My Granddaughter Is Qualified for a Title

Dugu Bo took the Purple Poison Dragon Agave and, with his granddaughter back in his arms, followed the instructions of the floral expert Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan to slowly administer the herb to her.

He then assisted his granddaughter in absorbing the herb and clearing the flow of her soul power.

Throughout the process, he could sense that her awakened Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul possessed a faint trace of Jade Scale Snake Poison, yet it caused no backlash; instead, it felt perfectly harmonious with her body, as if they were one from birth.

His granddaughter showed no signs of discomfort.

Perhaps due to her young age, the absorption took a bit longer.

Li Pu and the others went to the side to play a game of Fight the Landlord.

"Three with one."

"Top it!"

"Press it!"

"Pass!"

"Watch this, bomb!"

"Pass..."

Dugu Xin was the first to be cured. Upon realizing he was no longer burdened by the Jade Scale Snake Poison, he wept with joy, knowing he would no longer have to suffer.

"Wuu wuu, I can finally live on."

A lump of mud was tossed at him, followed by a voice: "Your daughter is still refining and absorbing the Immortal Herb. Keep your voice down, we can all hear you here."

Dugu Xin hurriedly covered his mouth and stood up. The emotions on his face grew intense; if not for his daughter's evolution, he would have burst into loud laughter.

A surge of vigorous soul power erupted, and the avatar of a verdant serpent—the emperor of its kind—appeared behind her. Dugu Yan finished absorbing the Immortal Herb and let out a soft, satisfied moan.

It was clear that Dugu Yan's Martial Soul had evolved from a Jade Phosphor Snake into a Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor.

"Grandfather, I feel so comfortable!"

At first, Dugu Bo had been worried, as the toxicity of a Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor far exceeded that of a regular Jade Phosphor Snake.

But seeing that his granddaughter was unaffected, he felt relieved, his eyes brimming with old tears.

While the Jade Phosphor Snake was merely a high-grade Martial Soul, the Snake Emperor was a top-tier one, its quality in no way inferior to the world's strongest beast souls like the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon or the White Tiger.

"Wonderful. From this day on, my granddaughter will never again suffer the agony of the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison backlash."

Dugu Bo no longer cared about the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. If not for Martial Soul Hall, he feared he would have died without finding a proper solution, perhaps even suffering the tragedy of burying his own kin.

His gratitude toward Martial Soul Hall and Li Pu had reached an unparalleled height.

Li Pu then asked Dugu Bo a question: "Let me ask you this: if someone told you the method to cure your poison but hid the true value of these Immortal Herbs from you—all while you already considered them a benefactor and a brother—and you discovered their own companions were improving at a rapid pace while you remained in the dark, what would you think of them?"

"How could such a shameless person exist in this world? Isn't that just swindling someone?" Dugu Bo replied indignantly.

"I would definitely confront them! You took my garden just by giving me a simple cure? How shameless can you be!"

Li Pu chuckled.

In the original story, you never realized it. Even when you saw Tang San's companions improving rapidly, you never suspected it was because of your herb garden.

It led to your family line being cut off, and the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well became something Tang San "discovered" himself, turning it into the Tang family's private backyard.

Although losing the treasure that was the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well felt like his heart was bleeding, Dugu Bo was nonetheless endlessly grateful to Li Pu, at least for not deceiving him like the person in the hypothetical scenario.

Had it truly been someone like that, while it might not have driven him to betrayal, he would have harbored resentment, and upon discovering the deeper truth, he might even have turned to hatred.

"Your granddaughter's soul power is now at level ten. You can let her absorb a suitable soul ring," Bibi Dong reminded him.

Only then did Dugu Bo realize that his precious granddaughter, who originally had an Innate Soul Power of level seven, had reached level ten without any side effects.

"It seems my granddaughter also has the potential to become a Titled Douluo."

"Perhaps one day she will even be able to enter the Worship Hall," Guangling Douluo said with a smile.

Talent determines everything. Dugu Yan, who originally had level seven Innate Soul Power, would likely have peaked at the Soul Douluo level, but after consuming the Immortal Herb, everything changed; an increase in talent meant a higher ceiling for her achievements.

"Thank you, Brother. I will work hard," Dugu Yan said earnestly.

"You know what needs to be done next, so I won't repeat it," Li Pu continued.

"I know. I will tell them. The Dugu Family values reputation above all else; Martial Soul Hall need not worry about us failing to keep our word," Dugu Bo promised once more.

Li Pu naturally believed him; otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed himself to be tied down by Prince Xue Xing over a debt of favor.

When dealing with a man like him, deception and concealment are counterproductive. Conversely, by being open and sincere, one can earn his absolute loyalty.

In the time that followed, Dugu Bo took his son and granddaughter to cultivate, aiming to reach the Titled Douluo level as quickly as possible to join the plan. He also sought to obtain a soul bone for himself to avoid the suffering of the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison and to extend his lifespan.

Li Pu was unsure if Qian Renxue would still proceed with the Nation-Stealing Plan, but there were always other candidates for it.

When news of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well reached Martial Soul Hall, the upper echelons were shaken.

They insisted that such a prime location must be guarded; a poison array maintained by a single Soul Douluo was useless if not constantly monitored. They decided to station at least one or two Titled Douluos there.

Furthermore, the Immortal Herbs—each one capable of cultivating a combatant beyond the level of a Super Douluo—made everyone even more excited.

Even if they didn't have the potential to become gods, they could at least surpass their current limits.

The happiest of all was Chrysanthemum Douluo, for he now had a new Botanical Garden.

As an expert in flora, the position of Botanical Garden director belonged to no one but him.

Li Pu paid no further attention to the matter, yet he remained constantly vigilant against the deity whispering behind Qian Xunji.

As an existence that disrupted the script, he was bound to be corrected, but there had simply been no opportunity to strike.

Li Pu waited slowly until accurate intelligence regarding Tang Hao and the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin was transmitted back to the Martial Soul Hall.

Ever since Tang Hao and the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin had rebelled and fought their way out of the Clear Sky Sect, the entire continent had been hunting Tang Hao, driven by the desire for the hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone at his side.

However, Tang Hao and Ah Yin were too adept at hiding, making it difficult to track their movements.

Compared to having only the Martial Soul Hall searching, having all the forces of the continent join the hunt made things less troublesome, yet it remained as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

Recently, however, information on Tang Hao and the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin had become increasingly frequent, with their locations pinpointed almost without error, to the point where their very martial souls and figures could be clearly identified.

Because of this, many personnel from various factions had perished at their hands.

Li Pu couldn't help but remark, "I truly don't know if you love the Blue Silver Emperor or not. If you love her, why would you plant her in a sunless cave later on? And if you don't, why would you cruelly kill your own kin for her sake?"

"I believe we shall have the answer soon enough!"

Bonus chapter!

ps: Finally almost there.