But Whale Rubber was far more than just for… continuation of the family line.
Dugu Feng's eyes brightened. Isn't this the perfect excuse?
A reason—no, a justification—to collect high-year Whale Rubber!
"Old Snake, this piece I can't give you," he said seriously. "If you need it so much, you can buy some from the auction houses or collect it in the coastal cities. Don't forget why Huyan Lie came here this time. He, like Old Scorpion, was sent to retrieve the half-year's profits. We now have extra funds. If possible, we should aim for ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber."
Old Snake nearly choked. Ten thousand years? Even several hundred years was more than enough. A thousand-year essence was already heaven's blessing. Ten thousand… wouldn't that kill a man from overindulgence?
"Old Snake, this is no small matter," Feng pressed, his tone grave. "Treat it as your top priority. If Whale Rubber has such effects, what if it could be combined with other medicinal herbs to strengthen the body? What if it could improve the chances of bearing heirs? These are things the clan must study. This is tied directly to the survival of the Dugu family."
Old Snake stared at him, stunned, before shaking his head with a bitter laugh. "Young master, you're a genius… but still, you're too young. Focus on your cultivation. These years are the golden age of a soul master's growth. You are the hope of our clan. When you've reached Titled Douluo… you can play however you want."
He didn't believe a word of Feng's excuse. To him, the boy was simply too precocious, far too knowledgeable for his age.
Feng sighed inwardly. My painstaking efforts… no one will ever understand them.
The two traveled on in silence. Half a day later, they returned to the Dugu estate.
Within the smoke-wreathed ancestral hall, they found Dugu Shuo seated in meditation.
"Feng'er, you've returned." His father's eyes gleamed with a rare light of expectation.
Feng understood exactly what that expectation was.
Without hesitation, he released his martial soul. A yellow soul ring rose beneath his feet.
Old Snake explained everything—the six-hundred-year Jade Phosphor Serpent, the battle with Tuoba Lan and Huyan Lie.
Shuo's gaze sharpened. "To absorb a six-hundred-year serpent as your first ring… it must be because your body was tempered early by the poison outbreaks. A blessing born of misfortune. Still, that serpent's venom will be especially strong. In the future, your outbreaks will only become more painful."
It was cause and consequence—advantages and disadvantages, both bound together.
"Father, you need not worry," Feng replied calmly. "My outbreak last night did not push me to either physical or mental limits. It won't harm me."
Both Shuo and Old Snake froze.
They knew the boy would never lie about such a thing—it was life and death. Surprise gave way to joy.
It meant Feng still had time. And with his innate full soul power, his cultivation would soar quickly.
"Feng'er," Shuo's voice trembled with certainty, "you will reach Titled Douluo."
For the first time in many years, the cold patriarch revealed true emotion. He suddenly dropped to his knees before the clan tablets.
At once, Feng and Old Snake knelt as well.
This father's obsession ran too deep—every triumph, every sorrow, he reported to the ancestors.
True enough, Shuo muttered a prayer, kowtowed several times, and only then regained composure.
Feng took out the soul bone.
The moment it appeared, radiance burst forth, brightening the smoke-shrouded hall.
Shuo's eyes burned. From Old Snake's report, he already knew—it was a defensive skull bone.
"The energy waves… this skull bone has reached ten thousand years." His voice quivered.
From Feng's future-knowledge, only hundred-thousand-year bones mattered.
But to Shuo and Old Snake, lacking such foresight, a ten-thousand-year soul bone was already a treasure to pass down through generations.
"Feng'er, absorb it. With this soul bone, you'll have another layer of protection."
But Feng did not take it. His expression was calm. "Father, Old Snake, hear me out. I have a theory. Perhaps… a way to resolve the flaw in our martial soul."
Shuo's brows rose. "Speak."
"Soul bones are born from soul beasts, yet they exist between the real and the illusory. Last night, I noticed something. When Xiahou Mang's body dissolved from poison, only this bone remained untouched. Not a trace of venom harmed it.
"I suspect soul bones can resist toxins. If we force the venom within us into the soul bone, could it not free us from outbreaks altogether?"
He had prepared this argument long before returning. It was plausible, elegant—and it left no room for suspicion.
Whether using a skull bone to absorb poison was reckless didn't matter. Dugu Bo himself survived with a Medusa skull bone.
Old Snake gasped. "Young master… to deduce this from Xiahou Mang's death? Your mind is terrifying. Whether it works or not, your talent is monstrous."
Even Shuo faltered, then slowly nodded. "It makes sense."
"Father, you should absorb it," Feng urged. "My strength is still shallow. I can endure the outbreaks for now. But you… if you absorb it, perhaps you can suppress your venom, push your strength higher. Only then will the clan truly prosper."
"Patriarch, you must," Old Snake added quickly. "At Soul Saint, the poison backlash is already extreme. Your first four rings are all toxic beasts—your venom is a blend of poisons, its backlash terrifying. Without resolution, the day will come when it erupts fully. And the continent grows unstable—Elephant Armored Sect has already leaned to Spirit Hall. The clan needs your strength to break through."
Shuo looked first at Feng's calm face, then at Old Snake's hopeful one.
For once, his rigid mask cracked into expression.
"Very well. I will absorb it. Let us see if Feng'er's guess is true."
He was decisive by nature.
At once he sat cross-legged, guiding his spiritual power into the skull bone.
Golden light flowed out, linking with his forehead. The bone shifted, expanding to the size of a human skull, glowing brighter and brighter.
Then—
It dissolved into a phantom and merged with him.
Feng finally exhaled in relief.
Moments ago, Shuo's soul power fluctuations had not felt stronger than Xiahou Mang or Tuoba Lan. In truth, the family's strength was lacking. They relied on venom's terror—and the mistaken belief that Dugu Bo and Dugu Shuo were one.
But reality was cruel. The strongest in the clan was only Soul Saint.
Now, with this skull bone, perhaps his father would finally step beyond.
And maybe, just maybe, the Dugu family could begin to rise again.