Su Ze gathered a large amount of Lightning Attribute Soul Power in his hand.
Lightning naturally carried intense heat, and as his Soul Power continued to gather,
the Whale Rubber soon began to melt under the high temperature. Its faint golden glow gradually became visible.
At the same time, a strange fragrance drifted through the dormitory.
Smelling it, Su Ze found himself looking forward to the taste of the golden Whale Rubber.
After being melted by the sustained heat, the golden Whale Rubber finally turned into a lump of soft paste.
Su Ze swallowed it in one gulp.
Then an utterly foul stench of rotting flesh flooded his mouth.
Damn, was this Whale Rubber really that stinky?
Almost instinctively, Su Ze was about to spit it out.
He couldn't. It had cost 5,000 Gold Soul Coins.
Relying on his Willpower, Su Ze endured the stomach-churning taste and forced himself to swallow all the Whale Rubber.
As soon as he had swallowed it all, he immediately felt a burning sensation spread through his body.
The scorching sensation left Su Ze parched, while all kinds of distracting thoughts surfaced in his mind.
Beautiful women he had seen in both his past and present lives appeared in his thoughts.
No wonder this was something meant for the bedroom. What a feeling.
As he thought this, Su Ze summoned lightning and fiercely shocked himself.
The pain of the lightning strikes pulled Su Ze free of his distracting thoughts.
After briefly regaining his clarity, Su Ze immediately entered a meditative state.
Sikong Zhen's Martial Soul inside him began absorbing the power of the Whale Rubber.
The immense power continued to strengthen Sikong Zhen's Martial Soul while also tempering Su Ze's physique, bones, and sinews.
Just as Su Ze entered meditation and began constantly strengthening his body,
a figure silently appeared behind him.
The figure was lean, with oddly Ink Green hair and beard. His eyes were like those of a venomous snake in the night, gleaming with a deep, eerie light.
Dugu Bo gazed at Su Ze, whose body was covered in electric currents, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
As a Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo's knowledge was undoubtedly unrivaled across the continent.
But he had never seen a Lightning Attribute Martial Soul as strange as Su Ze's.
Lightning actually covered his entire body while he meditated.
More importantly, this kid had swallowed Whale Rubber whole. Was he trying to make his body explode?
But why was the kid's physical strength increasing?
As the Poison Douluo who dominated the world, Dugu Bo was quite knowledgeable about medicinal properties.
So, from the moment he smelled Su Ze, he knew what the boy had just swallowed.
According to current medical understanding, swallowing Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber would very likely damage the body.
What puzzled Dugu Bo was that Su Ze seemed perfectly fine.
Instead, his physical strength was growing even greater.
At the thought, Dugu Bo sensed Su Ze's formidable physical strength.
A thought suddenly sprang into his mind. Could the kid's strength be so impressive because of the Whale Rubber?
This was a major discovery!
A trace of greed immediately appeared in Dugu Bo's jade-green eyes.
If this was true, he could make a fortune from this information in the future.
With that thought, Dugu Bo didn't hesitate. He seized Su Ze's meditating body, and the two vanished in an instant.
The Whale Rubber was an unexpected bonus.
His real purpose was to learn about the Martial Soul Defect.
That was why he had come here in the first place.
Under the effects of the Whale Rubber, Su Ze had already entered a deep state of digestion.
But his consciousness remained clear. He had sensed Dugu Bo the moment the man appeared.
However, when he sensed the familiar poison, Su Ze immediately realized who had come.
So he let Dugu Bo take him away.
He focused instead on digesting the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber.
Once he had completely digested the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber, Su Ze's physical strength had improved tremendously.
It had increased by five levels.
His physical strength had risen from the level of a rank-35 Soul Elder to that of a rank-40 Soul Ancestor.
Moreover, Su Ze could sense that he hadn't yet finished digesting all the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber inside him.
Once he had fully digested it, his physical strength would improve even further.
After taking stock of his improved body, Su Ze slowly opened his eyes.
He immediately realized that he was in a damp cave, with the stench of poison hanging in the air around him.
The moment Su Zhe opened his eyes, a thin, withered hand silently appeared on Su Ze's shoulder.
As soon as Su Ze sensed the movement, Sikong Zhen's Martial Soul possessed him automatically.
Powerful lightning instantly covered his body.
One yellow and one purple Soul Ring appeared around him.
