Departure

"Besides, your body has been eroded by Deadly Poison for decades. It can't be cured overnight; it will take time, at least half a year.

"But your granddaughter, Dugu Yan, is still young. As long as you find her a Soul Bone to serve as a container for the Deadly Poison, I'm one hundred percent certain I can cure her instantly, without any aftereffects. That's the truth—believe it or not!"

Fang Xuan's expression remained calm as he gazed steadily at Dugu Bo.

"Yanyan..."

At the mention of his beloved granddaughter, the coldness in Dugu Bo's eyes instantly softened. "Fine. This old man has lived long enough; these old bones of mine don't matter. As long as you can cure Yanyan, that's enough!"

"Don't worry. With this Divine Doctor here, I guarantee both grandfather and granddaughter will live long lives!"

Fang Xuan first made a grand claim, using it as leverage in the negotiation.

"Let's hope so!" Dugu Bo rolled his eyes.

"However..." Fang Xuan changed the subject and began laying out his terms. "I saved both your lives. You wouldn't expect letting me go to cancel that out, would you? Wouldn't I be getting the short end of the stick?!"

Dugu Bo's face darkened. "Kid, I've roamed the continent for decades. Even the Emperor of Heaven Dou Empire treats me with the utmost respect when he sees me, yet you dare negotiate terms with me?!"

"Then forget it. We can all die together. One life for two—I'm making a killing." Fang Xuan spoke unconcernedly.

"You..." Dugu Bo pointed at Fang Xuan, too furious to say a word, his beard bristling and his eyes bulging.

This brat was far too sly!

With no other choice, he had been caught by the weakness, and could only obediently concede defeat. After all, he did not want to end up dying when his poison flared up.

"Fine, kid. Aside from sparing your life, this old man will agree to one additional condition of yours. Is that enough?" Dugu Bo finally compromised.

Huh?

Why only one condition? Wasn't it supposed to be three things?!

Fang Xuan frowned, feeling that his protagonist aura simply could not compare to Tang San's.

Tang San got three things, while Fang Xuan only got one condition.

Therefore, he decided to put his brain to work and use his wisdom to gain the greatest possible benefit from Dugu Bo.

After pondering hard for a while, Fang Xuan came up with a good way to make use of this one condition. "How about this, Senior Dugu? I'm not a greedy person. My one condition is that you do three things for me! That's not excessive, right?!"

Dugu Bo's mouth twitched slightly. This kid was truly a damn talent.

Why not have this old man do ten things for you?!

"Just one! Aside from guaranteeing your safety, this old man can also do one thing for you free of charge. No room for negotiation!" His face was dark.

"Tch~"

His protagonist aura definitely was not strong enough!

Fang Xuan curled his lips, somewhat dissatisfied.

At that moment, Dugu Bo quietly watched Fang Xuan and said meaningfully, "It seems Xue Ye was wrong. The whole world was wrong. You're not the useless trash everyone sees you as. Instead, you're a wicked little brat with a black heart.

"But in this world, bad people tend to live longer than good people..."

"Is that a compliment? I'm honored!" Fang Xuan said.

"I wonder whether Xue Ye will Regret his past decision..." Dugu Bo murmured quietly.

Though he spoke softly, Fang Xuan heard him clearly and asked in confusion, "What decision?"

Dugu Bo merely gave him a deep look and remained silent.

Time passed!

Before he knew it, Fang Xuan had spent a full three days with Dugu Bo.

The official matches of the Genius Battle were being held at noon today. It would be Heaven Dou Academy's most lively event, and he had decided to leave!

This competition differed from the previous Preliminary Round. Back then, it had merely been a chaotic brawl between low-level students, with hardly any important figures paying attention. Once the official matches began, they would draw the attention of the entire nation.

Surely today, the Royal Family, nobles, and Major sects would all send people to watch.

Over these three days, Fang Xuan had gained tremendously. His Soul Power Level was already close to that of the most outstanding geniuses, and this was the perfect chance to test how much his strength had improved. Thus, he would not miss this competition.

It was precisely noon. The blazing sun hung high in the cloudless sky, making for rare and beautiful weather.

Standing beside the stream at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, Fang Xuan raised a hand and touched his fully stuffed Spatial Ring. A satisfied smile could not help appearing on his lips. It was time to leave!

Dugu Yan had already left yesterday and returned to Heaven Dou Academy to prepare for today's competition.

Heaven Dou Academy was built outside Heaven Dou City, not far from the Soul Beast Forest where Dugu Bo lived. If he ran at full speed, Fang Xuan could reach Heaven Dou Academy in less than an hour, arriving just as the competition began.

This official competition consisted of one hundred participants: fifty students below level thirty who had advanced from the Preliminary Round, and fifty Heaven Dou Class students above level thirty.

The competition used an elimination format. Opponents would be selected by drawing lots, facing off in pairs, with the losers eliminated!

Because there were so many participants, the competition would take a long time—perhaps several days!

After thinking briefly, Fang Xuan was about to leave when an enraged roar exploded from the sky.

"Brat! Stop right there!"

His green hair standing on end, Dugu Bo descended from the sky. He glared furiously at Fang Xuan, his eyes nearly spitting fire.

"Yo, Senior Dugu. Good afternoon. Did you come to thank me? Don't mention it." Fang Xuan revealed an innocent smile.

The treatment over the past two days had been highly effective. Since taking the antidote Fang Xuan had prepared, Dugu Bo's pain when the Deadly Poison flared up had noticeably lessened, and his attitude toward Fang Xuan had improved considerably as well.

Fang Xuan had told Dugu Bo yesterday about returning to the academy, and the latter had agreed. So, he assumed Dugu Bo had come specifically to see him off and thank him.

"Thank you, my ass! You ravaged my herb garden like that, and you still want to leave?!"

Dugu Bo pointed at the thoroughly plundered herb garden, hopping mad.

The once lush herb garden, filled with Immortal Herbs and Precious Medicine, had now been dug completely clean. Upturned soil covered every inch, leaving not a single spot intact.

Seeing his beloved herb garden utterly ruined by Fang Xuan, he was so furious that he jumped on the spot.

"Oh, that matter..."

Fang Xuan said calmly, "You agreed to it. Those herbs were my condition. What do you think? It's not excessive, right? Aren't I very reasonable?"

Dugu Bo was somewhat in the wrong and pleaded faintly, "But you should've left some for me, shouldn't you? You can't take everything away, can you?!"

"I did leave some," Fang Xuan said.

"What the fuck did you leave?!" Dugu Bo pointed at the bare ground.

"The roots and seeds. I left them all for you. They'll grow back in a few years."

Dugu Bo: "..."

"Goodbye, old monster. I need to hurry to the competition, so I won't keep you company. Remember to come to me for your antidote on time~" Fang Xuan waved goodbye to Dugu Bo, then vanished in a flash!

"Brat, I curse you to get beaten to death in the competition!"

Watching that retreating figure disappear into the distance, Dugu Bo cursed furiously.

Thanks to Dragon_Dragon, Xuan Xiao, Could It Be Heartless, and Song on Repeat for the donations. Thank you very much~