School Begins!

All four of them were combat-type soul masters. Not a single one could heal.

Though with Dugu Bo's strength, few people could injure him.

But what about Yan Yan?

What about Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er?

Yan Yan needed healing. The latter two did not.

Moreover, once the Nine Nether Hall expanded in the future and recruited more members, healing-type soul masters would become indispensable.

Ye Lingling was the most suitable candidate.

She was Yan Yan's close friend, so there was already a natural foundation of trust.

Her Martial Soul was the Nine Heart Begonia, and her healing abilities were unrivaled across the continent.

Her life was shrouded by a curse, and she desperately needed an opportunity to change her fate.

And Dugu Bo happened to be able to offer her that opportunity.

"Once the seed sprouts, once it grows, once it blooms..."

Dugu Bo's gaze fell upon that patch of earth, and a profound glint flashed through his dark golden dragon eyes.

"Then I'll go have a talk with Ye Lingling."

"Not as Dugu Bo, but as the Nine Nether Hall Master."

"I'll give her a chance to choose."

"Join the Nine Nether Hall and remove the curse on her Martial Soul."

"As for whether she chooses to..."

The corners of Dugu Bo's lips rose slightly.

"That is her business."

"But no one has ever refused an opportunity this old man offered."

He turned and walked toward the other side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, then sat cross-legged on a bluish stone.

The Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art began to circulate, and Netherworld Power flowed slowly through his body.

Cultivation could not stop.

Meanwhile, the earth where the Nine Hearts Begonia Seed had been buried was quietly undergoing changes, nourished by the spiritual energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes and secretly bolstered by Dugu Bo's Nine Nether Power.

Within the seed, that dormant life energy pulsed with increasing strength.

As if responding to Dugu Bo's expectations.

Or as if preparing for its own rebirth.

Time passed quickly.

The three-month break came to an end in the blink of an eye.

Within the valley of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, Dugu Yan stood beside the spring. Her emerald hair drifted gently through the mist, while the Jade Scale Dragon Martial Soul flickered in and out of view behind her.

Her aura was far stronger than it had been three months earlier. She had undergone earthshaking changes, inside and out.

Dugu Bo stood before her, his dark golden dragon eyes examining his granddaughter from head to toe. A trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.

Three months ago, Yan Yan had only been a level thirty-four Soul Elder. Her Martial Soul had been the most ordinary Jade Python Snake, and he had needed to suppress her poison every month. She would not have lived past thirty.

Now, she was already a level forty-five Soul Ancestor. Her fourth Soul Ring was a ten-thousand-year purple ring, her Martial Soul had evolved into the Jade Scale Dragon comparable to the Golden Sacred Dragon, and the Backlash Poison had been completely purified, becoming the source of her most terrifying power.

Most importantly, both her physique and spiritual power had improved enormously. The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew Pill had made her spiritual power increasingly formidable, while Whale Rubber and the Singular Velvet Pill had made her body far stronger than those of her peers. She could now even challenge Soul Kings above her level directly.

As for the other pills, he had not let her take them yet.

Her advancement had been too fast. That would not be good.

It would not be too late for her to take them later.

Dugu Yan was also looking at her grandfather.

Three months ago, he had still been a white-haired, wrinkled old man with a hunched back, tortured beyond recognition by the Backlash Poison.

Now, he had regained the appearance of a middle-aged man. His profound black robe accentuated an emperor-like air of dignity. Though her grandfather had not said it outright, she could sense that his transformation was even greater than hers.

"Grandfather, I should go."

Dugu Yan spoke, a trace of reluctance in her voice.

Dugu Bo nodded. "Today is the first day of school. Don't be late."

Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er stood not far away, quietly watching their daughter.

Their eyes were also filled with reluctance.

These three months had been the first time their family of three had reunited since being separated for ten years.

Though her parents now possessed Undead Bodies, though their eyes had turned deep purple, though they no longer needed food or water, they were real. They had consciousness, memories, and emotions.

Dugu Yan walked over and hugged her father first, then her mother.

"Father, Mother, I'll come back often."

Dugu Xin reached out and stroked his daughter's head, his deep purple eyes brimming with gentleness. "Cultivate well. Don't make your mother and me worry."

Holding her daughter's hand, Lin Wan'er reminded her, "Be careful at the academy. Don't force yourself. If you run into something you can't handle, go find your grandfather."

Dugu Yan nodded firmly, released her parents' hands, and turned to Dugu Bo's side.

"Grandfather, let's go."

Dugu Bo wrapped an arm around his granddaughter's shoulders. Deep purple Nether Qi lifted their bodies, and they flew out of the valley.

Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er remained where they were, watching as the figures of their father and daughter vanished into the sky.

Lin Wan'er's eyes reddened slightly. Dugu Xin took her hand and comforted her silently.

Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Today was the first day of school, and the academy gates were exceptionally lively.

Carriages stopped one after another outside the entrance, while finely dressed children of noble families entered the campus in groups of three or five.

Dugu Bo did not escort his granddaughter inside. Instead, he descended into a secluded alley outside the academy.

"Grandfather will see you off here," Dugu Bo said. "Go in yourself."

Dugu Yan nodded. Just as she was about to turn around, she stopped again.

"Grandfather, what should I say if someone asks about the changes I've undergone these past three months?"

The corners of Dugu Bo's lips lifted slightly, and a wise glint flashed through his dark golden dragon eyes.

"Tell them what we planned before."

Dugu Yan froze.

Dugu Bo continued, "You followed your grandfather into the Star Dou Great Forest for three months of training, encountered a fortuitous opportunity, and your cultivation soared. Your fourth Soul Ring came from a ten-thousand-year poisonous plant-type Soul Beast that your grandfather hunted for you. Plant-type Soul Beasts are gentler than animal-type ones, so you only succeeded by luck."

Dugu Yan thought about it, then asked uncertainly, "Will they believe that?"

Dugu Bo smiled, a trace of chill flashing through his dark golden dragon eyes. "Whether they believe it is their business. If anyone dares question it, tell them to come find Grandfather."

Dugu Yan could not help but laugh.

That was right. Who would dare question a Titled Douluo?

"Go on." Dugu Bo patted his granddaughter's shoulder.

Dugu Yan took a deep breath and turned toward the academy gates.

After taking a few steps, she looked back once more, only to find that her grandfather had already disappeared.

She withdrew her gaze, determination flashing in her emerald dragon eyes.

Her grandfather was right. She was not an ordinary student. She was Dugu Bo's granddaughter and the wielder of the Jade Scale Dragon.

She did not need to care about anyone else's gaze. She only needed to walk her own path.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the Imperial Dou Team's training grounds.

When Dugu Yan pushed open the door and entered, all the team members had already arrived.

The captain, Yu Tianheng, stood in the center of the field. The lightning power of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul flowed around him, making him resemble a ferocious beast.

The Black Tortoise duo, the Shi Brothers, were both defense-type soul masters. They were massive, and wherever they stood, they looked like two walls.

Osler, whose Martial Soul was the Ghost Leopard, was an agility attack-type soul master.

Yu Feng, whose Martial Soul was the Wind Bell Bird, was also an agility attack-type soul master.

And there was Ye Lingling, the support-type soul master. Wearing a veil, she stood quietly in the corner, with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul faintly visible behind her.

Dugu Yan swept her gaze over the group and discovered that everyone was studying her.