Poison Douluo Arrives

Three months, from zero to Level One Soul Power.

For the thirty-one boys and girls atop Jueming Cliff, it was difficult, but not beyond reach.

The food Luo Can prepared for them was special. It contained Tiger Bone Grass to stimulate their vitality and blood, Jade Marrow Flowers to nourish their meridians, and diluted Life-Reversing Spring Water.

Though these medicinal meals could not completely change their poor innate aptitude for Soul Power, they were more than enough to help them achieve their initial Soul Power perception and cultivation.

After returning to Fate Defying Valley, Luo Can temporarily stopped paying attention to the matters atop the cliff. More of his attention was focused on Ye Lingling.

After several days of "living together day and night" with that century-old Ghost Tiger, the little girl's Tiger King Mountain-Crushing Fist improved rapidly. She could now perform the first two moves, Tiger Stance and Mountain-Crushing Force, quite well. Whenever she punched, the wind howled around her fists, and faint tiger roars seemed to reverberate through the air.

Whenever this happened, the Ghost Tiger inside the Barrier would become restless and violent, madly slamming into the pale golden film and letting out deafening roars.

It was not merely anger. It was more like the fury of having its territorial authority challenged, as if an invisible "tiger" had truly intruded into its domain.

But Ye Lingling was not having an easy time either.

Tiger King Mountain-Crushing Fist placed an immense burden on the body. Even using only its first two forms brought searing pain, as though her meridians were being torn apart. After practicing the two moves, the little girl would often turn pale, cold sweat streaming down her forehead, and she would have no choice but to take out the jade bottle Luo Can had given her and sip a little Life-Reversing Spring Water.

The warm spiritual spring water entered her stomach, swiftly easing the pain and rapidly restoring her depleted strength. Then she gritted her teeth and continued practicing before the snarling Ghost Tiger.

The next morning.

Luo Can completed his routine Fishing by the spring. Today's haul was still quite good: one Fifty-Thousand-Year Soul Bone, three bottles of Soul Power Pills, and several rare medicinal herbs.

[ Ding! This Fishing session has ended. Overall Rating: Excellent. Reward: 1000 Points ]

[ Points: 5200 ]

As soon as the system notification ended, he noticed that the "+" sign behind the Fishing Spot had lit up once more. He had enough Points for the upgrade.

Without hesitation, he selected it with a thought.

[ -5000 Points ]

The ground beneath his feet gave a familiar tremor, but this time, the disturbance was far more intense than before.

The springhead of the Fate-Defying Spring expanded at a visible rate. Its surface diameter surpassed ten zhang, and its depths could not be seen. The spring water shifted from emerald green to a richer jade-green, while the surrounding spiritual energy concentration doubled once again.

Even more astonishing was the spring water's effect. Its power of Cleansing Marrow and Washing Meridians had increased by more than thirty percent, and it now came with exceptionally potent healing and recovery effects.

Just after the Fate-Defying Spring was upgraded, Ye Lingling rubbed her eyes and walked out of the Wooden House. Already accustomed to her daily routine, she sleepily wandered into the clearing and instinctively let out an "Awoo" at the Ghost Tiger inside the Barrier.

"Roar—!!"

The Ghost Tiger immediately flew into a rage. Its massive body slammed viciously against the Barrier, sending violent ripples through the pale golden membrane. Its scarlet tiger eyes glared fixedly at Ye Lingling, fangs bared, looking as though it wanted nothing more than to tear her apart at once.

Ye Lingling was already used to it. Ignoring the Ghost Tiger, she assumed her stance and began practicing Tiger Stance.

Luo Can smiled. After preparing her food for the day and casually reinforcing the Ghost Tiger's Soul Power Barrier, he spread his wings and flew toward Yaowang Town.

Yaowang Town, Luo's Herb Shop.

With Bai Wuliu and Bai Qiba, the sister and brother, diligently managing the shop, Luo Can had long since become a hands-off owner. He came by each day only to check the accounts, replenish some high-year medicinal herbs, and occasionally guide the two in their cultivation.

After checking the accounts today, Luo Can closed the ledger and looked at the siblings waiting respectfully nearby.

"Since you've chosen to follow me, your names can't remain so casual." He paused before saying, "From now on, you'll be called Bai Ningshuang. And you—"

He looked at the boy. "You'll be called Bai Chen. What do you think?"

The siblings were stunned at first, then excitement flooded both their eyes.

To lowly villagers like them, names had always been nothing more than numbers. Bai Wuliu and Bai Qiba were merely markers of their birth order. But Luo Can personally giving them names meant that they had truly been recognized and accepted.

"Th-thank you, Boss, for granting us names!"

They bowed together, their voices trembling slightly with excitement.

"Mm." Luo Can took out two jade bottles from his Storage Soul Tool. "These are the rewards I promised you."

The siblings hurriedly accepted them, pulled out the stoppers, and drank all the Life-Reversing Spring Water inside.

The warm liquid entered their stomachs and transformed into surging currents of heat that rushed through their limbs and bones. Their Soul Power almost simultaneously soared, instantly breaking through the Level Eight threshold and steadily stopping at Level Nine. A small amount of black impurities seeped from their skin once again.