The powerful lightning lit up the entire cave, giving Su Ze a chance to retreat.
In the glow of the lightning, Su Ze saw the person who had placed a hand on him: the distinctive green hair and beard.
It was none other than Dugu Bo.
Looking at Su Ze, who was surrounded by one yellow and one purple Soul Ring, Dugu Bo said with delight,
"Looks like Whale Rubber really can increase physical strength."
"I checked your background. You're an orphan, yet you were able to absorb a thousand-year Second Soul Ring."
"Looks like you've eaten quite a lot of Whale Rubber before."
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Su Ze knew that his earlier use of Whale Rubber had allowed Dugu Bo to guess what it was good for.
He didn't care.
As long as his plan succeeded, Dugu Bo would become his backer.
It didn't matter if the man knew.
"Greetings, Senior Dugu."
Su Ze bowed.
"You know me?"
Dugu Bo's stiff expression froze. He hadn't expected Su Ze to identify him at a glance.
"The poison on you is exactly the same as the poison on Senior Sister Dugu Yan."
"It was easy for me to guess."
Hearing Su Ze's words, Dugu Bo chuckled. Then his expression darkened, and powerful jade-green Soul Power shot into the sky.
The pressure of a Titled Douluo bore down on Su Ze, leaving him gasping for breath.
With overwhelming force, Dugu Bo took one step—and in the next instant, appeared right in front of Su Ze.
His jade-green eyes fixed on Su Ze like a venomous snake.
"I'm curious, junior!"
"Who gave you the nerve to deceive a Titled Douluo?"
As he spoke, Su Ze felt a chill run through his body, and veins rose on his arms and torso.
It was obvious that poison had already spread through Su Ze's body.
Feeling his condition, Su Ze knew that his real test had begun.
Whether he could make Dugu Bo his protector and obtain all the Immortal Herbs depended on what he did next.
"I don't understand what you mean, Senior Dugu."
Looking at Su Ze's calm expression, Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with surprise.
The kid could actually withstand his pressure.
Not bad!
Perhaps he really did have a solution.
In the briefest instant, Dugu Bo's killing intent surged again.
The poison in Su Ze's body flared up once more, nearly making it impossible for him to breathe.
"You're a Soul Grandmaster. You claim you can fix the Martial Soul Defect of a Titled Douluo like me?"
"You're not just lying to me. What the hell are you doing?"
Dugu Bo's voice was icy.
He had always carefully concealed the Martial Soul Defect of the Jade Scale Snake Martial Soul.
After all, he was at his weakest when the poison flared up.
For several months of every year, he had to go to his Medicine Garden and use its special magnetic field to suppress the poison in his body.
Now, Su Ze had exposed that weakness.
If the boy couldn't give him a reasonable explanation—or had no way to fix the Martial Soul Defect—
then the boy would become fertilizer to nourish the herbs in his Medicine Garden.
Facing the terrifying pressure of a Titled Douluo, Su Ze met Dugu Bo's gaze without fear.
"Senior Dugu..."
"I really do have a way to fix the Martial Soul Defect."
"If you don't want Miss Yan Yan to be plagued by poison for the rest of her life, then kill me..."
At the mention of Yan Yan,
the terrifying pressure and killing intent faltered slightly.
Then the pressure and the poison inside Su Ze receded like a tide.
The instant Dugu Bo withdrew his terrifying killing intent, Su Ze immediately gasped for breath.
This was the first time in Su Ze's life that he had faced the killing intent of a powerful Douluo.
For the first time, he knew what it felt like to be a fish on the chopping block.
His life was completely beyond his control.
The experience only strengthened Su Ze's resolve to become powerful.
He never wanted to go through that again.
After withdrawing his killing intent, Dugu Bo looked at Su Ze and spoke slowly.
"First, tell me how you figured out that the Jade Scale Snake Martial Soul in the Dugu Family has a defect."
Hearing Dugu Bo's question, Su Ze knew this was his first test.
He had to give a reasonable explanation for how he had learned the truth.
Su Ze had already prepared for this. After steadying his breathing, he began to speak.
"The reason is simple. I deduced it. The Jade Scale Snake Martial Soul has a long history and is a top-tier Beast Martial Soul."
"And with a Titled Douluo like you, Senior Dugu Bo, as its backing,"
"it should, in theory, be part of a neutral faction, like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda."
"There are only two people with the Jade Scale Snake Martial Soul: you and Senior Sister Dugu Yan."
