Dugu Sheng's Conviction

Five Soul Rings rose beneath Ye Qingqing's feet, and the Nine Heart Begonia bloomed in her right hand. "Fifth Soul Skill: Healing..."

Gentle power enveloped Dugu Sheng. Wisps of black-green flame rose from his body—the poison hidden in his Soul Power. Hiss! His Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul appeared on its own, hissing in pain. Cracks spread across the four Soul Rings beneath his feet. Once the poison in his Soul Power had been completely purified, the Jade Phosphor Snake collapsed to the ground, and all four Soul Rings shattered.

Dugu Sheng spat a mouthful of blood and crumpled to the ground.

"The Nine Heart Begonia's healing is this ruthless..." Huang Tieyi walked into the courtyard. He looked at the pale-faced Dugu Sheng, then at the Jade Phosphor Snake lying beside him like a corpse, and smiled. "Looks like I came too early. I should've waited until you were dead."

"I told you before, didn't I? Notify me once you'd made contact, and I'd help you shatter your rings and start cultivating again." Huang Tieyi kicked the Jade Phosphor Snake's manifested form and sneered. "If someone hadn't told me there was a visitor at Senior Dugu's residence, and I hadn't come to take a look, you'd be dead. Purging the Martial Soul Poison from your Soul Power damages your very foundation. Without replenishing it in time, you'd have been crippled. If you'd died, wouldn't that have made trouble for me? Senior Dugu would've fought me to the death."

With that, Huang Tieyi released his Golden Sacred Body Martial Soul. It placed one hand on the Jade Phosphor Snake and the other on Dugu Sheng's back, slowly infusing them with the Dragon Qi it had absorbed. As the Dragon Qi entered the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul, it gradually stirred to life. Its eyes opened, and its tongue flicked in and out.

As the Dragon Qi continued to flow in, the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul suddenly reared upright. Four bulges appeared beneath its body. "Roar..." A dragon's cry burst from its mouth.

Huang Tieyi withdrew his Golden Sacred Body Martial Soul and looked at Dugu Sheng, whose face had regained its color. "All right. There's Dragon Qi in both your body and your Martial Soul now. Whether you can achieve a Snake-to-Dragon Transformation from here on depends on you."

"Thank you, A Yi. My whole body feels lighter now, better than it ever has." Dugu Sheng felt the clear change in his body, and his gratitude was sincere.

"All right, I've done everything I can. The rest is up to you. Have you chosen a path?" Huang Tieyi waved a hand.

"I plan to pursue the Earth Attribute. If my Jade Phosphor Snake really does become a dragon someday, I'll establish a family of my own." Dugu Sheng's voice brimmed with longing.

"It's good to have a direction. Remember, never absorb a Soul Ring from a Poison Soul Beast." Huang Tieyi took a small bottle of Whale Rubber Solution from his Space Ring. "This is Whale Rubber Solution. Drink it, and restrain the desires it stirs in you. It'll strengthen your body."

"You can't rush cultivation when you're starting over, but the Soul Power in your body should be enough for you to obtain three Soul Rings in succession. Once you become a Soul Elder, you can attend Spirit Hall Academy as an Older Auditing Student. That'll free Senior Dugu to carry out Spirit Hall's missions."

"The purge of Evil Soul Masters is something he must take part in. It isn't just a mission; it's also a contribution to the Douluo Continent."

"A Yi, thanks for the reminder. And thank you for giving my son a new path, a chance to escape our family's inherited fate. If you ever need anything, say the word. I'll go through boiling water and walk through fire for you." Dugu Bo spoke with a relaxed smile, gratitude filling his voice.

"Huang Tieyi, do you know a way to break the fate that allows only two Nine Heart Begonias to exist at the same time?" Ye Qingqing, who had been watching quietly from the side, suddenly asked.

"Break the fate that allows only two Nine Heart Begonias to exist at once? Miss, you think too highly of me. I could offer Senior Dugu a suggestion because I found a documented case in Spirit Hall's Library Pavilion. But your family's inherited curse? I have no solution for that." Huang Tieyi shook his head with a rueful smile.

"A Yi, so you're here! I've been looking everywhere for you." Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who had only recently become Soul Douluos, appeared in the courtyard.

"Uncle Yue, Uncle Gui, is something wrong?" Huang Tieyi asked, puzzled.

"The groups have been assigned. The three of us, along with the Saintess, will go to Heaven Dou City under Zero Yuan Douluo's lead. We're to find and eliminate the Evil Soul Masters hiding there," Yue Guan said.

"There are Evil Soul Masters in Heaven Dou City?" Huang Tieyi looked at him in disbelief.

"In theory, no. But we're going to check, just in case," Yue Guan explained, sounding less than confident.

"Fine, then. We'll take a stroll around Heaven Dou City and see how prosperous a kingdom's capital is." Reluctance showed in Huang Tieyi's voice.

"Going back to Heaven Dou City? I'll ask His Holiness the Pope for permission to go too," Dugu Bo said.

"Then go. You'd better hurry, Dugu Bo, or you'll end up assigned to another group," Yue Guan said.

"I'm going now." Dugu Bo sprang into the air and flew toward Spirit Hall.

Because Dugu Bo had joined with his whole family in tow, what would have been a trip in one large carriage now required two.

Gui Mei and Yue Guan each drove one.

Gui Mei drove the carriage carrying Ling Yuan Douluo, Bibi Dong, and Huang Tieyi.

Yue Guan drove the other, with Dugu Bo, Dugu Feng, Ye Qingqing, and Dugu Sheng inside.

Qian Daoliu's order to purge the Evil Soul Masters had been his highest-priority, most urgent command. Spirit Hall dispatched one group of Soul Masters after another. Only Huang Tieyi's group traveled as if they were on an outing, riding along at an unhurried pace and even taking in the scenery beyond the carriage windows.

"Yue Guan was awfully eager to drive that carriage. Don't tell me he's taken a fancy to Ye Qingqing!" Ling Yuan Douluo casually asked Gui Mei, who was driving.

"Consecrated Elder Ling Yuan, I couldn't say. I've been his partner for years, and this is the first time I've seen him like this. He can hardly take his eyes off her." Gui Mei gave the horse a light flick with his whip.

"Maybe it's a case of like drawing like. Ye Qingqing's Martial Soul is the Nine Heart Begonia, and Uncle Yue's is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. They're both Plant-type Martial Souls, so they're drawn to each other," Huang Tieyi said mildly.

"A Yi, do you think there's a chance for them?" Bibi Dong asked, her face bright with curiosity and her voice full of anticipation.

"How would I know? The Ye Family has always required men to marry into the family. Any man who marries a Ye woman has to become a live-in son-in-law. I doubt Uncle Yue would agree to that." Huang Tieyi shook his head. "It depends on their fate, or rather, on when Uncle Yue decides to make a move. If all he does is drive her carriage without speaking to her, how could any sparks fly?"

"A live-in son-in-law? Now that would be something. If it really happens, I'll make sure to mock him properly..."