Chapter 139

Hearing Gu Xuan's cry for help, Du Gu Yan couldn't help covering her mouth and lightly laughing; I have to say, the relationship in Gu Xuan's family is indeed very harmonious, even the eldest grandson dares to joke with his grandfather.

However, Du Gu Yan couldn't bear to see Gu Xuan beaten into a pig's head, so she still shouted at Gu Rong: "Old Bone Grandfather, calm down, let me teach him a lesson for you!"

Hearing Du Gu Yan's words, Gu Rong finally released Gu Xuan's dog head, angrily saying: "You little brat, if you dare sneak attack your grandfather again, I'll beat you so hard you won't be able to get out of bed for three days."

Listening to Gu Rong's complaint, Gu Xuan covered the back of his head and showed a smile: "Grandfather, I'm not just trying to test the power of this new soul skill; if I used it now in front of you, wouldn't that lose the best effect?"

Hearing this, Gu Rong gave Gu Xuan an annoyed glance, then said: "But speaking of which, the power of your soul skill is indeed terrifying; even against a Soul Saint expert head-on, this strike of yours is enough to severely injure, even annihilate, a Soul Saint who has manifested their martial soul true body."

Hearing Gu Xuan's words, Gu Rong smiled slightly and said: "Grandfather, you're right, but this strike contains nearly eighty percent of my soul power, and it can only be done with the boost from my first and second amplification soul skills; however, I now also have the capability to directly clash with a Soul Saint."

Upon hearing Gu Xuan's words, not only did Gu Rong feel satisfied and astonished, but Du Gu Yan, whose soul power had also surpassed levels by absorbing soul rings, reached fifty-three, her soul power level only two below Gu Xuan's, yet her combat strength was still far inferior.

However, Du Gu Yan now indeed has the qualification to engage a Soul Saint in combat, but she cannot unleash an attack as powerful as Gu Xuan's that could annihilate a Soul Saint.

However, she can rely on her poison to restrain, even poison a Soul Saint, but she cannot achieve the instant kill that Gu Xuan can.

However, from a team battle perspective, Du Gu Yan is far superior to Gu Xuan, after all her poison now is something even a Soul Emperor dare not touch casually; only a Soul Saint who has manifested their martial soul true body can barely resist it.

If it's a team battle, once Du Gu Yan's ancestral poison is released, it can be said to become a direct team battle annihilation weapon; her deterrent power at the same level even surpasses that of Dugu Bo.

This time out, the gains were great; Du Gu Yan obtained the fifth soul ring of the Titan Giant Python, gaining a powerful strength-type soul skill, her strength greatly increased, and at under twenty years old her soul power had already reached fifty-three.

Gu Xuan is the same; under fifteen years old, fifty-five level, his overall strength is comparable to a Soul Saint, and he possesses top-tier strength capable of annihilating a Soul Saint.

Of course, besides these, Gu Xuan also had a great gain; although the body of the Dark Evil God Tiger ultimately turned to powder and dissipated, leaving no soul bone, its entire essence, the Evil God Pearl, was however left behind.

As for this Evil God Pearl, to Gu Xuan it is even more precious than a soul bone, because he has already made a perfect arrangement for it.

Gu Xuan has now also obtained his fifth soul ring; this trip can be said to have been completed perfectly, and Gu Rong brought Du Gu Yan and Gu Xuan directly back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect, without encountering Qian Renxue along the way.

Meanwhile, Gu Xuan cultivated and restored his soul power during the return journey; relying on Gu Rong's current strength, they arrived back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect in just an hour, and Gu Xuan's soul power also recovered to its peak.

After Gu Xuan informed Ning Fengzhi of the good news that he and Du Gu Yan had successfully obtained their fifth soul rings, Ning Fengzhi was so happy he almost fainted.

Du Gu Yan, under twenty years old and already at rank fifty-three, has had her martial soul evolve into a top-tier ancestral martial soul, not inferior to the Haotian Hammer or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

Gu Xuan, under fifteen years old and already at rank fifty-five, possesses talent that shines through ancient and modern times; moreover, he inherits the legacies of the two Dragon Kings, and in the future he is destined to assault the position of god.

