Chapter 4: Making Up for Shortcomings, Waves Rise in Wuhun City

Gu Han fell into deep thought.

First, he ruled out using Tianyan points to remove impurities from his martial soul, Luo Sanpao.

Although the system indicated that spending Tianyan points could immediately evolve Luo Sanpao into a Golden Holy Dragon, Gu Han knew that if he allowed the evolution to happen tonight, by tomorrow night, he would be imprisoned in a secret chamber by Bibi Dong, forced to reveal how he had achieved such an evolution.

And the reason for that was obvious—Master Yu Xiaogang.

With that in mind, Gu Han quickly made his decision.

Out of the three Tianyan points, he would use one in the Optimization function to correct the defects in his body and enhance his cultivation talent.

As for the remaining two points, he planned to allocate them to the Deduction function—one for developing a soul power cultivation method and the other for creating a body training method.

The first would accelerate his cultivation speed.

The second would enhance his combat ability and increase his soul ring absorption limit, pushing his overall potential even further.

However, the Deduction function required Gu Han to manually collect sufficient data before it could generate effective results.

For now, he wouldn't be able to deduce a proper soul power training method or a body training regimen just yet.

…

"System, consume one Tianyan point and activate the Optimization function. I want to optimize my body's talent!"

After making his decision, Gu Han immediately gave the command.

[Ding! The system is analyzing the host's body.]

[Analysis complete: The host has 9,527 blood defects and 4,396 physical deficiencies. Do you want to correct them?]

[Once corrected, the host's physique will be upgraded to a Perfect Body. Expected benefits: greatly enhanced cultivation talent, improved physical fitness, and noticeable enhancements in appearance.]

Gu Han was momentarily surprised.

His appearance could improve too?

That was certainly a pleasant bonus.

"Proceed with the corrections!" he confirmed without hesitation.

[Correcting defects... 1%, 2%, 3%...]

As the system's voice echoed in his mind, a warm current surged through Gu Han's body, flowing rapidly through his limbs and bones. It felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, a soothing warmth easing every inch of his being.

Under this influence, Gu Han sensed unseen shackles within him breaking open. His body became lighter, his mind clearer, and even his skin seemed to turn fairer.

[Ding! Optimization complete!]

The moment he heard the notification, Gu Han rushed to the mirror in his room.

In the reflection, he saw a boy with light golden hair, flawless white skin, and exquisitely delicate features. His lips were a soft red, his complexion radiant, and his appearance undeniably handsome.

If his looks before had been merely decent—perhaps a passing grade at best—then now, his appearance had skyrocketed to over 90 points.

However, Gu Han firmly believed that no one could truly reach 100 points in appearance.

Aesthetics were subjective, varying from person to person. No singular face could be considered perfect by all.

That said, in the eyes of most, he was now an absolute peerless beauty of a boy.

…

Meanwhile, in Wuhun City.

After Gu Han returned to the orphanage and announced that he had been accepted as a disciple by Pope Bibi Dong, the news spread like wildfire.

Considering Gu Han's innate soul power was only 0.25, the idea of someone so untalented becoming the Pope's disciple was simply absurd.

Before long, the entire city was buzzing with disbelief.

"What?! His Holiness the Pope actually took in a waste with only 0.25 innate soul power? Are you kidding me?!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Why would the Pope accept someone so useless?"

"I refuse to accept this! My innate soul power is at level 8, yet His Holiness never accepted me as a disciple. How can this worthless guy be chosen instead?!"

Countless soul masters in Wuhun City were outraged, their jealousy and resentment boiling over.

In just a single day, Gu Han had attracted the hatred of an untold number of people.

Many were determined to seek him out, wanting to see firsthand how someone with such a terrible talent had managed to win the favor of the Pope herself.

…

In a grand courtyard within Wuhun City, Hu Liena sat in stunned silence upon hearing the news.

"What? Teacher accepted another disciple? A boy? And his innate soul power is only 0.25?"

Her beautiful face was filled with disbelief.

Once upon a time, after being taken in by Bibi Dong, Hu Liena had begged her teacher to also accept her elder brother, Xie Yue, as a disciple.

But Bibi Dong had outright refused, stating that she had no interest in taking male disciples.

Since then, Hu Liena had been the Pope's only student.

She had long believed that her teacher would never accept a male disciple, yet now, not only had Bibi Dong broken that rule, but she had done so for someone with abysmal talent.

"Why would Teacher do this?" Hu Liena murmured, deeply puzzled.

…

In the Angel Temple within the Douluo Hall, a solemn middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, meditating before a statue of the Angel God.

Dressed in a golden robe, with long golden hair and a refined yet weary expression, Qian Daoliu appeared lost in thought.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.

A tall, muscular man with short black hair strode in, his voice carrying a sharp edge of discontent.

"Great Priest, Bibi Dong is still hung up on that trash. She actually accepted a boy with the same martial soul as that useless waste! And his innate soul power is only 0.25!"

Qian Daoliu slowly opened his eyes and sighed.

"Of course, she still hasn't let go. After all, Ji'er did what he did to her…"

His voice carried a tinge of regret.

"Bibi Dong was too spoiled, too sheltered by Ji'er. She was naïve—so naïve that she actually wanted to elope with that worthless man. Ji'er's actions may have been harsh, but he did what was necessary. It was never about Bibi Dong's feelings… it was about our Qian family, about the honor of the Spirit Hall."

He shook his head before adding, "For Xue'er's sake, let her be."

After a brief pause, however, his expression darkened.

"Still… Jiang Mo, now that Bibi Dong has taken in that boy, people in Wuhun City might start talking about the past again. Make sure that those who know the truth keep their mouths shut. Xue'er must never find out what happened back then."

"Understood!" Jiang Mo replied, before swiftly retreating to carry out the order.

…

The next morning, in a small private courtyard within Wuhun City.

After optimizing his talent the previous night, Gu Han had cultivated for several hours until exhaustion finally overtook him.

Now, as the golden sunlight filtered into his room, he stretched lazily and climbed out of bed.

After freshening up, he instinctively prepared to head to the cafeteria for breakfast—only to stop in his tracks.

Right… he wasn't in the orphanage anymore.

Back there, the cafeteria always provided meals, and he had never needed to worry about food.

But now?

Now, he was on his own.

Scratching his head, Gu Han let out a sigh.

"Well… I guess freedom comes with its own set of troubles."