Dugu Bo's request: Finding Dugu Yan

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. As expected of the young master of the Worship Hall who replaced Xue Qinghe. She finished your enrollment paperwork in just two days."

Looking at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy admission letter Qian Renxue had sent someone to deliver to Yang Xingchen, Dugu Bo could not help voicing his admiration.

Dugu Bo did not particularly care that Qian Renxue was impersonating Xue Qinghe. Ultimately, he had become a guest elder of the imperial family to repay a favor and, while he was at it, find a power that could provide resources.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family naturally understood this too, but their own Martial Souls were mediocre, and no Titled Douluo had been born in their family for a very long time.

For a Soul Master like Dugu Bo, who had no family backing, belonged to no organization, and had cultivated into a Titled Douluo entirely through his own efforts, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was willing to pay any price just to have his name on their roster.

"It's just putting my name down. I'm not going to waste my time at that school anyway."

Yang Xingchen sat on a swing in the courtyard, a half-person-high pile of books beside his feet, reading Dugu Bo's collection as he swung.

"That's true. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy can only offer limited help. Finding a powerful master suited to you and receiving one-on-one guidance makes it easier to bring out your talent."

Dugu Bo picked up his warmed wine and took a leisurely sip as he gazed at the lush trees in the courtyard.

The simple pleasures of this day gave Dugu Bo an unprecedented sense of peace. In the past, he had spent every day rushing about to suppress his poison and look after Yan'er, so much so that he had nearly forgotten the last time he had rested like this!

Just as Yang Xingchen closed the last book, Dugu Bo, who had finished his drink, spoke again.

"Yang Xingchen, sorry for the trouble, but I have a favor to ask! I'm no longer troubled by poison, but my granddaughter, Dugu Yan, still has to face the poison accumulating in her body."

"So I'm asking you to join me in helping my Yan'er condense a Poison Core, so she won't have to face the same predicament as her father."

Already a little tipsy, Dugu Bo lowered his head and stroked the rim of his wine cup. He was not sure whether Yang Xingchen would help him.

After spending this time together, Dugu Bo had realized that Yang Xingchen was someone who would not rise early without something to gain, but now he had nothing left worth offering.

"You improved the Poison Core Method?"

Learning that Dugu Bo intended to condense a Poison Core for Dugu Yan came as no surprise to Yang Xingchen.

The only thing that surprised Yang Xingchen was that Dugu Bo intended to do it now. He had originally thought Dugu Bo would wait until Dugu Yan's Soul Power Level rose before acting.

"I've cultivated for all these years, after all. Improving a less-than-perfect Poison Core Method is still within my abilities."

"I only need to use the poison in my own Poison Core as a catalyst, supplemented by the poisonous substances I bought a few days ago. Combined with the ice attribute of your Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul, that will be more than enough to help Yan'er condense a Poison Core."

"A Poison Core condensed this way naturally won't compare to mine, but I've thought of a solution to that too. When her Soul Power breaks through to Level 90, she can follow my example and condense a Poison Pearl."

"Afterward, while the Poison Pearl and Poison Core are merging, she can consume higher-quality poisonous substances again, letting them replace the previous ones and thereby improve the Poison Core's quality."

These were the additions and refinements Dugu Bo had made to the Poison Core Method based on his own experience cultivating a Poison Core.

After hearing Dugu Bo's improved Poison Core Method, Yang Xingchen could not help marveling that someone who had cultivated into a Titled Douluo on his own truly was extraordinary.

Yang Xingchen, Electrolux, and the others all considered this new version of the Poison Core Method thoroughly perfected.

After all, not everyone could obtain something as deadly poisonous as the Snow Swan Kiss to serve as the core of their Poison Core. Dugu Bo's new Poison Core Method was clearly more cost-effective and more widely applicable.

"How many days until we leave?"

"Two days. Once I've condensed a Poison Core for Yan'er, I intend to set out on another journey across the continent and complete my God Trials along the way."

