“Yan’er, come quickly! This is the supreme Lord—pay your respects at once!”
Dugu Yan hurried into the depths of Sunset Forest. The moment she entered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, her grandfather’s voice called out to her.
Turning her head, she saw Dugu Bo smiling faintly, standing beside a young man.
The man wore simple, practical clothes, with dark violet hair falling loosely around his face. His features were sharp as though carved by a blade, his aura carrying an indomitable strength. Yet, in his handsome face flickered a trace of demonic allure—his scarlet eyes glowed faintly, making Dugu Yan’s cheeks flush with heat before she quickly composed herself.
“Grandfather, what’s so urgent? Why did you call me back in such a rush?” she asked, her tone puzzled. “Oh, and our academy advanced—we won and qualified for the next round!”
“Good, good. As expected of my Yan’er.”
But Dugu Bo didn’t show much pride in her achievement. Instead, his deep green eyes briefly flashed crimson as he smiled oddly.
“Yan’er, do you wish to become stronger?”
Without hesitation, Dugu Yan nodded.
“Of course! Grandfather, do you have a way to help me before the next matches?”
His gaze darkened further.
“Hehehe… there is indeed a way. But it is not I who can grant you that strength. It is the Lord standing before you. And… if you accept, you will not be able to continue in the tournament.”
Dugu Yan blinked, stunned. Her eyes shifted curiously toward Lin Fan—the one her grandfather called “Lord.”
She knew her family’s poison martial soul was peerless among peers of the same rank, so toxic that even her own cultivation was hindered by it. Yet her grandfather had never allowed anyone else to interfere with her training. Why now?
And when she heard she would have to withdraw from the tournament, she instantly protested, voice raised in defiance:
“No! I can’t quit! Our academy is counting on me—we won’t stand a chance otherwise! I’m also the vice-captain!”
“Hmph. Do you really believe your participation guarantees victory?”
Lin Fan’s cold voice cut across the chamber, his scarlet eyes filled with disdain.
“What do you mean by that?”
Dugu Yan’s face flushed red. Her solitary upbringing with her grandfather had left her proud and unyielding, and this tournament was her only chance to display her strength. To give it up so easily was unthinkable.
Lin Fan’s tone grew icier.
“You of all people should understand the flaw in your martial soul. Can you even dare to unleash your full strength?”
Her lips parted in shock, eyes lowering as guilt flickered within.
It was true—her venom was too potent. Teachers forbade her from using it recklessly, because few at her level could withstand it. A single mistake could kill.
Lin Fan pressed further.
“Even if you did go all out, do you really think your poison could threaten the true geniuses of this age? Shrek Academy has a boy whose fourth spirit ring is already a ten-thousand-year ring. Against talents like that, what do you rely on? Luck?”
His words tore through her pride, each sentence cutting like a blade.
“Impossible!” she shouted back, almost desperately. “Our academy is strong! My poison—no one can resist it!”
“Foolish girl.” Lin Fan sneered. “Do you think your poison makes you invincible? The tournament is filled with monsters beyond your imagination. The Heaven Dou royals, the Star Luo elites… and Spirit Hall Academy has already been guaranteed a spot in the finals. Against them, you and your little academy are nothing but fodder.”
Each word crushed her resolve further. Her stubbornness faltered, her voice trembling:
“Am… am I really that powerless?”
A smile curved across Lin Fan’s lips.
The fish has taken the bait.
“There is a way. I can give you the strength you crave. Not only that, I can purge the destructive side of your poison, turning it into pure power for you to wield.”
Her eyes widened in shock.
“What?!”
She turned to her grandfather, desperate for confirmation.
Dugu Bo nodded with a strange smile.
“It’s true. Look at me—my body has already recovered. The poison no longer eats at me.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she threw herself into his arms. For as long as she could remember, her grandfather had been ravaged by poison, his body wasting away year by year. She had lived every day fearing the moment he would collapse. Now, hearing he had recovered was a miracle she never dared dream of.
Lin Fan’s scarlet eyes flickered, and he gave Dugu Bo a meaningful glance.
Understanding instantly, Dugu Bo patted his granddaughter’s shoulder.
“Yan’er, stay here and cultivate. I must leave for a time to settle… old debts.”
“Grandfather, where are you going?” she asked nervously.
“Where I should have gone long ago,” he replied coldly. “To make those who wronged me pay.”
Ruffling her hair one last time, he turned and strode away, leaving her standing uncertainly by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The chamber fell silent, save for a faint rustling.
The once-verdant grass surrounding the spring was changing—slowly darkening into a slick, purple-black carpet of Creep.
Strange alien flora sprouted from the corruption, replacing the radiant immortal herbs that had once shone across the basin.
Dugu Yan barely noticed. Her focus was fixed on Lin Fan, who had stepped closer, scarlet eyes gleaming as they locked on her. His gaze was sharp, predatory, as though she were nothing more than prey awaiting the slaughter.
Her throat tightened, and she swallowed nervously.
“W-what are you going to do?”
Lin Fan’s grin was twisted, his voice low and mocking.
“Why, to make you stronger, of course… my little poisonous beauty. Jie jie jie…”
He waved his hand.
Riiiip!
The Creep split open, revealing a gaping maw. Viscous tendrils lashed out, wrapping around Dugu Yan and dragging her struggling form down.
“Ahhh! No! Let me go—mmph!”
Her screams muffled as the organic mass enveloped her, forming a cocoon of pale, fleshy silk. Pulsating veins of purple-black flesh embedded themselves into the cocoon, pumping energy and alien essence into her body.
Darkness consumed her senses, dizziness overwhelming her mind.
Lin Fan watched, satisfied.
A natural-born toxic body… and a gifted beauty besides. Perfect material. When she emerges, she will no longer be just Dugu Yan. She will be something far greater.
****
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