After escorting Li Chang'an back to the Li residence, the middle-aged Spirit Saint could not wait to return and report everything to the Heaven Dou Emperor.
As for Li Chang'an, he excused himself by saying he was tired and asked the servants not to disturb him. Then he returned to his room, shut the door, and did not come out.
Once the door was closed, he immediately began to study the changes in his Martial Spirit with eager curiosity.
Li Chang'an's Jade-Scaled Sword had two distinct forms — one was the sword form, and the other, the serpent form.
What he had demonstrated earlier before the middle-aged Spirit Saint was the sword form's power.
The serpent form, after gaining the first spirit ring, had also undergone transformation.
"Transform!"
The Jade-Scaled Sword in Li Chang'an's hand flickered with a faint glow, and the lifelike pattern of a jade-scaled serpent engraved along the blade suddenly moved.
As the sword's body dissolved, the coiling serpent pattern around the hilt came alive, transforming into a genuine jade-scaled serpent!
"Hiss!"
It was about three meters long and as thick as a man's thigh. The jade-scaled serpent flicked its tongue, gracefully floating in midair as if born to fly. Its long body coiled and undulated, its angular head giving it the air of a miniature azure dragon.
Standing beside it, Li Chang'an quietly observed the transformation. He discovered that while in serpent form, he couldn't launch sword qi, but he could shoot the serpent's scales like flying blades to attack enemies.
Moreover, after absorbing the Poison Sword Bamboo spirit ring, the jade-scaled serpent's own venom had become even more potent. Its fangs had grown sharper, capable of piercing enemy flesh more easily.
"It seems my first spirit ring choice — Poison Sword Bamboo — was correct."
Feeling the strengthening of his Martial Spirit's essence, Li Chang'an nodded with satisfaction. He already knew what kind of spirit beasts he should choose for his future rings — those that best matched the nature of his Martial Spirit.
The ability granted by a spirit ring was only a small part of its value. What truly mattered was how the ring enhanced the Martial Spirit's foundation.
In his view, Spirit Masters were a profession built on plunder — fusing with spirit rings was essentially seizing a spirit beast's innate talent to strengthen one's own Martial Spirit.
Thus, the more closely a spirit beast's nature aligned with one's Martial Spirit, the greater the enhancement to that Martial Spirit's essence.
For instance, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan only hunted spirit beasts with dragon bloodlines, all to refine and strengthen their own draconic heritage.
Although Li Chang'an's Jade-Scaled Sword had "serpent" characteristics, its essence was still that of a tool-type Martial Spirit, not a beast-type one. Therefore, it was generally more appropriate to follow tool-spirit standards when selecting spirit rings.
Of course, hunting serpent-type beasts could still enhance his Martial Spirit — though only the serpent aspect, while offering less benefit to the sword aspect.
His Martial Spirit's dual-form nature came with one flaw: he could only use one form at a time. In other words, if his Martial Spirit manifested in serpent form, he would have no sword in his hand.
A Spirit Master without a weapon was practically a living target.
Though Li Chang'an could control the serpent form to attack or defend, that created an exploitable weakness — it was as if he were fighting while having to protect another person simultaneously.
Hence, he still preferred the sword form. Having a weapon in hand provided both offense and defense — not to mention, it simply looked cool.
In serpent form, by contrast, he'd appear defenseless, relying on a giant snake to protect him — hardly heroic.
Naturally, Li Chang'an favored the sword form.
Still, he couldn't disregard the serpent form entirely — it might prove invaluable in special circumstances.
To solve the issue of being unable to use both forms simultaneously, Li Chang'an thought of a possible solution — a duplication-type spirit skill!
He recalled from the original story that a certain elder from the Clear Sky Clan had a spirit skill allowing his Clear Sky Hammer to split into two hammers, the second having roughly half to eighty percent of the original's power.
In other words, he could command two hammers to attack simultaneously — an incredible skill, often hailed as a "top-tier" ability!
If Li Chang'an could one day gain a similar skill…
He could wield the sword form himself, while splitting off a serpent-form duplicate to attack the enemy — both moving in perfect synchronization.
