The back hills of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, under a night-black sky.
This was usually a popular spot for couples to meet in secret, but tonight it seemed unusually quiet. Even the crickets were unusually sparse. Moonlight filtered through the dense leaves, scattering dappled shadows and adding a touch of mystery to the tranquil woods.
Yu Tianyu leaned against a thick old tree, a blade of grass between his teeth as he listlessly gazed at the crescent moon overhead.
"You're three minutes late."
His ears twitched. Without turning around, he casually tossed out the words.
The bushes behind him rustled, and a moment later, a lovely figure emerged, looking a little ill at ease.
Dugu Yan had changed out of her school uniform and into a tight-fitting, dark green outfit that accentuated her already shapely figure. Perhaps because what she was about to do was so private, her face was tinged with an unnatural blush. Her normally sharp, serpentine eyes darted nervously.
"I only took the long way around to shake off... shake off those annoying flies," Dugu Yan explained, sounding less than convincing. Then she put on her usual haughty air again. "Hey, do you really have a way to cure my poison?"
Yu Tianyu turned and looked her over in the moonlight.
Dugu Yan wasn't yet the ruthless vice-captain of the Imperial Fighting Team she would become in the future. For now, she was just a little girl tormented by an inherited illness, yearning to be free of it.
"'Hey'? You had no trouble calling me 'big brother' earlier today." Yu Tianyu spat out the blade of grass and gave her a teasing look. "We're alone together out here, so you'd better show me some respect. Otherwise, I won't just refuse to treat you—I might do something else."
Dugu Yan instinctively covered her chest and took half a step back. "Y-You wouldn't dare! My grandfather is—"
"Enough. Don't try to scare me with your Titled Douluo grandfather." Yu Tianyu waved a hand, cutting off her threat. "If he could cure you, you wouldn't have snuck out here to meet me in the middle of the night, would you?"
His words struck Dugu Yan right where it hurt.
The light in her eyes dimmed. She bit her lip and lowered her voice. "That's right. Grandfather is an expert in poison, but he... can only suppress it, not get rid of it completely. And even he..."
She suddenly looked up, hope shining in her eyes. "Since you could tell what was wrong with me at a glance, you must have a way to help, right?"
Yu Tianyu didn't answer directly. Instead, he crooked a finger at her. "Come here."
Dugu Yan hesitated, then obediently walked over.
"Sit down, cross your legs, and focus your energy in your dantian."
Dugu Yan did as he said.
Yu Tianyu crouched in front of her, his gaze settling on her flat, firm stomach. That was where Spirit Masters stored their Soul Power—and the core where the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison had built up most heavily in Dugu Yan's body.
"Lift your shirt," Yu Tianyu said calmly.
"What?!" Dugu Yan's eyes widened, and her face turned scarlet. "Y-You pervert!"
"I'm the doctor, and you're the patient." Yu Tianyu rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to sense the poison's flow through your clothes? Besides, with all that poison in you, who else would dare touch you? I'd have to be alive to be a pervert."
Dugu Yan froze. That did sound reasonable, but something about it still felt off. After a fierce inner struggle, she tremblingly lifted the hem of her shirt, slowly revealing a stretch of smooth, snowy skin and her cute little navel.
But around her navel, a few dark blue-black veins were faintly visible, like sinister little snakes marring the beauty of her skin.
"Wow, you're pretty badly poisoned."
Yu Tianyu extended his right hand. There was no flame in his palm, only a strange, sucking force. He didn't touch Dugu Yan's skin, holding his hand an inch above her stomach instead.
"This might hurt a little. Bear with it."
Before Dugu Yan could prepare herself, a domineering force surged into her body!
"Mm—!"
She let out a muffled groan, her body tensing abruptly.
The force wasn't Soul Power, but an aggressive stream of heat. Like a ravenous beast, it charged into her meridians. Yet it had no interest in her body; its target was the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison that had plagued her for years!
To Yu Tianyu's senses, the poison in Dugu Yan's body was like a spread of delicious treats.
The essence of Dragon Slayer Magic was to transform the caster's constitution into that of a dragon. Natsu was a Fire Dragon, Gajeel was an Iron Dragon, and Wendy was a Sky Dragon.
But Yu Tianyu had awakened the potential to become a Dragon Slayer of every element.
Though he mainly used the power of a Fire Dragon for now, this high-quality snake poison had awakened another dormant factor within him.
It was the power factor of Cobra, the Poison Dragon Slayer Mage.
"Hmm... It's a little fishy, but it's got quite a kick."
Yu Tianyu narrowed his eyes slightly and gave a sharp pull with his palm.
The dark blue-black veins on Dugu Yan's stomach seemed to answer a summons, transforming into wisps of deep purple mist that seeped through her pores. They streamed into Yu Tianyu's palm, then traveled up his arm and into his body!
"Y-What are you doing?!" Dugu Yan watched in horror. "That's Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison! It'll kill you!"
She had seen plenty of people turn to mush after touching even a little of that poison. But this boy was actually eating hers alive?!
"Shut up. Don't interrupt my meal."
Yu Tianyu furrowed his brow and increased the force of his absorption.
As the poison was drawn out, Dugu Yan felt the coldness and stinging sensation that had haunted her for years rapidly fading away. In their place came a warmth and lightness she had never felt before.
The contrast between going from hell to Heaven was so overwhelming that she couldn't help letting out a sweet moan.
"Ah... Mm..."
As soon as the sound escaped her lips, Dugu Yan was so mortified she could have died. She wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
But Yu Tianyu was far too busy to pay attention to her embarrassment.
