I Have Three Plans, Upper, Middle, and Lower, to Resolve the Evil Fire Backlash; Dugu Bo is Making a Move

"Flender, I do indeed have some thoughts regarding the Evil Fire backlash your disciple is suffering from, but in my view, every single one of these methods is incredibly difficult to execute."

Upon hearing this, Flender's eyes lit up instantly. After all, he and Ma Hongjun were master and disciple; despite his usual stinginess, when it came to his own student—his chosen successor—he was still willing to give it a try.

"Xiaogang, hurry and tell me, what are these methods?"

It was once again time for Gangzi to shine in his field of expertise: theory. Even if these were all merely his conjectures, he still had to maintain the basic demeanor of a Grandmaster.

He struck a suitably inscrutable pose and said in a leisurely tone, "Flender, I have three strategies—superior, middle, and inferior—that might resolve the Evil Fire issue within your disciple."

As the words fell, Flender's eyes brightened immediately. "As expected of you, Xiaogang! To think you've come up with three solutions in such a short time. Tell me about them in detail."

"Ahem. The so-called superior strategy is to have Ma Hongjun remove the root of his troubles. Without that thing, the so-called Evil Fire would cease to exist."

Flender: ...

Good grief. While it was true that this would treat both the symptoms and the root cause, still...

"Xiaogang, what about the other two methods?" Flender asked hurriedly.

"The middle strategy is to have your disciple choose soul rings that conflict with the origin of his martial soul during his upcoming soul ring absorptions—for instance, soul rings from ice-attribute soul beasts. If he does this, the origin of his martial soul will be damaged, leading to a degradation of the martial soul, and the evil within him will naturally vanish."

Flender: ...

He felt this method was even worse than the last. Wasn't the whole reason he took Ma Hongjun as a disciple in the first place because he valued his talent?

If the martial soul were downgraded, why would he even bother keeping him as a student?

Don't forget, their Shrek Academy was an academy that only cultivated monsters. If this really happened, wouldn't it be smashing the Shrek Academy's own reputation?

"This third method is the inferior strategy I mentioned earlier: have your disciple complete a Martial Soul Evolution. The Evil Fire within him will naturally disappear, and his talent might even advance further."

Yu Xiaogang paused here, his tone shifting. "However, this method remains purely theoretical. As the continent's number one theoretical master, I haven't found such a treasure in over half a lifetime. Even if one existed, Flender, do you really think you could obtain it?"

Gangzi's speech left Flender silent. His lips twitched frantically, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Sigh, forget it. The Evil Fire issue on Hongjun can be managed by that method until he reaches the Soul Ancestor or Soul King stage. As for what happens after that, I'll let him make his own choices when the time comes.

Elsewhere.

The streets of Heaven Dou City remained bustling, with noise rising and falling in waves.

Yu Tianheng strolled through the crowd, the theory Jiang Li had previously shared about absorbing soul rings beyond one's limit echoing in his mind. He felt both unwilling to accept his current standing and utterly lost.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck him without warning, as if a cold, venomous snake had instantly paralyzed his nerves.

Yu Tianheng couldn't even let out a muffled groan before the world spun, and he plunged into endless darkness.

He did not know how much time had passed.

When Yu Tianheng slowly opened his heavy eyelids, he found himself in a secluded room, the silence around him terrifying.

Directly in front of him stood a dark green figure.

It was a middle-aged man, lean and thin, standing with his hands behind his back, facing away from him.

Even just from his back, the chilling aura that seemed to seep from his very bones made the air feel as if it had frozen solid.

Upon seeing that familiar dark green hair and attire, Yu Tianheng's heart contracted violently...

Who else could this be but Dugu Yan's grandfather, Dugu Bo?

"Kid, you're awake?"

A low, hoarse voice sounded, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Dugu Bo turned slowly, his eyes—like those of a venomous snake—staring at Yu Tianheng until he felt as if the blood in his entire body were freezing. Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, trickling down his spine.

At this moment, Yu Tianheng was terrified. Facing a temperamental Title Douluo, he felt his throat go dry, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Senior Dugu Bo, I wonder... is there something you need to instruct me on by bringing me here?"

Yu Tianheng frantically recalled everything he had done over the past few days; he shouldn't have offended this Poison Douluo in any way.

He had even paused the mission assigned by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to pursue Dugu Yan. There shouldn't have been any accidents.

However, Dugu Bo's first sentence hit him like a heavy blow.

"Kid, I know the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had you enroll in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy just to get close to my granddaughter, hoping to tie a Title Douluo like me to your clan's war chariot. And it was you who sent word back about the Martial Soul Evolution regarding Yan-yan and me, wasn't it?"

Although the words were phrased as a question, Dugu Bo spoke with absolute certainty.

"Senior... I... I..."

"Kid, I brought you here today just to teach you a lesson. If you dare attempt to get close to Yan-yan again, I will make you wish you were dead!"

"Go back and tell that old dragon: I have now broken through to level 95. If he dares to harbor any more inappropriate thoughts, I will certainly do as I say and leave your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan with only him as a Title Douluo."

"Furthermore, I do not want you to continue your studies by Yan-yan's side. I think you should understand what I mean."

Boom—

A thunderclap exploded in Yu Tianheng's mind.

The mission entrusted to him by the clan was a complete failure, which essentially declared that his competition with Yu Tianxin for the position of Young Clan Master was over. He was effectively out of the running.

Because his branch had produced such an eccentric character as his second uncle, he had almost no support from the elders in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, save for the Sect Master, Yu Yuanzhen. Now, it was all over; once the current Sect Master, Yu Yuanzhen, passed away, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would inevitably fall into the hands of the current Vice Sect Master, Yu Luomian's lineage...

At this moment, Yu Tianheng felt like a sinner against his own family!

Dugu Bo, on the other hand, had not considered these convoluted matters. Seeing Yu Tianheng's look of utter despair, he suddenly felt a sense of boredom.

After spitting in disdain, he turned and walked away with a flourish.

I wonder if that brat Jiang's soul hunting mission is going smoothly. If it weren't for the fact that he is far too old for Yan-yan, he really would have been a suitable candidate for a grandson-in-law.

Sigh—