Whatever—Just Don't Evolve into a Turtle

Dugu Bo waved a hand toward the kitchen.

"Go find it yourself. I haven't had time to clean up yet."

Lin Hai hurried into the kitchen and immediately spotted a whole black tiger pelt tossed into a bucket on the floor. On the table lay neatly separated cuts of tiger meat and internal organs.

"There's actually this much left!"

Overjoyed, Lin Hai did not waste another word before stuffing the tiger pelt, meat, and organs into his Soul Tool.

It had already gone into the pot. Whether it was blood, hide, flesh, sinew, or bone, it was all the same to him.

After that, the three of them enjoyed a rather hearty breakfast amid a subtle yet harmonious atmosphere.

Once the meal was over, Dugu Yan solemnly took out the Jade Bottle and prepared to refine the crucial Elixir Pill.

Dugu Bo stayed by her side as well, showing no intention of leaving.

He had originally planned to let Lin Hai stand guard while he immediately set out to find a suitable Poison attribute dragon-type soul beast and draw its blood for his granddaughter. However, Lin Hai stopped him.

"We should first see just how far Yanyan's Martial Soul can evolve before making a decision."

"There's no need to rush to obtain a spirit ring. I'll be staying in Heaven Dou City for a while longer," Lin Hai explained.

Yet as the sun slanted westward and dusk deepened, Dugu Yan remained seated cross-legged without moving in the slightest.

The Soul Power around her was as still as water, and her Martial Soul showed no sign whatsoever of transforming.

Lin Hai watched anxiously, nearly unable to resist prying open her eyelids and shining a bright lamp into them!

Looks like I took things too much for granted...

He sighed inwardly.

Absorbing Divine Artifact Spirit Rings these past years had gone too smoothly. I actually forgot that this Elixir Pill remolds the body and reconstructs one's foundation. This was always going to be a gradual process.

Besides, refining external substances depends on one's strength. Old Monster, a dignified Titled Douluo, took two full hours. With Yanyan's level of strength... this will probably take a long time.

Left with no other choice, Lin Hai told the equally anxious Dugu Bo of his judgment.

Then, he took out paper and a brush from his Soul Tool. His brush flew across the page as he wrote down a densely packed list of soul beast names, carefully noting the amount of blood needed from each at different ages.

It included the types Dugu Yan might need in the future, as well as those he needed himself.

Once he finished, he handed the list to Dugu Bo.

"Old Monster, it looks like Yanyan will still need quite some time. I can't leave, so I'll have to trouble you with collecting the blood."

He pointed at the list.

"The soul beasts listed above are all targets, and their age requirements are marked. Whichever one you encounter will do. Just collect blood or fluid. Cultivation isn't easy, so don't take their lives."

"If... if you accidentally kill one, then the corpse..."

Lin Hai paused and gave him a look that said, you know what I mean. "Don't waste it either."

Dugu Bo stared at him with a strange expression, seemingly waiting for what came next—something like, "This counts as the third request."

But Lin Hai never mentioned it. He merely lifted his chin at him casually, signaling that he could leave.

Feeling somewhat stifled, Dugu Bo turned and departed. He had no choice; the list contained things his granddaughter needed.

It was not that he was eager to fulfill his promise and distance himself from Lin Hai. Rather, with that final thorn still lodged in his heart, he could not settle his mind.

It was like a blade suspended overhead. One never knew when it would fall, making it impossible to truly rest easy.

Watching that dark green figure disappear into the afterglow of the setting sun, Lin Hai curled his lip.

A third request? How could it be that cheap? First, you can repay my Life-Saving Grace for a few years. Later... I'll have to find a chance for you to save his life too, so we can call it even.

He had his own plans. That third request would be used to sever the bond between Dugu Bo and Prince Xue Xing's uncle-nephew pair.

Lin Hai knew full well that this Poison Douluo had an eccentric temperament.

Based solely on his relationship with Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, he might be able to persuade him to side with Spirit Hall, but Dugu Bo would inevitably harbor reservations and would never truly give his loyalty.

Although Spirit Hall had countless powerful experts, it lacked a large-scale, destructive "strategic-level" figure like Dugu Bo.

Only if Dugu Bo willingly served them could the future Spirit Hall Empire truly become a "nuclear-armed nation" capable of intimidating all sides.

Moreover, Dugu Bo's poison arts had now been strengthened by Immortal Herbs. Their "yield" was no longer what it used to be.

Lin Hai was not a bloodthirsty person. Yet when the day came for the realm to be unified and they met upon the battlefield, they could only leave their fates to heaven.

Unification was often accompanied by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, but its meaning was buried within that bloodshed as well.

All he could do was widen the gap between the two sides, give it everything he had, and end the war swiftly, avoiding a drawn-out quagmire like the chaotic era of the Three Kingdoms.

Dugu Yan remained in meditation for a full half month.

Lin Hai did not dare rashly feed her anything else. He could only summon Old Bodhi Tree, his "worker," to replenish her with pure energy each day and sustain her vitality.

Even so, after sitting motionless for half a month, Dugu Yan's already slender cheeks had noticeably thinned further, leaving her looking somewhat haggard.

During that time, Dugu Bo returned twice, covered in dust from travel.

Each time, under Lin Hai's confident expression of I know what I'm doing, and after his repeated assurances that "your granddaughter definitely won't starve to death," Dugu Bo could only leave again in a hurry, full of anxiety.

Over the past few days, the aura around Dugu Yan had finally begun fluctuating violently.

Today, that restless aura gradually stabilized. A surging wave of Soul Power, like an awakening volcano, burst forth from within her and rose steadily higher!

Even without having obtained her Third Spirit Ring, Lin Hai could clearly tell through his powerful Spiritual Power that the pressure of her released Soul Power had stabilized at rank thirty-nine.

This result greatly pleased Lin Hai.

The same medicinal effect, when applied to Titled Douluo-level Dugu Bo, had mainly strengthened the origin of his Martial Soul and awakened his domain. His Soul Power had also risen by more than one rank, from the peak of rank ninety-one to rank ninety-three.

But when it fell upon Dugu Yan, whose foundation was still shallow, it had only raised her ten ranks between the Soul Grandmaster and Soul Elder thresholds.

This proved that her Martial Soul Evolution was already certain.

The only remaining question was the direction of that evolution—

Would it be toward dragon-type origin? Earth attribute? Poison attribute? Or would they evolve simultaneously?

Lin Hai did not care much either way, as long as it did not charge down the path of defense and eventually evolve into a "turtle"...

He was afraid Dugu Yan would be so humiliated that she would perish together with him.

Just as Lin Hai's thoughts were running wild, the figure that had sat still for half a month finally moved.

Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes. Stiff from sitting for so long, she could not help stretching her waist and letting out a lazy, satisfied sigh.

"Ah, that felt good!"

Lin Hai looked over at the sound, meeting those newly awakened eyes that still carried a hint of haziness.

Their gazes locked in the air for a moment. Dugu Yan was the first to lose again, a blush rising on her face.

"What are you looking at?!"

She snapped coyly, hiding the strange feeling in her heart.

"Come fight me!"

Before her words had even faded, her Martial Soul possessed her—

The instant the true form of that brand-new Martial Soul entered his sight, Lin Hai's pupils contracted. His jaw nearly dropped as a name burst from his lips.

"Queen Medusa!"