Beginning Cultivation! Astonishing Speed!

Dugu Bo shook his head. His fingers brushed over the green robes before settling on a Profound Black Robe at the very back.

This robe had been made years ago, yet he had never worn it.

Black was too gloomy. It did not suit his past tastes.

But tonight, he took it out without hesitation.

The Profound Black Robe was made of exquisite fabric, edged with gold embroidery and flowing dark patterns, understated yet noble.

Dugu Bo draped the robe over himself, fastened his belt, and stood before the bronze mirror.

The man in the mirror made him pause slightly.

Thick black hair fell over his shoulders, without a single strand of silver.

His sword-like brows swept toward his temples, his nose was high and straight, and his lips sharply defined.

His Dark Golden Dragon Eyes were as deep as an abyss, radiating an innate majesty.

The face once covered in wrinkles and sickly iron-blue had become smooth and firm, brimming with vitality and bearing a healthy flush.

This was not an old man.

This was a middle-aged man at the peak of his prime.

Thirty?

Forty?

It was impossible to tell.

Yet there was not the slightest trace of age on that face—only maturity, steadiness, and the noble bearing of an emperor.

Dugu Bo slowly turned his body, scrutinizing his reflection.

The Profound Black Robe made him look like an emperor descended from Nine Nether.

Black was not gloomy, but profound.

It was not concealment, but majesty.

"This is so much better than those green robes..."

"This is what suits my current status!"

"Profound black suits my temperament far better!"

The corners of Dugu Bo's lips rose into a satisfied smile.

This black attire perfectly matched the aura of the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Martial Soul.

Netherworld. Nobility. Mystery. Untouchable.

He raised a finger and lightly flicked his sleeve.

His Dark Golden Dragon Eyes met his own gaze in the bronze mirror.

"From this day onward, I, Dugu Bo, am no longer that sinister, vicious Old Poisoner."

"I am..."

"The Nine Nether Dragon Emperor."

Dawn broke.

Morning light filtered through the window lattice into the bedroom, spreading a pale golden glow across the floor.

Dugu Bo stood before the window, his Profound Black Robe giving off a dark sheen in the morning light.

He had not slept all night, yet he did not feel the slightest fatigue.

On the contrary, he was brimming with energy. His blood surged through him, and his entire body was filled with inexhaustible strength.

That was the benefit of being tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation.

The leap in his level of life had completely freed him from the sleep and rest ordinary people required.

Although Soul Masters could already replace sleep with meditation.

This was even more complete.

"Today is Yan Yan's final day at school. She'll be on break and back tomorrow."

Dugu Bo murmured softly, a trace of tenderness flashing through his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

Dugu Yan was his last remaining family.

His son and daughter-in-law had already died from the Backlash Poison of the Jade Python Snake Emperor. He could not allow his granddaughter to suffer the same fate.

In the original story, Dugu Yan's poison was even more severe than his.

She had been steeped in virulent poison from the fetal stage onward. It had seeped into her bones, even changing the color of her eyes.

If she was not treated, she would never live past thirty.

But now, Dugu Bo had a solution.

The Aromatic Silk Beauty within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes had been prepared for Dugu Yan.

That immortal herb could purge toxins and improve the quality of her Martial Soul. It was practically tailor-made for Dugu Yan.

"No rush. She'll be back tomorrow. I'll take her to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes myself then."

Dugu Bo suppressed the urgency in his heart and decided to make good use of this day to cultivate.

The Nine Nether Divine Dragon Martial Soul had only just awakened, and his grasp of this new power was still far from sufficient.

There were nine dimensions of Netherworld Power.

Nether Poison, Nether Earth, Nether Thunder, Nether Cold, Nether Domain, Nether Might, Nether Soul, Nether Silence, and Nether Annihilation. Each required time to comprehend and become familiar with.

Besides, although his Soul Power had broken through to rank ninety-three, that was the result of the Heavenly Tribulation's tempering. He had not yet truly adapted to the power of this level.

"Perfect. I'll use this day to see just how fast the Nine Nether Divine Dragon cultivates."

Dugu Bo turned and walked toward the Meditation Room.

The Meditation Room was located in the deepest part of the estate, surrounded by formations that blocked sound and spiritual detection.

Although such formations were practically useless against experts at the Title Douluo level, they could at least ensure that ordinary people would not disturb him.

Dugu Bo sat down cross-legged, resting his hands naturally on his knees as he slowly closed his eyes.

The Nine Nether Divine Dragon Martial Soul slumbered within his body. Its black dragon form was coiled within the Martial Soul's origin, surrounded by dark purple Nether Qi.

Dugu Bo sank his consciousness into his body and began circulating his Soul Power.

In the past, his cultivation method had been a poison art passed down through the Jade Python Snake lineage.

Nourishing the soul with poison, and nurturing power with the soul.

This method carried enormous side effects, and the Backlash Poison was the best proof of that.

But now that his Martial Soul had evolved into the Nine Nether Divine Dragon, his former cultivation technique was naturally no longer suitable.

He needed to explore a new method of cultivation.

"I'll start with the most basic circulation of Soul Power."

Dugu Bo guided the Soul Power within his body, slowly sending it through his meridians.

His Soul Power was as viscous as mercury. After being tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation, its quality had risen severalfold. It circulated much more slowly than before, but each cycle brought benefits far beyond the past.

One cycle.

Two cycles.

Three cycles.

Dugu Bo discovered in shock that after only three cycles, his Soul Power had grown by an amount he could perceive.

Though minuscule, it was undeniably growing!

One had to know that at the Title Douluo level, the growth of Soul Power was extremely slow.

An ordinary Title Douluo might need several years to advance from rank ninety-two to rank ninety-three.

Yet he had risen from rank ninety-two to rank ninety-three in less than a night.

That had been the Heavenly Tribulation's doing, so it could not be considered normal cultivation.

But now, merely by circulating his Soul Power himself, he could perceive growth after three cycles.

What did that mean?

It meant that the cultivation speed of the Nine Nether Divine Dragon was dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of times faster than that of the Jade Python Snake Emperor!

"This is too absurd..."

Dugu Bo suppressed his shock and continued circulating his Soul Power.

Ten cycles.

Twenty cycles.

Fifty cycles.

Every cycle brought a small amount of growth, and those gains accumulated into substantial progress.

At this rate, he might reach the threshold of a rank ninety-five Super Douluo in just a few years.

But just as Dugu Bo immersed himself in cultivation, an abrupt change occurred.

The Nine Nether Divine Dragon Martial Soul within his body suddenly awakened.

It was not the passive, natural reaction triggered by the circulation of Soul Power.

It was... an active awakening.

As though something was calling to it.

Dugu Bo's consciousness jolted.

He felt that deep within the Martial Soul's origin, a door... had opened.

No, it was not a door.

It was more like a passage.

A passage connecting his Martial Soul to some distant space.

"What is this...?"

Before Dugu Bo could react, an irresistible force dragged his consciousness through that passage.

The world spun.

Darkness and light intertwined.

It felt as though he had crossed endless space, yet also as though only an instant had passed.

When Dugu Bo's spiritual form opened its eyes again, he discovered that he was no longer in the Meditation Room.