A mental scan of this level was barely a tickle to Qin Chuan. The Heavenly Dao Power in his body circulated on its own, gently dissolving the foreign mental energy.
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes.
If he'd used that mental probe on an ordinary Soul Master of level twenty or thirty, the other person would have been pale and drenched in cold sweat by now.
But the young man before him was calm, his breathing even, and not so much as an eyelid had twitched.
"Young man, your mental strength is quite unusual," Dugu Bo said.
Qin Chuan smiled faintly. "You flatter me, Senior. My Martial Soul has a Mental Attribute, so it's only natural that my mental strength is a little stronger than others at the same level."
"Martial Soul? What kind?"
Qin Chuan stood and took two steps back, leaving himself enough room.
He raised his left hand, palm facing up.
Soul Power surged.
A small bell appeared in his palm. It was gold all over, a faint halo shimmering across its surface. It wasn't dazzling, but warm and gentle, as if wrapped in sunlight.
The light in the entire main hall softened with it.
Dugu Bo sprang to his feet, his cloudy old eyes going wide. Leaning forward, he stared fixedly at the golden bell in Qin Chuan's palm, his lips trembling.
"This... this is..."
Dugu Yan came over to take a look, tilting her head curiously. "What a beautiful bell."
Qin Chuan's tone was calm. "My Mutated Martial Soul is called Illusion Bell. It possesses Heavenly Dao Power. The essence of this power is to purify all things and return them to their origin. Poison is, at its core, an imbalance of energy that has strayed from its proper path. Heavenly Dao Power can set it right."
Dugu Bo's breathing grew noticeably heavier.
He'd lived in this world for nearly a hundred years and seen countless Martial Souls, yet he'd never seen a golden bell Martial Soul. Nor had he ever heard of Heavenly Dao Power.
But he could feel the energy radiating from the bell. It really was making the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison that had churned inside him for decades recoil—just a little.
The poison seemed to have met its natural enemy, shrinking deeper into his meridians before it could help itself.
He hadn't felt anything like this in decades.
Dugu Bo's hands began to tremble.
"Could... could you let me come a little closer?" The old man's voice carried barely restrained excitement.
Qin Chuan nodded and extended his hand.
Dugu Bo leaned toward the bell, stopping less than half a foot away. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the fluctuations of the Heavenly Dao Power.
A minute later, he opened his eyes.
A shimmer of moisture glistened in his cloudy old eyes.
"It works. It really works." Dugu Bo's voice quavered. "The poison retreated a little. Just a tiny bit, but it really did."
Qin Chuan withdrew his Martial Soul. The bell vanished, and the golden light faded with it.
"Senior, I won't hide anything from you. My Soul Power is still too low, and my reserves of Heavenly Dao Power are limited. With my current abilities, I can only ease a small amount of the poison each time. To purify it completely, I'll need to raise my Soul Power to at least level forty."
Dugu Bo sat back down, his thin, bony hands clenched tightly together.
He didn't answer at once. He was thinking.
Qin Chuan didn't rush him. He picked up his teacup and sipped slowly.
The hall fell quiet for a long while.
"Little Friend Qin Chuan," Dugu Bo finally said. "What do you want?"
Qin Chuan set down his teacup. "You really are a straightforward man, Senior. I know you control the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Cultivating Heavenly Dao Power requires nourishment from Yin and Yang energies. That place where the two springs meet is the best cultivation ground for me."
Dugu Bo's gaze shifted.
He'd kept the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well a closely guarded secret. Only his granddaughter knew about it, so she must have told Qin Chuan.
"Grandpa, I was the one who told him about the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."
Dugu Bo nodded.
He mulled it over for a moment. "You can't just go wherever you please in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. I laid a deadly Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flower poison formation at the entrance. Without me leading the way, even a Titled Douluo would have to turn back. And even if you make it through the poison formation, there's an extreme energy barrier inside the valley, formed by the two springs. The Scorching Yang Spring can burn your bones, and the Frigid Yin Spring can freeze your soul. Ordinary people can't get anywhere near them."
Qin Chuan nodded. "That's why I came to ask for your help, Senior."
Dugu Bo looked at Qin Chuan, then at his smiling granddaughter beside him.
Dugu Yan noticed her grandfather's gaze and hurried to chime in. "Grandpa, Qin Chuan's telling the truth. He helped ease one of my poison attacks before. I was in so much pain I nearly died, and he helped me."
Of course, that story was part of the implanted memories too.
Dugu Bo sighed.
He'd given up too much in this life because of the poison. Power, status, reputation—none of it mattered anymore. The only person he cared about now was his granddaughter.
If this young man really could cure Dugu Yan's poison, Dugu Bo would gladly give his life for it, let alone let him into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
"Fine." Dugu Bo stood, his tone decisive. "There's no time to waste. Granddaughter, Little Friend Qin Chuan, the three of us will go together."
The three of them left the estate. Dugu Bo spread his arms and soared into the air, carrying the two young people with him.
A Titled Douluo could fly astonishingly fast. In the space of a few breaths, Heaven Dou City beneath them became a dense patchwork of gray squares. It rapidly shrank, then disappeared beyond the edge of their vision.
Wind rushed into their ears with a roaring hiss.
Dugu Bo supported Qin Chuan with Soul Power, keeping him suspended steadily in the air. Qin Chuan glanced down at the land below. Mountains and rivers unfolded like a painting, sweeping away beneath them.
Dugu Yan was used to traveling this way. She spread her arms and closed her eyes, her face full of enjoyment.
The wind streamed her long hair behind her, and her green skirt clung to her legs, outlining her slender figure. Her lips parted slightly, as if she were savoring the crisp air.
"Grandpa, faster! Faster!"
"All right, all right. I hear you." Dugu Bo grumbled, but he really did pick up the pace.
About half an hour later, the landscape below began to change.
The towns and farmland disappeared, replaced by a forest that stretched beyond the horizon.
This forest was nothing like the towering, primeval woods of the Star Dou Great Forest. Its trees were low and dense, an unnatural dark green. From a distance, they looked like a moldy green blanket spread over the earth.
A strange, cloyingly sweet scent lingered in the air. It wasn't pungent, but if you breathed it in for too long, it made you feel drowsy and light-headed.
"The middle of the Sunset Forest," Dugu Bo called from ahead. "Ordinary people can't go any closer from here on."
The three of them landed.
Their feet sank into the soft fallen leaves with a faint crunch.
Qin Chuan looked around. The woods seemed peaceful, but something felt wrong.
On closer inspection, he saw that every tree trunk was covered in dark purple fungi about the size of a thumb.
They looked like tiny, tightly shut eyes, packed together across the bark.