Poison Douluo Arrives, a Fateful Encounter of Ice and Fire

The Black Bear Gang's harassment was like a pebble tossed into a lake. The ripples quickly subsided, causing no substantive impact on the construction of Myriad Manifestations Academy. Instead, it deepened the awe that all the craftsmen and guards involved in the construction felt toward the young Young Sect Master and his subordinates. The project even progressed a little faster because of it.

However, the attention this land drew extended far beyond the local bullies.

Several days later, at dusk, the setting sun dyed the clouds on the horizon into magnificent brocade. The people at the construction site had finished a day's work and were gathering in twos and threes to put away their tools, preparing to return to the temporary camp for rest.

Just then, a dark green streak of light quietly arrived from the horizon, falling like a meteor behind an unnoticed hill at the edge of the construction site. As the light faded, it revealed a somewhat gaunt figure clad in a dark green robe.

The newcomer had bizarre dark green hair and beard, his face withered and gaunt, yet his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, gleaming with gloomy scrutiny. His aura was restrained, but he naturally exuded a chilling, poisonous presence that made one's heart tremble. He was none other than the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, whose poison was unmatched beneath the heavens!

He had originally been passing through the area to visit a friend, but he had keenly sensed two extraordinarily strange, intertwined, and opposing energy fluctuations from deep within the newly built academy's construction site—one freezing cold, the other scorching hot! The sensation was remarkably similar to the legendary natural wonder that could nourish all poisons and destroy all poisons—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye!

But how could that be possible? The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye was a treasure land formed by heaven and earth. As far as he knew, there might only be one or two such places on the entire continent, all occupied by extremely powerful spirit beasts or forces. How could one appear beneath the construction site of a newly established academy on the outskirts of the imperial capital?

Filled with uncertainty, Dugu Bo decided to investigate personally. He concealed his aura and slipped forward as silently as Gui Mei, avoiding the patrolling guards and working craftsmen as he headed directly toward the source of the energy fluctuations—the academy's central area, where the foundations of a massive obsidian tower had just been laid.

The closer he got, the clearer that strange sensation of extreme cold and extreme heat intertwined became! Though it was exceedingly faint, as if deliberately sealed and guided by some powerful force, it could never escape the senses of an expert poison user like him!

"Something really is strange here..." Dugu Bo's eyes flashed as stormy waves rose in his heart. If there truly was an Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye here, even if it was only an immature form or a branch, its value would be immeasurable! Enough to drive any force mad!

He quickened his pace, his figure seeming to blend into the shadows as he prepared to cross the last area where construction materials were piled and approach the giant tower's foundation.

However, just as he was about to step into the area designated as the core zone!

Buzz!

An invisible yet incomparably resilient Spatial Barrier suddenly appeared before him, like the softest yet sturdiest gelatin, gently but firmly stopping his advancing body!

"Hmm?!" Dugu Bo's expression shifted slightly. He had not noticed in the slightest that such a sophisticated Soul Power Barrier had been laid here! Its aura was concealed yet powerful, clearly not something an ordinary soul master could create!

Almost at the same moment, a calm young voice leisurely sounded from not far behind him.

"Poison Douluo, what brings you here?"

Dugu Bo's heart jolted, and he spun around sharply!

At some unknown moment, a black-haired boy of six or seven, dressed in fitted black clothes, had silently appeared three zhang behind him and was quietly watching him. The boy's features were handsome, but his eyes were far too deep for a child's. His aura was harmonious and restrained, making even Dugu Bo unable to gauge his depth at a glance.

What made Dugu Bo's pupils constrict most was that two spirit rings were slowly emerging beneath the boy's feet, pulsing—deep purple, purple that defied all common sense! Purple! Both were Thousand-Year Spirit Rings?!

"Y-you... who are you?!" Dugu Bo's voice carried a trace of undisguised shock and suspicion. Such a young soul master possessed two Thousand-Year Spirit Rings? It was simply unheard of! And how had he discovered him and appeared behind him without making a sound?

"My name is Qin Mo. I am currently acting as the headmaster of Myriad Manifestations Academy." Qin Mo spoke calmly, as though introducing something insignificant, but his gaze fell upon Dugu Bo's dark green hair and fingernails. "Why is Poison Douluo not studying his Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison? Why are you so interested in my newly built academy's construction site?"

Dugu Bo was even more shocked upon hearing this. The other party had not only recognized him at once, but had directly pointed out the hidden danger of his martial soul—the backlash of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison! Just who was this brat?!

Suppressing the shock in his heart, he snorted coldly. The pressure belonging to a Titled Douluo faintly spread outward, attempting to suppress Qin Mo. "Brat, what is hidden beneath this academy of yours? Where does that ice-and-fire aura come from?"

Facing the pressure of a Titled Douluo, Qin Mo seemed completely unaffected. He merely raised an eyebrow slightly. "Beneath the academy is naturally its foundation. As for this ice-and-fire aura, perhaps Your Excellency sensed it incorrectly." Naturally, he would not admit to the existence of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, even if only a trace of its aura had been guided upward.

"Hmph! Sharp-tongued!" Dugu Bo's gaze turned cold, while his greed and curiosity intensified. He stopped wasting words and raised his gaunt hand slightly. A dark green poisonous mist carrying an intense stench silently spread toward Qin Mo like a living creature! He intended to capture this brat first, then interrogate him at leisure!

