As for the little incident at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy, Ye Wen neither knew about it nor cared to know.
After all, whether it was Dugu Yan or Yu Tianheng, their roles were essentially over after the Advanced Soul Master Competition arc. Moreover, without any cheats or advantages, they wouldn't even reach the Soul Sage level by the time of the God War in the future. Thus, there was no need to pay them much attention.
Hmm…
Though that was true, Ye Wen thought that since Dugu Yan had already consumed an immortal herb, once he resolved the issue with Dugu Bo, he might as well try to persuade her.
After all, with someone as insane as Bibi Dong around, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family would likely be reduced to just a few surviving members. If Dugu Yan were dragged into the quagmire of the top three sects, it wouldn't bode well for her.
However, the most pressing matter at hand was to strengthen his own backing. Otherwise, Ye Wen didn't have much confidence in securing his place in the future.
"Xiao Wen, this Xuan Yuan Technique is truly remarkable. My control over my own toxins has improved significantly—I no longer suffer from toxin backlash during rainy days."
After finishing his cultivation session, Dugu Bo, looking unusually relaxed, smiled and said.
Ye Wen also paused his research and replied with a smile:
"Master is too modest. The effectiveness of the Xuan Yuan Technique is mainly due to the evolution of your martial soul, which granted you a solidified soul core—a Soul Pearl. With such a high-density soul force core, it's only natural that you can control your toxins more easily."
Dugu Bo shook his head and chuckled, saying, "In the end, I owe it all to you, Xiao Wen. If you hadn't pointed out that this Soul Pearl might have other uses, I would've remained oblivious to this treasure. Hahaha!"
In fact, Dugu Bo's Soul Pearl could be considered one of the earliest incarnations of the concept of a soul core.
In the distant future described in The Unrivaled Tang Sect, soul power would be categorized into three stages: gas, liquid, and solid. Before reaching the Soul Sage level, all soul masters' soul power existed in gaseous form. From Soul Sage to Soul Douluo, it would gradually liquefy, and upon reaching the Title Douluo level, it would fully solidify. Without the ability to condense a soul core, cultivation speed would be greatly hindered—and vice versa.
Among the soul cores of Title Douluos, Dugu Bo's Soul Pearl was an exceptionally unique existence.
This was because Dugu Bo's Soul Pearl could leave his body and be placed inside another person to aid their cultivation.
However, this assistance did not involve directly enhancing another soul master's soul power with his own. If that were the case, the other soul master would likely be poisoned to death before reaping any benefits.
Through careful probing and extensive research, Ye Wen finally uncovered how the Soul Pearl aided other soul masters in their cultivation.
The Soul Pearl itself was an ultra-high-density crystallization of soul power, and it emitted an intangible force that continuously twisted, drawing in soul power from the external environment. During this process, while the soul master using it might lose some of their own soul power, the overall gain far outweighed the loss. This was the true reason why the Soul Pearl could help others cultivate.
Of course, Ye Wen wasn't particularly impressed by this function, nor did he want to rely on Dugu Bo's "spit." After all, his own martial soul, Nana, already possessed an auxiliary cultivation effect. Otherwise, Ye Wen wouldn't have been able to surpass Tang San by four levels without the aid of divine herbs.
So the question arose: with such a powerful treasure, why was Dugu Bo still languishing at the bottom rung among Title Douluos, stuck at level 91 for so many years?
The reason was simple. Before the toxin in his martial soul was neutralized, regardless of whether the Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul evolved or not, the higher the soul master's cultivation level, the stronger the toxin became.
Thus, for soul masters in the Jade Phosphorous Serpent lineage, if they wished to survive, they had to maintain a slightly stronger cultivation level than the toxin's potency to suppress its backlash.
Over time, a rumor spread within the Dugu family: once one broke through to become a Title Douluo, their overwhelming cultivation would be enough to suppress their own toxins.
But in reality, this was nothing more than a mirage. At least, that was how Dugu Bo saw it—because even after becoming a Title Douluo, he still suffered greatly from his own toxins.
From Ye Wen's perspective, however, this claim was half-true, half-false. Dugu Bo's martial soul had already evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, rather than remaining a mere Jade Phosphorous Serpent.
And the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor clearly had a way to resolve its own toxin problem—it was just that Dugu Bo lacked the awareness to discover it.
The principle behind the soul core accelerating cultivation was quite simple: it involved a higher density of soul power rotation compared to a Title Douluo's solidified soul force, thereby enhancing overall soul absorption.
In other words, Dugu Bo's Soul Pearl was itself a miraculous remedy for suppressing his own toxins.
Of course, this didn't mean a complete cure—it merely allowed him to suppress the toxins as usual.
Unfortunately, in this era where Di Tian remained absent, no one on the entire Douluo Continent understood the concept of a soul core except for Ye Wen and Huo Yu'er. As a result, Dugu Bo overlooked this treasure generated within his body, mistaking it for a mere byproduct of his martial soul.
If he had truly recognized the value of the Soul Pearl, why would Dugu Bo need to store his toxins in limited soul bones? Wouldn't it be better to store them in the homologous Soul Pearl?
Therefore, upon realizing this, Ye Wen deliberately shifted his research focus toward Dugu Bo's Soul Pearl. He simplified the Xuan Yuan Technique and taught it to Dugu Bo, allowing him to temporarily avoid toxin troubles and even elevate his strength further.
At this moment, after a long wait, Dugu Bo finally broke through.
Feeling his cultivation reach level 92 and noticing that the toxins in his body had thinned out slightly, Dugu Bo burst into hearty laughter.
But as he laughed, tears began streaming down his face.
From the awakening of his martial soul until now, for a full 72 years, Dugu Bo had been tormented by toxins. The excruciating pain emanating from his bone marrow still haunted him, even in his nightmares, leaving him, a Title Douluo, trembling with fear.
Now, with the help of the Xuan Yuan Technique, Dugu Bo finally felt as though the shackles binding him had been lifted.
Gently patting Ye Wen's shoulder, Dugu Bo said, "Xiao Wen, the best decision I've made in my life was taking you as my disciple. It's just a pity—if only I had met you sooner."
As he spoke, Dugu Bo's eyes filled with melancholy as he recalled his wife and son, who had both perished due to his own toxins.
Because of Ye Wen's efforts, Dugu Bo now completely trusted him. Even when Ye Wen documented the properties of some divine herbs, Dugu Bo didn't consume them directly but instead let Ye Wen use them as he pleased.
After all, in Dugu Bo's view, while divine herbs had their uses, at his current level, the help they could provide was minimal.
Divine herbs that could boost the Shrek Seven Monsters by five or six levels contained soul power so meager that it could barely help Dugu Bo advance by half a level.
Moreover, their other effects couldn't neutralize his own toxins, making them tasteless to consume yet wasteful to discard. Rather than letting them go to waste, it was better to entrust them entirely to his beloved senior disciple, Ye Wen, who might find better use for them—perhaps to aid in his treatment or help Dugu Yan progress further on her soul master journey.
Having gained Dugu Bo's complete trust, when Ye Wen mentioned wanting to give some divine herbs to Huo Yu'er and others, Dugu Bo readily agreed.
After all, Ye Wen's idea of "giving" wasn't simply eating them whole and waiting another thousand years for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to regenerate. Instead, it involved controlled harvesting.
Since the loss was minimal and it brought joy to his own people, why not do it?
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