Dugu Bo didn't even know what state of mind he had been in when he stepped into the Consecration Hall, nor did he quite remember how he walked back out.
What he did remember was that all the Worship Elders inside had been remarkably amiable. In particular, the Grand Worship Elder, Qian Daoliu, carried himself with a gentle warmth, completely devoid of arrogance.
After learning that Dugu Bo had come to the Spirit Hall because he had seen the note and, out of concern, wanted to confirm Chen Ming's condition, not only did Qian Daoliu show no displeasure, he even praised such character. He then pulled Dugu Bo into a brief discussion about cultivation, as well as the poison within his body…
To be honest, Dugu Bo had long grown used to people recognizing at a glance that he carried poison in his body—yet choosing not to mention it.
So when Qian Daoliu casually remarked that he had once considered helping Dugu Bo remove the poison, but ultimately gave up because Dugu Bo had disappeared too quickly after his coronation, Dugu Bo couldn't help but feel a sharp twist in his heart.
If anyone else had said such a thing, Dugu Bo might have dismissed it as mere politeness. But Qian Daoliu was a Limit Douluo, a figure whose reputation across the continent spoke for itself. Whether in terms of personal integrity or practical considerations, he was entirely trustworthy.
Moreover, the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was universally acknowledged as possessing absolute suppression over all negative attributes and energies. Historically, there had been auxiliary-type Limit Douluo with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, so it was only natural to say that it could neutralize the poison.
...
Not long after, Chen Ming and the Golden Crocodile Douluo returned to the Consecration Hall. When Chen Ming saw that Dugu Bo had come all this way because of a single note, he couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth, his trust in Dugu Bo deepening further.
For the old poison master to charge straight into the Spirit Hall's Douluo Hall for his sake—this meant he truly regarded Chen Ming as one of his own.
The reason Dugu Bo had arrived a day later wasn't because of hesitation, but simply because his speed fell far short of Fifteen Ton Douluo, Falling Devil Douluo, and Chrysanthemum Douluo. Though they had set out at roughly the same time, he had inevitably fallen behind due to the difference in speed.
Since Dugu Bo had treated him with sincerity, Chen Ming naturally had no intention of betraying that trust. In any world, a trustworthy ally was a form of wealth—and when that ally was both powerful and capable of growth, that wealth became all the more precious.
Taking the opportunity to introduce Dugu Bo to Golden Crocodile Douluo, Chen Ming pointed out the embryonic Dragon Core within Dugu Bo, hoping that Golden Crocodile Douluo could offer him some guidance.
Hearing that a human could actually possess such a fortuitous opportunity, Golden Crocodile Douluo—a fellow sub-dragon Martial Soul Spirit Master—was quite surprised. He offered Dugu Bo several pointers based on his own insights and his knowledge of dragon-type Spirit Beasts.
Regarding Dugu Bo's Dragon Core, Golden Crocodile Douluo gave an extremely high appraisal.
If not for the hurried formation of the core, combined with Dugu Bo's limited development of it, then with this Dragon Corealone, his baseline cultivation should have already exceeded level 95. For him, the barrier below that level should have been almost nonexistent.
Now that the toxins within his body had been cleansed, Dugu Bo's physical condition and vitality had improved significantly. At seventy or eighty years old, he was still considered young among Titled Douluo.
If he cultivated properly in the future, Golden Crocodile Douluo believed reaching level 96 would be no problem. With better talent and fortune, even level 97—or higher—was not out of the question.
As for anything beyond that…
Golden Crocodile Douluo could tell that Dugu Bo was, to put it mildly, a bit slow—not particularly sharp. So he didn't push the matter further.
Still, he couldn't help but think that if he himself had managed to condense a core back in the day, then perhaps in the Consecration Hall today, even Qian Daoliu would have had to call him "big brother."
Although he had never truly transformed into a dragon, Golden Crocodile Douluo had cultivated for an extremely long time. Coupled with the vast amount of information and case studies he had collected regarding dragon transformation, the guidance he provided was both grounded and reliable.
After explaining things to Dugu Bo, the latter seemed to gain a sudden insight. His entire demeanor shifted as a new direction for the development of his Martial Soul began to take shape in his mind.
Meanwhile, Chen Ming, observing from the side, had already deduced several possible paths that could allow the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor to fully evolve into a true dragon.
As for which path Dugu Bo would ultimately choose—that remained to be seen.
...
Over the next few days spent within the Spirit Hall, Chen Ming read through numerous cultivation notes and life records left behind by Titled Douluo, absorbing a wealth of experience from them.
It was much like how a crude craftsman might rely purely on instinct—thinking "this should work" and forcing things through raw talent alone—whereas a true master would gradually refine their methods until their creations became reliable and aligned with reality, functioning even without their direct involvement.
Even if they didn't fully understand the underlying principles, those who had reached the level of Titled Douluo—aside from rare cases like Dugu Bo, who relied more on fortune—could still derive something meaningful from their own intuition and experience.
Most people couldn't explain the theory, but they could roughly describe the process. Occasionally, there were even those who managed to genuinely uncover something about their own Martial Soul and Spirit Abilities.
From the preserved true dragon heart, Chen Ming extracted a portion of true dragon blood essence. He then asked Golden Crocodile Douluo to use his Spirit Power to drill a small hole into the bone marrow of a Darkgold Demon Tiger's, obtaining a sample to serve as a primary ingredient. With these in hand, Chen Ming began preparing the formula.
At one point, he even shamelessly sought out Qian Daoliu and asked him to act as a human furnace.
Qian Daoliu found the request rather strange—and somewhat awkward—but he did not refuse. Despite not understanding the principles involved, his cultivation as a Limit Douluo and his precise control allowed him to perform the role flawlessly.
The Angel Fire was the epitome of pure, blazing Yang energy. It could kill, it could heal, and it possessed powerful purifying properties—making it an ideal flame for alchemy. And since this flame came from Qian Daoliu himself, a Limit Douluo and the high priest of the Angel God, its quality was on an entirely different level.
Relying solely on the wondrous nature of this flame, Chen Ming succeeded in carrying out several experiments that would have been nearly impossible in theory. At the same time, he was able to remove impurities from the medicinal mixture and significantly enhance the final quality of the pill.
It was only because Qian Daoliu had a good temperament—and because Chen Ming was both extraordinarily talented and now the disciple of the Golden Crocodile Douluo—that a Limit Douluo had allowed himself to be dragged into serving as a fire source for three entire days. Anyone else would have considered it a great honor just to cooperate for a few hours.
And it was through this level of cooperation, combined with the careful blending of various medicinal ingredients, that Chen Ming finally succeeded in refining a pill that, by all rights, should not have existed in the Douluo world.
Because of its ingredients, he named it the Dragon-Tiger Great Restoration Pill.
"What does this pill do?" Qian Daoliu asked curiously, examining the golden, metallic-looking sphere that radiated a rich luster.
"This pill nourishes one's origin, strengthens blood essence, and enhances physical constitution. Most importantly, it can also increase vitality."
"The true dragon blood essence and the white tiger bone marrow are both incredibly potent tonics on their own. But if consumed and refined directly, their effects would be far too violent. So I used other medicinal ingredients and the properties of the flame to neutralize that violent energy while simultaneously using it to stimulate the effects of the other components. And thanks especially to Martial Uncle's Angel Sacred Fire, the medicinal potency has been elevated even further."