As more and more Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison entered his body, he felt his magic power boil. Beside the vortex of crimson magic power, a hint of deep purple gradually emerged.
A new element!
It was still too faint for him to use Poison Dragon Magic as recklessly as he used flames. But it proved that his guess had been right: devouring the power of a dragon species—or a Sub-Dragon species—could unlock the corresponding element! A True Dragon might yield even better results! In other words, slaying dragons was the best way for him to grow stronger!
About fifteen minutes later,
Yu Tianyu withdrew his hand and exhaled a long stream of purple gas. When it struck a weed beside him, the plant instantly withered and blackened, crumbling to ash.
"All done. That's the end of today's treatment."
Yu Tianyu stood up, feeling refreshed. His Soul Power hadn't broken through, but his body seemed to have grown stronger again.
Dugu Yan was slumped beneath the tree, drenched in sweat as if she had just been fished out of the water. She looked down at her stomach. The dark blue-black veins had faded considerably and were almost invisible.
It really... worked!
The nightmare that had tormented her and her family for generations had actually been dealt with so casually by this boy?
She lifted her head and looked at Yu Tianyu with entirely different eyes. Gone were her arrogance and defiance. In their place was a complicated expression of admiration, gratitude, and even a trace of innocent affection.
"Are... are you all right?" she asked weakly, her voice gentler than ever before.
"Not bad. It was just a little spicy on the way down." Yu Tianyu grinned, showing a row of white teeth. "Next time, eat more fruit. I don't like poison that tastes too fishy."
"You!" Dugu Yan was so angry she nearly choked. Her gratitude from a moment ago had gone straight out the window. "Can't you be serious for once?"
"I am serious." Yu Tianyu shrugged. "By the way, what's my payment? I risked my life to suck the poison out of you."
Dugu Yan blushed and stammered, "W-What do you want? Gold Soul Coins? Or..."
She suddenly remembered Yu Tianyu's words earlier that day—"Meet me in the woods"—and her heart started beating faster.
Seeing how she looked ready to let him have his way with her, Yu Tianyu leaned in with a mischievous smile and reached out to lift her chin. "Then..."
Just then!
Everything changed!
The quiet woods were suddenly lashed by violent winds. The temperature plunged, and a nauseating, pungent stench filled the air.
A terrifying pressure descended from above like Mount Tai, locking onto Yu Tianyu!
"Which little bastard dares to bully my granddaughter?!"
An old man's furious roar exploded through the night sky, shaking leaves loose from the trees.
Yu Tianyu's bones creaked. It was as if an invisible hand had clamped down on his shoulders, trying to force him to his knees.
"Grandfather?!" Dugu Yan cried out in alarm, her face turning pale.
A dark green figure stood suspended in midair. He was a gaunt old man, his hair and beard both dark green, his eyes flickering like ghost fire as he glared murderously at Yu Tianyu.
Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo!
He had only followed his granddaughter because he was worried about her and wanted to keep an eye on her. But when he arrived, he saw his precious granddaughter sprawled on the ground with her clothes in disarray, her face flushed and her body drenched in sweat. And the blue-haired brat was reaching out with a lecherous look, about to take liberties with her!
Any grandfather who saw that would have felt his blood pressure skyrocket!
"Die!"
Dugu Bo roared. He didn't even use a Spirit Skill. The unleashed pressure of a Titled Douluo alone was enough to crush an ordinary Soul Grandmaster into pulp.
The surrounding trees burst apart under the pressure.
Dugu Yan tried to stand and explain, but the pressure left her unable to move. "Grandfather! It's not like that! Stop!"
At the eye of the storm, Yu Tianyu was bearing unimaginable pressure.
His feet had sunk into the soil, his knees were bent, and his bones were all groaning in protest.
So this was a Titled Douluo?
He really was... strong.
An ordinary Spirit Master, even a Soul Ancestor, would have already been on their knees.
But Yu Tianyu was different.
He possessed Dragon Slayer Magic, and a dragon's pride was etched into his soul!
"Roar!"
A low Dragon Roar suddenly erupted from within Yu Tianyu.
It wasn't the thunderclap of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but a far more ancient and savage roar!
He abruptly raised his head. His violet eyes had transformed into slitted pupils! Red flames burned in his left eye, while a ghostly purple poison-light gleamed in his right!
"Old man, attacking without finding out what happened first—is that how a Titled Douluo carries himself?!"
Yu Tianyu gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand against the pressure, straightening up slowly, bit by bit!
He hadn't knelt!
He was even smiling!
Though blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, there wasn't a trace of fear in his gaze. Only a feverish desire to fight.
The ghost fire in Dugu Bo's eyes flickered, and a tempest of shock stirred in his heart.
This brat only had ten levels of Soul Power, didn't he? He hadn't even absorbed a Spirit Ring!
And he could still resist his pressure without kneeling? What was that aura inside him? It actually made his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul feel... uneasy?!
"Interesting."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. His killing intent only grew stronger as he slowly raised his right hand, a speck of ghostly green light gathering at his fingertip.
"If you're a monster, then I can't let you live!"
"Grandfather! Don't!" Dugu Yan screamed in anguish.
At this critical moment, Yu Tianyu suddenly dropped his fierce expression. In an instant, he was back to looking lazy and relaxed. He even whistled at Dugu Bo in midair.
"Old Poison, if you want your granddaughter to live—and want the poison in your body cured—you'd better put that claw away."
"Otherwise, the one person in this world who can save the two of you will have been crushed to death by your own hand."
The air froze.
Dugu Bo's fingers stopped in midair. His green eyes fixed on Yu Tianyu, as if he were trying to see right through him.
What had this brat just called him?
Old Poison?!
Before you continue