However, now is not the time to loudly proclaim it, so Ning Fengzhi could only suppress his excitement and set up a lavish banquet for Gu Xuan and Du Gu Yan.

Because of Du Gu Yan's breakthrough, Dugu Bo rushed back from the Binghuo Liangyi Yan to celebrate her; after all, his granddaughter has not only resolved the poison in her body but also further improved her talent, making this old man extremely happy.

Moreover, it is worth mentioning that, now that his poison has been dispelled, he naturally broke through to rank ninety-two, and then, with the effect of the Soul-Raising Pill, reached the peak of rank ninety-two; after more than two years of arduous cultivation, his soul power has now broken through to rank ninety-three, and he may yet advance further.

After all, he has not yet used his Breakthrough Pill; if he cannot break through to rank ninety-four through his own cultivation in the future, he might still be able to continue breaking through by relying on the Breakthrough Pill.

Dugu Bo's increase in strength also counts as him shaking off the title of the weakest Titled Douluo.

What pleases Dugu Bo the most is that, in his previous fight with Yue Guan, he made Yue Guan suffer a silent loss.

Although he no longer has the Son-Mother Soul-Chasing Life-Ending Gall given to him by Tang San, he now possesses a poison refined by Yang Wudi from the Fragrant Gorge Immortal Product, which can be even more potent than Tang San's Son-Mother Soul-Chasing Life-Ending Gall.

Moreover, spring water from the Binghuo Liangyi Yan was added to it, making its toxicity so fierce that even a rank ninety-five Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan could hardly withstand it; in the end, Yue Guan was beaten by Dugu Bo and fled in disarray.

Although he failed to kill Yue Guan as desired, Dugu Bo's resentment has largely been vented, and the knot in his heart from back then has gradually been untied.

Dugu Bo regards Yue Guan as an enemy because, after being conferred a title by the Spirit Hall, he refused the Spirit Hall's invitation to join it; at that time, the Pontiff Qian Qianji ordered Yue Guan to give Dugu Bo a lesson.

However, because Yue Guan intercepted him, Dugu Bo's return was delayed by three days, and it was precisely during those three days that Du Gu Yan's father could no longer suppress the outbreak of the Emerald Scale Snake Royal poison within his body.

In the end, when Dugu Bo rushed back, it was already too late to turn the tide.

However, Dugu Bo also knows that the poison in his son's body can no longer be contained; even if he had returned earlier, it would only have prolonged his son's life by another half year at most.

But living another half year is still living, so Dugu Bo thus formed a grudge with Yue Guan; although Yue Guan was already rank ninety-four back then, he has now broken through to rank ninety-five, reaching the strength of a Super Douluo.

Although Dugu Bo's revenge is currently hopeless, the fact that he could make Yue Guan flee in disarray also somewhat loosened the knot in his heart.

Moreover, given Du Gu Yan's current talent, achieving the rank of Titled Douluo and reaching Super Douluo is absolutely no problem; even if this grudge cannot be cleared by Dugu Bo himself, Du Gu Yan will certainly be able to do so in the future.

After returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect, Gu Xuan and Du Gu Yan stayed in the sect for a week; originally Gu Xuan had planned to stay longer, but he could not withstand the pressure from the two old men, Gu Bo and Gu Rong, who both wanted to hold a great-grandson early on, so in the end, unable to bear the pressure, Gu Xuan and Du Gu Yan sneaked back to the academy.

Gu Xuan returned to the Tian Dou Royal Academy, while Du Gu Yan returned to the Seven Treasure Academy.

After returning to the Tian Dou Royal Academy, Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling shared the good news, telling her his soul power level; Gu Xuan naturally would not conceal anything from Ye Lingling.

However, upon learning that Gu Xuan's fifth soul ring reached as high as sixty thousand years, Ye Lingling could not help but suck in a breath of cold air.

Nearly three months have passed, and her soul power has broken through from rank forty-eight to forty-nine, just one step away from rank fifty, but compared to Gu Xuan she still feels inadequate.

Moreover, to put pressure on her, Gu Xuan also told her that Du Gu Yan had broken through to rank fifty and her fifth soul ring had reached forty thousand years, and that Du Gu Yan is now rank fifty-three.

