Chapter 88: From Now On, You're My Brother!
The time Dugu Bo spent refining the medicinal power of the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd was even longer than Lin Mo had expected.
A full 3 days had passed since Dugu Bo swallowed it, yet he still showed no signs of ending his cultivation.
Seeing this, Lin Mo could only shake his head helplessly.
If Dugu Bo did not wake up soon, he would have no choice but to go out again.
After completing the Ice Fire Alchemy Body, neither the harsh environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well nor the poison formation Dugu Bo had set outside it could stop him anymore.
He could indeed stay inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a long time, but that came with one condition, he needed enough food and living supplies.
Because this place lay deep within the Sunset Forest, Lin Mo did not dare be careless, much less wander around it at will.
The overall quality of the Spirit Beasts in the Sunset Forest was extremely high. For a Spirit Master like him, who had only just reached the Rank 30 quasi-Spirit Elder realm, danger was everywhere.
During these 3 days, Lin Mo had only gone out once. He took Charmeleon to hunt a 100 year bovine Spirit Beast nearby and used it as food for the next few days.
He had not reached the realm of surviving without food yet, so he could not go hungry.
Of course, the high quality of the Spirit Beasts in the Sunset Forest was also a good thing for Lin Mo. It meant he would not need to make another trip to a different Spirit Beast forest.
If everything went smoothly, he would be able to obtain his 3rd Spirit Ring right here in the Sunset Forest.
Just as Lin Mo was gnawing on the last beef leg, a sky-piercing jade green burst of Spirit Power suddenly erupted from the direction of the Fragrant Silk Tulip. Its aura was exceptionally astonishing.
At the same time, Dugu Bo's hearty laughter rang out.
"Hahaha! I finally succeeded!"
As his voice fell, he instantly completed Martial Soul Possession. 9 Spirit Rings, 2 yellow, 2 purple, and 5 black, appeared beneath his feet.
However, the presence Dugu Bo now emitted after using his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor was no longer just the cold, sinister poison of before. Mixed into it now was a heavy, grounded pressure, like the earth itself.
"Congratulations, Senior. Your wish has finally been fulfilled."
Lin Mo spoke with a slightly muffled voice as he glanced at the green color that had mostly faded from Dugu Bo's body.
He was still eating, and his mouth was full of grease.
"You brat..."
After emerging from his long meditation, Dugu Bo looked at Lin Mo and Charmeleon, who were both in the middle of devouring meat, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Even he himself had never lived so casually inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. At most, he had only eaten some dry rations here.
He had always been afraid of disturbing the balance of this place.
"Senior, did your Martial Soul complete its evolution?"
Lin Mo quickly swallowed the final bite, ignited a flame in his palm to burn the grease off his hands, then raised his head and asked curiously.
"No."
Dugu Bo shook his head, but there was no disappointment in his voice. Instead, his tone was filled with excitement.
"Although my Martial Soul did not complete its evolution, just as you said, the Origin of my Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Spirit has been greatly strengthened. From now on, there will no longer be any poison backlash."
"The reason I cultivated for so long this time was because I was trying to transfer the overwhelming majority of the toxins in my body into my Martial Soul."
"I have already transferred most of them. Only the deeply rooted residue built up over all these years still needs time to be slowly worn away."
As he spoke, Dugu Bo's tone became more and more excited, as though he were proudly showing off to Lin Mo.
"I originally thought my strength would fall sharply after transferring all the toxins out. I never expected that after forcing them into my Martial Soul, not only did my strength not drop, it actually improved further."
"This Earth Dragon Golden Gourd truly is extremely compatible with me. Not only did it greatly strengthen my Spirit Origin and free me from the torment of poison backlash..."
"...it also significantly increased my direct combat ability. Let me see who still dares say I'm the weakest Titled Douluo now!"
Hearing that, Lin Mo's expression turned thoughtful.
It seemed that Dugu Bo's cultivation was simply too high, and his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul had already been developed too far. Because of that, the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd could only greatly strengthen its Origin and could not push it into a full evolution.
Still, once the Martial Soul became strong enough to contain its own poison, the old problem of leakage and backlash disappeared completely.
If it had been Dugu Yan instead, the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd probably would have been enough to directly trigger a Martial Soul evolution. Her cultivation was nowhere near Dugu Bo's level.
"Lin Mo!"
Dugu Bo looked down at Lin Mo, approval obvious on his face, and his voice rose several notches.
"From today onward, you are my brother! In the future, whoever dares provoke you will be provoking me!"
Hearing that, Lin Mo stumbled and nearly choked.
He looked up at Dugu Bo, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Senior... isn't that a little inappropriate?"
In terms of seniority alone, Dugu Bo was clearly of the same generation as Ye Linyuan. In fact, Dugu Bo was even a few years older than his teacher.
"There's nothing inappropriate about it."
Dugu Bo shook his head, his tone extremely firm.
"You saved both my life and Yanyan's."
In his eyes, that was a debt of gratitude heavier than heaven.
More than that, Lin Mo had not only saved him, he had also cleared away the obstacle blocking his future cultivation. His Spirit Power, which had been stuck at Rank 91 for years, had now broken through.
It even showed signs of continuing to rise.
That was naturally a great joy to him.
Of course, Dugu Bo also had his own calculations.
With the terrifying talent Lin Mo had already shown, becoming a Titled Douluo in the future was practically certain.
Building a good relationship with such a genius in advance would benefit both himself and Dugu Yan, with no downside at all.
Seeing Dugu Bo insist like this, Lin Mo could only show a helpless expression. After remaining silent for a moment, he glanced at the surrounding Immortal Herbs and slowly said, "Senior, I plan to pick a few Immortal Herbs to bring back. Is that alright?"
"Take whatever you want."
Dugu Bo waved a hand grandly.
"As long as you don't destroy the environment here, you can take as many as you like."
"Of course, if you want my suggestion, I would recommend that Strange Velvet Sky-Reaching Chrysanthemum over there first. I happen to know a hermaphrodite whose Martial Soul is exactly that thing."
"So I understand it a little. For your unique Body Martial Soul, its compatibility should be quite good. It's an all-purpose Immortal Herb for strengthening the body."
"No need for now."
To Dugu Bo's surprise, Lin Mo directly shook his head.
"The medicinal power of the 2 top-grade poisonous herbs I swallowed earlier is still deposited in my body."
"Before I completely refine their medicinal power, I won't touch an Immortal Herb like the Strange Velvet Sky-Reaching Chrysanthemum for the time being."
"Otherwise, I might bite off more than I can chew. If the medicinal powers clash inside my body, the harm would outweigh the benefits."
Hearing that, Dugu Bo nodded in agreement.
"That makes sense. I was careless."
He paused, then reached toward his waist and tossed a blue leather pouch-like object to Lin Mo.
"Take this."
"You can put the Immortal Herbs you pick into this Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse. The tools for harvesting and storing medicinal herbs are all inside."
"Don't refuse. This is a storage Spirit tool, and one that can even hold living things. It suits you perfectly."
"Mm."
Lin Mo nodded, caught it, and casually tied it around his waist.
Then he turned and walked toward another part of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Besides the Gaze Through Autumn Water Dew that he had chosen for himself, he also selected one Immortal Herb each for Ye Lingling and Ye Linyuan.
.....
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