After absorbing the spirit ring, Tang San stood up and chose to go with Zhao Wuji to find Dai Mubai and the others.
Meanwhile, on the road to Suotuo City.
Xu Yuan and his group sat in the carriage, watching the scenery outside.
Xiao Wu, sitting next to Xu Yuan, curiously asked the teacher, "Teacher, why are we going to Suotuo City?"
Liu Erlong explained to Xiao Wu, "We're heading to the Great Spirit Arena in Suotuo City to train you in combat against Spirit Masters."
Fighting Spirit Beasts was to improve their experience in battling Spirit Beasts.
Going to the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena was to enhance their combat experience against Spirit Masters.
"Great Spirit Arena?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as she leaned against the carriage window, gripping the wooden frame to look outside. "Are there lots of powerful Spirit Masters fighting there?"
Liu Erlong leaned against the carriage wall, tapping her fingers on her knee. "It's not just fighting. There are strict Rank divisions, from Iron to Gold. Each victory earns points, and you can even make money. More importantly, you'll encounter all kinds of Spirits and Spirit Abilities, which is much more complex than just battling Spirit Beasts in the forest."
Everyone nodded in understanding after hearing Liu Erlong's words.
Xu Yuan leaned against the carriage wall, resting with his eyes closed, as there was nothing else to do at the moment.
Seeing Xu Yuan resting, Xiao Wu leaned on his shoulder to rest as well.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong watched Xiao Wu with a hint of envy.
As for Liu Erlong, recalling what happened that night, she felt uncomfortable all over.
Liu Erlong thought to herself, 'Erlong, oh Erlong, you're Xu Yuan's teacher. Don't keep thinking about such things all day long...' In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
As soon as the carriage entered Suotuo City, the clamor of the crowd surged like a tide.
After a while, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Suotuo City Grand Hotel.
"We're here." Liu Erlong was the first to get off, glancing up at the imposing hotel entrance before turning to call the others. "Everyone, get off. We'll rest here tonight and register at the Soul Arena tomorrow."
Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes as she lifted her head from Xu Yuan's shoulder and yawned. "Wow, this hotel is huge!"
Xu Yuan followed her off the carriage, stretching his stiff shoulders.
Ning Rongrong stepped down, holding up her skirt. Seeing the respectful demeanor of the doorman, she instinctively straightened her posture.
Her upbringing in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School ensured she maintained her composure even after a tiring journey.
She glanced at Xiao Wu, who was still clinging to Xu Yuan, and subtly moved closer to Xu Yuan's other side.
Zhu Zhuqing remained much quieter, simply following behind silently. Her alert eyes scanned the surroundings, her Cat Spirit's keen senses making her wary of unfamiliar environments.
Tai Long and the other three got off from the second carriage, each feeling sore.
Tai Long stretched his arms, his joints cracking loudly. He grimaced and said, "Riding in that carriage is more exhausting than fighting. I should've just walked."
Jiang Zhu covered her mouth with a light laugh. "With all that strength of yours going unused, you'll have plenty of fights at the Soul Arena tomorrow."
Huang Yuan patted Tai Long's back. "Stop complaining. Let's go rest at the hotel first."
Xu Yuan and his group entered the hotel together.
Entering the hotel lobby, the light from the crystal chandeliers spilled onto the polished marble floor, casting clear shadows of everyone.
The attendant, seeing Liu Erlong leading a group of young men and women, was about to step forward to inquire.
Ning Rongrong had already taken out a gleaming golden card and handed it over, her voice crisp. "Nine premium rooms, all adjacent. Put it on my account."
The attendant's eyes lit up upon seeing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School emblem on the card. He quickly bowed and replied, "Of course, Young Miss Ning. Right this way!"
His attitude became even more respectful than it had been toward Liu Erlong moments before.
Tai Long and the others were astonished. Huang Yuan nudged Xu Yuan's arm. "Ning Rongrong's style is truly befitting of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's little princess."
Xu Yuan smiled but said nothing.
Ning Rongrong, however, secretly glared at Huang Yuan before quickly glancing at Xu Yuan. Seeing he didn't mind, she relaxed and hurried to catch up with the attendant.
