Dugu's Breakthrough, Exploring the Spring

Perhaps it was because Dugu Bo had already reached the Titled Douluo realm and built up a deep foundation over decades, but once the medicinal power of the Dark Jade Poison-Concentrating Flower entered his meridians, it flowed as smoothly as rivers returning to the sea. He refined it more than twice as fast as expected.

At the very least, he was considerably faster than the three green recruits, Gan Lin, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling.

In just half a day, the surging layers of green poison mist began to contract inward, turning into fine strands of pure poison power that flowed back through the pores all over his body and into his meridians.

The two currents of Ice and Fire Qi swirling around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well slowly settled as well. They circled along the ground a few times before gradually dispersing into the air. Dugu Bo sat cross-legged without moving an inch. Only when the last strand of poison power had sunk completely into his dantian did his eyes snap open.

Two concentrated flashes of green light passed through his eyes, followed by Soul Power fluctuations as vast as mountains and seas sweeping out from his body.

Blades of grass within a few yards all bent down, and tiny stones on the ground trembled. Even the spring of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well not far away seemed to be gripped by the pressure, its surging columns of water faltering for a moment. His level-ninety-three presence was fierce and overbearing, like a sleeping venomous python awakening. It flared for only an instant before he drew it back into his body, releasing and withdrawing it with effortless control, without the slightest stray fluctuation escaping.

"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan had been keeping watch outside the formation and noticed the change in his presence at once. She took a quick step forward, genuine delight in her eyes. "Have you broken through?"

Dugu Bo slowly rose and stretched his limbs, his joints crackling in a rapid series of pops like beans frying in a pan. With the medicinal power accumulated over decades dissolving all at once, his whole body seemed unburdened. He gave a hum, feigning composure, and stroked his beard. "I only managed to take half a step forward. What a pity... the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor ultimately failed to complete its evolution with this surge of medicinal power."

There was a hint of barely perceptible regret in his voice. He had thought this Immortal Herb of the purest poison attribute could push his Martial Soul another step forward. Now, sensing it carefully, he found that his Martial Soul was still in the form of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, lacking that final opportunity.

But just as he focused inward to check how much medicinal power remained, his brow suddenly twitched.

His consciousness probed carefully along his meridians. Years ago, to push his poison arts to their limits, he had forcibly absorbed more than a hundred exotic poisons. Residue from their potent medicinal properties had gradually accumulated in the gaps of his meridians and deep within his bone marrow, like a festering sore clinging to the bone. He ordinarily relied on his immense Soul Power to suppress it, but whenever he exerted his full strength or cold entered his body, waves of stabbing pain would shoot through his meridians. It was a hidden affliction that had plagued him for nearly half his life.

But now, those once-wild toxins that had settled deep in his bloodstream were like a tamed nest of snakes. With a slight thought, he could make them flow slowly through his meridians. When withdrawn, they sank into his dantian and remained perfectly still; when released, they spread through his limbs and melded perfectly with his Soul Power. There was no longer the slightest sign of backlash, nor a trace of the stabbing pain caused by obstruction.

"This..." Dugu Bo murmured to himself. His previously indifferent expression fell apart completely, and he could not hide the astonishment in his eyes. "The old poison that's been settled in me for decades... I can actually control it at will?"

He had thought the Dark Jade Poison-Concentrating Flower would, at most, help him strengthen the foundation of his poison arts and break through a single level of Soul Power. He had never expected his greatest gain to be the resolution of the trouble that had weighed on him for half his life. From now on, his poison arts would no longer be a double-edged sword that hurt him almost as much as his enemies. He would no longer need to hold back the slightest bit of his poison power.

"Congratulations, Grandpa." Gan Lin smiled and cupped his hands, his voice full of genuine happiness. "Now your poison arts have truly reached a state of seamless mastery. You won't have any worries holding you back anymore."

"I suppose this flower had some use after all." Dugu Bo could not keep the corners of his mouth from curling up, though he still spoke as if it were nothing. He glanced at Gan Lin and asked, his hands clasped behind his back, "What about you? You just broke through to level twenty, and now you've reached level thirty. What are your plans? Will you go hunt a Soul Beast right away, or wait a little longer?"

"I'd like to stay at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and cultivate for a while longer," Gan Lin said truthfully, his tone somewhat steady. "I've just absorbed a ten-thousand-year Second Soul Ring, and I need more practice with my two Soul Skills, Basalt Formation and Crystalline Rock Resonance, before I can use them freely. Besides, I've awakened Electro too, so this is a good time to temper my body and stabilize my realm."

Dugu Bo nodded slowly at his words and pondered for a moment before speaking. "What?! You awakened another element?... Forget it. With a Little Monster like you, nothing seems surprising. Still, that's fine. I've just broken through to level ninety-three, and my realm is still very unstable. I do need to take some time to consolidate it properly. I can't rush into anything."

As Dugu Bo spoke, he turned to Dugu Yan, his tone softening. "As for you, girl, you've just broken through to become a level-thirty-two Soul Elder, and you've only just finished absorbing your Third Soul Ring. You can't stay cooped up in the Sunset Forest forever. The holiday at Heaven Dou Royal Academy is almost over, too. I'll take you back first. You can focus on stabilizing your realm at the academy, and we'll avoid the teachers asking questions and causing unnecessary trouble."

Dugu Yan nodded and obediently replied, "I'll do as you say, Grandpa." She turned to Gan Lin, her eyes curving into a smile, and said brightly, "Little Brother Gan Lin, you can focus on cultivating here. Once I'm settled back at the academy, I'll bring you some osmanthus cakes from the street behind it."

"Great. I'll be waiting for your pastries, Sister Yanzi," Gan Lin replied with a smile.

Dugu Bo turned back to Gan Lin, his expression growing more serious. He instructed him in a low voice, "I'll take Yanzi back and return in three days if I'm quick, five at most if I'm slow. While you're cultivating here alone, remember not to be careless. Although I've set up a poison formation around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that ordinary Soul Beasts and Soul Masters can't get through, you still mustn't wander deep into the forest. If you really do run into anything troublesome, crush the Jade Phosphorous Poison Talisman I gave you before. I'll be able to sense it anywhere within a thousand li."

He paused, then added, "When I return, I'll stand guard while you cultivate and refine your Soul Skills. At the same time, I'll use the Ice and Fire Qi here to thoroughly secure my foundation at level ninety-three."

"I'll do as you say, Grandpa," Gan Lin replied, earnest in every word.

With that, Dugu Bo wasted no more time. His sleeve swept lightly around Dugu Yan, and the two became a green afterimage, darting toward the outskirts of the Sunset Forest. After a few leaps, they vanished into the depths of the woods.

Gan Lin stood watching for a long time. Only when he could no longer sense either of them did he turn around and look at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, its waters still shrouded in swirling vapor. Columns of scarlet and luminous white water rose into the sky, and mist filled the air, carrying warm spiritual Qi against his face.

He took a deep breath of the air mingled with the spiritual Qi of ice and fire, and a trace of resolve flashed in his eyes.

Everyone said the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was the "legacy" of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings. Now, it was time for him to verify that...