Battle Skill Quick Learning Service Shocks the Continent, Poison Douluo Advances (Part 1)

On the third day after the auction ended, discussions of the two battle skills, "Abyssal Poison" and "Weaken," still drifted through the air across the Douluo Continent. Yet an undercurrent of anxiety quietly spread among the major factions—only Dugu Bo, the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Clear Sky Sect held battle skills, but both Dugu Bo and the Star Dou Great Forest were stuck at the Introductory threshold. The other factions could only watch helplessly, envious yet secretly relieved. Good thing they're hard to learn. Otherwise, the gap would be even wider.

In Poisonous Valley within Sunset Forest, not even the chill of the Cold Jade Bed could suppress Dugu Bo's irritation. He sat cross-legged, the "Abyssal Poison" scroll before him glowing from being soaked in Soul Power. Pale-purple Poison Battle Qi circled three times around his palm, yet it refused to form a complete hand seal. Instead, it resembled out-of-control vines, racing up his arm through his meridians. His wrist was instantly scorched with black-red marks. "Damn it! Is this battle skill deliberately fighting against me?" Dugu Bo clenched his fist fiercely. His uncontrolled Poison Battle Qi splashed onto the ground, corroding tiny holes into the hard stone.

He had trained without pause for three days, yet had not even grasped the most basic technique of "Abyssal Poison"—Poison Condensation Seal. Battle skill cultivation was divided into three stages: Introductory, Minor Mastery, and Major Mastery. At the Introductory stage, one could only mobilize its aura; only at Minor Mastery could one unleash seventy percent of its power, while Major Mastery brought it to perfection. At his current pace, let alone Minor Mastery, he might not even be able to maintain the Introductory state after another three months. "Had I known it would be this difficult, I should've asked Your Excellency Lin Yue for a few more cultivation tips." Dugu Bo rubbed his burning wrist and stared at the complicated poison patterns on the scroll, his eyes filled with frustration.

Meanwhile, in the core secret realm of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian was also frowning at the "Weaken" battle skill. He circulated his Soul Power and tried to form the Weaken Domain, but the pale-gray energy drifted around him briefly before dispersing like smoke in the wind, failing to affect even the vines beside him. "Human battle skills are truly obscure." Di Tian let out a low roar, his claws carving deep grooves into the ground. "It's been three days, and I still can't even touch the threshold of Introductory. If Spirit Hall finds out, they'll surely laugh at us."

Gu Yuena sat upon her vine throne, lightly tapping her fingertips as she helped Di Tian soothe his chaotic Soul Power. "Don't rush. Battle skills were never easy to master. Your Excellency Lin Yue once said that 'Weaken' requires using spiritual power to guide Soul Power. Our ferocious beasts' spiritual power is inherently less refined than that of humans, so getting stuck is perfectly normal." Though she said so, a trace of anxiety hid in her eyes as well. The Star Dou Great Forest already lacked top-tier combat power. If they could not use the "Weaken" battle skill anytime soon, they would only be at a greater disadvantage against Spirit Hall's threat.

Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and other factions had no battle skills to practice, but they closely watched the progress of those two forces. In the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong listened to her subordinate report that "Dugu Bo has not reached Introductory after three days," and a cold sneer curled across her lips. "He's merely someone who plays with poison, yet he can't even comprehend a battle skill. It seems this so-called 'Abyssal Poison' may not be all that frightening." But when she considered that, should Dugu Bo truly master it, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's strength would rise to another level, she could not help clenching her fists. "Keep watching him. The moment he makes a breakthrough, report it immediately."

Within the Council Hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were discussing the difficulty of battle skills. "I didn't expect Dugu Bo to be stuck at Introductory." Ning Fengzhi gently waved his folding fan. "I thought that, given his mastery of poison arts, learning 'Abyssal Poison' would be easy for him. It seems the threshold for battle skills is even higher than we imagined." Sword Douluo nodded, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes. "That is for the best. At least in the short term, no faction will pull too far ahead through battle skills. We still have time to gather Points. At the next auction, we should strive to secure a battle skill as well."

Just as the entire continent was discussing how difficult battle skills were to learn, the Golden Light Screen of the Otherworld Auction House suddenly lit up at noon. Its dazzling radiance pierced through the clouds and instantly drew everyone's attention. A line of black characters slowly emerged on the screen, each carrying heavy Soul Power fluctuations:

"To help all customers break through bottlenecks in battle skill cultivation, the auction house now offers the 'Battle Skill Quick Learning Service'—available only to those who have obtained Mysterious Tier or lower battle skills and have reached the Introductory stage. By paying a fee, you may directly advance to the Minor Mastery or Major Mastery stage. Fee standards: Minor Mastery costs 50% of the battle skill's original price in Points; Major Mastery costs 100% of the battle skill's original price in Points."