Her strength is only slightly inferior to Gu Xuan's; as another woman of Gu Xuan, this arouses Ye Lingling's competitive spirit, for she does not want to be merely a vase, and thus her subsequent cultivation has become even more diligent.

Besides Ye Lingling's improvement, Yu Tianheng, the two brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mu, Ausluo, and Yu Feng have each also broken through one level of soul power.

With the double pressure from the two monsters Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling, they each devoted themselves to arduous cultivation over the past nearly three months, wasting no time, all in order to catch up to Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling as soon as possible.

Now Yu Tianheng's soul power has reached level forty-eight, Shi Mo is level forty-seven, Shi Mo, Yu Feng and Aosi Luo are all level forty-six.

There are still two months until the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition, and they want to make another breakthrough in this final period.

Especially Yu Tianheng; if he breaks through another level of soul power, he can reach level fifty, and with just one Soul Ring he can become a strong Soul King.

Because of Gu Xuan's support, Yu Tianheng now also holds an advantage among the candidates for the next sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect; if nothing unexpected happens, he will be the next sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

In the last two months, Yu Tianheng and the others have been in closed-door cultivation, making the final breakthrough, while Gu Xuan had just returned to the Tiandou Royal Academy for a week when he somehow got news from somewhere about Xue Qinghe, and directly brought him to the grove. At this moment, Gu Xuan and Xue Qinghe sat opposite each other; Gu Xuan knew that Xue Qinghe had already broken through to Soul Saint, and in his heart he still felt somewhat at a loss about her suddenly seeking him out.

After all, in recent times he hadn't sought out Xue Qinghe; instead, Xue Qinghe had taken the initiative to find him several times. Although Gu Xuan is no longer afraid of her setting traps for him, he still feels somewhat bewildered.

Xue Qinghe's eyes shone with sharp light as she sipped fruit tea and sized up Gu Xuan, as if she could see through him at a glance.

In fact, Xue Qinghe was also astonished; in just two short years, Gu Xuan's soul power had risen all the way from level thirty-three to the present Soul King realm, although at this moment his soul power is restrained and his rank is not apparent.

But Xue Qinghe can guarantee that Gu Xuan has already obtained his fifth Soul Ring and broken through to Soul King.

She has been back for half a month, already advanced to Soul Saint, and despite her soul power reaching level seventy-one, she actually feels that Gu Xuan's aura is on par with her own.

She has the feeling that her innate twenty-level soul power has been wasted on a dog.

Going from level thirty-three to fifty-one in two years, aside from the one-level increase from absorbing a Soul Ring, Gu Xuan's soul power has increased by at least eight levels each year—what monstrous cultivation speed is this?

Even if Gu Xuan has that special medicinal pill supply, it shouldn't reach this extent, right?

However, later Xue Qinghe found out that Gu Xuan has a pair of External Soul Bones named Sword Dragon Eight Wings, and Gu Xuan alone, relying solely on this pair of External Soul Bones, took on several members of the Royal Battle Team, and later he didn't even use his martial soul or soul skill.

Moreover, Yu Tianheng and the others also received Gu Xuan's support; over the past two years their strength has increased tremendously, and Yu Tianheng is now close to the level of a Soul King.

This cultivation speed has already caught up to the current golden generation inside the Spirit Hall.

Translation: "This cultivation speed has already caught up to the current golden generation within the Spirit Hall."

Every time Snow Qinghe thinks about this, he sighs helplessly, wondering if giving these resources to himself would already have him on the verge of breaking through to Titled Douluo.

Translation: "Whenever he thought of this, Xue Qinghe sighed helplessly; if these resources were given to him, wouldn't he already be close to breaking through to Soul Douluo?"

Even if it's just giving those resources to the three golden‑generation members of the Spirit Hall, it's still better than giving them to that bunch of "useless" Yu Tianheng.

Translation: "Even if not, giving those resources to the Spirit Hall's three golden-generation elites would still be better than giving them to Yu Tianheng's bunch of 'trash'."