Liu Erlong shook her head at the scene, thinking to herself how charming Xu Yuan truly was.
After receiving the room keys, everyone dispersed to their rooms.
A while later, everyone emerged from their rooms and gathered in the lobby.
Xiao Wu clung to Xu Yuan's arm and said, "Brother Xu, let's go out for dinner together."
Just as Xu Yuan was about to agree, Ning Rongrong quickly walked over.
Ning Rongrong held a map of Suotuo City she had just gotten from the attendant and said casually, "I asked the attendant earlier. There's a century-old Spirit Beast barbecue restaurant in the west of the city. They use ten-year-old Gale Wolf legs, and it's said to taste amazing."
She waved the map. "I happen to want to try it too. Shall we go together?"
Zhu Zhuqing stood behind Ning Rongrong and nodded slightly, her voice soft but clear. "I'll go too."
Her gaze rested on Xu Yuan, carrying a hint of barely noticeable anticipation.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu tightened her grip on Xu Yuan's arm and huffed. "Fine, let's go. Who's afraid? But I'm sitting next to Brother Xu tonight!"
Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed slightly, but she refused to back down. "Why should you? I found the place, so I should sit next to Xu Yuan."
"I suggested it first!"
"I'm paying!"
The two argued back and forth, causing Tai Long and the others to snicker nearby.
Liu Erlong rubbed her temples in frustration and stepped forward to settle it. "What's all this arguing? Everyone's going. We'll sit at a large table. What difference does it make who sits next to whom?"
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong reluctantly fell silent but still glared at each other.
Xu Yuan watched the scene and smiled helplessly. "Alright, enough. If we don't go soon, the place might close."
Following Ning Rongrong's directions on the map, the group headed west. Suotuo City's night was particularly lively.
Turning a street corner, a shop with a plaque reading "Wolf Howl Pavilion" came into view. A massive wolf leg was roasting on a grill at the entrance, fat dripping and sizzling, its aroma wafting far and wide.
"This is it!" Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as she led the way inside.
Xu Yuan and his group followed Ning Rongrong into Wolf Howl Pavilion.
As soon as they entered, Xu Yuan saw seven beautiful young women walking toward them.
The leading young woman was about 165 centimeters tall, with a very well-proportioned figure—neither exaggeratedly voluptuous nor overly slender.
Her water-blue hair cascaded down her back. Her fair face was adorned with delicate features. At first glance, she might not seem exceptionally stunning, but upon closer inspection, her beauty became increasingly apparent—a kind of hazy allure.
The young women beside her were equally beautiful in appearance.
One of them saw Xu Yuan and said to the leader, "Captain, look at him. He's so handsome, almost like a girl."
Hearing this, the leading water-blue-haired young woman's gaze fell on Xu Yuan. A flicker of surprise passed through her clear eyes.
Xu Yuan's features were indeed strikingly handsome, especially under the light. His fair complexion and exquisite eyebrows gave him an androgynous, captivating beauty.
The other beautiful girls seemed to look at Xu Yuan after hearing their teammate's words.
When they saw Xu Yuan's appearance, the other beautiful girls agreed wholeheartedly with the girl who had just spoken.
"Don't be ridiculous," the leading beautiful girl scolded softly, then looked at Xu Yuan's group and nodded politely. "I'm sorry, my teammates were rude."
Xu Yuan replied with a smile: "It's fine."
Xiao Wu was unhappy, standing in front of Xu Yuan, puffing out her cheeks and glaring at the girl who spoke: "My Brother Xu is good-looking, he doesn't look like a girl!"
Ning Rongrong also nodded: "Exactly, our Xu Yuan is heroic!"
The seven girls were amused and laughed. The blue-haired girl leading them introduced herself while holding back a laugh: "We are students of Tianshui Academy, my name is Shui Binger."
After saying that, Shui Binger extended her hand to Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan raised his hand and shook Shui Binger's hand lightly, introducing himself: "My name is Xu Yuan, from Blue Tyrant Academy."
Shui Binger's hand paused slightly as she shook Xu Yuan's, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Blue Tyrant Academy? Dean Liu Erlong's academy? I've long heard that Dean Liu has a straightforward personality, I didn't expect her student to be so gentle."
