"Let me try!"
Yu Tianlong's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a boulder dropped into a still lake, sending up a thousand ripples.
Dugu Bo whipped around. His emerald eyes fixed on the boy, who was barely six years old. First came shock, then an almost absurd fury.
"You? Try what? Do you know what's happening inside Ce'er right now? He's suffering from the deadly poison of a Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Phosphorus Snake, combined with Soul Power running wild! Even a Soul Saint wouldn't dare touch it lightly! What could a little kid like you possibly do?!"
His words were harsh, but his anxiety was plain to see. This was his only son, the sole continuation of the Dugu Family's bloodline.
Dugu Bo had made countless enemies in his youth, and his foes were scattered across the continent. His wife had died young, leaving him with only this son to depend on.
Dugu Ce had only recently married, and his daughter-in-law was already pregnant. Dugu Bo had been eagerly looking forward to holding his grandchild. If something happened to Dugu Ce here, what use would it be to slaughter every snake-type Soul Beast in the Star Dou Forest?
"Senior Dugu, I'm not making an idle claim." Yu Tianlong's expression remained unchanged. He met Dugu Bo's murderous gaze without flinching.
"My Martial Soul is rather unusual. I'm naturally immune to poison. Perhaps I can draw out the excess poison in your son's body and ease the pressure of the backlash."
"Immune to poison?" Dugu Bo furrowed his brows, casting a doubtful glance at the little silver-white beast on Yu Tianlong's shoulder. "And you're counting on that... pig-like Martial Soul?"
Sensing the doubt in Dugu Bo's gaze, Little Silver let out an indignant "oink," puffed out its little chest, and flashed a defiant glint in its glassy eyes.
Yu Yuanzhen stepped forward and spoke gravely.
"Brother Dugu, Tianlong really is rather unusual. Just now, he used his First Soul Ring to absorb a Thousand-Year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, then used that Soul Skill to kill a Thousand-Year Green Wind Wolf with one blow. His Martial Soul is nothing like an ordinary Luo Sanpao. Perhaps he really does have a way. Your son's condition is critical, so... why not let him try?"
Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with shock. A Thousand-Year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear as a First Soul Ring? Killing a Thousand-Year Green Wind Wolf with one blow? What did that even mean?
He had lived for half a lifetime and had never heard of any genius absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring for their First Soul Ring, crossing an entire level to do so! Just what kind of Martial Soul did this boy have?
He looked down at Dugu Ce, whose breathing was growing weaker and whose face had turned black, then looked up at Yu Tianlong's clear, resolute eyes. At last, he gritted his teeth.
"Fine! If you can truly save my son, I, Dugu Bo, will owe you my life! Whatever you ask of me, I'll brave fire and water without hesitation!"
"Senior Dugu, you're too kind." Yu Tianlong waved a hand, crouched down, and set Little Silver on the ground. He gently patted its head.
"Little Silver, it's up to you. There's a powerful poisonous energy inside him. Can you absorb it?"
Little Silver tilted its head, its glassy eyes curiously studying Dugu Ce, who lay dying on the ground. Then it toddled closer, one tiny step at a time.
It circled Dugu Ce twice, its little nose twitching as if sniffing for something.
Then it stopped beside his head, lowered its own, and moved close to the black-purple poisonous blood seeping from his nose and mouth. It stuck out its soft pink tongue and gave it a light lick.
"Don't—" Dugu Bo instinctively tried to stop it. That poison was so deadly even he didn't dare touch it lightly!
But before he could finish, he froze.
Little Silver licked the poisonous blood, smacked its lips, and its glassy eyes lit up!
It was just like a glutton tasting some peerless delicacy! Without the slightest hesitation, it opened its mouth toward Dugu Ce's nose and mouth and sucked hard!
"Hssss—"
A stream of black-purple mist, visible to the naked eye, seeped from Dugu Ce's nose, mouth, and pores. As if summoned, it turned into tiny snakes of poison that surged into Little Silver's mouth, each one scrambling to get there first!
Little Silver's body began changing color before their eyes. Its fur, once as silver-white as snow, rapidly turned a strange dark green starting at its belly, with faint purple-black spots appearing across it. It looked frightening, as if it too had been poisoned.
Dugu Bo's heart leaped into his throat. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails nearly dug into his palms.
But Little Silver's eyes remained clear and bright, even carrying a hint of pleasure. It kept sucking, drawing the rampaging poison out of Dugu Ce's body little by little, as if teasing apart silk threads.
As the poison drained away, the blackness on Dugu Ce's face began to recede, and his convulsing body gradually settled. He was still weak, but at least he was no longer on the brink of death.
"It's working! It's really working!" Dugu Bo exclaimed, overjoyed and astonished. He looked at Little Silver as if it were a priceless treasure.
After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, Little Silver finally stopped sucking.
It burped, puffed a wisp of pale green smoke from its mouth, then shook its head.
By now, its fur had turned dark green all over, with only the tip of its tail retaining a touch of silver. It looked as if it had just been fished out of a dye vat.
But it was in remarkably high spirits. It bounced twice on the spot, and a rich purple glow suddenly surged around it!
The glow flowed over its body, gradually condensing into mysterious purple patterns, like natural runes stamped into its fur.
Its body had also grown noticeably larger. It was now nearly half a meter long, up from barely larger than a palm, and a small bump had risen on its forehead, echoing the one on Little Gold's.
At the same time, Yu Tianlong felt a cool energy imbued with strange vitality flow back to him from Little Silver.
This energy was different from the violent boost of strength he received from Little Gold. It nourished him more on a spiritual level and increased his affinity for a certain special attribute.
Stirred by this energy, the Soul Power in his body began circulating on its own and broke through a minor bottleneck.
"Voom!"
A faint glow of Soul Power flashed over Yu Tianlong and vanished. His aura had clearly risen another notch.
"Level fifteen?" Yu Yuanzhen noticed the change at once and blurted out, his face full of disbelief.
"How long has it been since he absorbed his First Soul Ring? He's already gone up two levels?!"
For an ordinary Soul Master, each level required a long time to accumulate strength and train.
But Yu Tianlong had gone from Innate Full Soul Power to level fifteen in just a few days since his awakening! Such a rate of advancement was unheard of!
"Cough, cough..." Just then, Dugu Ce let out a series of violent coughs and slowly opened his eyes.
His face was still pale, but his mind had cleared. Seeing his father's face, full of concern and anxiety, he weakly called out, "Father..."
"Ce'er! You're awake! How do you feel?" Dugu Bo hurriedly supported him, carefully checking the condition of his body.
A moment later, Dugu Bo let out a long breath, relief at having escaped disaster spreading across his face.
"The poison's mostly cleared, and you absorbed the Soul Ring successfully... You're a level fifty-two Spirit King. But..." His expression darkened again.
"The backlash from the poison still damaged your foundation. Several of your meridians are injured. As for your path of cultivation... I'm afraid you'll never rise beyond Soul Saint."