"So the conclusion is simple. Like my master's Nine Hearts Begonia Martial Soul, it has been cursed by the heavens and suffers from a serious Martial Soul Defect."
Hearing Su Ze's words, Dugu Bo thought of the family members he had lost, and his cold gaze softened.
Because of the Jade Scale Snake Poison, he had lost his parents, his wife, his son, and his daughter-in-law.
Only one granddaughter remained.
If there really was a way to fix it, he was willing to trade anything.
In fact, he wouldn't even need Su Ze to cure him. Curing Yan Yan alone would be enough.
Seeing Dugu Bo's expression change, Su Ze knew he had passed the first test. The rest would be simple.
"I once came across a method for fixing a Martial Soul Defect caused by the heavens' jealousy in an ancient text, by sheer chance."
"I learned the method, but it requires some legendary medicinal herbs."
"That's why I sought you out, Senior Dugu Bo. I hoped you could help me find them."
"If you can prove what you've said is true, I won't just let you go. I'll also grant you three requests."
Dugu Bo fixed his gaze on Su Ze.
He was desperate to hear this boy say something that could change his fate.
Seeing that Dugu Bo had made his promise, Su Ze gave the answer he had prepared long ago.
"Of course. But first, we need to find that treasure land. It's a place where ice and fire coexist, and it contains countless precious Immortal Herbs. Among them is something that can help you, Senior."
"Wait, what did you say? A Land of Ice and Fire?"
"Where's that ancient text? Let me see how it describes the place."
At the mention of the Ice Fire Treasure Land, Dugu Bo became agitated.
"Senior, I saw that ancient text in a cave."
"As soon as I walked out of the cave, it crumbled completely and turned to ash."
When Su Ze finished, Dugu Bo immediately cursed.
"You ignorant fool! Any ancient text that's been buried underground for a long time has to be kept sealed!"
"If you casually take it outside, it'll be ruined at once."
Dugu Bo didn't understand the principles of paper oxidation.
But as a Titled Douluo, he understood the basics of antiques.
He had finally caught a glimpse of hope.
And that hope had been ruined by Su Ze, that foolish brat.
Faced with Dugu Bo's fury, Su Ze smiled inwardly. He knew he had him hooked, and immediately said,
"Senior, there's no need to be so angry. Although the ancient text was destroyed, I've already recorded its contents."
"Senior, as long as you can find that Ice Fire Treasure Land, I can start working on curing your poison right away."
At those words, the remorse and anger on Dugu Bo's face froze. Then, a dazzling light flared in his eyes.
"Brat, you're not destined to die!"
"The Ice Fire Treasure Land, you say? Come with me."
As he spoke, Dugu Bo strode out of the cave.
Su Ze followed without hesitation.
When they emerged from the cave, Su Ze's eyes lit up. A strange place where ice and fire intertwined had appeared before him.
It was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye he had been longing to see.
Dugu Bo grabbed Su Ze by the hand, then leapt down from the cave, which was at least a hundred meters above the ground, taking Su Ze with him.
After landing safely, Dugu Bo pointed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye before them and asked,
"Brat, is my Medicine Garden the treasure land you mentioned?"
"And the Immortal Herbs you spoke of are these medicinal plants growing in the ground, right?"
"Use whatever you need. As long as you can save me, you can use every medicinal plant in the garden."
Looking at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye before him, Su Ze continued the act he had begun earlier.
"Senior, you're incredibly lucky. This really is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, one of the continent's three great treasure lands recorded in the ancient text."
"Three great treasure lands? The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye?"
"No wonder staying here can suppress the Jade Scale Snake Poison in my body."
A look of dawning understanding appeared in Dugu Bo's eyes.
"All right, brat. We've found the treasure land you mentioned."
"Tell me, what method will you use to cure the snake poison in my body?"
"As long as you can cure the Jade Scale Snake Poison, my promise still stands."
"If you dare deceive me, I won't hesitate to use you to test the limits of the Jade Scale Snake Poison."
As he spoke, Dugu Bo looked at Su Ze expectantly.
Meeting Dugu Bo's expectant gaze, Su Ze replied confidently,
"Don't worry, Senior Dugu. From today on, you and Miss Yan Yan won't repeat the mistakes of those who came before you."
"The flaw in your Dugu Family's Martial Soul will end with me."
Before you continue