Chapter 56: Chatting with Dugu Bo

"Very well."

Although she had guessed something, Dugu Yan still nodded in agreement; she prepared to ask properly after the two finished talking.

"Follow me."

Dugu Bo led Shi Quan into a room to the side; the room was furnished simply and carried a faint medicinal scent.

The room was exceptionally quiet; neither Dugu Bo nor Shi Quan spoke first.

Dugu Bo stared at the documents in his hand for a long time before finally speaking in praise: "You are very smart."

"This junior is merely good at learning and thinking," Shi Quan replied respectfully.

Dugu Bo's dark green eyes made one's heart tremble, "Tell me your true thoughts."

"From what this junior currently understands, Sister Yanzi is indeed poisoned. Like other poison-attribute Beast Spirits, the Bilin Snake martial soul cannot avoid transferring toxins to the host. However, because of you, Senior, this junior did not believe this result at first.

But after much research by this junior, the final answer was always poisoning. Therefore, this junior specifically came to visit you, Senior, today to confirm this matter. Only if Sister Yanzi is truly poisoned can this junior think of a way to help her solve this problem," Shi Quan respectfully stated his thoughts.

"You have also studied poison?" Dugu Bo asked indifferently, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Shi Quan said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "This junior has no research into poison, only into martial souls."

"Martial souls?" Dugu Bo slowly stood up and asked: "Do you know my title?"

"Senior's title is Poison; you are known for your poison and are the number one person in the continent at using it."

"Then do you think I would let my granddaughter be poisoned?" Dugu Bo's tall figure walked in front of Shi Quan, his dark green gaze like a venomous snake, ready to Devour Shi Quan in the next second.

"I believe you naturally would not wish for Yanzi to be poisoned," Shi Quan's voice remained steady.

Not wishing to and not being able to—a difference of one word, yet the meaning was worlds apart!

"So you have already determined that Yan Yan is poisoned, yet you still chose to see me?" His green eyes stared intensely at Shi Quan.

"I want to help Yanzi solve the problem with her martial soul."

"Just by you?" Dugu Bo let out a hoarse laugh, his words full of disdain, "You don't even understand poison, yet you want to help Yan Yan detoxify?"

"Senior, the poison Yanzi suffers from originates from her martial soul; the martial soul is the root problem. As long as the martial soul's problem is solved, the toxins in her body will naturally not cause her any influence."

"The martial soul is the root?" A flash of brilliance crossed Dugu Bo's eyes. He had never thought about this problem from this angle; he had always thought about how to detoxify, and he had always researched toxins. Perhaps what this kid in front of him said was also a solution.

"Whether you can help Yan Yan solve the martial soul problem is one thing, but let's first talk about why you want to help Yan Yan detoxify?" Dugu Bo did not like others using him, let alone his beloved granddaughter.

Shi Quan said straightforwardly: "First, this junior wants to win the championship in the next Continental Advanced Spirit Academy Elite Tournament, and Yanzi is a member of the Heaven Dou Team. Second, your strength, Senior—if I help Yanzi, you will surely remember this junior's kindness. In the future, when this junior encounters difficulties, perhaps I can ask you, Senior, to help out; it can also be considered a backer for this junior."

"You certainly don't hide anything," Dugu Bo gave a cold laugh and then asked: "Don't you already have the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind you? Ning Fengzhi even sent his daughter to you. Do you still need me as a backer?"

Shi Quan shook his head, briefly explained the situation with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and then continued: "This junior is a lone individual; having one more backer is just one more path, isn't it?"

Dugu Bo laughed heartily, looked at Shi Quan, and said: "Hahaha, kid, your intelligence is indeed unexpectedly mature. Neither the Three Upper Sects nor the Spirit Hall are good things. These forces have been able to stand on the continent for so many years; the darkness behind the scenes is no less than their reputation. I didn't expect a kid like you to already see these things so clearly."

"However, kid, if you want me to be your backer, you must show your ability."

Dugu Bo's tone shifted, and Shi Quan understood that the most critical moment had arrived. If he could convince Dugu Bo, then entering the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well later would be a matter of course. If he could not convince Dugu Bo, he feared whether he could even walk out of this room today was a question.

But Shi Quan dared to come, so he naturally had his confidence.

"Senior, please look." Shi Quan took out a few more documents from his Snow Jade Bracelet.

These documents recorded those poison-attribute Beast Spirits that could avoid transferring toxins to the Spirit Master's body.

"What do you want to say?" Dugu Bo was still somewhat confused after reading the documents.

Shi Quan smiled and explained: "Senior, the reason these poison-attribute Beast Spirits in the documents do not transfer toxins into the Spirit Master's body is that they actually all have a commonality."

"You mean..." Dugu Bo's reaction was swift; his gaze fell on the key points marked in the documents, and he quickly grasped the point, his eyes brightening, "The poison-attribute Beast Spirits in your documents all store toxins in a fixed place; some are poison sacs, some are livers..."

