"Who is it?" Dugu Yan turned around in annoyance, then her eyes lit up. She quickly threw herself into the newcomer's arms.
"Grandpa!" She looked up at the kind-faced man. "You're out of seclusion? I missed you so much, Grandpa."
Qingxi saw who had arrived and furrowed her brow slightly.
The man before her had dark green hair, green eyes, and wore green armor. Wasn't he that old man who'd wanted to eat her every other day back then?
But he seemed to have gotten younger. His white hair had diminished considerably.
"Level 95?" She was a little surprised. She hadn't expected him to break through five levels in just six years. It was truly unbelievable.
But then she thought of that drop of spiritual liquid, and Qingxi understood.
As the strangest spiritual plant in the world, the Strange Flower possessed the ability to evolve.
"You little rascal, has anyone bullied you while Grandpa was in seclusion these past two years?" Dugu Bo asked, looking at the mysterious little figure dressed in black, his face wreathed in smiles.
If not for the resonance between their Martial Souls, he would have thought he'd mistaken her for someone else.
After all, ever since that incident six years ago, his granddaughter hadn't smiled in a long time. She had nearly gone mad.
So, seeing his granddaughter so cheerful now, Dugu Bo didn't mention that incident from six years ago at all.
"Who'd dare bully me? I'm a level 51 Soul King now!" Dugu Yan said proudly.
"Oh?" A trace of surprise flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes as he looked at his granddaughter, who wasn't even twenty. A Soul King at such a young age, and with poison skills far surpassing his own—
Yan'er's future achievements would surely far surpass his. And if that person were still around, Yan'er might even have the potential to become a god.
"By the way, have you gone back to... home to see that person?" Thinking of this, Dugu Bo couldn't help asking.
"Ah! I forgot to introduce you." Dugu Yan cried out in surprise, only then remembering that she hadn't introduced her master to her grandfather. She hurried over to Qingxi. "Grandpa, let me introduce you. This is my—"
"Let's go inside first," Qingxi hurriedly said, covering her mouth. Poison Douluo's arrival had already drawn the attention of the people around them.
She didn't want anyone to ruin things for her.
"Right, right, we have things to do. Grandpa, want to come with us?"
"Mm. I need to buy some things here, too. We're headed the same way." Dugu Bo looked at the black-clad figure beside his granddaughter in surprise. With his Soul Power at level 95, he still couldn't see how strong this person was.
Upon entering the auction house, they found a huge hall before them. Colored lights crisscrossed overhead, and a giant screen hung in the center. The first floor was already packed with people, bustling and noisy. In the middle was an open space where the auctions took place, while the second and third floors held private boxes.
Watching the black-clad figure gesture now and then as they looked around, Dugu Bo cleared his throat and explained, "That's where you register items for sale. The first floor is for ordinary people, the second for the wealthy and powerful, and only a few major factions can use the third floor. The one with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda embroidered on the window belongs to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That one is Spirit Hall, and that one is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan..."
"Thanks. I'll come find you later." Qingxi headed toward the registration desk he had pointed out. After taking two steps, she stopped and turned back to ask, "By the way, which box are you in?"
"The first one on the left on the second floor. Don't go to the wrong one!" Dugu Yan waved to Qingxi, then led Dugu Bo toward the second floor.
"Your friend is selling something?" Dugu Bo had naturally noticed where the person was headed. From the sound of their voice, they seemed to be a man. Could it be that boy, Yu Tianheng?
Dugu Bo frowned at once. "Yan'er, I've told you before that the boy from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan isn't good enough for you. Why are you still with him?"
With Yan'er's talent, she would sooner or later become a Titled Douluo, perhaps even a god. That boy from the Yu family was only a Soul Elder in his thirties. He was already unworthy of his precious granddaughter.
"What are you talking about? Is Yu Tianheng that short? Grandpa, listen to me..." Dugu Yan said coquettishly. As she spoke, they entered the private box.
The lavishly decorated box already had fruit and refreshments laid out on the table.
"Poison Douluo." The two maids waiting to serve the guests saw who had arrived and hurriedly bowed.
