Dugu Bo

"You're finally out!"

Shadow Moon looked at the young man with dark green hair before him.

He had sensed the other's presence from the very start—only for a moment, but enough to know someone was spying on their battle.

Especially after Shadow Moon defeated Tian Yuheng, that gaze grew more intense. And when Shadow Moon advanced toward Dugu Yan, it felt like the stare was trying to slice him into a thousand pieces.

So, when Shadow Moon made a probing move against Dugu Yan, just as he expected, the other finally showed himself.

But Shadow Moon had done his homework. He wasn't unfamiliar with this dark green-haired man.

Dugu Bo, the grandfather of Dugu Yan—the one Shadow Moon had been about to target—and an extremely rare Titled Douluo of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Sure, he might be considered the bottom of the barrel among Titled Douluo, but the Heaven Dou Empire barely had any Titled Douluo to begin with.

The only openly acknowledged imperial guardian was the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. That wasn't to say there were no Titled Douluo within Heaven Dou's borders—but those were elders of the Upper Three Sects. Why would they listen to the Heaven Dou Emperor?

Truth be told, any one of those sects had more power than the Heaven Dou Empire. The only thing the empire had going for it was numbers.

Even if those Titled Douluo declared they'd follow the emperor's orders—if you were the emperor, would you actually dare to command them?

As for Dugu Bo, there were only two reasons he stayed as a guardian of the Heaven Dou Empire.

First, he had a deep friendship with one of the princes—deep enough that he was willing to serve as guardian to support that prince's cause.

Second, naturally, it was for Dugu Yan. She was studying at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and he had given her so much. It only made sense that he became the empire's guardian.

In the original story, Tang San and the others went to Sea God Island to level up before the mid-point. Honestly, there wasn't much left to write.

Look at One Piece—Luffy had a reason too. The New World was full of monsters, and Luffy didn't even know what Haki was. Of course he had to train.

But training was just for plot convenience. So the story had Luffy train for two years, but the actual narrative skipped straight past it.

There was a movie, 3D2Y, that gave a rough idea of what he trained in.

And then the revamped Straw Hats gave readers the feeling they'd grown stronger.

But in the original Douluo Dalu, you don't get that feeling. Why? Because it actually shows you exactly how the protagonists leveled up.

Some might say that's a good thing. And sure, it is—but when it's written like a boring log, it's not fun to read.

In the early parts, you see Tang San training, acquiring his martial soul, and slowly participating in competitions.

Then suddenly—boom—he's off on a God Trial, jumps straight to Titled Douluo. Soul rings? The god just hands him God-given Soul Rings, max limit right away!

So honestly, the early parts of the original are the best.

Got a bit off track. Back to Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo is a very special Titled Douluo.

He has everything a Titled Douluo should have, but anyone who's read the original knows he always comes across as weak.

His martial soul, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, is actually very strong. The problem is who he fights.

The Chrysanthemum Douluo has a stronger martial soul and higher soul power. So whenever Dugu Bo runs into him, he's done for.

That said, Dugu Bo is still the bottom of the barrel among Douluo Continent's Titled Douluo. His poison is formidable, but Tang San is immune, and others with higher soul power have built up resistance. Naturally, he's weakened.

But where Dugu Bo truly shines isn't against equals—it's against lower-level opponents.

His poison can turn a large-scale battle into a fight between Titled Douluo alone. That's his most terrifying trait.

Back to the arena.

"Oh, so you sensed I was here all along?"

Dugu Bo squinted at Shadow Moon.

Even if Dugu Bo was the weakest Titled Douluo, he was still a Titled Douluo—nothing a Soul Ancestor like Shadow Moon could compare to.

Still, Dugu Bo was shocked. Shadow Moon was a Soul Ancestor, while Dugu Yan and Tian Yuheng were Soul Elders—ten levels apart.

But at low levels, a ten-level gap wasn't that hard to cross. Especially since Tian Yuheng's martial soul was the number one Beast Martial Soul on the Douluo Continent.

And yet, Shadow Moon had completely crushed Yu Tianheng—without even using a single soul ring.

After defeating Yu Tianheng, Shadow Moon immediately took on the remaining six members of the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team.

If it were just Osler, Yu Feng, and the Shi Mo brothers, that would be one thing. But even Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were taken out in one hit.

Ye Lingling might have had massive healing power, but what good is healing when Shadow Moon knocks you out in one punch? You can recover HP, but he clears the health bar and blacks out the screen—what do you do then?

As for the agility-type soul masters, Osler and Yu Feng, they were KO'd before they even reacted. Dugu Yan didn't even get a chance to act.

And the Shi Mo brothers? One touch and they shattered. Anyone watching would think their martial souls were made of glass.

So by now, even an idiot could see that Shadow Moon was a true once-in-a-generation genius.

Even compared to the Martial Soul Hall's vaunted Golden Generation, he was in no way inferior.

"Mm. You were here the moment we stepped onto the arena, weren't you?"

Shadow Moon's words were a statement, not a question.

"Mm. You... are quite impressive."

Dugu Bo smiled as he spoke.

"But it's just sparring—no need to go that hard, right?"

"No, I just didn't expect the strongest team from Heaven Dou Empire to be so fragile."

Shadow Moon casually loosened his grip and pulled his arm free from Dugu Bo's iron-like hold.

That single move sent a jolt through Dugu Bo. Even if he hadn't been using full strength, no mere Soul Ancestor should have been able to match him.

"Fine. Yan Er and the others lost. Let me spar with you now. Don't worry—I'll suppress my soul power to the Soul Ancestor level!"

Dugu Bo's voice was thick with intimidation aimed at Shadow Moon.

"If you wish to spar, Senior, I'd be honored. But I'd prefer you suppress your power to Soul King, and let Kotaro and I fight together. How about it?"

Shadow Moon's reply only irritated Dugu Bo further.

Who did Dugu Bo think he was? Against equal soul power, he'd cower. Against someone weaker, he'd strike without mercy.

Face? That word didn't exist in Dugu Bo's dictionary. If you dared lay a hand on Dugu Yan, don't blame him for stepping onto the stage and returning the favor.

On the arena—

"Fine. Both of you, come at me!"

Dugu Bo crossed his arms, his face cold as he stared down the two before him.

"Kotaro, I'll need you to fight side by side with me this time."

"Shadow Moon, we're brothers. Let's take him on together!"

"Yeah. Together!"

"Hen Shin!"

"Hen Shin!"