Purging the Poison, Making a Choice

Specks of luminous white light rose from roots buried deep in the soil. It was the Life Origin that had slumbered within the plants since time immemorial. The branches and leaves of each Spirit Plant swayed gently, and its roots pulsed beneath the earth. The Spirit Awareness sealed away for countless years was slowly awakened by the power of the Shennong Cauldron. The light grew brighter, spreading in layer upon layer across Medicine Valley.

The Spirit-Awakening Method did not forcibly grant wisdom. It awakened the Spirituality hidden within the plants themselves, giving them a chance to develop intelligence.

More than that, several Immortal Herbs learned the Mental Communication Method in an instant. Flickers of thought reached toward the two men's minds.

The plants' ethereal voices echoed softly in their hearts. "Who are you? Are you the Father God?" The words sounded like the murmurs of newborn children, accompanied by the rustle of trembling leaves and petals throughout the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Every Spirit Plant across the valley had awakened, and all Ten Great Immortal Herbs had gained intelligence.

Dugu Bo stood frozen as he witnessed this sight of creation. His eyes widened, his pupils contracting. He had roamed the continent for decades, yet he had never seen or even heard of anyone awakening an entire valley of Spirit Plants by human means.

Even beast-type Soul Beasts had to cultivate for over ten thousand years before they might develop intelligence this advanced. For living things in general, such a transformation usually required Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Cultivation and the accumulation of countless years. It was the mark of a higher life-form. Though the Immortal Herbs grew extraordinarily fast in this place where ice and fire sustained each other, its vast Heaven and Earth Essence had cut off any possibility of their developing intelligence. What Jiang Baiyu had done was nothing short of miraculous.

What was more, he had just sensed at least ten plants with complete Spirit Awareness and at least twenty with faint Spirit Awareness, to say nothing of the Spirit Herbs covering the valley. Could a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast emerge among them?

His breathing grew heavy. If seven or more of those plants with complete Spirit Awareness reached that level, he could obtain a full set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones. Even if he stored all his poison within those bones, he would face almost no danger of his body bursting. His gaze inevitably heated at the thought. Only after a long while did Dugu Bo slowly exhale. The utter shock in his eyes faded, replaced by acceptance and candor, without a trace of greed. Watching Jiang Baiyu quietly approach an herb he did not recognize, he said outright:

"Kid, I've lived a long time with deadly poison coursing through me. It torments me day and night, and I've searched endlessly for a cure. Today, you used your secret art to awaken these plants. That alone proves your ability. Take whichever Immortal Herbs you want. Don't hold back on my account. I told you before: if you can cure my poison, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and every Spirit Herb and medicine here will belong to you, Jiang Baiyu. I won't lay claim to a single one."

He looked Jiang Baiyu in the eye, every word firm and sincere. Dugu Bo had always been blunt and had no taste for beating around the bush, so he made his promise plainly.

Jiang Baiyu, who had been frantically communicating with the surrounding Spirit Herbs, relaxed and let out a slow breath.

He had just struck an agreement with the awakened Immortal Herbs. If Dugu Bo made any suspicious move, Aromatic Silk Beauty would come to him and shield him from poison, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum would help him withstand a blow, and Snow-Colored Swan Kiss nearby would hit Dugu Bo with everything it had.

This had been a huge gamble from the start. The moment he obtained the Spirit-Awakening Method, he had thought of using it at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. With so many Spirit Herbs, this was undoubtedly the best place for it, which meant he had to act right under Dugu Bo's nose. Fortunately, Dugu Bo proved to be a decent man. Now Jiang Baiyu could get to work without holding back.

He bowed. "Please forgive me, Your Eminence. Anyone who saw what I just did would be tempted by greed. I admire your integrity." He meant it. Putting himself in Dugu Bo's place, Jiang Baiyu doubted he could show the same resolve.

He looked across the valley of Spirit Herbs. "First, there's something I need to tell you, Your Eminence. These Spirit Herbs have gained awareness, and some are even as intelligent as ordinary humans. But they aren't Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts." Jiang Baiyu came straight to the point.

"What?" Dugu Bo did not suspect him of lying. After all, he could kill any Spirit Herb nearby. If it produced a Soul Ring, Jiang Baiyu would be a dead man.

"That's right. Because of this place's unique conditions, these Spirit Herbs could only ever be medicinal ingredients. They had no chance of awakening intelligence and becoming Soul Beasts on their own," Jiang Baiyu said. He was telling the truth. Only after speaking with the Spirit Herbs had he learned that two overwhelmingly powerful presences lay dormant here. As long as they remained, these herbs could never develop Spirituality by themselves.

"But now..." Jiang Baiyu paused. "I suppose they all count as one-year Soul Beasts." His Spirit-Awakening Method had given them the ability to cultivate on their own. Under the influence of Douluo Star's peculiar laws, they had all become Soul Beasts.

"Hm?" Dugu Bo stared at the herbs covering the valley. "You mean they're now a group of one-year Soul Beasts with unusually advanced awareness?" Disbelief filled his voice.

