Dugu Bo's Martial Soul Mutation

"Fang boy, I'm back!"

High above the valley, a figure swooped down like a great bird spreading its wings, landing squarely beside Fang Yuan.

It was Dugu Bo, who had rushed back after receiving Fang Yuan's message.

His green eyes were fixed on Fang Yuan's palm. Two perfectly round pills rested there.

A strange rasping sound came from Dugu Bo's throat. Clearly unable to wait any longer, he reached out to grab the pills in Fang Yuan's hand.

Fang Yuan quickly closed his hand and looked at Dugu Bo. "Old Poison, have you really thought this through?"

Dugu Bo said anxiously, "At a time like this, what is there to think through? Fang boy, don't you dare go back on your word, or I'll lose my temper!"

He truly feared that Fang Yuan might change his mind now. After all, once someone had seen hope, they would never be willing to fall back into their former state.

Now that he knew there was a way to resolve the backlash of the toxins from his and his granddaughter's Martial Souls, how could Dugu Bo not be anxious?

Fang Yuan could not help but laugh. He handed one of the pills to Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo took the pill, inspected it closely for a moment, then turned his gaze to Fang Yuan.

"Fang boy, what should I do?"

Fang Yuan explained, "It's simple. Take the pill first. Once its medicinal power begins to spread and be absorbed, I'll use my mutation soul skill to mutate your Martial Soul. Under the effect of the medicine, your Martial Soul will mutate in a better direction, with a very high chance of resolving the backlash problem."

"Good!" Dugu Bo nodded heavily. Without a trace of doubt, he swallowed the pill in one gulp.

Then he sat cross-legged on the spot and began refining its medicinal power.

Fang Yuan carefully observed the fluctuations of soul power around him, judging the right moment.

At this moment, all of Dugu Bo's soul power and most of his focus were devoted to refining the medicine. To an expert of the same level, he was practically defenseless.

If Fang Yuan had intended to, he could have struck now and easily killed Dugu Bo with a single palm. A Title Douluo-level powerhouse would have met his end at Fang Yuan's hands.

However, doing so would bring Fang Yuan no benefit whatsoever.

Why kill this old poison? To obtain his Medusa's Skull?

Fang Yuan was not a bloodthirsty man, so naturally he had no intention of turning on him and stabbing him in the back now.

Without blinking, he watched the changes in Dugu Bo's aura.

Only when Fang Yuan sensed that Dugu Bo had completely refined the medicinal power did a purple soul ring rise beneath his feet.

"Old Poison, summon your Martial Soul!"

Hearing Fang Yuan's shout, Dugu Bo immediately summoned his Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul.

Third soul skill, Mutation!

The light of the soul skill shone upon Dugu Bo. At once, the azure scales on his body began to wriggle on their own as though they had come alive.

Toxic gas, soul power, and the pill's medicinal power—three energies—escaped uncontrollably from Dugu Bo's nose and mouth. Before long, they formed a massive blue-green cocoon that wrapped around his entire body.

Seeing this, Fang Yuan nodded.

This signified that Dugu Bo's Martial Soul had begun to mutate under the effect of his soul skill.

Once the mutation process began, Fang Yuan could no longer interfere. Whether it succeeded or failed would depend entirely on Dugu Bo's own luck.

While Dugu Bo's Martial Soul was mutating, Fang Yuan could only wait where he was.

No one could tell whether a Martial Soul mutation would take a long or short time. Even Fang Yuan himself could not estimate it.

After absorbing the pill refined from the Velvet Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum and the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma, Fang Yuan's Martial Soul had advanced, and his own soul power level had risen as well.

His cultivation had originally been level sixty-nine. Now, he had reached the threshold of level seventy.

So long as he hunted a soul beast and obtained a soul ring, he would become a Soul Sage-level powerhouse.

Sunset Forest, where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located, was itself a sizeable gathering ground for soul beasts. Obtaining a soul ring here would not be difficult.

However, finding a soul ring suitable for himself might take some effort. With Dugu Bo still evolving, Fang Yuan could not leave for too long.

After some time.

Fang Yuan, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in cultivation, slowly opened his eyes.

He sensed a vast and powerful aura.

Opening his eyes, Fang Yuan looked toward the green cocoon surrounding Dugu Bo.

By now, the surface of the cocoon was covered in cracks. The aura emanating from within rose and fell in strength like the breathing of a living creature.

Fang Yuan knew that Dugu Bo's Martial Soul mutation was about to end.

Before long, the emerald cocoon cracked apart with a series of sharp snaps. Yet it did not scatter in all directions. Instead, it turned into a stream of green vapor and was inhaled by the figure sitting cross-legged within.

The seated figure still had long green hair, but the formerly gaunt old man had undergone a tremendous change.

His once dry, sallow skin had regained some vitality and become somewhat rosy. Though he had not become young again, his entire vitality and bearing had undergone an earthshaking transformation.

Naturally, this figure was Dugu Bo. His eyes abruptly opened, and emerald light flashed forth. Yet it was no longer the sinister green glow from before, but an emerald radiance brimming with vibrant life.

Dugu Bo's aura suddenly surged, breaking through the limit he had previously reached with every ounce of his strength in an instant.

"Ninety-two... ninety-three... ninety-four!" Dugu Bo burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I actually broke through to level ninety-four!"

The effects of the Martial Soul mutation, coupled with the medicinal power contained in the pill, had raised Dugu Bo's cultivation by three levels in a row!

One had to know that at the Title Douluo realm, every level was an earthshaking transformation, and the difficulty naturally increased exponentially.

For Dugu Bo to rise three levels in a row within the Title Douluo realm at his age could be considered a second spring.

After laughing heartily, he suddenly turned toward Fang Yuan, a mischievous smile appearing on his face.

"Hehe, Fang boy, my cultivation is now several times stronger than before. Tell me, am I still no match for you?"

His words seemed to carry a hint of payback.

Yet Fang Yuan was not flustered in the slightest. Instead, his expression turned strange. "Old Poison, now that you've advanced, are you planning to stop caring about your granddaughter?"

Dugu Bo's laughter came to an abrupt stop. Somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, he said, "You brat, you're not even scared. How irritating."

He took several deep breaths, and delight appeared on his face. "Fang boy, your method really works! The toxins formed by my Martial Soul have changed along with its mutation and no longer backlash against me!

"However, the poison arts I cultivated throughout my life have not been dispelled. I can still poison everything within a thousand miles until not a blade of grass remains, and my Martial Soul has been greatly strengthened as well!"

As he spoke, soul power rippled around Dugu Bo as he summoned his Martial Soul.

As the Martial Soul possessed him, blue-green scales grew over his body. However, these were no longer the scales of the Jade Phosphor Serpent—they were genuine dragon scales!

"My Martial Soul actually transformed from a serpent into a dragon, becoming the legendary Azure Dragon! Hahahaha!"

As Dugu Bo's Martial Soul possessed him, overwhelming power instantly filled his body, and he could not help bursting into laughter once more.