9: Solve the martial spirit problem

Dai Mubai, with a face full of black lines, still chose to politely step back to give them space, internally complaining wildly: Do you, the Dugu family, have some kind of interruptive cat? Taking turns interrupting others.

Dugu Bo was momentarily flustered looking at Dugu Yan, but seeing her determined expression that she wouldn't give up until he agreed, Dugu Bo reluctantly waved his hand to create a small barrier, leaving space only for the two of them, grandfather and granddaughter.

"Yan Yan, you're not young anymore. Some things I didn't want to tell you before... it's because the truth is too cruel. The poison carried in our Dugu lineage's Martial Soul is fatal. Your parents... indeed, they also left because of this reason."

Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan and haltingly spoke the truth. If there was a second choice, he really didn't want to say it now. At the very least, he wanted to wait until his experiment with Dai Mubai's method proved effective before telling Dugu Yan everything. He didn't want greater hope to lead to greater disappointment; he didn't want his granddaughter to experience the pain of such drastic ups and downs.

"So it was like this after all... What was said in that letter was indeed true, just as expected. Even my parents were due to this reason... Even Grandfather, even as a Title Douluo, couldn't... couldn't, I don't want Grandfather to be taken away again!"

After hearing the explanation, Dugu Yan couldn't help but sob and mutter to herself. When she reached the emotional part, she couldn't help but throw herself into Dugu Bo's arms.

"Good granddaughter, good Yan Yan, don't worry, there is hope for all of this. Please don't ask anymore, give Grandfather a little more time. Grandfather will... will give you a surprise."

Fumbling, Dugu Bo gently patted Dugu Yan's back while repeatedly reassuring her. However, he didn't dare to make the last promise too absolute, only asking Dugu Yan to give him some time.

"Really, Grandfather?" Hearing this, Dugu Yan, with teary eyes, lifted her pitiful little face to look at Dugu Bo, seeking confirmation.

"Of course, just give Grandfather a little more time," Dugu Bo rubbed Dugu Yan's head, smiling and nodding.

Although Dugu Yan still had questions – who was the person who wrote the letter, could her Grandfather's problem be solved, who was this young man in front of her, and would she also suffer Martial Soul backlash in the future – Dugu Yan forcefully suppressed them. She looked at Dugu Bo, half-coaxing and half-threatening.

"Then two months at most, okay?"

At this moment, Dugu Bo's face twitched, but he still nodded and said okay. His heart was indeed in turmoil. Even if that kid could save them, was two months too short? No! It seems he had to push this kid a bit.

The barrier was removed. Dugu Yan glanced at Dai Mubai with many questions before turning and leaving.

Seeing Dugu Yan completely gone, the restlessness in Dugu Bo's heart made him unable to help but grab Dai Mubai's shoulders and ask, "Two months! Can you solve our lineage's Martial Soul problem in two months?"

Dai Mubai coughed, indicating that Dugu Bo was too agitated. Dugu Bo also sheepishly released his hands. Dai Mubai placed a finger to his lips, signaling Dugu Bo to listen first, and then began to speak.

"The method of the Soul Core is that every Title Douluo can condense a Soul Core. With a Soul Core, the speed at which you store and recover soul power will greatly increase. Of course, you can also place all the toxins in your body here. The key is that your toxins entering the Soul Core not only poses no risk but will also compress the power of your toxins. It is a method that achieves two things at once."

"What about Yan Yan? What if she can't become a Title Douluo?"

As soon as Dugu Bo finished listening to Dai Mubai, he urgently asked the question he cared about most.

"Your granddaughter, for now, use the method of Soul Bone. The toxins in her body are currently enough to be sealed by a Soul Bone. It's best to use a snake-type Soul Bone. When she reaches the Soul Saint level, the toxins might become more difficult to control. However, a breakthrough to the Soul Saint level can also allow one to condense a Soul Core, though the difficulty will be much greater. But I have also prepared a countermeasure."

Dugu Bo let out a long sigh of relief when he heard the solution for his most cherished granddaughter. Then, hearing about the difficulty, his heart couldn't help but jump into his throat again, only calming down when Dai Mubai said he had a countermeasure.

Dugu Bo couldn't help but glare at Dai Mubai with his eyes, thinking inwardly, 'Seriously, how can you take such a long pause at a time like this?'

Seeing Dugu Bo's reaction, Dai Mubai showed nothing on the surface but couldn't help but inwardly complain, 'He's so old, yet still so impatient. Wouldn't it be better if I just said everything at once?'

While the two of them were complaining about each other internally, Dai Mubai was the first to break the silence. He threw two scrolls, one large and one small, towards Dugu Bo who was not far away.

