Dugu Bo’s emerald-green vertical pupils suddenly dilated, and his figure involuntarily retreated half a step.
He stared at the three deep red spirit rings floating behind Du Busi, his expression filled with disbelief.
“A 100,000-year spirit ring…”
Dugu Bo’s voice was hoarse and dry as he stared at those three crimson spirit rings.
“Three 100,000-year spirit rings…
How is this possible?!”
He had lived his entire life and had never seen anyone possess three 100,000-year spirit rings at the same time.
He knew better than anyone how difficult it was to obtain even a single 100,000-year spirit ring.
Throughout the entire continent, Titled Douluos possessing a 100,000-year spirit ring could be counted on one hand, and the appearance of three on a single person had completely subverted his understanding of spirit rings and cultivation.
This meant that Du Busi had obtained a 100,000-year spirit ring when he was at rank seventy.
Yet how could this possibly be true?
In Dugu Bo’s understanding, the physical body of a Spirit Master at rank seventy should absolutely not be capable of withstanding the terrifying power contained within a 100,000-year Spirit Beast’s spirit ring.
Even if one’s spiritual power was sufficiently strong, the physical burden alone should have been enough to tear an ordinary Spirit Master’s body apart.
Dugu Bo was utterly baffled.
At the same time, he gained an even deeper understanding of Du Busi’s terrifying strength.
If he had truly attacked just now, he probably would not have been able to withstand even a single move from the other party.
The gap between rank ninety-four and rank ninety-eight was already enormous, and Du Busi’s three 100,000-year spirit rings made his actual combat strength even more difficult to judge.
“Misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
A fine layer of cold sweat seeped out from Dugu Bo’s forehead, and for the first time in many years, he felt such profound powerlessness.
He had always been an arrogant person, relying on his poison and his status as a Titled Douluo to move freely across the continent, but standing before Du Busi, all of that confidence had been thoroughly crushed.
Du Busi’s lips curved upward slightly.
“Well?
Do you still want to ‘ask for guidance’?”
“No, no.”
Dugu Bo immediately withdrew his Martial Soul, stepped back half a step, cupped his fists, and bowed respectfully.
“This junior was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai, committing many offenses against Senior.
Please forgive me, Senior!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Willingly?”
“Absolutely willingly!”
Dugu Bo decisively chose submission.
The gaze he cast toward Du Busi no longer contained the anger and vigilance from before, leaving only convinced and heartfelt awe.
In front of absolute strength, continuing to fight would only be courting death, and Dugu Bo was not the kind of fool who would sacrifice his life simply for the sake of pride.
“All the Immortal Herbs belong to Senior.
Take as many as you wish, and this junior will have nothing to say!”
Seeing him look like this, Du Busi slowly withdrew his Martial Soul and allowed the terrifying pressure surrounding his body to disappear.
The atmosphere in the valley immediately relaxed considerably.
“Hmm.”
Du Busi nodded lightly before changing the subject.
He looked at Dugu Bo with a faint smile and said, “Dugu Bo, the foundational principle of my Body Sect is that it primarily accommodates cultivators who possess a Body Martial Soul.
This has been the Sect’s tradition for generations.”
“However, this old man has a good impression of you, and my Body Sect is currently recruiting talented people from all sides.
If you are interested, you can come and become a guest Elder of the Body Sect.”
“Guest Elder?”
Hearing this, Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment.
A Sect’s guest Elder was different from the Heaven Dou imperial family’s guest retainers.
The latter generally enjoyed considerable freedom and did not necessarily have to participate in every matter involving the imperial family.
A guest Elder of a Sect, however, naturally had a certain obligation to contribute whenever the Sect required assistance.
The Body Sect was different from ordinary Sects in another way as well.
Its strength was simply too formidable.
Once he became a guest Elder of the Body Sect, it would not be a matter of casually refusing to contribute effort whenever trouble appeared and then simply walking away.
A Sect powerful enough to possess eleven Titled Douluos naturally could not be treated like an ordinary faction.
Dugu Bo shook his head and said politely, “Senior’s kindness is appreciated, but this junior accepts the thought.
It is just that I am used to being alone and truly have no intention of joining any Sect.
Senior may take the Immortal Herbs as you please, and this junior will have no complaints, but regarding the matter of becoming a guest Elder, please forgive this junior for not being able to comply.” Get faster updates on g.com.
He spoke politely, but his attitude was very clear, neither humble nor overbearing.
