His words struck the two men differently. Xiang Yang knew some of the truth. The continent's situation now seemed stable and peaceful, and quite a few young genius Soul Masters had emerged in the Soul Master World. On the surface, everything appeared orderly, with all things bursting into life. But beneath it all, undercurrents had long been surging because of the upheaval more than a decade ago.
Only a genius who grew into a powerhouse was a genius. One who failed to grow was a stepping stone.
Tang San, on the other hand, simply hadn't paid particular attention to the matter; he wasn't actually a fool. Thinking of the open and covert struggles among the great sects in his previous life, he only had to give it a little thought to know that "the gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out."
He supposed things were much the same everywhere, but his teacher's...
"Hmph! With me here, who can hurt my son!"
A deep voice rang out as Tang Hao, dressed in black, strode slowly in through the academy gates.
Sensing the fluctuations of Soul Power emanating from him, Dugu Bo braced himself as though facing a formidable enemy. Thinking of what the man had just said, he wondered, Son? Tang San... Could he be Tang Hao?
Although no one knew the exact details of what had happened back then, as a Titled Douluo, he had his suspicions. Aside from the elusive gods of legend, only something related to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could have drawn the attention of Spirit Hall's Pope.
While his thoughts raced, Tang Hao had already turned his gaze toward him. With a hint of hostility amid his curiosity, he asked, "May I ask what brings Poison Douluo here?"
Even as he spoke, he was ready to keep Dugu Bo from leaving. At the slightest disagreement, he would immediately bring out his hammer and blast him to death!
Dugu Bo's keen instincts, honed through years of struggling his way through the world, alerted him to the faint, almost imperceptible killing intent. Instead, he smiled and said, "You'll have to ask young friend Tang San about that."
Anyone with a background knew it was best not to provoke the people of the Clear Sky Sect, or things would be hard to settle.
"That's right, Dad," Tang San said. "Your Eminence Dugu came at my invitation."
"Mm, all right." Tang Hao reined in his imposing presence. He naturally trusted his son's judgment and took the opportunity to end the tense, weapons-drawn atmosphere.
"Now that the misunderstanding's cleared up, let's go inside and have a proper talk." Xiang Yang looked at them all standing around at the gate, feeling rather helpless, and could only step forward with a suggestion.
He didn't know why Tang Hao had arrived so late this time. Otherwise, things wouldn't have been so troublesome. It seemed he would have to get Tang San to have a proper talk with his mother later.
Xiang Yang and Tang San took them to two separate rooms. Tang San explained the situation to his father, while Xiang Yang told Dugu Bo about the solution he had for him.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo gave him a doubtful look. "Oh? You know about poison too, kid?" No matter how he looked at him, Xiang Yang didn't seem like someone who often refined poisons or medicines.
Xiang Yang smiled confidently and said, "Not exactly, but I do understand Soul Masters."
With that, he stopped concealing it.
"I imagine Sister Yan already told you that this is Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's residence." Back then, the reason they hadn't concealed this was partly because they were already planning to recruit students openly in Heaven Dou and conduct broader research into Martial Souls.
Another purpose was to deliberately let Dugu Bo find out, so that what Xiang Yang said next would carry more credibility.
Sure enough, Dugu Bo asked in puzzlement, "Mm, so what?" Indeed, one of his reasons for coming this time was that he wanted to meet this grandmaster of Martial Soul Theory.
The corners of Xiang Yang's mouth rose. "I may be untalented, but I am Sun."
Hm? Dugu Bo looked at him in surprise and narrowed his eyes. His first reaction was disbelief, but hadn't that Tang San just surpassed him in the path of poison at such a young age too? Besides, this would explain it. No wonder so many people couldn't find "Sun." So that was how it was...
At the thought, he instinctively wanted to abduct him, but when he remembered Tang Hao in the next room, he had to suppress the urge. "Then what's your solution?" he asked.
In fact, many major powers outside shared this idea. Xiang Yang's theories had far-reaching influence, and unlike those of the other grandmaster, most of his theories were useful only to commoner Soul Masters.
Leaving everything else aside, after some people tried absorbing Soul Rings compatible with their Martial Souls according to Xiang Yang's theory, their Soul Skills were noticeably stronger than those of others with the same Martial Soul. The same held true for the changes to their Martial Souls. Martial Souls could be inherited, after all. The impact wouldn't diminish; as time passed, it would only stir up greater and greater waves. Who knew when a new, sky-reaching wave might rise and smash "earlier waves" like them dead on the beach?
As a result, some powers were eager to claim the two for themselves and monopolize that knowledge. Dugu Bo was no exception.
"Ahem!" Xiang Yang paused. "My solution has at least an eighty percent chance of resolving your problem, Senior. But what price can you pay?"
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up when he heard "eighty percent," but Xiang Yang's words afterward made him frown in thought.
They invited me here because they must have taken an interest in my value, or something I have. With Tang Hao here, I can't threaten them with force. It seems the two youngsters planned that too. Oh well, in that case, I'll hear his price first. If he opens his mouth like a lion... Hmph! I'm no fish on the chopping block. How could I let someone carve me up so easily?
With that in mind, Dugu Bo said directly, "Since you were the ones who proposed this, I imagine you already want something. Why not be straightforward? As long as it isn't something that goes against my wishes, I can agree to it."
"Good!" Xiang Yang continued, "Senior, you must have used a great many rare medicinal ingredients to treat your poison. But as far as I know, many herbs have extremely demanding growing conditions and are exceedingly scarce. Yet you've been able to produce so many over a long period, so you must have a treasure land that can supply them in large quantities."
"According to ancient records, only three cornucopias fit the description of such a place. What we want is the right to use this treasure land."
Dugu Bo was somewhat shocked by his words. He had never mentioned his valley to outsiders, and even his family knew little about it. Yet someone had uncovered it from such a minor detail. He also had no idea where those ancient records came from. Were there really two other places in the world that could compare to it?
When he heard the last part, he couldn't help asking in surprise, "The right to use it?" Not ownership? Truth be told, when Dugu Bo heard how much they knew, he had prepared himself to lose it. After all, Tang Hao was right here, and they could have taken it all.
Xiang Yang naturally knew they could do that, but neither he nor Tang San liked keeping everything for themselves. Besides, Dugu Bo was one of the few Titled Douluo on the Douluo Continent who had studied herbs.
Compared with the vast majority of Soul Masters, who only knew the thrill of fighting, he could be considered a rare intellectual.
Xiang Yang smiled at him. "That's right. We can use it together." Dugu Bo's use of poison didn't conflict with the importance he placed on loyalty and affection. Given enough time together, even if Xiang Yang didn't say anything, Dugu Bo would take the initiative to help.
When Xiao Wu's identity was exposed, he had been the first Titled Douluo to step forward. At the time, Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and the Pope were nearby, with countless guards outside. Yet he, the "weakest" Titled Douluo, had dared to be the bird that stuck its head out. Could it be that he didn't know Spirit Hall's strength? Or did he think his own cultivation would keep him safe?
That was certainly impossible, yet he had stepped forward anyway. So Xiang Yang believed he was worth accepting as a companion.
Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment after hearing his answer, then said seriously, "Make sure you don't regret it."