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After Li Luochen and Oscar finished hunting for soul rings, Li Luochen brought Oscar back to Shrek City.
The next task was to accompany Qian Renxue to the Spirit Hall to meet her family. By now, Qian Renxue was six months pregnant, her belly noticeably swollen. Thanks to Dugu Yan personally overseeing her medication, both mother and child were in excellent health.
Yes—mother and *son*! The Spirit Hall's physicians had confirmed that Qian Renxue was carrying a boy. This news moved Old Li to tears—his family would have its fourth generation!
At this moment, Qian Renxue was in Li Luochen's courtyard, reclining on a rocking chair. This chair was crafted from the trunk of a thousand-year-old life-attribute spirit beast—a plant-type soul beast brimming with vitality. Li Luochen had commissioned someone to turn it into a rocking chair.
Qian Renxue, her belly protruding, rocked gently in the chair. Her life had become incredibly comfortable. Li Luochen took care of her daily needs, and when he wasn't around, she could even command Dugu Yan. What a blissful existence!
Since moving into Shrek City, Qian Renxue's life had been filled with luxury. Every day, she enjoyed nutrient-rich meals made from life-attribute spirit beasts, all personally prepared by Li Luochen.
What a perfect househusband! During her time in Shrek City, Qian Renxue lived in absolute comfort. Occasionally, the elders of the Spirit Hall would visit to check on her. Seeing that everything was fine, they felt reassured.
Now that her pregnancy was stable and the supply of stabilizing medicine nearly depleted, it was time to prepare for childbirth. This period was perfect for accompanying Qian Renxue to the Spirit Hall.
After all, she had been away for quite some time—six months pregnant—and it was time to meet her family. Qian Renxue still had two family members to see: her mother, Bibi Dong, and her grandfather, Qian Daoliu.
This time, Li Luochen would accompany her alone. Before hunting for soul rings with Oscar, he had already arranged this plan. Once the soul hunting was done, they would head to the Spirit Hall.
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Outside Li Luochen's Courtyard
Qian Renxue, basking in the sun on her rocking chair, sensed Li Luochen's return. She opened her sleepy eyes and gave him a beautiful smile.
Qian Renxue's life during this period had been exceptionally fulfilling. With someone who loved her taking care of her, the void in her heart was gradually being filled.
Li Luochen entered the courtyard and smiled at the sight of Qian Renxue lying there. His little angel had become so lazy now. However, he could tell that she had shed all her pretenses and was living as her true self.
"Oh, my lady, shall your humble servant give you a foot massage?"
Li Luochen said with a smile.
"Mmm! Yes, I'm feeling rather tired."
Qian Renxue extended her delicate, pale feet. These feet were truly delightful—foot fetishists would rejoice.
Li Luochen naturally knew that Qian Renxue simply wanted to indulge herself. She loved having him serve her—it was her unique way of acting spoiled. Hmm, such a tsundere little angel.
"Xue'er, when do we plan to visit the Spirit Hall?" Li Luochen asked while massaging her feet.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Not afraid anymore? Ready to face a beating? You've delayed this for half a year—are you finally ready to go?"
Qian Renxue replied with a teasing smile. She always believed that this rascal was afraid of her grandfather. It had been a long time since she'd seen him, and she hadn't visited him even after becoming pregnant. It didn't feel right.
"How could I be afraid? I've just been busy—training our Shrek Academy team, as you've seen. By the way, what do you think are our chances of winning this tournament?"
Li Luochen coughed lightly. Of course, he was afraid of being beaten by Qian Daoliu. Though his life wouldn't be in danger, a beating was inevitable.
"Your team isn't bad—you should have two Soul Kings now. But the Spirit Hall's team has three Soul Kings, two of whom possess a Spirit Fusion Technique. Your chances aren't great."
Qian Renxue was well aware of the Spirit Hall team's strength. As the legitimate Holy Maiden and heir, Bibi Dong no longer resented her. Bibi Dong had only suggested making Hu Liena a Holy Maiden but hadn't intended to suppress Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue had the backing of the Elders' Hall. Apart from Qian Daoliu, Li Luochen had met all the elders, and they were aware of Qian Renxue's pregnancy.
Li Luochen had also met the second elder, Jin E Douluo (Golden Crocodile Douluo). In the original timeline, Jin E Douluo had been used as a stepping stone by Tang Hao. Upon meeting him in person, Li Luochen realized that Jin E Douluo was unfathomably powerful.
He had encountered Qing Luan Douluo many times and was confident he could defeat her. However, against Jin E Douluo, his chances were slim. The Golden Crocodile King spirit was already a top-tier beast spirit, and as a level 98 Super Douluo, Jin E Douluo's spirit had reached the super spirit tier.
His strength was extraordinary. Li Luochen felt that his own presence didn't exert much pressure on the Golden Crocodile King. Specifically, in terms of dragon attributes, Li Luochen couldn't suppress the Golden Crocodile King.
However, his golden dragon torso bone could suppress the Golden Crocodile King through the hierarchy of golden bloodlines.
Regardless, Li Luochen found Jin E Douluo's strength astonishing. The leap from level 97 to 98 was truly transformative.
