Curing the Root

"I would like to ask..." Dugu Yan said, her posture very humble, "I don't mean to have any objections, I am just very curious, why are you... like a ghost from legends, completely lacking feet..."

Dugu Yan was, after all, still very curious about Medicine Elder; after all, he was just like the footless ghosts of legend.

"Because I died a long time ago. What you see now is merely a remnant soul. So, little girl, there is no need to be afraid. I will not harm you. As long as you listen well and are willing to stand with us, I will not be stingy with your rewards."

At this moment, Medicine Elder felt a bit of favor toward this little girl, Dugu Yan. She had the courage to speak the truth and didn't play games; that was already quite good.

"This..." Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected that the person before her had truly died once already, leaving only a remnant soul. It was frightening enough, but fortunately, Dugu Yan was a Soul Master and possessed a bold spirit.

If it were ordinary people who hadn't awakened their Martial Souls, or those who had awakened trash Martial Souls and were unable to cultivate, they would likely have fainted from fright the moment they saw Medicine Elder.

One can only say that in this world, if you want to find opportunities, you must have courage.

"Alright, let us return to the main topic: how to treat the problem in your family. Your grandfather and you have both been afflicted by the same poison, but the problem is that I have discovered the poison you carry seems problematic. It is not the poison of a Martial Soul."

"The poison in your bodies does not seem to come from your Martial Souls; it seems to be for another reason."

"Yes." Having already discussed this previously, now that Medicine Elder dared to say such a thing, he must have had evidence and clues.

"First, let us address the simplest question: if the poison in your family had existed from the moment your Martial Souls were born, then I would like to ask, how could you have possibly survived until now? I want to ask, how many years has your family possessed this Martial Soul?"

"...Let me think..." When Dugu Yan heard Medicine Elder say this, she first recalled how many years of history her family had, while also feeling that what Medicine Elder said made sense. If their family truly carried poison from birth because of this Martial Soul, then how could the people of their family have survived until now?

"If not thousands of years, then at least several hundred. I have heard my grandfather speak of it; the oldest stories in our family date back several hundred years."

"Then that is correct. If your family had carried poison from the moment this Martial Soul was born, then after so many generations, you would have likely died out long ago. How could you still exist?"

"Martial Souls are innate; they exist from the moment of birth. Therefore, a person should possess their Martial Soul even during infancy or as a fetus."

"It is just that they have not yet awakened their Martial Soul."

The meaning was obvious; it went without saying.

Moreover, even if a fetus possessed a certain level of immunity, it would absolutely not be able to withstand a mother carrying a deadly toxin.

"I have been researching the connection between Martial Souls and Soul Rings during this time. I suspect it is possible that your ancestors absorbed a certain type of Soul Beast and obtained a Soul Ring that had a repulsive reaction with your Martial Soul, which is why you were poisoned."

"!!!" Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan began to consider this possibility. If this were the case, it meant it was truly possible.

"The reason I believe the poison you and your grandfather suffer from does not originate from the Martial Soul itself, but from a Soul Ring outside the Martial Soul, is because although a Martial Soul is a form of energy, it is also a living entity—another manifestation of the host's life."

"Therefore, if your family's Martial Soul absorbed a poisonous Soul Ring that was incompatible with itself, it is very likely that you were poisoned as a result and passed it down to your descendants."

Yu Xiaogang was the best example. This famous 'Grandmaster' of the entire Douluo Continent had also been poisoned after his Martial Soul was bitten by a venomous snake Soul Beast.

"Little girl Dugu Yan, the reason I say this is because I have conducted research for a period of time, so I dare to make this conjecture."

"I suspect it is possible that among your ancestors, one member absorbed a poisonous Soul Ring that was incompatible with their own Martial Soul."

"This led to the poison at the root of their Martial Soul being unable to fuse with the poison within the absorbed Soul Ring, ultimately remaining in the Soul Master's body, accumulating and being passed down."

"This person is likely the ancestor of your family's lineage."

After hearing Medicine Elder say this, Dugu Yan felt it made more and more sense. If it were like this, then everything was much more logical. Otherwise, if it were truly a problem with the Martial Soul, how could they have survived past that first generation?

Their family also had several hundred years of history. Although they were not considered a very powerful Soul Master family, they did possess a store of knowledge and a heritage.

If Medicine Elder wanted to deceive them, it would be impossible to do so easily.

After all, because of the poison, the Dugu Family had always been researching ways to break it, so even Dugu Yan had a deep understanding of toxins.

"Little girl, if my conjecture is correct, then I think I have a way to help you. I can use my Heavenly Flame to help you remove the poison."

"Heavenly Flame?" Dugu Yan was curious at this moment: "Does the Douluo Continent have such a thing? Is it some kind of special Martial Soul?"

Dugu Yan: ⊙_⊙

"Teacher, you mentioned this... she doesn't know about it."

Phoenix King said this to remind his teacher that Dugu Yan was a native of the Douluo Continent who had never left it in her entire life, let alone left the Douluo Planet to go to the outside world.

She hadn't even been to the Dou Qi Continent; how could Dugu Yan know about Heavenly Flame?

"In short, I can help you remove the toxins from your body. As long as I succeed, you must serve us well, and we will not treat you unfairly."

"I understand, but I would like to ask, can my grandfather also..."

"Rest assured, your grandfather is a Titled Douluo; his value is even higher than yours. As long as your family does not harbor any crooked thoughts against us, we will not treat your family unfairly. I can swear on my reputation."

"No need, no need, no need." Dugu Yan knew at this moment that they were essentially relying on these people before her to survive. If she offended some of them now, the consequences would be very serious.

Dugu Yan knew that Medicine Elder had a very good temper, but the problem was that the others might not have as good a temper as him.

Moreover, Dugu Yan could see that Medicine Elder held a very high status here.

These Soul Beasts also respected Medicine Elder, so she must not offend him.

Dugu Yan also hoped to be able to help her grandfather and not cause him any trouble.