"Senior, you are correct. If one could find a place to store the Bilin Snake poison and transfer all the toxins in Yanzi's body there, then her poisoning problem would naturally be solved."

Dugu Bo listened but shook his head in disappointment: "Your method is simply impossible. Condensing toxins on the martial soul cannot solve the current problem at all, and if you condense toxins to a certain part of the body, the body cannot withstand it."

"The body and martial soul alone naturally cannot solve it, so this is where some external objects are needed." Shi Quan smiled mysteriously and said slowly: "Senior should know about soul bones!"

Hearing the two words 'soul bone', Dugu Bo's eyes suddenly lit up, "You mean, find a soul bone to fuse into the body, and then store all the toxins in the body into the soul bone, so that it won't harm oneself?"

Shi Quan nodded confidently, "That is exactly it. A soul bone and a Spirit Master are one, similar to a martial soul. As long as all the martial soul's toxins are stored in the soul bone, then the Spirit Master themselves will naturally not have any problems. Just like poison-attribute Tool Spirits, their toxins are all stored in the Tool Spirit; why can't poison-attribute Beast Spirits store toxins in a soul bone?"

"That's right, if there is a soul bone and the toxins are stored in the soul bone, then the toxins would have no influence on the body. This method does indeed have a certain feasibility."

Dugu Bo clenched his fists in excitement, but his expression soon turned desolate. This method only had a certain feasibility for Dugu Yan. After all, relying on forcing the poison out was not an easy process. Dugu Yan was fine; she was still young and the toxins were not strong. If he helped her, it shouldn't be a big problem, but for himself...

The toxins in his body had been there for over seventy years; his body and the toxins had long since merged into one. He dared not force them out at all. If he forced them, he feared it would trigger a backlash of the toxins in his body. By then, he feared he wouldn't even know how he died.

Seeing Dugu Bo's reaction, Shi Quan hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "If there is your help, Senior, this junior has the confidence to help Yanzi solve the martial soul problem."

Dugu Bo looked at Shi Quan in surprise and said in a deep voice: "Kid, you need to be clear about what you are saying."

"Every word this junior says is true," Shi Quan's voice was firm and powerful.

The gloom on Dugu Bo's face dissipated. He had long since stopped caring about his own poison. If Shi Quan could help Dugu Yan solve the toxin problem, it would fulfill one of his wishes. He then said seriously: "Shi Quan, if you can really help Yan Yan solve the martial soul problem and keep her from being affected by the toxins, I can promise to do one thing for you."

"This junior will certainly do my utmost," Shi Quan was secretly delighted. With these words from Dugu Bo, his goal was as good as achieved.

"Speak directly; I have no heart to beat around the bush with you," Dugu Bo said impatiently.

"This junior hopes you, Senior, will tell me the method to suppress the toxins in your body."

Shi Quan's words were shocking.

Dugu Bo's gaze froze, and he laughed sinisterly: "You really did guess that I was poisoned, but how did you know I had a way to suppress the toxins?"

"Although I have no understanding of poison, looking at it from the perspective of martial souls, for poison-attribute Beast Spirits, as strength grows, the body's own toxicity also constantly increases. Although poison-attribute Spirit Masters have a certain resistance to poison, they cannot withstand the toxins that increase year after year in their bodies. It is extremely rare for ordinary poison-attribute Beast Spirits to cultivate to a Soul Emperor without being poisoned to death by themselves. Even with good luck and strong talent, it is only possible to cultivate to a Spirit Saint at most, and a bit higher would be the Spirit Douluo realm; a Title Douluo is simply impossible. Yet you, Senior, have cultivated to the Title Douluo realm. Thinking it over, there are only three possibilities."

"The first possibility: you, Senior, solved the problem of the Bilin Snake transferring toxins. However, judging from Yanzi's situation, this possibility can be directly ruled out."

"The second possibility: you, Senior, researched the antidote for the Bilin Snake venom yourself. This possibility is also relatively small, because if you had it, Senior, you would have definitely helped Yanzi detoxify directly."

"The third possibility: you, Senior, have a way to suppress the toxins in your body, allowing the toxins to have no influence on you. I thought it over, and this possibility is the most likely."

Dugu Bo gave a cold, sinister laugh, the light in his eyes restrained, and said: "What if it were another situation? If you guessed wrong, do you know what the consequences of deceiving me are?"

Shi Quan said calmly and unhurriedly: "Senior, rest assured. Even if you don't have a method to suppress the toxins, I have the confidence to help Yanzi solve the toxin problem. It's just that the process will be more troublesome, and Yanzi will be in more pain. If there is a method to suppress the toxins, then the process might be simpler."

Hearing Shi Quan say this, light flickered constantly in Dugu Bo's dark green eyes, and he fell into deep thought...