After using his newly awakened Blue Silver Domain to disguise his true appearance, Lu Chen inspected the Everlasting Evergreen Pine's trunk. Once he confirmed that it had produced no spirit bone, he turned away in deep regret.
Half a year had now passed since Lu Chen arrived in the Star Dou Forest.
Over those six months, Lu Chen had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
From a mere Spirit Scholar without a single spirit ring, he had continually hunted spirit beasts, ultimately absorbing six spirit rings and becoming a Support Spirit Emperor with rank sixty-nine soul power.
The magnitude of his transformation was enough to leave anyone gaping in disbelief!
Across the entire Douluo Continent, Lu Chen alone could accomplish the transition from Spirit Scholar to Spirit Emperor in half a year!
He was currently in the Star Dou Forest's Mixed Zone, a place where ten-thousand-year spirit beasts normally gathered in droves. But with the Blue Silver Grass passing him information, Lu Chen encountered no spirit beasts on his way out.
In this manner, he successfully left the Star Dou Forest after five days.
Lu Chen stretched, filled with emotion as he reflected on his experiences over the past six months.
If he returned to Nuoding Academy now, putting Tang San down would be effortless.
However, Tang San still had Tang Hao behind him-a Titled Douluo who possessed a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, the Clear Sky Douluo whose title was "Clear Sky."
At present, Lu Chen was still no match for Tang Hao!
He was still far from having enough strength to take revenge!
Lu Chen's eyes turned cold, and he thought, his heart brimming with boundless hatred:
Tang Hao, Tang San, you father and son had better cherish the time you have now. I'm already a rank sixty-nine Spirit Emperor. The day I come to collect your debts is no longer far away!
With that thought, Lu Chen resolutely headed north toward the Sunset Great Forest in Dixing Province.
Lu Chen currently had rank sixty-nine soul power. He intended to establish contact with Dugu Bo before breaking through to rank seventy.
Once his soul power broke through to rank seventy, he could invite Dugu Bo to accompany him in hunting the Blue Silver King.
Establishing contact with Dugu Bo would be all too easy!
The martial soul poison afflicting both him and his granddaughter was simply the perfect opening.
Lu Chen had two methods. The first was his fourth spirit skill, Blue Silver Baptism.
This was a soul skill that could dispel negative conditions, and poisoning was also a negative condition.
His Blue Silver Baptism should be able to work on Dugu Bo.
As long as he could rid Dugu Bo of his poison, winning him over would be simplicity itself.
If Blue Silver Baptism proved ineffective, Lu Chen had a second method: instructing Dugu Bo to consume the immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to neutralize his poison.
But that would greatly diminish his value to Dugu Bo, and winning him over would require more thought and effort.
After three days of travel, Lu Chen arrived at a small city named Xio. Originally, he had not wanted to waste too much time along the way.
But after looking at his worn-out clothes, Lu Chen decided to stay in the small city for a day.
He browsed Xio City's clothing stores and bought himself over a dozen sets of new clothes in various styles.
Clothes made the man, just as a saddle made the horse!
When venturing across the continent in the future, he would still need a few fine outfits to keep up appearances.
Besides, Lu Chen was not short of money now, and he would not begrudge spending some on clothes.
The Silver Bracelet Storage Soul Guidance Device he had picked up contained several thousand loose Gold Soul Coins, along with two black Gold Soul Coin stored-value cards.
By Lu Chen's estimate, the Gold Soul Coin stored-value cards surely held a hundred thousand or more Gold Soul Coins.
Under ordinary circumstances, Lu Chen would not need to worry about money while traveling the continent in the future.
That evening, Lu Chen checked into an inn and asked an attendant for hot water, enjoying a comfortable hot bath that night.
He thoroughly washed away the dust and grime of the past six months!
The next day!
Having changed his appearance and put on a brand-new blue robe, Lu Chen set off once more toward the Sunset Forest.
After half a month of travel, Lu Chen finally arrived at the Sunset Forest.
As he walked through the Sunset Forest, Lu Chen released his Blue Silver Domain. An invisible ripple spread rapidly outward, soon enveloping everything within a ten-kilometer radius.
Under the Blue Silver Domain's coverage, the Blue Silver Grass in the Sunset Forest immediately stirred to life. They cheered in delight, absorbing the domain's life aura while bowing toward Lu Chen.
It was as though they were paying homage to something sacred!
For this Blue Silver Grass, absorbing even a little of the life aura released by the Blue Silver Domain was immensely beneficial, enough to accelerate their growth.
At that moment, Lu Chen issued an order through his thoughts:
"I want to find a place in the Sunset Forest where the energies of ice and fire intertwine, somewhere exceptionally suited to the growth of plant spirit beasts. Find that location for me!"
Upon receiving his order, the Blue Silver Grass immediately went into action. Communicating in their unique way, they began searching for a place where the energies of ice and fire intertwined.
This was because spirit beasts like Blue Silver Grass were as plentiful and widespread as weeds by the roadside.
There was nowhere in the Sunset Forest without Blue Silver Grass.
Thus, in less than half an hour, the Blue Silver Grass had already discovered the location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Lu Chen was greatly and pleasantly surprised:
"You found the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well! Hurry, take me there!"
Guided by the Blue Silver Grass, Lu Chen swiftly made his way toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Before long, Lu Chen arrived at a secluded mountain range. According to the information provided by the Blue Silver Grass, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well lay in a valley within the mountains ahead.
Since he was about to face Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, Lu Chen took a deep breath and put himself on full alert, walking resolutely toward the mountains ahead, one step at a time.
He soon reached the mountainside, where he abruptly stopped. A layer of green miasma permeated the air ahead; the mere sight of it sent a chill down his spine.
"A Poison Array..."
Lu Chen murmured under his breath, then summoned his Blue Silver King Martial Soul. The Blue Silver King grew around him, its entire form crystalline and translucent, radiating a gentle golden halo and a rich aura of life.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black-his six disguised spirit rings also rose from beneath his feet, one after another.
"Fourth Spirit Skill, Blue Silver Baptism!"
In an instant, Lu Chen's Blue Silver King Martial Soul burst into blue light, sacred, pure, radiant... as though it could purify all evil.
Under the blue light, the emerald-green poisonous miasma instantly melted away, like winter snow meeting the warm sun.
At that same moment, within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
A gaunt old man wearing a black robe, his long dark-green hair covering half his face, opened his emerald-green eyes. Their vivid green held a faintly ethereal quality.
A cold, sinister voice emerged from his throat:
"Interesting. My Poison Array has been damaged. To think someone actually found this place. I wonder who dared!"
As his words fell, the black-robed old man vanished from where he stood in a flash.
His tone alone made it clear.
This man was Dugu Bo.