Dugu Bo's Visit and the Method of Detoxification

"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" Xue Qinghe narrowed her eyes slightly. "How do you know about that place?"

"Um... Dugu Yan told me." Even Lin Chen found that a little hard to believe, but his expression remained utterly sincere.

After all, he couldn't very well say he was a transmigrator. Since Qian Renxue knew about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, she would naturally know how precious it was. All he had to do was play dumb.

"I see..." Xue Qinghe gave Lin Chen a skeptical look. Perhaps it was a woman's sixth sense, but she instinctively felt that Lin Chen was hiding some things from her.

But looking at his sincere little face, she ultimately dropped the matter. Instead, she smiled and nodded. "In that case, I won't interfere any further. If anything comes up, you can have Cao Tian Heng come find me."

A smile spread across Lin Chen's face. "Thank you for your concern, Brother Xue. I'll go back to cultivating now."

Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded. "Take care. I won't see you out."

With a click, the door closed. Xue Qinghe mused aloud, "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well... I never expected Dugu Bo to be hiding such a treasure land. When the time comes, I'll follow this kid there and have a look."

Early the next morning

Lin Chen waited at the entrance from early morning. Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo, after all, and he deserved the proper respect.

Before long, Lin Chen saw a white-haired old man in a gray robe walking over, his face expressionless.

The man had green eyes, a lean frame, and a head of deathly white hair. It was Dugu Bo.

Lin Chen went up to greet him with a smile. "My respects, Senior Dugu."

"Hahahaha, I didn't expect a junior like you to know my name." Dugu Bo let out a strange laugh. "Lead the way. I'm in a good mood today. Otherwise, never mind Xue Qinghe—even Xue Xing couldn't have summoned me!"

Before long, Lin Chen led Dugu Bo to a quaint, elegant sitting room.

Once they were seated, Lin Chen laid on the flattery against his conscience. "I'd only heard that your poison arts were number one under heaven, Senior Dugu. I never expected you to be so handsome too!"

Dugu Bo smiled, but he clearly wasn't taken in. "I'm old. What does being handsome have to do with anything? Let's speak plainly. You didn't have Yanyan ask me here just to flatter me, did you?"

Lin Chen scratched his head and laughed. "Your foresight is truly divine, Senior Dugu. I invited you here because I wanted to tell you something."

Dugu Bo took a sip of tea and asked casually, "What is it?"

"It's about how the number one poison user under heaven is himself suffering from a deadly poison." As Lin Chen spoke, his smile changed, and a mysterious light flashed in his eyes.

"What did you say?!"

Dugu Bo shot to his feet across from him. His formerly calm expression changed abruptly, turning exceedingly grim as he stared fixedly at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen met his gaze without fear.

"Who told you about that?!"

Agitated, Dugu Bo reached out, seized Lin Chen by the collar, and hauled him out of his chair.

Lin Chen merely looked at Dugu Bo calmly. "No one told me. If I had to name someone, it would be you yourself."

"Can you really cure the poison in my body?" Dugu Bo finally set his pride aside and couldn't help asking.

Lin Chen nodded calmly. "Of course I can. And not just the poison in your body—I can cure the poison in your granddaughter's body too."

At those words, Dugu Bo's eyes flashed. He hurriedly dropped Lin Chen back into his chair and asked excitedly, "How?!"

Lin Chen spread his hands and smiled at Dugu Bo. "There's a way, of course, but before I tell you, what can you offer in exchange?"

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment. "I can promise to do three things for you, as long as they don't go against my principles."

Lin Chen waved a hand dismissively. "That's it? I belong to the crown prince's residence. I don't seem to be particularly short of a Titled Douluo to do three things for me."

With that, Lin Chen said no more and waited quietly for Dugu Bo's answer, looking utterly unhurried. The sight made Dugu Bo anxious as he considered what he had to offer.

A moment later, Dugu Bo lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "As long as you can cure me and my granddaughter, I'll risk my life in your service for ten years!"

At those words, Lin Chen's eyes lit up. He smiled and said, "Oh, Senior Dugu, you're too kind. You're making me feel embarrassed."

"Cut the nonsense." Dugu Bo's gaze turned cold. "If I find out you're lying to me, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Lin Chen smiled and shook his head. "Oh, don't be in such a hurry. Since you're willing to sell yourself into service for ten years, Senior Dugu, I'll naturally tell you how to purge the poison."

"Good!" Dugu Bo's eyes shone as he looked excitedly at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen continued, "The reason you've been poisoned is simply that your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul causes toxins to accumulate in your body as your Soul Power increases.

"As it happens, I know a way to condense a Soul Core. With this method, you can completely resolve the problem of toxins building up in your body."

Hearing this, Dugu Bo asked excitedly, "How do you condense this Soul whatever-it-is?"

Lin Chen smiled and waved a hand. "It's very simple. You just need to compress the liquid Soul Power in your dantian into a liquid vortex, then compress it further into a solid core once you have enough Soul Power."

"The method of purging the poison is simple too. While you compress your Soul Power into a vortex, you simply draw the toxins in your body into it at the same time and condense a poison-attribute Soul Core."

"That way, you can keep the toxins from rebounding on your body, retain all your poison arts, and even improve your strength. You could say it's killing three birds with one stone."

Hearing this,

Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with an astonishing light, full of longing to escape the backlash of the deadly poison and eagerness to cure his granddaughter.

But he didn't leave to put the method into practice. Instead, he asked cautiously, "Does this method have any side effects? It won't cause any other harm, will it?"

Lin Chen shook his head calmly. "Condensing a Soul Core won't cause any harm. On the contrary, it will increase your strength."

"Actually, there's another method: using a Soul Bone to hold the toxins. But that method treats the symptoms rather than the root cause, so I didn't mention it."

"However, this method only works for you. Curing Dugu Yan will require a different method."

Hearing this,

Dugu Bo was overjoyed. He actually bowed to Ling Ye and said earnestly, "Thank you!"

"If this method really can solve the problem of the deadly poison's backlash, I'll do everything in my power to serve you from now on!"

Lin Chen smiled and nodded. "If you trust me, Senior Dugu, you can start cultivating right now. The process of condensing a Soul Core can't be interrupted. I'll prepare a cultivation room for you in the crown prince's residence and make sure no one disturbs you."

"However, if you fail to condense the Soul Core, your life could be in danger. But since you've already become a Titled Douluo, logically, the danger at the start shouldn't be too great."