At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Yang Feng saw the worry on Dugu Bo's face. "My Martial Soul is a Mutated Martial Soul that can copy others."
Dugu Bo was startled again. "What do you mean, 'copy'? A Mutated Martial Soul? I feel like I'm not following you at all!"
Seeing that Dugu Bo was baffled, Yang Feng said, "I'll put it plainly. I can copy other people's Martial Souls, and I'd like to copy yours."
Hearing that Yang Feng could copy Martial Souls, Dugu Bo finally understood what was going on.
"All right! Since you helped my granddaughter and me, I can let you copy my Martial Soul."
"But if your body can't withstand it, you'll have to bear the consequences of being poisoned."
Yang Feng nodded. "My body can handle it."
He revealed the three Martial Souls he already possessed above his palm. They cycled through one after another, looking almost like—
Dugu Bo took a look. "All right. From what I can see, there really is something different about you."
By now, Yang Feng theoretically had level-eighty Soul Power, though his actual Soul Power was at level fifty.
He currently had level-fifty Soul Power and four slots for copied Martial Souls.
"Go on, Yang Feng. Begin!"
"Your Mutated Martial Soul is unusual, so I won't overthink it."
Dugu Bo signaled for Yang Feng to begin the Martial Soul copying he had described.
Yang Feng displayed the Soft Bone Rabbit, Evil Fire Phoenix, and Mighty Vajra Bear Martial Souls in his hand. All three were assault-type Martial Souls.
He held them out before Dugu Bo. Watching the Martial Souls rotate above Yang Feng's right hand, Dugu Bo grew interested.
"Mm. This Mutated Martial Soul has an exceptionally high ceiling. Kid, you might not stop at Titled Douluo. You could usher in a new era!"
"You still have one empty slot for a copied Martial Soul, and you intend to copy mine."
Dugu Bo nodded. "Mm. Copying my Martial Soul is a fine choice, but it carries poison. You do have some resistance to it already."
"Even so, I need to help you understand how to counteract its toxins."
Dugu Bo explained the antidotes and precautions to Yang Feng one by one. He could see that Yang Feng was remarkably adept at absorbing a great deal of theory.
After all, before crossing over, Yang Feng had been an outstanding humanities student with a gift for memorization. He could score nearly ninety-five percent on a Chinese exam—practically full marks.
The points he lost often came down to differences in the teachers' subjective judgments.
Dugu Bo used herbs growing on the ground to demonstrate the effects of different kinds of poisoning and how to counteract them.
"A poison that can kill your opponent is powerful, of course. But it's more important to keep it from backfiring on you or accidentally harming your teammates."
"My Martial Soul attacks with toxins that can corrode an opponent."
"But remember: although your Martial Souls stabilized last time, adding mine could upset the balance among all four."
Dugu Bo looked at Yang Feng earnestly. The resolve in the young man's eyes told him he had made up his mind.
And so, the two began the copying process.
Yang Feng and Dugu Bo summoned their Martial Souls and began the mirror copy.
[System notification triggered] [Ding! You are currently copying a Martial Soul that carries toxins. This may affect the growth of your Soul Power.] [You may later end up like Yu Xiaogang, stuck at one Soul Power level and unable to advance.] [Because the host has changed the original storyline in which Tang San helped Dugu Bo detoxify, system rewards will now be issued.] [Reward selection panel] [Choose one of three options:] [Option one: permanently increase your Soul Power by five levels, from level fifty to level fifty-five.] [Option two: your Martial Soul absorption may go awry and permanently damage your Soul Power. Receive one pill that stabilizes Martial Souls and advance to level fifty-two.] [Option three: advance directly to level ninety-nine Titled Douluo, with no room for further growth. You must fight the toxins of Dugu Bo's Martial Soul for the rest of your life.]
Yang Feng considered the three rewards the system had offered him. Option one would raise my Soul Power by five levels, but my Martial Souls currently limit how far I can go. In the long run, even reaching Titled Douluo wouldn't be worth it.
Option two won't raise my Soul Power by much, but it would remove the negative effects I'm facing. That's better for my long-term growth.
"System, I choose the middle option. I want the pill that stabilizes Martial Souls."
Once Yang Feng made his choice, his Soul Power rose to level fifty-two. At the same time, the pill appeared and entered his mouth.
The copying process went smoothly. Yang Feng's fourth Martial Soul showed no signs of conflicting with the other three.
"This is my granddaughter, Dugu Yan. Thanks to your antidote, the Martial Soul backlash she's suffered since before birth has been completely cured."
Dugu Bo instructed Dugu Yan to stay with the highly talented Yang Feng. "Yan, stay with Yang Feng from now on. You'll have plenty of room to grow beside him. If you ever show signs of poisoning again, he can stop the toxins from eating away at your body right away."
Dugu Yan looked at Yang Feng but couldn't yet see what was so special about him.
"Hey! Do you have four Martial Souls? I'm not seeing things, am I?" Dugu Yan stared at Yang Feng in disbelief, but he looked perfectly calm.
"Yeah. Is that so strange? Or do you think my Martial Souls are fake?"
Yang Feng's reply made Dugu Yan laugh. "Of course not! Your Soul Power is so strong. I just think you're amazing!"
"And thank you for curing the poison that's troubled my grandfather and me for so long. I feel wonderful now. The antidote you gave my grandfather recently has made me feel as though I've been given a new life."
"Before you came along, my Martial Soul would backfire on me every day when I used it."
"How about I give myself to you in marriage? Would you agree?"
Hearing Dugu Yan's bold declaration, Yang Feng merely smiled, taking it as a joke.
Dugu Yan followed behind Yang Feng. Hmph! I must have guessed right. He's too embarrassed to say he likes me, so he's walking ahead with that silly smile. I need to find the right moment.
I'll poke right through that flimsy paper wall. Honestly, he's still too shy to admit it.
As Yang Feng smiled and said nothing, Dugu Yan lost herself in her own romantic fantasy.
The two set off toward Shrek Academy.
Before you continue