His Inner Pill Became a Soul Core, and Dugu Xuan Reached Level 94! His Ice and Fire Golden Body Remained

At the same time, Dugu Xuan's Soul Power broke straight through from peak level 92 to peak level 93.

Dugu Ce walked closer and studied the Jade Scale Dragon Emperor phantom behind Dugu Bo. He nodded.

"Congratulations, Grandpa. Your Martial Soul evolved, and your Soul Power went up by a level, too.

"The medicinal power of this Earth Dragon Golden Melon was even stronger than I expected."

"What do you mean, stronger?"

Dugu Xuan laughed and chided him, though his eyes were full of pride.

"Your old grandpa has a weak foundation. Gaining one level is already a heaven-sent blessing.

"If your great-uncle used this Immortal Herb, he might jump straight to level 95."

"Great-uncle has his own opportunities."

Dugu Ce sat down beside the spring and took a scroll of animal hide from his Wishful Treasure Pouch, spreading it across his knees.

"Grandpa, your Jade Scale Dragon Emperor may have evolved, but its foundation is still that of the Poison Pill.

"The Poison Pill can keep you alive, but it also locks the road ahead of you."

Dugu Xuan furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean?"

"The essence of the Poison Pill is to compress the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison into a core, using poison to counter poison and suppress the backlash."

Dugu Ce pointed at the crooked diagram on the animal hide.

It was a sketch of how to condense a Soul Core, drawn from his memories of a past life.

"But after a Soul Master breaks through to Titled Douluo, the true path forward is to condense a Soul Core.

"Only with a Soul Core as its foundation can Soul Power flow without end and break through to the realm of a Super Douluo, level 95 and above."

"A Soul Core?"

Dugu Xuan had never heard the term before. He leaned in to examine the diagram on the animal hide.

"I've been stuck at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for decades. I've even grown rusty on the cultivation methods used outside.

"Ce'er, where did you learn about this?"

"My teacher taught me."

Dugu Ce casually made up an excuse. He pointed to the animal hide and said he had found it a few days earlier, among some ruins in a forest near True Dragon Mountain.

"If a Titled Douluo wants to advance further, he must condense all his Soul Power into a core, just like the inner pill of a Soul Beast.

"Once the Soul Core is formed, Soul Power recovers twice as fast, and your control over your Martial Soul improves by a whole level."

Dugu Xuan stared at the animal hide for a long while before suddenly looking up.

"You mean... I should use my Poison Pill as the foundation and refine that into a Soul Core?"

"Exactly."

Dugu Ce nodded.

"The Poison Pill is dead; the Soul Core is alive.

"Your decades of cultivation with the Poison Pill are actually a foundation others don't have.

"Once we find a way to 'activate' the Poison Pill, condensing a Soul Core will come naturally."

Dugu Xuan fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

"How do I do it?"

"Close your eyes and look within. Find the Poison Pill in your dantian."

Dugu Ce recited the instructions on the animal hide to Dugu Xuan, one word at a time.

"Wrap your Soul Power around the Poison Pill and rotate it clockwise, faster and faster.

"When the Poison Pill starts absorbing Soul Power from the outside on its own, pour your spiritual power into it and carve your spiritual imprint inside.

"If it works, you'll have a Soul Core.

"If it fails, the Poison Pill will shatter, and you'll be back where you started."

"What happens if it fails?"

"The Poison Pill will shatter, and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison will backlash. You won't last three days."

Dugu Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. Looking at his grandson's calm face, he gave a bitter smile.

"You brat... You really aren't afraid of me dying."

"I am."

Dugu Ce stood and patted his grandfather on the shoulder.

"But you're even more afraid of wasting your life cooped up at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well like some useless cripple.

"Grandpa, are you willing to take the gamble?"

Dugu Xuan stared at his grandson for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.

"I'm in!

"I clawed this life back from the jaws of death. If I lose, I lose nothing. If I win, I hit the jackpot!"

With that, Dugu Xuan sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Soul Power began circulating slowly through his body as he searched for the Poison Pill he had spent decades condensing.

Dugu Ce stepped aside and stood with his hands behind his back, watching quietly.

Time passed, one second at a time.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Dugu Xuan's forehead. His face turned ashen, then flushed red.

The Jade Scale Dragon Emperor phantom flickered behind him, its dark gold scales glimmering with unease.

No one knew how long had passed when Dugu Xuan suddenly let out a muffled grunt. Soul Power burst from his body, sending the broken stones beside the spring flying in every direction.

"It worked!"

Dugu Xuan opened his eyes. The dark gold light in them was several times brighter than before.

He raised his right hand. A dense mass of Soul Power spun in his palm, giving off a faint hum.

"A Soul Core! I really condensed a Soul Core!"

Dugu Xuan threw his head back and laughed. His laughter echoed through the valley of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

"And my Soul Power... level 94!

"I'm a level 94 Titled Douluo now!"

Dugu Ce stepped forward and carefully examined his grandfather's condition, then nodded.

"Good.

"The Poison Pill didn't shatter. It fused with the Soul Core instead.

"Grandpa, your foundation is even more solid than Great-uncle's."

"Of course!"

Dugu Xuan stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling as if he had strength to spare.

"Ce'er, when are you planning to teach your great-uncle this method of condensing a Soul Core?"

"We'll talk about it after we return to True Dragon Mountain."

Dugu Ce turned back toward the spring and took the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass from his Wishful Treasure Pouch.

"Grandpa, I'm going to refine these two Immortal Herbs next.

"Stand guard for me. Don't let anyone disturb me."

Dugu Xuan's expression shifted when he saw the two Immortal Herbs.

"These two things... I've guarded the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for decades, and I never dared touch them.

"One is ice, and one is fire. Refining them both at once—are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm trying to stay alive."

Dugu Ce took off his outer robe, revealing his toned upper body.

The dark gold dragon pattern on his chest shimmered faintly over his heart.

"But the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well is their natural bane.

"Refining them both here, with the spring as the furnace and its waters as the catalyst, won't put me in danger. It'll forge a body immune to ice and fire."

Dugu Xuan opened his mouth, then closed it without speaking. In the end, he sighed.

"You've always had a mind of your own. I can't stop you.

"Be careful. Don't make me bury my grandson."

"Don't worry."

Holding the Infernal Delicate Apricot in one hand and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass in the other, Dugu Ce strode toward the point where the spring's two currents met.

Dugu Ce leaped into the spring and sat cross-legged at the very center where the two currents converged.

The scorching Yang Spring surged against the left half of his body, while the frigid Yin Spring surged against the right.

Ice and fire collided inside him. The tearing pain made Dugu Ce groan, the veins on his forehead bulging.

But he gritted his teeth and stuffed both Immortal Herbs into his mouth at once.

Two opposing forces collided in his chest, unleashing a tremendous shockwave.

Dugu Ce groaned, a thread of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.

"Ce'er!"

Dugu Xuan jumped to his feet, about to rush over, but forced himself to stop.

No.

He couldn't interrupt him now.

Dugu Xuan clenched his fists and stared fixedly at his grandson in the spring, his eyes full of worry.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

Dugu Ce sat cross-legged where the currents converged, as still as a statue.

Scarlet light shrouded the left half of his body, while icy blue light enveloped the right.

The dark gold dragon pattern on his chest only grew brighter, slowly guiding both forces throughout his body.