Speaking Frankly, the Poison Pill Method

"Immortal herbs are treasures of the world. As the saying goes, such things should exist only in heaven—how often can they be encountered in the mortal realm?"

"Take this one, for example."

Ouyang Ling pointed at a large pink flower.

"This flower is called the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb. It is truly the 'nemesis of all poisons' and can neutralize every toxin. Though it cannot cure poison, I can guarantee that Senior's innate venom will be powerless against it."

"Really?"

Dugu Bo did not believe such an exaggerated claim.

After glancing at it, he flicked a finger.

In an instant, a stream of black mist shot toward the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb. Yet the moment it touched the pink barrier of light, the black mist vanished without a trace.

"It really does counter my venom." With the facts before his eyes, Dugu Bo had no choice but to believe it.

"Well? Do you believe me now, Senior?" Ouyang Ling smiled when he saw Dugu Bo return empty-handed.

"I believe you, I believe you." The surprise on Dugu Bo's face faded, replaced by appreciation. If he had previously admired Ouyang Ling for his mindset and talent, this time it was for the character he had displayed.

With a sigh, he said, "You brat are really straightforward. This old man doesn't recognize these immortal herbs. You could have simply taken them all, yet you actually told this old man how precious they are."

"This old man likes you. How about..." Suddenly, a teasing yet sincere smile appeared at the corner of Dugu Bo's mouth. "I marry Yanyan to you?"

Ouyang Ling's heart lurched, and he nearly jumped up. Old Poison, don't mess with me!

"Hey, don't go randomly playing matchmaker. Everyone knows Dugu is Tianheng's girlfriend."

Dugu Bo remained unmoved.

"You're better than that brat."

Ouyang Ling looked solemn and righteous. "He's my brother! Dugu is his woman."

"Nonsense! What do you mean, his woman?!" Perhaps a certain form of address had irritated him, because Dugu Bo looked thoroughly indignant. "They aren't married! And I haven't agreed to it!"

Ouyang Ling said, "Freedom of marriage."

Dugu Bo glared furiously, utterly displeased.

"Bullshit! Who knows whether that brat will still treat Yanyan well after he has completely won her over!"

After ranting for a long while and seeing that the brat would not budge in the slightest, Dugu Bo felt both regretful and forced to abandon the little notion that had just arisen. He then changed the subject and asked Ouyang Ling about the names of the immortal herbs he did not recognize.

Of course, he only asked what they were called.

But after asking, Dugu Bo fell into doubt. "How do you know so much, brat?"

Ouyang Ling answered calmly, "Read more books."

Dugu Bo said, "..."

If he did not want to explain, fine. There was no need to fool him like this.

Thinking of all these immortal herbs, Dugu Bo could not help sighing. He had been sitting atop a treasure mountain without realizing it.

At that moment, Ouyang Ling interrupted his thoughts. "By the way, Senior. Didn't you promise to fulfill three conditions for me? What if I said I wanted these immortal herbs?"

"Not happening."

Without even thinking, Dugu Bo rejected him outright.

Ouyang Ling was caught off guard. "..."

Was he trying to go back on his word?

This old poison should not be so shameless, right?

Yet Dugu Bo's next words made Ouyang Ling realize that he had been mistaken.

Dugu Bo continued, "This old man just said that you can use these herbs as you wish." He pointed to the immortal herbs whose names he had only just learned.

"These immortal herbs are herbs too."

Ouyang Ling raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wow. How generous.

"Even if I take them all?"

"Even if you take them all, as long as you leave seeds behind." Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, looking quite magnanimous.

"Naturally."

Ouyang Ling found leaving seeds only reasonable. "Always leave a way forward. When encountering heavenly treasures, one should not cut off their roots. That way, they can benefit those who come after."

"And..."

His words paused slightly as he turned his gaze toward a lingzhi shaped like a coiled dragon. "I can choose a suitable immortal herb for Dugu. If she takes it, it may promote the evolution of her Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul. That way, even without Poison Cultivation, her future achievements will not be low."

Dugu Bo froze at those words, then was overjoyed.

"An immortal herb can have such an effect?"

"Otherwise, why would it be called an immortal herb?"

Ouyang Ling walked over to a rock wall and pointed at the strange lingzhi he had set his sights on. "This is Ninth-Grade Dragon Lingzhi. It is said to have grown after being infused with dragon blood. Once a dragon-type creature consumes it, it can ride the wind and clouds to become a dragon."

"Although Dugu's Martial Soul is a snake, if she eats it, she will surely transform toward a Poison Flood Dragon. She will be no weaker than your Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor. Once she becomes a Titled Douluo, she may even have a chance to turn that flood dragon into a true dragon. It suits her perfectly."

Since it concerned his granddaughter, Dugu Bo naturally took it very seriously.

His sharp gaze immediately locked onto the Ninth-Grade Dragon Lingzhi.

"How should it be consumed?"

"Simple. Pick it and swallow it directly."

