Dugu Bo's voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.
Though he tried his utmost to hide it, he could not conceal his fear.
At this critical moment, Zhou Tong knew his chance to survive had come. It might even be possible to turn Dugu Bo into an ally while he was at it.
"My Martial Soul is special. It naturally lets me sense toxins, so it was only natural that I noticed something was wrong with you."
To make his claim more convincing, Zhou Tong even released his Martial Soul.
A vine as thick as a baby's arm quickly spread out from his hand, streaked with terrifying arcs of golden lightning.
Buzz!
Two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, slowly rose from beneath his feet. The bright purple thousand-year Second Soul Ring looked especially striking in the gray-white valley.
"This?"
Dugu Bo stared in disbelief. He raised his right hand and squeezed the shrinking Thunderous Hell Vine, then cried out in shock.
"Seven years old, a twenty-fifth-level Soul Grandmaster, and a thousand-year Second Soul Ring. Boy, you really are a monster!"
Seeing this, Zhou Tong confidently met Zhou Tong's gaze and said firmly, "I also have a way to detoxify you. I can even cure your granddaughter."
"Whether you want to change your fate is up to you."
"Of course, I won't help just for the asking."
"The Way isn't passed on lightly, nor sold cheaply. Whether I can detoxify you depends on how sincere you are!"
With that, Zhou Tong stood with his hands behind his back, gazing proudly at Dugu Bo, like a great master who had just descended from the mountains, aloof from the world.
Staring at the glaring purple Soul Ring beneath Zhou Tong's feet, Dugu Bo furrowed his brows. His mind was at war with itself, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"I don't know what method you used to suppress the toxins in your body."
"But you still haven't treated the root of the problem."
"Your symptoms will keep getting worse as the toxins accumulate. Even if the poison doesn't kill you, the agony of its backlash will."
"Think carefully. This may be your only chance to stay alive."
"Besides, your granddaughter faces the same fate."
At his words, Dugu Bo's eyes flickered with uncertainty. Everything Zhou Tong had said had struck straight at his most vulnerable point.
Though he was the greatest Poison Douluo in the world, he suffered the pain of the toxins' backlash every waking moment. Each time they flared up, they made him wish he were dead.
"Can you really cure my poison?"
Dugu Bo completely withdrew the pressure he had released. A dangerous glint shone in his emerald-green eyes.
"Boy, I can't even be sure I can cure the poison in my granddaughter's body or my own. Why should I trust a seven-year-old brat?"
Dugu Bo had spent his life dealing in poison, yet he was helpless against the deadly toxins in his own body. He had tried countless methods, only to be met with ever greater disappointment.
The uncertainty on Dugu Bo's face deepened.
He slowly clasped his hands behind his back, his voice softening as he spoke.
Zhou Tong only smiled. "Senior, I've noticed that your Dugu Family has always wielded great influence on the continent, yet now only you and your granddaughter remain. I imagine you've both suffered greatly from the toxins' backlash."
"You haven't found a way to detoxify yourselves all these years, so clearly you don't have one."
"Besides trusting me and gambling on your only chance, what other choice do you have?"
At this, Dugu Bo grew agitated. "Boy, don't get so arrogant in front of me!"
"Push me too far, and I'll kill you right now!"
"At least then no outsider will learn my secret!"
A ruthless glint returned to Dugu Bo's eyes. He raised his right hand as if to strike, a dark green light flickering in his palm.
Zhou Tong, however, looked utterly unafraid. Dugu Bo might be powerful, but if he wanted to stay alive, he had to rely on Zhou Tong.
Dugu Bo's threats couldn't intimidate him at all.
He replied casually, "Do as you please, Senior. Your family doesn't have many years left anyway. It'll soon be wiped out."
At that, Dugu Bo's expression darkened. He understood that Zhou Tong wouldn't yield to force, so all he could do was negotiate.
After all, he still worried about his beautiful granddaughter. He couldn't bear for her to suffer the same torment of deadly poison day after day.
Dugu Bo's tone softened. He forced down his anger and spoke.
"Boy, I'm willing to make a deal, but you need to show me something real. Give me a reason to believe you."
At this, Zhou Tong's lips curled upward. He had Dugu Bo right where he wanted him. Now it all came down to his negotiating skills.
"Senior, have you ever heard of a poison Soul Master being killed by his own poison?"
"Hmm?"
Dugu Bo was startled. He furrowed his brows and began to think.
Poison Soul Masters were everywhere on Douluo Continent, yet it seemed rare to hear of one being killed by his own poison.
Did that mean there was something abnormal about his own poisoning?
"Then why am I being poisoned by my own toxins?"
Dugu Bo fixed his gaze on Zhou Tong, eager to hear what this unnaturally mature boy would say—what might change his fate.
"Most Soul Masters don't have to deal with their Martial Soul's toxins turning against them."
"That means there's something wrong with your Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul."
"During its evolution in your ancestors' time, it must have mutated, causing the Jade Phosphor Snake's poison to turn against its Soul Masters."
"The toxins have been eating away at you for years, building up..."
Zhou Tong didn't need to say any more. He simply looked at Dugu Bo, calm and composed.
Hearing Zhou Tong's words, Dugu Bo froze. His expression turned anxious, and his voice grew more urgent as he stared intently at Zhou Tong.
"So, what's your method for curing the poison?"
What Zhou Tong had said did fit the Dugu Family's circumstances.
Over a hundred years ago, the Dugu Family's Martial Soul hadn't caused its members to suffer from toxin backlash. But after one of the family heads took over, the descendants began to experience increasingly severe problems with toxins turning against them.
By Dugu Bo's generation, his Martial Soul had evolved into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. Perhaps by some fluke, that had partially repaired the Martial Soul's mutation, allowing him to last this long.
But the Jade Phosphor Snake's poison had killed his parents, his wife, his son, and his daughter-in-law. It had been an unbearable ordeal.
If he could be cured, he was willing to give everything in exchange.
At that moment, Zhou Tong still didn't answer. He simply stood tall and looked at Dugu Bo, calm and composed.
Dugu Bo understood at once. Zhou Tong was holding out for the best offer, waiting to negotiate terms.
After a moment's thought, Dugu Bo cautiously asked, "Boy, as long as it's within my power, I'll owe you three favors. You cure my poison. How does that sound?"
Zhou Tong didn't agree outright. Instead, he calmly said, "That's not enough."
Dugu Bo forced down his displeasure and gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll take you as my disciple and protect you as your Guardian. How about that?"
"For how many years?"
Only then did Zhou Tong show interest.
For now, he was just a lone civilian Soul Master, vulnerable to sneak attacks from high-level Soul Masters.
Especially Soul Masters like Tang Hao, who had no sense of honor and loved ambushing people. With a Poison Douluo as his bodyguard, he would indeed be much safer.
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