Grandpa, Lin Ye Did It for My Sake!

"Utter nonsense!"

"You might fool Yanyan."

"But did you think you could fool this old man?"

Dugu Bo made as if to strike.

Hmm...

First, he would give Lin Ye a beating to vent his anger. Then he would make the brat hand over the Immortal-Grade Herbs, and finally thrash him again.

"You don't understand those herbs at all."

"Just like you insist the Jade Phosphorous Serpent should focus on control, when an all-out assault is the real deal."

"Don't wait until your family falls into decline before you regret it."

Dugu Bo was taken aback.

He thought of what Lin Ye had just said about carrying on the family line.

He had considered pairing Lin Ye with Yanyan. Perhaps their descendants would have better Martial Souls.

Could this brat and Yanyan have...

But the brat was already Shui Tianhan's son-in-law.

"You understand the herbs?"

"Then tell me how they should be used."

Deep down, Dugu Bo had begun to believe Lin Ye.

Lin Ye had dug up every Immortal-Grade Herb in the garden, yet the brat was completely unscathed.

That meant Lin Ye understood their properties.

"Bring Yanyan here and you'll see."

Lin Ye saw no need to explain himself. Someone else would make his case for him.

"Go, quickly!"

"Bring Dugu Yan here."

Meng Shenji was the most eager of them all.

He was still afraid of Dugu Bo.

The old fellow was unpredictable.

If he got the wrong idea and released a cloud of poison, the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy might become a land of death.

Before long, Dugu Yan hurried over.

The first thing she did upon entering was spread her arms and stand in front of Lin Ye.

"Grandpa."

"You can't hurt him."

"If you make things difficult for Lin Ye, I won't go on living either."

Dugu Bo sighed inwardly.

That hurt!

The precious granddaughter he had raised for over a decade had turned against him.

Even so...

He put on an act and asked, "Yanyan, tell me what happened with the herbs."

Dugu Yan's eyes lit up at the question.

"Grandpa... Look!"

Her eyes abruptly turned into vertical jade-green pupils.

As her Soul Power surged...

The phantom of a jade-green snake reared up behind her.

Four Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, and black—rose and revolved beneath her feet.

"A Soul Ancestor?!"

"A Ten Thousand Year Fourth Ring!"

Alongside his delight, Dugu Bo felt a flicker of anger.

Lin Ye had to be behind this.

While he was away, the brat had coaxed Yanyan into absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring above her level.

"That's not all..."

"My corroded meridians have healed completely."

"The backlash from the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison has been cured too."

Dugu Bo flashed to his granddaughter's side.

He reached out a rough, aged hand to examine her condition.

"Hiss—"

He was stunned!

It was just as Dugu Yan had said.

Her damaged meridians had healed. They were even tougher than the intact meridians of her peers.

More astonishing still, Yanyan's Soul Power had reached Level 45.

She had risen seven levels in a single day without any side effects.

Holy heavens!

Words could no longer describe how Dugu Bo felt.

Dugu Yan said softly, "It's all thanks to Lin Ye. He had me swallow an... Immortal-Grade Herb."

"You did this?"

Dugu Bo stared at Lin Ye.

The old man's tone remained cold, but the anger had vanished from his face.

Lin Ye spoke quietly enough that only Dugu Bo could hear. "The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in your bones can be purged too. It'll just take some time."

Hmm...

How could he not understand what Dugu Bo wanted?

The old man had suffered from the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison for decades. He probably dreamed of ending its backlash.

"Ahem—"

Dugu Bo cleared his throat, then turned his gaze on the three academy board members.

Meng Shenji understood at once.

The conversation to come involved Soul Master secrets. It was not for them to hear.

Now that Lin Ye was out of danger, they took the opportunity to step outside for some air.

Truth be told.

They hated dealing with Dugu Bo.

"Who would have thought..."

"Dugu Yan has become a Soul Ancestor."

"Exactly!"

"And it looks like Lin Ye deserves much of the credit."

"No doubt about it."

"Without that brat pushing her along, Dugu Yan would never have dared absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring above her level."

"..."

The three board members grew more cheerful as they talked.

A blessing born of misfortune!

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's strength had visibly grown.

Inside the room.

Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back. "What's your method?"

"I can't tell you!"

"If I tell you how to remove the poison, you'll demand all the Immortal-Grade Herbs back."

Dugu Bo's mouth twitched with anger.

That was exactly what he had been thinking.

He had not expected Lin Ye to see through him first.

"How about this?"

"Let's make a deal."

"I'll solve your poison backlash. In exchange, all the herbs belong to me."

Dugu Bo's aged face darkened. "That's over a dozen herbs."

"What good are more herbs?"

"You don't understand their properties!"

"Even if I gave them all to you, you wouldn't dare swallow them, would you?"

Dugu Bo felt as though a knife had been carved through his chest.

Lin Ye was right!

What he could not understand was how Lin Ye had learned the properties of those Immortal-Grade Herbs.

Especially that ice herb with its extreme cold poison.

He could not imagine how Lin Ye had managed to dig it up.

"I'll also promise to help Yanyan become a Soul King within a year."

"Fair enough?"

Lin Ye yielded another step.

It was a concession he had prepared in advance.

"Grandpa."

"What are you hesitating for?"

"You don't want to suffer the backlash of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison for the rest of your life, do you?"

"Just agree."

"..."

Dugu Yan was getting anxious on her grandfather's behalf.

Lin Ye would cure both of them, and he had promised to help her become a Soul King within a year.

What more could they ask for?

"You'd better keep your word, brat."

"If Yanyan can't become a Soul King within a year, this old man won't spare you."

In the end, Dugu Bo could not withstand his granddaughter's relentless pleading.

A Soul King within a year...

Yanyan would have only just turned twenty by then.

Across all of Douluo Continent, she would be a genius among geniuses.

"Deal!"

That was exactly the result Lin Ye wanted.

After all that maneuvering, the Immortal-Grade Herbs were now his personal property.

Another half month passed.

After trekking over mountains and through rivers, the Shrek group finally reached the foot of the mountain.

"The whole mountain belongs to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

"How grand!"

"This is much better than that little village of ours where even birds wouldn't bother to shit."

"I heard they even have a Mimicry Cultivation Environment here."

"No need to envy them, everyone!"

"We'll be joining Heaven Dou Royal Academy starting today."

"Little San is right."

"Once we're inside, let's find out who's the best fighter at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. We have to show them how formidable Shrek Academy is."

"The best fighters must be the Imperial Fighting Team, and we've already beaten them."

"We'll be the bosses the moment we walk in!"

"..."

The Shrek group wore looks of contempt.

They had even begun imagining themselves strutting through Heaven Dou Royal Academy like they owned the place.

"Don't go looking for trouble, you lot."

Flender warned his students aloud, but inwardly, he hoped Tang San and the others would make a grand show of themselves once inside.

After all, his teaching motto was: Anyone afraid to stir up trouble was a mediocrity!