Harvesting the Herbs

[When you said you could solve the Dugu Family's hereditary Martial Soul problem, Dugu Bo felt a flash of killing intent toward you. This time, you made no claim to come from a family of medicine makers. You said it outright. It was largely a gamble, but now it seemed you had won.]

[You endured much the same test Dugu Bo had given you in the fourth Simulation. After sending him away, you harvested Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to eat later. At the same time, you made what you called antidotes for Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan. In truth, you mashed Earth Dragon Golden Melon with flour and water, then shaped the mixture into pills.]

[This greatly reduced its potency, but there were five Earth Dragon Golden Melons in all. You kept two intact as spares and mashed the other three into pills. There should be no major problem.]

[After you gave Dugu Bo the antidote, he tried it and found that it worked. The number of pills you had made would not be enough for him, though Dugu Yan could use them without issue.]

[Seeing what you could do, Dugu Bo generously gave you the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch as a dowry for marrying into the Dugu Family. He also let you do as you pleased with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.]

[You had some reservations, but the prospect of being supported by the family sounded rather nice. You happily accepted.]

[You picked the Immortal Herbs you recognized. First, you took the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew to strengthen your Mental Power. Your body was already strong; Mental Power was where you fell short. With the herb's help, you awakened your Mental Power and gained the ability to look within yourself.]

[You saved the remaining Immortal Herbs, intending to take them once you had absorbed most of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.]

[Although the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew primarily strengthened Mental Power, it also improved your Foundation. Together with the Foundation you already had and what you had gained over the past few years, your total Foundation reached 190%.]

[In the fifth year of the Simulation, Dugu Yan finally turned six. With the help of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon pills, her Martial Soul evolved into the Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon. Its dragon nature eliminated the side effects of her Martial Soul, which now had a separate venom sac to store its poison.]

[You offered her a few words of congratulations, then went straight back to training. As far as you were concerned, nothing mattered more. Women were fleeting distractions, and none could shake your determination to grow stronger.]

[With the remaining pills, Dugu Bo also shed most of his Martial Soul's side effects. You then gave him a whole Earth Dragon Golden Melon, allowing his Martial Soul to evolve into the same one as Dugu Yan's. The toxins in his body slowly began gathering in its venom sac.]

[That year, you absorbed Immortal Herbs while continuing to train. Your progress was astonishing: your Foundation leaped to 220%, and your Soul Power Level reached sixty-three.]

[But while you were out with Dugu Yan searching for a Soul Ring, you ran into Xue Qinghe. As far as you could tell, he really was Xue Qinghe, not Qian Renxue in disguise. Then you saw him crouch in front of a little blond girl.]

[You felt you had seen something you should not have. You hurried away with Dugu Yan, afraid you might jeopardize Qian Renxue's future impersonation of Xue Qinghe.]

[In the sixth year of the Simulation, you became a Soul Saint. Your progress left Dugu Bo in awe. You were only twelve. Not even Tang San had become a Soul Saint at twelve; in all four Douluo stories, not one protagonist had managed it.]

[That year, your Foundation reached a staggering 270%. Drawing on the basic chemistry you had learned before crossing over, you became Dugu Bo's closest confidant in the Poison Path. You told him that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had appeared in Nuoding City, and you mentioned Tang Hao as well.]

[Dugu Bo was surprised by how you had learned this, but he did not press you. He found you mysterious, yet you were his friend—and might someday marry into his family and give him a little great-grandson with his granddaughter. He chose to stand firmly by your side.]

[He guessed you had stopped at level seventy without absorbing a Soul Ring because you wanted a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Since his Martial Soul Evolution, his cultivation had soared to the terrifying level of ninety-five. He felt more than capable of handling a mere Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and Tang Hao.]

["Old Poison, here's what we'll do. You take the transformed Soul Beast, while I sneak into Tang Hao's home and see if there's anything worth stealing."]

["Little Monster, I like the way you think."]

[You and Dugu Bo hit it off at once. Two scoundrels had found kindred spirits in each other.]

[Dugu Bo had no reputation to protect. He had made his name as a Titled Douluo through poison, and that name was infamous. You were hardly any better, always plotting to steal either another man's wife or another man's mother.]

["Heh heh heh." You and Dugu Bo laughed like villains, then set off together for Nuoding Academy.]

[With the effect of your first Soul Skill, *Wind Flow*, the two of you crossed over a thousand miles and reached Nuoding City in half an hour.]

[You made no grand entrance. Once you had confirmed your target, you struck and seized Xiao Wu.]

[The commotion drew Tang Hao's attention. Seeing a man in black snatch the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast he had earmarked for his son, he flew into a rage and gave chase.]

[You seized the chance to head to Tang Hao's hideout in Holy Soul Village. You uprooted Ah Yin and took the Soul Bone as well.]

[In the midst of attacking Dugu Bo, Tang Hao suddenly sensed that the hidden box holding Ah Yin's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone had been opened. Enraged, he activated his *Martial Soul Avatar* and swung at Dugu Bo. Unfortunately for him, Dugu Bo could fly. The blow missed, and Dugu Bo had no intention of lingering. Carrying the unconscious Xiao Wu, he fled into the distance.]

[Tang Hao watched the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring being carried away, then thought of the Soul Bone he had meant to give Tang San. His fury overwhelmed him. His eyes reddened, he panted like an ox, and he nearly dropped dead on the spot.]

[You and Dugu Bo returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with your spoils.]

["Little Monster, why are you holding a stalk of Blue Silver Grass?" Dugu Bo temporarily sealed Xiao Wu's Soul Power, tossed her aside, and asked.]

["This is the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor, that bastard Tang Hao's wife," you explained casually. Then you planted Ah Yin beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well so she could grow there.]

[Dugu Bo could not understand why you would plant an enemy there. You asked him whether he did not find the relationship between Tang Hao and Ah Yin rather complicated. Why had Tang Hao taken her wandering across the continent after she became pregnant? And there was no claiming he had not known. Tang Hao must have sensed her Soul Beast aura during the pregnancy.]