However, the poisonous mist, which could instantly rot even a Soul Sage-level expert, seemed to encounter an invisible barrier when it came within three chi of Qin Mo. It could advance no further! Worse still, the toxicity within the mist was being rapidly purified and dissolved by some unknown force!

"What?!" Dugu Bo's expression truly changed this time! His Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison had actually failed?!

At that moment, two petite figures appeared at Qin Mo's left and right as if teleporting. They were Bing'er and Yan'er, who had rushed over after sensing the aura of a Titled Douluo!

The two girls did not hesitate in the slightest. Their martial souls instantly possessed them!

An ice-blue Ice Phoenix and a fiery red Fire Phoenix phantom soared into the sky. The terrifying auras of Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire erupted without reservation, fiercely clashing against Dugu Bo's poisonous mist and pressure!

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple! Four spirit rings of the optimal configuration rose beneath the girls' feet! Their Soul Ancestor-level cultivation, combined with ultimate powers capable of crushing ordinary attributes, allowed them to establish a domain of their own even against a Titled Douluo!

"Ultimate attributes?! And two of them?!" Dugu Bo's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets! The strange things he had encountered today surpassed everything he had seen in the past ten years combined! A Soul Grandmaster brat with two Thousand-Year Spirit Rings, and two Soul Ancestor girls with ultimate martial souls! Just what kind of dragon's den and tiger's lair was this Myriad Manifestations Academy?!

Bing'er's face was as cold as frost. The chill around her surged, instantly freezing the ground until even the air seemed about to solidify. "You dare attack the Young Sect Master!"

Yan'er's pretty face was filled with fury. Blazing white flames roared around her, directly vaporizing the lingering poisonous mist. "Old poisoner, are you looking to die?!"

The two ultimate powers intertwined. Though they were far inferior to Dugu Bo's vast Soul Power, their extraordinarily high-grade attribute suppression still made him feel troubled!

In particular, the aura of Ultimate Ice emanating from Bing'er faintly stirred the fire poison accumulated in his body, making his Meridians ache dully.

Qin Mo raised a hand lightly, stopping Bing'er and Yan'er just as they were about to strike with full force. Looking at Dugu Bo's constantly changing expression, he suddenly smiled faintly. "Poison Douluo, the poison in your body does not seem... pleasant, does it? Whenever it rains at night, does your head feel as though it is splitting apart, as if countless needles are stabbing into it? When your Soul Power circulates to the Jiuwei Acupoint, do you feel obstruction and twisting pain?"

Boom!

Qin Mo's words struck Dugu Bo's heart like a thunderbolt!

He staggered half a step back, his face filled with horror and disbelief. "Y-you... how do you know?! Who exactly are you?!"

These symptoms were his greatest secret, the suffering caused by the backlash of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison. He had never mentioned them to anyone! Yet this boy had seen through them at a glance and described them with such precision!

"Who I am is not important." Qin Mo's tone remained calm. "What matters is that I may... have a way to ease the suffering of both you and your granddaughter."

He paused, then revealed his final bargaining chip. "I might even be able to make the Immortal Herbs in your medicinal garden grow better."

"Y-you know about that too?!" Dugu Bo completely lost his composure, his voice trembling. He had a secret medicinal garden planted with countless rare poisonous herbs and immortal-grade plants. It was his greatest support and deepest secret, yet this brat knew about it too?!

At that moment, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, his curiosity, and his greed were all replaced by immense shock and a faint, uncontrollable hope! He stared fixedly at Qin Mo, as if trying to see straight through him.

Qin Mo calmly accepted his scrutiny and slowly said, "Cooperate with me, and the poison in your body may be cured. I can also multiply the benefits of your medicinal garden. In exchange, I need the right to use some of the herbs in your garden, and... at certain times, for you to serve as the honorary advisor of Myriad Manifestations Academy. What do you say?"

Dugu Bo's chest heaved violently. His eyes were incomparably conflicted as he looked at Qin Mo, then at the two girls with ultimate martial souls beside him. In the end, his gaze returned to Qin Mo's unfathomable eyes.

He remained silent for a full ten breaths.

Then he suddenly gritted his teeth. The poisonous mist around him completely withdrew as he said in a deep voice, "Brat, if you can truly resolve the poison afflicting this old man and Yan Yan, forget being an honorary advisor—even if I gave you half my medicinal garden, so what! But if you dare toy with this old man..." He did not finish the sentence, but the cold glint in his eyes said everything.

"Of course I will not." Qin Mo smiled slightly. "However, this matter requires careful consideration. Your Excellency may return and think it over first. Come find me here again in three days."

Dugu Bo gave Qin Mo a deep look, as if wanting to engrave him firmly into memory. In the end, without another word, his body transformed into a streak of green light and shot into the sky, vanishing beyond the horizon in an instant. He had arrived silently, but departed with turbulent emotions and a faint glimmer of hope.

Watching the direction in which Dugu Bo disappeared, Bing'er and Yan'er finally relaxed and withdrew their martial souls.

"Young Sect Master, can you really cure his poison?" Yan'er asked curiously.

"Perhaps." Qin Mo's gaze was distant. "The friendship of a Titled Douluo is never a bad thing. Besides, there are indeed quite a few good things in his medicinal garden..."

Before Myriad Manifestations Academy had even been completed, it had already drawn the attention of a Titled Douluo.