The soul core takes shape

[For the next several months, you stayed at Dugu Manor, living simply and following a regular routine.]

[By day, you buried yourself in the notes on poison arts and pharmacological texts Dugu Bo had accumulated over half his life. The yellowed pages were densely packed with this Titled Douluo's unorthodox insights, gained by testing poisons on his own body. With your "top-tier comprehension," you analyzed and checked each page, discarding the dross and preserving the essence, untangling the intertwined principles of poison into clear, orderly threads.]

[After nightfall, you practiced the "Zhou Tian Star Dou Art" in a secluded corner of the rear courtyard, drawing down the starlight to temper your sea of consciousness. Whenever you gained an insight, you conjured the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear and repeatedly honed what you had learned beneath the moonlight.]

[In your spare time, you strolled to the Herb Garden in the rear courtyard to identify poisonous plants. The vegetation grew luxuriantly, mostly rare and exotic specimens seldom seen in the world. Dark-blue or purplish-red droplets of poison clung to their leaf tips, refracting eerie yet magnificent colors in the twilight.]

[Dugu Yan already had a rather good impression of you. These days, seeing you rise at dawn and rest only at dusk, spending your days immersed in books and focused study without a trace of youthful impatience, she had long since come to privately admire the resilience beneath your composure.]

[With Dugu Bo in seclusion condensing his soul core, the task of guiding her cultivation and answering her questions naturally fell to you.]

[You never styled yourself her "instructor," saying only that you were "exchanging pointers and verifying each other's understanding." When explaining poison theory, you did not rigidly cling to lists of medicinal properties, either. Instead, you reasoned step by step from how plants grew and how toxins circulated, unraveling each thread and drawing connections between related principles.]

[She felt your explanations were even clearer and more thorough than her grandfather's.]

[As time went on, your form of address for her gradually changed from the distant "Miss Dugu" to the affectionate "Sister Yanyan."]

[Of course, Dugu Yan was an outstanding young prodigy herself and had her own pride. After repeatedly receiving your guidance in poison arts, she kept wanting to win back a round through cultivation.]

[In her view, you were younger and spent all day buried in books, so your cultivation certainly had to be inferior to hers. Besides, her poison-control system martial soul naturally countered your plant system Blue Silver Grass.]

[And so, this scene unfolded on the training grounds-]

[For her first move, she unleashed her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. Poisonous mist surged like a tide and swept toward you. You merely stood where you were without budging. When the mist came within half a foot of you, it vanished without a trace like a clay ox sinking into the sea, failing to corrode even the hem of your clothes.]

[For her second move, seeing that the poisonous mist was completely ineffective, she darted forward to attack at close range, only for two green vines to suddenly emerge from the cracks between the paving stones beneath her feet and firmly wrap around her ankles.]

[For her third move, before she could muster the strength to break free, countless strands of Blue Silver Grass had already burst from the earth on every side. They wound around her in layers like living creatures, binding her tightly.]

[The training grounds fell silent for a moment.]

["You cheated!" She struggled twice but could not break free, her pretty face flushing red with anger. "Who fights like that?"]

[You dismissed your martial soul and rubbed your nose, giving a chuckle. "Sister Yanyan, I'm actually... immune to all poisons."]

["..." Dugu Yan glared fiercely at you. Only after a long while did she squeeze out through gritted teeth, "Then why did you put on that act earlier and tell me you were afraid of poison? That's plainly cheating!"]

[After that incident, she sulked for several days. But since she had already acknowledged you as her younger brother, she bore no real resentment. Instead, she became a little more convinced of your abilities.]

[She often held a cup of clear tea and leaned against a blue stone beside the Herb Garden, watching you weigh poisonous powders on silver scales and gently nurture medicinal liquids with soul power. Occasionally, she exchanged a few words with you, chatting about everything from the habits of poisonous plants to soul master cultivation. As time passed, she could almost be considered a confidante.]

[During this period, you also used Dugu Manor's channels to gradually gather news of events great and small in Heaven Dou City over recent years-]

[Six years earlier, the group from Shrek Academy had sought to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, only to provoke Crown Prince Xue Beng at the academy gates and be unceremoniously driven away by his guards in public. The group then turned to Blue Tyrant Academy, which was later renamed Shrek Academy, establishing themselves anew in Heaven Dou City.]

[In the preliminary rounds of the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, the Shrek Team had first lost to Blazing Fire Academy, then to Skywater Academy. Tang San's Eight Spider Lances external soul bone and second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, had been forcibly exposed for all to see. Though they brought him brief renown, they also drew the attention of various powers, stirring turbulent undercurrents.]

