The Dual-World Gate

Dugu Bo slowly rose to his feet, raised a hand, and clenched it into a fist as he stretched his limbs. Soul Power flowed freely through his body, smooth and clear. Every movement carried the ease of a peak powerhouse, without a trace of the oppression of his old illness.

He could clearly feel that his bloodline had been completely cleansed, his Martial Soul was whole and perfect, and the bottleneck in his cultivation had loosened. He needed only to devote himself to steady cultivation for a while, and he would naturally break through to level 93!

This was the realm he had dreamed of reaching all his life, one he had never dared even imagine before!

"It worked... It really worked..."

The Poison Douluo, who had lived for nearly a hundred years, spoke with a tremor he could barely suppress. His eyes brimmed with incredulous joy and relief.

Half a lifetime of obsession, half a lifetime of loneliness, half a lifetime in chains—all of it had been undone in a single day!

He turned to look at the young man standing calmly before him, his presence as mild as ever. For the first time in his proud and solitary life, profound respect and gratitude rose in his eyes.

In the original story, Tang San had only taught Dugu Bo how to force the poison into his Soul Bone, then take it out again whenever he needed it. The method worked, but in my eyes, it still treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

Dugu Bo bowed deeply, his voice sincere and utterly devoid of arrogance. "Young friend Luo, I will never forget your great kindness! From this day forward, you will be an honored guest in my home. Whatever you ask of me, I will do, even at the cost of my life!"

Hearing Dugu Bo's solemn declaration, Luo Qiusheng could only smile sheepishly.

"We each got what we wanted. Even so, I still came out ahead." After all, the medicinal garden alone was worth far more than the treatment of Dugu Bo's poison, especially when Luo Qiusheng didn't even know how to cure it.

Besides, a Titled Douluo bowing to thank him—who in the entire Heaven Dou Empire could match that kind of honor?

Seeing the young man's calm, uncompetitive manner, Dugu Bo felt even more admiration for him.

He had seen far too many Soul Masters who sucked up to the powerful and coveted status and resources. Yet this young man, despite possessing astonishing abilities, remained clearheaded and composed, with a maturity far beyond his years—indeed, beyond that of most veteran powerhouses.

"The three-day treatment agreement we made earlier has already been fulfilled in full..."

Dugu Bo spoke seriously, honoring their agreement and even repaying him several times over. "From now on, you can come to my medicinal garden whenever you like. Pick whatever you want, cultivate whatever you want. You needn't ask permission, and no one will stop you."

Luo Qiusheng gave a slight nod. That was his real purpose, after all.

Only after finishing all this did Luo Qiusheng feel the strain and faint exhaustion weighing on his body.

Three days of unwavering concentration and high-intensity, precise control of the medicines had only made his already poor health worse.

Since arriving in the Douluo Plane, he didn't seem to have had a proper meal yet. The spiritual energy in Dugu Bo's medicinal garden was abundant, and he had secretly chewed on some spirit herbs, but who ate Sugar Beans for meals? Besides, all medicines carried a hint of poison; once he was full, the burden on his body only grew heavier.

But Luo Qiusheng hadn't forgotten what mattered: the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

"Senior Poison Douluo, is there a treasured place here, a world of its own?"

Dugu Bo murmured, "A world of its own? A treasured place?"

A flash of inspiration struck him. "Are you talking about that place of extreme heat and cold?"

Luo Qiusheng nodded.

Dugu Bo led him to the center of a basin. There, Luo Qiusheng saw a strange spring, its waters naturally split in two. On the left, the Extreme Cold Yin Spring was shrouded in icy mist, its chill piercing to the bone; on the right, a blazing Yang Spring roiled with flames, its heat scorching. Ice and fire stood distinctly apart, yet flowed together as one.

So this is the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well? No wonder it's a treasure trove!

"This is the treasured place you meant, isn't it? I stumbled upon it by chance when I was young. I don't know what these herbs are used for or what secrets the springs hold, but I could tell at a glance that this place was extraordinary, so I set up several layers of the Jade Phosphorus Poison Array to keep Soul Beasts and outsiders away."

"Could it be that you know about this place too?"

Luo Qiusheng had already given Dugu Bo so many unexpected surprises that the old man wouldn't have found it strange if he claimed they were acquaintances.

He remembered that all the Immortal Herbs Tang San had picked were gathered near the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

This valley was home to more than a hundred kinds of rare Immortal Herbs, including Aromatic Silk Beauty, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Lovesick Heartbreak Red, and Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.

"I know of it. It's called the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, where volcanic and icy strata meet and twin springs emerge. But legend has it that the two Elemental Dragon Kings, the source of the Dragon Tribe, perished here, turning it into a blessed land bestowed by nature."

The Elemental Dragon Kings? Luo Qiusheng walked forward curiously. Ordinary people might have found the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well hard to approach, but a heat stirred within him, as if some force were drawing him in. Constantine's Dragon Bone was stirring with excitement. "Was it the Fire Elemental Dragon King?"

But if I absorb the fire element's energy, the ice element won't be able to balance it out. The blessed land might be destroyed.

Suppressing the restlessness inside him, Luo Qiusheng began inching toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, trying not to absorb the fire element's energy. Of the well's two opposing forces, only the ice element made him feel even slightly uncomfortable.

Moments later, the instant his finger touched the spring, a doorway appeared above the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Luo Qiusheng still hadn't come to his senses, but Dugu Bo had already gone on alert.

He looked up. The familiar, gentle warmth made him pause, then he found himself laughing aloud. Dugu Bo was left utterly perplexed.

"Senior Poison Douluo, does what you said earlier still stand?"

Dugu Bo was taken aback, then immediately replied, "Of course. My reputation is good throughout the Douluo World."

"Good, then. I'll come again next time."

With that, Luo Qiusheng slowly stepped through the open doorway, leaving Dugu Bo staring after him in shock and astonishment.

"When will I see you again?" Dugu Bo called.

He still didn't know how time passed through the Dual-World Gate. He only hoped it wasn't something like a day in heaven equaling a year on earth.

"It won't be long."

With those final words, the doorway vanished completely from above the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Dragon Tribe World.

When Luo Qiusheng opened his eyes, he found himself atop a mountain near Kassel College. There was a lake nearby, much like the place where he and Lu Mingfei had gone for Nono's birthday party.

Was this it? It should be...

He had no idea what time it was. The sky was still dark. Surely the days he'd spent in the Douluo World hadn't passed without a moment's change in the Dragon Tribe World?

He tried stretching his limbs and found that the Dragon Bone he had absorbed in the Douluo World could unfurl within him. The power in his body also seemed more abundant than before.

He tried to flap the wings on his back, once, twice... After several attempts, Luo Qiusheng could only shake his head with a helpless smile.

"My body's still far too depleted. It's like a vessel, but there's no active element inside it to use. Could it be... Norton?"

The King of Bronze and Fire was one half of a set of twins. Constantine's Dragon Bone alone wasn't enough to let him fuse with it completely.

"Maybe... I can find the answer through Norton."