"Martial Soul Evolution?" Dugu Bo was stunned when he heard the explanation. "I've lived for nearly eighty years, and I've never heard of anything so extraordinary."
"Senior Dugu, the world is vast, and strange things abound. Have you ever heard of a Mutated Martial Soul?" Chu Qing asked.
"Of course." Dugu Bo had heard of Mutated Martial Souls.
"If a Martial Soul can mutate, then why can't it evolve?" Chu Qing said earnestly, his eyes shining.
Seeing that Dugu Bo still looked unconvinced, Chu Qing said no more. He entered the herb garden and began searching for his target. It didn't take long for a strangely shaped herb to catch his eye. It was green all over, but had three snow-white leaves in the center, with several drops of dew nestled between them. It was a peculiar sight. Chu Qing's eyes lit up. "That's the one! Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew!"
Right in front of Dugu Bo, he plucked the herb and tipped the dew into his mouth. A cool sensation swept through his body at once. Chu Qing immediately sat cross-legged, circulated his Soul Power, and began absorbing the Immortal Herb with all his might.
Before long, he had finished absorbing it. Chu Qing opened his eyes, and a sharp glint seemed to shoot from them. His eyes looked no different on the surface, but his eyesight and physique had both improved by a whole level!
Chu Qing then checked the fluctuations of Soul Power within his body. "Twenty-eighth level!" Just one Immortal Herb had raised his Soul Power by three levels!
Watching this, Dugu Bo sensed the fluctuations in Chu Qing's Soul Power and exclaimed in surprise, "This thing has such powerful effects! I've cultivated this herb garden for decades. It seems I've been sitting on a mountain of treasures without even knowing it!" A trace of greed immediately appeared in his eyes. His gaze toward Chu Qing also turned inscrutable.
Chu Qing had expected this. The old man was no good, and seeing him eat an Immortal Herb would naturally make him covet it. He spoke unhurriedly. "Kill me, and even if you got the Immortal Herbs, you still wouldn't know how to take them. You'd best not try anything underhanded! Besides, every Immortal Herb has its own proper way of being picked and consumed. If you handle them carelessly, you'll only get the opposite effect!"
Dugu Bo was at a loss for words. He replied awkwardly, "Young man, don't get the wrong idea. I don't have any other intentions. Just tell me how to take them."
Compared to the Immortal Herbs, Dugu Bo was more concerned with his granddaughter's life. If the method this boy described really worked, he wouldn't hesitate to give him the entire herb garden!
Only then did Chu Qing find an Earth Dragon Golden Melon in the garden and teach Dugu Bo how to absorb it.
Dugu Bo's face lit up. He hurriedly took it, circulated his Soul Power, and began absorbing the Immortal Herb.
Taking advantage of the moment, Chu Qing got up and walked over to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He could barely hide his delight!
The Infernal Delicate Apricot was what he truly wanted! It would greatly benefit his Void Devouring Flame. If he absorbed it, his Void Devouring Flame might undergo another transformation!
"There's no time to lose!" Chu Qing immediately reached out and picked up the fiery-red Immortal Herb, which looked like a cabbage. Though it radiated scorching heat, Chu Qing was unharmed.
After all, the Void Devouring Flame had tempered his body. Ordinary flames and high temperatures couldn't hurt him.
"Will it evolve some new traits this time?" Chu Qing gazed eagerly at the Immortal Herb before him. No longer hesitating, he shoved the whole thing into his mouth!
In an instant, a scorching aura enveloped his entire body. A blazing heat swept through him, surging into Chu Qing's meridians and charging wildly in every direction. From the outside, one could see several fiery-red patterns appear on Chu Qing's fair skin. They looked exceedingly strange.
Dugu Bo had finished refining his herb as well. He sensed the aura within himself and nodded with satisfaction!
He had never imagined that a child not even ten years old could actually resolve the deadly poison that had plagued his family for generations!
His Martial Soul had indeed evolved! It had evolved into a Jade Scale Golden Dragon!
His long green hair had turned golden, and the deadly poison that had tormented him all his life had naturally dissipated. His strength had also increased!
He let out a long howl, feeling an indescribable sense of exhilaration throughout his body!
"Hahahaha! The young are truly formidable! You really are something, boy! You..." Dugu Bo had just started speaking when he saw Chu Qing, his whole body glowing fiery red. His clothes had long since burned away, and his fair body was covered in strange patterns of black flame. Clumps of black fire had gathered beside him, thick as honey and radiating scorching heat.
Even stranger, the ground around them suddenly split open in crack after crack, and enormous pillars of magma, several meters thick, surged out and rushed toward Chu Qing, circling around the black flames.
Strangely, the space surrounding the black flames seemed to collapse. The moment a pillar of magma came within two meters of Chu Qing, it vanished. It wasn't evaporated or melted. It simply disappeared, as if it had been sent into the void.
"What kind of monster is this? He's actually summoned such a world-shaking phenomenon!" Even this old man couldn't do something like that! Dugu Bo cried out in shock.
"And that flame is so fierce, yet this boy is completely unharmed?"
"Enough. I'll stand guard for you!" Dugu Bo circulated his Soul Power, enveloping the area to prevent any mishaps.
By now, Ning Fengzhi and the others had also found the entrance to Sunset Forest. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo accompanied him, along with squads of the sect's armed guards, who kept watch over their surroundings. Ning Rongrong was with them too. Worried about Chu Qing, she had insisted on coming along.
The day before, when Chu Qing had still not returned, Ning Fengzhi had sent people to make inquiries. After several twists and turns, he learned that Dugu Bo had taken Chu Qing by force.
The world-shaking phenomenon at the center of Sunset Forest was still continuing, and Dugu Bo's Soul Power shrouded the area. Ning Fengzhi was extremely anxious.
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, let's go! No matter what, we have to save Xiao Qing!"
With that, he headed toward the phenomenon. Dugu Bo had naturally sensed the unusual auras too, and appeared before them.
He glanced at the two men behind Ning Fengzhi, as well as the hundreds of disciples, then asked, "Sect Master Ning, what brings you here today with such a large force, to my place of secluded cultivation?"
"Poison Douluo, I mean no offense. I only wanted to ask whether a young man came to your residence as a guest yesterday."
Dugu Bo understood.
"There is indeed a young man here, but he's cultivating right now and can't come out just yet."
Hearing this, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo stepped forward, their eyes fixed coldly on Dugu Bo.
"Bah! You old geezer! Hand over Brother Chu Qing!" Ning Rongrong suddenly stepped forward and shouted angrily.
"Hey, Rongrong! You mustn't be rude to our senior!" Ning Fengzhi hurriedly tried to stop her, but Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo continued staring straight at Dugu Bo.
"Hmph! I'm the dignified Poison Douluo. You think I'd lie to you? If I'd wanted to kill him, he'd have been dead last night!" Dugu Bo shouted angrily.
Ning Fengzhi frowned. He didn't entirely trust the infamous Poison Douluo either.
For a moment, the air between both sides crackled with tension.