Dugu Bo's Worries

At 14 years old, a cultivation level of 32 might still lag behind those top-tier geniuses.

But Dugu Yan was already quite satisfied, unaware that her Innate Soul Power was only seven and a half levels.

That she could keep pace with the higher Innate Soul Power of Yu Tianheng was entirely thanks to having a good grandfather.

As Dugu Yan completed her series of trials, Lu Xian also discovered that the strength of Xiao Qing was gradually growing.

When he had first soul-bound Xiao Qing, the creature was nothing more than a wild beast, not even qualifying as a soul beast.

Now, one could clearly feel the transformation in Xiao Qing's life essence; at the very least, it would have no trouble taking on a Soft Bone Rabbit in a one-on-one fight.

This also signaled that all of Lu Xian's hypotheses had been verified.

His martial soul could not only bind living creatures, but as he obtained rewards from his wishes, the bound creatures could also continuously grow stronger.

He could even fantasize about the day Xiao Qing would transform into an Azure Dragon that blotted out the sky.

Next, he would use Xiao Qing's growth and changes to judge whether he should bind another wild beast for his next soul ring.

If Xiao Qing's growth failed to meet expectations, he would initiate the next stage of his experiment.

He would wait until his cultivation reached the Soul King realm to try binding a century-old or even thousand-year-old soul beast.

He wanted to see if beasts with higher initial talent would show a greater magnitude of growth.

Regardless, with his 3.5-core drive, reaching the Soul King realm would not be very far off.

Half a year passed quietly.

Tang San had already accepted 29 trials, raising his soul power to level 29 at the age of 10.

As for Gangzi, who had completed 19 trials, his soul power was at level 32.

Thousands of days of cultivation rewards had only raised him by one level; even Tang San had to admire his teacher's impressively mediocre talent.

The most dramatic change within the half-year belonged to Ma Hongjun, who had transformed into Master Wuwei.

Having shed all his excess fat, the fatty's appearance had undergone an earth-shaking change.

At the same time, he was often heard muttering, "A wall stands ten thousand fathoms high, without desire, one is strong!"

His cultivation had also reached a level that left Flender dumbfounded: level 27.

As for how he had shed that blubber, Ma Hongjun suggested that if you tried eating only three meals a month, you would lose weight too.

For eight consecutive times, the fatty's trial content had been to control his appetite; it would be a miracle if he hadn't lost weight.

The final tool, Dugu Yan, had successfully completed nine trials, bringing her cultivation to level 35.

During this period, she had successively completed bizarre tasks such as putting snakes in her sleeping classmates' blankets, destroying every snake soup shop in Heaven Dou City, and crawling like a snake for three days.

Even with Dugu Yan being as careful as she could, she inevitably became a problem student in the eyes of everyone at the Royal Academy.

After half a year of tailing her, Dugu Bo finally discovered a few clues.

His granddaughter seemed to be following some kind of instruction, and those strange actions stemmed from these commands.

Every time she finished one, his granddaughter's cultivation seemed to improve.

It was a genuine, solid improvement, with not the slightest damage to her foundation.

This left Dugu Bo both pleasantly surprised and somewhat worried; he was happy because his granddaughter's cultivation was rising rapidly, but worried because half a year had passed and he still hadn't discovered the person issuing these commands to her.

Relying on the efforts of his four fated laborers, Lu Xian's cultivation had smoothly reached level 46.

Raising his cultivation by 6 levels in over half a year could be considered an unrivaled feat.

His soul ring configuration had also successfully become two purple and two yellow.

The third soul ring he had bound for the fatty had already reached a 900-year limit, not far from the thousand-year mark.

Only Dugu Yan, having spent a shorter time undergoing trials, still had a way to go before her fourth soul ring reached the thousand-year level.

"Gangzi's talent is truly frustrating; if not for that, my cultivation should be even higher."

"I shouldn't have sought him out to be my second laborer just to get back at him."

Lu Xian sighed a few times, but since things had reached this point, there was no way to change them.

"As for Dugu Yan, I should be able to provide some rewards regarding the resolution of her toxins; it just so happens she is at the threshold of her tenth major trial."

After some thought, Lu Xian directly issued the tenth trial to Dugu Yan through Xiao Qing's soul imprint.

"The tenth trial of the Snake God: Do not remain silent in the poison, or you shall erupt within it."

"Complain about the poison, understand the poison, become the poison."

"Consume twenty different types of poison in succession and successfully survive."

"Time limit: one week."

"Friendly reminder: every ten trials constitute a major trial."

In the dormitory, Dugu Yan, who was still feeling troubled by the nickname "Snake Skin Girl," sat up in a start.

The content of the trial made her feel a chill run through her.

"Consume poison? Is it really that direct?"

For Dugu Yan, who had grown up managing all sorts of poisonous flowers and herbs, concocting twenty types of poison was not difficult.

The difficulty lay in surviving after consuming them.

Regarding this, Dugu Yan had no confidence in her heart.

After much deliberation, she decided to return to Sunset Town to discuss it with her grandfather.

With her grandfather by her side, even if she truly could not handle the toxins within her body, he would be able to save her.

After requesting leave from her instructor once more, Dugu Yan left the campus and headed straight toward home.

Dugu Bo, watching from the shadows, noticed this and hurriedly flew home ahead of time to await his granddaughter's return.

This time, he was determined to get to the bottom of it, no matter what.

Otherwise, he would never feel at ease.

Upon reaching the front gate, Dugu Yan kicked the courtyard door open.

"Grandfather, I want to ingest poison!"

Dugu Bo, who was still pondering how to broach the subject, nearly tripped over his own feet.

In the past, although this girl's actions were strange, she had at least only brought trouble to others.

How could she not even spare herself now?

"Yan-yan, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Sigh, Grandfather, I really need to ingest twenty types of poison. Do you think you can keep me alive?"

Dugu Yan hung her head listlessly, clearly having anticipated her grandfather's reaction.

"Absolutely not! I've let your antics at the academy slide, and as long as you weren't hurting yourself, I could turn a blind eye."

"But now that you want to harm yourself, this old man forbids it!"

Looking at her grandfather, who was blowing his beard and staring with wide eyes, Dugu Yan glared back at him without the slightest fear.

"Fine, so you were stalking me, Grandfather."

"Tell me, how long have you been following me!"

The granddaughter's interrogation caused Dugu Bo's momentum to instantly deflate, his gaze awkwardly shifting elsewhere.

"Grandfather is only concerned about you, fearing you might be used by someone with ulterior motives."

"Tell me, what is the reason your cultivation increases every time you do something wicked?"

Dugu Yan, of course, knew her grandfather was worried about her; she sighed and revealed everything regarding the Snake God.

The ever-cautious Dugu Bo naturally did not believe it. He stepped forward to press his hand on his granddaughter's shoulder to investigate, yet he could not discover anything unusual.

At this, the old man had no choice but to believe that gods truly existed.

Otherwise, how could his granddaughter's surging soul power be explained?

"In other words, this Snake God issues you trials at irregular intervals."

"And once you complete ninety-nine trials, you will become the next Snake God?"

"Yes, Grandfather. By then, the hereditary toxins plaguing me will be solved, and perhaps I can even clear away the toxins in your body as well."

After a moment of contemplation, Dugu Bo still asked, unable to bear the thought:

"Must you ingest poison? Can't you change the trial's requirements?"

Dugu Yan nodded with a calm expression.

"Changing it is naturally possible."

"Really? Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and change it!"

Upon hearing that the trial's content could be changed, Dugu Bo's face immediately lit up with joy, but as his granddaughter's next words left her lips, the smile on his old face instantly froze.