Xiao Chen didn't answer Chrysanthemum Douluo's question about whether he would go to Sunset Forest. He only said he'd think it over. After all, they wouldn't set out until the next morning.
Xiao Chen knew very well that as long as he could help Dugu Bo and his granddaughter resolve the chronic poison that had plagued them for years, then even if Dugu Bo refused to submit to Spirit Hall, he would never openly become its enemy.
Unfortunately, Xiao Chen wasn't good at curing poison.
So he could only ask the system for help.
But the system said his mission completion was still at the beginner stage, so it couldn't reward him with a way to cure poison.
"Damn system, can't you make an exception just once?" Xiao Chen tried to reason with it.
The System Spirit shook its head. "Host, you were pretty clever when you persuaded Lu Xiao earlier. Why are you being so foolish now?"
"What do you mean?" Xiao Chen asked, puzzled.
The System Spirit said, "Let me ask you: what's Dugu Bo's title?"
"Poison Douluo!" Xiao Chen answered without hesitation.
The System Spirit continued, "Do you think he deserves that title?"
"Of course he does. He's the best poison user on the Douluo Continent!" Xiao Chen said.
"Tsk, tsk." The System Spirit clicked its tongue, pursing its little lips. "The best poison user on the Douluo Continent, yet he's plagued by poison—his own poison, no less. Don't you think that's ridiculous, Host?"
"Uh..." Xiao Chen was left speechless. In that moment, he thought of Little Doctor Fairy from the neighboring Battle Through the Heavens.
In the early stages, Little Doctor Fairy's predicament was very similar to Poison Douluo's.
But later, after she fully mastered the Woeful Poison Body, it became a cheat that helped her grow stronger.
Tang San's solution to the danger facing Dugu Bo, meanwhile, was to seal all his innate poison inside a Soul Bone.
Although this eliminated the risk of being harmed by the poison, Dugu Bo was still afraid of it, when all was said and done.
Little Doctor Fairy mastered the Woeful Poison Body, while Dugu Bo ran from his own Bloodline Poison.
As a result, the meridians damaged by the Bloodline Poison's backlash in his early years, along with his internal injuries, could never be fully healed.
He lived to see the end, but his Soul Power ultimately reached only Rank 92.
By the time the system finished explaining, Xiao Chen already understood what it meant.
As Poison Douluo, how could he fear his own poison?
How could someone who dealt in poison allow it to become a burden?
"System, so you're saying Poison Douluo should learn to adapt to his poison instead of eliminating it or running from it?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Exactly. The Dugu family's approach to the poison in their Martial Soul bloodline was wrong from the beginning. They kept trying to resist and suppress it, never once considering accepting it!" the system said.
Xiao Chen nodded in agreement. Dugu Bo's methods not only wasted Soul Power, but also slowed his cultivation!
It was a wonder he'd managed to become a Titled Douluo.
What's more, Dugu Bo knew full well that suppressing and resisting the Bloodline Poison could only delay its outbreak, not cure it, yet he'd never thought to try another approach.
Dugu Yan had been afflicted with a strange Bloodline Poison since birth. It was a curse she'd been born with, a deadly shackle hanging over the Dugu family. All their lives, they had struggled to suppress the poison with Soul Power, suffering agonizing backlash every day.
Yet they hadn't realized that the Jade Phosphorous Serpent's poison, present from birth and woven into their very blood and bones, was an extraordinary gift from heaven and earth.
The poison had nourished itself deep within Dugu Yan's bloodline since the day she was born, growing naturally along with her Soul Power. She didn't need to painstakingly cultivate and refine it; she was the perfect vessel for cultivating the poison arts.
The Dugu family had been born with the affinity for every poison that others could only dream of. Yet they regarded this heaven-given constitution as a curse, seeking only to eliminate or suppress it. It had never occurred to them to follow their nature and use the poison in their bloodline to reach the peak of the poison arts.
"System, let me ask you this: if Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan changed their minds now and tried to adapt to the Bloodline Poison, what would their chances of success be?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Dugu Bo's chances should be between one and three percent. But Dugu Yan would fail for sure," the system replied.
"Why? Shouldn't the poison in Dugu Yan be weaker than Dugu Bo's?" Xiao Chen asked.
The system immediately explained, "Dugu Yan is different from Dugu Bo. Although Dugu Bo has suffered from the Bloodline Poison for years, deep down, he actually enjoys working with poison. He can identify, concoct, refine, and control poisons. In this world, he can certainly be considered a master of the poison arts!"
"He's fought against the Bloodline Poison for so many years. Although he's never been able to do much about it, deep down he already understands it very well, since he's so fond of the poison arts. So if he can overcome his mental barrier, his chances of adapting to the Bloodline Poison might improve a little!"
The system changed tack. "But Dugu Yan has suffered from the Bloodline Poison's backlash since childhood. Deep down, she hates and fears the poison in her bloodline, seeing it as a curse that will kill her."
"She has a constitution suited to the poison arts, but she only uses her Martial Soul to release poison. She has no interest in poison at all, so it will be very difficult to change her mind. Even if she knows that accepting the Bloodline Poison might let her survive, her instinctive aversion to it will still be an obstacle she can hardly overcome."
The system's analysis was very thorough.
But Xiao Chen knew that he had little chance of persuading a Titled Douluo with words alone.
He'd have to produce something tangible to make Poison Douluo believe him.
"System, the treasure needed to cure Dugu Yan shouldn't require a very high mission completion rate, right? She's only around Rank 30 now," Xiao Chen said.
"That's right. But you haven't fought a poison-type Soul Master yet, Host. The system can only generate the corresponding reward after your first battle against one," the system replied.
Xiao Chen complained, "Your way of generating rewards is really something else!"
With the system's assurance, Xiao Chen could head to Sunset Forest without worry.
Of course, he couldn't bring Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo along.
The next morning, Xiao Chen spent a long time persuading Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Even so, the two of them would secretly follow him from ten li behind.
Bibi Dong had given Xiao Chen the Concealment Pendant. As long as he infused it with Soul Power, nearby Titled Douluo could sense him through the Elder Token. If Xiao Chen ran into danger, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo could rush to his side at once.
Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue were also worried about Xiao Chen and wanted to go with him.
Xiao Chen told them plainly that they had special identities. If Dugu Bo found out they belonged to Spirit Hall, things would become even more troublesome.
Once he'd persuaded them, Xiao Chen and the others set out.
As soon as they left the city, they split up. Xiao Chen rode ahead on a fast horse, while Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others followed ten kilometers behind.
They set out in the morning, and by afternoon Xiao Chen had reached the edge of Sunset Forest.
Sunset Forest was another gathering place for Soul Beasts, and plenty of Soul Masters traveled there to hunt for Spirit Rings.
With the system's help, Xiao Chen easily found the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Avoiding the other Soul Masters, he entered Sunset Forest and used Shadow Step Dash to race toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
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