Dugu Bo brought Lin Hao back to Heaven Dou City.
After entering Heaven Dou City, the two parted ways.
Lin Hao headed to the shops to buy all sorts of tools for harvesting medicinal plants and immortal herbs, along with a variety of storage boxes.
Dugu Bo went to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to find Dugu Yan.
An hour later, Dugu Bo returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with Dugu Yan and Lin Hao.
Standing in her grandfather's medicinal garden, Dugu Yan looked at Lin Hao and her grandfather and asked:
"Grandpa! Is what Lin Hao said true? Am I really poisoned?"
With a sorrowful expression, Dugu Bo said to Dugu Yan, "Yanyan, Little Monster is right. You are indeed poisoned. This poison has been with you since you were born. And it isn't just you—your father and I were poisoned too."
Dugu Bo sighed before continuing, "The poison inside our bodies comes from our Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Your father and mother both died because of its poison."
"But with Little Monster's help, we've found a solution to the poison backlash from our Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul. That's why I brought you here today."
Seeing that Dugu Bo had explained most of it, Lin Hao spoke up.
"Miss Dugu Yan, the solution is Martial Soul Evolution. There are three possible approaches."
"The first is to evolve your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul into a Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, just like your grandfather's."
"The second is to evolve it toward a dragon. Your grandfather's medicinal garden has plenty of fire-, water-, and ice-attribute medicinal plants."
"So the second and third methods are to evolve your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul into a Jade Phosphorous Fire Dragon, a Jade Phosphorous Ice Dragon, or a Jade Phosphorous Water Dragon."
"In other words, there are three approaches in total. You can think about which Martial Soul you want it to evolve into."
Dugu Yan was secretly delighted to hear that her Martial Soul could evolve.
But with four options to choose from herself, she found herself at a loss.
Dugu Yan instinctively looked at her grandfather, hoping he would give her an answer.
Meeting Dugu Yan's gaze, Dugu Bo slowly shook his head.
"Yanyan, you should choose how your own Martial Soul evolves. Whatever you choose, Grandpa will support you!"
Hearing her grandfather tell her to choose for herself, Dugu Yan closed her eyes and sank into thought.
After a fierce internal struggle, Dugu Yan opened her eyes, looked at Lin Hao and Dugu Bo, and announced her choice.
"Grandpa! Lin Hao! I choose to evolve it into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor."
After saying that, Dugu Yan immediately explained.
"My first three Soul Rings are all poison-attribute, and I'm used to using poison too. If my Martial Soul evolved into an ice- or fire-attribute one, I wouldn't be used to it."
"It would be better to evolve it into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, from the same lineage as Grandpa's."
After hearing Dugu Yan's explanation, Lin Hao nodded in agreement, while Dugu Bo seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
After all, even though his Martial Soul had evolved from the Jade Phosphorous Serpent into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, the poison backlash problem had remained unresolved. Or rather, he had had the chance to solve it back then, but failed to seize it.
Before Dugu Bo could voice a warning, Lin Hao's next words dispelled his concerns.
"Since Miss Dugu Yan wants to evolve her Martial Soul into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor,
Old Monster, once Miss Dugu Yan has taken the medicinal plants and completed her Martial Soul's purification, you must watch with your full attention.
Based on my deductions, after completing its evolution, Miss Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul should also form a Poison Core on its own. You must seize this opportunity."
Hearing that he could witness the formation of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's Poison Core again, Dugu Bo nodded excitedly.
"All right. I'll make sure to suppress the surge of poison inside Yanyan caused by her Martial Soul's evolution, and I'll watch the Poison Core's formation carefully."
Lin Hao also wanted to study the formation of the Poison Core after Dugu Yan's Martial Soul evolved.
When Lin Hao voiced his wish to study the formation of the Poison Core inside Dugu Yan alongside her grandfather, she agreed despite feeling a little embarrassed. Dugu Bo was naturally willing as well.
Strong spiritual power was essential if he wanted to study the entire process of the Poison Core's formation inside Dugu Yan in greater detail and with complete clarity.
Since Dugu Yan also needed to purge the poison from her body, Lin Hao could use the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew during that time.
After preparing the medicinal plants Dugu Yan needed to purge the poison from her body, Lin Hao approached the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was green all over. Strangely, at the center of the herb were three snow-white leaves, with a few droplets of water nestled in their centers like dew left behind by the morning.
After picking it, Lin Hao held the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew before him and tilted it slightly. The few drops of clear liquid immediately fell into his mouth.
The moment those drops of liquid completely left the leaves, the entire Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew withered in Lin Hao's hand. In the blink of an eye, it turned to dust and drifted away.
Lin Hao immediately sat cross-legged, assumed a posture with his palms, soles, and crown facing the sky, and quietly began cultivating.
Three hours later.
Lin Hao opened his eyes, which shone with a purple-gold light.
This unusual glow was a sign that his Purple Demon Eyes had entered the mustard seed realm.
By the spiritual power classifications of Douluo II, this would be the state of possessing both form and substance.
By the spiritual power classifications of Douluo III, it would be the late stage of the spirit sea realm.
Seeing Lin Hao open his eyes, Dugu Yan, who had already purged most of the poison from her body, hurried over.
"Lin Hao, I've expelled most of the poison from my body. Now that you're awake, isn't it time to help my Martial Soul evolve?"
"Sure! I'll find the medicinal plants that can help your Martial Soul evolve right now."
Lin Hao stood up and began searching for medicinal plants that would help Dugu Yan's Martial Soul evolve.
When it came to Martial Soul Evolution, for someone like Dugu Yan, whose Martial Soul clearly had a higher form it could evolve into,
all that was needed was to provide enough vitality and Soul Power for the Martial Soul to absorb, and it could complete the evolution on its own.
Thus, Lin Hao selected two medicinal plants for Dugu Yan.
They were an Ice Snow Lotus over fifty thousand years old and a Purple-Patterned White Jade Ginseng of the same age.
Both medicinal plants contained abundant vitality and Soul Power.
The Ice Snow Lotus, which was over fifty thousand years old, could also strengthen her foundation, replenish her vitality, and cleanse her body and marrow.
With the help of these two medicinal plants, the evolution of Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul was practically assured.
Still, to be safe, Lin Hao picked an additional thirty-thousand-year-old Ice Snow Lotus.
Holding the two medicinal plants, Lin Hao walked over to Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo.
"Sister Yan, once you take these two immortal herbs, your Martial Soul's evolution into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor should be practically guaranteed."
"Thank you!"
Seeing Dugu Yan accept the two fifty-thousand-year-old medicinal plants, Lin Hao continued.
"Take the Ice Snow Lotus first, then the Purple-Patterned White Jade Ginseng.
Just eat them directly. Neither of these medicinal plants has any special requirements for consumption."
Before you continue