[By the finals in Spirit City, the Spirit Hall Golden Generation, led by Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan, had swept through the competition with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, "Demon Charm," claiming the championship without suspense. Both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire had returned in defeat, and the continent's situation grew ever more shrouded in shifting clouds.]

[Even more striking was how, during the awards ceremony, Xiao Wu of the Shrek Team had accidentally revealed the aura of a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast, throwing the entire venue into an uproar. At the critical moment, Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao had made a forceful entrance, gravely injuring two Spirit Hall elders with a single blow before taking her away. Their whereabouts remained unknown.]

[...]

[Some events overlapped with the original worldline, while others had already quietly changed.]

[You reviewed these reports one by one, setting most aside after a mere glance.]

[Only one piece of news particularly concerned you-]

[Crown Prince Xue Beng had become increasingly outrageous and dissolute in recent years. He frequently visited gambling houses and pleasure establishments throughout Heaven Dou City, throwing away fortunes and drinking extravagantly through the night. Whenever the mood struck him, he galloped down the streets, amusing himself by bullying commoners and stirring seething public resentment.]

[In the original course of events, under the threat posed by "Xue Qinghe," Xue Beng had chosen to endure and lie low, feigning madness and stupidity and presenting himself as a wastrel. In truth, he had secretly accumulated strength, waiting until the time was ripe to deliver a fatal blow and ultimately inherit Heaven Dou's throne.]

[But in this life, everything had long since changed.]

[Ten years earlier, you had publicly exposed "Xue Qinghe's" true identity. Qian Renxue had fled back to Spirit City overnight, and Xue Beng had taken the opportunity to be named crown prince, becoming the Heaven Dou Empire's sole legitimate heir.]

[Without the threat of "Xue Qinghe," he should have devoted himself to good governance and cultivated his influence and reputation. Yet he still acted tyrannically, indulging in sensual pleasures and treating the common people like fish and meat.]

[From this, your original judgment had been entirely correct-]

[His wastrel behavior was both protective coloration when he was in danger and his true nature, which he did not restrain after gaining power, instead letting it grow worse.]

[At that thought, a few old memories inevitably surfaced in your mind-]

[Back then, you had fled south while being hunted by multiple powers. The others had either given up or been shaken off. Only this wastrel crown prince had persisted, pursuing you the hardest and the longest, as though he would not rest until one of you was dead.]

[Even after so many years, the memories remained fresh.]

[However, you did not act rashly. You merely instructed your informant to quietly keep track of his movements.]

[...]

[One morning three months later, the thin mist had yet to disperse, the dew lay heavy, and the breeze was fresh.]

[You were reading a unique surviving medical text in the pavilion when you suddenly sensed the soul power between heaven and earth surging wildly, converging toward the secluded chamber like a hundred rivers returning to the sea. You raised your head and looked-]

[A jade-green pillar of light burst through layer upon layer of roof tiles and shot into the sky, tinting even the rising sun an eerie, deep green.]

[Within the pillar, the phantom of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent Dragon coiled and roared, its scales gleaming ominously. Its dragon cries shook the entire manor, and the bronze bells beneath the eaves rang without wind. Poisonous plants for several miles around first shot up several inches, then instantly withered into ash, as though that aura had forcibly drained every scrap of their vitality.]

[Before the aftershocks had faded, three powerful streams of spiritual power swept over almost simultaneously from above Heaven Dou City-one sharp as a sword, one heavy as a mountain, and one cold and uncanny. The three lingered above the manor for a moment before quietly withdrawing.]

[You set down the book and gazed at the pillar of light for a moment, a smile rising at the corner of your mouth.]

[-The Douluo Continent's first soul master soul core had formed.]

[The pillar lasted for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn before slowly receding. Immediately afterward, a figure shot through the air and hovered above the manor.]

["Hahahaha! It worked! I did it!"]

[Dugu Bo threw his head back and laughed, his green hair flying. His complexion was ruddy, and brilliant green light shone in his eyes. A faint green halo lingered around him, as though a poisoned blade, tempered for half a lifetime and kept sheathed, had finally received its full edge at this moment.]

[He stepped down through the air. The instant his boot soles touched the blue bricks, a ring of green ripples spread silently outward. Looking down at his hands, he saw soul power condensed almost into substance between his fingers. Its green radiance was contained, no longer as ostentatious and dazzling as before, yet it possessed a heart-stopping density.]

["Rank ninety-five, rank ninety-five..." Dugu Bo closed his eyes in concentration, feeling the green soul core slowly rotating within his dantian. His lips curved into a smile they had not worn in a long time. "I've become a Super Douluo! Hahaha!"]

