Poison Douluo's Visit, Pact of the Jade Phosphor

Reception Room One was located on the first floor of the Myriad Manifestations Pagoda. Its furnishings were simple yet extraordinary. Faint runes glimmered across the walls, while a light sandalwood fragrance that soothed the mind and calmed the spirit lingered in the air.

Poison Douluo Dugu Bo sat in the guest seat, his withered fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest. His sharp dark-green eyes continually surveyed the room's furnishings, especially the rune marks on the walls—marks he could not understand at all, yet instinctively found profoundly mysterious.

He had come today with exceedingly mixed feelings. He desperately wished to free himself and his granddaughter from the torment of their poison, yet he was also wary and suspicious of Qin Mo's unfathomable methods. Mixed in was the unwillingness of a Titled Douluo being manipulated by a child.

Footsteps sounded.

Dugu Bo immediately composed himself and resumed his gloomy, aloof demeanor.

Qin Mo pushed open the door and entered, followed by Bing'er carrying tea. After setting down the tea, Bing'er silently withdrew outside to stand guard.

"Poison Douluo, apologies for keeping you waiting." Qin Mo sat in the host's seat, his tone calm, as though he were receiving nothing more than an ordinary guest.

Dugu Bo snorted, his burning gaze fixed on Qin Mo. "Boy, cut the nonsense. What you said last time—can you truly cure the poison in Yan Yan and me? If you dare toy with me, hmph..." He left the rest of the threat unspoken, but the pressure of a Titled Douluo faintly spread through the room.

Qin Mo seemed completely unaffected. He lifted his teacup and took a light sip, answering with a question instead. "At midnight and noon each day, does your Jiuwei Acupoint feel as if ten thousand needles are piercing it, causing agonizing pain? When your Soul Power reaches the Yutang Acupoint, do you feel blockage and twisting pain? In the dead of night, does your head feel as though icy winds are howling within it, with illusions constantly arising?"

With every sentence he spoke, Dugu Bo's expression worsened. By the end, his face was livid, and his eyes were filled with shock. These symptoms were his greatest secret, a torment he had never mentioned to anyone—not even a word! Yet Qin Mo had described them with absolute precision, as if he had seen them firsthand.

"You... how did you know?!" Dugu Bo's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"By observing your aura, examining your complexion, and sensing it." Qin Mo set down his teacup. "Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison erodes bone and devours the soul, ultimately backfiring upon its wielder. For you to walk the path of poison and cultivate to the rank of Titled Douluo is truly extraordinary, but it has also allowed the poison to seep into your marrow and entangle itself with your spirit. Ordinary methods cannot remove it at all. They would only hasten its eruption."

Dugu Bo fell silent. Every word Qin Mo spoke struck directly at his pain. Over the years, he had sought out countless famous physicians and tried innumerable methods, yet they could only barely suppress it. Just as Qin Mo had said, some harsh medicines had only worsened the situation.

"Then what method do you have?" Dugu Bo asked in a deep voice, with a trace of barely perceptible anticipation in his tone.

"It is better to channel than block, better to transform than suppress," Qin Mo said slowly. "The poison in your body has already half-merged with your Soul Power, bloodline, and even your soul. Forcibly expelling it would be tantamount to crippling yourself, perhaps even endangering your life. The only way is to use a higher power as a guide and gradually 'transform' it, turning it to your own use—perhaps even... making it part of your power."

"Transform it? Turn it to my own use?" Dugu Bo's pupils contracted. "Easy for you to say! What power in this world could transform the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison that I have accumulated for a hundred years?"

"Ultimate Fire can burn all things, but it can also refine their essence. Ultimate Ice can freeze everything, yet it can also solidify the source. The Power of Life can nourish all things, and it can also neutralize decay." Qin Mo looked at him. "As it happens, this academy possesses all of them."

Dugu Bo's breathing stalled as he suddenly recalled the Ice and Fire Twin Beauties from that day, as well as the white-robed girl with the astonishing Life Aura.

"Of course, the process will be far from easy. It must be done step by step, supplemented by specific pills and formations, and may take years." Qin Mo shifted the subject. "And why should I help you?"

Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened. "What do you want? Gold Soul Coins? Soul bones? Or the herbs in my medicinal garden?" He had long prepared himself to pay a steep price.

Qin Mo smiled faintly and shook his head. "Those things are easily obtained for me. What I want is a more lasting guarantee."

He rose and walked to the window, looking out over the academy grounds. "Myriad Manifestations Academy has only just been established, and petty foes are watching from all sides. I need an expert capable of deterring every faction, someone who will stand with the academy when I need them."

He turned around, his gaze calm but carrying unquestionable force. "I want you, Dugu Bo, to join Myriad Manifestations Academy as Honorary Dean and Chief of the Pharmacy Hall. You will not need to remain here year-round, but if powerful enemies attack the academy, you must act. In return, I will not only gradually resolve the poison in you and Dugu Yan, but also help your medicinal garden become a true blessed sanctuary, multiplying the efficacy of its Immortal Herbs."

Honorary Dean! Chief of the Pharmacy Hall!

Dugu Bo froze. He had not expected Qin Mo's condition to be this. This would bind him to Myriad Manifestations Academy! Yet he had to admit that compared to demanding the medicinal garden he valued as his very life, this condition was instead... easier to accept. Moreover, the promise to resolve the poison and improve his medicinal garden held a fatal appeal for him.

He remained silent, struggling fiercely within. He had always been free and unrestrained; now he would suddenly have to bear an academy's name and be bound by it...

"You may consider it slowly," Qin Mo said without urging him. "However, your granddaughter's poison appears to be even more dangerous than yours. If it is delayed any longer, it may damage her foundation. Even if it is cured in the future, hidden problems will likely remain..."

Those words became the final straw. Dugu Bo might not care about himself, but he could never gamble with his granddaughter's future!

He suddenly clenched his teeth and rose to his feet. "Fine! I agree! But you must swear an oath that you can cure Yan Yan!"

"Of course." Qin Mo nodded. "I, Qin Mo, swear upon my martial soul that if Dugu Bo fulfills his promise, I will do everything in my power to resolve the poison within him and Dugu Yan. Should I break this oath, may my martial soul shatter."

Upon hearing the martial soul oath, Dugu Bo finally put his mind completely at ease. He let out a long breath, as though a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He solemnly cupped his hands toward Qin Mo. "In that case, this old man... Dugu Bo, greets the Dean."

From this moment onward, the Poison Douluo whose name shook the continent formally stood with Myriad Manifestations Academy.

"Mr. Dugu, there is no need for such formality." Qin Mo made a gesture to raise him, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Since we are family now, let me first give you a meeting gift."

He took out a jade bottle and handed it to Dugu Bo. "This is the Clear Origin Root Solidifying Pill. It can initially stabilize the poison within you and your granddaughter, easing your daily suffering. Take it before the midnight and noon attacks begin, and you will remain unharmed for six hours. Three days from now, I will give you a detailed diagnosis and formulate the subsequent treatment plan."

Dugu Bo accepted the jade bottle and removed its stopper. A medicinal fragrance rushed forth, cool and refreshing yet carrying a strange vitality. It invigorated him, and even the restless poison within his body seemed to calm slightly. The mere scent possessed such remarkable effects—this pill was absolutely no ordinary medicine!

He gave Qin Mo a deep look, carefully put away the jade bottle, and cupped his hands once more. "Thank you, Dean."

He knew that perhaps... he had truly made the right gamble this time.