When Li Zhexian first arrived on the Douluo Continent,
the first place he set foot in was a small town within the Heaven Dou Empire.
Later on…
Chen Xin (Sword Douluo) took him into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which also lay within Heaven Dou territory.
And later still…
He decided to travel the continent — one man, one sword, and one jug of wine — stepping into the wandering world of jianghu.
It was Qian Renxue who found him a place to stay in Heaven Dou City, granting the drifting wanderer a hint of peace.
He settled in Heaven Dou City, listening to the wind at the Wind Sword Sect, comprehending the sword within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, meeting those lifelong friends along the way.
Heaven Dou had long since become his root on this continent.
Under a sky strewn with stars over vast plains,
Li Zhexian reined in his horse, standing quietly upon the main road.
In the night, the distant city loomed vast and indistinct.
Thousands of lights shimmered like fragments of gold, flickering gently in the dark.
He suddenly found himself unable to move forward.
After crossing mountains and rivers, braving countless trials, it was this short stretch of road home that became the hardest step to take.
He stood there silently for a long time.
Only when he had gathered enough strength did he murmur softly,
"Let's go… home."
The words were so light they vanished into the night wind.
No one knew if he spoke to his horse — or to himself.
...
At the Dugu Residence
In the garden, a thin old man sat cross-legged among strange plants.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
Two eerie green rays shot out, piercing the air for three feet.
The air itself sizzled — "zzzzt!" — as if scorched.
The poisonous herbs around him withered instantly—
only to revive again in the blink of an eye.
"Who's there?!"
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, his cold voice sharp as a blade.
The intruder's aura was fierce and focused; the condensed killing intent made even this old poison master, who could annihilate clans at will, feel a jolt of alarm.
Bang—
With a soft sound, his body turned into a cloud of green mist,
which drifted silently along the night breeze.
The cool night wind stirred.
On the upturned eaves of a distant roof,
the mist swirled and condensed —
and the thin old man stepped out from within it.
"Who dares intrude… hmm?!"
His eyes locked onto the familiar, upright black-clad figure standing on the roof's edge,
and the eerie green in his pupils contracted sharply.
"You…"
Before he could speak further,
that black-clad figure slowly turned around—
a faint smile upon his handsome face.
"Zhexian greets Senior Dugu."
"Senior Dugu — long time no see. I hope you've been well."
Whoosh—
In a blur, Dugu Bo appeared right before Li Zhexian,
his thin hand clutching the young man's arm tightly.
"Zhexian! It truly is you!"
The cold aura surrounding him melted away like snow in spring, and warmth surged in his aged eyes.
"Good! Good! It's good that you're back!"
They did not go to a tavern, nor did they enter the mansion.
The elder and the youth simply sat side by side on the rooftop ridge.
Li Zhexian's wine pouch served as their cup, and the five years of hardship were the finest dishes to accompany it.
At that moment, Dugu Bo was no longer the cold, deadly Titled Douluo—
but merely an old man, gently inquiring about his junior's journeys beyond.
He asked this and that, sighing now and then with emotion.
"Only five years…"
Dugu Bo studied the youth beside him from head to toe, wonder filling his aged face.
"Your aura has grown at least tenfold stronger!"
"I truly cannot imagine how you cultivated like this!"
Li Zhexian raised his head, took a long drink of wine,
and with a faint smile, asked in return:
"And how have you been these years, Senior?"
"The old man's days have been calm as still water."
Dugu Bo clinked his wine pouch against Li Zhexian's,
his long, silvered brows furrowing slightly.
"That killing intent of yours… did you really fight your way out of the so-called Slaughter City?"
"The winds of the continent have shifted greatly — I fear you haven't yet heard of it."
Li Zhexian's hand paused mid-drink.
His expression hardened instantly.
Indeed — after leaving the Slaughter City,
apart from that single night with Qian Renxue,
he had been traveling non-stop ever since.
He truly knew nothing of what had transpired on the continent in the past five years.
"The friction between the Spirit Hall and the two great empires grows with each passing day.