She quite admired Liu Erlong—more accurately, she admired all strong women and dreamed of becoming one of them.
You should know that strong women are as rare as phoenix feathers on the entire Douluo Continent, not to mention female Titled Douluos.
"Teacher Liu has indeed taught us a lot." Xu Yuan withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over the other girls from Tianshui Academy as he smilingly introduced the people around him.
The girls from Tianshui Academy, upon learning of Liu Erlong's identity, crowded around her one after another.
"Dean Liu! Is it really you?" Xue Wu's eyes lit up, and she was the first to approach Liu Erlong, her face full of admiration. "I admire you very much and have always wanted to become someone like you."
Shui Yueer also took a step forward and whispered: "I also heard that your Fire Dragon Spirit is incredibly overbearing, far beyond the reach of many male Spirit Masters."
Liu Erlong, surrounded by a group of young girls and listening to their praise, laughed very happily.
After chatting with the girls from Tianshui Academy for a while, Liu Erlong saw off the Tianshui Academy students and had dinner with Xu Yuan and the others.
After dinner, the three including Tai Long returned to the hotel to rest.
Xu Yuan wanted to go rest with Tai Long and the others, but he was forcibly dragged out shopping by Xiao Wu and the others.
After shopping for several hours, Xu Yuan returned to his room to rest, feeling inexplicably exhausted in both body and mind.
The next day, after breakfast, Xu Yuan's group arrived at the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena.
Taking the forms from the front desk, Xu Yuan's group paid the fee and began filling in their information.
They filled in all the information except for their spirit power Rank.
The spirit power Rank needed to be tested by the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena before it could be filled in.
Just as Xu Yuan was testing his spirit power Rank, a force appeared out of thin air.
The next second, the spirit power Rank test showed Rank 38.
Seeing this, Liu Erlong felt a bit puzzled but said nothing.
Just a moment ago, she was having a headache over how to get Xu Yuan some training.
After all, Xu Yuan was a support-type Spirit Master.
Now that Xu Yuan's Rank was shown as 38, it was perfect for him to team up with others for training.
Xu Yuan wasn't surprised at all because he knew God King Tang San was behind this.
As for the purpose?
Of course, it was for the Luck and Origin on Tang San.
After registering the information, Xiao Wu came to his side, hugged Xu Yuan's arm, and said, "Brother Xu Yuan, let's team up."
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but sigh, feeling that she had arrived too late.
She thought about it and felt Tai Long was suitable for teaming up, so she went to find Tai Long.
Ning Rongrong had an indifferent expression; teaming up two supports was completely useless.
After spending some time together, Ning Rongrong decided to follow Xu Yuan and the others.
After Xu Yuan and the others finished their training, she would follow them to Blue Tyrant Academy.
Xu Yuan nodded and said, "Sure, but what should our team name be?"
"Team name?" Xiao Wu tilted her head and thought, her eyes lighting up. "How about the Yuan Wu Combination?"
Hearing Xiao Wu's suggestion, Xu Yuan, who struggled with naming things, nodded in agreement.
God King Tang San felt somewhat dissatisfied upon hearing what Xiao Wu said.
He thought to himself, what kind of trash is the Yuan Wu Combination? The San-Wu Combination is number one in the world.
Liu Erlong said to Xu Yuan's group, "Except for Jiang Zhu, everyone else must participate in one-on-one and two-on-two matches every day. As for team battles, fight if you can, but for every loss, your training back home will be doubled."
"Got it, Teacher!" Xiao Wu replied crisply.
Xiao Wu's eyes were still glued to Xu Yuan; she was clearly thinking about the upcoming two-on-two battle.
Zhu Zhuqing and the others nodded, indicating they understood.
Liu Erlong looked at Jiang Zhu and said, "Jiang Zhu, I will discuss it with the manager of the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena. For this month, besides the team battles, you will come to the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena to heal a certain number of people."
For a healing Spirit Master like Jiang Zhu, the best way to train her was to have her heal others.
Jiang Zhu nodded, indicating she understood.
