Developing Soul Tools and Actively Seeking the Sun Moon Continent? The Mass Grave and the Geng Metal Ghost Vine! (Please Follow!)

"As for the future..."

Dugu Bo paused, his gaze growing meaningful.

"The future?"

Lou Gao's heart stirred, and he couldn't help asking:

"Your Excellency, forgive this old man's ignorance.

Our Blacksmith Association may have a few skills, but in the eyes of the Soul Master World, we're just a bunch of rough fellows who hammer iron.

What... exactly do you see in us?"

That was what Lou Gao found most puzzling.

How esteemed was a Title Douluo?

What kind of weapons or equipment couldn't he get his hands on?

Why go to such lengths to subdue a bunch of blacksmiths like them?

Was it for money?

But Dugu Bo had just tossed them the treasures plundered from Spirit Hall as casually as if they were nothing. He clearly didn't care about a little money.

"Heh..."

Dugu Bo chuckled, his gaze growing deep and inscrutable, as though he could see through the mists of the future.

"Lou Gao, there are some things you don't understand yet."

"You only need to know that what I value isn't your worth today, but... your potential in the future."

"Potential?"

Lou Gao was completely baffled.

What kind of potential could they hammer out of iron?

Could they hammer out a divine artifact or something?

"You'll understand when the time comes."

Dugu Bo put on a mysterious air and waved his hand.

He said no more, rose, and strode away from the Blacksmith Association with Dugu Yan.

Lou Gao was left alone, staring at the head on the table, its eyes still open in death, and the gold and silver treasures scattered across the floor. He sank into deep thought.

The moment they stepped out of the Blacksmith Association, the inscrutable look vanished from Dugu Bo's face, replaced by open curiosity and confusion.

"Senior, what are we going through all this trouble for, subduing a bunch of blacksmiths?"

Dugu Bo asked in the Sea of Consciousness:

"Besides hammering iron, those guys don't have any other skills.

As for fighting, they're not even as useful as the poisonous plants in my garden."

What he'd said earlier had been nothing but an empty boast, made up on the spot.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure of the answer himself.

"What are we after?"

Yu Nan's voice rang out softly, tinged with mockery:

"Old Poison Freak, your vision is still too narrow."

"Do you think Soul Skills and Soul Bones are the limit of a Soul Master?"

"In this world, there's another kind of power, called—Soul Tools."

"Soul Tools?"

Dugu Bo was taken aback.

"Aren't those ancient relics passed down from antiquity?

The crafting methods were lost to the Soul Master World long ago. These days, you can only dig up a few defective ones from ruins.

And at best, all you can get are Storage Soul Tools!"

"Lost?"

Yu Nan gave a cold laugh.

"They may be lost on this continent, but across the sea lies a land called the 'Sun Moon Continent.'"

"There, the development of Soul Tools has already surpassed your imagination."

"And these blacksmiths are the key to us wielding that power in the future."

"Give them blueprints and materials, then offer them a little guidance, and they can become the 'pioneers' of Soul Tool manufacturing."

"When the time comes, even an ordinary Soul Master holding a high-grade Soul Tool will be able to challenge opponents of a higher rank, or even... threaten a Title Douluo!"

Though Yu Nan didn't know how advanced Soul Tool technology was in this era.

But according to the original story,

several thousand years from now,

the Sun Moon Continent would connect with the Douluo Continent because of tectonic drift.

Judging by the strength they displayed then,

the Sun Moon Continent's Soul Tool development at this time

probably wasn't too far behind.

Several thousand years from now, the Sun Moon Continent will collide with the Douluo Continent because of tectonic drift.

Yu Nan thought.

The Sun Moon Continent probably isn't too far from the Douluo Continent even now.

It's just that seafaring hasn't developed yet on the Douluo Continent, and the sea is full of Sea Soul Beasts, making it extremely dangerous.

Humans can hold their own on land, but they're still green when it comes to the ocean.

As long as we avoid the territories of the Deep Sea Demon Whale and the enormous Sea Soul Beast groups like the Evil Spirit Orcas, then send people to build large ships and search for the Sun Moon Continent, there's still a decent chance we'll find it!