Dugu Bo nodded but did not make a move right away. Since consuming this immortal herb could transform her Martial Soul, he had to find an appropriate opportunity. For example, obtaining a dragon-type fourth Soul Ring would be a very good excuse.

"Then it's settled."

Having made his decision, Dugu Bo swept a hand.

"Brat, take whichever of the rest catches your eye. This old man only has Yanyan as family, and these immortal herbs are of little use to me."

Of course, that was a lie.

How could immortal herbs be of little use?

"Senior! How generous!" Since Dugu Bo had said so, Ouyang Ling did not stand on ceremony. He only needed to find a suitable one for Dugu Bo later.

And now... since Dugu Bo had paid so readily, he could not slack off either. No matter what, he at least had to give the man a solution first.

After considering it, Ouyang Ling said, "Senior, I have two solutions for your condition."

Dugu Bo was immediately interested. He wanted to hear how his condition could be resolved—how he could preserve his Poison Cultivation without allowing his body to be poisoned.

"First is the first method: find a Soul Bone to serve as a storage place for the toxins, then force all the poison produced when you cultivate Poison Cultivation into the Soul Bone. That will prevent your snake venom from affecting your own body."

"However, this method has a drawback. A Soul Bone is ultimately an external object and has a limit to what it can hold. If you continue increasing your cultivation in the future, your venom will grow stronger as well, and it will eventually reach the Soul Bone's limit. At that point, unless you find more Soul Bones, the toxins will flow back into your body."

Dugu Bo frowned, recognizing the difficulty and danger involved. "But this old man's body has long fused with poison. It won't be easy to force it out. If anything goes wrong, the backlash may be even worse."

"And..."

Thinking of Soul Bones, he could not help shaking his head. One Soul Bone might be manageable, but where was he supposed to find more?

Ouyang Ling did not know what Dugu Bo was thinking, but he answered his concern about backlash. "You don't need to worry about forcing out the poison. I have a solution."

With the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes suppressing it, plus Deep Blue Purification, simply forcing out poison would not cause any problems.

Dugu Bo's concerns eased. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"Tell me about the second method."

Ouyang Ling nodded. "The second method is for me to help force all the venom in your body into your dantian, then condense it into a Poison Pill."

"A Poison Pill? I already have one." As he spoke, Dugu Bo opened his mouth and spat out a streak of green light—a jade-green bead. "This is the pill bead I condensed after my Jade Phosphor Snake evolved into the Snake Emperor."

Disliking the possibility that it might be covered in saliva, Ouyang Ling did not reach out to catch it directly. Instead, he wrapped it in a sphere of water.

Dugu Bo said, "Hey! You're actually disgusted by it."

Ouyang Ling rolled his eyes.

"Listen to yourself. Isn't that obvious?"

After taking it and examining it, he shook his head. He tossed the pill bead back to Dugu Bo. "This one won't work."

"Why?"

Dugu Bo caught it and swallowed it back down.

"Because this pill bead is condensed from soul power. Though it contains poison, that is only because your soul power contains toxins. The Poison Pill I mean must be condensed purely from the toxins generated by your Poison Cultivation."

"And once condensed in this way, even if your Poison Cultivation reaches greater heights, as something formed from your own body, it theoretically will not have an upper limit."

"Of course."

Having explained the benefits, he naturally had to make the risks clear as well.

After pausing, Ouyang Ling continued, "To successfully condense a Poison Pill, first, you need sufficiently powerful soul power to compress the poison into a pill. Second, your physical constitution must be strong—strong enough to withstand the backlash of your own toxins and survive for a period afterward. If you cannot endure it, everything is over."

To be honest, this second method was rather impractical.

Because to use the Poison Pill Method, one had to be a Soul Master who had cultivated Poison Cultivation to the Titled Douluo level. Yet once ordinary Soul Masters chose to cultivate Poison Cultivation, they generally could not survive until the day they broke through to become Titled Douluo. It could be said that this method had been tailor-made for Dugu Bo.

"I see."

Dugu Bo suddenly understood. "So I meet the requirements?"

"Perhaps not quite." Ouyang Ling shook his head, rejecting his conclusion. "Your Titled Douluo cultivation is indeed sufficient, but given your circumstances, your physical constitution must reach the level of a level 95 assault-type Titled Douluo."

"Level 95?! Assault-type?!"

Dugu Bo was immediately dumbfounded.

How could that possibly be within his reach?

"Brat, is this second method just messing with me?"

"Look at you. Why are you so anxious?"

Ouyang Ling waved a hand, signaling Dugu Bo to calm down. "Directly raising your physical constitution won't work, but we can use other methods. After all, your body only needs to be strong enough for you to survive the venom's backlash. When the time comes, I can use prepared medicine along with my self-created soul skill to help you endure it. You may even be able to take another step forward through this."

Once Dugu Bo found it feasible, he nodded in conviction. "Brat, I'll leave this to you."

Ouyang Ling did not hesitate.

He nodded slightly. "Give me a few days."