Was That Human Strength?

Dugu Bo withdrew his gaze and looked back at Jiang Lan.

He slowly rose and walked over, looking down at the little figure in the Penguin Suit who was still chewing dried fish.

"Little one, what's your name?"

"Jiang Lan!" Jiang Lan swallowed his dried fish and looked up at the tall, thin old man, crumbs still clinging to the corners of his mouth.

"Who's your teacher?"

"I don't have one," Jiang Lan answered honestly. "Mom Bo Saixi taught me to read and cultivate. I learned everything else myself."

Dugu Bo frowned. He had never heard of Mom Bo Saixi; she was probably a Soul Master from some remote region.

Jiang Lan was an uncut piece of jade that had dropped out of the sky and landed in his study.

Dugu Bo bent down, braced both hands on the chair's armrests, and met Jiang Lan's clear black-and-white eyes.

"Boy, I am Dugu Bo, titled Poison, a level ninety-two Titled Douluo. Among those who use poison on this continent, if I rank second, no one dares claim first." Dugu Bo looked at Jiang Lan solemnly. "Become my disciple, and I'll teach you everything I know. I'll also devote every resource in my household to your cultivation. While you're in Heaven Dou City, no one will dare lay a finger on you. Once you're strong enough, you'll cure my granddaughter's poison. Do we have a deal?"

Jiang Lan blinked.

He took a moment to digest all that, then tilted his head and asked a question Dugu Bo had never expected.

"If I become your disciple, do I get meals?"

Dugu Bo's mouth twitched.

He was a Titled Douluo. People would fight tooth and nail for the chance to become his disciple, yet this little fellow wanted to know whether he would be fed.

"...Yes."

"Can I eat as much as I want?" Jiang Lan pressed, looking utterly serious.

"Yes."

"Meat at every meal?"

"...Yes."

"Doro needs food too!"

A vein jumped on Dugu Bo's forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little white ball looking at him with the same expectant expression, her two purple beadlike eyes shining with Me too! Me too!

Dugu Bo gritted his teeth and squeezed a word through them. "...Fine."

Jiang Lan and Doro exchanged a glance. Then Jiang Lan hopped down from the chair, looked up at Dugu Bo, and solemnly cupped his fist in imitation of an adult.

The sleeve of Jiang Lan's Penguin Suit slipped to his elbow, revealing a little arm like a section of lotus root. "Teacher! I, your disciple Jiang Lan, will count on you for my meals from now on!"

Dugu Bo was silent for a long while. He turned to Dugu Yan and found his granddaughter covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking furiously.

He looked down at the little white ball again. Doro had already stuffed a golden orange into his hand and was pointing at her mouth with one stubby hand. Her meaning was clear: Grandpa Meal Ticket, time to eat.

Had he taken on a disciple or invited an ancestor into his home?

Dugu Bo took a deep breath, steadied himself, and asked Jiang Lan, "Jiang Lan, do you have any special talents?"

Jiang Lan thought for a moment, then said with a straight face, "Eating."

Dugu Bo: "..."

Dugu Yan couldn't hold it in. "Pfft..."

She thought this child was genuinely interesting, and especially adorable.

Dugu Bo took another deep breath to compose himself. "Besides eating?"

Jiang Lan thought for a moment. "I'm strong."

That caught Dugu Bo's interest. "Try punching me."

He paid no mind to Jiang Lan's claim of strength.

He was only a child. How strong could he be?

Jiang Lan hesitated. He was worried one punch might finish Dugu Bo off.

From what he knew of Douluo I, a weaker Soul Master could kill a stronger one if neither used Soul Skills.

"Teacher, are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Jiang Lan looked at Dugu Bo's face, which practically said Give me your best shot, then down at his own chubby little fist. For a full three seconds, he wrestled with himself.

Mom Bo Saixi had told him not to hit people with all his strength when he was out in the world. Someone could die.

The Evil Orca King had been a sobering lesson. He was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast of the sea, tough-skinned and thick-fleshed, yet Jiang Lan had knocked him unconscious with one punch.

This new teacher might be a Titled Douluo, but he looked awfully skinny, and even his beard was white. If Jiang Lan hurt him, who would feed him?

"Then... I'll only use a tiny bit of strength?" Jiang Lan cautiously raised one finger, making one last attempt to confirm.

"Enough chatter. I told you to punch me, so punch me. I'll stand right here and let you hit me. If you can make me take half a step back, you win." Dugu Bo clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his spine.

He lifted his chin slightly and unleashed the full presence of a Titled Douluo. His robes stirred without wind; he did look rather like a peerless master.

Jiang Lan drew a deep breath, clenched his right fist, and carefully limited his strength to what he considered a very safe level.

He would use only thirty percent of his strength for this punch. Thirty percent—not even half of what he had used on the Evil Orca King. It should be fine.

He walked up to Dugu Bo, looked up at the tall, thin old man's stomach, and threw a punch.

When that chubby little fist struck Dugu Bo's abdomen, it made an extraordinarily deep, muffled thud.

The ease and composure on Dugu Bo's face froze in an instant. The smile of an aloof master still hung on his lips, but his eyes were already bulging.

A terrifying force unlike anything he had ever felt exploded from that tiny fist and sent him flying backward.

He sailed over the desk, past the screen, and across half the study. He smashed through a carved wooden window, skidded another dozen meters through the garden, and finally lodged himself in the stone face of a rockery.

Broken stones clattered down. Most of his body was buried in the rock, his legs dangled outside, and smoke rose from the soles of his shoes.

The study went so quiet a falling pin could have been heard.

Dugu Yan's hands hung in midair, frozen where she had been clapping moments ago. The smile on her face had stiffened into something strange.

Her mouth slowly opened, slowly closed, then opened again. She looked just like a fish flung onto shore.

Doro sat on the chair's armrest, holding an orange in both stubby hands. She calmly took a bite and gave a "Doro."

Roughly translated: I've seen this plenty of times. Sit down. Nothing unusual here.

Jiang Lan lowered his fist and scratched his head. The hood of the Penguin Suit slipped to the back of his head, revealing his utterly innocent face.

He stood on tiptoe and peered toward the hole. Once he confirmed Dugu Bo was still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, good. Thirty percent shouldn't kill anyone."

"You... said... what?" Dugu Yan turned her head mechanically. Every word trembled.

Thirty percent had sent a level ninety-two Titled Douluo flying into a rockery. If he used all his strength, would there be a house left?

Was he even human?

"I said it's a good thing I only used thirty percent." Jiang Lan dusted off his hands and added earnestly, "Mom Bo Saixi said I could kill someone if I used all my strength."