Across the Douluo Continent, there were still many poisons Dugu Bo had never seen or heard of, and all these poisons were assets he could use to grow stronger.

"You're a student of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy now. I can take this opportunity to use you to knock Yan'er down a peg and teach her that 'beyond the heavens are higher heavens, and beyond every person is someone greater.'"

Dugu Yan had always been confined to the shallow waters of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. She had no idea how many geniuses beyond her imagination lurked in the deep sea that was the Douluo Continent.

"If the gap is so huge that Dugu Yan breaks down crying, I'm not responsible for comforting her!"

In case Dugu Bo, who was famous for doting on his granddaughter, switched sides at the last moment, Yang Xingchen gave him a precautionary shot in advance.

"Don't worry. I'm not someone who refuses to listen to reason!"

"Hold on, brat Yang, wasn't that a little too harsh? Didn't I tell you to go easy on her?"

Dugu Bo looked with some heartache at Dugu Yan, whom Yang Xingchen had knocked to the ground with a single blow, and could not help complaining to him.

Dugu Yan wrote to Dugu Bo whenever she arrived in a new town, so Dugu Bo and Yang Xingchen had taken only two days to find her and the others fighting in a Soul Fighting Arena.

"Wow, there you go again! You were the one who wanted to knock Dugu Yan down a peg, weren't you? Now you're making it sound like I'm the villain!"

Yang Xingchen immediately bristled and pointed at Dugu Bo as he spoke.

When that old rascal Dugu Bo had told Dugu Yan to challenge him just now, Yang Xingchen had specifically stressed this point to him. Yet the old rascal had still turned out like this.

"Ahem, mainly because I didn't expect you to defeat Yan'er without even using a Soul Skill!"

In Dugu Bo's imagination, however Dugu Yan's challenge against Yang Xingchen went, Yang Xingchen would at least use a few Soul Skills to put on a show. Instead, Yang Xingchen had laid Dugu Yan out with one punch.

"Grandpa, I'm just too weak! Once my practical combat training ends, I'll go with you to condense a Poison Core!"

Under Ye Lingling's treatment, Dugu Yan recovered in the blink of an eye. The joy and pride she had originally felt from winning ten consecutive matches in Godwind City had been completely wiped out by that lesson.

Dugu Yan had thought Feng Xiaotian, with his Innate Full Soul Power, was already a monstrous genius rarely seen in the world. She had never expected Yang Xingchen, who had appeared alongside her grandfather, to be even more inhuman.

After witnessing Yang Xingchen's strength, Yu Tianheng and the others watching from the sidelines could not help feeling their palms sweat and their backs go cold. The gap between their strength and Yang Xingchen's was already so vast that they could not catch up even if given another ten years.

Yu Tianheng even felt that Yang Xingchen could rely on physical toughness alone to withstand every one of his Soul Skill attacks, then pin him underfoot and beat him.

"Tian Heng, do you think all seven of us together could force this guy to use a Soul Skill to fight back?"

Standing beside Yu Tianheng, Osler quietly shared his idea with him. Having seen the strength Yang Xingchen had casually displayed, Osler no longer quite dared to imagine the seven of them defeating him.

"What would be the point? Forcing him to use a Soul Skill so we can get an even more painful beating?"

Yu Tianheng glanced at Osler beside him as though looking at an idiot. He could not understand why Osler was imagining such a thing. There was no point imagining a scenario they were guaranteed to lose!

After Yu Tianheng scolded him like that, Osler rubbed his nose awkwardly. He too realized that imagining such a thing did make him seem a little sick in the head.

While Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were chatting, Yang Xingchen ran over to Qin Ming, who had been silent for quite some time, to ask about the Heaven Dou Royal Team's upcoming route.

"Teacher Qin Ming, which town's Soul Fighting Arena is your team heading to next?"

"Student Yang, our next stop is the Soul Fighting Arena in Suotuo City. Once we finish fighting there, this round of practical combat training will be more or less complete."