When absorbing a soul ring, the first surge of energy was always the most violent.
And absorbing a soul ring across realms was even more so.
The tyrannical impact battered Dugu Feng, wounding him, but it did not burst his body.
That meant his body could still endure.
In his dantian, the Pearl released streams of warm energy, flowing through his meridians, repairing the damage within.
At the same time, Dugu Feng forced himself to stay clear-headed. On one hand, he endured the pain. On the other, he carefully sensed the energy of the soul ring.
The process of absorbing a soul ring was an evolution, it was an evolution of the body.
He could clearly feel his Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul.
Once possessed, it greedily swallowed the Nine Heavens Dragon Centipede's energy, fusing into his body, making him stronger, toughening his meridians.
Even the quality of his soul power was being raised.
And then, the unique poison appeared again. but this time, a fusion of three toxins!
His poison would be strengthened once more.
Dugu Feng's gaze was icy, his aura radiating extreme calm.
His mind worked at high speed, tracing every subtle change of the toxins.
"Hoo…"
A long breath escaped. Suddenly, searing pain erupted through his meridians.
He didn't need to think, this was the mixed poison striking his own body first.
Jade Phosphorus Snake. Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. Nine Heavens Dragon Centipede. Each one a venomous beast.
Now three venomous forces fused together, sealed within three soul rings.
Burning through his body, colliding fiercely.
The pain multiplied several times over compared to the mix of two toxins.
No wonder his father had stopped at four poison-type rings, not daring to absorb a fifth.
Each fusion amplified power—and the strain on the body—several times over.
And the terror of mixed poison lay in its variability.
Three toxins mingled could spawn countless variations.
The damage to each organ was utterly different.
Dugu Feng felt it all, numbness, dizziness, stabbing pain, itching, fatigue, corrosion and everything at once.
But he knew one truth, that he had to endure.
He guided the gradually docile Centipede energy to merge with his soul power, turning it into an ally.
Transforming it into his own soul power, forming his third ring.
Then he layered his strong soul power and the Pearl's warm currents over the rampaging toxins.
Reinforcing every battered part of his body until they adapted to the mixed poison.
On the outside—
Yellow, purple, purple.
Three rings pulsed rhythmically, shining brightly.
Dugu Feng had truly stepped into the realm of Soul Elder!
His soul power surged past level 32, making him secretly delighted. Crossing realms to absorb the ring had once again given him huge gains.
The absorption ended, but the real danger had only just begun, it was taming the poison!
Time passed slowly.
Until dawn broke, Dugu Feng finally subdued the mixed poison.
He even grasped every possible variation of its power.
Three toxins. Already three mixed poisons. With two more rings, he could form Tyrant Poison.
The memory of his father's Tyrant Poison—silently killing Hu Yanzhen, it still thrilled him.
The quality of the poison was terrifying.
During this adaptation, the Pearl's energy rose two more points, reaching eighty-three percent.
Dugu Feng was elated. From now on, with three mixed poisons feeding it, the Pearl's progress would be far faster.
And then he felt it—his third soul skill.
Jade Phosphorus Shadow Kill!
The third soul ring flared.
Emerald-green energy condensed into three humanoid shadows, lashing out from three directions.
Their bodies bristled with countless sharp spikes.
Wherever they passed, even grass and trees dissolved into nothingness.
Finally, the shadows coiled around massive trees.
With a crack—three trees instantly shattered into fragments, ground into dust.
This was Dugu Feng's third soul skill. It was a brutal offensive technique.
It could work with his spiritual poison to confuse the enemy, or crush them in a relentless toxin assault.
"Young Master, three shadows attacking at once and each with the force to overwhelm a Soul Elder—this skill is monstrous!"
Old Nine's eyes were wide.
By his senses, each shadow's power matched other people's third ring abilities.
And Dugu Feng had three.
"If crossing realms to take a ring didn't give me powerful skills, that would've been strange."
Dugu Feng smiled calmly, as if it were only natural.
"Young Master's talent is unparalleled, far beyond ordinary soul masters. Even the Upper Three Sects or Spirit Hall lack a genius like you."
Eleven years and a month old. Already a level-32 Soul Sovereign.
Old Nine had no more words left to praise him.
"Enough. Old Nine, you know as well as I do, the faster we cultivate, the stronger the poison becomes. This is a death sentence.
If we cannot reach Title Douluo, and if we cannot truly resolve the poison, all of this is nothing but illusion."
Dugu Feng had already cooled down.
This ring's fusion showed him clearly the terror of mixed poison.
Before his fourth ring, he would need to prepare carefully.
This calm maturity raised Old Nine's respect for him once again.
The Dugu Clan truly had hope of rising.
They wasted no more time, immediately hurrying back to the clan.
At the familiar underground cavern—
Little Nine rushed up to greet them.
"Young Master, the gathering of the Four Great Single-Attribute Clans will be in three days, hosted this time by the Strength Clan. The Speed Clan and Defense Clan are already here.
As for Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan, he's still on the road—expected in two days."
Dugu Feng's eyes lit up.
Perfect.
Ever since returning from the Slaughter City, he'd been considering the Breaking Clan and Yang Wushuang.
So he'd ordered Old Nine to investigate the latest movements of the Four Clans.
Every two years they gathered, rotating between the four clans' cities, strengthening bonds and lending aid.
And this time, the host was the Strength Clan in Heaven Dou City.
It was finally beginning.
"Keep watching. The moment the Breaking Clan enters the city, inform me."
"Yes, Young Master!" Xiao Jiu bowed and left.
Dugu Feng paced in the cavern, mind spinning with plans.
How to act—without making it too obvious that he was targeting Spirit Hall.
In truth, he had only one goal—Yang Wushuang must die.
Because when it came to poison, the Dugu Clan alone was enough.
Only then would Spirit Hall truly fear them.
As for Yang Wudi, the Breaking Clan's patriarch—
In the original plot, his son was killed by Spirit Hall, and he hated them deeply, longing to slay Yang Wushuang the traitor.
But after his experience with Tang Bo in the Slaughter City, Dugu Feng no longer dared to rely entirely on "plot memory."