As dawn broke, Long Chen awoke from absorbing the soul ring.
Feeling the new life force within him, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo walked over.
"How does it feel? After absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring, your soul power should have increased quite a bit, right?"
Long Chen stood up, stretched his limbs, and replied:
"My soul power has increased by two levels, reaching level forty-two."
Dugu Bo nodded, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
"It's incredible that you actually managed to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring as your fourth ring. Your potential and physique are truly extraordinary, and your future achievements are limitless."
Long Chen smiled modestly:
"Without your protection, senior, I would not have been able to succeed so smoothly."
Dugu Bo waved his hand.
"It's the result of your own hard work; I was just watching from the sidelines. However, you still have a long road ahead. A ten-thousand-year soul ring is good, but it will also bring you danger. Do you know why?"
"You mean the Spirit Hall?"
Dugu Bo nodded and continued:
"Your spirit is of the evil attribute, and your spirit skills are very strange. Your fourth spirit ring has already reached the ten-thousand-year level. It's hard not to attract the attention of the Spirit Hall. A genius like you, without a powerful force behind you, will only be ruthlessly eliminated by the Spirit Hall if you cannot be used by them."
"Of course I know that, which is why I've been working hard to become stronger."
"It's good that you went to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, so your safety is guaranteed for now. However, I'm curious, with your talent, why did you go to the Royal Academy so late?"
"Telling you won't hurt. The evil attribute of my martial soul and the special nature of my soul skills force me to do this."
Afterwards, Long Chen told Dugu Bo about his past experiences from the previous few years.
Dugu Bo then understood.
"The Ye Tianming couple went to great lengths for you, and you finally lived up to their expectations by not being controlled by your inner demons and managing to control that powerful evil force. I share their thoughts: try not to use your first soul skill, the Devouring ability, in public."
"Yes, I know."
Dugu Bo suddenly chuckled.
"Young man, since you're willing to tell me your secret, it means you're willing to consider me a friend. I, Dugu Bo, have always been a loner and don't like socializing, but I'm willing to befriend you, my little brother."
"It is my honor, Long Chen, to be friends with you, the Poison Douluo who is unparalleled in the world for your poison skills. If you don't mind, then we can call each other brothers from now on. I'll call you Brother Bo, how about that?"
"Haha~ Whatever. By the way, what's the ten-thousand-year soul skill you just acquired?"
"My ten-thousand-year-old soul skill is also a bit strange; it can summon a ferocious beast through the sound of the magic zither."
After Long Chen finished speaking, he once again released the Dark Night Demon Harp Martial Soul and four spirit rings of yellow, yellow, purple, and black.
As the strings were plucked, the fourth spirit ring suddenly emitted a dazzling and profound black light.
The black light exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.
A heavy and oppressive atmosphere began to permeate the air, as if a dark cloud had descended.
The black mist rapidly condensed in the air, transforming into a huge and ferocious phantom.
The phantom was massive, its four feet treading on clouds, its body shrouded in wisps of black mist, like a demon crawling out of the abyss, carrying an aura of endless death and destruction.
It has the build of a tiger, with long fur and a long tail. Its face is somewhat human-like, and it has tusks like a wild boar in its mouth.
The deep roar contained a terrifying power that instilled fear in people.
The oppressive aura emanating from its body caused even a powerful Title Douluo like Dugu Bo to frown slightly, secretly marveling at the strangeness and power of this ten-thousand-year-old soul skill.
Long Chen's fingertips danced and leaped across the strings, each note seeming to be a summoning and manipulation of that enormous phantom.
The phantom seemed to respond to his call, gradually revealing an even more terrifying power and form, as if ready to obey its master's command at any moment and tear all enemies to shreds.
Suddenly, the monster split in two, becoming two identical phantoms.
Upon seeing this, Dugu Bo's eyes widened in astonishment.
Long Chen stopped what he was doing, put away the Dark Night Demon Harp Martial Soul, and the huge black phantom also disappeared.
Dugu Bo stared at the spot where the illusory figure had disappeared, and asked in confusion:
"Xiao Chen, what was that phantom you just summoned? It had a strange shape and a menacing aura, somewhat like some kind of tiger-like spirit beast, but I've never seen it before."
Long Chen smiled slightly and explained:
"That's the legendary ferocious beast—Taowu. It's extremely vicious and never retreats in battle."
"Taowu? I never imagined you could summon such a ferocious beast. It transformed into two black shadows; one of them must be a shadow clone, right?"
"Yes, it's similar to Ghost Tiger's Shadow Clone skill."
"Your ten-thousand-year soul skill is indeed extraordinary. It seems that your attack power has increased quite a bit."
After Dugu Bo finished speaking, he looked around.
"Xiao Chen, you've finished absorbing your spirit rings, we should go now."
"Okay, let's go."
The two walked towards the edge of the forest, talking as they went.
Long Chen said:
"Brother Bo, you have fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the Grade 9 Purple Ganoderma. After we return, we will proceed with the next stage of treatment."
"You already have an idea?"
"Well, the method isn't complicated. The reason you were poisoned is mainly because your martial soul is a beast martial soul, and you cultivate poison techniques, causing the poison to fuse with your body. If you have a parasite inside your body, you can use it to store the poison. If I'm not mistaken, you should have a soul bone inside you, right?"
Dugu Bo then suddenly realized what was going on.
"You mean, you want me to force the toxins in my body into my soul bone, so that the toxins won't harm me?"
Long Chen nodded.
"Your poisoning is too severe; medication alone can only alleviate part of it. This is a better approach."
Dugu Bo thought for a moment, then sighed softly:
"I do have a soul bone, and I understand what you're saying. However, I've cultivated the Azure Serpent Martial Soul for many years, turning it into the Azure Serpent Emperor. My body has long since become one with the poison. Forcing the poison into the soul bone won't be so easy. If I'm not careful, I might suffer an even more severe backlash from the poison, which would be tantamount to suicide."
Long Chen smiled calmly and continued:
"Of course I've considered that too. Don't worry, I don't mean for you to use your soul power to force out the poison directly. You need to cooperate with my medication to gradually filter out the toxins from your body, and then use your soul power to slowly guide those toxins into your soul bone. This is a long process, and I will accompany you through it. This method may not be able to force all the toxins in your body into your soul bone, but it can at least alleviate the pain you are suffering."
Seeing Long Chen's confident demeanor, Dugu Bo became intrigued.
"Okay, I believe you. Let's try it out when we get back."
"Um."
During his years at Guang'an Hall, Long Chen has been dedicated to research on antidotes for snake venom.
Persistence pays off, and he eventually mastered some methods of detoxification.
After returning to the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, the two began their experiment.
With Long Chen's help, Dugu Bo took a special medicine that gradually forced the toxins in his body into his head's soul bone, and his health improved significantly.