With his cultivation level, he shouldn't have allowed anyone to get so close to him.
However, he had been preoccupied with Li Xun, which caused him to lower his guard.
"Senior, please don't be alarmed. My elder and I are merely passing through this area and had no intention of spying," said a young girl with bright eyes, pearly teeth, golden hair, and snow-white skin, who appeared before Dugu Bo with light steps.
The girl, around eighteen or nineteen years old, was like a budding flower about to bloom.
Though there was still room for her to grow.
Even at her current age, her beauty was already extraordinary.
Behind her stood a burly man with red hair, clad in golden armor, whose every movement exuded an aura of dominance.
Seeing the two, Dugu Bo's eyes turned cold, and his Soul Power surged within him. The nine Spirit Rings beneath his feet began to slowly rotate.
This was the most critical moment for Li Xun, and these two had come so close.
If they harbored ill intentions, it could lead to unimaginable consequences.
Qian Renxue, seeing Dugu Bo's tense demeanor, smiled gently and said, "Senior, there's no need to be anxious. My elder and I truly are just passing by. If we had any malicious intentions, we wouldn't have waited until now."
As she spoke.
The burly red-haired man behind her instantly summoned his Martial Soul, and beneath his feet appeared nine Spirit Rings: two yellow, three purple, and four black.
This man was also a Titled Douluo, though his Spirit Ring configuration wasn't as perfect as Poison Douluo's.
He was missing a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring.
Dugu Bo's heart tightened, and his expression grew serious. He glanced at Li Xun's condition and slowly took a few steps back, moving closer to Li Xun.
"Senior, now you believe us, right?"
Qian Renxue flashed a smile, then turned her attention away from Dugu Bo.
Instead, she focused her gaze on Li Xun.
This little junior brother of mine is growing quite fast.
Qian Renxue knew of Li Xun's talent and that his second Spirit Ring was already a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.
At first, she had been shocked.
But as time passed and she interacted with him more, she gradually grew accustomed to it.
Over the past two years, Qian Renxue had often visited the academy to chat with Li Xun and Ning Rongrong about the continent's political situation and matters related to the Spirit Hall.
Though it seemed like casual conversation.
Her true goal was to gauge the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's stance on the Spirit Hall and to influence the next generation's perspective.
Fortunately, her efforts over the past two years hadn't been in vain. Li Xun and Ning Rongrong seemed to have let down their guard against the Spirit Hall.
"Xue'er, that child is absorbing a Spirit Ring beyond his level. Judging by the age of the Azure Vine, it should be close to six thousand years," Porcupinefish Douluo narrowed his eyes and whispered to Qian Renxue.
He was utterly astonished.
To absorb a Soul Beast close to six thousand years for the third Spirit Ring—even Qian Renxue, with her divine-level Martial Soul, hadn't achieved such a feat at level thirty.
This person could no longer be called a genius.
He was a monster.
"What? Close to six thousand years?"
Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes narrowed as she looked past Li Xun to the Azure Vine behind him.
Except for commoners, most Soul Masters' third Spirit Rings were typically at the thousand-year level. That's why she hadn't thought much of it when she saw Li Xun absorbing a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.
However, most Soul Masters' third Spirit Rings ranged between fourteen hundred to seventeen hundred years.
Even those with exceptional talent could barely reach two thousand years.
Someone directly absorbing a Spirit Ring four thousand years beyond their level had never been seen on the continent before.
"The second Spirit Ring is a thousand years, and the third Spirit Ring is close to six thousand years. It seems I underestimated this junior brother," Qian Renxue withdrew her gaze and looked back at Li Xun.
If she remembered correctly, Li Xun was only ten years old this year.
Such a cultivation speed was likely the fastest on the continent, aside from her own divine-level Martial Soul.
If he could be of use to me...
Qian Renxue's eyes lit up as the thought crossed her mind.
