Lin Hao: Dugu Bo, you wouldn't want your granddaughter to die from Jade Phosphorous Poison, would you?

Afterward, Chrysanthemum Douluo brought Lin Hao to the Pope Hall again to meet Bibi Dong.

"Your Holiness, Hao says he has a way to persuade Dugu Bo to join our Spirit Hall."

Chrysanthemum Douluo bowed as he reported.

At his words, Bibi Dong's delicate brows drew together slightly. Her purple eyes settled on Lin Hao with a measure of scrutiny and doubt.

"Hao, Dugu Bo won't even show me, the Pope, any respect."

"What could a child like you possibly do to persuade him?"

Lin Hao bowed, neither servile nor arrogant, and spoke earnestly.

"Your Holiness, I dare not guarantee success."

"But I do have some insights into herbs and toxins that might sway Senior Dugu."

"Please grant me a chance to try, Your Holiness."

As she considered the devastating destructive power of Dugu Bo's poison-type Soul Skills,

Bibi Dong's gaze shifted uncertainly.

After a long while, she finally spoke slowly.

"Very well. Since you have the resolve, you may try."

"Elder Ju, take Hao to the Guest Reception Hotel. Dugu Bo is staying in room 423."

"Yes, Your Holiness!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo accepted the order.

"Thank you, Your Holiness!"

Lin Hao bowed as well.

Then Chrysanthemum Douluo led Lin Hao out of the Pope Hall and made his way to the Guest Reception Hotel in Spirit City.

Standing outside room 423, Lin Hao took a deep breath and turned to Chrysanthemum Douluo.

"Teacher, please wait outside for a moment. I'll go in alone to speak with Senior Dugu."

Chrysanthemum Douluo frowned slightly and spoke with some concern.

"Hao, Dugu Bo has an eccentric temper. If he tries to harm you..."

"Don't worry, Teacher. I know what I'm doing."

Lin Hao smiled confidently.

"Besides, with you standing guard outside, he wouldn't dare do anything serious to me."

Chrysanthemum Douluo thought it over, found his reasoning sound, and nodded.

"All right. Be careful."

"If anything goes wrong, shout for me."

Lin Hao acknowledged him, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Silence lingered inside the room for a moment before a slightly hoarse, chilling voice rang out.

"Who is it?"

"Senior Dugu, I'm Lin Hao. I have something to discuss with you!"

Lin Hao announced clearly.

Another stretch of silence followed.

Then the door creaked open a crack, revealing a sinister, chilling face.

It was Dugu Bo.

Seeing only a youth who looked seventeen or eighteen standing outside, Dugu Bo frowned and spoke with hostility.

"Brat, what are you bothering me for so late at night?"

Smiling, Lin Hao replied, neither servile nor arrogant.

"Senior Dugu, won't you invite me in for a seat?"

"I have a way to change the fate of your entire family!"

Dugu Bo froze at his words, then laughed in fury.

"You dare spout such outrageous claims, brat? Watch yourself, or I'll kill you!"

Just then, Chrysanthemum Douluo abruptly gave a mocking sneer from the side, his voice soft and effeminate.

"Old poison fiend, who are you planning to kill?"

"Hao is my disciple!"

Only then did Dugu Bo notice Chrysanthemum Douluo standing in the shadows of the corridor. His expression stiffened at once, leaving him riding a tiger he could not dismount.

"Senior Dugu, let's go inside and talk."

"I'm sure you won't regret it!"

Lin Hao spoke at just the right moment, smiling as he gave Dugu Bo a way out.

Dugu Bo's expression shifted several times. Finally, he snorted coldly, dragged Lin Hao into the room, and slammed the door shut with a bang.

After having Lin Hao sit at a table, Dugu Bo sat opposite him, folded his arms, and spoke coldly.

"If you have something to say, brat, get on with it. I don't want to hear any nonsense!"

Unperturbed, Lin Hao lifted the teacup on the table and took a sip before speaking slowly.

"Senior Dugu, if I'm not mistaken, whenever the weather turns overcast and rainy, don't you feel a numb itching along both sides of your ribs that gradually intensifies, with attacks at noon and midnight..."