Liu Erlong patted Jiang Zhu's shoulder: "Don't find it troublesome. Half of a healing Spirit Master's combat experience comes from the healing process. The more injuries you treat, the more refined your control over spirit power becomes. Only then can you stabilize the situation more quickly when a companion is seriously injured in the future."
"I understand, Teacher Liu." Jiang Zhu nodded seriously.
With the arrangements made, everyone signed up for one-on-one, two-on-two, and team battles.
The Soul Arena's broadcast kept announcing the matches, and soon it was Xiao Wu's turn for a one-on-one.
Xiao Wu took the stage; her opponent was a Rank 36 agility-attack system Spirit Master with a Flying Swallow Spirit.
"Little sister, you'd better admit defeat early to avoid being knocked away by me," the Flying Swallow Spirit Master said with a laugh, leaping lightly on the Spirit Fighting Stage.
Xiao Wu snorted: "It's not certain who will lose yet!"
Her First Spirit Skill, Waist Bow, was activated. Her body shot out like an arrow, dodging the opponent's charge while her right leg bent, kicking the opponent's side with precision.
The Flying Swallow Spirit Master didn't expect her to be so fast; he staggered a few steps in pain before activating his second Spirit Ability: "Flying Swallow Piercing the Forest!"
His body transformed into several afterimages, attacking Xiao Wu from different directions.
Just as Xu Yuan was curious about how Xiao Wu would solve it, the next scene surprised both him and God King Tang San.
Because Xiao Wu used a simplified version of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
On the Spirit Fighting Stage, Xiao Wu's figure suddenly became elusive. Her steps, though seemingly disorganized, followed a strange rhythm, allowing her to dodge vital spots just an instant before the afterimages struck.
The footwork was light and agile, bearing a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to the simplified Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, though it lacked some subtlety and had more of her own agility.
Xu Yuan and God King Tang San thought quickly and soon realized how Xiao Wu had learned the simplified version of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track
When Xu Yuan was teaching Zhu Zhuqing before, he did it in front of Xiao Wu, so Xiao Wu naturally knew about it.
What Xu Yuan and the God King Tang San didn't know was that Xiao Wu had privately asked Zhu Zhuqing for advice many times and then improved the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
Nowadays, what she used was not called Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but Rabbit Shadow Perplexing Track.
Using the Rabbit Shadow Perplexing Track, Xiao Wu circled behind the Swift Spirit Master. Her left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the opponent's wrist, while her right hand pressed against the opponent's solar plexus. With a clever use of leverage, she actually threw the person flying.
"Bang!"
The Swift Spirit Master crashed onto the Spirit Fighting Stage and couldn't get up for a long time, her eyes full of confusion—she hadn't even seen clearly how Xiao Wu had gotten behind her.
The referee announced: "Xiao Wu wins!"
Xiao Wu jumped up excitedly and waved to Xu Yuan below the stage, her face full of pride as if seeking credit.
Xu Yuan stepped forward, waited for her to jump off the stage, and then asked in a low voice: "That footwork... when did you learn it?"
Xiao Wu said somewhat proudly: "When you were teaching Zhuqing before, I learned it from behind, and Zhuqing even gave me some pointers."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Xu Yuan somewhat sheepishly, feeling a bit sorry toward him.
Noticing Zhu Zhuqing's expression, Xu Yuan comforted her, indicating that teaching Xiao Wu was no problem.
After Xiao Wu, it was Xu Yuan's turn to take the stage.
When Xu Yuan saw his opponent, he was incredibly surprised.
The opponent was a young girl with short, deep purple hair. She looked very heroic, and while not exactly peerlessly beautiful, she possessed a strange, demonic charm.
A pair of green eyes were very peculiar, giving off a somewhat eerie feeling.
Dugu Yan looked at Xu Yuan with some surprise and said, "So young, yet having the same strength as me, little sister."
Xu Yuan said somewhat speechlessly, "I am male."
Dugu Yan arched an eyebrow, a hint of playfulness flashing in her green eyes: "Oh? Sorry, it's just that you look too delicate."
She toyed with a strand of purple hair with her fingertips, her tone somewhat nonchalant, "But it doesn't matter, I'll be a bit gentler when I strike later."
The referee blew the whistle. The moment the Spirit fight began, two yellow and one purple spirit rings suddenly lit up under Dugu Yan's feet.