[Dugu Yan hurried out from beneath the covered walkway, her green eyes brimming with delighted surprise, and threw herself straight toward him. "Grandfather, you succeeded?"]

[Dugu Bo swiftly dispersed the surging soul power around him before opening his arms to catch his granddaughter. "I succeeded," he said with a smile.]

[Dugu Yan lifted her face from his embrace, her expression animated. "Then does that mean you can strut around Heaven Dou City however you please now?"]

[Dugu Bo's laughter caught in his throat, and he coughed dryly. "Well..."]

[He released his granddaughter, his gaze wandering increasingly as he lowered his voice. "A Super Douluo is still a Douluo. The waters in Heaven Dou City run deep. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and those consecrators of Spirit Hall, are all veteran Super Douluos. Your grandfather... still can't beat them for now."]

["So, those we ought to give a wide berth... still need to be given a wide berth."]

["Ohhh-" Dugu Yan drew out the sound, a mischievous glint flashing through her green eyes. "So you still can't beat this one or that one."]

["You little brat!" Dugu Bo put on a stern face and raised his hand as though to rap her forehead. "This is... caution. Caution, understand? Old snakes that live long all know to dig their burrows three degrees deeper."]

[Dugu Yan pursed her lips and tilted her head aside, dodging the hand he had raised to tap her.]

[Only when the grandfather and granddaughter stopped bickering did you walk slowly forward, cupping your hands with a smile. "Congratulations, Senior."]

[Dugu Bo looked at you, his eyes shining keenly. "Boy, this method of yours is extraordinary! All the toxins gathered together and mixed with my soul power. Rather than clashing, they complemented and nourished each other. Now my soul power circulates nearly thirty percent faster, and my soul skills are at least twice as powerful."]

[He took two steps forward and patted your shoulder, his voice steady and firm. "Boy, I owe you two lives. Yanyan's and my own."]

["Whatever you ask of me from now on, I will never refuse."]

[You had intended to offer a few modest words, but suddenly stopped with them on the tip of your tongue.]

[You raised your eyes to meet his serious gaze. After a moment's consideration, you smiled. "As it happens, I do have a favor to ask today."]

[Dugu Bo raised his eyebrows, a trace of surprise flashing through his green eyes. "Oh? What is it?"]

["Senior, do you know the Heaven Dou Crown Prince-Xue Beng?"]

["Xue Beng?" At that, Dugu Bo frowned slightly, searching his memory for the man. "That boy who's been growing increasingly disgraceful these past few years?"]

[You nodded.]

["I'm not particularly familiar with Xue Beng, though I do have some friendship with his imperial uncle, Xue Xing." Dugu Bo paused and looked up at you, curiosity in his green eyes. "Why? Has that boy offended you?"]

[Your expression unchanged, you nodded slightly. "There is some enmity between us."]

[You briefly recounted what had happened back then.]

[The more Dugu Bo heard, however, the tighter his brows knitted.]

[Your experiences bore some resemblance to his own back then-]

[After refusing to join Spirit Hall, he had been jointly hunted by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo and had nearly died. Fortunately, Prince Xue Xing had happened to pass by. Invoking his status as a member of the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family and threatening them with his army, he had forcibly driven the two away, saving Dugu Bo's life.]

[Precisely because of that, he understood your feelings all the better and had some idea of what you intended next-he reckoned you wanted him to help avenge you by killing Xue Beng.]

[But Xue Xing had done him a great kindness, and Xue Beng was Xue Xing's own nephew. If he struck at Xue Beng, he would ultimately betray that old friendship and earn a reputation for repaying kindness with enmity.]

[With his hands behind his back, he paced a couple of steps through the courtyard, his expression shifting as his boot soles crushed the withered grass.]

[After a long while, he stamped his foot heavily and finally made up his mind. "Fine. Since that is what you want, I'll go with you. We'll slaughter that boy. As for my debt to Xue Xing... at worst, I'll find another way to repay it later."]

[You smiled and waved your hand. "You're worrying too much, Senior. Xue Beng is, after all, the Heaven Dou Crown Prince. His status is special, and he also has this connection to you. How could I take his life?"]

[Dugu Bo froze at your words, a trace of surprise flashing through his green eyes. "Then you intend to..."]

[You said calmly, "I intend to break both his legs and give him something to remember."]

[Dugu Bo was stunned for an instant, then burst out laughing. "Good, good, good! Just break both his legs."]

[When his laughter subsided, he stroked his beard and nodded, the last traces of conflict vanishing from his expression. "That would be best. Without taking his life, I'll have an easier time answering to Xue Xing. As for that boy Xue Beng-breaking both his legs will teach him to rein himself in."]