Dugu Bo coldly said:
"Boy! Don't say I didn't warn you. Your current focus should be on cultivation. With your talent even as a foodtype Soul Master you absolutely have a place in the future of the Soul Master world. Now is not the time for romance and indulgence, but the time to fight for your future."
"It's not that I oppose your relationship. On the contrary, I support the two of you being together. But how long has it been? Two months?! And you're already at this stage?"
"What about the future? What, are you planning to have Yan Yan bear a child in six months? That wouldn't just derail your own cultivation it would also affect her future."
The more Dugu Bo spoke, the more agitated he became. He didn't care that Dugu Yan was right there in fact, he wanted both of them to hear this. But because he couldn't bear to scold his granddaughter directly, he directed his message through Oscar.
"You're both still young. You have a long future ahead to enjoy love. Right now, I need you to be rational suppress your distractions. You can date, yes, but cultivation must remain the priority. After all… the future belongs to you."
After saying that, Dugu Bo placed both hands on Oscar's shoulders and sighed:
"Little Ao, do you understand what Grandpa means?"
Oscar listened quietly, remembering the words his teacher Gai Yue said before departing. The messages were essentially the same and Oscar had taken them seriously.
But being in a shared world with Dugu Yan for these months, and that kiss just now, had caught them both up in the moment.
Still, Oscar understood that both Dugu Bo and Gai Yue were absolutely right. Now was not the time to drown in lust or passion.
He needed to focus on cultivation.
And Dugu Bo had reminded him: as a support type Soul Master, his road would never be as easy as those with offensive martial souls. If he truly wanted to achieve his dream, Oscar had to put in far more effort than others.
After a long silence, Oscar nodded seriously:
"I understand, Grandpa. I'll reflect deeply on what happened today and be more mindful in the future."
Beside him, Dugu Yan also whispered a soft "Mm."
Dugu Bo glanced at the two and sighed:
"I don't care how close you two get. But until you've both reached at least Soul Sage level (Rank 70+), no children. Understood?"
That sentence made even Oscar's expression shift awkwardly, let alone Dugu Yan.
"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan grabbed his arm and shot him an embarrassed glare.
Oscar quickly nodded:
"I understand. I can promise you that."
Dugu Bo patted Dugu Yan's head and softened his tone:
"Grandpa's only doing this for your own good. I was young once, too. Sometimes, when the moment's just right, reason flies out the window. But with Grandpa watching over you… it'll at least keep you aware, won't it?"
Then, he turned to Oscar and said sternly:
"Don't think just because you call me Grandpa I'll go easy on you. If you ever lose control and do anything with Yan Yan... cough... I'll break your legs!"
He was deliberately trying to scare Oscar not truly out of anger, but to warn Dugu Yan indirectly: love is fine, but you must control the pace.
Since he couldn't bear to discipline his granddaughter, threatening Oscar was the only way to enforce boundaries.
Oscar scratched his head awkwardly and smiled:
"But Grandpa, I'm your grandson too, right?"
Dugu Bo turned away and pinched Dugu Yan's pouting lips:
"An honorary one."
He ignored Oscar's resentful look. Though Oscar knew Dugu Bo was acting to pressure them, the threat still felt real.
After all, Dugu Bo had the reputation of someone who never bluffed.
"I'm hungry. Make something to eat," he snorted toward Oscar expressing clear displeasure at Oscar "stealing" his precious granddaughter.
Then he flew down toward the stone house with Dugu Yan in tow.
Oscar smiled helplessly, raised his left hand, and summoned a jade sword formed from azure soul power. He flew after them.
"Grandpa, how about sweet and sour pork with steamed taro pork belly?" Oscar asked cheerfully.
"If it's not delicious you're banned from seeing Yan Yan for three days!"
Oscar froze.
He realized the old man was trying to manipulate his weakness. Ban him from seeing Dugu Yan? That was a non starter.
...But Oscar was confident in his cooking skills.
Time Skip: Months Later
After this incident, the relationship between Oscar and Dugu Yan progressed without further resistance. In the fourth month, they formally confirmed their relationship.
Though Dugu Bo was somewhat exasperated, as long as they didn't cross the line, he allowed them to date freely.
Two months later, with Oscar's assistance, Dugu Yan was completely detoxified. She could even enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's area.
However, despite taking the Hundred Treasure Detox Compound Pill made from Oscar's blood, she still didn't dare touch the spring water its power was terrifying.
Only Oscar, who had taken both the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Delicate, could train inside the spring even swim in it.
Now, it had been more than half a year since Oscar and Dugu Yan first met in the Sunset Forest.
It took five months for Dugu Bo to fully refine all the poison in his body into his soul bone.
During that process, the Emerald Scaled Snake Emperor Poison in his body fused with the Medusa Head Bone Poison, producing a far more potent toxic blend and enhancing his strength again.
After complete purification, Dugu Bo felt reborn.
But during that time, Oscar made a key discovery: Dugu Bo's body had formed a poison core a condensed bead of toxicity.
This inspired Oscar to think of a rare concept in the soul master cultivation system. The Soul Core
This wasn't a product of the current age but something that would emerge 10,000 years later in the evolution of the continent.
A Soul Core was like a hidden trump card it allowed one to rapidly restore soul power, dramatically increase reserves, and significantly boost combat strength.
To illustrate:
If a Rank 91 Titled Douluo had a Soul Core, he could fight on par with a Rank 95 Super Douluo.
Even more frightening:
Super Douluo (Rank 95+) could use the Soul Core's amplification to fight evenly with those above their rank.
For true geniuses, the enhancement was even greater.
And the mechanism behind a Soul Core was almost identical to Dugu Bo's poison core: condensing and compressing power into a single, volatile node.
But forging a Soul Core just like the poison core was extremely dangerous.
If it went out of control or shattered, it could lead to death by explosion just like failure in refining a poison core.
Oscar shared this idea with Dugu Bo, who realized the comparison was valid even if it sounded like science fiction for their era.
However, Dugu Bo's current physical condition still severely damaged from years of toxicity meant he couldn't yet handle the immense strain of Soul Core formation.
He might experiment with preliminary steps, but forming a complete Soul Core would have to wait until after full detoxification.
Oscar wasn't in a rush. Soul Cores were too advanced for this time anyway.
But aside from top tier geniuses among Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo was perhaps the most likely candidate to successfully forge one his poison core was already a prototype.
This meant he had implicit experience in the process.
Oscar was eager to try because if it worked, his teacher Gai Yue could be next.
If Gai Yue also formed a Soul Core and combined it with the Black Jade Divine Bamboo Pill he had taken then surpassing Sword Douluo Chen Xin would be only a matter of time.
Reaching Rank 99 as a Peerless Douluo might no longer be a dream.
Of course… all of this hinges on one condition
Soul Cores must prove viable.
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