At this moment, their aptitude was no worse than that of Core Disciples in the great sects with Innate Soul Power at Levels Eight or Nine.

Luo Can took out two more thick books and placed them on the counter.

One was Essentials of Martial Soul Theory, covering core knowledge such as Martial Soul classifications, Spirit Ring combinations, and the principles behind soul skills.

The other was Complete Compendium of Soul Beasts, containing information on the habits, weaknesses, and suitable Spirit Rings of over a thousand common Spirit Beasts.

"Take these two books back and study them carefully. Decide what path you want to take as Spirit Masters in the future, as well as what kinds of Spirit Beast Spirit Rings you need to hunt."

Luo Can's tone was stern.

"The choice of Spirit Rings concerns your lifelong achievements. I won't force my path upon you, but you must figure out for yourselves what kind of Spirit Masters you want to become."

"Yes! We understand!"

The siblings nodded heavily and carefully put away the two books.

After giving his instructions, Luo Can did not linger. He rose and left the herb shop.

His next destination was Ye Family Manor outside town.

Entering Ye Mansion with practiced ease, Luo Can had barely stepped into the front courtyard when he sensed a familiar, powerful fluctuation of Soul Power.

That Soul Power carried a faint fishy-sweet scent. It belonged to Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

"Oh? He got here pretty quickly."

The corner of his lips curled up. With a flash, he appeared at the entrance to the Ye Clan's reception hall in the next instant.

Inside the hall, Dugu Bo and Ye Shengxin were seated across from each other, drinking tea.

One practiced poison while the other practiced medicine. Their paths appeared completely opposed, yet their expertise in medicinal herbs and pharmacology had given them a feeling of mutual appreciation. Moreover, both their families suffered from the backlash of their Martial Souls, making them even more capable of understanding each other's torment.

"Yo, Old Poison. You came looking for me this quickly?"

Luo Can strode into the reception hall, sat casually in the seat of honor, and spoke with a broad grin.

Ye Shengxin hurriedly rose and respectfully cupped his hands. "Greetings, Lord Luo."

Dugu Bo also cupped his hands, though inwardly, he was deeply surprised. He had known Ye Shengxin for decades and knew that this old friend was arrogant by nature. Even before the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Ye Shengxin had never bowed or scraped. Yet now, he was showing such respect to this young man.

It seemed that the matter of removing the backlash from Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison was no empty promise.

"You took so many Immortal Herbs from my garden and boasted that you could cure the poison afflicting Yanyan and me. How could I not come quickly?"

Dugu Bo gave a bitter smile and gently pulled a purple-haired, green-eyed little girl standing beside him forward.

"This is my granddaughter, Dugu Yan."

Luo Can raised his eyes and looked at her.

The little girl was around eight or nine years old. Her emerald eyes resembled jade, lively yet carrying an eerie quality that did not match her age. Her looks were not particularly outstanding, but a trace of charm had already begun to show between her brows. At the moment, she was craning her little head forward, curiously studying Luo Can.

"Grandpa, is he the very powerful person you told me about?" Dugu Yan asked softly.

"Mm." Dugu Bo stroked his granddaughter's head, his eyes full of affection.

Beside them, Ye Shengxin's eyes shifted, and a sly old fox's smile appeared on his face as he suddenly spoke.

"My old friend, if you want to remove the backlash poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, you've come to the right person by seeking Lord Luo. But..." He drew out the last word. "You can't have Lord Luo exert himself for you and your granddaughter for nothing, can you?"

Dugu Bo shot him an annoyed glare.

"Old Ye! Do you know how many good things this fellow took from my herb garden? What's wrong with having him cure some poison?"

"Hehe." Ye Shengxin stroked his beard, his smile meaningful. "Compared to completely removing the backlash from Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, do you really not know which is more important?"

He paused and lowered his voice.

"Besides, I won't hide it from you. Lord Luo even broke the Martial Soul Curse that our Ye Clan had inherited for centuries. Now, everyone in the Ye Clan has decided to follow Lord Luo."

Just as he finished speaking, light footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Ye Qingyu entered slowly, carrying a tray of tea and pastries.

She wore a pale green long dress, her black hair simply pinned up. Her complexion was rosy, her eyes bright, and her steps calm and steady. With how spirited and full of vitality she looked, how was there even the slightest trace left of her previous state of utter exhaustion?

Dugu Bo shot to his feet, his emerald pupils suddenly contracting.

He stared fixedly at Ye Qingyu. His lips moved, and after a long moment, he finally asked in a trembling voice.

"Y-you... your curse, has it truly been lifted?"

Ye Qingyu smiled faintly, set the tea and pastries on the table, and gave Luo Can a graceful bow.

"It was all thanks to Lord Luo's miraculous skill."

She raised her head and looked at Dugu Bo, sincere warmth in her eyes.

"Senior Dugu, Lord Luo's abilities far exceed anything you or I can imagine. You can rest assured about Yanyan."

Dugu Bo stood there blankly, looking at Ye Qingyu, then at Luo Can, who merely smiled without speaking. At last, he heavily sat back down in his chair.

He raised a hand and pressed it against his slightly trembling knee, then took a deep breath.

"Luo... Young Friend Luo. I entrust my life and Yanyan's life to you."