Dugu Bo hadn't expected Xiao Tian to scold him so directly. In all his years, few people had ever dared. But what shocked him even more was that every word of the boy's accusations cut like truth. He couldn't fault them. Not when, deep down, he too knew the very ties binding him to the Tiandou royal family were fragile and hollow.
He sighed, voice heavy as lead. "Alas. Yes, I helped Avalanche and Xue Xing out of obligation. They saved me when I was at my weakest. Even if they act like bastards sometimes… if I failed to repay that kindness, my conscience would never rest easy."
For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Xiao Tian breathed in slowly and tamped down his fiery temper. "Forget it. The past can't be changed. What matters is the future. The truth will never wait politely—it rests only at the edge of the sword. The day I become strong enough… it will be my blade that decides what is right."
Dugu Bo's lips twitched faintly, caught by surprise. The boy's conviction reminded him of his own reckless dreams of youth. In this world, he knew, no birthright guaranteed equality. Strength alone decided one's place. The weak bent their backs forever before the strong. If you wanted your voice to carry weight—then first, you had to wield overwhelming power.
Far away, inside Tiandou Palace.
"What? You're telling me Xiao Tian left Tiandou City with Dugu Bo at dawn?"
Qian Renxue's face darkened as Snake Spear Douluo knelt before her. She had been planning to approach Xiao Tian herself after warning Avalanche not to provoke him, but the boy had been whisked away so soon? With Dugu Bo, no less?
The Soul Douluo bowed low. "Yes, Young Master. From what I could gather, it seems Xiao Tian has something that interests the Poison Douluo. That's why the old monster agreed to go with him."
She tapped her finger against the armrest, frowning. A boy barely twelve years old holding something to stir Dugu Bo's greed? What exactly had she overlooked?
Meanwhile, outside the palace walls, life went on at the academy.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing made their way to Xiao Wu's dormitory right as the sun had risen. Rongrong yawned, rubbing her eyes, but perked up as she saw Xiao Wu waiting for them with something clutched in her hands.
"You dragged us here so early," Rongrong muttered curiously, "don't tell me you plan to start mimicry training already?"
Xiao Wu grinned and shook her head. "Not today. I wanted to show you what my brother gave me yesterday."
From her soul guide, she produced a crystalline lump of dark substance, gleaming faintly with deep blue light. It smelled faintly sweet, almost like oceanic salt mixed with medicine.
Zhu Zhuqing's brows furrowed. "What is that?"
Xiao Wu smiled proudly. "Whale glue. My brother said it can enhance our bodies, increase soul power, and even heal injuries. This isn't ordinary whale glue either—it's over ten thousand years old."
Both girls stiffened. Ten thousand years? For something as valuable as whale glue, reaching even a thousand years of age was already considered priceless.
Xiao Wu added seriously, "Brother warned that because it's so potent, we should only take small amounts at first. Gradually, the body will adapt." She hesitated briefly, but didn't mention what Xiao Tian had already taken care of: that natural whale glue could stir troublesome side effects in the body. He had confirmed with his system that every trace of that risk had been cleansed. Now it was pure medicine, nothing more.
Ning Rongrong's jewel-like eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned in closer. "Really? It's that magical?"
Zhu Zhuqing, though quieter, was equally tempted as she studied the shimmering piece in Xiao Wu's palm. It pulsed faintly, like solidified soul essence.
"All I know is"—Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue playfully—"my brother never lies. The only way to find out is to try it later." But her smile softened, sorrow flashing briefly across her gaze. "He wanted to give it to us himself. But then… all this happened. Now he's out there with that Poison Douluo. I just… I just want him to come back safe."
Zhu Zhuqing put a quiet hand on her shoulder, steady and grounding. "Don't worry. Xiao Tian is strong. Stronger than anyone else we've ever seen. He'll be back."
Ning Rongrong nodded fiercely. "Yes. There's no way he'll lose to some old man."
