Chapter 5: The Imperial Son-in Law

After escorting Li Chang'an back to the Li residence, the middle-aged Soul Saint eagerly returned to the Heaven Dou Emperor to report the situation.

Meanwhile, Li Chang'an excused himself by claiming he was tired and instructed the servants not to disturb him. He returned to his room and shut the door tightly, eager to study the changes in his martial spirit.

Once he closed the door, he couldn't wait any longer to explore the evolution of his martial spirit.

Li Chang'an's Azure Scaled Sword had two distinct forms: the sword form and the snake form.

What he had demonstrated earlier in front of the middle-aged Soul Saint was only the power of the sword form. The snake form, having absorbed his first soul ring, had also undergone significant changes.

"Transform!"

With a flash of light, then Azure Scaled Sword in Li Chang'an's hand shimmered faintly. Suddenly, the vivid depiction of an emerald-scaled snake on the sword's surface came alive.

As the blade dissolved into light, the snake engraving coiled around the hilt came to life, transforming into a genuine Azure-scaled snake!

"Hissss!"

The snake, about three meters long and as thick as a grown man's thigh, flicked its tongue in the air. It floated effortlessly, its slender body swaying gently, its head adorned with sharp horns, resembling a miniature azure dragon.

Standing beside it, Li Chang'an quietly observed the transformation of his martial spirit in snake form. He quickly realized that while he couldn't unleash sword energy in this form, he could fire the scales from the snake's body like flying knives to attack enemies, similar to the Poison Sword Bamboo's ability.

Furthermore, after absorbing the soul ring from the Poison Sword Bamboo , the snake's venom had grown even more potent. Its fangs became sharper and deadlier, capable of piercing through an enemy's skin with ease.

"It seems choosing the Poison Sword Bamboo for the first soul ring was the right decision," Li Chang'an thought, nodding in satisfaction as he sensed the overall enhancement of his martial spirit's essence. He began contemplating the types of soul rings he should pursue in the future.

His conclusion was simple: he should aim for soul rings from soul beasts that aligned closely with the characteristics of his martial spirit.

The first soul ring's soul skill was only a minor benefit. The true value lay in how it enhanced the essence of his martial spirit.

In Li Chang'an's eyes, a soul master's core ability was essentially about plundering. By merging with a soul ring, they were absorbing the innate talents of soul beasts, strengthening their martial spirits through this process.

Thus, the closer the attributes of a soul beast matched a martial spirit's nature, the greater the enhancement it could provide. This principle was why the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan only hunted soul beasts with dragon bloodlines—so they could continually strengthen the dragon essence of their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

Li Chang'an's Azure Scaled Sword was primarily a weapon-type martial spirit, even though its snake form gave it a beast-like appearance. Hence, under normal circumstances, he should seek soul rings according to the standards for weapon-type martial spirits.

That said, obtaining snake-related soul rings could still improve the snake aspect of his martial spirit, though this would do less for its sword properties.

Despite having two forms, his martial spirit had a clear drawback—he could only use one form at a time. In other words, when his martial spirit manifested in snake form, he would lose his sword.

A soul master without a weapon was little more than a walking target.

Although Li Chang'an could control the snake form to attack or defend himself, this created an inherent weakness. Fighting while controlling the snake was like battling while simultaneously protecting someone—unnecessarily dividing his attention.

Therefore, he preferred the sword form. After all, a weapon in hand not only offered better defense and offense but, most importantly, looked far cooler!

In contrast, when using the snake form, he appeared defenseless, relying on a giant snake for protection—not exactly a heroic image.

Thus, Li Chang'an was naturally more inclined toward the sword form.

Still, he couldn't completely discard the snake form, as it could prove useful in certain situations.

To resolve the drawback of not being able to use both forms simultaneously, Li Chang'an thought of one possible solution—a clone-type soul skill! He recalled a certain elder from the Clear Sky Clan in the original story, who possessed a soul skill that allowed him to separate a duplicate of his Clear Sky Hammer. This duplicate retained either 50% or 80% of the original hammer's power.

The elder could simultaneously wield two hammers in battle, making the skill highly coveted.

If he could obtain a similar soul skill…

He would be able to maintain the sword form while simultaneously summoning a snake-form clone, effectively controlling the giant snake with his mind.

That would be equivalent to fighting two-on-one.

And both would be perfectly synchronized!

How could that not be exciting?

Inside the Heaven Dou Empire's Royal Palace

Li Chang'an arrived at the grand gates of the royal palace, traveling in a specially arranged carriage.

As he stepped off the carriage, the guards approached, intending to question him. Before they could speak, he casually revealed a token handed to him by the middle-aged Soul Saint the day before—a form of identification.

Upon seeing the token, the guards hesitated for a moment before signaling for Li Chang'an to wait. One of them then whispered instructions to a nearby soldier, who promptly turned and headed into the palace—likely to inform someone of his arrival.

After a few minutes, Li Chang'an didn't have to wait long before the soldier returned, accompanied by a pale, beardless man with a refined and delicate demeanor.

"Oh my, you must be Baron Li!" the man exclaimed with an oddly effeminate tone. Given his attire and manner, it was obvious—this man was a eunuch.

As a feudal empire, the presence of eunuchs in the royal palace was entirely reasonable.

Li Chang'an paid little attention to this fact, simply nodding in acknowledgment. As for the title of "baron," it referred to the nobility rank his father had held. Being his father's only son, inheriting the title was only natural.

Seeing Li Chang'an admit his identity, the eunuch became even more cordial, showering him with flattery. His words flowed as if they cost nothing, praising Li Chang'an as a peerless prodigy destined to become a future Title Douluo and a pillar of the empire.

Li Chang'an responded modestly at first, but when he realized the eunuch intended to continue his excessive praise, he quickly expressed his desire to meet the emperor. Only then did the eunuch cease his chatter and lead him into the palace.

The duo traversed several corridors before arriving at a grand, gilded hall.

Seated upon the throne was a middle-aged man—the Heaven Dou Emperor, Xue Ye.

"Your Majesty, Baron Li has arrived," the eunuch announced respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Li Chang'an performed a noble's salute, addressing the emperor with perfect etiquette.

"Rise."

The emperor's tone was exceptionally kind. He regarded Li Chang'an with the warmth of an elder toward a promising youth—a display of goodwill that could not be clearer.

The emperor's favorable attitude stemmed from the middle-aged Soul Saint's report. Learning that the young boy before him possessed immense potential and could become a future Title Douluo delighted the emperor. If all went well, Li Chang'an would become a pillar of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Given Li Chang'an's noble heritage, it was unlikely he would join other sects, the Spirit Hall, or defect to the Star Luo Empire. Therefore, the emperor was determined to win him over.

After some casual conversation, during which the emperor subtly tested Li Chang'an's loyalty to the empire, Li Chang'an responded with fervent patriotism, pledging his undying service. Whether genuine or not, the emperor was thoroughly pleased.

To secure such a promising genius, what could be simpler than binding him closer by marriage?

Li Chang'an had not expected this, but the emperor offered his daughter in marriage, making him the imperial son-in-law. This was beyond his expectations.

Since Li Chang'an would now be the emperor's son-in-law, his baron title was insufficient. Hence, Emperor Xue Ye elevated his title to Marquis.