Suppressing the Poison, the Soul Bone Wager

They said nothing on the way down the mountain.

The shock of the nuclear blast in the forest still lingered in Dugu Bo's mind.

As they walked, his gaze toward Qin Yun grew more complicated.

Wariness mingled with genuine awe. He no longer dared treat Qin Yun as an ordinary boy.

They hurried on and soon reached Dugu Yan's residence in Heaven Dou City.

The courtyard was quiet. A breeze rustled the leaves.

Dugu Yan sat on a stone platform in the courtyard, eyes closed as she cultivated.

Jade-green Soul Power surrounded her, flowing slowly.

Sensing two people approach, she ended her cultivation and opened her eyes. Her grandfather, Dugu Bo, stood beside Qin Yun.

When her gaze fell on Qin Yun, complicated feelings flickered in her eyes.

She remembered their first match and their contest of poison techniques.

Proud by nature, she had relied on her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul to dominate her peers.

Yet against Qin Yun, she had been powerless to resist.

With time, though, her arrogance and resentment had faded.

In talent, combat strength, and even the poison techniques she excelled at, Qin Yun far surpassed her.

They had also spent a little time together at the academy.

She had gradually come to accept him as her team captain.

"Grandpa. Qin Yun... Captain."

She spoke the last word softly.

"We're here today to clear the Martial Soul toxins built up inside you and ease the pain of the backlash for now."

Qin Yun raised his hand and summoned pure, gentle Elemental Soul Power.

A thread of white light flowed from his fingertip into Dugu Yan's meridians and flesh.

The toxins of her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul had taken root in her flesh and tangled around her meridians. Traces had accumulated layer upon layer, constantly eating away at her body.

Qin Yun guided his Elemental Power through her meridians with unerring precision.

Bit by bit, he separated, broke down, and purified the toxins that had accumulated over the years.

The process was gentle and soothing, without the slightest pain.

Within moments, Dugu Yan felt light and at ease, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from her.

The clearest change was in her long jade-green hair, darkened by years of exposure to the poison.

Its color visibly lightened, losing its eerie darkness and returning to a clear, soft green.

Even her bearing seemed cleaner and brighter.

Dugu Yan let out a long breath, her face full of joy and gratitude.

"Thank you!"

Once Qin Yun finished, he spoke before Dugu Bo could ask.

"Senior, I only cleared Dugu Yan's meridians and purified the loose toxins. That can ease the pain of the backlash, but it can't cure her completely."

He looked at grandfather and granddaughter, then continued.

"The poison afflicting both of you is an innate condition that comes from your Martial Souls themselves."

"The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul is inherently venomous. Each time you use Soul Power or a soul skill, a tiny amount of poison turns on you. Over time, it takes root in your Martial Soul's source and seeps into your blood and bones."

"Ordinary detoxification and meridian-clearing methods can never remove it completely."

Dugu Bo frowned and pressed him in a grave voice.

"You said you could cure us, not merely ease the poison!"

Qin Yun smiled faintly, his tone assured.

"Of course. I gave you my word, Senior. I have a way."

"It's simple. You need Soul Bones with healing abilities that provide powerful purification, continual recovery, and poison removal."

"After every battle, once you've used your Martial Souls, the Soul Bones' passive effects will clear your meridians and purify the remaining toxins."

"That will resolve the chronic backlash from your Martial Souls and free you from the poison for good."

Qin Yun's method was somewhat like Tang San's: both relied on Soul Bones.

But Tang San's method had Dugu Bo force all the poison into a Soul Bone. The poison would still exist.

Qin Yun, by contrast, would use the Soul Bones' power to break down the toxins and remove them from their bodies completely.

Dugu Bo's eyes widened, and he shook his head again and again.

He took Qin Yun's words for the reckless boasting of a young man.

"You must be joking!"

"Even ordinary Soul Bones are treasures of extreme rarity across the continent."

"Let alone purification and healing Soul Bones with exactly the right attributes and skills!"

"And an ordinary restorative Soul Bone won't do. It has to neutralize the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's poison."

"That's harder than finding a needle in the ocean."

Despite Dugu Bo's disbelief and bleak expression, Qin Yun remained composed.

"There's no need to worry, Senior. I wouldn't have proposed this if I couldn't make it happen."

"You needn't trouble yourselves over it."

"I'll find two suitable healing Soul Bones for you and your granddaughter, one each. I won't go back on my word."

Dugu Bo froze for a moment, doubts crowding his mind as he looked at the confident boy.

Soul Bones were scarce across the continent. Countless Titled Douluo went their entire lives without finding more than a few suitable ones.

Yet Qin Yun, barely above level forty, dared make such a sweeping promise.

It was hard to believe.

But when he saw the certainty in Qin Yun's eyes,

and recalled how the boy had overturned everything he thought he knew time and again, he found himself unable to argue.

Qin Yun alone knew the truth.

For anyone else, this would be nearly impossible. For him, it would be easy.

His Elemental Martial Soul had not yet fully unlocked.

Once it advanced and he unlocked the elements of the fifth period, he would be able to control Zirconium.

Zirconium was the key material for making Memory Alloy.

With his Elemental Analysis and Reconstruction, he could craft Soul Bones capable of breaking down the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's poison without hunting soul beasts.

His plan settled, Qin Yun looked up at Dugu Bo.

"Give me one year, Senior."

"Within a year, I'll find two purification and healing Soul Bones perfectly suited to you and your granddaughter. They'll cure the poison from your Martial Souls for good."

Dugu Bo stared at him in disbelief.

"One year? Hahaha!"

"You really do talk big, kid!"

"I've lived nearly a hundred years, and I've never heard of anyone finding two rare healing and purification Soul Bones with precisely the right properties in a single year!"

"If you can truly do it within a year,"

"every herb in that garden is yours. I'll give you the lot!"

Over the past few days, Dugu Bo had noticed

that Qin Yun seemed particularly interested in the herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

In fact, something had bothered him from the start: Qin Yun had seemed to know he owned that garden.

But none of that mattered now.

He did not even recognize many of the herbs there. If the boy could really produce the Soul Bones, why shouldn't he give him the garden?

Qin Yun had not even named his terms, yet Dugu Bo had offered them himself.

He answered at once. "You have my word."

"And you have mine!"