Xu Yuan's one yellow and two purple spirit rings also suddenly lit up.
Except for Xiao Wu's group, everyone else saw that Xu Yuan's second spirit ring was a thousand-year one.
They were incredibly shocked because they had never heard of anyone's second spirit ring being a thousand-year one.
Because the Douluo Continent recognized the most perfect spirit ring configuration as yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
Some people noticed that Xu Yuan's third spirit ring was a purple-black color, and it would only take a few more years to become a ten-thousand-year one.
"That third spirit ring... the color is way too dark, isn't it? How many years must that Spirit Beast have been?"
"And the second spirit ring! It's actually a purple thousand-year spirit ring! Which family's Genius is this boy?"
"Looking at his age, he's at most thirteen or fourteen. To absorb a thousand-year ring for his second spirit ring, isn't he afraid of his body exploding?"
Amidst the discussion, the playfulness in Dugu Yan's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of solemnity.
"A bit interesting." Dugu Yan licked the corner of her lips, a flash of excitement in her green eyes, "It seems I don't need to hold back."
After saying that, Dugu Yan directly activated her Spirit Body Possession.
Her body became extremely supple, her legs fused together into a thick snake tail, and she used the tail's swaying to support her body. A diamond-shaped green scale appeared on her forehead.
Her green eyes became exceptionally sharp, her cold aura devoid of any human emotion.
Her third spirit ring lit up, and she spat out a thick purple mist from her mouth, a pungent fishy smell lunging toward Xu Yuan.
"Xu Yuan, follow my instructions next. Take out the water skin containing strong liquor mixed with realgar powder and throw it toward the purple mist. Then use Hidden Weapons to break the water skin and use fire to ignite the liquor."
Seeing this situation, the God King Tang San spoke to Xu Yuan within the Sea of Spirit.
He was very excited now. Once the purple mist was resolved, Dugu Yan would definitely tell Dugu Bo after she went back.
After going back, they could encounter Dugu Bo, and then they could go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Xu Yuan followed the instructions and took out a water skin from Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges.
This was something the God King Tang San had him prepare in advance; as for the purpose, he naturally knew it.
The water skin drew an arc in the air, flying precisely toward the center of the purple mist.
Seeing this, Dugu Yan arched her eyebrows, just about to mock the move as meaningless, when she saw Xu Yuan flick his finger. Three Bone-Piercing Nails glinting with cold light shot through the air, piercing the water skin with a 'chi' sound.
The moment the three Bone-Piercing Nails pierced the water skin, Xu Yuan blew on the fire starter in his hand and tossed it into the air.
"Boom—"
Orange-red flames suddenly exploded, creating a wave of fire within the purple mist.
The purple poison mist vanished instantly.
Under the illumination of the lights, only the fragments of the two broken water skins slowly drifted down.
"No, this is impossible. How could you break my Jade Phosphor Purple Poison?" Dugu Yan stared blankly at Xu Yuan opposite her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
One must know that the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison released by her third Spirit Ability was incredibly toxic. As long as one was tainted by even a bit of the purple mist, they would turn into a pool of pus and die within a short time. She never expected it to be so easily countered by Xu Yuan.
If Xu Yuan had used a Spirit Ability to solve it, she wouldn't have been surprised, but Xu Yuan hadn't used a Spirit Ability.
While Dugu Yan was dazed, Xu Yuan used his First Spirit Skill, Life Entanglement.
The Blue Silver Emperor erupted from the ground like a sudden rain. The jade-like vines, carrying a refreshing scent of vegetation, instantly wrapped around Dugu Yan's snake tail.
Those vines were also adorned with tiny white flowers, their petals trembling slightly and emitting a light fragrance that could soothe the Spirit.
Dugu Yan snapped back to her senses, only to feel a strange sense of restraint coming from her tailbone.
What alarmed her even more was that the spirit power in her body was actually leaking slightly through the contact points with the vines, turning to nourish the constantly tightening Blue Silver Emperor.
"Get off!" Dugu Yan shouted angrily, her snake tail thrashing violently in an attempt to snap the vines.