Snow Qinghe just stared silently at Gu Xuan, and finally Gu Xuan, helpless, lightly coughed and said: "Big brother, if you have something to say, just ask me directly; staring at me like this makes it hard for me to act—I'm a decent person, I don't have that kind of inclination."

Translation: "Xue Qinghe just stared at Gu Xuan silently; finally, Gu Xuan, helpless, lightly coughed and said, 'Elder brother, if you have something to say, just ask me directly—your stare makes it hard for me to act; I'm an upright person, I have no interest in male-male relations.'"

Upon hearing that, Snow Qinghe lifted his leg and kicked Gu Xuan, saying: "Be serious! I heard you recently returned to the sect to obtain your fifth soul ring? How are you cultivating so fast? You didn't use any evil methods, did you?"

Translation: "Hearing that, Xue Qinghe lifted his leg and kicked Gu Xuan, saying, 'Get serious! I heard you went back to the sect recently and obtained your fifth soul ring? How are you cultivating so fast? You didn't use some evil method, did you?'"

Seeing Snow Qinghe's Oscar‑worthy acting, Gu Xuan no longer held back and replied: "Big brother, what are you talking about? Even if such a method existed, I, your younger brother, would disdain to use it; my rapid cultivation is simply due to my extraordinary talent, isn't it?"

Translation: "Seeing Xue Qinghe's Oscar-worthy acting, Gu Xuan no longer held back, replying directly, 'Elder brother, what are you talking about? Even if such a method existed, I, your younger brother, would disdain to use it; my rapid cultivation is simply due to my extraordinary talent.'"

Hearing that, Snow Qinghe retorted unhappily: "Whose extraordinary talent makes cultivation as fast as riding a rocket? Even the innate twenty‑level soul power of the original Angel Inheritor didn't match your cultivation speed, did it?"

Translation: "Hearing Gu Xuan's words, Xue Qinghe retorted unhappily, 'Whose extraordinary talent cultivates as fast as riding a rocket? Even the innate twenty‑level soul power of the original Angel Inheritor couldn't match your cultivation speed, could it?'"

Upon hearing that, Gu Xuan inwardly thought: "Damn, you're just boasting about yourself now, huh."

Translation: "Hearing that, Gu Xuan inwardly muttered, 'Damn, you're just blowing your own trumpet now, aren't you?'"

However, Gu Xuan couldn't show that on the surface; putting on an act of being exposed by Snow Qinghe, he blurted out: "It's just that big brother has keen eyes—didn't I tell you earlier that a senior elder of the sect broke through to Titled Douluo? His ninth soul ring reached ninety thousand years, and a fallen external soul bone was absorbed by me, plus the effect of the Hunyuan Dan you gave me earlier— that's why I've progressed so quickly."

Translation: "Of course, Gu Xuan couldn't show that on his face; putting on an act of being seen through by Xue Qinghe, he blurted out, 'It's still your keen insight, elder brother—didn't I tell you that a senior elder of the sect broke through to Titled Douluo? His ninth soul ring reached ninety thousand years, dropping a pair of external soul bones that I absorbed, plus the effect of the Primordial Pill you gave me earlier—that's why I've broken through so quickly.'"

Although Gu Xuan's reason was fabricated, with seven parts truth and three parts false, Snow Qinghe, unaware of the actual situation, couldn't tell the difference; he only heard Gu Xuan continue: "But after this, there won't be such an opportunity again. Still, with this foundation, I, your younger brother, will surely become a Titled Douluo in the future."

Translation: "Although Gu Xuan's reason was fabricated, with seven parts truth and three parts false, Xue Qinghe, unaware of the real situation, could not tell the truth from the lie; he only heard Gu Xuan continue, 'But after this, there won't be such an opportunity again. However, with this foundation, I, your younger brother, will surely become a Titled Douluo in the future.'"

"So, you better hurry up and cozy up to me now; when you become emperor in the future, you'll have someone to protect you."

Translation: "'So, you'd better hurry up and cozy up to me now; when you become emperor in the future, you'll have someone to protect you.'"

Looking at Gu Xuan's smug, self‑satisfied expression, Snow Qinghe felt a hint of disdain; this kid is fine in every way, but when he gets full of himself he acts like a little child, making one want to punch him.