Dugu Bo had been observing the situation between the two, ready to intervene at any moment.
However, a battle between Titled Douluos, even the residual energy, could affect Li Xun.
That's why he held back.
When he saw the two whispering to each other, he fixed his intense gaze on Li Xun.
His heart tightened.
He was prepared to unleash his strongest skill to buy time for Li Xun.
"Phew~"
The three of them remained in this tense standoff for an hour before Li Xun exhaled a turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes.
A Soul Beast close to six thousand years old had already exceeded the limits of what his body could endure.
Fortunately, with the support of Spiritual Energy and his self-healing ability, he managed to pull through without his body exploding or becoming crippled from the overwhelming energy.
Even so, his condition wasn't great. His body was still covered in fine wounds.
These wounds were healing very slowly, as if they had surpassed the upper limit of his self-healing ability. Even Spiritual Energy couldn't do much to help.
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I'll need to find a healing Soul Master when I get back...
Li Xun thought to himself.
Although the risk this time was considerable, the rewards were exceptionally rich. His Soul Power had now reached level 34.
He also gained an active skill extension, allowing him to control plants to extend outward as long as he had enough Soul Power.
His second Spirit Ring's passive ability had also greatly improved through absorbing the Azure Vine.
Such a significant boost must also be due to the Marvelous Velvet Sky-Reaching Chrysanthemum.
After briefly sensing his condition, Li Xun turned his gaze to the golden-haired girl and the red-haired man.
When he saw the nine Spirit Rings glowing beneath the feet of the red-haired man and Dugu Bo, he was momentarily stunned.
"Grandpa Dugu, what's going on?"
"Kid, you finished absorbing so quickly?"
Dugu Bo was taken aback, then let out a long breath as his tense expression gradually eased: "These two said they were just passing by."
Now that Li Xun had finished absorbing the Spirit Ring, he no longer needed to worry.
Even if a fight broke out, he had nothing to fear.
"Just passing by?"
Li Xun endured the pain and slowly stood up, walking over to Dugu Bo's side: "Do you two have any other business?"
The golden-haired girl, with her Titled Douluo status, made Li Xun begin to form a guess in his mind.
However, everything that happened between Tang San and the Spirit Hall was just a microcosm of this world.
It was far from revealing the full picture of Douluo.
It couldn't be ruled out that there were still wild Douluos out there.
"Hehe, my elder and I were passing through when we happened to see this little brother absorbing a Spirit Ring beyond his level, so we stopped to watch."
"Please forgive our intrusion."
Qian Renxue gave a slight bow, feigning ignorance: "May I ask if this little brother belongs to any sect?"
Seeing Qian Renxue pretending not to recognize him, Li Xun's mind raced.
Considering the relationship between Qian Renxue and Bibidong, as well as his own plans, he decided to bring Dugu Bo into Qian Renxue's view: "I am Li Xun of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and this is my Grandpa Dugu, the Poison Douluo."
"So it's the esteemed Poison Douluo, my apologies for the earlier discourtesy," Qian Renxue bowed once more to Dugu Bo. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qian Renxue, daughter of the former Pope of the Spirit Hall. Beside me is the Spirit Hall's elder, Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue."
Porcupinefish Douluo nodded slightly to Li Xun and the others.
"Greetings, Miss Qian Renxue, and Esteemed Ci Xue," Li Xun quickly feigned surprise and bowed in return.
His surprise was partly genuine.
After all, Porcupinefish Douluo was a natural counter to Dugu Bo. Although Dugu Bo was among the weakest of the Title Douluo, he could still hold his own against others. But against Porcupinefish Douluo, he would be almost instantly defeated.
If Qian Renxue harbored any intent to kill... Li Xun's heart grew wary.
Upon hearing their identities, Poison Douluo's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded without speaking.
At this moment, both he and Ci Xue still had their auras restrained, their Martial Souls not yet withdrawn despite the formal exchange of greetings.
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