"The Earth Dragon Golden Melon contains a trace of dragon energy."
Ye Guyue's words were highly convincing.
Dugu Xin took a deep breath. In an instant, his body felt wonderfully refreshed, and his mind felt clear and alert.
"Once in a lifetime—a rare treasure."
Seeing how comfortable Dugu Xin looked, Dugu Bo hurriedly asked, "Your Highness the Holy Son, what exactly does the dragon energy in the Earth Dragon Golden Melon do?"
"It strengthens the body and nourishes the foundation, making up for deficiencies."
"It can raise your Soul Power Level and break through bottlenecks."
"I'm sure you're stuck at Soul Douluo, Dugu Bo. If you eat this, you might be able to advance to Titled Douluo."
"Then come back to Spirit Hall with me. I'll ask my teacher to arrange for the two of you to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
That would mean another trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, which would be a real headache. At the very least, she would have to keep Dong'er away.
If Gu Yuena found out, the consequences would be unthinkable. At worst, she would end up taking part in conceiving a child day and night.
"Just consume it and refine its medicinal power. If you trust me, Dugu Bo, you can give it a try."
Ye Guyue explained. The method was simple: swallow it and refine it.
Dugu Bo steeled himself. "All right. I trust you, Your Highness the Holy Son."
Since he had met Ye Guyue, perhaps it was fate. And since he had been unable to break through to Titled Douluo, he might as well trust her.
Dugu Bo began eating the Earth Dragon Golden Melon one bite at a time. Once he had finished the entire fruit, its medicinal power began coursing through his meridians.
The toxins clogging his body seemed to be clearing.
Dugu Bo was overjoyed. He sat cross-legged and began circulating his Soul Power, absorbing the medicinal power within him.
While he was occupied, Ye Guyue finished the fish in her hands and stopped watching Dugu Bo.
Just as she was about to stretch, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind, and began roaming over her body.
"Dong'er!"
Ye Guyue was furious. She glanced around, and seeing only Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin nearby, immediately set up a barrier, enclosing the two of them within it.
"Don't be so loud, senior sister." Bibi Dong giggled. "Dong'er can't hold back anymore. Would you like to try that soul-stealing feeling, senior sister? Dong'er can satisfy you."
Ye Guyue grabbed Bibi Dong's wrist and forcefully pried her hand away, then turned and pulled her into her arms.
"Dong'er, stop fooling around. I have limited patience. If you keep this up, don't blame me for being merciless." Ye Guyue warned her without a trace of leniency.
"How will you be merciless? Come on, Dong'er isn't afraid. If you're really a man, then take me here and now."
Bibi Dong's face was full of defiance. She didn't care in the slightest.
"You..." Ye Guyue's face turned livid with anger. "You're impossible."
"If you don't dare, just say so, senior sister. Why make excuses? What a coward!" Bibi Dong burst out laughing.
"If Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin weren't here, Dong'er would really like to try the thrill of outdoor sex."
Bibi Dong swallowed. "Don't you want to, senior sister?"
"Want what? I shouldn't have brought you along. You never know how to behave." Ye Guyue grumbled.
Bibi Dong grinned. "Well, you're the best, senior sister. Aren't you?"
As she spoke, Bibi Dong took Ye Guyue's dainty foot in her hand and gently stroked it, her fingers wandering over the sole.
"Ah!" Ye Guyue shrieked, then shot Bibi Dong an angry glare.
"Don't you know I'm ticklish?"
Bibi Dong put on an innocent expression. "I was only trying to give you a foot massage, senior sister."
Ye Guyue gritted her teeth in anger. "Who massages someone like that?"
Bibi Dong didn't dare continue. She had only been testing the waters, and now that she'd confirmed Ye Guyue really was ticklish, she stopped and withdrew her hand. More and more, she wanted to drag the haughty Ye Guyue down into the abyss and let her experience a pleasure she'd never known before.
She was only trying to save Ye Guyue from her wooden-headed ways. Practicing day in and day out with the seven elders was far too dull.
The more Bibi Dong thought about it, the more excited she became, and the more she looked forward to what would happen next.
Dugu Xin, standing nearby, was curious about what the two were discussing. But with the barrier in place, he couldn't hear a thing.
Time flew by.
Two hours later, Dugu Bo, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly began to radiate a powerful aura.
Jade-green Soul Power surged into the sky. The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul appeared on its own, its dozens-of-meters-long body coiling in the air, its scales gleaming with a cold light.
