Dugu Yan Took the Bait, Dugu Bo Was Tempted

Of course, Dugu Yan did not keep standing there foolishly. Before Azure Chi could recover, she instantly opened up the distance between them.

"Soul Skills, Jade Phosphorous Blue Poison, Jade Phosphor Purple Poison!"

The second and third Soul Rings beneath Dugu Yan's feet lit up in succession, and she spat out two clouds of poisonous mist.

"Little Brother Duan Qingya, you'd better be careful! These two poisons of mine become even stronger when they mix!"

Sure enough, the instant Dugu Yan finished speaking, the blue and purple clouds reacted violently, forming a cloud of violet poisonous mist.

In the blink of an eye, the mist that had still been mixing suddenly exploded, driving the poisonous cloud straight toward Duan Qingya.

But before the mist could reach Duan Qingya, Azure Chi returned, climbed onto Duan Qingya's shoulder, and opened its mouth to inhale.

The poisonous mist, which had already spread across nearly half the sparring arena, vanished in an instant, sucked entirely into Azure Chi's body.

"Master, this poison's a little spicy. Remember to give me some dried mouse to go with it next time."

Still craving more, Azure Chi flicked its tongue and turned to look at Duan Qingya.

Hearing this, Duan Qingya promptly took a piece of dried mouse from his Soul Tool and fed it to Azure Chi.

"How is that possible? Even I would show signs of poisoning if I accidentally inhaled that mist. Why is your green snake unaffected?!"

Seeing that Duan Qingya showed no sign of poisoning, Dugu Yan shouted at him, her composure beginning to crack.

"It would be rude not to return the favor. Azure Chi, let Miss Dugu Yan try our poison too!"

Duan Qingya did not answer Dugu Yan. Once Azure Chi swallowed the dried mouse, he set it back on the ground.

"Second Soul Skill, Crimson Poison Breath!"

This time, Dugu Yan and the others finally saw a Soul Ring beneath Duan Qingya's feet light up.

At Duan Qingya's command, Azure Chi instantly raised its head and shot two blobs of venom toward Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan could no longer afford to press him about her earlier question. She hurriedly ran aside to dodge, afraid of being struck by the venom.

But how could Duan Qingya let his Soul Skill be dodged so easily?

The instant the venom hit the ground, it exploded. Two clouds of poisonous mist rapidly spread outward from where Dugu Yan had been standing.

Dugu Yan had only just breathed a sigh of relief when she found herself too late to dodge—or even hold her breath.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Less than a second after Dugu Yan inhaled the poisonous mist, its effects began to take hold.

At that moment, Dugu Yan felt as though all her internal organs were being scorched by raging flames.

Under the assault of such intense pain, Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Possession collapsed before she could last even a few breaths.

Hearing Dugu Yan's scream, Yu Tianheng wanted to rush into the sparring arena, but Ye Lingling stopped him.

"Nine heart begonia can't cure poisoning. If you go up there now, you'll only end up poisoned like Dugu Yan."

Faced with Ye Lingling's warning, Yu Tianheng could only remain below, anxiously waiting for the poisonous mist to disperse.

Yu Tianheng had thought he would have to wait a long time for the mist to dissipate. To his surprise, Duan Qingya once again directed his martial soul to absorb the mist in the arena.

"Yan'er, where's your antidote? Take some first, and then I'll get you to the infirmary!"

The moment the mist cleared, Yu Tianheng vaulted into the arena and held Dugu Yan, who was gritting her teeth against the poison.

Seeing Yu Tianheng in such a frantic rush, Duan Qingya stepped forward somewhat helplessly and offered his own exclusive potion.

"My poison is fire poison. Ordinary potions won't work. You need to give her my antidote."

Sure enough, when Yu Tianheng poured Duan Qingya's potion into Dugu Yan's mouth, she immediately felt the burning inside her body begin to subside.

Before long, Dugu Yan recovered completely and stood up again with Yu Tianheng's support.

"Duan Qingya, I underestimated you. I accept my defeat in this match wholeheartedly!"

