Midnight Visitor, Poison Douluo Exposed

As the night deepened, the entire simulated cultivation sanctuary fell into a profound silence.

In the villa at the back of the academy, reserved exclusively for the royal descendants of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Yao sat cross-legged in the spacious, brightly lit cultivation room.

A faint cyan halo swirled around his body, the manifestation of pure wind elements circulating rhythmically under the guidance of his soul power.

Eight years old, level thirty-one soul power.

This shocking cultivation speed was not solely due to talent, but rather the result of day after day of unwavering, grueling meditation.

Suddenly, a trace of extreme stagnation appeared in the steady, rhythmic flow of the night breeze.

Though faint to the point of near-nothingness, this fluctuation carried a faint, nauseating, fishy sweetness.

The scent was cold and venomous, as if it could corrode the very air around it.

Xue Yao, deep in cultivation, slowly opened his eyes.

In those clear, profound pupils, there was not a hint of panic, but rather a sigh of helplessness.

He smoothed out his moon-white silk sleeping robe, then turned his gaze calmly toward a patch of shadow in the corner of the room.

"Old Senior Dugu, since you have graced me with your presence in the dead of night, why hide in the shadows catching a cold? Why not step out and have a cup of hot tea?"

His clear, calm voice rang out abruptly in the empty room.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

A full three seconds passed before the air in the empty shadow suddenly rippled like water.

"Hum—"

A suffocating, terrifying pressure descended instantly, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet to freezing.

A mass of ink-green light condensed silently, and a tall, thin old man, straight as a javelin, stepped slowly from the shadows.

The old man's hair and beard were ink-green, and his eyes shimmered with a ghostly, cold light like emeralds.

He was like a venomous snake lurking in the dark, radiating a hair-raising, sinister aura.

Dominating the world with poison, the Title Douluo—Dugu Bo!

At this moment, Dugu Bo's emerald eyes were locked onto the handsome eight-year-old boy, his gaze filled with unconcealable shock and bewilderment.

As a Title Douluo, even if he didn't specialize in stealth, he had deliberately restrained his aura to infiltrate; not to mention a Soul Grand Master or Soul Elder, even a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse should never have been able to detect his presence!

Yet this brat not only sensed him accurately but even called out his identity in one breath!

"Brat, how did you discover me?"

Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse and cold, like two rusted iron plates grinding together, grating on the eardrums.

He had heard earlier that day that his precious granddaughter had been defeated in a single strike by this kid, even branded with a red cat-paw print on her forehead, and he had been too angry to eat dinner.

He had intended to use the cover of night to sneak in, give this arrogant brat a taste of suffering, and probe his background.

He never expected to be caught red-handed the moment he arrived.

Facing the terrifying pressure released by a Title Douluo, Xue Yao remained as unruffled as a mountain breeze.

He walked to the tea table, calmly picked up the purple clay teapot, poured two cups of steaming tea, and even made a gesture of invitation.

"Senior, you jest. This junior is but a mere Soul Elder; how could I possibly have the ability to see through the stealth of a Title Douluo?"

Xue Yao smiled slightly, his eyes shining with innocence and sincerity.

"It is just..." Xue Yao changed the subject, his nose twitching slightly as he put on an expression of extreme admiration, and said loudly: "It is just that even from far away, this junior could smell the incredibly rich scent of poison on you, Senior!"

"This fishy, sweet poisonous aura on you, Senior, is so strong that even the breeze cannot disperse it. Its potency is simply unfathomable. If this aura were on anyone else, this junior would surely conclude that the poison had reached their marrow and they were beyond saving—a certain sign of impending death!"

Hearing the words "poison reached the marrow" and "beyond saving," Dugu Bo's originally gloomy face stiffened, and his emerald pupils shrank to the size of needles in an instant!

However, Xue Yao seemed completely unaware of Dugu Bo's reaction; instead, he clapped his hands, his eyes erupting with fanatical worship as he continued to praise loudly:

"But! Who are you, Old Senior Dugu? You are the world-renowned Poison Douluo, who dominates the continent with poison!"

"For such a potent poisonous aura to linger around you without dispersing, and even to have penetrated your bones and internal organs, it could never be mere poisoning!"

"This junior dares to guess that you must have made a breakthrough in your poison arts, reaching a new level of mastery! This aura of poison is clearly a sign that you have reached the supreme realm of returning to simplicity and unity with nature! Congratulations, Senior! My Heaven Dou Empire has gained another peerless warrior!"

Xue Yao spoke with such passion and sincerity that it seemed as if he were genuinely overjoyed by the birth of a peerless powerhouse.

"Boom—"

However, these "compliments" sounded like a thunderclap from the nine heavens in Dugu Bo's ears, exploding in his mind!

Dugu Bo's thin frame trembled uncontrollably, and his cheeks, which had been slightly ruddy from his soul power, instantly drained of all color, turning as pale as a corpse!

Poison in the marrow? Beyond saving?

Returning to simplicity? Unity with nature?

Bullshit! All of it was bullshit!

If others didn't know, how could he, Dugu Bo, not know his own physical condition?!

To hell with "dominating the world with poison," to hell with being a Title Douluo!

He was nothing more than a cripple now, suffering a fate worse than death from the backlash of his own martial soul's toxins! That agony—where he could neither find life nor embrace death—had tortured him for decades!

He knew better than anyone that if he couldn't find a solution, his old life wouldn't last more than a few more years.

This was the deepest secret in Dugu Bo's heart, one that concerned his status in the spirit master world and, more importantly, the survival of the Dugu Clan!

Yet today, this secret had been laid bare to his face by an eight-year-old boy!

Was this brat actually buttering him up, or was he mocking him with veiled sarcasm?!

Had he already seen through the truth that his time was running out?!

Furthermore, if this child could see the truth of his impending death, what about others? What about his old rivals?

At this thought, Dugu Bo's breathing became ragged, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

If it were only his own life at stake, Dugu Bo—who had roamed the world and killed countless men—would have long since cast aside all fear of death.

But... what about Yan Yan?!

His son had passed away at a young age precisely because of the backlash from this damned Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison.

Now, this terrifying hereditary toxin had already planted its seeds within his precious granddaughter, Dugu Yan!

If he, the pillar of the Dugu Clan, were to fall—if he were to die from the poison—what would become of his granddaughter?

Without the protection of a Title Douluo, given Dugu Yan's arrogant and offensive personality, and with that ticking time bomb of toxins inside her, a miserable fate would surely await her!

Extreme panic and worry instantly shattered the psychological defenses of this dignified Title Douluo!

"You... you..."

Dugu Bo extended a withered finger, pointing at Xue Yao, his lips trembling violently.

The poison arts he took such pride in, the dignity of his high-ranking Title Douluo status—at this moment, before this gentle-smiling youth, they seemed to have become an absolute joke!

"Senior? What is wrong? Did this junior guess incorrectly?"

Xue Yao lifted his teacup, gently blowing on the floating tea leaves, a flash of sharp, insightful cunning crossing his deep eyes.

He naturally knew that Dugu Bo was deeply poisoned; not only did he know that, he also knew about Dugu Bo's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Today, he would not only use this information gap to firmly manipulate the Poison Douluo's state of mind, but he would also use this opportunity to bring this Title Douluo—along with the treasure vault behind him—completely under his control!