But those Blue Silver Emperor vines, though seemingly slender, were incredibly tough. The force of the Binding grew tighter with her struggle, and the fragrance of the white flowers became more intense, causing her surging anger to mysteriously calm down a bit.
While Dugu Yan was resisting, Xu Yuan rushed over and threw a punch toward Dugu Yan's abdomen.
There was no other way; Dugu Yan was female, and there were many places he couldn't hit.
If he hit Dugu Yan's face, it would truly be a fight to the death, and other locations were also troublesome.
The only place where hitting wouldn't cause trouble was Dugu Yan's abdomen.
Xu Yuan's fist carried a steady force, but when it landed on Dugu Yan's abdomen, he deliberately held back some power.
His goal was suppression, not heavy injury.
Even so, Dugu Yan still let out a muffled groan, feeling a sharp pain in her abdomen as her spirit power flow instantly became sluggish.
Dugu Yan's body bent from the punch, and her snake tail swayed violently, but she couldn't break free from the restraint of the Blue Silver Emperor no matter what.
Those lightly scented white flowers seemed to possess magic, causing the hostility in her heart to dissipate bit by bit, and even her spirit power began to circulate sluggishly
"You..." Dugu Yan looked up at Xu Yuan, her green eyes filled with disbelief. "Your Blue Silver Grass... how can it have this kind of effect?"
Xu Yuan didn't answer. With a slight movement of his fingertips, the Blue Silver Emperor tightened once more.
He could feel Dugu Yan's spirit power draining rapidly. The energy absorbed by the Blue Silver Emperor was flowing back into his own body through the vines, slowly restoring his previously consumed spirit power.
Xiao Wu watched with great excitement, jumping up and down below the stage: "Go Xu Yuan! That's amazing!"
Zhu Zhuqing also nodded slightly, a hint of approval in her eyes.
Liu Erlong nodded slightly, very satisfied with Xu Yuan's performance.
The only thing she was curious about was how Xu Yuan knew how to resolve the poison.
Ning Rongrong looked at Xu Yuan, her mind racing with thoughts.
She planned to send a message to her father after returning to recruit Xu Yuan.
Although she was pampered to the heavens by her father and others, it didn't mean she was a fool.
Seeing a Genius as outstanding as Xu Yuan, the idea of recruiting him naturally arose.
Perhaps, her father might even betroth her to Xu Yuan.
Thinking of this, Ning Rongrong became a bit shy.
Xu Yuan looked at Dugu Yan and said, "Surrender. There's absolutely no need to continue fighting."
Dugu Yan bit her lip hard. She watched as a faint jade-colored halo shimmered where the Blue Silver Emperor bound her. Her spirit power drained faster and faster, and she even began to wobble while standing.
Xu Yuan's voice was calm and steady, yet it felt like a hammer smashing ruthlessly against her pride.
"I..." Dugu Yan wanted to say something, but found it difficult even to open her mouth.
The fragrance emitted by those small white flowers continuously soothed her spirit, leaving her with almost no strength even for anger.
Dugu Yan considered the current situation; it was impossible for her to defeat Xu Yuan.
"I surrender." These three words were squeezed out of Dugu Yan's mouth, carrying a heavy sense of humiliation.
She thought to herself secretly that she must win against Xu Yuan next time.
Xu Yuan immediately withdrew the Blue Silver Emperor. The jade-colored vines receded like a tide, leaving only a few falling white petals swirling in the air.
Dugu Yan staggered back a few steps, her legs gave way, and she fell toward the ground.
Xu Yuan's movements were as fast as lightning. At the moment Dugu Yan was about to hit the ground, he firmly caught her arm.
"Be careful," Xu Yuan said softly.
The moment Dugu Yan was supported by Xu Yuan, her body suddenly stiffened.
Hearing that "be careful," her cheeks instantly heated up as if burned by fire, and even the tips of her ears turned red.
"Th-thanks." Dugu Yan almost frantically pulled away from Xu Yuan's hand.
Staggering to a steady stand, she didn't dare look up at Xu Yuan again. She only hurriedly dropped those words before turning to walk quickly off the stage.
Her retreating figure carried a hint of wretchedness, along with a trace of panic she hadn't even noticed herself.