As she spoke, Dugu Yan took a Heaven Dou Royal Academy card from the pendant hanging around her neck and tossed it into Duan Qingya's hands.

"For the next month, you can use my card to train at the Mimicry Training Ground whenever you like."

After they left the sparring arena, Yu Tianheng still felt uneasy and asked Ye Lingling to heal Dugu Yan once more.

But during the treatment, Ye Lingling noticed something unusual.

"Yanzi, why has your hair gotten a little lighter?"

Only after Ye Lingling pointed it out did Dugu Yan realize that her hair really had become lighter.

"Could it be the Antidote Tian Heng gave me just now?!"

Dugu Yan immediately realized something. She rushed out of the training ground and caught up with Duan Qingya, who was heading to his dormitory.

Seeing Dugu Yan chase after him, panting for breath, Duan Qingya's lips curved upward slightly.

The little fish has taken the bait. Can the big fish be far behind?

"Junior Duan, could you give me a bottle of that Antidote?"

"I'm quite interested in your Antidote and would like to take some back to study. Of course, I won't let you lose out."

"Since you're a disciple of the Nine Heart Begonia Family, just like Lingling, you're bound to be interested in this!"

To ensure she could get Duan Qingya's antidote, Dugu Yan handed him the medicinal herbs her grandfather had left her.

Duan Qingya took the wooden box and opened it. To his surprise, inside lay a palm-length Wind-Chanting Vine with pale blue leaves.

Consumed directly, Wind-Chanting Vine could briefly increase a person's speed. Made into medicine, it could treat injuries to the internal organs.

None of that mattered, however. Most importantly, if he combined it with the body of a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, he might be able to give Azure Chi the ability to use "Cloud Soaring"!

Delighted by this unexpected windfall, Duan Qingya immediately smiled, took a fresh bottle of Antidote from his Soul Tool, and placed it in Dugu Yan's hand.

"Senior Dugu, you're far too kind! Next time you want some, just ask me! There's really no need to trade something for it."

Despite his words, Dugu Yan certainly had not seen Duan Qingya hesitate in the slightest when accepting the Wind-Chanting Vine.

Still, never mind. She was the one asking him for a favor, after all. How he chose to act was his business. All that mattered was that she had the antidote.

"Grandpa, do you believe what I told you now?"

After returning home that evening, Dugu Yan placed the Antidote Duan Qingya had given her in front of Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo glanced at Dugu Yan, then at the bottle on the table.

For a moment, Dugu Bo found it difficult to accept the truth.

Duan Qingya, who was even younger than Dugu Yan, had actually devised the cure he had spent half his life searching for.

Seeing Dugu Bo remain silent, Dugu Yan opened the bottle without another word and took a large gulp of the Antidote.

As that mouthful of Antidote went down, Dugu Yan's hair did indeed grow lighter again.

Looking closely, Dugu Bo could even see that the roots of a few strands had already turned black.

At this point, if Dugu Bo still refused to believe it, he would be doing an injustice to all his years of studying Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison.

"Yan'er, are you saying the person who made this Antidote, which can counteract the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in your body, is a disciple of the head of the Nine Heart Begonia Family?"

"Yes, Duan Qingya really is a disciple of the Head of the Ye Family, but Lingling said he was only taken in recently."

Before coming home, Dugu Yan had specifically sought out Ye Lingling to ask about Duan Qingya's background.

"Before the Head of the Ye Family accepted him as a disciple, Duan Qingya attended a Soul Master Academy in a small city called Nuoding City."

"Very well. Yan'er, find an excuse to invite him to our home in a few days. I have something to discuss with him."

After hearing Dugu Yan's account of Duan Qingya, Dugu Bo already had an idea in mind.

"As for this bottle of Antidote, Yan'er, just leave me a mouthful to study. Drink all the rest yourself."

"You haven't accumulated much poison in your body yet. If you keep it under better control from now on, even when you cultivate to the rank of Titled Douluo, your poisoning will certainly be less severe than mine."