The three girls sat together in silence for a moment, clutching hope between them like warmth on a winter day.
Several days later.
"Boy," Dugu Bo drawled, "we're here."
At last, after trudging through the verdant depths of the Sunset Forest, they stood before a poisonous barrier unlike anything Xiao Tian had ever seen. A vast, shimmering haze of emerald mist stretched endlessly, as though the very air wept venom. The sight alone threatened to melt flesh and bone.
Even from a distance, Xiao Tian could feel the corrosion prickling at his skin, the faint hiss of invisible toxins. One step in would mean instant death for anyone unprepared.
Dugu Bo reached into his robes and pulled out a small jade-green pill, handing it to him. "Detoxification pill. Take it, and you'll walk through unharmed."
Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Tian popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed.
The Poison Douluo blinked. "…You didn't even pause. Aren't you afraid I tricked you? That it was poison, not antidote?"
Xiao Tian met his stunned gaze calmly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No. I don't believe you would do such a thing. Besides, you still need me, don't you? Without me, who will save your granddaughter?"
The words landed like a knife. Dugu Bo froze. A flicker of something raw and vulnerable stirred inside him, quickly smothered beneath his usual stern mask. For decades, no one—not the royal family, not the aristocracy, not even those he'd once fought beside—had ever looked at him with true trust. They all used him. They all measured him for his venom.
Yet this boy… in mere days, he had cut straight through the wall Dugu Bo himself had built.
"…Hmph. Let's go, then." His voice was gruff as he led the way.
Through the toxin barrier they walked, the mist curling harmlessly away. Moments later, Xiao Tian beheld what lay within.
His eyes widened.
It was paradise.
Around them stretched a hidden valley lush with exotic plants, radiant flowers, and herbs of every color. And at the center, magnificent beyond words, lay a pool split in two—the infamous spring of red and blue, steaming with power. On the left bubbled liquid flame, red as molten magma. On the right flowed icy jade water, blue as deep glaciers. The line dividing the two danced like living yin and yang, neither side overcoming the other.
Xiao Tian's heart raced. He had finally laid eyes on it—the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Well?" Dugu Bo's gruff voice broke in. "Impressive, isn't it? I discovered this land years ago, and it's served me well enough to ease my poison. The herbs grow strong in its aura. Still, they're dangerous. Even I don't know half their names. Be careful, or they'll kill faster than they heal."
Xiao Tian stepped forward like a pilgrim entering a temple, eyes shining. "Senior Dugu Bo… this land is no ordinary treasure ground. This place is the very reason you survived to reach Titled Douluo—and why you haven't died of your venom since. Truly, this place is heaven on earth."
Dugu Bo tilted his head. "Oh? You seem to know more than I do, little fellow. Then tell me—what do you believe this spring to be?"
Xiao Tian looked back at him with certainty. "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes. A divine treasure to heal, to empower, to awaken. The closer a plant grows to it, the higher its value. Around it thrive immortal herbs of the highest tier, unparalleled in the world."
He began listing effects, explaining which plants fell into top-level immortal herbs, high-tier, middle-tier, and even semi-immortal rank. Dugu Bo stood rooted, listening like a scolded apprentice. A lifetime as Poison Douluo, and the strongest medicine he had ever recognized couldn't even compare to Xiao Tian's classification system.
His face darkened with embarrassment. He, the so-called master of poisons, had been sitting on an ocean of treasure all these years without understanding an inch of it.
"Senior," Xiao Tian teased with a faint chuckle, "have you never thought of experimenting?"
Dugu Bo's eyes flickered with protectiveness, and his tone turned gruff. "Hmph. Cherish my life too much, boy. If I die, what happens to Yan'er? I won't gamble my life on blind trials."
But despite his tone, his gaze softened faintly. "Since you're here, take what you wish. Choose carefully, but remember: though the land is generous, it punishes greed. Use it wisely."
Xiao Tian's eyes gleamed with excitement. The real path was opening before him.
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