compare the rules, you won't be too far off."

As Gu Yue calculated how much rule imprinting his divine soul could bear, she spoke aloud.

"Is that so? Well, that's acceptable," Han Li said, nodding while beginning to encrypt his memories. Transmigration in a fictional world was his greatest secret. Forget Gu Yue—until he became invincible, no one could know. Even after becoming invincible, he probably wouldn't disclose it.

His actions, of course, didn't escape Gu Yue's notice. Or rather, he wasn't trying to hide it. His encryption was done openly, and Gu Yue didn't mind. It put her more at ease. At times like this, sincerity was a trump card. She hadn't intended to pry into his mind anyway; wouldn't it be better to spend that time examining other rules?

As for her memories, there wasn't much left worth sealing. This guy already knew about the Dragon God, so there was nothing left for her to hide.

"What are the other two rules you plan to choose? I'll make some preparations," Gu Yue asked, her delicate hands tightening slightly as she looked at the layers of his sealed memories. She wasn't bothered by it, but so many layers of protection seemed a bit excessive. She needed to do something to divert her attention or she feared she might get annoyed.

Who wants to look at your crappy memories from the past ten years? Do they need that many layers of protection? This was likely her internal thought process at the moment.

"Space and darkness," Han Li responded without hesitation. Even without the imprinting method, aside from ice and fire, space was something he had already intended to focus on learning.

As for darkness, it was relatively better than the other elements. It was certainly stronger than the basic elements, and it would also enhance his fused powers of the Evil God Domain and the Deathgod Domain, making it an excellent choice.

Of course, the main reason was that his wind and thunder elements weren't particularly strong. With space power, he could somewhat compensate for their deficiencies.

"That's fine," Gu Yue said, not surprised by his choice. Among the elements she controlled, these two were indeed among the strongest.

"And you? What rule are you planning to observe?"

Han Li asked casually as he finished sealing his memories. He was curious about what direction this Silver Dragon King would choose for her breakthrough.

"The power of creation."

Gu Yue didn't hide anything. After all, she would later need to rely on his perspective to observe and comprehend it. Keeping it a secret served no purpose since everything would eventually be reflected in their souls. At that point, their souls would be somewhat intertwined, so why create unnecessary tension? Besides, she might need his help again in the future.

"The power of creation?"

Han Li blinked. It made sense, but it was also unexpected.

He had speculated that Gu Yue would choose something extraordinary if she intended to take a bold step forward. He imagined it would be something geared more toward combat prowess, but he hadn't anticipated the power of creation—a fusion of life and destruction laws.

In the world of Douluo, this wasn't a contradiction. It was powerful but not unique. God titles were somewhat chaotic, with names that more accurately reflected divine power attributes than anything else. They didn't capture the entirety of a god's capabilities. In short, the power of creation was one of the universe's most primordial forces.

Is she aiming to ascend to the heavens in a single step? But... does she think there's time for that? Who does she think she's underestimating?

Sensing his dissatisfaction, Gu Yue, uncharacteristically, explained.

"I don't need to fully master it. I just need to condense it into a seed. Once my strength recovers, I can use it to fuse my god position, complete my breakthrough, and enhance my combat power to intimidate the opposition. I can master it gradually afterward."

Are you in a hurry to die? Han Li almost blurted this out upon hearing her response, but he managed to hold back and instead gave her a long, steady look.

Gu Yue's plan was built on one key assumption—that the Divine Realm hadn't discovered her or, if they had, that they still possessed a means of resistance. At the very least, this would require Han Li not to betray the soul beast race and to stand with them.

But if they were exposed, and she completed her breakthrough, would the Divine Realm sit idly by? That was impossible.

What kind of mind comes up with this? Is this your plan to revive the soul beast race?

Fine, Han Li thought. Even if, as the Lord of the plane, he didn't want to abandon the soul beast race, that didn't mean he intended to protect them all. If all the high-level combatants perished, it might even be advantageous for him.

"I know what you're thinking, but this is the only rule that offers a chance to turn the tables. Even if we fail, with you here, the soul beast race won't face total annihilation. At the very least, there's hope for survival."

"Perhaps without the return of the Dragon God, the soul beast race will finally return to its original path of development."

Seeing the look in Han Li's eyes, Gu Yue spoke calmly, though there was a trace of sorrow deep within her gaze.

She understood very well. Even if they continued to hide, even if she fully recovered, the chance of victory was slim—no, there was no chance at all. And from the moment Han Li discovered her, she had no other choice.

Han Li's willingness to offer any help was already the best outcome she could hope for. So, from the moment she agreed to cooperate, she had already prepared to stake everything on this gamble.

In other words, she was betting on the fate of her entire race.

She knew that, to the Divine Realm, the Silver Dragon King wasn't important, nor was the Golden Dragon King, and even the soul beast race wasn't particularly significant. But extinguishing the last remnants of the Dragon God's flame was crucial to them.

Han Li fell silent, looking at the slightly sorrowful Gu Yue. Why did this make him feel like the villain?

Also, if she saw things this clearly, how did she end up falling for someone and having a kid?

And Di Tian—he had it even worse. Used to the extreme, even his corpse was turned into a warship.

Well, to be fair, she did manage to sneak into the Divine Realm. Though her status might have dropped by who knows how many levels, at least she was still alive. She even used the Dragon God's bloodline to replace the actual ruler's offspring. Could it be that she's quite cunning?

Is this Gu Yue's millennia-long plan?

Terrifying.

No, I need to stay sharp, Han Li thought, suddenly feeling disoriented. He couldn't tell who the real winner was anymore.

"What's wrong with you?"

Seeing Han Li's expression change so many times, Gu Yue couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, just thinking about some things. Don't worry about it."

Han Li was snapped out of his thoughts and met her clear, purple eyes, seeing his reflection in them.

Yeah, okay, maybe I'm overthinking it.

Gu Yue's eyes were as clear as those of the interns Han Li had worked with when he first started his previous job, carrying a kind of innocent beauty.

Han Li gathered his thoughts and looked at Gu Yue in front of him.

"As long as you've made your decision, that's fine. After all, we're partners."

"There's no point worrying too much about the future. Since we're all set, let's begin the dual cultivation—no, the imprinting."

Han Li calmly corrected himself and extended his hand toward Gu Yue.