The Legend of the Nether Blood Moon Clan (Part Two)

He paused, then connected the previous clues. "A thousand years ago, the master who devoured the Blood Moon Devil Lotus might have been the ancestor of the Nether Blood Moon Clan. He swallowed the lotus seed and gained Power of the Nether, but the lotus seed's deadly poison also seeped into his bloodline, passed down through generations, becoming what is now known as the ' Moon Curse '."

"This poison is called the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison."

Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean... the entire Nether Blood Moon Clan was Moon-Eroding Nether Poison? How did they survive?"

"Because it has already become one with my bloodline," Lin Chen said thoughtfully.

"Passed down through generations, the poison's power has become bound to one's bloodline and Martial Soul. Normally, it can be suppressed, allowing for a normal life and even the use of the poison to unleash Netherworld Soul Skill. However, on the night of the full moon, when the Yin energy is at its peak, it triggers the blood poison, causing it to go berserk. Sunlight, being extremely Yang and strong, perfectly counters the Netherworld Yin poison, so exposure to it will backfire."

That makes sense.

Blood Moon Devil Lotus -- Moon-Eroding Nether Poison -- Nether Blood Moon Clan.

From beginning to end, all three are connected by a single line.

Lotus seeds are the source, poison is the carrier, and the population is the result.

Lin Chen stood up and slowly paced between the bookshelves.

What exactly is this "opportunity" that Master spoke of?

Is it to retrieve the Blood Moon Blood Moon Devil Lotus from the secluded dwelling of the Nether Blood Moon Clan? Or does Master want him to cure the clan's blood poison?

Taking the lotus? The Nether Blood Moon Clan has a thousand-year-old heritage, and its members must be full of experts. They also possess the strange methods of Netherworld Soul Power, making this a dangerous place.

Detoxification? The Moon-Eroding Nether Poison has been ingrained in the bloodline for a thousand years, deeply rooted, making it a thousand times more difficult to cure than Dugu Bo's snake venom or Dugu Yan's fetal poison.

He rubbed his temples.

There's still one thing I don't understand—where exactly is the Nether Blood Moon Clan living in seclusion now?

All the ancient texts only describe it as a "land of extreme yin" and "where the sun never shines," without giving a specific location. Is it deep within the Star Dou Great Forest? The Far North Ice Plains? Or some unknown secret realm?

"Master definitely knows."

Lin Chen stopped and looked at the sunlight outside the ventilation duct.

Dugu Bo's suggestion that he check the information first was not without reason. This Titled Douluo was knowledgeable and experienced; he might even know the secrets of the Nether Blood Moon Clan. This opportunity was most likely related to this clan.

But what exactly is he planning?

Just as he was pondering this, Xiao Wu suddenly tugged at his sleeve. "Brother Lin Chen, it's getting late, we should go back to the academy. Teacher Qin said she had something to say this afternoon."

Lin Chen snapped out of his daze and nodded.

After putting away the books they had consulted, the two left the archive.

The Soul Master Association's hall was bustling with people, many whispering about the All-Continent Tournament's preliminary rounds and mentioning the names of various academies. Lin Chen paid no attention, leading Xiao Wu straight out the door and disappearing into the drifting catkins of late spring.

When they returned to the academy, all the members of the Imperial Fighting Team were on the training ground.

Qin Ming stood in front of the tactics board, holding a newly delivered intelligence report. He waved to the two men as they returned.

"Perfect timing, you're back. I have something to tell you."

A crowd gathered around.

Qin Ming tapped the tactics board, his tone somewhat serious. "Remember Shrek Academy in Suotuo City? The one that we competed against in the Star Dou Great Forest back then."

"Shrek?" Yu Tianheng raised an eyebrow. "That rural academy? Why bring them up?"

"They've come to Heaven Dou City." Qin Ming smiled. "Shrek Academy registered for the tournament, but their qualifications weren't high enough, and they were rejected by the Spirit Hall. They had no choice but to go to the Blue Tyrant Academy in the south of the city. Blue Tyrant Academy has now been renamed Shrek Academy. Dean Flender, Vice Dean Liu Erlong, Grandmaster Yu are in charge of team training. They've settled down in Heaven Dou City."

