Imperial Extreme Pill!

"We came to find a merchant named Lu Chuan."

Xue Qinghe's eyelid twitched.

That crooked merchant hadn't even headed toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect when he left Heavenly Dao City!

How had he gotten mixed up with the sect? They had made contact faster than Xue Qinghe had expected.

"Come with me. He's staying in the Guest Room."

On the way there,

he learned the details from Ning Rongrong and couldn't help growing suspicious.

Who exactly was Tang San?

The Immortal Herb Illustrated Catalog sounded anything but ordinary. How could an ordinary person like Tang San know about it?

And why was that crooked merchant so certain Tang San knew?

He would have to ask Uncle She to investigate Tang San thoroughly later.

Countless thoughts spun through his mind, but nothing showed on his face as he continued ahead with the others.

Outside the Guest Room at the Crown Prince's Residence, Dugu Bo crouched listlessly beside the door, his face full of resentment.

When he spotted the group approaching, he sprang up, clasped his hands behind his back, and assumed the dignified bearing of a Titled Douluo, pretending to be perfectly at ease.

Ning Fengzhi asked, puzzled:

"Your Excellency Poison Douluo, what are you doing here?"

Dugu Bo forced himself to look calm.

"I'm getting some fresh air. The air's better out here. What, is that a problem?"

The others exchanged baffled looks. There was only a wall between here and the room. How much worse could the air inside be?

"Your Excellency truly takes the art of preserving your health seriously. You have my admiration. We'll go in and see young friend Lu Chuan, then..."

Just as they were about to open the door, Dugu Bo blocked their path.

"Wait! You can't go in yet! Stay right there!"

Before anyone could react, he shoved the door open, slipped inside, and pulled it shut behind him with a firm click.

Ning Fengzhi and the others understood now.

So Poison Douluo had been guarding the door...

What on earth was happening inside that required a Titled Douluo to stand guard?

They were curious, but everyone stayed outside. No one tried knocking again.

In the courtyard, Lu Chuan was guiding Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling through their Dou Techniques, teaching them step by step.

At that moment, Dugu Bo flashed into the courtyard and leaned close to Lu Chuan to speak in a low voice.

"Young friend, Xue Qinghe is outside with Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo Chen Xin. Will you see them?"

Lu Chuan withdrew his hand and looked at him suspiciously.

Why do I get the feeling this old geezer's insulting me? Am I imagining it?

"Let them in."

Dugu Bo nodded and vanished again.

A few minutes later,

he returned with the group.

Xue Qinghe narrowed his eyes at Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling.

Their auras feel different. What good stuff has that crooked merchant given them now?

Sword Douluo, meanwhile, marveled at the women's high Soul Power. They looked so young, yet they had already reached the Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor realms.

Could that Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid have raised their levels?

Ning Fengzhi stepped forward with a warm smile.

"Young friend Lu Chuan, I'm Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I believe you've met my daughter."

Ning Rongrong peeked out from behind him and waved.

"We meet again! I asked Dad to bring the Spirit Bones as soon as I got back to the sect. Since I've been so quick about it, can I get a discount?"

Lu Chuan answered without the slightest hesitation.

"No."

Ning Rongrong's face fell, and she puffed out her cheeks.

"Stingy..."

Ning Fengzhi didn't seem surprised.

With a turn of his wrist, he produced a wooden box.

"Young friend, here are the thirty-thousand-year right leg bone Rongrong promised and a left leg bone of roughly forty thousand years."

Lu Chuan accepted them with satisfaction and stored them in the System Space.

He then took out a Dou Technique manual recorded by Ye Lingling and twenty bottles of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid, placing them on the table.

"As agreed, every type of Self-Created Soul Skill I currently have is recorded in this manual. Take your pick."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. She hurried over and reached for the manual.

Ning Fengzhi picked it up first, his expression solemn.

He lowered his gaze and skimmed through the pages.

The manual listed all sorts of Self-Created Soul Skills: defensive skills, offensive skills, and a few movement techniques suited to agility-attack soul masters. Everything was clearly categorized.

Ning Rongrong stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to stare longingly at the manual.

"Dad, pick a good one for me!"

Sword Douluo opened a bottle of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid and held it beneath his nose. His eyes brightened.

"What a rich medicinal fragrance. Young friend, do you have any Medicinal Pills that work on Titled Douluo?"

"I do. The Imperial Extreme Pill can raise a Titled Douluo by one or two levels regardless of their current level, but each person can only take one in their lifetime.

"In other words, even a level ninety-eight Titled Douluo could take one and instantly reach level ninety-nine."

The courtyard fell silent.

Ning Fengzhi's hand paused on the manual, shock filling his face.

Every level a Titled Douluo gained demanded unimaginable time and resources, and advancement only grew harder at higher levels.

Beyond level ninety-five, talent alone wasn't enough. One also needed insight and a solid foundation laid in earlier years.

He didn't know what it took to advance from level ninety-eight to ninety-nine, but the requirements couldn't be low. Otherwise, there wouldn't be only three Limit Douluo across the entire Douluo Continent.

Yet this pill could bypass those requirements entirely. It defied the heavens!

Even Dugu Bo's breathing grew heavier. He stared at Lu Chuan, wild joy surging through him.

I've latched on to a powerful patron! Hahahaha!

If the Young Master rewards me with just about anything, couldn't I become a Limit Douluo too?!

Young Master! I'm loyal to you! Please, order me around to your heart's content~

Xue Qinghe's pupils contracted slightly, but he knew the crooked merchant's ways all too well. After a brief shock, he quickly regained his composure.

To get a divine treasure like this, we'd have to offer at least a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. Otherwise, he'd never agree.

If I'm wrong, I'll write Qian Renxue backward!

Sure enough, Lu Chuan spoke calmly.

"Don't celebrate yet. It's a fine pill, but I'm afraid you can't afford it. One Imperial Extreme Pill costs one Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

The atmosphere in the courtyard froze.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin fell silent. Gaining a level or two was tempting, but a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was far too precious.

A level ninety-eight Titled Douluo might take that gamble, but it wasn't worth it for him.

Dugu Bo clicked his tongue. His eyes cleared at once. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was worth more than his life; he could hardly afford such a luxury.

Xue Qinghe wore an expression that said he had expected exactly this.

For an ordinary Titled Douluo, the price of an Imperial Extreme Pill was far too steep.

But Grandpa Golden Crocodile could try it.

He's been stuck at level ninety-eight for ages. Reaching level ninety-nine isn't a matter of accumulating Soul Power. Even absorbing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone wouldn't get him there.

That makes trading one for an Imperial Extreme Pill the best option.

Besides, there are two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest. We can kill them and take their bones!

Grandpa Golden Crocodile can take one pill, and the other bone can become an heirloom passed down through the family!