Tang San's smile froze on his face.
"???"
"You people have no honor!"
Before he could say another word, the crowd swarmed over him.
"Get him!"
"Make him jump!"
"Beat him to a pulp!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
A flurry of punches.
Watching from the sidelines, Xiao Wu's mouth twitched.
"This Tang San can only pole vault, yet he still insists on showing off." She shook her head. "Well, look at him now. He got beaten up."
On a rooftop in the distance.
Tang Hao crouched in the shadows, silently watching the scene.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Whatever. They're just kids roughhousing.
It might be good for him to suffer a little. Maybe then he'll realize that this trash Lone Bamboo Soul Ring is worthless.
The crowd parted in the middle of the training ground.
Tang San lay sprawled on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, his clothes covered in footprints.
"Damn it..." He lifted his head, one eye ringed in blue. "You people have no honor!"
Xiao Chenyu crouched down and patted his cheek. "Hey, kid, jump! Why'd you stop?"
Tang San glared at him.
"If I had a second Soul Ring..." He gritted his teeth. "With Second-Order Pole Vault, more than a dozen of you wouldn't be able to catch me!"
Xiao Chenyu froze.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Second-Order Pole Vault?" He stood up and called to the onlookers, "Did you hear that? This kid thinks he can do Second-Order Pole Vault!"
Laughter rang out all around them.
Tang San lay on the ground, silently clenching his fists.
Just wait.
Once I reach level twenty, I'll absorb another Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring.
Then I'll show you all what Second-Order Pole Vault really means!
Dugu Manor, main hall.
Dugu Bo sat in the seat of honor, his brow furrowed.
"Earth Dragon Golden Melon?" He repeated the unfamiliar name. "I've never heard of such an immortal herb."
Lin Jiang sat across from him, unhurriedly lifting his teacup for a sip.
He hadn't wasted his nights these past few days.
He'd pored over a complete catalog of plants and found the immortal herb most useful to Dugu Bo—
Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
"This herb is extremely rare. It can only grow in a natural treasure land."
"And that land must have two features: a cold spring and a hot spring, both existing together. Only the constant shift between cold and heat can nurture this immortal herb."
In other words—
the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Lin Jiang set down his teacup and continued in his leisurely tone:
"Based on my judgment, this herb can clear away the stubborn toxins that have built up in your body over the years. It might even cause your Martial Soul to evolve! If you can find it, Senior, it'll remove at least ninety percent of the poison in your body, if not all of it."
Dugu Bo's pupils shrank.
He could set aside Martial Soul Evolution for now.
But ninety percent of the poison gone?
The poison in his body had tormented him for decades. He'd spent every day suppressing it. If ninety percent of it could be removed...
Wouldn't that make him just like a normal person?
"This knowledge..." Dugu Bo stared at Lin Jiang, his gaze complicated. "How did you come by it?"
Dugu Yan sat nearby with her chin in her hands, gazing at Lin Jiang with shining eyes.
The word "admiration" was practically written all over her face.
Lin Jiang remained composed. "I read it in an old book. As for which one... I can't remember."
Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment.
Can't remember?
This kid just doesn't want to say.
But he didn't press him.
Everyone had their secrets. As long as Lin Jiang could help cure his poison, that was enough.
Dugu Bo sighed inwardly. This boy is mature beyond his years and widely learned. His future is limitless!
He drew a deep breath and said, "As it happens, I know of a natural treasure land with both hot and cold springs. I don't know whether it has this Earth Dragon Golden Melon."
Lin Jiang's eyes lit up. "We'll find out once you take me there."
Dugu Bo stood and patted Lin Jiang on the shoulder.
"Good! Good lad!"
He laughed heartily, his voice booming.
"If you can cure the poison in Yan Yan and me, you'll be my second father!"
Lin Jiang hadn't even had time to respond.
Dugu Yan shot to her feet.
"Huh? Doesn't that make him generations older than me?"
Her eyes widened as she pointed first at Lin Jiang, then at herself.
"I brought him here, and now he's your second father. So wouldn't that make me..."
She counted on her fingers.
Grandpa's second father equals my great-grandfather?
Dugu Yan was completely flustered.
Lin Jiang held back a laugh and looked at her with an innocent expression. "Sister Yan Yan, does that mean you have to call me Great-Grandpa?"
Dugu Yan's face turned green.
"You little rascal!"
She rushed over and punched Lin Jiang on the head.
"No way! In your dreams! Don't even think about it!"
Clutching his head, Lin Jiang laughed so hard he could barely stand.
Watching the two of them clown around, Dugu Bo's mouth twitched.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat.
"No time to waste. Let's go!"
Outside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
A dense poisonous miasma stretched across their path, its dark green fog churning endlessly. Just looking at it made their throats tighten.
Dugu Bo raised a hand, shaping his Soul Power into a barrier to protect Dugu Yan.
Then he turned to look at Lin Jiang—
The boy had already strolled straight into the poisonous miasma.
"???"
Dugu Bo's mouth twitched.
Right. I forgot about that.
He hurried after Lin Jiang with Dugu Yan under his protection, once again marveling inwardly. This boy really is a prodigy!
If he could become my grandson-in-law...
Well, I wouldn't be opposed to that.
Soon, the three of them passed through the poisonous miasma, and the view opened up before them.
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Two springs, one red and one blue, lay side by side, their hot and cold vapors mingling as mist swirled above them.
Exotic flowers and rare herbs grew all around. Some were bright red all over, others were jade-blue, and some even glimmered faintly.
Dugu Bo took a deep breath and felt refreshed.
"This place..." He looked around. "I've come here many times, but I've never dared to tamper with these flowers and plants."
He turned to Lin Jiang, his gaze full of anticipation.
Lin Jiang had already crouched on the ground, searching through the catalog.
"Earth Dragon Golden Melon... Earth Dragon Golden Melon..."
He looked up, his gaze locking onto a golden plant not far away.
The entire plant was golden, its leaves like dragon scales. At its roots sat a golden, melon-shaped growth about the size of a fist.
"Found it!"
Lin Jiang went over and carefully dug up the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, then handed it to Dugu Bo.
"According to the catalog, you can eat it as is."
Dugu Bo took it and stared at the golden fruit in his hand, hesitating for a second.
Eat it?
Just like that?
But he still took a bite.
It didn't taste like much.
He finished it in two or three bites, then sat down cross-legged.
Then—
His expression changed.
A warm force rose from his abdomen, surging through every limb and organ in an instant!
The toxins that had built up over decades seemed to have met their natural enemy, fleeing wildly!
Dugu Bo gritted his teeth and endured it.
Inside his body, the stubborn poison was gradually being stripped away and expelled.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Forty-nine hours.
Two days and two nights.
Dugu Bo remained seated without moving. Black, viscous liquid kept seeping out of his body, reeking horribly.
Dugu Yan covered her nose and dragged Lin Jiang far away.
"Grandpa, this... this stinks so badly!"
Lin Jiang tried to hold back his laughter. "He's detoxifying. It's normal."
At last, forty-nine hours later.
Dugu Bo opened his eyes.
The ground where he had sat was ringed with black, poisonous liquid. But Dugu Bo himself—
He looked clear and healthy!
His hair, once dark green, had turned a healthy shade of gray and white.
The ashen tint had vanished from his face, and his skin even gleamed faintly.
Dugu Yan ran over, delighted. "Grandpa! You're all better!"
Before you continue