He had already surrendered regarding the Immortal Herbs, but becoming a member of another faction was a completely different matter.
Hearing this, Elder Wei and Elder Zhao both showed displeasure on their faces.
In their view, the Body Sect rarely recruited guest Elders from outside.
Now that the Sect Master had personally extended an invitation to Dugu Bo, he actually dared to refuse?
If it were not for the Sect Master’s presence, the two Elders would probably have already spoken up.
Long Aoyu did not react much.
This result was completely within his expectations.
After all, he had already learned enough about Dugu Bo’s personality from the records of the future.
Dugu Bo valued freedom and was not someone who would willingly place himself under the control of another faction without receiving a sufficiently compelling reason.
However, there was one condition that, once brought out, Dugu Bo would definitely be unable to refuse.
Du Busi was not angry either.
Instead, he chuckled lightly and looked directly at Dugu Bo.
“The Jade Phosphor Serpent poison within your body is continuously backfiring on you, and you’ve only managed to survive until now by relying on the dual forces of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to suppress the poison.”
“However, suppression is suppression after all.
It cannot fundamentally resolve the problem.
How many more years can you hold on?
Five years?
Ten years?”
Dugu Bo’s expression changed slightly, and his pupils contracted.
He immediately thought of his precious granddaughter.
This was also the thing he worried about the most.
If he eventually died because of the backlash of his virulent poison, then no one would be there to protect his granddaughter.
Dugu Yan had inherited the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul from their family, which meant that she had also inherited the terrible poison hidden within their bloodline.
Although she was still young, the accumulated poison within her body was already becoming a serious hidden danger.
What would happen if he died first?
What if someone bullied her?
What if she encountered a powerful enemy and no one was there to protect her?
The more Dugu Bo thought about it, the more unsightly his expression became, and the worry in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
Du Busi continued, “This old man’s Body Martial Soul similarly contains potent poison, but the poison and the physical body share the same origin, so there is no situation in which the poison simply becomes an external force that continuously damages the host.
The Body Sect has spent generations studying the relationship between physical bodies, Martial Souls, poisons, and medicinal herbs.”
“With this old man’s ability and the knowledge accumulated by my Body Sect, finding a way to neutralize or greatly alleviate the backlash of the Jade Phosphor Serpent poison is not difficult.”
Dugu Bo’s figure shook.
He stared at Du Busi, and a trace of incredulous light flashed through his emerald-green vertical pupils.
His previously calm voice suddenly became somewhat hurried.
“Senior…
Is this true?”
“This old man has no need to lie to you.”
Dugu Bo stood in place, his gaze flickering uncertainly as his mind became a complete mess.
Only he knew the pain of being tortured by the Jade Phosphor Serpent poison’s backlash for decades.
Every time the poison flared up, especially during the night of the full moon, it felt as though ten thousand ants were gnawing at his bones from within.
The agony was so intense that even a Titled Douluo like him could only grit his teeth and endure it.
He had already become accustomed to enduring that pain.
He had even accepted that one day he would eventually die from the poison.
Yet at this moment, the unfathomable Body Sect Sect Master standing before him had actually told him that solving this problem was not difficult.
Dugu Bo was silent for a very long time.
Finally, he took a deep breath and bowed deeply toward Du Busi, his attitude completely different from before.
“Senior, this junior has a granddaughter named Dugu Yan.
She is nineteen years old this year and has also inherited the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul.”
“She is young and physically weaker than this old man, yet she has already accumulated a considerable amount of toxins within her body.
If Senior can truly help our grandfather and granddaughter resolve this major hidden danger, this junior is willing to repay you with my life and serve the Body Sect to the death!”
After listening to his words, the calmness on Du Busi’s face suddenly disappeared.
“Haha!”
Du Busi took two steps forward, raised his hand, and heavily patted Dugu Bo’s shoulder.
The force was so great that Dugu Bo’s body swayed slightly, but the latter did not resist in the slightest.
“Old man has noted down your granddaughter’s matter.
When we return to the Sect, this old man will personally help you think of a solution.
Whether it is through medicinal herbs, cultivation methods, or the Body Sect’s accumulated knowledge of poison, there will always be a suitable method.”
“Besides, being a Body Sect guest Elder isn’t as restrictive as you imagine.
You won’t be required to remain in the Sect every day, nor will you be forced to participate in every matter.
Tasks are only issued when there is a genuine need for assistance, and there are corresponding rewards upon completion.
If you do not wish to participate in something, you can naturally discuss it with the Sect.”
