After spending so many days together, Ye Wen had grown adept at reading Dugu Bo's expressions. To prevent Dugu Bo from being swayed by Tang San again at some point…
Ye Wen sighed helplessly and patted Dugu Bo, whispering in his ear: "Give it up, Teacher. Ordinary soul bones don't have the same growth potential as external soul bones. If you try to store toxins within a regular soul bone, one day the toxins will exceed its capacity and backfire on you.
Unless you can find an external soul bone like Tang San's—but such soul bones with devouring abilities are even rarer than 100,000-year spirit beasts. Unless your luck is absurdly good, don't bother dreaming about it."
For a teacher to have his thoughts seen through by his disciple, even Dugu Bo felt a bit awkward.
But would this old tsundere admit it?
The answer was no. Dugu Bo muttered quietly, "How bothersome! Of course I know that—do you think I need a brat like you to teach me?"
Ye Wen chuckled and didn't say anything further. However, after glancing at Tang San, who had recovered, he whispered to Dugu Bo to ensure his teacher didn't go overboard and provoke Tang Hao later:
"Teacher, take it easy. This Tang San might be the long-lost Hao Tian Douluo's son. If you push too hard and Tang Hao comes knocking afterward, don't blame me for not warning you."
Dugu Bo's eyebrows shot up, and he asked seriously—a rare occurrence—"Tang Hao? Is this kid his son? What evidence do you have?"
A flicker of exasperation passed through Ye Wen's eyes, but he still explained: "Look at Tang San's cultivation level at such a young age. Does a soul master with an ordinary Blue Silver Grass martial soul achieve this kind of strength?
Moreover, he bears the surname Tang. I used to live in the same village as him. His father worked as a blacksmith there. Though he seemed unremarkable on the surface, his physique was far more imposing than any blacksmith in our city. I refuse to believe he was just an ordinary blacksmith.
On top of that, Tang San was born with full soul power. Now, I'm even more convinced that he's Tang Hao's son.
Whether or not you believe me is your decision, Teacher. But rest assured, if things go south, it won't be me suffering."
By the end, Ye Wen shrugged indifferently, leaving Dugu Bo's brows twitching as he inwardly cursed: 'What a "filial" disciple!'
Though Ye Wen's evidence wasn't conclusive, it was enough to plant seeds of doubt in Dugu Bo's mind.
Noble soul masters knew well that innate soul power was directly proportional to one's martial soul. An ordinary Blue Silver Grass martial soul wouldn't qualify for full innate soul power.
In an era where these theories hadn't yet been fully understood, Dugu Bo even suspected that Tang San might possess a second martial soul. Only then would his full innate soul power make sense.
"What a troublesome brat. I only wanted to give him a simple lesson, but never expected Tang Hao, that madman, to be lurking behind him.
Although I'm not afraid of Tang Hao, I'll hold back a bit to avoid provoking that lunatic into desperate measures."
To outsiders, Dugu Bo was arrogant and domineering. But only those who truly became part of his inner circle knew that he listened to advice from his own people.
Meanwhile, Tang San had finally digested the effects of Dugu Bo's first attack.
However, Tang San's expression remained grim. He could feel his Eight Spider Lances nearing their capacity. If Dugu Bo unleashed another similar attack, he doubted he could endure it.
"So this is the Poison Douluo renowned across the land? Truly terrifying.
But—
The Tang Sect must not be disgraced!"
With renewed determination, Tang San cupped his hands respectfully and said: "Elder, please instruct me with your second move!"
Watching Tang San's composed demeanor, Dugu Bo couldn't help but flash a rare look of admiration.
But that didn't mean he'd let Tang San off the hook. He raised his finger slightly again, his soul power surging once more.
This time, however, it didn't form a single venomous python. Instead, dozens of snake-like wisps of toxic energy coiled around him before shooting out toward Tang San.
Fully focused, Tang San instantly retrieved his most powerful current weapon—the Zhuge Crossbow—from the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight. He quickly pulled the trigger.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
Iron arrows collided with the venomous snakes. This weapon, capable of instantly killing a Soul Ancestor, neutralized some of Dugu Bo's snakes.
Some of the arrows even flew toward Ye Wen and Dugu Bo.
Ye Wen broke into a cold sweat, shocked that Tang San would use such a tactic. He hadn't had time to defend himself.
But Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed as his soul power abruptly transformed into a massive python, coiling around them to form a wall of serpents. The incoming arrows were stopped mid-air, sinking harmlessly into the barrier like stones dropped into the ocean.
However, this didn't mean Tang San was unscathed.
Dugu Bo's soul-powered snakes weren't condensed into a single mass this time—they were loosely scattered into dozens. Even after some were neutralized, over ten slipped through and charged straight at Tang San.
Facing these stray snakes, Tang San remained calm. He casually discarded the Zhuge Crossbow and activated the Xuan Yu Palm, a defensive skill used by the Tang Sect during poison refinement. Not only did it boast incredible defensive capabilities, but it also granted strong resistance to toxins.
Tang San rapidly moved his hands, borrowing some techniques from his hidden weapons arsenal, and managed to deflect the remaining snakes. However, the sheer force of their impact forced him to retreat several dozen steps.
This was Dugu Bo's second attack at the 40th-level mark. Yet, aside from the puncture wounds inflicted by his Eight Spider Lances, Tang San hadn't suffered any serious injuries.
The three Elders gazed at Tang San with growing warmth, inwardly praising him: 'Truly worthy of being the talent we selected.'
But Yu Xiaogang watched Tang San anxiously. After processing the earlier soul power pressure, using his external soul bone to detoxify, and helping Dai Mubai neutralize the poison, Yu Xiaogang estimated that Tang San's remaining soul power was less than 30%. If this continued, his disciple, destined to bring him glory, might perish here!
'No, this can't go on!' Yu Xiaogang thought desperately.
He decided to step forward and reveal Tang San's identity to Dugu Bo, hoping this Title Douluo would recognize the weight of the situation and refrain from acting recklessly.
Seeing this, Tang San mistakenly thought his teacher was trying to intervene on his behalf, risking himself to take Tang San's punishment. Moved, Tang San quickly held Yu Xiaogang back and addressed Dugu Bo.
"Elder, there's still one final move."
Yu Xiaogang was beside himself with worry. He wanted to reveal Tang San's identity but couldn't do so publicly—it left him in quite a bind!
At this moment, Dugu Bo pondered silently, realizing that Yu Xiaogang likely hid Tang San's secrets. Perhaps Tang San really was Tang Hao's child.
'Tsk, what a hassle. That means I can't kill him.'
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