When Jin E Douluo first saw Li Luochen, he released his soul power to test him. Of course, Li Luochen easily deflected it. In terms of soul power quality, Li Luochen was on par with Super Douluos, and his body had reached the semi-divine level.
However, facing Jin E Douluo was uncertain. His defense was incredible—even a god-level Ghostly White Tiger couldn't kill him.
Li Luochen currently couldn't deliver a god-level strike. He sensed that Jin E Douluo's aura fluctuated, as if he were on the verge of breaking through. Without hesitation, Li Luochen handed over the method for cultivating soul nuclei to Jin E Douluo.
As part of Qian Renxue's family, this soul nucleus technique could be considered a dowry. After carefully studying it, Jin E Douluo was overjoyed. He thanked Li Luochen, chatted with Qian Renxue about family matters, and then returned to seclusion.
Li Luochen believed that the Spirit Hall would soon have another Limit Douluo. Jin E Douluo's breakthrough to the Limit level would likely place him at the quasi-divine tier. His limit would probably reach the semi-divine tier, though he would likely be the weakest among semi-divines.
Tang Chen possessed near-god-level combat power, while Thousand Daoshen and Poseidon were powerful semi-divines. As divine-level Great Elders, they possessed partial godly powers and could slay those at the near-god level.
Jin E Douluo's breakthrough would make him the weakest Limit Douluo of this era. Even so, as the weakest Limit Douluo, he could still take on two level 98 Super Douluos.
Moreover, there was only one level 98 Douluo on the entire continent. Once Jin E Douluo broke through to the Limit level, the gap at level 98 would widen. Qing Luan Douluo and Xiong Shi Douluo seemed unlikely to break through to level 98 in Li Luochen's eyes.
You Tianshang would likely need several more years, and Dugu Bo might also require a few more years to reach level 98. The Spirit Hall was growing stronger.
Li Luochen steeled himself, called for a carriage, and set off with Qian Renxue toward Wuhun City.
As the two headed toward Wuhun City, three presences followed them—three protective forces safeguarding Qian Renxue.
Among them were Ba Tian Douluo Long Zhentian, Ling Yuan Douluo, and Gui Bao (Ghost Panther) Douluo—all Title Douluos tasked with protecting Qian Renxue.
Snake Spear Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo were still monitoring and protecting the fake crown prince. Demon Bear Douluo, not skilled at stealth, was assigned by Qian Renxue to oversee the Spirit Hall's plans for the Tian Dou Empire.
The Spirit Hall's strategy to erode the Tian Dou Empire involved villages defending cities, small cities encircling larger ones, and eventually annexing principalities. These tasks were handled by Mo Xiong Douluo, who would later compile the results and report to Qian Renxue.
It could be said that the Spirit Hall was investing significant manpower, resources, and finances to erode the Tian Dou Empire.
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Meanwhile, in a certain spirit beast forest
"Nana, that's enough. This six-month special training has yielded excellent results. Your soul power has reached level 59—you'll definitely become a Soul Emperor before the finals."
Bibi Dong, dressed in a black dress, smiled as she spoke.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to my teacher's guidance! Hard work is the best way to repay your efforts!"
Hu Liena was covered in the blood of spirit beasts and humans, looking disheveled. However, she smiled happily, as she felt the joy of truly growing stronger.
"Let's go back to the Spirit Hall." Bibi Dong smiled. Hu Liena was delighted, as she had noticed her teacher smiling more frequently during this time.
With that, the two left the spirit beast forest. In fact, half a year ago, Bibi Dong had taken Hu Liena out for training, leaving the Spirit Hall's affairs to Thousand Daoshen.
After breaking through to the Limit Douluo level, Bibi Dong's authority grew immensely. Even Qian Daoliu was astonished by her newfound strength. For the stability of the Spirit Hall, he had no choice but to agree.
The retired elder had returned to duty!
During this time, Bibi Dong and Hu Liena traveled across the continent. They visited the Extreme North, towns outside the City of Slaughter, and the Star Dou Forest.
Hu Liena's strength had grown significantly. Moreover, Bibi Dong had discovered a rare medicinal herb in a certain forest—Fox Tail Ling. This herb was perfectly suited for fox spirits.
Bibi Dong had studied how Li Luochen's growth was fueled by rare herbs. The Spirit Hall's foremost expert on rare herbs was Ju Douluo, so Li Luochen had exchanged a forty-thousand-year soul bone for Ju Douluo's Book of Immortal Grasses.
Bibi Dong was an avid learner. Within a short time, she memorized all the rare herbs and immortal-grade medicinal plants.
This Fox Tail Ling was ideal for Hu Liena. After absorbing it, her soul power increased by one and a half levels, and her spirit evolved into a Five-Tailed Celestial Fox, greatly enhancing her charm abilities.
By the time Hu Liena broke through to Title Douluo, she would become a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.
Since Bibi Dong was away, she was unaware of Qian Renxue's pregnancy. Otherwise, her mind would surely shatter—not just once, but repeatedly. And her disciple would encounter the person she loved most in her life.
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