Two against one, with shared consciousness.
Absolutely exhilarating.
Heaven Dou Empire – Imperial Palace
Li Chang'an rode a specially prepared carriage to the grand gates of the majestic palace.
When the gate guards saw him step down from the carriage, one stepped forward to question him — but before he could speak, Li Chang'an revealed a token from thin air.
It was the identification token the middle-aged Spirit Saint had given him the day before.
Upon seeing it, the soldier froze momentarily, then politely asked him to wait while whispering to another guard, who nodded and hurried inside to report.
After all, an emperor was not someone one could simply meet by showing a token. Even with credentials, a formal report was required — who could say if the visitor was an assassin?
After a few minutes, the soldier returned, accompanied by a pale-faced, feminine-looking man.
"Oh my, you must be Baron Li!" the effeminate man exclaimed in a peculiar tone. From his voice and his presence in the palace, his identity was clear — a eunuch.
In a feudal empire, eunuchs were a natural part of palace life.
Li Chang'an didn't mind. He simply nodded, acknowledging his identity. The title of baron was his father's, and as the sole heir, inheriting it was natural.
When the eunuch confirmed his identity, his attitude grew even warmer. He flattered Li Chang'an endlessly — saying things like, "The moment I saw you, I knew you were a dragon among men! A future Titled Douluo, the pillar of the Empire!"
Li Chang'an responded with polite humility, but when the man showed no signs of stopping, he quickly mentioned that he was here to meet the Emperor, prompting the eunuch to lead him onward.
As they walked, the talkative eunuch eagerly explained the palace etiquette and the dos and don'ts when meeting His Majesty.
Li Chang'an listened carefully, hiding any hint of impatience, though he secretly thought the eunuch was far too chatty.
Eventually, they arrived at a splendid golden hall.
Upon the throne sat a middle-aged man — Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Your Majesty, Lord Li has arrived," the eunuch announced respectfully.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Li Chang'an performed the proper noble salute toward the man seated on the throne.
"Rise," said Emperor Xue Ye kindly. His gaze upon Li Chang'an was that of a benevolent elder admiring a promising younger relative — his tone gentle, his attitude warm.
The reason for such kindness was clear — he had already received the Spirit Saint's report. The child before him possessed extraordinary potential. If nothing went wrong, he would surely become a Titled Douluo in the future — a vital pillar for the Empire.
Faced with such a promising, loyal young noble, how could the Emperor not treat him favorably? Li Chang'an's hereditary noble status made him naturally aligned with the Empire. He was unlikely to join Spirit Hall or any sect — much less defect to the Star Luo Empire. The Emperor naturally sought to win him over completely.
What followed was a friendly conversation. Emperor Xue Ye spoke like a caring elder, without a trace of imperial arrogance. He subtly tested Li Chang'an's opinions about the Empire and his loyalty.
Li Chang'an, in turn, put on a flawless performance — professing absolute devotion, vowing to shed his last drop of blood for the Heaven Dou Empire.
Whether sincere or not, Emperor Xue Ye was delighted. For a six-year-old to express such loyalty was already remarkable.
In his joy, Emperor Xue Ye suddenly announced — a marriage decree!
What better way to bind a future powerhouse to the Empire than by marrying him into the royal family?
Li Chang'an was stunned. He hadn't expected that to win him over, Emperor Xue Ye would actually betroth his daughter to him — making him an imperial son-in-law.
And since a baron was far too lowly a title for a royal son-in-law, the Emperor waved his hand and immediately promoted him to Marquis!
Among the five noble ranks — Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron — Marquis was already very high.
Of course, his title was honorary, without real land or power. He would, however, enjoy a monthly stipend as a noble of the Empire.
Even so, Li Chang'an was more than satisfied. In fact, he found Emperor Xue Ye's generosity almost excessive.
Did the Emperor really value him that much?
After all, despite his exceptional talent, he hadn't yet matured. A genius who hadn't grown up was still just a genius — not yet a powerhouse, not yet of tangible benefit to the Empire.
