"Grandpa, judging by your reaction just now, did Ling Yun really guess right? Am I actually poisoned?"
At that, Dugu Bo could only sigh helplessly. After taking a sip of tea, he said, "Yanzi, you're all grown up now. It's time I told you the truth about our family.
"You think our family's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul is the strongest poison-type Martial Soul in the world, don't you?"
"That's right!"
Dugu Yan nodded. Dugu Bo had always told her that since she was little, and she had always believed it.
Ever since awakening her Martial Soul, she had encountered plenty of poison-type Soul Masters over the years, but none of their Martial Souls could compare to her Jade Phosphorous Serpent.
"Our family's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul is indeed powerful, but it has one fatal weakness."
At this, Dugu Bo suddenly raised his head and stared into Dugu Yan's eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately. "The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison is simply too potent. And as our cultivation improves, the poison grows even stronger.
"One day, that powerful serpent poison will overflow from our Martial Souls and eat away at our bodies. The first sign is that our eyes gradually turn green.
"Starting with our eyes, the poison will continue to eat away at our meridians, bones, internal organs, and even our brains.
"In the end, we'll die from the poison. Your father and mother lost their lives because their bodies couldn't withstand the venom's strength."
"What? Is that how my parents died?"
Dugu Yan's eyes widened in disbelief. She had always thought her parents' deaths were an accident. She never imagined the truth could be this.
"That's right."
Dugu Bo nodded gently, then continued, "After I became a Titled Douluo, the serpent poison in my body grew stronger and began to eat away at my internal organs.
"If my Soul Power weren't so profound, and if I hadn't happened upon a treasure trove where I could use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temporarily suppress the poison in my body, I'd probably have already died from it.
"For years, I've been searching for a way to fix the flaw in our family's Martial Soul, but even now, I haven't found the slightest clue."
At the end, Dugu Bo shook his head helplessly. Dugu Yan looked terrified and murmured, "How could this happen..."
At last, amid a long, silent sigh, the grandfather and granddaughter ate dinner in silence. Then Dugu Yan returned to her room to rest.
In the days that followed, Dugu Yan carried on as usual. She attended classes at Heaven Dou Royal Academy during the day, then went to the Great Soul Arena with Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling after school to compete. Everything seemed normal.
But from then on, Dugu Yan grew despondent and often seemed distracted. Even during matches at the Soul Fighting Arena, she was absent-minded. Sometimes, she failed to notice her opponent right in front of her.
Just like that, a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.
One day, after breaking through to level thirty-five in Soul Power, Ling Yun and the Huo siblings returned to the Great Soul Arena to compete in team battles, hoping to improve their combat skills and earn a little spending money.
But as soon as they reached the arena's waiting area, Huo Wu pointed at one of the platforms in surprise. "Hey, look! Isn't that Yu Tianheng and the others? They seem to be losing!"
At that, Ling Yun immediately looked where Huo Wu was pointing. Yu Tianheng and his two teammates were locked in a fierce battle against three Soul Elders on the platform.
Yu Tianheng was fighting all three at once, while Ye Lingling stayed behind him, constantly using her Soul Skills to heal his injuries.
As for Dugu Yan, she stood frozen in place, head bowed and silent. It was obvious she wasn't focused.
Because of that, even though their opponents were all below level thirty-five in Soul Power, the three of them were still at a disadvantage.
In the end, Yu Tianheng used his Dragon Transformation talent and unleashed his talent skill, Dragon's Fury, doubling the power of his lightning. Only then did he turn the tide, blasting his enemies off the platform and winning the match.
After the match, Ling Yun and the Huo siblings walked over. Seeing Yu Tianheng in such a sorry state, Huo Wushuang immediately sneered at him.
"Well, well! If it isn't one of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's top students. It's been a month—how'd you get so pathetic?"
"Your opponents were all below level thirty-five, and they still managed to make such a mess of you? You're really going backward!"
Hearing Huo Wushuang's taunts, Yu Tianheng, whose Soul Power was spent, couldn't be bothered to argue. He simply panted as he shot back, "I was fighting three opponents at once. If you think you're so great, go try fighting three Soul Elders yourself. I guarantee you'll be in even worse shape than me in ten minutes."
While the two traded barbs, Huo Wu looked at the downcast Dugu Yan and scratched her head in puzzlement. "What's wrong with you? You look completely out of it. If you'd used your Jade Phosphorus Purple Poison just now, you wouldn't have been at a disadvantage."
"Well..."
Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling exchanged a glance, both of them wearing helpless expressions.
As her teammates, they'd noticed right away that something was wrong with Dugu Yan. They had asked her about it, but she refused to say anything, and there was nothing they could do.
Just then, Ling Yun drawled, "Don't tell me I was right. You really are poisoned, and even your grandfather can't do anything about it. Now you're worrying about your future, with no idea what to do next. Is that it?"
The moment he finished speaking, Dugu Yan jerked her head up to look at Ling Yun. At last, she nodded helplessly.
"Yes, you're right..."
Dugu Yan told everyone what had happened. They were all stunned, especially Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling, who stood rooted to the spot.
Then Dugu Yan hugged her knees and curled into a ball, saying in despair, "I don't know what to do now. If I keep cultivating, I might end up dying from the poison..."
"That won't happen, Yanzi. I won't let that happen," Yu Tianheng said urgently. Then he turned to Ye Lingling. "Lingling, your Nine Heart Begonia is the best healing Martial Soul in the world. Hurry and heal Yanzi."
Ye Lingling shook her head slightly. "I can't. My Nine Heart Begonia can only heal injuries. It can't cure poison."
"Is there really no way?"
Yu Tianheng asked in despair. But Ling Yun spoke up unhurriedly. "If the serpent poison overflows from the Martial Soul, could it be stored in a container, like a Soul Ring, and then released through a Soul Skill?"
"Impossible," Huo Wu said bluntly. "I've been practicing Ring Fusion for so long that I know this very well. Soul Rings are just a medium for releasing Soul Skills. They can't store serpent poison."
Nicely done, Sister Huo Wu!
Ling Yun silently gave Huo Wu a thumbs-up. That was exactly what he'd been waiting for her to say. He immediately revealed what he'd really had in mind.
"If Soul Rings won't work, what about a Soul Bone? What if the serpent poison were stored in a Soul Bone, then released through a Soul Bone Skill once it was full? What do you think?"
Before you continue