Chapter 3: Using One's Body as a Weapon
After several twists and turns, the two entered a dimly lit room.
The center of the room was completely empty, while the walls were lined with rows of clay jars. Dugu Feng recognized those jars immediately—each surely contained some kind of poisonous creature or substance.
He was puzzled. Without having awakened his martial spirit yet, how was he supposed to cultivate?
Two cushions lay in the middle of the room. Old Snake sat cross-legged on one and motioned for Dugu Feng to do the same.
They faced each other. Dugu Feng realized he was almost at eye level with Old Snake, whose chin was barely above his head.
Grrumble—
Dugu Feng's stomach growled; he was hungry.
He had been up early, taken to Dugu Bo's mansion, and then lectured in the ancestral hall for half a day. It was no wonder he was starving.
"Young Master, you're hungry," said Old Snake, twitching the corner of his lips, as though he had been waiting for this moment. "Serpentine soul beasts are the most resistant to hunger among all spirit beasts.
"The Bamboo Leaf Green Snake, most similar to the Jade Phosphor Serpent, can survive up to forty-two months without food. Enduring hunger is one of the methods for awakening latent serpent martial spirit potential."
Dugu Feng was stunned. He had expected Old Snake to bring him food, not to tell him to starve.
Being well-versed in soul beast knowledge, he knew Old Snake was not exaggerating. But still, could this really count as training?
No wonder you're so short, he thought. You must've starved as a child.
"If I can't eat and have no nutrition, my body will weaken. Then I won't be able to bring out the martial spirit's real power," Dugu Feng muttered quietly. Though questioning, his tone was flat and emotionless—just as his predecessor's had been. After merging with those memories, his portrayal was convincing.
"Young Master has his own thoughts, that's good. You're not like my fool of a son—dense as a rock. You don't know how frustrating it was, teaching him soul beast knowledge. What he learned today, he forgot tomorrow."
Old Snake's tone was calm but incessant, rambling endlessly.
Dugu Feng's expression turned blank. So he's a chatterbox... great.
Looks like he wasn't getting any food after all.
With good sense, Dugu Feng shut his mouth, closed his eyes, and lay down, curling up into a ball.
"Oh? You already know how to conserve energy to last longer? As expected of the Young Master," Old Snake remarked with mild amazement.
His own son had wailed and screamed the first time he trained like this. Only after tasting the "Rod of Truth" had he learned silence.
Sigh, shame I can't use the Rod of Truth now, Old Snake thought, smacking his lips.
He also lay down, curling his thin body like a coiled snake—astonishingly, when curled up, he was almost the same size as Dugu Feng.
In seconds, his breathing disappeared completely. Even the fine hairs on his skin drooped. He had entered a meditative trance, imitating hibernation.
Dugu Feng, with his predecessor's memories fully integrated, easily guessed the purpose of this practice—it was meant to stimulate the innate bloodline of the serpent martial spirit.
Clearly this was the Dugu Clan's structured training method, not something he could question or change just because he felt uncomfortable.
And then there was that terrifying, insane father—he wouldn't dare defy him anyway.
Still, his fingers itched; he had wanted to examine the pearl in his dantian for ages, to understand what power it held.
The moment he closed his eyes, he saw it clearly again.
That pearl—he could never mistake it. Before transmigrating, he had always carried it with him. It was fine white jade.
Now, seeing it again, two words flashed in his mind: Dan Pearl!
This ancestral pearl has become the dan core of my Jade Phosphor Serpent martial spirit? The spirit hasn't even awakened yet, but the dan pearl already formed!
Dugu Bo's dan pearl had only been created after his Jade Phosphor Serpent evolved into the Serpent Emperor.
And I already have one? This... this is incredible!
Dugu Feng was ecstatic. But his excitement soon gave way to surprise—there was something strange about it. The pearl's interior was hollow. It existed, but lacked energy.
It was as though the structure was formed, but the power within still needed to be cultivated and filled.
The dan pearl spun gently, emanating a faint white glow.
Suddenly, a flash of green flared within it, making Dugu Feng jolt upright almost in shock.
At the very bottom of the pearl was a faint speck of green.
As his consciousness brushed over it, he sensed a sweet undertone—and immediately understood. It was the Jade Phosphor Serpent's venom.
Though the venom was foul when released, within a serpent soul master's body, it became part of the essence—sweet and invigorating instead.
So the dan pearl could absorb poison—it was both shield and reservoir.
Dugu Feng was overjoyed. With the dan pearl, he finally had the confidence to resist the venom in his veins.
Growl—
His stomach rumbled again.
A wave of cold followed. Hunger always came with chill.
Depleted of energy and surrounded by jars filled with poison, Dugu Feng felt the damp, bone-deep cold seeping into him.
Then, the dan pearl spun once more. A gentle heat rose from his abdomen, spreading through his limbs and bones. Warmth filled him, soothing away the cold.
It wasn't so unbearable now.
Memories flashed through his mind like moving images, distracting him until his breathing slowed—and he drifted into sleep.
Old Snake turned his head, saw the boy sleeping, and sighed with a wry smile. After all, he was just a four-year-old child. This kind of training would wear anyone out.
Hissss—hissss—
A faint sound rustled through the air. Dugu Feng stirred, turning over, trying to stay asleep.
But then… he felt something cool against his neck.
He twitched his nose. That smell… fishy?
He bolted upright, eyes wide. A bright green snake coiled around his body.
Its back was a vivid emerald, its belly a lighter shade. Its triangular head was covered in tiny scales like nail tips, with clear white stripes along its sides. It was no more than two meters long—a juvenile Bamboo Leaf Green Snake.
Dugu Feng instantly identified it.
Not good.
He had moved—now the snake would strike!
Ah—
Before he could react, he felt sharp pain at his neck.
"A juvenile Bamboo Leaf Green Snake, thumb-thick, with a pair of hollow fangs hidden in its upper jaw. When it attacks, they stand upright and pierce deep into the victim's flesh, injecting venom straight into the bloodstream!"
Old Snake's voice rang out calmly.
Rage flared in Dugu Feng's chest. You damned dwarf—you let a venomous snake bite me!
He grabbed for the snake's head, just below it, too frantic to aim for the seven-inch weakness.
But his grasp failed.
Weakened from hunger and sleep, his hands had no strength. The snake's slimy, slick skin made it impossible to hold.
The pain at his throat was dizzying; his vision began to blur.
"Young Master, weren't you hungry?" Old Snake's tone was matter-of-fact. "That Bamboo Leaf Green Snake is your food. You don't need to move—your blood and skin are the best weapons you have.
"The Jade Phosphor Serpent's venom is several times more toxic than that of the Bamboo Leaf Green. It will die soon enough from your own poison."
Dugu Feng froze. So this is what it means to have a serpent martial spirit—cold-blooded to the core?
Damn you…
Still, he obediently followed Old Snake's instruction.
He believed the man wouldn't truly let him die.
(END CHAPTER)
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