Dugu Yan

Xia Liang touched the spot of his dantian in surprise. The aura that had just burst forth was soul power—an indication that his Soul Power Level had risen.

This was only his sixth Advanced Medicinal Bath, not even a full cycle, yet his soul power had already broken through from level twenty-nine to the bottleneck of level thirty?

There had only been ten days between the two.

One level of soul power in ten days? It seemed that although the Shui Family's Advanced Medicinal Bath could not compare to the Profound Water Pill from the era of the Unrivaled Tang Sect, its effects were still quite good.

At the very least, the foundation of this level of soul power was extremely stable. The medicinal effects accumulated day by day could be fully absorbed by his body, so it should not affect his future cultivation.

Closing his eyes to sense the more abundant soul power within him, Xia Liang smiled faintly.

He had indeed broken through.

He was now a level-thirty quasi-Soul Elder.

When Qin Ming came tomorrow to ask for his answer about joining Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he could discuss it with him. If the academy refused his terms, there would be no need for him to join.

After all, he only needed to obtain his Third Soul Ring from a thousand-year Soul Beast. There were plenty of ways to do that; he did not necessarily need the academy's help.

The next morning.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

First floor of the dining hall.

Inside the spacious, noisy kitchen, the air was filled with cooking fumes and the aroma of stir-fried meat.

Including the supervising Head Chef and Xia Liang, a total of twenty chefs were hard at work.

The harsh scraping of woks against spatulas, the clatter of chefs tossing their cooking, and the Head Chef's commands rose and fell throughout the kitchen.

Yet amid the many people dressed as chefs stood a purple-haired, green-eyed young woman in an academy uniform. She stood behind one of the chefs, seemingly saying something.

Not only the academy's students, but even the servants working there knew that this purple-haired, green-eyed young woman was Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Poison Douluo.

Even Prince Xue Xing, who held the highest authority over personnel matters at the academy, had to show Dugu Yan some deference.

Thus, even when Dugu Yan came to the Academy Kitchen, the Head Chef did not dare say a word.

Watching Xia Liang stir-fry, Dugu Yan forced a smile onto her face. "Master Xia, what is your job?"

Xia Liang merely turned to glance at Dugu Yan before continuing to cook.

Seeing that he had ignored her the entire time, Dugu Yan was starting to lose heart. If she had not wanted to redeem herself in another Soul Duel, she certainly would not have been fawning over a chef in the kitchen.

After reviewing their battles over the past few days, Dugu Yan had found the weakness in the Skeleton Martial Soul's Rib Defense. Those ribs were indeed formidable, but they were not Absolute Defense.

The underside of the entire rib structure lacked the defensive strength of an actual bony foundation. It had only a thin membrane of soul power protecting it—that was obviously the weak point.

If her poison mist could launch a fierce attack against that soul power membrane from below, then with their seven-level gap in soul power, the poison was certain to seep inside the ribs.

By then, Master Xia could only suffer a fate worse than death as the poison tormented him within the sealed ribs.

To test this theory and reclaim the dignity she had lost, Dugu Yan had been waiting at the kitchen entrance since early morning.

Her purpose was to challenge him to another Soul Duel. She had already lost twice anyway; at worst, she would lose once more.

And the best possible result would be washing away her humiliation! "Master Xia, your job is that of a chef, but you are also a Soul Master, aren't you? Since that is the case, you should devote your time to cultivation. How could you bury your talents in a kitchen?"

Using the same spoiled tone she usually used with her grandfather, Dugu Yan said sweetly, "How about this? I'll ask Prince Xue Xing to let you cultivate as a Soul Master during the day as well, okay? But on one condition: we have another Soul Duel. I promise this will be the last time!"

Xia Liang tossed the food in the wok, still ignoring Dugu Yan beside him.

Seeing this, the Head Chef walked over to Dugu Yan and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Um... Miss Dugu, this is the kitchen. If there's nothing else, could you please leave? Don't tease our chef, all right?"

Dugu Yan merely shot the Head Chef a cold glance without replying.

But that single look made the Head Chef feel as if his whole life were about to end. Poison Douluo would not come looking for him tonight, would he?

As noon approached, lunch had been prepared for the students. The other chefs remained in the kitchen, while Xia Liang went outside alone to get some fresh air.

Prince Xue Xing and the Three Education Commissioners had granted him the title of Special Grade Chef. He could cultivate at the Mimicry Cultivation Field at night, and he was also allowed to leave his post during the day when there was no work.

Like a snake, Dugu Yan latched onto her target and refused to let go. She had not even attended her morning classes, spending more than half the day in the kitchen.

The moment Xia Liang walked out, she ran after him.

"Master Xia, you're not afraid that I found some weakness of yours, so you don't dare fight another Soul Duel with me, are you?" Dugu Yan probed.

Xia Liang did not answer directly. As he walked forward, he surveyed his surroundings.

Students who had just finished class came toward him. Some greeted him warmly with a "Good day, Master Xia." Others simply smiled politely before running toward the dining hall.

"Master Xia!" Dugu Yan's voice suddenly turned forceful.

Xia Liang stopped and turned to face Dugu Yan. "I told you. No matter how many times we fight, you'll be the one who loses."

"Is that so? I wouldn't be so sure."

Dugu Yan crossed her arms and gave a sinister smile. "Your Rib Defense may not be without a solution. If I concentrate all my poison mist beneath your feet and attack, you'll definitely be poisoned!"

Xia Liang smiled as well. "Then if I block your mouth, can you still release poison mist?"

Dugu Yan froze, staring at Xia Liang in astonishment.

Only Soul Masters with the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul who had reached the strength of a Soul King could force poison mist into the ground in the form of toxins, or silently inject it into the air, allowing them to launch large-scale Poison Control in secret.

She had not yet reached the level of a Soul King, so she could only spew poison mist through her mouth.

Last time in the spirit fight, when that massive skeletal palm's thumb plugged my mouth, I thought it was just a coincidence. So he did it on purpose?

Dugu Yan glared at Xia Liang and said resentfully, "You can't keep my mouth plugged all the time!"

"Alas." Xia Liang shook his head in disappointment.

Dugu Yan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Even if I don't plug your mouth, your poison can't hurt me at all."

Xia Liang's expression was exceptionally serious. "Did you think I wouldn't know? Mixed Poison is a terrifying Poison Skill where multiple toxins are combined, complementing and stimulating one another until they create poison upon poison."

"When you used those three layers of poisonous mist, the three colors were clearly distinct and didn't interfere with each other. That showed the three toxins had no effect on one another and didn't enhance each other's toxicity. With garbage Mixed Poison like yours, how could you possibly break through my defenses?"

Dugu Yan was somewhat surprised. "So you understand poison?"