The Old Monster Who Sheltered His Own (1)

That evening, in a small lakeside courtyard.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged in the cultivation room, with the piece of Void Adamantine before him.

The Chaos Pearl rotated slowly in his dantian, emitting a faint gray suction. Wisps of pure spatial power were drawn from the adamantine and slowly absorbed into the pearl.

He could clearly feel the maximum distance of Void Shift increasing bit by bit, slowly climbing from ten zhang toward eleven.

The next day, a crowd had gathered in front of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's noticeboard early in the morning.

"Senior Poison Douluo Dugu Bo is coming to the academy to teach poison Soul Skills today?!"

"A Titled Douluo?! Really? I've never seen a Titled Douluo in my life!"

"I heard he's Senior Dugu Yan's grandfather, and he's coming especially to give us a lecture."

The news spread through the academy like the wind, leaving every student thrilled.

Titled Douluo stood at the top of the Soul Master World's pyramid. Within the entire Heaven Dou Empire, there were no more than ten of them, and Dugu Bo was the most infamous of the lot. Once his Jade Phosphor Seven Absolutes Poison was unleashed, few below the rank of Soul Douluo survived. Ordinary Soul Masters would struggle even to catch a glimpse of him, let alone hear him lecture on poisons in person.

Today, every seat in the central auditorium of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was filled.

"Yan'er, is your grandfather really coming?" Yu Feng leaned close to Dugu Yan and asked in a low voice, his tone touched with awe.

Dugu Yan lifted her chin, her face full of pride. "Of course! My grandfather promised me himself that he'd come to the academy and give a lecture. Oh, and that commoner brat Lin Chen is in for it later."

She had long since tearfully complained to her grandfather that a new student at the academy named Lin Chen relied on his bit of talent to bully others and showed her no respect. Dugu Bo was fiercely protective of his own. Though he had said nothing, he had already made up his mind to show this brat who didn't know the height of heaven or the depth of earth a thing or two.

Before her voice had faded, a chill wind suddenly blew through the entrance to the auditorium.

A figure in green appeared silently in the doorway. The old man was thin, dressed in a dark green robe, with a gaunt face and eyes that glinted with a cold, eerie green light. A faint poisonous mist seemed to linger around him, and even the air warped slightly wherever he passed. It was none other than Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

Two yellow, two purple, and five black Soul Rings flickered in and out of sight beneath his feet. The pressure of a Titled Douluo spread out inadvertently, making the students throughout the auditorium breathe a little more quietly.

No one dared speak. The entire classroom was so quiet a pin could be heard dropping.

"Senior Dugu." The three education committee members hurriedly rose and cupped their hands in greeting.

Meng Shenji spoke respectfully. "Sorry to trouble you to come from so far away, Senior. Everyone at the academy is deeply honored."

Dugu Bo waved a hand and dispensed with the pleasantries. He walked straight behind the lectern and sat down, his voice low and hoarse. "I'll get straight to it. Today, I'll speak about the fundamentals for a poison Soul Master. Many people think poison is all about potency, that a touch means instant death. Wrong."

He extended a bony finger, and a wisp of pale green poisonous smoke appeared at its tip, slowly changing shape in the air. "The subtlety of poison lies in its seepage, its persistence, and its ability to penetrate every opening. True poison doesn't kill an opponent in an instant. It slips in bit by bit through the pores and along the meridians. By the time you notice, it has already penetrated to the bone marrow, and no amount of Soul Power can help you."

He wasted no words and went straight to the point. He spoke of everything from ordinary poisons entering the meridians to soul poisons tempering the bones, from the explosive onset of a single poison to the chain reactions of mixed poisons. His words were blunt and ruthless, each sentence striking at the heart of the poison arts. Ordinary Soul Masters shuddered as they listened, but those who knew their craft understood that these were genuine techniques for killing.

Lin Chen sat in the back row, listening intently.

Though the Chaos Pearl could suppress all poisons, the poison arts were vast and profound. They could be used not only to harm people, but also to refine medicine, temper the body, and lay formations.

Dugu Bo had immersed himself in the poison arts all his life. These lessons drawn from experience were worth a thousand pieces of gold outside.

Xiao Wu lay on the desk beside him and murmured, "That old grandpa looks so fierce. His eyes glow green, just like a venomous snake's."

"Don't speak carelessly." Lin Chen gently patted the back of her hand. "A Titled Douluo's senses are very sharp."

The hour-long lesson soon ended. Dugu Bo stopped speaking, and his emerald-green gaze swept across the auditorium before finally settling on Lin Chen in the back row.

"I hear a talented youngster has recently joined Heaven Dou Academy. A twelve-year-old Soul Elder who can also resist poison?" His lips curled into a faintly mocking smile. "I've studied poison all my life, and I've never seen a Martial Soul truly immune to every poison. Come out and show me."

The entire auditorium fell silent at once, every gaze turning to Lin Chen in unison.

Dugu Yan's lips curled upward as she waited to see Lin Chen make a fool of himself. As she saw it, with her grandfather making a move himself, even a Soul Douluo wouldn't last more than a few blows, let alone a Soul Elder in his thirties.

The three education committee members exchanged glances, each seeing the helplessness in the others' eyes. How could they not know what Dugu Bo had in mind? The old monster who sheltered his own had plainly come to vent his granddaughter's anger. But they couldn't stop him either, and could only sweat for Lin Chen in silence.

Lin Chen's expression didn't change. He slowly stood, walked down the aisle to the open space in front of the lectern, and bowed slightly. "I am Lin Chen. Greetings, Senior Dugu."

"You're the one?" Dugu Bo sized him up, his gaze appraising. "I hear you bullied Yan'er quite badly? And claimed you were immune to poison?"

"You jest, Senior. Senior Dugu and I merely sparred; it could hardly be called bullying. As for immunity to poison, it's only a characteristic of my Martial Soul, and only against low-level poisons." Lin Chen's tone was neither servile nor overbearing.

"Low-level poison?" Dugu Bo sneered and gave his fingertip a light flick. A wisp of pale green poisonous mist drifted slowly toward Lin Chen. "Then I'll use thirty percent of my strength to test your Martial Soul. This is Jade Phosphor Cold Mist. A touch will numb you instantly. If you can withstand it for three breaths, I'll acknowledge your ability."

The poisonous mist looked thin, but it carried a bone-piercing chill. Wherever it passed, even the stone floor tiles developed a layer of white frost.

Thirty percent of a Titled Douluo's strength was enough to kill an ordinary Soul Elder with ease.

"Brother Lin Chen!" Xiao Wu couldn't help standing up, her face full of worry.

Lin Chen turned and shook his head slightly at her, signaling her not to worry. Then he took a deep breath, and the Chaos Pearl in his dantian slowly rotated.

"First Soul Skill, Chaos Shield."

Hum-

A translucent, pale gray shield of light abruptly spread open, enveloping Lin Chen completely.

An ancient, unadorned halo of chaos flowed across the shield's surface. It looked thin, yet gave off a steady, weighty presence.

Three Soul Rings lit up in succession beneath his feet: purple, purple, and black. The deep black ring on the outside was especially conspicuous, glowing faintly under the auditorium lights.

Dugu Bo's eyes flickered slightly. "His First Soul Ring is already a thousand-year ring, and his Third Soul Ring has reached ten thousand years? Interesting."

As he spoke, the Jade Phosphor Cold Mist struck the Chaos Shield.

Hiss, hiss, hiss-

It was like ice and snow meeting a blazing fire, or poison meeting its antidote.