"No... there's no need for that!" Dugu Yan subconsciously retreated several steps, her body trembling slightly. "Rongrong, if you mention the Poison Core matter to Grandpa, I might get hung up and beaten."
Dugu Yan steeled herself and stepped forward, tightly wrapping her arms around Ning Rongrong's arm. She shook it lightly, her voice weak and pleading:
"Rongrong, I'm scared... save me..."
"Where did you learn all these strange gestures?" Ning Rongrong's forehead was covered in black lines.
A grown woman acting coquettish like this what was she thinking?
I should be saying 'Professor, help me' instead!
Ning Rongrong shook off Dugu Yan's hand, her tone serious:
"Sis Yan'er, unless your martial soul evolves into something like Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, condensing a Poison Core will cause an imbalance between your martial soul and body once you reach level 70 due to excessive toxins. You'll explode and die."
"Didn't Dugu Bo already discuss this matter before?" Ning Rongrong rubbed her temples, exasperated.
Over a year ago, Dugu Bo had considered having Dugu Yan condense a Poison Core. But after repeated calculations and studying the nature of the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul, he ultimately abandoned the idea.
At the time, Dugu Yan had been sitting right beside Dugu Bo, flipping through his notes on toxin condensation. There was no way she didn't understand the risks.
"But there's still a way, isn't there?" Dugu Yan retorted.
"Shattering the core, forcing the toxins back into your martial soul, and taking antidotes that might work since your Poison Core isn't fully developed yet. But there could still be side effects."
"Ugh, what a headache!" Ning Rongrong sighed. "Let's go to the Alchemy Pavilion and discuss this with Dugu Bo later."
"No, I'm not talking about that." Dugu Yan's expression turned solemn. "Rongrong, remember what you mentioned before about the Misfortune Poison Body? That..."
"No!"
Ning Rongrong cut her off decisively. "He only has you left as his granddaughter. I don't want Dugu Bo to reduce me to ashes."
"But the success rate is high, isn't it?" Dugu Yan argued.
"Unless it's 100%, failure is always possible!" Ning Rongrong shook her head.
In some games, even a 99% success rate could still end in disaster!
Dugu Yan, are you joking? Is it worth gambling with your life?
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath. "I don't know what Dugu Bo wrote in his notes I haven't read them carefully. But even if the Misfortune Poison Body is theoretically feasible, I only know it relies on absorbing toxins. There's no matching cultivation method."
"And most importantly," Ning Rongrong lowered her voice, "the Misfortune Poison Body belongs to a different world's system, just like the cultivation techniques I practice."
"It took me a long time to resolve the issues that arose from my own cultivation."
"To be honest, I don't believe you're capable of handling it." Ning Rongrong stared straight into Dugu Yan's eyes.
"If it were Dugu Bo attempting the Misfortune Poison Body, I might take the gamble he's a Title Douluo with profound knowledge of poisons."
"But you..." Ning Rongrong didn't finish her sentence. In her frustration, she had accidentally dropped the honorific when referring to Dugu Bo.
"Rongrong, are you worried about me?" Dugu Yan's expression showed no anger.
"If that's what you think, then sure." Ning Rongrong could only feel another headache coming on. What exactly is going through Dugu Yan's mind?
Dugu Yan's current talent wasn't bad at all. With the immortal herbs and years of medicinal supplements, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's resources could easily push her to Soul Douluo maybe even Title Douluo.
"Rongrong, can you hear me out?" Dugu Yan spoke up.
"What?"
Ning Rongrong paused and looked at her.
"I've already hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. This might be what you mentioned the limitations of innate spirit power."
A soul master with half a level of innate spirit power would struggle to break through level 30 without extraordinary luck.
Dugu Yan had started with innate spirit power of level 7. Even after consuming immortal herbs, which might boost it by one level at most, that was her ceiling.
In the past, Dugu Yan would have been satisfied with her strength.
But after meeting Ning Rongrong and Qian Renxue, she realized her talent paled in comparison.
Qian Renxue, despite slacking off due to her undercover mission in the Heaven Dou Empire, had already reached level 61 three years ago. Who knew how strong she was now?
As for Ning Rongrong, she was born with full innate spirit power. Though her cultivation method differed, she might stay at Soul King longer but once she broke through, she could leap straight to level 70.
Would I still be able to keep up then?
Moreover, Dugu Yan understood the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's precarious position these past years.
At the very least, they couldn't contend with the Spirit Hall.
Even if her grandfather was now a 92nd-ranked Title Douluo, his influence was limited.
If she could master the Misfortune Poison Body, perhaps she could take enemies down with her in desperate times.
"Rongrong, I need strength. I want to stand by your side." Dugu Yan's voice was firm.
"Over these three years, I've studied countless books on poisons and antidotes. I've even mastered the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's secret technique Three Aperture Dispersed Heart."
"You..." Ning Rongrong sighed. "If you can convince Dugu Bo, fine. If not, drop it immediately."
"Deal. I'll handle Grandpa."
With that, Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan headed together into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's territory towards the Alchemy Pavilion under Dugu Bo's control.
The Alchemy Pavilion was a magnificent structure, its exterior adorned with sculptures carved from hundreds of rare medicinal herbs, exuding a faint, refreshing aroma.
Two giant cauldron statues stood guard at the entrance, so intricately detailed they seemed ready to transform into real cauldrons at any moment.
The main building had been constructed with the help of the Soul Tool Pavilion's blacksmiths specifically, Lou Gao's team.
When Ning Rongrong first witnessed the grand completion ceremony, she had been utterly awestruck.
You might doubt a blacksmith's construction skills, but never their aesthetic sense.
Inside, the Alchemy Pavilion was lavishly decorated, its walls lined with paintings of rare herbs.
This wasn't their first visit.
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan wound their way up to the top floor Dugu Bo's private domain.
"Grandpa, open up! Rongrong and I need to talk to you about something."
Dugu Yan knocked on the door.
With a heavy grinding sound, the stone door slowly slid apart.
The two stepped inside.
After turning a corner, they reached the main hall.
Dugu Bo sat cross-legged, lecturing on medicinal principles. Across from him was a young man around 20 years old, bearing a striking resemblance to Ning Fengzhi.
The moment Ning Rongrong entered and saw that familiar face beside Dugu Bo, she froze:
"Big brother... when did you get back?"