Trouble Comes Knocking, Xiao Wu Disappears

After years of shackles, Dugu Bo finally broke through, and the joy in his heart was beyond words.

"Damn, taking this disciple was fucking worth it!"

At first, he had thought Dugu Yan was exaggerating in front of him. After all, being able to completely control Jade Scale Snake Poison was simply inconceivable.

Even he himself could not make Jade Scale Snake Poison submit entirely to his control. Otherwise, he would not have suffered backlash from the snake poison.

But the facts now proved that Dugu Yan had not lied. More accurately, she had understated it.

This was far beyond complete control. It was simply... simply...

Dugu Bo found it difficult to describe his feelings at that moment. He only knew one thing: what lay before him was not a dish, but a divine medicine that could send him soaring to the heavens.

"Good disciple, do you have any more? Give your master some more. Your master here has a big appetite."

Seeing Dugu Bo's eyes practically glowing green, Fang Xuan could not help but laugh bitterly.

He truly had not expected this thing to provide Dugu Bo with such an overwhelming boost.

One bite and he broke through directly—wasn't this even more incredible than immortal herbs?

At least immortal herbs required a period of absorption. This was an instant effect.

"Master, go ahead and eat. I've got plenty of this stuff."

Dugu Yan's earlier transformation had already shocked him, but he had not expected Dugu Bo's reaction to be even more outrageous than hers.

Come to think of it, if he could nurture Dugu Bo properly, that seemed like a rather good option as well.

Compared to the schemes and intrigues of other factions, Dugu Bo was far more straightforward.

And since they were master and disciple, if Fang Xuan ever encountered trouble, Dugu Bo would never stand by and do nothing.

What Fang Xuan lacked most right now was someone who could ensure his safe development, and Dugu Bo was clearly more suitable than anyone else.

Thus, Fang Xuan decided to rely on himself. A thigh was only truly safe to cling to if he raised it himself.

The effects of Poison-Infused Okra were obvious. The toxins accumulated within Dugu Bo's body were more than a hundred times worse than Dugu Yan's, some of them having already seeped into his very marrow. Completely controlling them was exceedingly difficult.

Yet even if he could not fully control them, it would still bring Dugu Bo immense benefits.

Jade Scale Snake Poison was famously troublesome. Even Titled Douluo of the same rank would find it quite a headache to face.

Once poisoned, it was basically impossible to cure. Although Dugu Bo was known as the weakest Titled Douluo...

Who in the entire Titled Douluo circle would dare look down on him?

Did they really think Poison Douluo's poison was just for show?

Over the next few days, Dugu Bo stopped going anywhere else. He appeared at Fang Xuan's dining table punctually at every mealtime, like a fixed NPC.

Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng also often came over to mooch meals, though after every meal, Dugu Bo would drag Yu Tianheng off for some post-meal exercise to work off the food.

Fang Xuan himself began getting down to business, researching Soul Tools.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had both given him quite a few Soul Tools, while Dugu Bo and Ye Qinru had also helped gather some.

Fang Xuan had already piled up nearly a thousand Soul Tools of all kinds.

Aside from meals and resting at night, Fang Xuan spent nearly all his time immersed in Soul Tools.

The process from zero to one was slow. Even though Fang Xuan had already seen the end of the road, he still had to walk the path himself.

Half a month passed, yet Fang Xuan still had not made much progress. He had expected as much.

Trying to leverage a thousand-year-old status quo through one person's efforts was no easy task.

During that half-month, his Martial Soul produced two more plants. One was a Wall-nut, a duplicate-type plant that was not particularly useful to Fang Xuan, so he simply gave it to Ye Lingling and the others as a snack, which in turn returned quite a bit of Soul Power to him.

As for the other, it was an old friend: the Hypno-shroom.

When Fang Xuan looked at the pink mushroom in his hand, with its eerie smile, he could not help but laugh bitterly.

Without this thing, he would most likely still be selling tea in Suotuo City.

"Fate truly plays with people."

Fang Xuan sighed sincerely. Then, that night, he directly launched a surprise attack on Ye Lingling.

Last time, she had taken the initiative. This time, it was his turn.

He still chose not to absorb the Hypno-shroom and turn it into one of his Soul Skills. After all, this thing was practically a Soul Power growth capsule.

If he absorbed it into a Soul Skill, it definitely would not be as effective as using it directly. Besides, he did not particularly need charm-type abilities. Raising his level was far more practical.

The last Hypno-shroom had raised his Soul Power from level 51 to level 53. After these days of "cultivation," he had reached level 55.

A few days ago, under Dugu Bo's guidance, Ye Lingling had obtained her fourth Soul Ring. Her current Soul Power was level 44.

Although she was still some distance behind Fang Xuan, she was already among the very best of her peers.

However, only a few people close to her knew about this. Even Yu Tianheng had no idea of Ye Lingling's current level, and even the matter of her Martial Soul Evolution had remained concealed.

After all, the fish had yet to bite. What if they exposed it too early and the other party ran away?

It was another ordinary morning as Fang Xuan and Ye Lingling woke from their bed.

As usual, they ate breakfast, he took Ye Lingling to school, and then he returned on his own to continue researching Soul Tools.

But today, they had run into Tang San and the others.

They had been at Heaven Dou Royal Academy for quite some time now, yet they had never once seen any sign of Tang San's group.

Fang Xuan found it rather strange. Given Ning Rongrong's temperament, after being humiliated by Ye Lingling last time, there was no way she could simply swallow it.

Unless someone had talked her down—and that person could only have been Tang San.

The other side was indeed an enemy, but Fang Xuan had never considered him a fool.

How could someone capable of comprehending the Tang Sect's greatest secret arts, someone who would plot for the entire Douluo Continent ten thousand years later, possibly be an ordinary person?

"Well, well, isn't this the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Dugu Yan looked toward Ning Rongrong and struck first before the latter could even speak, her tone dripping with mockery.

"What? Failing to cause trouble last time wasn't enough, so you want to try again? You really have no shame."

The meaning behind those two sentences was painfully direct, leaving the other party no room to save face.

Ning Rongrong was so furious she nearly exploded on the spot. Fortunately, Tang San held her back, preventing the conflict from breaking out immediately.

"Rongrong, don't be impulsive. Don't forget what we came here for."

Tang San used Soul Power to compress his voice, quietly sending it into Ning Rongrong's ears.

But such a minor trick was completely useless against Fang Xuan.

Having spent so long in Suotuo City, there was nothing and no one Fang Xuan had not seen. Besides, Tang San's method of voice transmission was hardly sophisticated; anyone with finer control over Soul Power could do it.

"Oh? Looks like you came prepared today."

Fang Xuan looked at Tang San, then swept his gaze toward the others nearby. Suddenly, he frowned.

"Where's that rabbit? Why isn't she here?"