Yu Tianheng's face turned green upon seeing this; one must know that Dugu Yan was his girlfriend.
Seeing this, God King Tang San lamented in his heart that Yu Xiaogang's luck with women was truly strong.
He beat Dugu Yan, then supported her once, and she became like this.
If they spent some time together, wouldn't she just give herself to Xu Yuan for free?
Xu Yuan left the competition grounds and returned to the contestant lounge area.
Next it was Zhu Zhuqing and the others' turn; they each obtained their first victories one by one.
Next were the 2v2 matches. For Xu Yuan's group, it wasn't difficult at all, and they won with ease.
In the team match, Xu Yuan's group encountered a team with little reputation and won easily.
After finishing the team match, Xu Yuan and his group planned to leave the Suotuo Soul Arena.
Just as they reached the main entrance, Xu Yuan saw an unexpected person: it was Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan crossed her arms and looked at Xu Yuan, saying, "Come with me, I have something I want to talk to you about."
Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised that Dugu Yan would take the initiative to find him. He glanced at Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing beside him; both had curiosity in their eyes.
"What is it?" Xu Yuan asked in a calm tone.
Dugu Yan avoided Xu Yuan's gaze, her eyes falling to the ground, her voice a bit stiff: "You'll know if you come with me. It's nothing bad."
Xiao Wu tugged on Xu Yuan's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Yuan, how about I go with you?"
Dugu Yan immediately looked up and glared at Xiao Wu: "I'm only looking for him alone."
Xu Yuan patted Xiao Wu's shoulder, signaling her not to worry: "I'll be right back. You guys wait for me at the hotel."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded: "Be careful."
Xu Yuan followed Dugu Yan away from the Soul Arena, turning into a quiet side alley.
Dugu Yan turned to look at Xu Yuan and said, "How did you break my snake poison?"
Her snake poison was top-tier, yet it was easily broken by Xu Yuan today. This made her very unwilling, and she wanted to find out why.
Looking at the stubbornness in Dugu Yan's eyes, Xu Yuan thought for a moment and explained: "Snakes are naturally wary of Realgar; this is common sense. Although your Jade Phosphor Purple Mist is poisonous, its essence still shares the same origin as snake venom..."
He spoke concisely and clearly, without the slightest hint of showing off, as if he were merely stating a very simple truth.
All of this was what God King Tang San had told him; he was merely following what God King Tang San said.
Dugu Yan was stunned. she had never imagined that the poisonous mist she was so proud of would be countered by such basic common sense.
She had always thought that only detoxification Spirit Abilities could compete with it, neglecting this most primitive relationship of restraint.
"Is it... just that simple?" Dugu Yan was somewhat incredulous, her tone carrying a heavy sense of loss.
The poison techniques she had practiced hard for years could actually be neutralized by a bit of common sense in the opponent's eyes?
"The Great Dao is simple," Xu Yuan said calmly. "Sometimes, complex problems don't necessarily require complex solutions."
Dugu Yan fell silent, looking down at her palms.
She had always taken pride in her poison arts, even being somewhat conceited. Today's spirit fight was like a bucket of cold water, waking her up from her pride.
"I see." After a long while, Dugu Yan finally looked up. Her green eyes had less of their previous hostility and a bit more complexity. "Thank you for telling me."
Xu Yuan looked at Dugu Yan and said, "From the look of you, you should be poisoned, and you've been poisoned for a long time."
Dugu Yan snapped her head up, her green eyes instantly filled with vigilance: "What nonsense are you talking about! My grandfather is the Poison Douluo, how could I possibly be poisoned?"
Xu Yuan smiled and spoke: "This poison of yours has been there since you were in the womb. One look at you and it's obvious. If you don't believe me, you can go back and ask your grandfather."
Dugu Yan thought for a moment and denied it: "What absolute rubbish! How could I possibly..."
However, she couldn't help but believe Xu Yuan's words in her heart.
Mainly, it was because Xu Yuan had easily broken her snake poison before; otherwise, she wouldn't have believed Xu Yuan's words.
Xu Yuan looked at Dugu Yan and said, "Whether you believe it or not is your business; I have no reason to lie to you. Besides, you were the one who came looking for me first; what point would there be in me lying to you