"Hiss—!!"

Dugu Bo sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Threaten a Title Douluo?

How could that be possible?!

But when he thought of how mysterious and unfathomable this senior was, he couldn't help but believe it.

"The Sun Moon Continent... Soul Tools..."

Dugu Bo murmured, a strange excitement suddenly rising in his heart.

If what the senior said was true, then these blacksmiths were practically a mountain of gold!

"Senior, you're truly brilliant!"

Dugu Bo praised him sincerely.

"Looks like we made the right move!"

Yu Nan said nothing more, but a glint flashed in his huge dragon eyes.

The collision with the Sun Moon Continent was still thousands of years away, but now that he was here, he certainly wasn't going to sit around waiting for that day.

Laying the groundwork early and mastering core technology was the way to go.

And these blacksmiths were the first piece on his chessboard.

"Let's go. Where to next?"

Dugu Bo was in high spirits. Following this senior truly seemed to promise a bright future.

"Since we've come to Gengxin City, we can't leave empty-handed."

Yu Nan replied calmly:

"Go get that fellow Si Long and have him show us the way."

"Where to?"

"Outside the city, to the Mass Grave."

"What's there?"

"Something... that can help you bring your poison mastery to its peak, and perhaps even take it a step further."

When they entered Gengjin City,

Yu Nan had sensed it.

There was something outside the city, in the direction of the Mass Grave, that drew him strongly.

They might as well go take a look. Perhaps they'd even find something unexpected.

When Si Long was called over, his legs were shaking.

He'd just seen with his own eyes how this Poison Douluo had tossed Miles's head onto the table and frightened his teacher into kneeling and begging for mercy.

Now this fiend had singled him out to lead the way. Si Long felt as though one foot was already in the gates of hell.

"Y-Your Excellency, you wanted to see me?"

Si Long kept his head lowered, not daring to look Dugu Bo in the eye. His voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Quit shaking. I'm not going to eat you."

Dugu Bo glanced at him and waved impatiently.

"Lead the way. We're going to the Mass Grave outside the city.

The biggest one, with the most bodies buried in it."

"Y-Yes!"

Si Long felt as though he'd been granted a new lease on life. As long as they weren't killing him right now, that was enough. He hurried ahead to lead the way.

The Mass Grave outside Gengxin City.

Withered trees, crows in the dusk, crumbling walls. White bones and broken weapons lay half-buried in the earth everywhere.

"Y-Your Excellency, this is the place."

Si Long stood at the edge of the Mass Grave, covering his nose, his face pale.

"Most of the people buried here were poor blacksmiths and miners who died from exhaustion or from inhaling too much metal dust. The resentment here is so heavy that nobody dares come near."

"Mm. You can go."

Dugu Bo casually tossed Si Long a Gold Soul Coin, dismissing him like a beggar.

Only after Si Long had fled far away, stumbling over himself, did Dugu Bo turn to look at the disgusting land and frown.

"Senior, this place is filthy and foul-smelling. What good could there be here besides scrap metal and dead men's bones?"

"Filthy? Foul-smelling?"

Yu Nan's voice rang out in the Sea of Consciousness, carrying a hint of excitement.

"Old Poison Freak, you've only seen the surface."

"To ordinary people, this is a dead end.

But to you, it should be a treasure trove."

"Feel carefully. Deep underground, the energy of Geng Metal has gathered for hundreds of years. After perfectly blending with corpse poison and resentment, what has it given birth to?"

Dugu Bo's expression turned solemn.

He closed his eyes, and his immense spiritual power spread like a tide, probing deep underground.

At first, he sensed only an irritating aura of death.

But as his perception sank deeper, Dugu Bo's eyes flew open. A look of shock flashed through his emerald pupils!

"This... this is..."

He could feel it!

At the very center of the Mass Grave, about a hundred meters underground,

an incredibly sharp and domineering, yet sinisterly venomous aura was slowly pulsing!

That aura was like a poisoned blade. Even the slightest touch of his spiritual power made him feel a sharp sting.

"That is the 'Geng Metal Ghost Vine.'"