"The individual who refined this pill possesses an unparalleled mastery over both heat control and medicinal properties!"
Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with a mix of wariness and wonder. To refine ordinary herbs into a pill of such exquisite quality required alchemy skills that likely far surpassed his own. He looked up at Dugu Yan, his expression becoming uncharacteristically solemn.
"Yanyan, are you absolutely certain this pill was refined by your team leader?"
"Other than Teacher Lin Mu, no one else in the academy even knows where to begin with alchemy," she replied.
Dugu Bo fell silent, his mind racing. If this man truly possessed such profound alchemical knowledge, he might finally be the key to resolving the toxic backlash of the Azure Phosphor Serpent lineage, a curse that had plagued his family for generations.
"Yanyan," Dugu Bo asked, his voice low and serious, "what exactly is this man's background?"
"I don't know much. His Highness the Crown Prince invited him personally. He's only about twenty-two years old, but his strength is terrifying, far beyond Teacher Qin Ming's. Even without revealing his Martial Soul, Tianheng couldn't even withstand a single move from him."
Dugu Bo's pupils constricted. To suppress Yu Tianheng a genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, without even summoning a Martial Soul meant the man was at least a Soul Emperor, or perhaps even a Soul Saint.
He had roamed the Soul Master world for decades and seen countless prodigies, but all of them paled in comparison to this description. Even the legendary Clear Sky Douluo hadn't reached such heights at that age.
"Furthermore," Dugu Yan added, her voice tinged with a complex mix of admiration and frustration, "he has a disciple who is just as monstrous. The boy isn't even thirteen yet, but his Spirit Power is already at Rank 34. He even defeated Tianheng in a duel."
"What?!"
Dugu Bo was horrified, his usual arrogance as a Title Douluo momentarily shattered. A twenty-two-year-old Soul Saint was one thing, but a Rank 34 Soul Elder under the age of thirteen? This master-and-disciple duo defied every logic of the cultivation world. After the initial shock, however, hope began to burn in his chest. If Lin Mu was truly this unfathomable, he might actually be able to save them.
"Where is he now?"
"Teacher Lin Mu lives in a separate faculty residence, but he's elusive. We usually only see him when Teacher Qin Ming gathers us," Dugu Yan explained. "However, he frequently gives private instruction to Ye Lingling. We sometimes run into him at the training grounds after our daily battles."
A sharp glint flashed in Dugu Bo's emerald eyes. He had made his decision.
The following evening, the Royal Fighting Team concluded their daily matches and made their way back to the academy grounds.
"Tang San, I never realized your Master had such a deep understanding of Martial Souls and alchemy," Yu Tianheng remarked, his tone thick with envy. In the last twenty-four hours, he had consumed two Soul Power Pills, and he could already feel himself touching the threshold of Rank 40.
A single pill had effectively saved him half a month of arduous cultivation. If he finished the bottle, a breakthrough was guaranteed. In his mind, he assumed Tang San's freakish Level 34 status was purely the result of being fed by these miraculous pills since childhood.
Tang San didn't bother correcting him. While the pills were effective, his progress was largely due to his Innate Full Soul Power and the high-quality Soul Rings his Master had meticulously selected to evolve his Blue Silver Grass.
"Brother Tianheng," Tang San said, "Master once mentioned that the body's physical strength determines the limit of the Spirit Ring one can absorb. With these Body Tempering Pills, you should consider pushing the age limit for your fourth ring."
Yu Tianheng's eyes lit up with interest, followed quickly by a shadow of doubt. "Isn't that risky?"
Qin Ming, walking nearby, overheard and interjected: "Given Lin Mu's own ring configuration, he clearly knows the limits of the human body. With your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul and these pills, pushing toward a six-thousand-year ring is perfectly reasonable. There is no need to chase the absolute limit, but you shouldn't settle for mediocrity either."
Yu Tianheng nodded emphatically. "Then six thousand years it is!"
The group arrived at their reserved training ground, finding only Ye Lingling practicing her movement techniques. Lin Mu was nowhere to be seen. Though they were envious of the private tutoring she received, they understood the logic: as the team's sole Support Spirit Master, her survival was their top priority.
"Lingling, is Teacher Lin Mu here?" Dugu Yan asked.
Ye Lingling stopped her footwork, shaking her head. "Brother Lin Mu gave me some pointers half an hour ago and then left."
The team breathed a collective sigh of relief. As much as they respected Lin Mu, his cruel training methods always left them slightly on edge.
Suddenly, a blur of emerald green flickered like a ghost, silently appearing right beside Dugu Yan. It was Dugu Bo.
The moment he appeared, Xiao Wu froze. Like a rabbit sensing a predator, she ducked behind Tang San, her face pale as she desperately tried to suppress her aura. Her eyes began to turn a faint, uncontrollable red. Fortunately, Dugu Bo's attention was fixed entirely on his granddaughter.
"Grandpa! What are you doing here?" Dugu Yan asked.
"Greetings, Poison Douluo!" Qin Ming and the others bowed immediately. Despite Dugu Bo being known as the weakest Title Douluo, he was still a mountain they couldn't hope to climb, and his temper was notoriously unpredictable.
Dugu Bo waved them off with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "I'm looking for Lin Mu. Where is he?"
He had already scoured the faculty dorms and found no one matching the description. His patience was wearing thin.