The dragon energy from the Earth Dragon Golden Melon surged through his body. A pair of ochre dragon horns slowly sprouted from the serpent's head, four sharp claws grew from its belly, and its scales transformed into dragon scales marked with golden patterns.
A deafening dragon's roar echoed through the forest. Dugu Bo's Soul Power surged higher and higher, breaking straight through the bottleneck at Soul Douluo and reaching the Titled Douluo realm.
He slowly opened his eyes, feeling power unlike anything he had ever known within him. The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that had plagued him was also largely suppressed. He trembled with excitement.
"I broke through."
"My Martial Soul evolved, too."
Dugu Bo was beside himself with joy, laughing wildly at the sky.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Holy Son! I... I finally broke through to Titled Douluo!"
Dugu Bo bowed deeply to Ye Guyue, his voice filled with gratitude.
The bottleneck and deadly poison that had plagued the Dugu Family for generations had both been resolved by a single Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
Bibi Dong was a little surprised. She moved closer to Ye Guyue and quietly asked:
"Senior sister, how did you know this Immortal Herb would suit the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor perfectly? It even used its dragon energy to turn a serpent into a dragon."
Ye Guyue gave a soft snort and turned away. "What's it to you?"
She knew it was the Immortal Herb's medicinal effect, but couldn't be bothered to explain it to Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong grinned. While Ye Guyue wasn't paying attention, she quickly rose onto her toes and kissed her on the cheek.
"I knew you were the best, senior sister. I love you so much."
Ye Guyue remained cool and composed, but her face was a little red. She reached out to tap Bibi Dong, who laughed and dodged aside, making a face at her.
"Show some restraint," Ye Guyue said quietly.
Then Ye Guyue turned to Dugu Xin. "Dugu Xin, you should eat yours, too."
"Yes."
Dugu Xin immediately followed Dugu Bo's example, swallowing the Earth Dragon Golden Melon one bite at a time.
Dugu Xin's poison wasn't as severe as Dugu Bo's, so the process took only an hour. But his Jade Phosphorous Serpent also transformed into a dragon.
Still, compared with Dugu Bo's second Martial Soul Evolution, Dugu Xin's first evolution was far less impressive.
"Dugu Bo's second Martial Soul Evolution can be called the Jade Phosphorous Poison Dragon. Yours, Dugu Xin, seems to qualify only as the Jade Phosphorous Dragon. You'd have to evolve again to become the Jade Phosphorous Dragon Emperor."
Ye Guyue spoke calmly.
The difference in worth between one evolution and two was naturally enormous.
Dugu Xin clasped his hands in salute. "Thank you, Your Highness the Holy Son. I'm already very satisfied. I'd been stuck at Soul King for a long time, but now I've broken through to Soul Emperor."
Ye Guyue nodded. "Good. Then the two of you should come with me to Spirit Hall."
Ye Guyue rose to her feet, and the Light Sacred Dragon Martial Soul appeared. The golden dragon's aura pressed down on Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin.
"What a powerful aura of oppression," Dugu Bo thought.
Ye Guyue took Bibi Dong by the hand and leapt onto the Light Sacred Dragon's back. Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin followed close behind.
The Light Sacred Dragon took flight, heading for Spirit Hall.
After arriving at Spirit Hall, Ye Guyue headed straight for the Pope Palace. On the way, she ran into Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who were also heading there.
"Little Poison, it's you!"
Seeing Dugu Bo following Ye Guyue, Yue Guan was the first to react.
Gui Mei paused. "It really is Dugu Bo."
Dugu Xin was with him, too. The whole family had come. When they'd tried to recruit them before, they'd been thoroughly unwilling. So why were they following His Highness the Holy Son now?
"Your whole family's Little Poison! And you're Little Chrysanthemum!" Dugu Bo immediately bristled.
Yue Guan chuckled. "Don't get worked up, Little Poison. Besides, I'm quite happy with you calling me Little Chrysanthemum."
Dugu Bo looked disgusted. "Get lost, get lost, get lost."
Yue Guan didn't press the joke. Instead, he got down to business. "You came with His Highness the Holy Son. Does that mean he brought you to heel?"
Dugu Bo said coldly, "His Highness the Holy Son is my benefactor."
"Your benefactor?" Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, their curiosity growing. What could His Highness the Holy Son have done to make the proud and aloof Dugu Bo so completely compliant?
"Elder Yue, I helped them get rid of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that had troubled them for years."
Yue Guan suddenly understood. "So that's why Dugu Bo gave in."
Before you continue