[Heaven Dou Empire, Dugu Mansion.]
[Dugu Bo was pacing back and forth in the main hall with a gloomy expression.]
[Beside him was a man with a somewhat pale complexion.]
["Father, please don't worry. I'm fine, you..."]
["What do you mean 'fine'? You fainted, and you still call it 'fine'?"]
[Before the man could finish, he was rudely interrupted by Dugu Bo.]
["Xiner, tell me the truth. To what extent have your symptoms progressed? You must not hide anything from me."]
["Just because your father can withstand it doesn't mean you can too."]
[Dugu Bo looked at his son, Dugu Xin, with a face full of heartache.]
[There was self-reproach, fear, and also a sense of relief.]
[He reproached himself for not noticing his son's abnormal condition and feared that he had come so close—just a hair's breadth away—to losing his son.]
["I... it's only been in the last few months that I've felt like I'm gradually losing control of my toxins."]
["It's already been months?!"]
["You rebellious son! How could you dare to say nothing for months?!"]
[Dugu Bo glared at his son with wide eyes.]
[Dugu Xin lowered his head under his father's glare. Even though he was an adult, he still felt like a child in front of Dugu Bo.]
[In truth, Dugu Xin also knew that he had gone a bit too far this time.]
[After all, his father had warned him early that their family's inherited Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit possessed a ferocious toxicity that could certainly dominate a region once fully developed.]
[However, this dominance came with the premise that the possessors of these Spirits would also be poisoned by the Jade Phosphor Serpent's toxins.]
[It harmed the self before harming others, and this harm persisted day and night.]
[Sometimes Dugu Xin wondered if their Dugu family had offended the Heavens; otherwise, why didn't other poison-attribute Spirit Masters have this drawback, yet their Dugu family did?]
Black World, Sunset Forest.
"Xiner..."
Watching Dugu Xin's figure on the heavenly curtain, Dugu Bo stood in place, his face already covered in tears at some point.
He had already completely lost this son, never expecting to have the fortune of seeing him once more today.
Somewhere in Heaven Dou City.
"Is that... my father..."
Dugu Yan stared blankly at Dugu Xin on the heavenly curtain.
Her father had passed away before she could form memories, so Dugu Yan's impression of him had always come from her grandfather's descriptions.
She truly hadn't expected that through this heavenly curtain, she would be able to see her father alive.
[The video continues...]
[Dugu Bo looked at his son with a face full of worry; the age at which the toxins erupted was far earlier than he had imagined.]
[To suppress one's own toxins, one needed to possess a cultivation level exceeding the toxin's intensity before the accumulation became unsolvable.]
[This was the experience Dugu Bo had accumulated over many years.]
[It was because his talent was quite good that he was less affected.]
[However, his son's talent was not as good as his own. Given his cultivation speed and the fact that the toxin eruption occurred much earlier than expected...]
[Dugu Bo suddenly felt a sense of helplessness.]
[Because if his son wanted to completely control the toxins, he had to rapidly increase his Rank.]
[But as long as he cultivated diligently, the toxins in his body would accumulate rapidly.]
[With his son's talent, the speed of toxin accumulation would certainly exceed his cultivation speed.]
[In other words, the more he cultivated, the closer his son came to death.]
[But even without cultivation, the toxins would still accumulate.]
[After all, spirit power naturally exists between heaven and earth on the Douluo Continent; daily activities like breathing, drinking water, and eating would all cause spirit power to flow into the body.]
[Although these accumulations were small, they would amount to a significant quantity over time.]
[Not cultivating meant death, and cultivating also meant death. Dugu Bo truly didn't know what to tell his son to do.]
[Beside him, Dugu Xin saw his father's dazed and helpless expression and understood that he was worrying about him, so he took the initiative to change the subject.]
["Let's not talk about these unhappy things for now. I haven't even congratulated you yet, Father."]
["Your spirit power has finally reached Rank 80. Once you obtain a spirit ring, you will be a Spirit Douluo."]
[Dugu Xin had chosen an excellent topic.]
[Hearing this, Dugu Bo's expression finally softened a bit.]
[Just two days ago, he broke through Rank 79, and his spirit power officially reached Rank 80.]
[Now, he was only one suitable spirit ring away from becoming a Spirit Douluo.]
[He had already sent people to gather intelligence; for his eighth spirit ring, he absolutely had to find a ferocious Spirit Beast.]
["I didn't expect to break through at this time either. I originally thought it would take a few more years."]
[Dugu Bo's gloomy face finally broke into a smile because of this topic.]
["However, the Spirit Douluo realm after the Spirit Saint realm isn't so easy to advance through. Perhaps Spirit Douluo will be my end point."]
[Dugu Bo shook his head, a hint of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.]
[Cultivating to become a Spirit Douluo had essentially exhausted Dugu Bo's potential. He was clearly only one step away from Titled Douluo, the ultimate goal of all Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent.]
[But without a Heaven-Defying Opportunity, crossing this final step was basically impossible.]
["Father, don't be so pessimistic. It all depends on your eighth spirit ring."]
["If all else fails, we'll keep looking. No matter what, we'll find a Spirit Beast with extraordinary potential to serve as your spirit ring."]
[Dugu Xin consoled him from the side.]
[Raising a Spirit Master's upper limit depends first on spirit rings, second on Spirit Bones, and third on those ethereal opportunities.]
[Dugu Xin didn't dare to think about Spirit Bones; after all, unless one was lucky, they could only be bought at auction houses.]
[The problem was that auction houses were frequented by those who didn't lack money.]
[The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Spirit Hall, the Two Great Empires—every one of them was wealthier than his own family.]
[Those ethereal opportunities were even more out of the question; they were rarer than Spirit Bones.]
[Therefore, if they wanted to raise the upper limit, they could only rely on spirit rings.]
["I know. I've spent a fortune this time; even waiting two more years wouldn't be too long."]
[Dugu Bo said while stroking his beard.]
[This might be the last time in his life he would add a spirit ring for himself. This time, he wouldn't settle for anything less, no matter what.]
[Just as the father and son were discussing what kind of Spirit Beast they should look for, a servant hurried in.]
["Family Head, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has sent someone to deliver a letter, said to be handwritten by Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen."]
[As he spoke, the servant held the letter up before Dugu Bo.]
["A letter from His Excellency Thunder? What is it for?"]
[Dugu Xin looked at the envelope in the servant's hand with some confusion, then turned to his father.]
["Hmph, what else could it be? Recruiting, detoxification, or some underhanded scheme—it's always one of those few things."]
[Dugu Bo gave a cold chuckle, then took the letter and opened it to scan the contents.]
[However, upon seeing it, Dugu Bo could no longer remain seated.]