Meanwhile, at Dugu Manor, in the back garden!
Bodies littered the ground!
The corrosive gas in the air was so concentrated it could burn skin outright!
Poisonous spiders lay on their backs, legs pointed skyward, piled in heaps... centipedes covered the ground... scorpions swarmed... poisonous toads... poisonous lizards... Without exception, they were all poisonous creatures Poison Douluo Dugu Bo used in his daily research on mixed poisons, all low-ranked Soul Beasts with cultivation!
There were even two Three-Section Jades...
White smoke hissed from the artificial rockery in the back garden. Its surface was riddled with tiny holes; had light fallen on it now, the ground would have been mottled with shadows. "What a Thousand Spider Poison Hand!"
"That million was worth every penny!!"
Dugu Yan looked at her handiwork, thrilled and incredulous in equal measure, despite her satisfaction!
The power of a casual point of my finger is still a long way from a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill, but among thousand-year Soul Skills, it would absolutely be one of the best!
More importantly, when she had first started practicing, its power had only been a little stronger than an ordinary hundred-year Soul Skill. But that had been so recently!
And now it had already reached the level of the best thousand-year Soul Skills!
At this rate, how far away could she be from the power of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill?
She had already sensed the brilliance of the Thousand Spider Poison Hand when she was at the Scripture Depository, but she had never imagined the later sections would be so marvelous!
At first, she had only wanted to learn the method for releasing the poison in her body, so she could dissolve the curse in the Dugu Family's bloodline. Who could have guessed that this method, so vital to her family, was merely the most inconspicuous part of the Thousand Spider Poison Hand?
Besides the method for releasing poison from the body, it also contained a set of techniques specifically for combat, including moves and methods for circulating Soul Power, allowing poison to be mobilized far more efficiently!
And the most, most, most important part of all was the method for refining poison and increasing Soul Power... which was actually the Refining Poison into the Body method she had initially overlooked!
That was right!
Refine poison into the body, and increase Soul Power!
When she got home, she had immediately tried the method in the Thousand Spider Poison Hand for releasing the poison in her body. After succeeding, she had begun studying the other contents, still delighted by her success.
That fellow had said the poison in her body had been purged once before, wasting over twenty years of accumulation... Since the method for releasing poison worked, she no longer needed to worry about poison building up inside her. Naturally, she had to replenish the poison she had already lost.
Unexpectedly, that simple attempt had led her to discover a whole new world!
Refining poison into the body did more than strengthen the poison. More importantly, it could further refine the poison within her body and increase her Soul Power!
After one try, she had gotten a taste for it and couldn't stop... Unfortunately, her grandfather had only raised so many poisonous spiders for harvesting their venom. So, after she had used up the spiders at home, she had made a bold attempt... drawing snake venom into her body.
Snake venom was the poison most similar to the poison of her Martial Soul. Even if something went wrong, it would be manageable. Besides, the Thousand Spider Poison Hand included methods for handling emergencies, and Lingling was staying over at her house tonight!
The experiment's result had sent her wild with joy... snake venom worked!
If snake venom worked, what about centipedes? Scorpions?
And poisonous lizards? Poisonous toads?
After attempt upon attempt and refinement upon refinement, she had finally come to her senses—and the back garden had turned into this. Her Soul Power had also risen by a full level!
She had previously been a level forty-two control-type Battle Soul Ancestor, and she had expected it to take several months to reach level forty-three. Now, she was already nearing level forty-four. Strictly speaking, she hadn't merely gained one level of Soul Power; she had gained an entire Soul Power level!
"My grandfather's poor poisonous creatures, though..."
She said it, but a wicked smile curled her lips. She hadn't liked messing around with the creatures her grandfather raised before, but now... Heh, she loved them!
Her Soul Power moved at will, naturally following the circulation route of the Thousand Spider Poison Hand. It flowed smoothly, without the slightest obstruction, as if her Soul Power had been born to circulate this way. As it moved, blue-black patterns like threads spread from her fingertips up her arms and all the way to her snow-white neck.
