Sparring with Dugu Xin

Seven-Star Begonia?

Yu Hong's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew of this poisonous herb; it was a lethal substance said to kill people without them even realizing it, leaving them with a smile on their faces and no signs of poisoning whatsoever.

Dugu Bo was likely searching for this herb to refine his poisons.

However, that had nothing to do with him.

"Seven-Star Begonia?" Yu Hong feigned ignorance. "What is that?"

"A type of poisonous herb," Dugu Bo replied curtly, offering no further explanation.

Yu Hong did not press the matter, continuing to eat the roasted meat in his hands.

After finishing the meal, the three of them sat around the campfire and chatted.

Dugu Xin was very interested in Yu Hong and asked him many questions.

"Little Brother Yu Hong, what is your martial soul?"

"An egg," Yu Hong replied.

"An egg?" Dugu Xin was stunned. "What kind of egg?"

"I don't know." Yu Hong shrugged. "It's just an egg, and I have no idea what's inside it."

Dugu Xin looked bewildered, completely at a loss for how to respond.

A martial soul that is an egg? What kind of bizarre martial soul was that?

Dugu Bo, however, became interested and asked, "Could you let me see it?"

Yu Hong thought for a moment and nodded.

He extended his hand, and the White Stone of the Ancients martial soul manifested.

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully examined the martial soul.

"Interesting," Dugu Bo muttered to himself. "This martial soul... I have never seen it before."

"Father, can you tell anything about it?" Dugu Xin asked curiously.

Dugu Bo shook his head. "I cannot. However, this martial soul gives me a very peculiar feeling, as if it contains some kind of powerful energy."

"Little Brother Yu Hong, your martial soul is very special," Dugu Bo said earnestly. "Cultivate it well, and you will surely achieve great things in the future."

"Many thanks for your kind words, Senior," Yu Hong said politely as he retracted his martial soul.

Dugu Xin listened from the side, stunned and unable to get a word in.

His martial soul was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, inherited from his father; while it was quite decent, it seemed to pale in comparison to such a mysterious martial soul as Yu Hong's.

"By the way, Little Brother Yu Hong, how long do you plan to stay in this forest?" Dugu Bo asked.

"A few more days," Yu Hong said. "I'll head back once I feel I've had enough."

"That works out well," Dugu Bo nodded. "We also intend to stay in this forest for a while. If you don't mind, we could travel together for these next few days."

Yu Hong thought about it and nodded in agreement.

With an expert like Dugu Bo by his side, he could venture deeper into the forest and encounter stronger spirit beasts.

This would be a good thing for his training.

"That's great!" Dugu Xin cheered. "Little Brother Yu Hong, from now on, we're friends!"

"Mm," Yu Hong nodded.

This Dugu Xin might be a bit of a chatterbox, but he seemed like a decent person.

Making a friend wouldn't hurt.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting mottled light and shadows upon the ground.

The three sat around the campfire, eating a simple breakfast.

The breakfast was a century-old Groundhog that Yu Hong had hunted the night before; although the meat wasn't as good as the Fire-Tailed Pheasant, it tasted quite decent once roasted and seasoned.

Dugu Xin gnawed on his roasted meat while secretly observing Yu Hong.

He had tossed and turned in the tree hollow all night, unable to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts about Yu Hong.

This youth, a year younger than himself, dared to train alone in the forest and appeared to be handling it with ease.

In contrast, he was a level twenty-two spirit master who still needed his father to accompany him when going out.

Was the gap really that wide?

"Little Brother Yu Hong," Dugu Xin suddenly spoke up, his eyes bright as he looked at Yu Hong. "I have a proposal, what do you think?"

"What proposal?" Yu Hong took a bite of his roasted meat and asked casually.

"Let's spar!" Dugu Xin said excitedly. "I want to see just how strong you really are!"

Yu Hong stopped chewing and glanced at Dugu Xin.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Dugu Xin patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you; I won't hurt you."

The corners of Yu Hong's mouth twitched slightly.

The way he said that, it was as if he were certain he would win.

"Fine." Yu Hong nodded. "We'll spar after we finish eating."

"Great!" Dugu Xin cheered, speeding up his eating.

Dugu Bo sat to the side, remaining silent.

He was actually quite curious to see exactly how much weight this young man, who dared to train alone in the forest, really carried.

After breakfast, the three of them arrived at a relatively open clearing.

This clearing was about twenty meters square, covered in green grass and surrounded by tall trees, forming a natural arena.

"What are the rules?" Yu Hong asked.

"Just stop when the point is made." Dugu Xin flexed his wrists. "Whoever admits defeat first or loses the ability to fight, loses."

"That works." Yu Hong nodded.

The two stood their ground, about ten meters apart.

Dugu Bo stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed, watching the scene with interest.

"Little brother Yu Hong, I'm coming for you!" Dugu Xin shouted, his soul power surging as two soul rings rose from beneath his feet.

One yellow, one yellow—two century-level soul rings.

At the same time, his body began to change.

Faint, emerald-green scales appeared on his skin, his pupils turned into slits, and his tongue became thin and long, flicking out periodically with a hissing sound.

Dugu Xin's legs fused together into a thick snake tail; he was now no different from a snake-man.

This was the effect of Martial Soul Possession.

Dugu Xin's martial soul was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Although it could not compare to his father's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, it was still a rather impressive martial soul.

"Come on!" Dugu Xin struck a combat pose, his eyes full of confidence.

He was a level twenty-two soul master, a full eleven levels higher than Yu Hong!

He was guaranteed to win this spar!

Yu Hong stood where he was, neither releasing his martial soul nor his soul rings, simply watching Dugu Xin quietly.

"Little brother Yu Hong, why aren't you releasing your martial soul?" Dugu Xin asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Not necessary," Yu Hong said indifferently.

"What?" Dugu Xin froze for a moment, then grew somewhat annoyed. "Are you looking down on me?"

"I'm not looking down on you." Yu Hong shook his head. "I just want to see if I can fight you without using my martial soul."

Dugu Xin's expression turned ugly.

He wanted to fight him without using his martial soul?

If that wasn't looking down on him, what was?

"Fine! Since you're so confident, I'll let you see what I'm capable of!"

Dugu Xin let out a loud shout, his figure flashing as he charged toward Yu Hong.

He was very fast; thanks to the bonuses from Martial Soul Possession, he arrived in front of Yu Hong in the blink of an eye.

"First soul skill, Jade Phosphorous Breath!"