Deceiving Dugu Yan

Dugu Yan still held considerable respect for Teacher Qin Ming, who had reached the Soul Emperor realm in his thirties.

So when he stopped her, she did not get angry. Instead, she responded in a calm yet slightly anxious tone.

"Is that so?" Qin Ming stroked his chin and did not press Dugu Yan further. He merely said with some regret, "In that case, I won't force you."

"With your strength, even if you don't take part in this selection competition, you will definitely have a place in the Soul Master Tournament in the future."

"It's just a pity that I won't get to witness the splendor of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul inherited from Senior Poison Douluo."

But Dugu Yan had no mood for further small talk with Qin Ming. She nodded and replied evenly, "There will be a chance in the future."

With that, she ignored Qin Ming, turned around, and led Jiang Li and the others away to find somewhere secluded to continue their conversation.

Watching their departing backs, a trace of surprise flashed through Qin Ming's eyes.

Normally, Dugu Yan was only close to Ye Lingling.

Yet now, she had left together with a man and a woman besides Ye Lingling?

Moreover, those two looked unfamiliar. They did not seem to be students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Could they be from another advanced Soul Master Academy, secretly coming to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to poach talent in preparation for the Soul Master Tournament a few years from now?

Such things had happened before.

Forget it.

He would let someone else worry about it.

Qin Ming scratched his head. He was merely an insignificant teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy anyway. Whatever happened to Heaven Dou Royal Academy had nothing to do with him.

"Teacher Qin Ming, where is Dugu Yan? Why haven't I seen her?"

At that moment, a voice behind him suddenly interrupted Qin Ming's thoughts. Turning around, Qin Ming saw a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

"Oh, it's you, Yu Tianheng?" Qin Ming said in realization. "Dugu Yan said she had urgent business and has left. She won't be participating in the remaining selection competition."

"Is that so? That really is a pity."

Yu Tianheng was somewhat surprised upon hearing that. As a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he had not enrolled in his own clan's Thunderclap Academy like the other clan members. Instead, he had joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

His goal was to lead a team into the Soul Master Tournament a few years from now without relying on his family's strength.

Then, together with his cousin, whom the clan called one of the Twin Stars alongside him, he would spread the prestige of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul during the Soul Master Tournament.

But the prerequisite for accomplishing that was winning the position of captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team.

Within Heaven Dou Royal Academy, his greatest rival was none other than Dugu Yan, who had the guidance of a Title Douluo-level expert.

Thus, upon hearing Qin Ming say that Dugu Yan would not be taking part in the selection competition, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Without Dugu Yan standing in his way, the captain's position was his for sure!

Elsewhere, after Dugu Yan led the group to an empty classroom with no one inside Heaven Dou Royal Academy,

Dugu Yan crossed her arms before her chest. Her not especially ample, snow-white breasts were pressed together into a tempting cleavage as she said to Jiang Li, "You may continue!"

Jiang Li casually glanced at the snow-white flesh before quickly shifting his gaze away. Then he said,

"If I'm not mistaken, it isn't just you. Even your grandfather, Poison Douluo, is already near death. In fact, his condition is far more serious than yours."

"If you have merely faintly noticed signs that you have been poisoned, then Poison Douluo could be said to be living a fate worse than death."

"Really?"

Compared to Dugu Yan, who had disliked Jiang Li from the start, Ye Lingling, whom Jiang Li had saved like a hero rescuing a beauty, was more willing to believe his words.

But Jiang Li had not even met Poison Douluo himself, yet he claimed that a Title Douluo-level powerhouse was, like Dugu Yan, near death?

Even Ye Lingling found that somewhat absurd.

"Isn't it actually easy to determine whether it's true or false?" Jiang Li asked. "Just have her ask Senior Poison Douluo, and she'll know."

"If I really have been poisoned and am near death, and even my grandfather, a Title Douluo famous for his poison, has no way to resolve it—"

"Do you have a way to solve it?"

Dugu Yan was no fool. Naturally, she would not believe whatever Jiang Li said.

Although everything Jiang Li had said about the symptoms she had experienced was completely accurate, making her believe him somewhat,

as Jiang Li's claims grew increasingly outrageous, even saying that her grandfather, Poison Douluo, was near death, she could not help finding those few traces of belief she had just developed rather laughable.

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Li's face. "As for a solution, there is one—and there isn't."

"Hah."

Dugu Yan sneered disdainfully. According to Jiang Li, if she really had been poisoned, and it was a deadly poison that even her grandfather, Poison Douluo, could not resolve,

could this man before her, who looked even younger than she was, possibly have a solution?

"Jiang Li, can you explain the method you mentioned?"

Ye Lingling did not know Poison Douluo, nor did she know just how powerful a Title Douluo-level expert was.

But she would rather believe it than dismiss it, so she asked Jiang Li to tell them the method he knew.

Dugu Yan did not stop her, because she also wanted to see what other "earth-shattering" claims Jiang Li could make next.

"Of course." Jiang Li nodded and continued. "Actually, I do not hold much hope for this either."

"I once saw a record in an ancient book of a blessed land called the Icefire Yin Yang Well. It consists of two springs, one of extreme heat and one of extreme cold."

Upon hearing this, a trace of doubt arose within Dugu Yan, because the blessed land Jiang Li described sounded strangely familiar.

However, she did not interrupt him and merely listened more attentively.

"If an ordinary person fell into it, their body would be melted away by the spring water within seconds. Even Soul Masters would not be able to endure it for long."

"Yet the reason the Icefire Yin Yang Well is called a blessed land is because all kinds of rare medicinal herbs grow beside its springs, including herbs capable of curing all poisons."

"What I hope for is to obtain these rare herbs that grow beside the springs, each with different effects."

"The reason I told you this was merely to try my luck. With my strength alone, finding this blessed land on Douluo Continent would be harder than ascending to heaven."

"But with the help of a Title Douluo, it would be entirely different."

The Icefire Yin Yang Well really was difficult to find, but claiming it could not be found was outright deception of Dugu Yan.

After all, Sunset Forest was only so large. As long as someone searched hard enough, they would eventually find the Icefire Yin Yang Well hidden within it.

The reason Jiang Li had told Dugu Yan this was simply because he wanted to learn the location of the Icefire Yin Yang Well from her.

Of course, it would be even better if he could get Dugu Yan to take him to the Icefire Yin Yang Well.

That was why he had only mentioned that there were herbs in the Icefire Yin Yang Well that could detoxify poison, without specifically stating which herb could do so.

That was the plan he had in mind.

To be honest, what he was doing carried a certain amount of risk.

If Poison Douluo chose to attack him, he had no way to deal with a Title Douluo. At most, he could only hide inside the Summoning Space.

But only a little over a year, less than two years, remained until Tang San arrived in Heaven Dou City in the original story.

Time waited for no one!

If he did not dig up the Immortal Herbs during this period, would he not simply be giving them to Tang San?

Besides, fortune was found amid danger. If he did not make every effort to strengthen himself, how would he face crises even greater than Poison Douluo's in the future?

Become a god!

He had to become a god as soon as possible!

At the very least, he could not fall behind Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, Tang San, and the others.