"Leave." Chrysanthemum Douluo sighed. "I'm on a mission this time. I don't want to fight you."
"A mission?" Dugu Bo paused. "You mean the whale rubber?"
"You know about it?" Yue Guan looked at Dugu Bo in surprise.
"I heard about it on the road. Someone spread word that whale rubber can improve your physique." Dugu Bo waved a hand. He certainly wasn't going to admit they had told Ning Fengzhi and had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect spread the news. Wouldn't that be confessing without even being questioned?
"Anyway, I came looking for you for a reason, too." Dugu Bo scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"What is it?" Yue Guan asked, puzzled. Rather than enemies, he and Dugu Bo were more like a pair of quarrelsome rivals. He thought Dugu Bo had led a rather pitiful life: his own poison had sent his father, wife, son, and daughter-in-law to their graves. If Yue Guan had wanted to kill him, he could have done it before Dugu Bo became a Titled Douluo. Why wait until now?
"Well, I've reached rank ninety-four, and I feel like I'm just a little short of ninety-five. So I came to spar with you and get a feel for it." Dugu Bo looked somewhat sheepish. Hearing his explanation, Yue Guan understood.
"I was wondering why you suddenly came looking for me. So you wanted to make me your sparring partner." Yue Guan shook his head. "Fine. Since you've come knocking, I'll teach you a proper lesson and show you the difference between rank ninety-four and rank ninety-five."
"Enough nonsense. Take this!" Dugu Bo snorted, instantly activating his martial soul possession.
The phantom of the Golden-Scaled Azure Flood Dragon appeared behind him, its golden tail whipping up a foul-smelling wind.
At the same time, nine soul rings circled him: two yellow, two purple, and five black.
Yue Guan wasted no time either. A singular velvet sky chrysanthemum bloomed in his hand, its petals scattering and turning into countless sharp blades suspended around him.
"Fifth soul skill, Gathering of Cold Blossoms!"
Yue Guan struck first. With a shake of the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum in his hand, countless petals transformed into metal blades and slashed toward Dugu Bo.
Wherever the blades passed, even the air was torn apart.
Dugu Bo did not dodge. His fifth soul ring flashed.
"Fifth soul skill, Golden-Scaled Azure Flood Dragon Shield!"
The Golden-Scaled Azure Flood Dragon coiled up, forming a massive energy shield, its surface shimmering with something like a dragon's roar-
Clang!
The blades formed from petals struck the shield with a deep, thunderous crash.
Energy scattered in all directions, and the shock wave snapped the surrounding trees in half.
Dugu Bo retreated three steps, leaving three deep footprints in the ground.
"Hmm?" Yue Guan raised an eyebrow. "Old poisoner, your martial soul really is impressive after that transformation."
"Hmph, you haven't seen anything yet." Dugu Bo steadied himself, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Again!"
As soon as he spoke, Dugu Bo unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar.
The phantom of the Golden-Scaled Azure Flood Dragon instantly solidified into an enormous flood dragon covered in gleaming golden scales. Twin horns crowned his head, and his tail resembled a dragon's. Coiled behind Dugu Bo, he let out a roar that shook the heavens.
Dugu Bo's aura surged abruptly, bending the surrounding trees beneath its pressure.
"Martial Soul Avatar?" Yue Guan froze. "Old poisoner, you're using that in a spar?"
"Quit your blathering. If you won't activate yours, then don't." With that, Dugu Bo made to attack.
"You!" Yue Guan choked on his words, then activated his own Martial Soul Avatar.
Yue Guan brought his hands together. The singular velvet sky chrysanthemum blossomed between his palms, instantly transforming into the phantom of a gigantic chrysanthemum, its layered petals radiating golden light.
Yue Guan's Martial Soul Avatar spread out as well, his aura matching Dugu Bo's-and even surpassing it slightly.
"Sixth soul skill, Golden-Scaled Flood Dragon Break!"
Dugu Bo's sixth soul ring flashed, and the Golden-Scaled Flood Dragon behind him spat a beam of light straight at Yue Guan.
"Eighth soul skill, Aura Barrier!"
Yue Guan's expression turned grave. He traced a circle before him with both hands, and golden petals unfurled in front of him, swirling into a massive barrier.
Boom!
The golden pillar of light slammed into the barrier, unleashing violent fluctuations of energy.