"You may leave. We don't need anyone to wait on us!" Dugu Yan took off her hat and waved the maids away, then added, "Oh, and bring in two roasted rabbits, some side dishes, and wine."
"Yes!" The two maids nodded and withdrew respectfully.
"Grandpa, sit here!" Dugu Yan took her grandfather's hand and led him to a chair.
Then she revealed her Soul Rings.
Five rings—purple, purple, black, black, black—appeared one by one around her. Suddenly, a gust of wind rose, and Dugu Bo felt a wave of scorching heat. A pair of enormous, fiery red dragon wings unfolded behind Dugu Yan, making the private box seem cramped.
The enormous wings blotted out the sky, even burning with eerie blue flames—dark and scorching.
"This is... an External Soul Bone!" Dugu Bo stared at the scene before him in shock.
Soul Bones were priceless treasures, enough to throw a faction into turmoil! And this was even the legendary External Soul Bone.
His own Medusa Skull Bone hadn't come into his possession until he'd reached the level of a Titled Douluo.
Yet the Soul Bone on Yan'er was far superior to the Medusa Skull Bone in both quality and value.
"An External Soul Bone? But Master said it was a trunk bone."
"Where did you get this Soul Bone?" Dugu Bo grabbed Dugu Yan by the shoulders, his eyes filled with both delight and worry.
He was worried that this Soul Bone would bring Yan'er a deadly disaster.
"Grandpa, can't you look at my fifth Soul Ring before you look at the Soul Bone?" Dugu Yan pouted.
"This... a sixty-thousand-year Soul Ring?!" Dugu Bo stared at the fifth Soul Ring around her. That many years far exceeded the limit for a fifth Soul Ring.
Dugu Bo wasn't surprised that Yan'er could absorb a Soul Ring beyond her level. Thanks to that drop of spiritual liquid, the quality of his own Soul Rings had improved tremendously, and his Soul Power had even risen five levels in six years.
What truly astonished him was that sixty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast. How had his granddaughter captured it?
"My fifth Soul Ring came from a sixty-thousand-year-old Blazing Poison Flame Jiao. My master gave me both that and this trunk bone." Dugu Yan folded away the dragon wings behind her and spoke with a smug grin.
"What?! A Blazing Poison Flame Jiao?" Dugu Bo exclaimed in surprise.
He'd never heard of a Blazing Poison Flame Jiao, but he'd heard that an extremely rare Soul Beast called a "Blazing Poison Flame Snake" lived in volcanic magma.
Since it lived in magma, few people had ever seen one, much less caught one.
When he was young, Dugu Bo had once searched for one in the Star Dou Great Forest, but found nothing.
Now his granddaughter was telling him that her Soul Ring came from a sixty-thousand-year-old Blazing Poison Flame Jiao. How could Dugu Bo not be surprised?
"Wait, your master?" Dugu Bo was taken aback.
Could it be what he thought?
"That's right..." Dugu Yan glanced around, leaned close to her grandfather's ear, and whispered, "Master isn't dead. She transformed six years ago. She's been away all these years, but came back a few days ago."
"That Immortal Herb?" Dugu Bo asked cautiously.
He had watched that Immortal Herb grow up. It was definitely less than twenty years old, yet it had transformed?
"That doesn't make sense. I just came from the Sunset Forest, and she's clearly still there. Yan'er, you're pulling Grandpa's leg."
"It's true. Otherwise, why would Master have stopped paying attention to me six years ago? Master said that once her cultivation reached the Nascent Soul stage, her inner core would develop toward becoming a clone, and her divine soul could leave her body. As long as her divine soul remained intact, she could possess another body and be reborn. I think Master meant that she refined a new body, but she didn't tell me the details."
"Yan'er..." Dugu Bo looked at his precious granddaughter with a complicated expression.
"Grandpa, believe me. I have no reason to lie to you. Think about the benefits you received, and the benefits I received."
"No, I meant to ask... does our master need any more disciples?" Dugu Bo blushed.
Before you continue