Translation: "Looking at Gu Xuan's smug expression, Xue Qinghe felt a hint of disdain; this kid is fine in every way, except when he gets smug—he acts like a little child, making one want to punch him."

Snow Qinghe gave Gu Xuan an annoyed glance, thinking to himself: If that's the case, it's fine—Gu Xuan is just having a burst of growth these two years; in the future he won't be that heaven‑defying, otherwise she'd be on the verge of tears.

Translation: "Xue Qinghe gave Gu Xuan an annoyed glance, then fell into thought: if that were the case, it would be fine—Gu Xuan merely had a burst of growth these two years; in the future he wouldn't be so heaven‑defying, otherwise she would almost cry tears of frustration."

However, as Gu Xuan kept talking, he and Snow Qinghe ended up discussing the Angel Inheritor matter that Snow Qinghe had just mentioned.

Translation: "However, as Gu Xuan spoke, he and Xue Qinghe began discussing the Angel Inheritor matter that Xue Qinghe had just mentioned."

"Snow big brother, I'll tell you a secret." Gu Xuan put on a mysterious expression, leaned close to Snow Qinghe's ear, and whispered softly.

Translation: "'Elder Brother Xue, I'll tell you a secret.' Gu Xuan put on a mysterious expression, leaned close to Xue Qinghe's ear, and whispered softly."

Gu Xuan suddenly moved in close; his breath brushed Snow Qinghe's ear, making his face flush, and the ear that Gu Xuan approached became visibly flushed.

Translation: "Gu Xuan suddenly drew near; his breath brushed the ear, making Xue Qinghe's face flush slightly, and the ear that Gu Xuan approached became visibly reddish to the naked eye."

It's been twenty‑two years—Gu Xuan is the only man in that time who can get this close to him. When Gu Xuan was young it was fine, but now his appearance has changed dramatically; he's become mature and extraordinarily handsome, making Snow Qinghe often unable to restrain his stirring heart.

Translation: "Twenty‑two years have passed; Gu Xuan is the only man in those twenty‑two years who can get this close to him. When Gu Xuan was young it was fine, but now his appearance has changed dramatically—he has matured and become extraordinarily handsome, making Xue Qinghe often unable to restrain his fluttering heart."

His feelings toward Gu Xuan have also gradually shifted from the previous sibling affection into something different.

Translation: "His feelings toward Gu Xuan also gradually shifted from the previous sibling affection into something different."

Especially lately, they've been meeting infrequently and parting often; occasionally, in the middle of the night, she dreams of being intimate with Gu Xuan like siblings, making her maiden heart hard to control.

Translation: "Especially lately, they've been meeting infrequently and parting often; occasionally, in the middle of the night, she dreams of being intimate with Gu Xuan like siblings, making her maiden heart hard to restrain."

However, to maintain his disguise, Snow Qinghe, though his ears were burning red, put on a calm facade and pretended to listen: "What secret?"

Translation: "However, to maintain his disguise, Xue Qinghe, though his ears were burning red, put on a calm facade and pretended to listen: 'What secret?'"

Deep in the forest, a tall thin and a short stout figure in black robes watched this scene from afar, their faces ablaze with gossip.

Translation: "Deep in the forest, a tall thin and a short stout figure in black robes watched this scene from afar, their faces lit with the fire of gossip."

"She Mao, I said the young master must be interested in this kid, right? Getting this close to whisper in his ear— is that something two brothers would do?" The short, stout black‑robed figure said to the tall, thin figure hidden beside him in his black robe.

Translation: "'Serpent Spear, I told you the Young Miss definitely has a thing for this kid—getting this close to whisper in the ear? This is something two brothers couldn't possibly do,' the short, stout black‑robed figure said to the tall, thin figure hidden beside him in his black robe."

These two— the tall thin and the short stout— are naturally the Heng Ha Generals, She Mao Douluo and Ci Tun Douluo, who attend Qian Renxue.

Translation: "These two, the tall thin and the short stout, are naturally Qian Renxue's two guardians, the Serpent Spear Douluo and the Spiny Porcupine Douluo."