The barrier shook violently, cracks spreading across its surface, but it held in the end.
"Blocked it." Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to counterattack when he saw that Dugu Bo had already charged right up to him.
While Yue Guan was occupied blocking the soul skill, Dugu Bo darted forward and drove a fist at his face.
Yue Guan sidestepped the blow and swung his palm back toward Dugu Bo's chest.
Dugu Bo neither dodged nor evaded, taking the palm strike head-on. The golden scales on his body glowed faintly, dispersing most of its force.
He grinned, his other fist already slamming into Yue Guan's shoulder.
Thud!
Yue Guan staggered back two steps, his expression darkening.
"Old poisoner, you..."
Before he could finish, Dugu Bo's fist came at him again.
After consuming the earth dragon golden melon, Dugu Bo's physical strength far exceeded that of others at his rank. Every punch carried tremendous weight, making the air crack explosively.
Yue Guan retreated again and again, scrambling to fend him off.
His martial soul was plant-type, and close-quarters combat had never been his strength. Dugu Bo's flurry of punches left him in a miserable state.
The more Dugu Bo fought, the more excited he became. He landed an uppercut squarely on Yue Guan's face.
Thud!
The blow left Yue Guan dazed, and he staggered back several steps.
"You!" Yue Guan clutched his face and glared furiously at Dugu Bo.
"You what?" Dugu Bo snapped, charging in to keep punching.
"Aaah! Old poisoner, you're despicable!"
"Old poisoner, I'm an elder of Spirit Hall! Don't you dare go too far!" Chrysanthemum Douluo blustered, fierce on the outside but fainthearted within.
"Heh. Chrysanthemum Guan, I'm not after your life. I've just been sick of that face of yours for a very long time." Dugu Bo cracked his knuckles as he spoke coldly.
Dugu Bo and Chrysanthemum Guan had known each other for decades. Chrysanthemum Douluo dabbled in medicine and herbs, while Dugu Bo studied poisons to save lives, and the two had appreciated each other's talents. Later, Dugu Bo had taken a few of Chrysanthemum Douluo's medicinal herbs to save his son. Ever since, Chrysanthemum Douluo had chased him down and beaten him whenever they met.
"Stay away from me-... Aaaaaah!"
Dugu Bo's fists rained down on Chrysanthemum Douluo like a raging storm, with most of the blows landing on his alluring face.
Before long, Yue Guan's face was bruised and swollen.
"Dugu Bo! You old poisoner! You have no martial honor!" Yue Guan cursed as he struggled.
"Martial honor? Winning is martial honor!" Dugu Bo cheerfully added another punch.
After beating him for quite some time, Dugu Bo finally let go and stood up.
Looking at Yue Guan's face, now swollen like a pig's head, Dugu Bo felt comfortable from head to toe. The resentment he had accumulated over all those years dispersed at once.
"That felt good." Dugu Bo let out a long breath.
Just then, the soul power inside him suddenly began to surge.
At that moment, the bottleneck at the peak of rank ninety-four loosened.
His soul power churned wildly, rushing toward the threshold of rank ninety-five.
Dugu Bo's expression changed. Not daring to delay, he hurriedly sat cross-legged and began stabilizing his soul power.
Yue Guan climbed up from the ground, clutching his face. Seeing Dugu Bo suddenly sit down cross-legged, he froze, then cursed, "You used me as a stepping stone for your breakthrough?"
But as he watched Dugu Bo's aura slowly rise, Yue Guan held back despite his frustration. After all, cutting off someone's path forward was tantamount to killing their parents. Though Dugu Bo's parents had been dead for decades, he still thought it best to wait until Dugu Bo finished cultivating.
He brushed the dirt off himself, sat on a nearby rock, and waited for Dugu Bo to stabilize his cultivation.
A day later.
Dugu Bo opened his eyes. His aura had fully stabilized at rank ninety-five.
He rose to his feet, felt the surging soul power within him, and could not help laughing.
"Hahaha! Chrysanthemum Guan, thank you!"
His face dark, Yue Guan looked at Dugu Bo's radiant smile and said through gritted teeth, "The next time we meet, I won't let you off!"
Dugu Bo waved a hand. In excellent spirits, he did not bother arguing with Yue Guan and turned to head out of the forest.
"Once I get back and stabilize my cultivation some more, I'll come spar with you another day, Chrysanthemum Guan!"
Before you continue