"Yes. And that has an advantage: they can release their own essence and turn it directly into medicinal ingredients," Jiang Baiyu said. These Spirit Herbs had accumulated vast stores of plant essence over countless years without awareness, but that very accumulation would obstruct their future advancement. Soul Beasts had to survive heavenly tribulations, and with all that essence, these plants would never survive the lightning. They would be glad to have someone take it away.

"So you have an entire valley of Soul Beasts to serve as your assistants," Dugu Bo said.

"Yes." Jiang Baiyu's expression turned grave. "Senior, let me ask you something. Do you dare try the Soul Core Method I told you about?"

"What do you mean?" Dugu Bo studied Jiang Baiyu with his emerald-green eyes.

"As I told you, the Soul Core Method is the best way to resolve the poison in your body. Once you have a Soul Core, the poison will no longer burden you. A Soul Core acts as a bridge between a Soul Master and the world. It circulates power on its own, so your Soul Power will grow naturally even if you stop cultivating. You'll also have far more Soul Power than an ordinary Soul Master." Jiang Baiyu laid out its advantages, then added, "But there's one strict requirement: your Soul Power must be dense enough to become solid. Forgive my bluntness, but for a Titled Douluo who advanced by relying on the poison in his body, that step will be difficult."

"But—" Jiang Baiyu drew out the word and pointed at Snow-Colored Swan Kiss. "This plant isn't poisonous. Its greatest effect is amplifying poison. Its power can trigger all the deadly poison built up inside you at once, raising your poison-attribute Soul Power to an extraordinary level in an instant. If you use that surge to form a Soul Core, it should forcibly refine a Poison-Attribute Soul Core."

Dugu Bo considered the idea, his emerald eyes growing brighter. "If that works, the chance of success will rise dramatically!"

"Yes. You would become the first Soul Master in the world to possess a Soul Core." Jiang Baiyu pressed on. "But you'd be gambling with your life. You've already experienced the power of Snow-Colored Swan Kiss. If it gets out of control, your poison will run rampant. Your meridians will be destroyed on the spot, and you'll die."

He added, "Believe me or not, the Soul Core Method will make you far stronger than other Soul Masters. I intend to try it myself one day."

Dugu Bo's brow furrowed. His fingers curled unconsciously, and emerald Soul Power rippled around him. He thought through the principles and effects Jiang Baiyu had described. In theory, it could work. Forming a Soul Core in his dantian even followed the same principle as the Poison Core he had once tried to condense to cure himself. But as Jiang Baiyu had said, this was a tremendous gamble. If he won, he would never again face an outbreak of poison and might become a far stronger Soul Master. If he lost, nothing would be left of him.

Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Baiyu said, "Senior, take your time and decide whether you dare make this gamble. If you don't, we won't touch that plant. We can use the approach I suggested earlier: the ice and fire energies of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, along with various herbs, to first purge the poison built up in your body. We can take the safer path. What do you think?"

Dugu Bo's conflict deepened. One path offered a chance to defy fate at the risk of his life; the other offered survival through caution. Which should he choose?

He looked at the earnest young man before him and remembered the sight of every plant in the valley answering his call. A wild gleam flashed in his eyes. "I choose to form the Soul Core." Dugu Bo had become a Titled Douluo despite the danger of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. He, too, was among the exceptional talents of his generation. Gambling with his life and embracing madness had always been in his nature. If this kid was confident, why couldn't he take one more wild chance?

Dugu Bo fixed Jiang Baiyu with an intense stare. "Tell me. What are your odds of success?" His eyes were bloodshot now.

"Over seventy percent," Jiang Baiyu said solemnly.

"Fine." Dugu Bo's expression hardened. He opened his mouth and spat out a streak of green light: an emerald bead. "I've attempted something similar to your Soul Core Method before. This is the core I formed when my Jade Phosphorous Serpent ascended to Serpent Emperor. Swallow it. If I die, it'll explode. Well? Do you dare?"

Jiang Baiyu eyed the bead uneasily. "Don't worry," Dugu Bo said. "There's no saliva on it."

Jiang Baiyu still felt queasy looking at the bead in Dugu Bo's hand. But the man was staking his life on this gamble with him. He ought to show some commitment in return. After a moment's thought, he reached out to take it.

Instead, Dugu Bo swallowed the bead again. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? You just told me I need to condense all my Soul Power into a single Soul Core, and now you're about to swallow a bead containing half my cultivation."

The interruption snapped Jiang Baiyu out of the shock of Dugu Bo's reckless decision. Of course. If Dugu Bo needed to condense all his Soul Power, why would he give away his Poison Core now? He had clearly been testing him.

"But you were willing to swallow it. Good enough. I trust you," Dugu Bo said. After a pause, he added, "If it doesn't work, take good care of Yanzi for me."

Looking at him, Jiang Baiyu found himself thinking that Dugu Bo was quite something.