"Bang!!"
With a deafening roar, the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's true form reached its absolute limit under the Fire Qilin's charged assault and shattered into fragments of light.
Dugu Bo suffered a devastating backlash. He was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing heavily into the reinforced ground of the training area and kicking up a massive cloud of dust. He spat out a mouthful of thick, dark blood. His face was deathly pale, and his breathing was ragged and weak. In an instant, the feared Poison Douluo had lost every shred of the dignity associated with his Title Douluo status.
"The Poison Douluo... has actually been defeated!"
Yu Tianheng and the others watched with eyes wide in disbelief. Although they had sensed the tide turning, seeing a Title Douluo truly fallen at the hands of a man in his early twenties was a shock that rocked their very souls. It defied every law of the Soul Master world they knew.
"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan let out a shrill, heart-wrenching cry. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to rush toward the crater.
"Calm down!" Yu Tianheng grabbed her, using every ounce of his strength to hold her back. Given Lin Mu's ruthless efficiency, he knew that if she interfered now, she would be in mortal danger.
Yu Feng, Oslo, and the others remained frozen. If Lin Mu were a man in his fifties, this might make sense. But he was barely older than them, yet he had just suppressed a Level 90+ powerhouse. It was simply beyond their comprehension.
Lin Mu deactivated his Martial Soul True Body, though his flickering Flame Armor remained active. He approached the crater with measured steps. Dugu Bo lay there, broken and nearly powerless, but Lin Mu remained vigilant; a Title Douluo might always have a final, desperate trump card.
"Cough... cough... Do with me what you will," Dugu Bo rasped, blood flecking his lips. "I only beg you... spare Yanyan."
"If our positions were reversed, would you have spared her?" Lin Mu asked coldly.
Dugu Bo's expression turned bitter. Having roamed the continent for decades, he knew the cardinal rule of the world: always eliminate the root to prevent future trouble. Just as despair took hold, Lin Mu's voice rang out again.
"I will give you a choice: submit to me, or die here."
Lin Mu had calculated this. While Dugu Bo was considered the weakest in single combat among Title Douluos, his area-of-effect poison made him the most lethal asset for large-scale warfare. With a continental war looming, such a tool was too valuable to waste. Furthermore, Dugu Bo hadn't actually intended to kill Tang San; he had merely been blinded by the greed for a hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone, a temptation few would resist.
"I... I am willing to submit!" Dugu Bo gasped. For the sake of his granddaughter's future, he cast aside his pride entirely.
Lin Mu nodded. Having a Title Douluo at his beck and call would make hunting for his own eighth Soul Ring, which he intended to be at least a hundred-thousand-year ring, much more feasible. However, knowing the Old Poison's eccentric and treacherous nature, Lin Mu took precautions.
He brought his index and middle fingers together and struck Dugu Bo directly over the heart. A wisp of highly compressed Qilin Fire surged from his fingertips, embedding itself deep within Dugu Bo's chest.
"This fire seed is now rooted in your heart," Lin Mu stated. "With a single thought, I can detonate it. I trust I don't need to explain the consequences."
Dugu Bo's pupils dilated. He could feel the intense, localized heat near his heart, a silent promise of instant incineration should he ever harbor disloyal thoughts.
"This... old servant understands," Dugu Bo whispered, changing his manner of address immediately. "I would never dare to betray you."
Lin Mu tossed a medicinal pill to him. Dugu Bo swallowed it without hesitation, his life was already forfeit; there was no point in fearing poison now. As the pill dissolved, a pure, potent medicinal power rushed through his damaged meridians, stabilizing his internal organs. Dugu Bo felt a pang of deep regret; if he hadn't been so greedy, he might have approached this man as an ally to solve his family's poison backlash instead of becoming a slave.
Qin Ming arrived shortly after, leading the three elder education boards toward the training ground. When they crested the hill, all four of them stopped dead in their tracks.
The training ground was a wasteland. The earth was charred, cracked, and still radiating waves of blistering heat. Their eyes swept past the stunned students and landed on the two figures at the center.
They had felt the terrifying pressure of a Title Douluo from a distance and had rushed here to save Lin Mu, assuming a Level 70+ Soul Saint couldn't possibly survive against Dugu Bo. But the reality was a total reversal of their expectations.
Lin Mu stood tall, his Flame Armor pristine and intimidating.
Dugu Bo, the Level 90+ Titled Douluo, was ragged, bloodied, and kneeling.
"How... how is this possible?!" Meng Shenji's voice shook.
Lin Mu had won. A Soul Saint had defeated a Title Douluo, a feat that had never been recorded in the history of the Douluo Continent. They had known Lin Mu was strong enough to match a Soul Douluo, but they realized now they had still vastly underestimated him.
Meng Shenji took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak with newfound reverence. "Teacher Lin Mu... what happened here?"
Lin Mu waved a hand dismissively. "A small misunderstanding. It has been resolved."
The three board members, Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin, exchanged looks of awe and fear. They realized that their academy now housed a man who could suppress the Poison Douluo. From this day forward, the highest level of care they had planned for Lin Mu would have to be doubled.