Yu Xiaogang smiled and casually handed Flender the medicinal bath mixture he had prepared. "This is tonight's medicinal bath. I've already adjusted the proportions. Let them soak for an hour."
Flender took it and sniffed. A rich medicinal fragrance washed over him, and he raised an eyebrow. "Heh, got it. I'll go get it ready."
With that, he turned and left, carrying the packet of herbs.
Yu Xiaogang brushed the herbal residue from his hands. Just as he straightened up, Liu Erlong approached, holding a silk handkerchief. She carefully wiped his face, removing a little medicinal stain he had accidentally smeared on it earlier.
Yu Xiaogang smiled and took her hand. "Thanks for all your effort."
"You're the one working hard."
Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at him and tucked the handkerchief into his hand.
"You're fiddling with these herbs all day. Aren't you afraid you'll marinate yourself right through?"
Yu Xiaogang smiled. Speaking of which, the system gift packs he had received for taking Dai Mubai and Oscar as disciples had been quite generous.
Besides an adaptive evolvable soul ring, the rewards for taking Dai Mubai as a disciple had included an immortal herb and a soul bone.
The soul bone was an "Evolvable Golden Dragon King Left Arm Bone," which came with two soul skills: Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body!
When Yu Xiaogang first saw the names of those two soul skills, he nearly thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Had the system not explicitly labeled it Golden Dragon King, he would have suspected that Xiao Wu's Soft Bone Rabbit soul bone had somehow ended up in the wrong place.
The rewards for taking Oscar as a disciple were equally impressive. Besides an adaptive evolvable soul ring and an immortal herb, they included an "Evolvable Mountain Dragon King Right Arm Bone."
Its soul skills were "Gravity Control" and "Power of the Earth." As long as he stood upon the earth, his strength would flow without end.
Two soul bones, four soul skills. Clearly, both soul bones started at the hundred-thousand-year level and were of exceptionally high quality.
Besides those, Ning Rongrong's earlier martial soul evolution had also rewarded him with an "Evolvable Ice Dragon King Left Leg Bone," which came with the soul skill "Power of Extreme Ice," as well as another called "Ten-Thousand-Year Frozen Firmament: Eternal Frost Seal."
Yu Xiaogang had already absorbed and fused with the soul bones.
Likewise, Yu Xiaogang had given both of them immortal herbs.
After absorbing his immortal herb, Dai Mubai had reached level 40 outright. Oscar had also absorbed an immortal herb. Since he had already been at level 30, after absorbing the herb and obtaining a soul ring, he would gain at least another five levels of soul power.
For the improvement in their potential, the system's rewards had been two Soul Ring Age Enhancement Cards and two immortal herbs, respectively.
The system kept rewarding him with immortal herbs lately, and his reserves were now almost inexhaustible.
Each of the two Soul Ring Age Enhancement Cards could increase a soul ring's age by five thousand years.
After some thought, he used the two cards on his first and second soul rings.
As light swirled, the two soul rings beneath his feet changed from purple to a deep, rich black.
With that, all five of his soul rings had become black ten thousand year soul rings. At a glance, the five black rings stood in a row, exuding an overwhelming pressure.
Several more days passed, and everyone's cultivation reached a bottleneck. Their soul power had accumulated to the limit, and it was time to obtain soul rings.
The first morning light shone upon the gates of Blue Tyrant Academy.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Dugu Yan gathered, standing in a row.
Yu Xiaogang stood before them with his hands behind his back, Liu Erlong at his side.
"Erlong and I won't be accompanying you on this soul ring hunt."
Yu Xiaogang swept his gaze over them.
"But someone will take you."
"Who?"
Ma Hongjun craned his head forward.
"Could it be Dean Flender and Teacher Zhao Wuji?"
Flender and Zhao Wuji walked out through the gates side by side. Stroking his smooth chin, Flender smiled. "We'll be accompanying you too, but there's someone else."
"Oh, the dean looks pretty handsome with his beard shaved off."
"Tsk, tsk, you have no idea. When the dean was young..."
"Ahem."
Flender immediately gave two dry coughs, and everyone fell silent.
The next moment, a dark green figure appeared before them without warning.
"I will."
Only then did they see the newcomer's face clearly. Long, dark green hair hung loosely over his shoulders. His face was youthful and stern, his figure straight and tall, and he wore a dark green robe.
If not for the weathered weight of the years in his eyes, it would have been hard to believe he was already over ninety.
"Grandpa!"
Dugu Yan went up to him in delighted surprise.
As Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter, his eyes immediately softened. He reached out and patted her head. "Hahaha, Yanyan's gotten plumper again."
"Hey! I haven't gotten fat! Nonsense!"
Dugu Yan stamped her foot, her face turning red.
Dai Mubai and the others exchanged looks.
Tang San and Xiao Wu, however, were unfazed. They had met Dugu Bo many times over the years, and his visits to Blue Tyrant Academy were far from infrequent.
Flender was the first to cup his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Your Eminence Poison Douluo."
Zhao Wuji hurriedly followed suit. "Greetings, Senior."
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing also bowed in greeting, towering waves of shock surging through their hearts.
Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, whose mastery of poison stood at the pinnacle-who hadn't heard of his reputation for slaughtering an entire city with a single move?
This was a genuine Titled Douluo!
Yu Xiaogang smiled. "Sorry to trouble you again this time."
Dugu Bo waved a hand. "No trouble at all. When are you coming over for a drink? I've been terribly bored lately."
"Next time."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head.
"I still have some things to deal with."
"All right."
Oscar quietly leaned toward Tang San's ear and asked in a low voice, "Xiao San, Teacher seems to be on really good terms with Senior Poison Douluo?"
Tang San smiled and replied softly, "Teacher and Senior Poison Douluo are friends despite the age gap. Senior Poison Douluo has often visited Blue Tyrant Academy over the years. He even holds the title of honorary elder."
Oscar sucked in a breath. "Hiss... Doesn't that mean our academy has a Titled Douluo backing it?"
"You could say that."
Listening nearby, Dai Mubai felt his scalp tingle.
Good grief, our academy really has some powerful backing!
One Titled Douluo, one Soul Douluo, and several Soul Saints.
Out in the world, that would qualify it as one of the Seven Great Sects.
Yu Xiaogang turned to Tang San and instructed him, "Xiao San, we'll have to trouble Dugu Bo to take you to the herb garden this time. I've left two immortal herbs there for you. I believe you should know which two they are. When the time comes, whether you use them is up to you."
Naturally, Yu Xiaogang meant the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He had not taken those two immortal herbs back then, leaving them there all along.
For one, the two immortal herbs had special properties that made them difficult to take away; for another, absorbing them required the assistance of the ice and fire springs. Leaving them where they were was the most suitable choice.
"Yes, Teacher."
Yu Xiaogang looked at the others and gave them a few reminders about things to watch out for, then waved to signal that they could depart.
Everyone finished arranging their belongings. Led by Flender and Zhao Wuji, they followed Dugu Bo toward the city gates in a sizable procession.
Yu Xiaogang stood at the entrance, watching their retreating figures. Liu Erlong walked up beside him and asked softly, "Where are you going next?"
"Spirit City."
Yu Xiaogang withdrew his gaze, turned to her, and smiled.
"When I get back, we'll make a trip back to the sect."
Liu Erlong paused briefly, then nodded, her eyes curving into a smile. "Mm, I'll wait for you."
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