Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Night fell.

Han Li carried Qian Renxue back to the residence. Qian Daoliu took his granddaughter, whose face still bore tear stains, into his arms with a mix of affection and sorrow before gently carrying her to her room. He then turned to Han Li and said solemnly, "Thank you."

Han Li waved his hand dismissively, saying nothing. Though he wasn't fond of drinking, the only two occasions he had done so alone were both with Qian Renxue.

The results were always the same: she cried. Last time, she cried after drinking; this time, she drank after crying. Not much difference. Yet, every time it ended, Qian Renxue's spiritual power surged noticeably, so it wasn't entirely without benefit.

While drinking and wandering the streets, Qian Renxue vented her emotions through a shopping spree. She bought everything, including intimate apparel, without a hint of hesitation—even asking Han Li which styles he thought looked better.

If not for Han Li discreetly manipulating his spiritual energy to obscure their identities and ensure passersby quickly forgot them, he was certain they would have become the talk of the entire Heaven Dou City.

Of course, Qian Renxue wouldn't forget. When she sobered up, she'd surely lament her behavior. Han Li wondered how long she would avoid him this time. After the last incident, it had taken her a long while before she could even talk to him normally again.

The thought brought a slight smirk to Han Li's face.

With Qian Renxue avoiding him, Han Li naturally lost interest in meddling with Wuhun City's affairs. He had seen enough drama to know it wasn't worth his time. Let his obedient son monitor the situation instead.

Moreover, Bibi Dong was clearly in a precarious state. Her attempts to suppress the Rakshasa's influence would only lead to a more catastrophic eruption later. Han Li decided he'd rather focus on the endgame. Soap opera-level drama, especially with a middle-aged man at the center, wasn't his thing.

Instead, why not cultivate?

A certain cold-beauty Silver Dragon King was far more appealing.

After bidding farewell to Qian Daoliu, Han Li vanished from the residence.

...

In the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he returned to the secluded cultivation space. Gu Yue, sensing his arrival, paused her cultivation. Having grown accustomed to the efficiency of dual cultivation, she found solo cultivation painfully slow by comparison.

"You've been drinking? And with a woman?"

As Han Li approached, Gu Yue's nose twitched slightly, and her brows furrowed.

"Yes, the future Angel God," Han Li replied casually, glancing at her. Her questioning tone amused him. We're just cultivation partners—don't make this sound so ambiguous.

Besides, he and Qian Renxue had even gone lingerie shopping together. Surely, that cemented a clear distinction in relationships.

Gu Yue gave him a meaningful look.

"She's one of the five first-class gods you mentioned?"

"No," Han Li shook his head.

"She's the sixth, an unplanned addition."

Hearing his response, Gu Yue fell silent for a moment before abruptly saying, "Let's start cultivating."

"Sure."

Though Han Li found her behavior a little odd, he didn't dwell on it. Cultivation had been his goal all along. Spending time with Qian Renxue was more of a break for him.

"I still prefer the scent of fresh grass," Gu Yue muttered as their hands overlapped. The moment their energies connected, a mix of water and wind energies surged through Han Li's body. Without warning, she cast him out of the cultivation space, allowing her spiritual essence to merge into his soul.

A temperamental little dragon, Han Li thought with a wry smile. He didn't have time to reflect further as her turbulent understanding of the laws overwhelmed him. Gu Yue's foul mood made the process intense yet inefficient, draining her spiritual power quickly.

Their dual cultivation session ended prematurely, with Gu Yue retreating to recover.

Left alone, Han Li lay on the grass, staring at the simulated starry sky within the cultivation space, lost in thought. This truly is a continent of romance. Even in the face of impending doom and extinction, love and drama prevail. Han Li wasn't oblivious.

If the silver-scaled necklace incident had been a misunderstanding, and their continued dual cultivation could be justified by its benefits, Gu Yue's behavior today was a clear sign of something deeper. However, she had little experience in such matters, having spent most of her existence in slumber, recovering from injuries. Her clumsy attempts at expressing herself were to be expected. Still, there's no denying the fondness is there.

What a sinful man I am, Han Li thought with a sigh.

But seriously, didn't we agree earlier that if I couldn't win, I'd use you as cannon fodder?

With things like this, how am I supposed to toss you aside guilt-free if the time comes?

Smirking to himself, Han Li closed his eyes.

For now, let's focus on getting stronger. Everything else can wait until after the battle.

Besides, compared to her, the laws are still far more enticing.

While Han Li was busy enhancing his strength, Qian Renxue, upon waking, threw herself into the Angelic Temple.

...

