Tang Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless, as if the aura he had just released had been no more than a casual brush of dust from his sleeve.
There were differences even among Titled Douluo.
For the first time in his long life, Dugu Bo understood that truth with absolute clarity.
He had been confident he could protect himself in front of Chrysanthemum Douluo of Spirit Hall because the gap between them was only three or four levels, and his deadly poison was enough to make the other man think twice.
But this person before him felt completely different—a bottomless abyss looking down on a shallow shoal. They were simply on entirely different levels.
It was over.
All over.
Dugu Bo closed his eyes, his face ashen.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was his only means of suppressing the poison inside him. Without this blessed place, given how often the toxins in his body flared up, he would die suddenly within three to five years at most.
And then there was Yan Yan, his granddaughter, who was only in her teens. The poison in her body was far less severe than his, but without the Immortal Herbs here to suppress it, she would sooner or later follow in his footsteps.
Dugu Bo had spent his whole life striding across the land, never once bowing his head to anyone.
When Spirit Hall tried to recruit him, he had scorned them.
When the Heaven Dou Empire tried to win him over, he had barely given them the time of day.
With his mastery of poison and his Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, he had carved out a bloody path through this dog-eat-dog world, becoming a Titled Douluo whose name resounded across the land.
Yet in the end, he could not even save his own life, much less protect his granddaughter's future.
Just as Dugu Bo sank into utter despair, Jiang Lin's voice rang out, calm and unhurried.
"Uncle Tang, that's enough."
Tang Yuan glanced at Jiang Lin without asking any questions. The aura around him receded, and the terrifying pressure weighing down on Dugu Bo vanished in an instant.
Dugu Bo's body suddenly felt light. He staggered to his feet, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, suspicion and uncertainty still lingering in his jade-green eyes.
He couldn't understand why the young man had suddenly called off the attack. Was he planning to play with his food before killing it?
Jiang Lin took two steps forward, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked at Dugu Bo calmly, speaking as if they were making small talk.
"Poison Douluo, if I'm not mistaken, your Jade Phosphor Snake Poison has long since penetrated deep into your bones. Whenever the weather turns damp, your whole body aches, and your Soul Power grows sluggish.
"Over the years, the poison has continued to eat away at your heart meridians. How many more years do you think you can hold on by suppressing it with this spring?"
Jiang Lin briefly described the symptoms he remembered. He couldn't help it; that was all he could recall from the cheat code. He couldn't remember any more.
But with overwhelming strength on their side, that much was enough.
Sure enough, Dugu Bo's expression changed the instant he heard this.
The backlash from the poison in his body was his greatest secret. Apart from himself, no one in the world knew about it.
He had even kept it from his granddaughter.
How had this young man figured it out?
He looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. How could he see through Dugu Bo's secrets at a glance?
"You..." Dugu Bo's voice was dry and hoarse. "Who exactly are you?"
"Someone who can cure your poison."
Jiang Lin said it in an utterly matter-of-fact tone, as if he were talking about something trivial.
Dugu Bo froze.
A moment later, he let out a hoarse, bitter laugh, disbelief plain in every note.
"Boy, I've studied this poison in my body for decades. I've tried every spirit medicine under the heavens and still found no cure. You're just a greenhorn. What makes you think you can cure it?"
"Believe it or not, without this blessed place, you won't live much longer anyway."
Jiang Lin's tone remained calm, though he was weighing something more dangerous.
Looking at the young man's confident expression, Dugu Bo felt a spark of life stir in his otherwise lifeless heart.
With two Titled Douluo stronger than him standing there, he couldn't imagine why Jiang Lin would need to lie to him.
Besides, there was no fooling him about a cure for poison.
"Then... what do you need me to give in return?"
Dugu Bo knew better than to say something foolish like, "You took my blessed land, so curing my poison is only right."
Fortune belonged to those with "virtue."
Without a doubt, compared to Dugu Bo, Jiang Lin was the one with "virtue."
"It's simple. Swear on your Martial Soul that you'll serve me from now on."
"Serve... you?" Dugu Bo looked Jiang Lin up and down, then glanced at Tang Yuan and Elder Chen behind him.
Two Titled Douluo, one of them a profound and unfathomable powerhouse, were actually willing to follow a Soul Elder boy?
Jiang Lin offered no explanation.
Instead, he secretly sent a message to Elder Chen and Tang Yuan.
The meaning was simple: they couldn't let anyone else learn of this blessed place.
If Dugu Bo refused to pledge his loyalty, then they would have no choice but to...
Dugu Bo fell silent.
He lowered his head and looked at the familiar ground beneath his feet, unable to keep a sigh from rising in his heart.
He had guarded this valley for half his life. Now it was changing hands. It would be a lie to say he was willing.
But he understood even better that, in this situation, the other side had no need to negotiate with him. If both Titled Douluo attacked, he wouldn't even have the chance to fight back.
The fact that they were willing to negotiate with him and cure his poison was already a great courtesy.
What's more, he could die, but Yan Yan could not.
The Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison had not yet completely eaten through her meridians. There was still hope for her.
As long as Yan Yan could be saved, he didn't care whose service these old bones were sold into.
"This old man..." Dugu Bo slowly raised his head, a hint of resolve flashing in his jade-green eyes.
He drew a deep breath, walked over to Jiang Lin, and dropped to one knee. Clasping his hands and bowing his head, he said, "I, Dugu Bo, swear upon my Martial Soul to serve my young lord. Should I break this oath, may I lose all my cultivation and die."
This kneeling was even more solemn than when Tang Yuan had forced him to his knees moments ago.
That time, he had been forced. This time, he had chosen it himself.
Before this young man, he willingly laid down the pride of a Titled Douluo.
Jiang Lin extended a hand as if to help him up.
"Get up. Now that we're on the same side, let me make a few things clear. I don't have many rules for my subordinates. Loyalty is all I ask. Since you're with me, your granddaughter is under my protection too. I'll cure her poison as well."
"Thank you, young lord."
Dugu Bo stood, the grim look on his face fading and giving way to relief.
At last, there was hope of undoing the knot that had tormented him for decades. The shift from despair to a new lease on life seemed to lighten his whole body.
"By the way, from now on, just call me 'young lord.' Calling me 'master' would draw too much attention when I'm only a ten-year-old Soul Elder."
Dugu Bo nodded instinctively at that, then immediately caught the important detail.
"Wait. Young lord, you're only ten?!"
Dugu Bo stared at him in disbelief.
A level-34 Soul Elder at ten years old?
What kind of monstrous cultivation speed was that?
Even Innate Full Soul Power shouldn't be this outrageous, should it?
"All right, the main business is done. Time to take care of the other thing."
Jiang Lin rubbed his hands together and turned toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, with its Taiji-like shape. His eyes shone dazzlingly bright.
He had waited far too long for this day.
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