I Have Shed My Snake Skin and Ascended into a Dragon

Even if it meant a nine-in-ten chance of death, he had to try. If he did not, Yan Yan might very well die before him in the future.

Dugu Bo steeled himself and sat beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, calming his breath and focusing his mind. He first consumed the Earth Dragon Golden Melon to stimulate his bloodline, then took the branches and leaves of the Blood-Colored Swan Kiss to increase its toxicity.

Very soon, Dugu Bo's body began to undergo unusual changes, though only Dugu Bo himself could feel exactly what was happening.

From the outside, everything appeared perfectly calm, without the slightest sign of anything amiss.

"Can this really work?"

Xiao Wu paced back and forth beside Dugu Bo. A single immortal herb and a few leaves could really achieve this kind of effect? And why did Third Brother and Teacher not feel like teacher and student? They seemed more like they had some special relationship... yes, like a father and son.

"Of course it can. Teacher's great wisdom and mine will solve this with absolute certainty."

Tang San patted his chest, declaring that it would definitely work. From now on, if anyone dared say Teacher was incapable, he would be the first to object.

Di Tian scratched his head. "Dragon Husband, can we really gain a Titled Douluo like this? If so, we do not seem to be losing anything at all. Two soul bones in exchange for a Titled Douluo."

They were making an enormous profit. In all of Heaven Dou City, Dugu Bo was the only Titled Douluo when all was said and done. The other Titled Douluo basically belonged to the Upper Three Sects and other forces.

"Of course. And the surprises in this place go far beyond that."

Shen Qingling smiled and gently patted Di Tian on the shoulder, giving him a look full of amusement.

What other surprises could there be?

Di Tian began to look forward to them as well.

Time slowly passed. Then Dugu Bo suddenly let out a muffled groan.

Everyone immediately looked over. Dugu Bo was still seated where he was, but the phantom of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor appeared behind him.

A series of crisp cracking sounds came from the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor phantom behind him. Its scales fell away in showers, its body gradually thickened, and two small bulges rose from the top of its head. A row of fine bone spurs emerged along its back, while its originally emerald-green snake eyes took on traces of golden light. It was slowly transforming toward the form of a dragon.

Tang San held his breath, staring unblinkingly at the phantom with shock filling his heart. A second evolution of a martial soul was already a once-in-a-millennium occurrence, and this was an evolution from a snake toward a dragon. Such an opportunity could only be encountered, never sought.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened as well. She covered her mouth and did not dare make a sound, afraid of disturbing the evolution process.

"It really... became a dragon?"

Dugu Yan's voice trembled, her eyes filled with both surprise and worry. She had never dreamed that her grandfather's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor could advance further and transform into a dragon-type martial soul.

But just as the phantom was about to take shape, Dugu Bo's body suddenly shuddered. His face instantly turned livid, and violent poison surged out through his meridians, racing wildly through his bloodline. Even his skin took on a strange jade-green hue.

Anyone with sharp eyes could tell that the poison had completely erupted this time.

Shen Qingling's gaze flickered. A drop of blood glowing with golden light condensed at his fingertip. With a flick of his finger, the blood droplet precisely landed in Dugu Bo's open mouth.

The golden blood entered his body, and the wildly rampaging poison instantly seemed to encounter its nemesis. Its violent momentum abruptly stalled before gradually being suppressed and sorted out, beginning to flow toward the poison core within his body.

He was now only one step away from transforming into a flood dragon.

A pair of horns began to emerge atop the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's head.

"I have shed my snake skin and ascended into a dragon!"

Dugu Bo opened his eyes, overjoyed. He spat out his original inner core, which now carried faint strands of golden radiance.

After taking back his inner core, Dugu Bo rose and walked over to Shen Qingling, bowing respectfully. "Thank you for aiding me with your blood, Young Master Shen. Otherwise, I truly might have suffered a backlash from the poison just now."

That blood had helped him resolve the poison at an accelerated pace, and that single drop of blood was truly extraordinary.

"You are too polite, Dugu Bo. Since you are all right now, you can let your granddaughter absorb it. Next, I will begin gathering the immortal herbs."

With my Earth Dragon Golden Melon and the branches and leaves of the Blood-Colored Swan Kiss handed over, the rest should be my own business.

"No problem. Please do as you wish, Young Master Shen!"

Next, he could deal with his granddaughter's problem. Before she absorbed it, she naturally had to thoroughly absorb this hard-won soul bone first.

Among soul masters of the same age across the entire continent, not many possessed a ten-thousand-year soul bone. If she could obtain an external soul bone as well, that would be an utterly heaven-defying opportunity.

Seeing that everything had stabilized, Tang San immediately picked the Blazing Apricot Delicate and Star Anise Ice Grass and brought them before Shen Qingling.

"Teacher, one of these immortal herbs would definitely be highly poisonous if eaten alone, but if both are consumed together, they can reach a balance and refine the body into a golden body. And with the power of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the effect will be even better."

Tang San told Shen Qingling everything, offering up the immortal herbs with both hands as he waited for Shen Qingling to take and consume them.

He was truly especially happy to be able to do something for Teacher. Yet his hands had remained suspended in the air for a while, and Shen Qingling showed no intention of taking them.

"Teacher, do you not want them?"

"Your martial soul needs these to strengthen your physique. Does Teacher not want to become stronger too?"

Tang San was nearly frantic.

"Of course Teacher knows, but Teacher does not need them. Little San, absorb them yourself."

Shen Qingling's words left Tang San standing there in a daze.

"What? Teacher, you want me to absorb them? This is an enormous opportunity."

Tang San stood frozen in place, his face filled with confusion. These precious immortal herbs were a heaven-sent opportunity capable of changing one's physique, yet Teacher was actually giving them to him.

He subconsciously shook his head. "Teacher, how can that be? Something this good should be used by you."

He knew clearly that consuming the two immortal herbs together could forge a golden body immune to water and fire. For a soul master, it was an opportunity that could only be encountered by chance.

Teacher's strength was already unfathomable. Using them would allow him to reach an even higher level. Tang San's cultivation was still shallow; he truly could not accept such an enormous gift.

Most importantly, Teacher had already helped him so much.

"Teacher does not need them."

Shen Qingling's tone was calm, but his attitude was firm.

"I possess the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, and my physique has long surpassed that of ordinary people. These two immortal herbs would offer me limited benefits. Letting you absorb them would not be a waste. They can help you build a solid foundation."

The Icefire Gold-Refining Body would indeed greatly benefit the Blue Silver Emperor, but he already possessed the Golden Dragon King bloodline and had no need for these immortal herbs.

So he gave them entirely to Tang San.

As Tang San listened, his eyes gradually reddened.

His nose stung, and his heart felt both warm and bitter. Ever since he became Teacher's disciple, Teacher had always thought of him—giving him money, teaching him cultivation techniques, and even unhesitatingly giving him a peerless opportunity like immortal herbs.

Even his biological father had never cared for him this much, yet Teacher had saved every good thing for him. The hands holding the immortal herbs trembled slightly as he tried to speak, only for the words to catch in his throat.

"Why are you standing there foolishly?" Shen Qingling patted him on the shoulder. "Hurry and absorb them. Do not let these two immortal herbs go to waste."

Tang San nodded forcefully, wiped the corner of his eyes, and solemnly carried the immortal herbs to sit beside the spring. He silently swore that he would absorb them properly, grow stronger as soon as possible, and never disappoint Teacher's goodwill.