Tuoba Xuan showed no restraint whatsoever. He spread his arms and sprinted at full speed in the direction Dugu Bo had gone.
Then, as he ran faster and faster, the yellow light around him grew brighter and brighter, until at last—
A majestic dragon's roar exploded through the silent night. Tuoba Xuan leaped into the air, and two golden wings engraved with dragon script and radiating dragon might appeared behind him, carrying him swiftly onward.
There was no denying that Dugu Bo was fast. Tuoba Xuan was only a few seconds behind him, yet he couldn't even catch a whiff of his tailpipe.
Besides, Tuoba Xuan himself wasn't very fast. It could be said that this was his only shortcoming at present.
Still, Tuoba Xuan's body was powerful. Flying at full speed without holding back, he soon reached the depths of Sunset Forest.
Tuoba Xuan slowly descended from the sky. A dense poisonous miasma blanketed the area, and Dugu Bo stood within it, watching him with an amused expression.
"I've been here for half an hour already, brat. Your strength doesn't seem as impressive as you claimed."
At last, Dugu Bo had gotten one over on Tuoba Xuan. He immediately mocked him, venting all the resentment he'd been holding in.
The corner of Tuoba Xuan's mouth twitched. "Yes, yes. I can't compare to you, the great Poison Douluo."
"Let this old man see your true strength first," Dugu Bo said coolly. "The treasure land you mentioned is right beyond this poisonous mist. I set up this miasma myself. It could easily poison a mere Soul Elder to death."
Dugu Bo had deliberately put extra emphasis on the last four words. The main reason he had sought out Tuoba Xuan that night was to get to the bottom of his claim that Dugu Yan had a flaw.
Now that the two of them were allies, Dugu Bo naturally had to test Tuoba Xuan.
Tuoba Xuan smiled with relief. "Sure. Let this mere Soul Elder see what kind of challenge a great Titled Douluo has set up."
"Such a show-off!" Dugu Bo grumbled inwardly, keeping a close eye on Tuoba Xuan's every move.
Tuoba Xuan showed no change at all. He simply stood there, looking like an ordinary passerby.
Then, step by step, he walked into the poisonous mist—where a person could be reduced to bones and nothing more.
As soon as he came into contact with the miasma, Tuoba Xuan's body began to tremble, as if thousands of venomous insects were gnawing at every inch of him.
Tuoba Xuan let out several muffled groans. Purple, bloodied holes began to appear across his tender skin.
"Brat, are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Dugu Bo broke into a cold sweat. He'd thought that Tuoba Xuan's air of confidence meant he really had some ability.
He hadn't expected Tuoba Xuan's plan to be simply to endure the poisonous mist and walk through it.
"Damn it, you little fool!" Dugu Bo was truly panicking now. Tuoba Xuan's death wouldn't matter, but then the hope he'd just seen would vanish too!
Dugu Bo abruptly reached out, intending to withdraw the poisonous mist and save Tuoba Xuan.
But the moment his hand reached the edge of the mist, he froze, and his arm stopped of its own accord.
Tuoba Xuan's battered skin, the wounds that had gone deep enough to expose bone, had begun to heal.
Dugu Bo's mouth fell slightly open. The sight before him completely overturned his assessment of Tuoba Xuan's strength.
Countless intricate golden markings appeared across Tuoba Xuan's body. They were the language of dragons.
The poisonous mist seemed to recoil in fear. Wisps of it rose into the air, and the deadly miasma began to dissipate.
"Th-this... The poison's gone?" Dugu Bo was utterly stunned. He knew his own poison better than anyone. Without his intervention, the miasma could even take the life of a Spirit Saint.
Yet Tuoba Xuan was walking through it as if bathing in a hot spring, paying no heed to the poisonous mist he'd once been so proud of. The mist dissipated around him, forming a strange accompaniment to his steady steps.
That's right. Tuoba Xuan was so calm because he relied on the immense healing power of Body Healing.
Whenever the poisonous mist pierced Tuoba Xuan's skin and entered his body,
Body Healing would take effect. In an instant, his body would fill with terrifying dragon might, forcing the poisonous mist back out.
Meanwhile, Tuoba Xuan's skin slowly healed. Whenever any of the poison made it to the surface, the healing process would dissolve it.
And so, under Dugu Bo's unblinking gaze, Tuoba Xuan walked all the way through the poisonous mist.
"This..." Dugu Bo swallowed. "How terrifying!"
Feeling somewhat defeated, Dugu Bo let out a sigh and stepped into the miasma.
"Well, Your Excellency? My strength isn't too bad, is it?" Tuoba Xuan asked with a grin.
The corner of Dugu Bo's mouth twitched, but he still refused to admit defeat. "Passable."
Tuoba Xuan drew in a deep breath of the Immortal Herbs' fragrance around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, then excitedly rushed over to the water's edge.
"I can't believe the books were telling the truth." Tuoba Xuan felt as if his heart were racing.
Beside the lake, where ice and fire intertwined, stood countless extraordinary Immortal Herbs of every color.
"What's this?" Tuoba Xuan gazed at a golden chrysanthemum. "The Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum."
"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew..." Tuoba Xuan silently recited the names of the Immortal Herbs one by one.
Luckily, he'd read plenty of Douluo fanfiction in his previous life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have recognized them.
Tuoba Xuan rubbed his hands together like a weasel that had spotted a whole coop of hens, eyeing the herbs with ill intent as he considered which one to start with.
"Hey, brat. It's time you told me how you're going to fix Yanyan's flaw," Dugu Bo said. Seeing Tuoba Xuan's expression, he knew they'd come to the right place, and hurriedly pressed him for an answer.
Tuoba Xuan grew serious. He'd already thought through how to help Dugu Bo and his granddaughter. "First, let me explain how you can solve your problem."
Dugu Bo grew serious as well. He moved closer to Tuoba Xuan, afraid he might miss even a single word.
"You're already a Titled Douluo, and your potential is spent. But the solution is simple enough." Tuoba Xuan cleared his throat. "I have two methods for you."
"What?" Dugu Bo asked urgently.
Tuoba Xuan first held up one finger. "The first method is the safest. Poison-attribute Soul Masters like you all have poison cores in your bodies, right? The solution is to gather all your poison into your poison core, then rely on that core for cultivation and combat."
"However, this method has a drawback: your strength will drop significantly. Once you gather the poison in your core, the power of your Martial Soul will weaken as well."
"Afterward, I'm afraid you'll be weaker than a Soul Douluo."
Dugu Bo's expression turned grave. This method was certainly safe, but if his strength fell, how could he protect Yanyan?
He rejected the idea without a second thought. "Absolutely not. Tell me about the second method."
Tuoba Xuan continued, "The second method is to transfer the poison in your body into a suitable Soul Bone. Since a Soul Bone and a Martial Soul resonate with each other, your strength won't decline. After that, I'll concoct medicinal pills to help stabilize your meridians and strength."
Dugu Bo rubbed his chin, as if considering the idea.
He had thought of this method before too, but he hadn't dared to try it.
"How confident are you?"
"At least eighty percent."