"The smaller scroll is the method for hiding poison in a Soul Bone, for your granddaughter. After using it, the toxins' impact on her will be minimized, and it can even enhance the power of the poison. The larger scroll is the cultivation method for the Soul Core; remember, it's for you. I will give you the Soul Saint level method later; understanding it now is not good for you. Take a look now, ask me if you don't understand, and go into seclusion once you understand. I need to refine the countermeasure for your granddaughter."

After saying the long string of words, Dai Mubai gestured with his eyes, asking Dugu Bo if he had any more questions.

Originally, Dugu Bo felt a sense of gratitude as he touched the two scrolls. After all, although hiding poison in a Soul Bone sounded simple, if he didn't personally practice it before having Dugu Yan do it, there could be risks.

However, when he looked up and saw Dai Mubai's questioning look, as if he were a child, his face darkened. After carefully putting away the smaller scroll, he began to look at the Soul Core method.

Two days later,

Dugu Bo, who had figured everything out, looked at the Soul Core method and let out countless exclamations of surprise. Seeing Dai Mubai looking exhausted, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Dugu Bo was about to say that Dai Mubai was just inheriting a God's legacy, but then he remembered Dai Mubai's unintentional complaint during the two days of answering questions. Dai Mubai had said that it was his first time encountering this method, and he understood it in two hours, only regretting that his cultivation was not high enough.

Seeing Dai Mubai pretending to be tired, Dugu Bo decided to go hunt a Soul Beast for him first. After all, Dai Mubai was level 40 and hadn't obtained a soul ring yet, wasn't it because he was solving the Martial Soul backlash problem for himself and Dugu Yan?

Before Dugu Bo got up and left, he looked at Dai Mubai and asked seemingly casually,

"Xiao Bai, what type and year range do you want for your fourth soul ring?"

Dai Mubai felt a warmth in his heart looking at Dugu Bo, who was saying one thing but doing another by wanting to hunt a Soul Beast for him. He had thought he would have to wait until Dugu Bo cultivated a Soul Core before bringing this up, but unexpectedly, Dugu Bo brought it up himself. So, he seriously stated his requirements.

"Forty thousand to fifty thousand years, tiger type. Preferably one that likes continuous or explosive combat."

"What did you say? What year range? Forty thousand years is enough for your seventh soul ring, you know?"

Hearing forty thousand years, Dugu Bo couldn't help but turn around and question Dai Mubai loudly.

Seeing this, Dai Mubai no longer insisted and revealed his purple, purple, black soul ring configuration. After spending these few days together, he had completely trusted this old man, Dugu Bo, who was outwardly harsh but inwardly kind.

"You... this?" Looking at the soul rings at Dai Mubai's feet, Dugu Bo's thought of lecturing Dai Mubai that even a God inheritor shouldn't be so ambitious instantly shattered.

Dugu Bo left without a word. Two days later, he returned with a four-meter-long blood-colored tiger-type Soul Beast and directly threw it towards Dai Mubai.

"What the heck, are you serious?! Old Poison, you don't want the countermeasure for your granddaughter anymore?"

Dai Mubai dodged and looked at Dugu Bo, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Hahaha, Xiao Bai, how dare you! This is the Soul Beast you wanted, a forty-five thousand-year-old Bloodthirsty Mad Tiger. Its talent is that it gets stronger the more it fights. If you don't kill it in one blow, you're in for a lot of trouble."

Looking at Dai Mubai, who was using his granddaughter to threaten him, Dugu Bo wasn't angry. He smiled and introduced the Soul Beast on the ground to Dai Mubai, because their interactions over the past two days showed that Dai Mubai was someone who finished what he started.

"Old Poison, that's fine, but can you stop calling me Xiao Bai? It really sounds like a dog's name."

As Dai Mubai walked closer to look at the Soul Beast, he couldn't help but complain to Dugu Bo.

"Hahaha, does it? I think it sounds quite nice?" Dugu Bo replied with a laugh.

Dai Mubai rolled his eyes at Dugu Bo and looked at the Soul Beast. Dai Mubai took out a dagger and killed it with one blow, then sat cross-legged to absorb it.

Six hours later, Dai Mubai stood up and stretched, and at the same time, he saw the note left by Dugu Bo saying that he had gone into seclusion first.

Dai Mubai couldn't help but shake his head and complain about how carefree Dugu Bo was, but in fact, Dai Mubai knew that Dugu Bo had set up a poison array nearby, and ordinary people couldn't get in at all.

So Dai Mubai plucked the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot and walked towards the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.

Swallowing two pillars of top-grade Immortal Herbs at once, combined with being in the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, Dai Mubai only felt the two kinds of pain, extreme heat and extreme cold, moving through his body. Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and did not utter a sound.

Five months later