The future was full of uncertainty.
So for the Emperor to grant such favor to a six-year-old who had only just awakened his Martial Spirit showed just how desperately the Empire needed new talent.
Naturally, Li Chang'an had no reason to refuse. He happily accepted the decree, giving thanks with great enthusiasm.
From that day on, he was both Marquis Li and the Heaven Dou Emperor's son-in-law. As his strength grew, or if he rendered significant service, his title might rise further — perhaps even earning him real fiefdom and authority.
After the formalities, the two chatted a bit longer before Li Chang'an finally took his leave.
Just as before, the eunuch led him out of the palace.
On the way, Li Chang'an casually inquired about his newly betrothed fiancée — the princess.
He soon learned that Emperor Xue Ye had five children — four sons and one daughter. The youngest, the girl, was named Xue Ke, only four years old — two years younger than Li Chang'an.
Her Martial Spirit would likely be the royal family's inherited Swan Spirit, and judging by the usual royal standard, her innate spirit power would probably be around rank five or six — decent but not exceptional.
Such talent was considered average for a princess.
Hearing the name, Li Chang'an remembered that Xue Ke was indeed a named character in the original story.
Naturally, as a princess, she was beautiful — after all, the daughter of an emperor could hardly be plain.
If she were his fiancée, Li Chang'an had no objections. Even if she weren't beautiful, he would still accept it — because the benefits of becoming an imperial son-in-law far outweighed appearances.
In this world, power and status mattered far more than beauty.
In the original timeline, Tang San was two years older than Xue Ke. Since Li Chang'an was also two years older, that meant he was the same age as Tang San. At this point in time, Tang San had probably just awakened his Martial Spirit and was playing house with that rabbit girl at Nuoding Academy.
Tang San became a god in his early twenties — which meant Li Chang'an had roughly twenty years to grow stronger.
And in those twenty years, he had to become a god.
Because once Tang San became a god, Li Chang'an would never have another chance.
Tang San would never allow someone outside his control to ascend to godhood. That was why, in the sequels, almost every new god was surnamed Tang or served the Tang family — leaving no path for anyone else.
They had turned the entire Douluo Continent into the Tang Clan's Continent.
So he had to reach godhood first!
As a transmigrator with foreknowledge and solid talent, Li Chang'an was confident he could do it before Tang San.
Once he became a god, he would have nothing to fear.
His nearest opportunity lay within the Heaven Dou Royal Treasury — the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, the key to the Sea God's inheritance! There was no way he would let Tang San have it.
But to gain the Shroud's recognition, he would first need to enhance his aptitude using immortal herbs — and to obtain those, he'd have to establish a connection with Dugu Bo and take things step by step.
Li Chang'an's mind was filled with plans. He knew he was destined to walk a path apart from Tang San and Spirit Hall, so he needed to prepare early.
If he could inherit the Sea God's position, then even amid future chaos, he would have absolute security.
A First-Class God, just beneath the God-Kings, known as a Main God — such beings stood at the pinnacle even in the God Realm.
Even if Tang San became the Asura God, he would have no reason to strike at him. And besides, the Sea God wasn't just any Main God — he wielded a super divine weapon, making him one of the strongest below the God-Kings. Even the God-Kings themselves would think twice before crossing him.
So then, why not target the Asura God's inheritance instead? Why not seize it before Tang San?
The answer was simple — he couldn't.
The Asura God's position was already predetermined. The chosen inheritor was Tang San himself. In fact, Tang San's very transmigration might have been orchestrated by the Asura God.
Though the original story never said it outright, the signs were obvious.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? Tang San just happened to be born into the Clear Sky Clan, whose ancestor, Tang Chen, had already completed the eighth trial of the Asura God — only failing the final step due to his physical decline, conveniently passing the legacy to his descendant, Tang San.
That couldn't possibly be a coincidence.
Li Chang'an was convinced Tang San and the Asura God shared a mysterious connection — perhaps as a fragment of his soul, or an incarnation of his will.
(End of Chapter)
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