Dugu Bo's pupils suddenly contracted, and a flash of shock crossed his face.

"You... how do you know that?"

Lin Hao smiled slightly and continued.

"Of course I know. I could tell."

"Also, if my understanding is correct, your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Family's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul has a defect that causes everyone in your family to suffer from Jade Phosphorus Poison."

"Very few Jade Phosphorous Serpent Soul Masters in your family live past fifty, I imagine."

"And though my abilities are modest, I've found a way to resolve Jade Phosphorus Poison!"

"What way?"

Dugu Bo sprang to his feet and asked urgently.

"Don't be so anxious, Senior Dugu. Sit down first, and we can talk."

Lin Hao smiled and waved a hand, signaling for Dugu Bo to calm down.

Dugu Bo drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his excitement, and sat back down. Yet his eyes remained fixed on Lin Hao, as though he wanted to see straight through his soul.

Only then did Lin Hao continue at an unhurried pace.

"The method is actually quite simple."

"But it involves the cause of your Jade Phosphorus Poison."

"The cause of Jade Phosphorus Poison, based on my analysis and deductions, is that the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul is too potent."

"So every time it possesses a Soul Master's body, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul causes large amounts of toxins to accumulate inside them. Over time, this becomes Jade Phosphorus Poison, which is difficult to cure at its root."

"Thus, the key to solving the problem is finding a way for the body to contain these toxins without being harmed by them."

Dugu Bo's brows knitted tightly, and he spoke with some irritation.

"Do you think I need you to tell me that? Of course I understand the principle!"

"The problem is, how could a human body possibly withstand Jade Phosphorus Poison?"

"If it could, why would my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Family have suffered from it generation after generation?!"

Lin Hao smiled and slowly uttered a few words.

"The human body can't do it on its own. But if you fused with a Soul Bone, wouldn't that make it possible?"

Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. Overcome with excitement, he slapped the table.

"That's right! If I fused with a Soul Bone, couldn't I use it to contain Jade Phosphorus Poison?"

"How did I never think of that!"

For a moment, Dugu Bo was filled with excitement and exhilaration.

Then Lin Hao took the purplish-black Ten-Thousand-Year Netherworld Scorpion Left Arm Bone out of his Storage Soul Tool.

"To be honest, Senior Dugu, I happen to have a Ten-Thousand-Year Netherworld Scorpion Left Arm Bone."

"This Soul Bone is itself poison-attributed, making it exceptionally compatible with your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul."

"If you agree to one small request, I'll present this Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone to you with both hands."

Lin Hao smiled as he spoke earnestly.

Dugu Bo's gaze fell on the purplish-black Soul Bone, his pupils contracting slightly.

With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell how high its quality was. It was anything but ordinary!

After drawing a deep breath, Dugu Bo forced himself to look away and turned to Lin Hao, speaking gravely.

"Brat, don't tell me your condition is for me to join your Spirit Hall?"

Lin Hao grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"You're sharp, Senior Dugu! That's exactly it."

Dugu Bo fell silent, hesitation appearing on his face.

As someone who repaid kindness, he could accept owing Lin Hao a debt of gratitude as vast as the heavens.

He could even submit to Lin Hao in the future!

But joining Spirit Hall was a decision of enormous consequence.

Once he joined, he would have to abide by Spirit Hall's restrictions.

For someone accustomed to coming and going alone, it was truly a difficult decision.

Seeing that Dugu Bo was still hesitating, Lin Hao remained unhurried and merely spoke with feigned helplessness.

"Senior Dugu, don't hesitate any longer!"

"This Ten-Thousand-Year Netherworld Scorpion Left Arm Bone is one of the Soul Bones best suited to resolving your family's defect, Jade Phosphorus Poison."

"Miss this village, and you won't find another shop like this!"

"Besides, I've heard you have a granddaughter who seems to have inherited the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul as well."

"You wouldn't want to watch helplessly as your granddaughter's fragrance fades and her jade shatters when Jade Phosphorus Poison claims her life someday, would you?"