She Mao replied unhappily: "I've seen it coming, but this kid's talent is indeed astonishing,"

Translation: "Serpent Spear replied unhappily, 'I'd already seen through it, but this kid's talent is indeed astonishing,'

Upon hearing She Mao's words, Ci Tun responded: "Miss said not to speak about it first; if we act on our own like this, won't it displease the miss?"

Translation: "Hearing Serpent Spear's words, Spiny Porcupine replied, 'Miss said not to speak first—if we act on our own like this, won't it displease the Miss?'"

Hearing that, She Mao gave Ci Tun a white‑eyed look and said: "You don't understand— the young master has fallen into love without realizing it, losing his judgment regarding this kid, Gu Xuan; we're doing this for the miss's own good."

Translation: "Hearing that, Serpent Spear gave Spiny Porcupine a white‑eye look and said, 'What do you know? The Young Miss is now lost in love, unaware, and has already lost her judgment regarding this kid, Gu Xuan; we're doing this for her own good.'"

"I've heard that this kid Gu Xuan is already engaged to two girls— one is the granddaughter of Dugu Bo, the other is the eldest daughter of the Jiu Xin Hai Tang family."

Translation: "'I've heard that this kid Gu Xuan is already engaged to two girls—one is Dugu Bo's granddaughter, the other is the eldest daughter of the Nine Heart Begonia Family.'"

"If the young master has intentions toward this kid, we should even more so inform the Grand Priest to strike first; otherwise, how could the Holy Maiden of our Priest Hall stand behind others?"

Translation: "'If the Young Miss intends this kid, we should all the more inform the Grand Elder to strike first; otherwise, how could the Saintess of the Hall of Worship stand behind others?'"

Upon hearing She Mao's words, Ci Tun felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal sunlight, exclaiming: "Yeah, She Mao, I didn't expect you to think so far ahead— quickly write the letter!"

Translation: "Hearing Serpent Spear's words, Spiny Porcupine felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal sunlight, exclaiming, 'Yes, Serpent Spear, I never thought you'd consider things so deeply—quick, write the letter!'"

She Mao and Ci Tun, both Titled Douluo who have long been rooted in Tian Dou, can easily obtain this information— after all, Gu Xuan isn't hiding it— but Gu Xuan currently doesn't know that these two old‑timers are secretly plotting to set him up with a major marriage; otherwise, they'd definitely give these two divine‑assisting old‑timers a huge thumbs‑up.

Translation: "Serpent Spear and Spiny Porcupine, both Titled Douluo who have been rooted in Tiandou for a long time, could easily obtain this information; after all, Gu Xuan hasn't been hiding it. But Gu Xuan currently doesn't know that these two sneaky ones are secretly plotting to give him a major marriage alliance—otherwise, he would definitely give these two, who provide divine assistance, a big thumbs‑up."

Gu Xuan isn't a saint; he naturally has desires for beautiful women. If he hadn't yet seen Qian Renxue's true appearance, it would have been fine— after all, he could only imagine her.

Translation: "Gu Xuan is no saint; he naturally desires beautiful women. If he hadn't yet seen Qian Renxue's true appearance, that would be fine—after all, he could only imagine her."

But now that he has seen her, he can't forget her at all.

Translation: "But now that he has seen her, he can never forget her."

Du Gu Yan and Ye Lingling are nice, but compared to them, Qian Renxue has her own merits; Gu Xuan wants to gather the legendary seven dragon pearls to summon a divine dragon!

Translation: "Du Gu Yan and Ye Lingling are fine, but compared to them, Qian Renxue has her own merits; Gu Xuan wants to gather the legendary seven dragon balls to summon the divine dragon!"

He already has B, C, and D; all that's missing are A, E, F, and G.

Translation: "Now I have B, C, and D; I just need A, E, F, and G."

Gu Xuan pressed his ear against Snow Qinghe's and, using a voice only the two could hear, said: "Big brother, little brother I think I've fallen in love again………"

Translation: "Gu Xuan pressed his ear against Xue Qinghe's, using a voice only the two could hear, and said, 'Elder brother, I think I've fallen in love again………'"

PS: Fix the typo first, then revise.

Translation: "ps: Typos will be fixed later."

(End of Chapter)