Douluo: Martial Soul Research Diary

Chapter 20 Senior Brother

Xue Qinghe, the eldest prince of the Tiandou Empire.

Just like his identity, his talent was unparalleled. When Han Tao joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he successfully broke through to the Soul King level.

Han Tao had read Douluo Continent and knew the prince's hidden identity, but that was none of his business.

The clash between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall was truly a battle of wits and strength, a life-or-death struggle.

But what does this have to do with me, a mere level 19 Soul Master?

Han Tao’s code of conduct is to stay away and not get involved, but given his current status, it is difficult for him to avoid contact with the Crown Prince.

"Han Tao, Sect Leader Ning needs to speak with you!"

On a sunny afternoon, Han Tao's cultivation process was interrupted.

From afar, Ning Tian's voice drifted over, then immediately disappeared.

Mr. Wolong was always like this: after completing the sect leader's task, he would go to the foot massage parlor in Tiandou Kingdom for a delightful and pleasant trip.

"Ok."

Han Tao strode into the sect leader's mansion, and soon he met the legendary Crown Prince.

"Let me introduce you. This is Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire."

Ning Fengzhi's expression was somewhat strange; this was the first time Han Tao had seen such a peculiar look on his face.

It seems that the sect leader's understanding of the book "Not Showing Joy or Anger" is clearly insufficient.

"Hello," Xue Qinghe greeted him casually.

"His Royal Highness!"

Under the feudal imperial system, there were very strict rules, including that commoners, nobles, and royalty had to perform corresponding etiquette when meeting the crown prince or the emperor, and could not make the slightest mistake.

Humility between superiors and inferiors, and the proper order between rulers and subjects, all have their own self-consistent logic.

Han Tao, as a commoner, performed the appropriate etiquette towards His Highness the Crown Prince.

At this moment, he was no longer a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but an ordinary citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"If you don't have the strength, you must follow the rules." This was Xuefeng's advice to him.

"Brother Han Tao, there's no need to be so formal. Maybe in the future, you'll be my junior brother!"

Xue Qinghe smiled casually, interrupting Han Tao's bow when he was half-bowing.

The timing of the interruption was very clever, exactly halfway through the etiquette. The first half was to maintain the dignity of the royal family, while the second half was to demonstrate his courteous and respectful manner towards scholars.

He was adept at using imperial rules to win favor with others.

Ning Fengzhi glanced at Xue Qinghe, then at Han Tao. How could he not understand the rules and regulations within the empire?

"Han Tao, this is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, there are no such cumbersome formalities here!" Ning Fengzhi reprimanded Han Tao.

While this statement may seem like a reprimand to Han Tao, it is actually an attempt to protect him. With his words, Xue Qinghe can no longer use the rules to pressure Han Tao's behavior.

Han Tao nodded, indicating his acceptance.

Immediately, Ning Fengzhi turned to Han Tao and continued to recount the events.

"Just today, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School reached a cooperation agreement, and this Prince Xue Qinghe will be my first disciple."

"Han Tao, you've been with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School for a year now, but we haven't accepted you as a disciple yet. We'll do it today."

A hint of surprise appeared on Han Tao's face: "Really?"

Although he arrived first, it's unfair that he's now becoming Xue Qinghe's junior brother.

However, there is no fairness for the weak; the most important thing for a person is to know themselves.

Han Tao did not show any dissatisfaction, nor did he dare to.

If he were to become a senior disciple, it would be an overstepping of the bounds, damaging the prestige of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family and potentially causing trouble for him.

"of course it's true!"

Upon seeing Han Tao's statement, Ning Fengzhi smiled, as if he had completely forgotten something.

After becoming Ning Fengzhi's apprentice, Han Tao naturally became Ning Fengzhi's second disciple.

"Big brother!" Han Tao cupped his hands in greeting.

"Second brother!" Xue Qinghe replied with a smile.

“Junior Brother Han, I came in a hurry this time and didn’t prepare any gifts.” “Consider this Crown Prince’s token as a gift from your elder brother.”

Xue Qinghe took out the token symbolizing the Crown Prince's identity from his soul tool and handed it to his junior brother.

Han Tao did not refuse. This crown prince token was merely a symbol of status, but it held immense practical significance.

With this token, the Heavenly Dou Empire's library will not impose any restrictions on you.

You can also enter the Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy, and you can directly use the simulated training ground inside.

However, if you want to use the token to enroll in the Soul Master Academy, that's impossible; favoritism and cheating are unacceptable.

The Soul Master Academy and His Highness the Crown Prince have a sense of shame; if they don't know how to use unspoken rules, they shouldn't blame this token for being useless.

Moreover, with this token, even the Pope of the Spirit Hall might give you face.

"Thank you, elder brother!" After putting away the token, Ji Hantao thanked his elder brother.

After resolving the trivial matters in his life, Han Tao returned to his dormitory and began to withdraw into himself.

"Damn, this is disgustingly bad!"

The nineteen-level pass stood like an insurmountable chasm before Han Tao, and no matter how many methods he used, he could hardly escape this towering mountain.

"Junior Brother Han, what trouble are you in?"

Seeing Han Tao's worried expression, Xue Qinghe walked over and asked him curiously.

"Uh-huh?"

Han Tao originally thought it was Xiao Yuan who came, but he didn't expect it to be his newly sworn brother.

"What's wrong? You've run into trouble and don't want to share it with your older brother?"

Han Tao shook his head and replied, "You can't solve it."

Deep within Xue Qinghe lies an extreme arrogance, a quality bestowed upon him by his martial spirit.

A god-level martial soul represents stats that surpass all other soul masters, and this is something he was born with.

"Why don't you tell me?"

Xue Qinghe was very confident. He controlled the resources of the two largest powers, the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire, and he believed that there was no difficulty he could not overcome.

Han Tao shook his head helplessly: "I'm stuck at a certain level!"

"My soul power is currently stuck at level 19; I can't break through."

As he spoke, Han Tao looked somewhat dejected.

A genius's few strokes of the pen can reach a distant shore that ordinary people can never reach even in a lifetime.

If physical constitution, soul power, and mental power are not the shackles of level breakthroughs.

That leaves only two possibilities: the quality of the martial soul and bloodline talent.

And there are almost no solutions to either of these problems.

"Well, I really don't have a solution," Xue Qinghe declined.

He knew Yu Xiaogang, reviewed the Spirit Hall's information, and created the Ten Core Competencies for Soul Masters.

Even such brilliant theoretical masters are limited by their talent, let alone themselves.

How can a solution be provided when there is a completely illogical theory?

"Level 20, awakening is at level 20, what if I know I'm stuck at level 19?"

A hidden, subtle sense of superiority rose in his heart.

Han Tao waved his hand, ignoring the kind man's advice, and decided to find a solution himself.

Judging from the original work, it seems that only the immortal herb can save Han Tao.

But if one uses the immortal herb to break through, what is the point of researching the theory? It means that all one's efforts, all one's thinking, exploration and results are inferior to talent and luck.

This is a denial of one's past and an absolute blow to the exploration of the future, but these are not the key issues.

Most importantly, the immortal herb, as the greatest opportunity in Douluo Continent, is closely related to luck.

Having plans and ideas but not being able to implement them is the biggest problem.

(End of this chapter)