Under the pretense of 'developing the continent's Spirit Masters,' they've been expanding the territory of Spirit City endlessly."
"Rumors have already begun to spread among the people… saying that the current Pope, Bibi Dong—"
Li Zhexian's grip on the wine gourd tightened, his brows furrowing.
"Bibi Dong seeks to proclaim herself Empress?"
"Exactly!"
A shadow flickered across Dugu Bo's cold, stern face.
"The ambition of Spirit Hall can no longer be concealed.
Given its authority among Spirit Masters—if Bibi Dong truly raises the banner of founding a Holy Nation of Spirit Masters—
it would surely spark a tide of universal support."
As one loyal to the Heaven Dou Empire,
Dugu Bo could never submit to the Spirit Hall.
And the future…
was bound to be filled with bloody conflict.
Feeling the weight of the mood pressing between them,
Dugu Bo suddenly waved his sleeve.
The wine in his pouch transformed into several emerald-green serpents,
slithering and writhing through the air before darting into his nose and mouth.
This effortless yet eerie technique—
such mastery of poison—was something the Dugu Bo of the past could never have achieved.
Li Zhexian's eyes lit up.
"Senior Dugu, your poison mastery has greatly advanced!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Dugu Bo laughed heartily.
"All thanks to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well you gave me, and to your guidance in recognizing those rare poisonous herbs!"
"Without that, even reaching Rank 92 would've been a miracle in itself.
Now at Rank 93… hah, that's likely my limit"
"Please, Senior, don't speak of 'gifts.' The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was yours to begin with."
Li Zhexian hesitated briefly, then turned his palm over.
A gem-like orb, glowing with shifting gold and red light, appeared in his hand.
The moment it emerged—
Dugu Bo's face changed drastically.
His Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul manifested involuntarily with a hiss.
Yet—
that immense serpent body lowered itself, trembling—
showing unmistakable fear and submission.
"This… what is this?!"
Dugu Bo abruptly stood up, his jade-green eyes narrowing to slits.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor was already a top-tier serpent Martial Soul!
What could make the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor fear to this extent?
Li Zhexian smiled faintly.
"This was something I obtain in the Slaughter City— the inner core of an Ancient Relic beast, the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent."
"I believe it will be greatly beneficial to you, Senior. I offer it to you as a gift."
Though Dugu Bo didn't understand what "Ancient Relic Beast" meant,
he could sense instinctively that this was a treasure among all serpentine beings.
"Zhexian, this item is far too precious. I cannot—"
"Please don't refuse, Senior." Li Zhexian said with a serious expression:
"I cultivated with your Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and you've protected me more than once.
"Now that the continent's winds are shifting, only greater strength can face what's to come."
And this serpent core—no one is more suited to it than you."
Meeting the youth's sincere gaze, the ruthless old poison master felt, for the first time in many years, a rare warmth stir in his chest.
He opened his mouth—
but in the end, all his words condensed into a single sigh of heartfelt relief.
"The old man… didn't misjudge you."
When Dugu Bo finally accepted the inner core,
a faint smile curved Li Zhexian's lips.
"Oh, and Senior—" he reminded,
"This Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent may only possess ten-thousand-year cultivation, but its life level is incredibly high."
"When you absorb the inner core, you can let Sister Dugu stay nearby to absorb the energy that overflows."
"That energy's strength is just right for her now. It will benefit her greatly."
"Good! Excellent!"
Dugu Bo stroked his beard with delight.
"Once you refine that core, Senior…"
Li Zhexian's eyes gleamed faintly.
"…perhaps the continent will see yet another Titled Douluo worthy of joining the Heaven's Ridge Martial Tournament!"
The Heaven's Ridge Martial Tournament—
a peak tournament open only to Rank Ninety-Five and above Titled Douluo,
to determine successors to the invincible titles once held by those three peerless beings of ages past.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Zhexian, your words strike straight to my heart!"
Dugu Bo threw his head back in hearty laughter, his spirit surging skyward.
"When that day comes, I shall see for myself—"
"Who still dares say that I, Dugu Bo, am the weakest Titled Douluo?!"