Time slipped by little by little.
Four hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Sensing fluctuations of soul power from Dugu Bo, Bi Ji dispersed the soul power barrier. "Looks like he's about to break through."
"Whether he can reach level 93 will depend on his own fortune." Jin Jiuxiao had sensed it too.
Dugu Bo's breakthrough to level 92 was as natural as water flowing into a channel, a sure thing.
Whether he could reach level 93 was less certain.
In the era of Douluo I, anyone who managed to cultivate their way to Titled Douluo through sheer effort had considerable talent.
The era of Douluo I had neither the comprehensive cultivation systems of later eras nor so many convenient aids to cultivation.
The older generation of this era had truly clawed their way up through relentless cultivation alone.
When Dugu Bo's aura swelled to a critical point, it erupted with a thunderous burst.
Level 92! Level 93!
Dugu Bo's eyes snapped open, a gleam of emerald flashing through them, and he threw his head back in laughter. "Hahahahaha! To think I, Dugu Bo, would live to see the day I broke through!"
"Level 93! I, Dugu Bo, have reached level 93! Hahahahaha!"
"Keep it down." Lying on a large rock by the entrance, Xiong Jun glanced at Dugu Bo and spoke flatly.
Dugu Bo's voice cut off abruptly. "Ahem... sorry. I got carried away."
Xiong Jun's voice brought Dugu Bo back to reality.
Even after reaching level 93, he would still be knocked flat by a single swipe of Xiong Jun's claw.
Nothing had changed.
Dugu Bo walked over to Bi Ji and Jin Jiuxiao, but before he could speak, a single sentence from Bi Ji rooted him to the spot.
Bi Ji extended her soul power. "Don't move. Let me check your current physical condition."
Naturally, Dugu Bo dared not disobey this "doctor." He stood ramrod straight.
He let Bi Ji examine his condition.
"Big Sister Bi Ji, how is he?"
"Hmm..." Bi Ji withdrew her soul power. "Thanks to the age and ample capacity of the Torso Bone you gave him, almost all the toxins in his body have been transferred into it."
"He can now cultivate to level 94 without any burden."
"His life is no longer in danger."
Dugu Bo breathed a sigh of relief at Bi Ji's diagnosis, but he was still puzzled. "Lady Bi Ji, don't I also have a Head Soul Bone? Can't that Soul Bone hold the toxins?"
Bi Ji and Jin Jiuxiao both looked at Dugu Bo in surprise.
Their looks left Dugu Bo bewildered. "Did... I say something wrong?"
"Dugu Bo, you're saying you want to transfer the toxins into your Head Soul Bone? Have you considered just how risky that would be?" Jin Jiuxiao found the idea utterly outrageous.
Bi Ji picked up where Jin Jiuxiao left off. "You could do that, but if something went wrong during a fight and the toxins entered your brain... even I wouldn't be able to save you in time."
Dugu Bo sucked in a breath. "So that's why." Their explanation made him understand at once.
Then he made his peace with it. A few more decades of life would be enough for him to hold on until Dugu Yan grew up.
His situation was already better than before by an immeasurable margin.
Besides, with a "doctor" like Bi Ji around, he might even recover completely and pursue greater heights.
For now, he would work for Jin Jiuxiao while looking after Dugu Yan.
"Thanks, Little Monster." Dugu Bo's gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.
At least for now, Jin Jiuxiao deserved those thanks.
"If you need anything, just ask."
Jin Jiuxiao nodded, then gave a slight shake of his head. "There is something I need you to do."
"What?"
"Keep an eye on things and investigate recent developments in the Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The current crown prince is Xue Qinghe, right?"
Thoughts raced through Dugu Bo's mind at those words. "The current crown prince is indeed Xue Qinghe. Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, is his teacher."
"Pay particular attention to them."
"All right, leave it to me." After some hesitation, Dugu Bo voiced his doubts. "Little Monster, are you watching the human factions because you're preparing to attack the Human World?"
He had already sworn allegiance to Jin Jiuxiao upon his Martial Soul. He was simply curious about why Jin Jiuxiao cared so much about the Human World.
Jin Jiuxiao did not answer the question directly. "There are many secrets involved that I can't explain to you in detail."
"But I can tell you that my aim is to create peace."
"Endless slaughter will only bring unending hatred."
He truly was not lying to Dugu Bo.
Before launching a counterattack against the Divine Realm, wouldn't he have to secure the rear?
How could they fight if there was no peace behind them?
Dugu Bo paused, then shook his head. "Little Monster, that's far too difficult. Humans have to hunt for Soul Rings to break through. That's the rule."
"As long as that rule exists, humans and soul beasts will never be able to coexist peacefully."
Even Dugu Bo understood that much.
"Then we'll overturn that rule."
Dugu Bo stared into Jin Jiuxiao's golden eyes.
There was no hesitation or fear in those eyes. Instead, they brimmed with conviction and resolve.
He sighed softly. "Rules aren't so easily overturned. Only a god could do something like that, right?"
"Dugu Bo, do you want to become a god?"
Dugu Bo thought Jin Jiuxiao was merely joking. "Become a god? Who wouldn't want that? But I don't have your monstrous talent. I believe you have what it takes to become a god."
He had never seen anyone as monstrous as Jin Jiuxiao.
If a prodigy like Jin Jiuxiao could not become a god, who could?
As for himself, he could forget it.
He would be satisfied if he could cultivate to level 95 or level 96.
"What if I told you that you had a chance?" The corners of Jin Jiuxiao's mouth curved upward.
Dugu Bo froze. "Everything you've said... you're serious about all of it?"
Establishing peaceful coexistence between humans and soul beasts was no joke, either?
Nor was overturning the rules?
Now Jin Jiuxiao was even talking to him about becoming a god. Didn't that mean he truly intended to see this through?
He had sworn allegiance to Jin Jiuxiao, which meant the stronger he became, the more help he could offer.
And he happened to be an unusual case among Titled Douluo...
If his cultivation could reach level 96, level 97, or even godhood...
He could truly leave not a blade of grass alive wherever he passed!
Could he, too, have a chance to become a god?
"I have no reason to lie to you."
"I'm serious about seeking peace, serious about overturning the rules, and serious about nurturing the god chosen."
"The road to peace is certain to be overgrown with thorns."
"Dugu Bo, will you join me in creating a glorious age of prosperity and leaving a name that echoes through the ages?" Jin Jiuxiao extended an invitation to Dugu Bo once more.
A glorious age of prosperity, a name that echoed through the ages?!
Those words reverberated in Dugu Bo's mind, refusing to fade for a long time.
"Fuck it, I'm in!" After thinking long and hard, Dugu Bo made up his mind.
Whether or not Jin Jiuxiao was dangling an empty promise before him, the benefits he had received so far were real.
The seventy-thousand-year Soul Bone was real, the tremendous relief from his hidden affliction was real, and his breakthrough to level 93 was even more undeniable.
Would he lack benefits if he kept following Jin Jiuxiao? If he grew stronger, Dugu Yan could grow up under better protection too.
Godhood... did he, Dugu Bo, also have a chance to touch the threshold of god level?
"Little Monster, I..."
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