Whether acupuncture hurt depended on a person's pain threshold. Beyond that, it also had much to do with the technique used to insert the needles.
As a Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo had experienced countless battles of every scale, so his threshold was naturally quite high.
But the needle insertion technique was another matter entirely.
No matter how experienced Ye Renxin was, this was his first time attempting this form of acupuncture. What was more, he was using Soul Power as needles. The force, angle, and depth were all extremely difficult to control. It would have been strange if it did not hurt.
Besides, Cheng Xiao had deliberately played a trick, specifically choosing several acupoints that caused unbearable pain while offering a few minor benefits.
It would have been stranger if Dugu Bo could endure it.
"Brat, you didn't tamper with anything, did you?" Dugu Bo glared furiously at Cheng Xiao.
"Hehe, Your Excellency, you've truly wronged me. Your poisoning runs too deep; detoxification naturally takes time. Pain is normal." Cheng Xiao spread his hands, pretending to be innocent.
Dugu Bo was only half-convinced. He felt that Cheng Xiao always wore a faint, barely perceptible smile.
"Fine!" Unable to see through it, Dugu Bo gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, and closed his eyes to endure the pain.
"Continue!"
One of Ye Renxin's soul rings lit up beneath his feet. It was unclear what soul skill he had used, but Soul Power surged forth before Ye Renxin forcibly condensed it into needle-like shapes. Under Cheng Xiao's guidance, they pierced Dugu Bo's major acupoints one after another.
"Mm..."
Dugu Bo let out a muffled groan. Beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his forehead and shattered against his shoulders.
Time passed bit by bit, and the treatment finally reached its end.