Zhao Ling and Bibi Dong took less than half a day on the Cloud Piercing Shuttle to return to a secluded path less than ten kilometers outside Spirit City.
Zhao Ling went to great lengths to avoid drawing too much attention to his Cloud Piercing Shuttle.
After landing, Zhao Ling stored the Cloud Piercing Shuttle back into his storage space, then scooped up Bibi Dong and sped towards Spirit City.
Upon returning to Spirit Hall, Zhao Ling and Bibi Dong immediately went to see Qian Xunji.
Qian Xunji was surprised to see them return to Spirit City in just over three months.
"Dong'er, you've completed your training? How could it be so fast?"
Bibi Dong nodded without much explanation and released her God of Slaughter Domain, which made Qian Xunji nod in delight.
"Good, very good, Dong'er. You are indeed my excellent disciple. Your master is proud of you."
Bibi Dong smiled and tightened her right hand, which was intertwined with Zhao Ling's.
Just then, a beautiful woman entered, holding a golden-haired, doll-like little girl. Undoubtedly, these two were Qian Xunji's current wife, Tuoba Mei, and daughter, Qian Renxue.
Upon seeing Bibi Dong and Zhao Ling, Qian Renxue stretched out her hands and called out in a childlike voice.
"Big Sister Dong'er, hug me! Big Brother Ling, hug me!"
Qian Xunji looked at Tuoba Mei with a questioning gaze. Tuoba Mei offered a gentle smile and softly replied.
"Little Xue'er heard that Dong'er and her fiancé had returned, and she wouldn't stop pestering me to see them, no matter how I tried to coax her. My apologies."
Qian Xunji nodded and said nothing more. His eyes, however, were fixed on Zhao Ling, seemingly warning him.
"You dare try to hug my precious daughter? You dare try? Even if I can't beat you, I'll fight you to the death."
Zhao Ling, in turn, felt a chill run down his spine from the old man's stare and silently grumbled to himself.
"Hey, Qian, are you crazy? When did I ever say I wanted to hug your daughter? Your daughter herself was calling for me to hug her! Why are you staring at me like that?
If you've got the guts, go stare at your precious daughter! Try staring at me one more time, and I'll make sure 'trying it' means 'dying from it'."
Of course, Zhao Ling wouldn't be foolish enough to get into a staring contest with the old man. He whistled and averted his gaze, ignoring the narrow-minded fellow.
Just wait. Xue'er is still young now, and I'm not interested for the time being. But when she grows up, even if you stare with eyes as big as ox testicles, I won't pay you any mind.
Bibi Dong, meanwhile, released Zhao Ling's hand and embraced Qian Renxue. She remembered Zhao Ling complaining in his diary that Qian Renxue should have been her daughter.
Thus, Bibi Dong was extremely fond of Qian Renxue. However, she was currently doting on the child as an elder sister.
She gently rubbed Qian Renxue's delicate nose and asked in an incredibly gentle tone.
"Little Xue'er, it's been over three months since we last met. Did you miss your big sister?"
"Yes, Xue'er missed Big Sister Dong'er the most! Big Sister Dong'er is super pretty and loves Xue'er so much. Xue'er was just afraid that Big Brother Ling would kidnap Big Sister Dong'er and then not let you come back."
Qian Renxue saw Zhao Ling whistling and looking around, unwilling to meet her gaze, which made her very unhappy.
What did that stinky Big Brother Ling mean? Hadn't he waited for her for three whole years, and said that when she grew up, he would find a way to make her marry him?
Now, he wouldn't even look at her, much less hug her. Was he looking down on her for being too young? How infuriating! She hadn't even complained about him being too old, that scoundrel.
Bibi Dong, naturally unaware of Qian Renxue's thoughts, gently stroked her head.
"Silly girl, how could your Big Brother Ling be that kind of bad person? He took your big sister to a very distant and dangerous place this time. If your Big Brother Ling hadn't been there, your big sister might not have returned for years."
Qian Renxue, in her previous life, had naturally heard of the horrors of the City of Slaughter. After all, even someone like Tang San had stayed in the City of Slaughter for two years. Bibi Dong would certainly need at least two, perhaps even three years.
However, Zhao Ling's intervention allowed a two or three-year task to be completed in just over three months, indicating that he played a major role.
Subsequently, Zhao Ling stayed in Spirit City with Bibi Dong for another two days before taking the Cloud Piercing Shuttle to Sea God Island.
Because he had accompanied Dong'er to the City of Slaughter and stayed there for over three months, he hadn't visited Bo Saixi on Sea God Island during that time. Of course, he had to see her now.
After arriving above Sea God Island, the Cloud Piercing Shuttle slowly descended to an open space. Zhao Ling then put away the shuttle and flew at extreme speed towards the Sea God Temple.
The residents of Sea God Island were already accustomed to Zhao Ling's arrival because of his extremely close relationship with the person inside the Sea God Temple. Who would dare to object?
Even the seven Sacred Pillars showed respect when they saw Zhao Ling. They couldn't help it; they had once jointly sparred with a bare-handed Zhao Ling.
The result was that the seven of them were defeated before even ten rounds. Zhao Ling then severely scolded them.
He chastised the seven for their lack of ambition, despite having such excellent conditions, yet not striving for improvement.
He said that if they continued like this, they would forever be confined to this small patch of land on Sea God Island, unlike the Titled Douluo on the continent who constantly pursued higher levels of strength.
He also added that just because the Sea God bestowed a divine trial did not mean they could only ever possess the strength corresponding to that trial.
Just like Bo Saixi, for example. She was originally only destined to become the Great Priestess of the Sea God, but now she had been re-granted the Sea God's Nine Trials, giving her the qualification to challenge for a divine position.
The seven felt enlightened by Zhao Ling's admonition. Previously, they had believed that once they were granted a divine trial by the Sea God, their strength would be limited to the highest level corresponding to that trial.
But now Zhao Ling told them they needed to bravely break through their limits and achieve greater accomplishments. Consequently, over the past five years, the seven of them had become far more diligent than before.
Of course, effort brings rewards. Hai Nü Douluo, the weakest of the seven, had advanced one level in the past five years. Furthermore, her courage to break through her own limits raised her Sea God divine trial by one rank compared to before.
This gave all seven Sacred Pillars hope for continued growth in strength. Therefore, the seven cultivated even more diligently, which also made them show exceptional respect towards Zhao Ling.
After all, if not for his reminder, all seven of them would have certainly been content with the status quo and lived passively.