That evening, Yang Podi meditated alone in his room.
After a full day of training, especially climbing the mountain with weights that afternoon, Yang Podi was not in very good spirits. On the contrary, he was utterly exhausted, and even a medicinal bath could not dispel that fatigue.
Yet cultivating after such exhaustion yielded much better results than normal. At that moment, Yang Podi felt as though every muscle in his body ached, while all his pores relaxed.
As he meditated, the Soul Power in the air entered his body through his pores. The Soul Power throughout his body flowed rapidly, growing increasingly condensed as the Soul Power from the air poured in.
Just then, the Soul Power in his body seemed to reach a critical point, unable to increase any further. Yet as time passed, although its quantity did not increase, it flowed even faster, becoming particularly excited under the stimulation of the Soul Power constantly pouring in from outside.
Suddenly, he felt something like a snap throughout his body, as though he had broken through some bottleneck. Immediately afterward, the Soul Power throughout his body began increasing and condensing again. Warmth spread through him, from his pores to his muscles and even his soul. All at once, his entire being felt exceptionally unobstructed, and his inner vision became clearer and more ethereal.
"It worked. I've finally broken through to rank twenty."
At that moment, Yang Podi finally broke through to the Soul Grandmaster realm, becoming the youngest Soul Grandmaster in the Breaking Clan's history.
Yang Podi forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued cultivating instead. Although he had broken through, cultivating in this freshly attained state seemed to yield even better results.
Early the next morning, Yang Podi went to his father. "Dad, Mom, I've broken through to rank twenty."
Yang Zhentian's face also filled with excitement. "Well done, son. Breaking through to rank twenty at eight and a half makes you the fastest Soul Master in our Breaking Clan's history. You'll definitely revitalize our Breaking Clan in the future."
His mother and younger brother, Yang Ping'an, were also delighted. What could be happier than seeing one's own family improve? Meanwhile, his little sister kept calling, "Big Brother, Big Brother," at his side. Who knew whether she was happy?
After everyone rejoiced for a while, Yang Zhentian suddenly spoke. "Son, our Breaking Clan has been rather busy lately. I'm afraid your grandfather and second grandfather won't have time to accompany you to hunt Soul Beasts."
Yang Podi turned to glance toward his grandfather's house. "Dad, let's not have Grandpa come with me this time. Let's just go together, the two of us."
"All right, son. This time, I'll personally take you to hunt Soul Beasts. I guarantee we'll find you a Soul Ring you're satisfied with."
Yang Zhentian's Soul Power had already reached rank seventy-six, making him a Soul Saint, so obtaining a mere Soul Ring under a thousand years old would be extremely easy. However, his grandfather, Yang Wudi, worried that his precious grandson might encounter danger and feared that Yang Zhentian's judgment and strength would be insufficient, so he had always insisted on personally taking his grandson to hunt for Soul Rings. Yet a major matter had recently tied everyone up.
Yang Podi thought to himself, I absolutely cannot miss this opportunity. This is the true foundation for our Breaking Clan's rise.
Indeed, what had given Yang Podi this idea was precisely the major event that had occurred in the clan.
Half a month earlier, the Soul Douluo Dugu Bo had suddenly brought his son, Dugu Xin, to seek medicine.
Dugu Bo was a top-tier Soul Douluo whose strength stood out in the Heaven Dou Empire. His poison, in particular, made people turn pale at the mere mention of his name, and he could basically kill Soul Masters below Soul Douluo in an instant. Those clans and sects without a Titled Douluo were especially afraid of provoking Dugu Bo, lest they bring utter destruction upon themselves.
Dugu Bo had indeed done things like slaughtering sects and exterminating clans. It was said that many years earlier, a medium-sized clan had attacked Dugu Bo's son, Dugu Xin, over a conflict with the Dugu Family, severely injuring him.
Seeing his only son so badly injured, Dugu Bo had stormed straight into that clan in a rage and fought a great battle with them. From then on, that clan vanished from the Douluo Continent, and even its grounds became a land of death. He had truly left neither chicken nor dog alive, just as in the legends.
Recently, for some unknown reason, Dugu Bo's son, Dugu Xin, had suddenly been afflicted with a deadly poison. He had sought out every famous physician throughout the Heaven Dou Empire, but all were helpless. Even Ye Renxin, the patriarch of the Nine Heart Begonia clan, could do nothing about the poison in Dugu Xin's body. He could only barely keep him breathing, but could not cure his poison.
The Breaking Clan was renowned throughout the Heaven Dou Empire for refining medicines and poisons, but they were not particularly skilled at treating illnesses, nor were they a family of healers. After all, in the world of Soul Masters, healing-type Soul Masters were far more effective than medicine. Moreover, the Breaking Clan consisted of natural-born battle maniacs, and its members were all rather aloof and proud, making them difficult to communicate with.
Seeing his son weaken day by day, clearly with little time left to live, Dugu Bo could only treat a dead horse as though it were still alive, bringing his son to the Breaking Clan to seek medicine.
The poison afflicting Dugu Xin was Martial Soul poison, originating from his own Martial Soul. He himself could be called a source of poison, so no healing-type Soul Master could truly help him. Even some detoxification Soul Skills could not cure him.
As it happened, the Breaking Clan loved refining medicines and poisons. When Yang Wudi and Yang Wushuang saw the poisoned Dugu Xin, they were immediately filled with delighted surprise. After some discussion with Dugu Bo, Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin took up residence in the Breaking Clan.
The four were now in the medicine-refining room, and no one knew exactly how the detoxification was progressing. However, the medicine-refining room had been placed under strict lockdown, with no one allowed to approach or enter. In particular, clouds of green gas occasionally emerged from it, looking extremely eerie and frightening.
At that moment, inside Yang Wudi's medicine-refining room, Yang Wudi, Yang Wushuang, and Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Xin lying on the bed.
Yang Wudi spoke. "Brother Dugu, after treating him for this period, we've gained some understanding of your son's poison. With our Breaking Clan's medicine- and poison-refining methods, we can indeed alleviate his poisoning and bring him out of danger in the short term. But our research during this time shows that your son's poison mainly comes from his Martial Soul and the poison-attribute Soul Rings he absorbed. I'm afraid no medicine can cure him at the root."
"If you can steel your heart and destroy your son's Martial Soul, Brother Dugu, only then can the poison in his body be completely cured."
"After all, all the poison comes from your son's own Martial Soul, or from his own body. Even if we truly remove his poison now, as long as he cultivates, he'll continue producing an endless stream of toxins afterward."
Although his son was still alive, Dugu Bo remained deeply worried. "Patriarchs, is there any other way to treat my son?"
Yang Wudi pondered for a long while before speaking. "There is, of course. Brother Dugu, if you can find the legendary immortal herb, aromatic silk beauty, your son's poison will naturally be nothing to worry about."
"Aromatic silk beauty? What is aromatic silk beauty?"
"Aromatic silk beauty is an immortal herb that can cure all poisons under heaven. It would certainly cure your son's Martial Soul poison. However, it has vanished from the world for countless years. Our Breaking Clan has also searched for it for many generations, but we still haven't found it."
"Then may I ask you two patriarchs, is there any other way?"
"There are countless Martial Souls and countless Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent. Perhaps someone else has a way to treat your son. However, the two of us possess little talent and shallow learning, and for now, we haven't thought of a solution."
Dugu Bo fell silent for a long time before finally speaking. "Then I'm sorry for the trouble, but please help treat my son first. Let's all think about whether there are any other ways."
Although Dugu Bo could not bear to let his son become an ordinary person, he still wanted to do everything he could to treat him.