At his words, Dugu Bo hesitated no longer. Green light gathered in his hand, gradually forming a poisonous mist. Under his control, it drifted toward Lin Yan at an extremely slow pace.
The poisonous mist met the pink glow.
Just as expected, the jade-green mist vanished completely in an instant.
It was like a snowflake falling into hot water—not a trace of poison remained.
"Hiss—"
"It really was neutralized!"
Dugu Bo stared at the scene before him, his eyes wide with shock. Then he turned to Lin Yan, who looked perfectly calm.
"Boy, you really know what these flowers and plants are!"
"Of course I do!" Lin Yan nodded.
"Senior, my schoolmate can be saved!"
At this, the shock on Dugu Bo's face grew even more pronounced, mixed with an excitement he could barely hide.
"This... Yan Yan can be saved?"
He murmured to himself, tears spilling from his eyes.
"Boy, if you can save Yan Yan's life, then I... I..."
Overcome by emotion, Dugu Bo collapsed onto the ground. He covered his face with both hands and wept uncontrollably.
His sobs were choked and miserable.
Seeing this, Lin Yan began quietly calculating in his heart.
I didn't expect things to go so smoothly.
Lin Yan had indeed planned to start obtaining the Immortal Herbs soon.
Accepting Ye Lingling's invitation had been the first step in his plan.
He had originally intended to befriend the Ye Family first and obtain the Immortal Herb Illustrated Handbook, so he could learn how to pick and use the various Immortal Herbs.
Then he would find a chance to use Dugu Yan to gain access to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
To be honest, he had thought the process would take some time. After all, earning someone's trust wasn't easy.
But Ye Rou'er's friendly overture...
And Dugu Bo's unexpected visit...
Had brought every step of the plan to fruition on the very same day. Even more dramatically, in an attempt to get Dugu Yan to take the initiative and win Lin Yan over, Dugu Bo had directly revealed the secret of the poison in their Martial Souls.
That had given Lin Yan a chance to explain what the Immortal Herbs could do!
Lin Yan said nothing, secretly rejoicing in his heart...
His thoughts returned to the present. Four or five minutes had passed.
Dugu Bo had nearly finished crying. Seeing this, Lin Yan stepped forward and spoke to him.
"Senior! I've found a way to solve the poison in your and my schoolmate's Martial Souls among these Immortal Herbs."
Dugu Bo raised his eyes and opened his mouth, but after crying for so long, he couldn't make a sound at first.
Lin Yan continued explaining.
"Some of the Immortal Herbs in your garden can help a Martial Soul evolve, allowing it to overcome its inborn flaws."
"Others can purge poison, setting the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul on a different path."
"Your poison is the most severe, but your Martial Soul is also of higher quality, making it better suited to this path of evolution."
"This is the Earth Dragon Golden Melon. After you take it, your Martial Soul will transform from a snake into a dragon. Once that happens, the drawback of the poison in your Martial Soul will disappear as its quality improves."
As he spoke, Lin Yan handed Dugu Bo the Earth Dragon Golden Melon he had picked in advance.
But Dugu Bo swallowed hard, his throat dry, and refused it.
"No! Save this for Yan Yan. She's still young. If her Martial Soul can transform from a snake into a dragon, she'll surely achieve far greater things in the future."
"Boy, just find me an herb that can purge the poison."
Lin Yan furrowed his brow slightly.
"But... if the poison is purged, your mastery of poison will be ruined too. All your previous Soul Rings will lose their power. Are you sure?"
"What?"
Dugu Bo stared at him in shock.
His mastery of poison ruined? His Soul Rings weakened? Wouldn't that leave him a cripple?
He had acted recklessly and made countless enemies. If people found out his cultivation had fallen to less than a tenth of its former strength, wouldn't that be as good as a death sentence?
That was exactly what Lin Yan thought as well.
If Dugu Bo's mastery of poison were ruined, Lin Yan would lose an exceptionally loyal protector.
So Lin Yan continued explaining.
"Senior, my schoolmate only has two rings. There's still time for her to chart a new path of cultivation. But you..."
"My suggestion is that you undergo Martial Soul Evolution. That way, my schoolmate can grow up safely under your protection."
"As for my schoolmate's problem..."
Lin Yan pointed toward the two Immortal Herbs in the spring.
"Those are the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot. Taking them together and then tempering the body in the spring water will completely purge all the poison from both her body and her Martial Soul."
"My schoolmate may then embark on an entirely different path."
"..."
He spoke earnestly, and Dugu Bo listened just as intently.
In essence, the Immortal Herbs in the garden were all one of a kind. Even if a plant's roots and seeds were left behind after it was picked, it would take at least hundreds or thousands of years—perhaps even ten thousand—to grow another just like it.
So even though both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan could escape the backlash of the poison, their eventual paths would be vastly different.
In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, Dugu Bo gritted his teeth and decided to follow Lin Yan's advice.
"Fine! I trust you!"
The next day.
The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.
A dragon's roar suddenly rang out from the garden shrouded in poisonous mist.
A jade-green pillar of light shot into the sky. The pressure unique to a Titled Douluo swept across the surroundings, jolting Lin Yan awake from his cross-legged meditation.
"Hahahaha! I did it!"
Dugu Bo threw his head back and laughed. The phantom of a green dragon suddenly appeared, circled once in the air, then plunged into his body.
"Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor!"
"What a magnificent Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor!"
His aged face brimmed with undisguised excitement and delight.
After he had absorbed the Earth Dragon Golden Melon's medicinal power in full, his Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, had truly transformed from snake to dragon, just as Lin Yan had said. It had evolved into the Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor.
Not only had the improved quality of his Martial Soul increased his strength, but the backlash from the poison within him had also been completely eliminated.
What a rush!
At the same time, a surge of turbulent Soul Power rose around Dugu Yan, not far away.
Hiss, hiss~
A shadowy green serpent emerged from her body, then burrowed back inside.
The girl opened her eyes, and for a moment, red and blue light shimmered in her beautiful eyes.
"Grandpa, I succeeded too!"
"My Martial Soul is still the Jade Phosphor Snake, but the poison attribute in my Soul Power has been completely replaced by ice and fire."
Grandfather and granddaughter looked at each other, their faces full of joy and excitement.
After mountains and rivers had seemed to block the way, a willow-lined flower-bright village had suddenly appeared!
Who would have thought the poison in Dugu Bo's Martial Soul—the poison that had tormented him his whole life and torn his family apart—could truly be cured by the Immortal Herbs Lin Yan had chosen?
The two embraced and wept once more...
Lin Yan's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Before long, Dugu Yan was the first to pull free from Dugu Bo's embrace and come over to Lin Yan.
"Lin Yan, thank you!"
"Wuwuwu~"
Just then, Dugu Bo approached too, his face beaming with delight.
"Boy, you've saved both my granddaughter and me."
"I, Dugu Bo, am no ingrate. From now on, I'll protect your life!"