Yet those sudden tattoo-like markings looked entirely natural. Instead, they seemed to drape her in a halo, making her even more bewitchingly beautiful.
They appeared for only an instant, then quickly faded as her Soul Power settled.
A fleeting beauty, like a startled swan taking flight!
"That fellow really didn't lie to me. My constitution is a perfect match for the Thousand Spider Poison Hand... Innate Poison Body, poison born alongside me—this should have been my greatest advantage..."
She murmured to herself.
"Too bad Grandfather has extracted the poison from these creatures too many times. There isn't enough venom left, and what remains isn't strong enough... Grandfather was also afraid I'd get poisoned, so he never raised stronger poison-type Soul Beasts at home. Otherwise, this young lady might have risen two levels of Soul Power, or even more!!"
Crack—
Dugu Yan clenched her teeth, both fists tightening until they creaked. The more she tasted the sweetness of poison, the more she hated Tang San for purging all the poison from her body!
That was the foundation she had gained only after losing her parents and enduring twenty years of torment!
"That fellow was right. That Little Scumbag either pretended to know what he was doing or deliberately sabotaged me. He tricked Grandfather with an inferior method that only treated the symptoms, not the root cause!"
"He destroyed my Innate Poison Body!"
"He tricked Grandfather out of the Nine-Section Jade, the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, and the Herb Garden, and even tricked him into going to that damn Shrek as a guest elder..."
"Just you wait. At the Soul Master Tournament, this young lady will make sure you get a good taste of what the Thousand Spider Poison Hand is!"
"And the agony of Ten Thousand Poisons Devouring the Heart!"
"I'll give up my guaranteed place in the finals if I have to!"
Dugu Yan murmured. Her voice was low, but her resolve was unshakable!
This Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament was hosted by Spirit Hall and co-hosted by the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy First Team, which she belonged to, had been granted a direct place in the finals, but...
She couldn't wait that long!
The finals' format was too unpredictable. If she waited until then, the draw might mean she never got the chance to face Tang San. The qualifiers were different.
The qualifiers were a team competition with a round-robin format. If fifty teams took part, each team would face each of the other forty-nine once.
As long as she convinced her teammates to enter the qualifiers, they would definitely face Tang San and Shrek. Then would come the moment she took revenge on that Little Scumbag!
And Yu Tianheng, the captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy First Team and its frontline assault attacker, was her boyfriend. Ye Lingling, the team's most important support and survival specialist, was her best friend. Add herself—the vice-captain and the team's control specialist—and three core members of the team were on her side!
This could be done!
Dugu Yan glanced at the sky...
"Already almost dawn? The tournament opens this morning, and the first qualifier will begin this afternoon at the latest... I have to get this settled before noon!"
"I'll go find Tian Heng right now!"
After a brief moment's thought, she had made her decision.
"Uncle Fu!"
Dugu Yan called out.
The next second, a figure appeared in a corner of the otherwise empty back garden. It was Dugu Bo's trusted aide, the only servant and steward of Dugu Manor, Ah Fu. His Martial Soul was a Nether Snake, and he was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor!
"Miss!"
"Go to Grandfather's medicine storehouse and pick out twelve Snow Silkworms and twelve Red Ginsengs, all a hundred years old and in good condition. Take them to the Scripture Depository on Gourmet Street. Deliver them yourself, and remember, the owner of that Scripture Depository is a distinguished guest of the Dugu Family. Don't slight him... No, I'll go myself. Prepare a carriage, then take me to Heaven Dou Royal Academy afterward!"
One Thousand Spider Poison Hand had already shown her how formidable and mysterious the other person was—and it was only one of his techniques. There were many other self-created Soul Skills like it in that Scripture Depository. If every manual was like this... Hiss!
Even as the granddaughter of a Titled Douluo, she could hardly imagine what sort of existence, what kind of legacy, this person represented!
Having met such an extraordinary person, she had to cherish the connection!
"Yes!"
Before you continue