Du Busi’s tone became much warmer, making him seem like a completely different person compared to the dominant and overbearing Titled Douluo who had released three 100,000-year spirit rings moments ago.
Dugu Bo straightened his back, unable to react for a moment.
He had originally thought that becoming a guest Elder would mean being tied to the Body Sect, but after hearing Du Busi’s explanation and thinking about the possibility of completely resolving the poison that had tortured both himself and his granddaughter, his previous hesitation had vanished.
He had no reason to refuse anymore.
Dugu Bo hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed again, his attitude extremely sincere.
“Thank you, Sect Master!”
Du Busi nodded with satisfaction before turning his head to look at the three people standing behind him.
“Let me introduce them to you.
This is Long Aoyu, twelve years old, possessing a Whole Body Martial Soul and serving as the Young Sect Master of our Body Sect.
This is Long Aotian, fifteen years old, possessing the Panel Martial Soul.
This is Wei Na, who possesses the twin Martial Souls Snow Lotus and Brain.”
“These two are Elder Wei and Elder Zhao, Elders of the Body Sect, with the Titled Douluo titles of Lingyin and Chizu respectively.”
Dugu Bo cupped his fists and greeted them one by one.
His eyes paused slightly when they landed on Wei Na and Long Aoyu.
The former possessed twin Martial Souls, which was already an extremely rare talent, while the latter was even more eye-catching.
At only twelve years old, Long Aoyu had already become the Young Sect Master of a hidden Sect possessing eleven Titled Douluos.
Even if the Body Sect had extremely strict requirements for its Young Sect Master, being chosen at such a young age meant that his talent must be utterly extraordinary.
Moreover, Dugu Bo had personally witnessed Long Aoyu standing calmly in the presence of three 100,000-year spirit rings.
Although Long Aoyu himself had not released his full strength, Dugu Bo could already tell that this young man was definitely not an ordinary twelve-year-old Spirit Master.
After Du Busi finished introducing them, he turned to look at the three of Long Aoyu and casually waved his hand toward the valley.
“Go pick your Immortal Herbs.”
The three of them acknowledged him and were just about to step forward when Dugu Bo suddenly remembered something and hurriedly spoke.
“Sect Master, wait!”
The three of them stopped and turned around.
Dugu Bo looked at them seriously and said, “Although these Immortal Herbs and spiritual medicines are rare treasures in the world, their effects are all different, and some of them may even contain extremely dangerous properties.
Without knowing their functions, swallowing them rashly might not only waste their medicinal power but could also harm oneself.
Some of these herbs may have mutually conflicting properties, while others might require specific cultivation methods or physiques to absorb safely.”
Hearing this, Du Busi’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“Elder Dugu does not need to worry.”
Long Aoyu took the lead to speak, his expression calm and confident.
“The Sect’s classic, ‘Records of Hundred Heavenly Herbs,’ records the detailed usage of a large number of ancient heavenly treasures, spiritual medicines, and body-tempering herbs.
Immortal Herbs and other extraordinary medicinal plants are also recorded within it.
As long as the information in the records corresponds to the plants here, we can naturally distinguish which ones are suitable and which ones should not be touched recklessly.”
“Records of Hundred Heavenly Herbs” was a classic compiled by generations of Body Sect masters and elders.
It included various heavenly treasures, spiritual medicines, rare poisons, and Immortal Herbs passed down through ancient records and the Sect’s own discoveries.
The text was specially focused on body-refining, strengthening the physical body, assisting Body Martial Soul cultivation, and understanding the relationship between poisonous substances and the human body.
It was one of the Body Sect’s most important classics and one of the reasons the Sect could accumulate such profound knowledge regarding medicinal herbs.
“That’s right.”
Of course, Du Busi knew this book.
He nodded and said, “However, Elder Dugu also has good intentions.
Xiaoyu, don’t touch anything you aren’t certain about.
If you find something whose properties you cannot identify with absolute confidence, bring it back first and let your master examine it.
Even with the records of the Sect, caution is still necessary when dealing with treasures of this level.”
“Alright, Master.”
Long Aoyu grinned widely.
He understood that Du Busi was not restricting him but reminding him to be careful.
After all, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well contained countless extraordinary treasures, and even with knowledge from the future, he did not intend to act recklessly.
With that, Long Aoyu brought Long Aotian and Wei Na along and walked toward the Immortal Herbs growing around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, while Dugu Bo remained where he was, watching the three young figures approach his treasured herb garden with a complicated expression.