Hardening Against Dugu Bo

The treatment on the second day neared its end.

Murong Ci helped the trembling Dugu Yan to her feet.

Her legs were still shaking, her palms clinging to Murong Ci's shoulders.

Murong Ci casually reached out and patted her shoulder.

He gestured grandly as if he were a brother he hadn't seen in ages.

"You should head back now. You've been here long enough. Go back and digest what you've learned; there's only a tiny bit of residual poison left. Rest for a few days, and if it's still not right, come back."

Dugu Yan lowered her head slightly, clutching the hem of her dress, looking somewhat upset.

"Oh."

She walked away with her head down, not looking back at him again.

Step by step, her little white shoes peeked out from under her skirt as she moved slowly.

Mud clung to the surface of her shoes.

Murong Ci sighed softly and turned to look toward the cliff peak.

A dark green figure landed silently beside the spring of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, staring at Murong Ci, his expression unreadable.

"Senior Dugu, Dugu Yan's poison is no longer a concern. She will fully recover after a few days of rest, so you can rest easy."

Dugu Bo held out his palm, signaling him to stop.

"Kid, you've taken so many of my immortal herbs, and I haven't even settled the score with you yet."

Murong Ci was slightly stunned, seemingly not understanding the meaning behind his words.

"What do you mean? Didn't you say I could take whatever I wanted?"

Dugu Bo laughed toward the sky, his laughter filled with mockery and an indescribable nuance.

"I did say you could take them, but there is a price to pay. I won't hold it against you since you cured my granddaughter, but you should have heard the saying, 'there is no such thing as a free lunch.'"

At this, Murong Ci dropped his reserved demeanor.

He finally understood the hidden meaning in Dugu Bo's words.

"Oh? Does Senior wish to test this junior's abilities?"

Dugu Bo's smile widened as he shot him a glance.

"Clever, truly clever. Just how old are you, kid?"

Murong Ci pondered for a moment.

"Almost thirteen? Not quite yet."

Dugu Bo drew a sharp breath.

If this person could become his grandson-in-law...

Dugu Bo coughed twice, changing the subject.

"Back to the point. Your talent is unprecedented, and there will likely be no one like you in the future."

"However, since you took my immortal herbs, I naturally cannot give them to you for nothing. I will give you three trials. If you pass, I will follow your lead; if you fail, heh..."

There was no need to guess; failing meant death.

[This is good. It's a perfect way to test your current strength. I won't intervene.]

Murong Ci kept one hand in his pocket and raised the other, beckoning Dugu Bo.

"Good lad! In all my years, no one has ever dared to provoke me like this. You are the first!"

As he finished speaking, Dugu Bo struck out with a palm, the air emitting a low, explosive sound, with toxins manifesting wherever it passed.

However, Murong Ci noticed that this strike held back its full force.

Clearly, Dugu Bo was afraid of killing him with one blow, which would ruin the fun.

Seeing this, Murong Ci dodged to the side, his backhand coated in a cold light as ice-blue soul power gathered in his hand, condensing into specks of frost.

He struck toward Dugu Bo's forearm!

A Soul Elder would never dare to be careless against a Title Douluo, so he had to use his full strength.

Dugu Bo took the hit head-on and let out a surprised "Eh?"

Normally, even with an elemental advantage, a Soul Elder shouldn't be able to make a Title Douluo feel pain.

Yet, Dugu Bo's forearm was slightly trembling and numb.

Interesting.

Dugu Bo thought to himself.

This little monster truly couldn't be measured by conventional logic.

"You kid really are a monster. Not bad, your talent exceeds my expectations. Next, I'm going to play for real!"

Dugu Bo finished speaking and extended his right palm, a layer of pale green light covering his entire hand.

"This old man's second strike is imbued with the Jade Phosphorous Serpent venom, my very own source poison. Brace yourself!"

This is truly pushing you toward a dead end; give it everything you have.

Murong Ci did not hesitate any longer, and the second soul ring on his body suddenly flashed.

Ice Scorpion Pincer was activated at full power, holding nothing back.

It still wasn't enough; a full-force strike from a Title Douluo, augmented by a soul skill, was not so easily parried.

Water generates wood.

This was the first time Murong Ci had conceived the idea of combining wood and ice.

Within the Five Elements, they complement each other; if he used the Ice Scorpion Pincer, which was essentially a water-attribute soul skill, as a catalyst.

And then stimulated the release of Hundred Years in an Instant, which possessed the ultimate wood attribute, the power might be even more immense!

A good idea; practice is the true test.

The system's encouraging voice rang out, strengthening Murong Ci's resolve.

Then let's do it!

Murong Ci gathered all his soul power once again into his right hand, which was currently manifesting the Ice Scorpion Pincer.

In an instant, the ice scorpion claw that had formed on his right arm erupted with a deep green glow.

Hundred Years in an Instant activated!

Moreover, it was a fused soul skill catalyzed by the Five Elements.

The power was self-evident!

Dugu Bo was clearly taken aback for a moment; he never expected a soul master to be capable of releasing a "stacked soul skill!"

Distracted for a split second, he found himself caught in the illusion of Hundred Years in an Instant.

Of course, the "stacked soul skill" Murong Ci unleashed with his full soul power was indeed formidable, but the consumption of soul power was equally massive.

Furthermore, his opponent was a Title Douluo.

The gap in the total volume of soul power was simply too vast.

Hundred Years in an Instant barely lasted for a second before it failed.

Murong Ci collapsed heavily to the ground, dropping to one knee as he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale.

Yet, his face was brimming with a smile.

His own strength had ascended to another level.

He felt even more confident about dealing with the Five Elements Academies exchange tournament a month from now!

He believed he would definitely win the championship! To bring glory to Huo Wu! To bring glory to the academy!

Dugu Bo had also recovered from the state of Hundred Years in an Instant.

His eyes were filled with immense shock.

He had actually been injured by him?!

A Title Douluo being wounded by a Soul Elder—if word got out, people would laugh.

However, Dugu Bo did not care; his reputation in the Douluo World was not exactly stellar to begin with.

Being able to make friends with such a genius now, the excitement in his heart outweighed everything else.

"You... truly are a little monster. You are even more shocking to this old man than the Golden Sacred Dragon displayed by those three last night."

Murong Ci was stunned.

Golden Sacred Dragon? Wasn't that the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of that trash Gangzi?

"You fought the Golden Iron Triangle?"

Murong Ci asked in surprise, his eyes filled with confusion. Logically speaking, he should have prevented Tang San from meeting Dugu Bo.

The three of them shouldn't have fought Dugu Bo at all.

"They have a disciple named Tang San; his talent is also top-tier, though far inferior to yours. However, that brat dared to call this old man's poison trash—unforgivable."

Murong Ci nodded slightly. It seemed he had successfully prevented the cooperation between Tang San and Dugu Bo, and had even, unknowingly, caused their relationship to deteriorate.

"You should let him go. He just has a sharp tongue and is too arrogant, but his heart isn't too bad. Avoid inviting trouble later on."

"Oh? You know him?"

Murong Ci finally stood up, trembling, his footsteps unsteady.

"I don't know him, I've just heard of him."

"I can let him go, but little monster, have you forgotten one thing?"

At this moment, Dugu Bo also stood up and adjusted his state, though Murong Ci was in a much more wretched condition than him.

"This old man said there were three trials; this was only the second."