Meanwhile, back in Wuhun City, two others weren't idle either. As Han Li had predicted, under the subtle influence of the continent's supreme laws, the reigning Pope, who was still suppressing the Rakshasa's influence, conducted a few personal trials with Yu Xiaogang's modified version of the Mysterious Heaven Technique. Afterward, she had it tested externally for a week before deciding to lend Yu Xiaogang a hand. Hu Liena had failed to stop her. Out of curiosity, she even tried practicing the simplified version herself. While it was indeed more effective than the continent's standard methods, it was still far inferior to the original Mysterious Heaven Technique she was currently cultivating.

So, after just a day, she gave up.

Hu Liena had planned to persuade Bibi Dong to conduct longer trials and inform the Worship Hall, but Bibi Dong dismissed her concerns, claiming no suitable personnel were available. Left with no choice, Hu Liena reluctantly backed down, though her opinion of Yu Xiaogang worsened. Outwardly, however, she could only force a smile, as her teacher's authority had grown even more intimidating. Bibi Dong, on the other hand, seemed elated. She suddenly felt that the absence of the Worship Hall elders was perfectly timed—no one was around to frustrate her. As for the rest of the Spirit Hall personnel, she hardly cared. No one could stop her anyway.

Soon, a series of printed manuals—prominently featuring Yu Xiaogang's name as the author of the "Improved Cultivation Technique"—were distributed. Utilizing Spirit Hall's extensive network, they rapidly spread across the continent. While the distribution was swift, it felt oddly abstract. Bibi Dong had experience with this kind of operation; more than two decades ago, she had similarly circulated the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls. However, learning from past lessons and not wanting to summon the Worship Hall elders back to annoy her, she refrained from openly endorsing the new manuals. Instead, she quietly relied on Spirit Hall's channels to disseminate them. Notably, the printing costs came out of Bibi Dong's pocket. Otherwise, given that Yu Xiaogang had been reduced to less than 20,000 gold soul coins due to Han Li's machinations, he wouldn't have been able to afford to print anything.

The Spirit Hall personnel, curious, examined the manuals and tried cultivating the techniques. They quickly realized they were less effective than their current methods and set the manuals aside.

"This? Improved the Holy Son's techniques? Dream on."

Their disdain for Yu Xiaogang even led them to offer Han Li an influx of faith energy, taking pride in their loyalty to his teachings. However, the Spirit Hall's indifference didn't deter others. Although local branches uniformly clarified that these manuals weren't officially endorsed and that any mishaps wouldn't be their responsibility, there were always people willing to try their luck. Some found the techniques surprisingly effective and were thrilled, thinking they had stumbled upon a treasure. Of course, many others avoided them altogether. This latter group included individuals who had heard of Yu Xiaogang's reputation and didn't dare risk it. It also included illiterate commoners who had only recently been taught the Mysterious Heaven Technique by Spirit Hall personnel.

Hearing that the manuals had no affiliation with Han Li and came with no guarantees, they simply used the pages as firewood.

"Teach ourselves from pictures? What if we mess up? What if something goes wrong? Spirit Hall said they won't take responsibility." As a result, the ones who adopted the techniques were often impulsive, opportunistic, and prone to taking unnecessary risks. Han Li, of course, was aware of all this but didn't intervene.

If it benefited him, why should he?

The more they cultivated, the better. When problems inevitably arose and people started dying suddenly, the chaos would only bring him more faith energy—this time, even more fervent. And how amusing it all was. Yu Xiaogang might currently be on good terms with Bibi Dong, but his ruthless opportunism would surely come back to haunt him. Bibi Dong, already in a precarious mental state, was still undergoing the trials of the Rakshasa God. Her celebratory mood would likely not sit well with the Rakshasa. Han Li couldn't imagine the deity overlooking this.

If internal conflict erupted thanks to Yu Xiaogang, and Bibi Dong's fragile mental state gave way, Han Li would have a front-row seat to the chaos. It was the perfect opportunity for some light-hearted vengeance. After all, he wasn't petty—he was simply protective of his little Angel. Even if Qian Renxue was technically older than him. As his chosen ally, she deserved his care and attention.

Besides, her upcoming trials would heavily involve emotional stability, and positive emotions were beneficial to the divine trials.

Thus, with certain figures turning a blind eye, Yu Xiaogang's fame soared overnight. His name overshadowed even Han Li's, who had originally introduced the Mysterious Heaven Technique. To outsiders, it seemed as though Yu Xiaogang had invented the method entirely. Bibi Dong was overjoyed. Yu Xiaogang couldn't stop grinning. The practitioners who adopted his techniques felt elated and began spreading the word, creating a wave of enthusiasm.

The relatively calm continent suddenly became a boiling pot of excitement.

And Han Li?

Still busy dual-cultivating.