Hearing this, Lin Chuan released his spiritual sense and sent it into the dim sphere before him.
In an instant, a cold, purplish-black aura followed his spiritual sense, spreading through his entire body.
The chill seemed to pierce straight into his soul, making Lin Chuan feel its icy bite firsthand.
Outside.
Beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Lin Chuan sat cross-legged at the boundary where the mist swirled.
The Soul Power that had fallen still began churning again, roiling the space around him.
Dugu Bo keenly sensed the faint fluctuation of divine power.
He instantly teleported out of the bamboo hut and appeared in the medicinal garden. His pair of icy green snake eyes pierced through the space more than ten meters away, fixing on where Lin Chuan sat.
At that moment, a pressure from the heavens themselves was taking shape around him.
It was so deep and utterly unmatched that it far surpassed anything a Spirit Saint should possess. Even Dugu Bo didn't dare approach it lightly.
As he watched, a pretty voice tinged with irritation drifted over from afar:
"Grandpa! We were right in the middle of an important point. Why did you suddenly run over here again?"
"That guy's just breaking through. Why have you come to check on him twice? Do you even care about me anymore?"
Hearing the voice, Dugu Bo showed no annoyance at being interrupted. Instead, he turned around with an awkward expression to look at the person approaching.
Dugu Yan was hurrying over from the bamboo hut, her face flushed with anger.
Dugu Bo channeled his Soul Power to shield her from the energy surging out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, preventing the uncomfortable symptoms of Soul Power rejection. After all, she was still too weak.
By the time Dugu Yan reached them, everything had fallen quiet again.
Lin Chuan, having received Asura's inheritance, was now bathing in surging divine power.
A purple-black longsword had appeared on his clean forehead, imprinted at its center and shining with a faint, eerie glow.
On closer inspection, the purple-black sword was identical to the crimson blood-red sword from before; only its shape and color were different.
With the sword's phantom image shining above his brow, Lin Chuan's already handsome face looked even more refined and extraordinary.
This phantom sword was the Inheritance Mark.
It could actively protect the inheritor's Sea of Consciousness from any spiritual attack launched by a Soul Master below the god level.
It would also release energy to protect the inheritor when they faced mortal danger.
It was even more convenient than the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud Tang San obtained in the original story, and would disappear completely once the inheritance was over.
The Asura inheritance was already his for the taking, but the process of inheriting a godhood was something Giratina couldn't change at this point.
Naturally, the Nine Asura Trials still had to be completed.
These nine trials were tasks designed to push the inheritor beyond their limits, and to distinguish one genius from another.
First Trial, Asura Blade:
Heart Barrier Trial:
Enter the Asura Illusion Realm and face your darkest desires, such as an obsession with slaughter or the shadows buried in your heart. Use Asura Power to sever the illusion at its source, testing the purity of your heart and the limits of your resolve to kill.
Asura was, after all, the power of slaughter.
In other words, within the illusion, as one's desires—bloodlust, greed, ruthlessness, and the like—swelled and threatened to overwhelm reason, one had to use the power of slaughter to break through the illusion.
In the original story, Tang San obtained the Asura Godhood without completing the Nine Asura Trials.
Combined with Asura God's words before he disappeared, Lin Chuan could now more or less tell what had gone wrong with Asura God. He hadn't begun the First Asura Trial yet.
His consciousness left the Sea of Consciousness.
Outside, Lin Chuan, who had been sitting cross-legged all this time, woke up and stretched before getting to his feet by the bank.
His unmoving body crackled as he moved. His black robe accentuated his well-proportioned, sturdy build.
"Hey, you're finally awake."
Dugu Yan's annoyed voice came from nearby.
"My grandpa and I have already absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. So tell me, how are you going to cure our poison?"
Lin Chuan had just gotten to his feet when he heard that the two of them had absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. He was somewhat surprised.
It wasn't that he looked down on Dugu Bo; Soul Bones born from ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts were exceedingly rare.
Given Dugu Bo's current condition, every battle would deepen his poisoning by a third. It was clearly impossible for him to have hunted them down himself.
But Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones were extremely precious. Dugu Bo couldn't have obtained two just by trading on his reputation; the price he paid must have been enormous.
He wondered which faction could have produced two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones in one go.
Perhaps he could pay them a visit someday.
"Here."
Lin Chuan glanced at the grandfather and granddaughter standing at the edge of the medicinal garden, flipped his left hand, and tossed two bottles toward them.
"These are antidote pills. Given your condition, take them no more than twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Take three pills each time."
"After you swallow them, wait about half a stick of incense for the medicine to take effect. There's no avoiding the pain. Once half a stick of incense has passed, you can force the toxins that have been drawn out into your Soul Bones."
"This is a strict requirement. Don't take more than you should. If you run out, look for me at the residence near the west gate of Suotuo City."
"If you still can't find me, go to Spirit Hall and tell them you're looking for me, their Holy Son."
As he spoke, an amused smile appeared on Lin Chuan's face.
Sure enough, Dugu Bo's expression stiffened when he heard "Spirit Hall," though only for an instant.
Perhaps he'd remembered how he had repeatedly refused to join Spirit Hall before, all for the sake of so-called freedom, turning down generous pay and rewards.
Now, though, he would follow Spirit Hall's Holy Son for three years in exchange for a cure.
At the thought, Dugu Bo gave a helpless, wry smile. He had already accepted it all.
More than anything, he felt the weight of standing before Lin Chuan, this terrifyingly gifted young man.
"What are you talking about? Spirit Hall only has one Holy Daughter right now, named Hu Liena. Where did you get the idea there's a Holy Son?"
Dugu Yan scoffed and challenged him.
"Could it be you're worried we'll take revenge, so you're using Spirit Hall's name to slip away? Then, when we can't find you, we'll take it out on Spirit Hall and offend them instead?"
That was a surprisingly perceptive thought, but it also showed just how cautious she was.
When near vermilion, one was stained red; when near ink, one was stained black.
She really was Dugu Bo's granddaughter. Like her steady, wily old fox of a grandfather, she might lack his composure, but she was certainly sharp and cautious.
Thinking that he still had to return here to cultivate, Lin Chuan relented:
"These medicines will last you half a month. I'll come back then."
As another thought occurred to him, he added:
"These medicines can't draw out all of your toxins, but once the surface toxins are removed, they won't threaten your lives."
"When I have time, I'll draw out the rest of the toxins. Just wait."
With that, Lin Chuan walked straight past Dugu Yan and waved.
Dugu Bo didn't stop him. He watched the handsome young man who had emerged from his cocoon and transformed into a butterfly, and the knot of resentment in his heart dissolved without a trace.
He had originally felt stifled at the thought of following a boy so much weaker than himself. But now...
He turned to see his granddaughter stamping her foot in frustration, her face full of a young girl's helpless longing. He stroked his chin with his right hand, smiled, and stopped dwelling on it.
People were all drawn to the strong, instinctively respecting and looking up to them.
Toward those on equal footing, people instinctively felt indifferent.
Toward the weak, people instinctively felt aloof, with a trace of distaste.
The change was like this: someone who once seemed mighty because of their status would lose that luster after you rose to stand beside them for long enough. The admiration you once felt would vanish without a trace.