"Grandpa, what are you doing?!"
Dugu Yan glared angrily as she saw her teammates nearly suffocating under the oppressive aura.
They were only Soul Masters around the 30th or 40th rank—under the pressure of a Titled Douluo, they were like ants beneath a mountain.
"Yan Yan, who hurt you? Tell Grandpa. I'll avenge you!"
Seeing her upset, Dugu Bo chuckled awkwardly.
She was the only heir of the Dugu bloodline—anyone who dared touch her might as well be digging up their ancestral graves!
"Grandpa, it was some brat from Shrek Academy…"
Dugu Yan didn't bother to hide anything. She recounted the incident in full, her heart still brimming with resentment toward Tang San.
Back then, if it hadn't been for the timely intervention of the opposing academy's teacher—who happened to know Instructor Qin Ming—she might've already been killed by that lunatic called Tang San.
It was supposed to be an academic exchange, yet Tang San had acted like a madman, trying to end her life.
Thankfully, Ye Lingling was there. Without her, even if she survived, with those injuries, she'd be bedridden and paralyzed by now.
Just thinking about it made her tremble—Tang San was too wild, too ruthless.
"Some brat from Shrek Academy?"
Dugu Bo furrowed his brow. He couldn't recall ever hearing of that academy, so he scoffed dismissively.
"Who cares what academy it is? Never heard of it. Come, I'll take you to see a certain lord first, then I'll make things right for you!"
As he spoke, Dugu Bo reached out to pull Dugu Yan along.
In his mind, academies meant nothing. If someone dared touch his granddaughter, he didn't care who they were—even if their dean showed up, he'd beat them into calling him daddy!
As a Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo had every right to be arrogant.
Forget some academy—unless it involved major power struggles, even the top three clans or the Spirit Hall would rather give him face than provoke a deadly feud.
They didn't call him the Poison Douluo for nothing. Especially with large-area, high-toxicity soul skills, even if he couldn't beat another sect's Titled Douluo, he could wipe out everyone else.
Once a Titled Douluo targets you, unless you're completely alone, even one failed assassination attempt could bring endless vengeance to your entire faction.
After all, there's a saying: There's a thousand ways to steal, but no way to guard against all thieves.
But before that, he had something far more important to deal with.
"Your Excellency…"
Just as Dugu Yan was about to be dragged off, Heaven Dou Royal Team's captain, Yu Tianheng, grimaced and spoke up.
"Hmm? Kid, you got something to say?"
Dugu Bo shot him a sideways glare, his expression frosty.
He knew this kid. Ever since Yan Yan entered Heaven Dou Royal Academy, she'd often mentioned him.
As an experienced elder, how could Dugu Bo not know what was going on?
But when it came to matters of the heart, Dugu Bo had always been open-minded.
Because of their martial spirit's poisonous nature, he just wanted Dugu Yan to live happily. As long as the man she liked treated her well, he wouldn't interfere.
So far, this kid seemed decent enough. So he turned a blind eye—as long as Yan Yan was happy, that was all that mattered.
"N-no, Your Eminence. It's just… the people who injured Yan Yan…"
"Hmm?"
Before Yu Tianheng could finish, Dugu Bo let out a cold snort, and an immense pressure surged toward him.
"…The ones who hurt Miss Dugu should be arriving soon."
Yu Tianheng wasn't stupid. He quickly changed his tone, and the pressure immediately lifted.
"They actually dare come knocking?"
Dugu Bo raised a brow, then sneered.
"Well, well, well. Excellent."
They dared to hurt his granddaughter and still had the guts to show up? Perfect—he had just been wondering where to find them!
"No, it's not like that! Under Instructor Qin Ming's persuasion, Shrek Academy agreed to merge into our academy…"
Yu Tianheng hurriedly explained, afraid of sparking a misunderstanding.
"Shrek what? Never heard of it. And they think they're worthy of merging into your academy?"
"Well… their campus might be a bit shabby, but their teachers and students, especially the talented ones, are undeniably strong…"
Yu Tianheng thought back to Shrek's team. Aside from Dai Mubai being a formidable opponent, now Tang San had emerged as another thorny problem.
In the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, they'd very likely be Heaven Dou's biggest rivals.
"Alright, alright. When they arrive, let me know. I'd like to see which little bastard dares act so blind!"
Dugu Bo wasn't interested in the rest of the chatter. His focus now was the poison in Yan Yan's martial spirit.
Dugu Yan didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her teammates before she was dragged toward the main gate of the academy.
"Ugh, Grandpa! Where are we going?!"
"Shh. Don't say a word. I'm taking you to meet a certain lord—he can cure the negative effects from our martial spirit's poison! This is an opportunity Grandpa worked very hard to get. We can't waste it…"
Dugu Bo whispered.
In truth, no one outside their bloodline knew about the poison embedded within their martial spirit.
It was their greatest weakness—if discovered by the wrong people, it could lead to their extermination.
But they'd nearly perished from it themselves already. No enemy interference needed.
"He can really cure the poison from our martial spirit?"
Dugu Yan's lips parted slightly in disbelief.
"Of course. Look at me—notice anything different?"
Dugu Bo nodded with a warm smile.
"I did feel like something was different about you. Could it be…"
She looked at him—his face still bore some gloom, but his complexion had noticeably improved. Her heart stirred with realization.
"That's right. From now on, I'll no longer be affected by the poison. In fact, my strength has even advanced."
As Dugu Bo thought of how this transformation came solely thanks to that lord's help, his respect only deepened.
"That lord must be incredible…"
Dugu Yan couldn't help but picture an elderly, white-haired hermit—wise and powerful beyond mortal understanding.
"Indeed. That lord is unfathomable. My poison meant nothing in his eyes…"
Dugu Bo sighed in awe.
"He's also not afraid of our martial spirit poison? Of course—anyone who can cure it wouldn't be afraid of it in the first place."
Dugu Yan asked, then reasoned it out herself.
"Wait a minute, Yan Yan… Did you say also not afraid?"
Could there be someone else out there immune to their poison besides that lord?
Dugu Bo's heart filled with doubt.
_
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