A clear example was also displayed beside it: "For instance, if the 'Abyssal Poison' battle skill originally costs 800,000 Points, quick learning to Minor Mastery costs 400,000 Points, while quick learning to Major Mastery costs 800,000 Points. If the 'Weaken' battle skill originally costs 1,000,000 Points, quick learning to Minor Mastery costs 500,000 Points, while quick learning to Major Mastery costs 1,000,000 Points."

The moment the news emerged, the Douluo Continent erupted. Those with battle skills hurried to do the math, while those without them felt both envious and even more desperate to save up Points. Even the air seemed filled with anxiety over not having enough Points.

The miasma in Sunset Forest had not yet dispersed when Dugu Bo turned into a purple streak and sped toward the auction house. He had just wrapped his scorched wrist when he heard the announcement from the light screen. His frustration was instantly replaced by wild joy—he still had 250,000 Points left from selling Youluo Grass before. If he sold one of his treasured thousand-year poison herbs, gathering 400,000 Points would be no problem at all.

Half an hour later, Dugu Bo rushed into the resource exchange counter of the auction house, panting heavily. With a flick of his storage ring, a Corpse Heart Flower with dark-red petals dripping black-purple venom landed on the counter. The moment its venom touched the surface, it emitted a sizzling corrosive sound. "Your Excellency Mo Chen, take a look! How many Points can this thousand-year Corpse Heart Flower fetch?" He leaned forward, unable to conceal the urgency in his eyes.

Mo Chen brushed a fingertip across the Corpse Heart Flower. The instant his Soul Power swept over it, surprise flashed through his eyes. "A thousand-year Corpse Heart Flower. Its poison is extremely pure, and it can also be used in medicine to temper the body. It can be exchanged for 300,000 Points."

"Three hundred thousand? Excellent!" Dugu Bo slapped the counter, nearly knocking over the Jade Bottles on the table. "Together with the 250,000 Points I had left, that makes 550,000! I want to exchange for the 'Abyssal Poison' quick learning service for Minor Mastery. Deduct 400,000, and I'll have 150,000 Points left. Save them for now!"

The procedures were completed quickly. Mo Chen soon handed him a pale-blue crystal containing a wisp of pale-purple energy—the battle skill essence of "Abyssal Poison." "Press the crystal against your forehead and focus on sensing the energy. The quick learning process will be completed shortly."

Dugu Bo accepted the crystal, his hands trembling slightly, and pressed it to his forehead without hesitation. In an instant, a gentle energy entered his mind through his brow. Then countless insights into cultivating "Abyssal Poison"—the circulation route of Poison Battle Qi, the techniques for exerting force through Poison Condensation Seal, even how to use spiritual power to prevent Poison Mist from backfiring—poured into his memories like a tidal wave. The contents of the once-obscure scroll suddenly became clear and easy to understand, as though he had cultivated "Abyssal Poison" for ten years.

He abruptly opened his eyes and gathered Poison Battle Qi in his palm. The pale-purple Poison Mist was no longer chaotic. Instead, it flowed rapidly through his meridians, forming a palm-sized hand seal in the blink of an eye. The poison patterns around its edges were clearly visible, radiating a heart-stopping pressure. "Hahaha! Minor Mastery! I've finally reached Minor Mastery!" Dugu Bo laughed aloud and struck at the stone pillar beside him. The Abyssal Poison Palm fell, instantly shrouding the pillar in Poison Mist. In less than three breaths, it dissolved into a pool of black water that emitted black smoke.

He moved his wrist, and the previous burning pain had long since vanished. Instead, he could clearly feel that his control over Poison Battle Qi had become three times more precise, while his movement technique had also grown much lighter. "I used to have to put in some effort against a level 96 Titled Douluo. Now, even a level 97 might not be able to take this palm strike of mine!" Dugu Bo clenched his fist, his eyes filled with awe. Your Excellency Lin Yue's methods were truly unfathomable. This quick learning service had practically been tailor-made for him!

In the core secret realm of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian listened to his subordinate's report on the quick learning service and suddenly straightened up. A blazing light burst from his gray beast eyes. "Directly advancing to Minor Mastery? For 500,000 Points?" He turned to Gu Yuena, his tone urgent. "Master, how many Points do we have now? We saved up 350,000 from selling Soul Beast Inner Cores before. Is that enough?"