This wasn't what Dugu Bo had expected.
In the past, whenever he returned from secluded cultivation in the medicinal garden, his granddaughter would always rush to greet him, excited and overjoyed.
But this time, Dugu Bo noticed something different.
Her reaction was... noticeably indifferent compared to before.
But emotions don't disappear — they just shift.
Especially when he had asked her earlier why she came home so late. That slight blush on her cheeks, her bashful demeanor…
He wasn't young anymore — he knew exactly what that meant.
The moment he saw her expression, Dugu Bo felt a jolt in his chest. Oh no!
Something was wrong.
During the time he was away in closed-door cultivation, his precious little cabbage might have been… trampled by some wild boar from outside!
Unforgivable!
Who was it?! Who on earth was it?!
Dugu Bo gritted his teeth in rage.
As her grandfather, he absolutely could not allow anyone to get close to his granddaughter without his knowledge or approval.
Let alone decide to spend their lives together without his blessing.
Even if it were the Heavens themselves — absolutely not!
Of course, though these thoughts fumed in his mind, Dugu Bo remained calm on the surface. As usual, he showed concern and asked how she was doing at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and about her health.
When he brought up her physical condition, Dugu Yan seemed a little agitated, as if she had something she wanted to say.
But in the end, she hesitated and held it back.
Dugu Bo didn't dwell on it too much.
Right now, he just wanted tomorrow to come as quickly as possible—
So he could secretly investigate:
Which wild boar dared touch his little cabbage?!
If the boy turned out to be decent enough…
He might just turn a blind eye.
But only after testing him thoroughly.
To see if he was truly worthy of his granddaughter.
However, if the brat turned out to be unqualified… then Dugu Bo would have no choice but to forcibly tear them apart!
For his granddaughter's future—
As her grandfather, he had to be ruthless!
The next day came in the blink of an eye.
As Dugu Yan left for school—
Dugu Bo made his move.
He secretly tailed her from the shadows…
And soon, he discovered Ye Yu's presence.
"Hah! So there is a brat!"
Dugu Bo clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. He was livid.
Still, he didn't act rashly.
Before making a move, he needed to understand this wild boar's background.
If possible, he truly didn't want to hurt his granddaughter's feelings.
After all, she was his only family in this world.
But after completing his covert investigation and learning about Ye Yu's background—
Dugu Bo nearly exploded with fury.
Ye Yu had no noble background whatsoever, just an ordinary commoner.
The only reason he got into Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was that he presented the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, with an agricultural tool that improved farming efficiency.
Emperor Xue Ye was so pleased that he granted him a baron's title, allowing him to enroll.
And Ye Yu's spirit was none other than the infamous trash martial soul — Blue Silver Grass, with only innate rank 1 soul power.
His talent was abysmal!
Even if his martial soul had now mutated and evolved—
So what?
A mutated Blue Silver Grass could only go so far!
At best, if he worked his entire life, maybe he'd become a Soul King.
To commoners, being a Soul King might seem impressive.
But to someone like Dugu Bo—
In the world of Soul Masters, a Soul King was nothing more than a slightly bigger foot soldier!
After he passed away one day, how could such a weakling possibly protect his granddaughter?!
Absolutely not! He had to break them up!
Dugu Bo clenched his jaw, his decision firm.
But after giving it more thought, he decided to have a proper talk with Dugu Yan first.
He wanted to stop her from being blinded by love.
This "Ye Yu" kid—
Was just a pretty face! There was no way he could give her true happiness!
That night, in the Dugu Mansion—
Inside a tea room.
Dugu Bo sat alone at a tea table, leisurely brewing tea, but his mind was troubled.
He wasn't sure how to broach the subject with his granddaughter.
She had inherited his temper.
Strong-willed and stubborn — never responded well to pressure.
In the past, he'd admired her spirited personality, thinking she was just like him.
But now… it wasn't so wonderful anymore.
"Miss!"
Voices came from outside the tea room — respectful greetings from the maids and servants.
His granddaughter, Dugu Yan, had returned.
Following his instructions, the servants informed her that he was looking for her.
Soon, Dugu Yan arrived. Her emerald-green eyes filled with curiosity as she entered the tea room.
"Grandpa, did you need something?"
"Yan Yan, come sit," Dugu Bo said gently.
He didn't answer right away, his expression complicated. After a moment, he shook his head and motioned for her to sit.
"Grandpa, what's going on?" she asked, sensing something unusual in his behavior.
Sigh…
Dugu Bo let out a long sigh, smiling bitterly.
"Yan Yan, oh Yan Yan… you've really surprised me this time."
"When did you find a boyfriend? You didn't even tell your grandpa."
"You… already know?" Dugu Yan gasped, stunned.
Her beautiful face flushed bright red with embarrassment and shyness, her voice stammering.
But seeing that Dugu Bo didn't look too angry, she gained a bit of courage.
"Grandpa, actually, I was already planning to introduce Ye Yu to you. I just hadn't figured out the best way to do it."
"Ye Yu is amazing!"
She had been ready to sing Ye Yu's praises nonstop, wanting to leave a good impression of him in her grandfather's heart.
But unfortunately, Dugu Bo had no intention of listening.
"Yan Yan."
He interrupted her seriously and sternly.
"Even though I don't know how you and this Ye Yu brat met, or how you ended up together—"
"Maybe I've been too focused on cultivation and neglected you, giving that boy an opening."
"If so, that's my fault."
"But I must make one thing clear — I do not approve of you being with him!"
"Grandpa!!"
Dugu Yan shot to her feet, her beautiful face filled with anxiety.
"You must've found out about Ye Yu's spirit and his talent, and that's why you're against us, right?"
"But spirit and talent aren't everything!"
"Even though Ye Yu's spirit and cultivation talent seem weak, that's only temporary!"
"He's already found a way to evolve his martial soul!"
"As long as he has time, he'll keep evolving — he'll rise to greatness!"
"And aside from his spirit and cultivation, Ye Yu is outstanding in every other way!"
"Grandpa, trust me!"
"If you don't believe me, I can take you to see him — test him yourself!"
But Dugu Bo only snorted coldly, growing angrier inside.
Evolve a martial soul? What a joke!
Even Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, their own Dugu Clan, and the Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan had been searching for ways to evolve martial souls for generations.
And none of them had found a single method.
A commoner like Ye Yu could actually discover such a method?
Ridiculous! Utter nonsense!
As for being exceptional in every other aspect besides spirit and cultivation…
Dugu Bo didn't believe that either.
A boy from a humble background, with limited education and narrow horizons, could never be "exceptional" in everything!
In his view—
That Ye Yu brat must just be good at sweet-talking girls!
He must've tricked his granddaughter into falling for him!
The thought infuriated Dugu Bo to no end.
He steeled himself. For her sake, he had to break them up.
"Yan Yan, it's not that I don't trust you."
"It's just that methods for evolving martial souls—our Dugu Clan included—have been researched for years by countless Soul Master sects and clans."
"But after all these years, no one has succeeded."
"And now a mere commoner claims he has a solution?"
"What a joke!" he scoffed.
"And as for him being so 'exceptional' aside from spirit and cultivation— I trust that even less."
"Someone born with such a low status, with no background and no education—how could he possibly be outstanding in anything?!"
Dugu Bo's tone was firm and absolute.
In his mind: No way. Absolutely no way.