Everyone was taken aback by these words.

"Huh? They've come to Heaven Dou City?" Yu Tianheng scoffed, arms crossed, a look of disdain on his face. "Those seven people think they can compete in the All-Continent Tournament? What kind of results can that crappy place, Blue Tyrant Academy, possibly achieve? I doubt they'll even make it past the preliminaries."

In his eyes, Shrek was nothing more than a minor player in Suotuo City. When they actually arrived in a place like Heaven Dou City, a place teeming with hidden talents, they were simply no match for them.

Dugu Yan curled her lip. "A bunch of country bumpkins. What can they do? Every team in Heaven Dou City is stronger than them. Only Tang San's Blue Silver Grass is worth a second glance."

"Tang San..."

Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose and muttered under her breath, "He's like a persistent ghost; I run into him everywhere."

She already had a bad impression of Tang San. Back at the Nuoding Academy, Tang San had been targeting Lin Chen Lin Chen every turn, coming to challenge him to a duel almost every few days, like a persistent leech. Now that he'd followed her all the way to Heaven Dou City, the thought of it all seemed like a nuisance.

The crowd discussed it amongst themselves, but most of them disagreed.

After all, the Imperial Fighting Team is now a strong team at the Gold Soul Fighting level, backed by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Prince Xue Xing, so their vision is naturally high. They don't even take Shrek Academy, a makeshift team from a small rural town, seriously.

Lin Chen remained silent throughout, simply listening attentively.

Shrek, Tang San, Yu Xiaogang...

To him, these names were nothing more than symbols from his past life's memories, one of his opponents in the All-Continent Tournament, nothing more.

He never considered them any mortal enemies, nor did he care about them. A group of teenagers still struggling for qualifying for the preliminary rounds were not worth his attention. All his thoughts were currently focused on the Nether Blood Moon Clan and the Blood Moon Devil Lotus.

"Let them be," Lin Chen said calmly. "We'll continue our training."

Qin Ming smiled and nodded, "Yes, but we can't be careless. Grandmaster Yu's theories are the best on the continent, and those kids are all monstrous talents. If they can really gel together, they might be able to make it through the preliminaries. And once they get to the main competition, they'll be a tough opponent."

"If we meet in the main competition, we'll just have to fight it out." Yu Tianheng grinned, his fighting spirit high. "I'd like to see how much they've improved after all this training."

Everyone burst into laughter and quickly forgot about it.

Training continued, and the sounds of thunder clashing with Soul Power rang out once more.

Night falls in the lakeside courtyard.

Lin Chen sat at the table with several sheets of paper spread out in front of him, covered with clues he had gathered over the past few days.

Blood Moon Devil Lotus: Grows in the extremely yin Nether Blood Pool, blooming every thousand years and bearing seeds every thousand years.

The Moon-Eroding Nether Poison: Transformed from lotus seeds, it enters the bloodline and is passed down through generations. It is activated by the Yin and countered by the Yang.

The Nether Blood Moon Clan: A reclusive clan with a history spanning thousands of years. Their Martial Soul are mostly of the Nether Attribute. They are nocturnal and rampage during the full moon.

Three clues are clearly laid out on the paper, all pointing in the same direction.

He traced the words "Nether Blood Pool" with his fingertip, his brow furrowing slightly. A Nether Blood Pool in the Star Dou Great Forest? He'd never heard of it. How did such a place suddenly appear?

"Master, oh Master, what are you really up to?" Lin Chen muttered to himself, putting the paper away.

He had a premonition that Dugu Bo would arrive soon.

A night breeze swept by, carrying the coolness of the lake water. He looked up at the night sky, where a crescent moon hung, its pale light cold and clear.

Lin Chen tapped his fingertips lightly on the stone table, his eyes deep. He was determined to seize this opportunity.