"So itchy."
"Hiss~ Ah~"
"I'm dying from the itch!"
"Scratch, scratch, someone help me scratch— "
"So painful!"
"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore!"
Early in the morning, Wang Sheng got up, his fists whistling with power. Just as he finished a set of Subduing Tiger Fist, he heard Dugu Bo's painful wails from the academy gates.
He followed the sound and found Dugu Bo rolling on the ground in agony outside the academy gates.
Because of the unbearable itching all over his body, and his back being particularly difficult to scratch, even the peach blossom trees at the academy gates were rubbed bare by Dugu Bo in strange poses.
At this moment, Dugu Bo had lost all the demeanor of a Titled Douluo, appearing utterly disheveled.
For the first few hours, he only felt a faint needle-pricking pain in his body, then the sensation of ants biting… thousands of ants crawling on him, finally evolving into a feeling as if he was being cut into a thousand pieces, every inch of his skin, every nerve, felt like it was being slowly cut by a saw with a beak.
After just one night, Dugu Bo's mouth was dry, his eyes bloodshot, and he had been tormented by the Life and Death Talisman into an unrecognizable state.
Even the long-accumulated backlash of Bi Lin Serpent Poison only occasionally brought him localized needle-pricking pain and spasms, but the pain brought by the Life and Death Talisman after seventy kezhong far surpassed Bi Lin Serpent Poison by hundreds or thousands of times, making Dugu Bo truly understand an idiom:
Worse than death.
Seeing Wang Sheng's figure emerge, Dugu Bo practically crawled to Wang Sheng's feet:
"Kid, I apologize to you! I apologize to you right now!"
"Go find your teacher to detoxify me, I apologize, I apologize to all of you!"
"I choose ②!"
"Quick!"
"I really can't take it anymore!!!"
"Oh, Heaven, why are you so cruel to me? I, the mighty Poison Douluo, am helpless against this itching and painful poison!"
…
"If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have acted that way."
"Heh heh, I wonder who said yesterday that even if he was poisoned to death, he wouldn't utter a single word of surrender."
Beneath the fluttering pink peach blossoms, the Poison Douluo, renowned as the most feared individual on the entire continent, showed no temper despite the disdainful looks from the academy students. He bowed deeply to Wang Sheng, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others:
"Yesterday, I did not intend to kill you, but rather to test your strength and detoxification abilities."
"Now, I sincerely express my apologies to you. I am sorry, it was this old man who was impolite. I should not have bullied the young and forcibly entered Peach Garden Academy. I lacked manners, and I will never dare to do so again."
"Dean Su, now, can you give me the real antidote?"
Dugu Bo swallowed nervously, looking at Su Ran with apprehension.
The most terrifying thing about this Life and Death Talisman was precisely this: it wouldn't kill you, but it would inflict endless pain, trampling your will.
No matter how strong-willed a person, no matter how noble an existence, after being tormented by the Life and Death Talisman for a few days, they would lose their arrogance.
"Wang Sheng, Rongrong… do you accept his apology?"
Su Ran did not answer Dugu Bo, but instead looked at Wang Sheng and Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong pouted, "He didn't poison me yet; Teacher came out to save me. So I don't care, Wang Sheng, you decide."
Zhu Zhuqing, holding a pair of magnificent large white rabbits, said coldly, "I'm fine with anything."
Wang Sheng took a deep breath: "Teacher once said, 'When you can forgive, forgive.' If you are truly apologizing, I can forgive you, but please, senior, do not act like this again in the future."
"This old man guarantees that from now on, I will abide by the rules of your Peach Garden Academy."
Dugu Bo was truly suffering terribly from the Life and Death Talisman. He immediately raised his hand and swore.
Only then did Su Ran toss a white pill to Dugu Bo, and sitting at the stone table under the peach blossom tree, he said calmly:
"After taking this medicine, the pain and itching symptoms on your body will mostly disappear within a kezhong."
…
"Ah, finally comfortable."
A kezhong later, Dugu Bo leaned against the peach blossom tree, letting out a long sigh of relief. The pain in his body had indeed greatly diminished. Dugu Bo looked at Su Ran, who sat calmly at the peach stone table, with some awe.
At this time, the four students of the academy had already gone back to continue their training, and Dugu Bo could vaguely see their special training scenes.
Previously, Yan'er had returned to the academy to complain to him, saying that they had encountered four abnormal Spirit Masters in Soto City: a support system could fight an attack system, an attack system could easily take on two, and an agility-attack system Spirit Master could directly lock down opponents with skills, and they also possessed the ability to counteract Bi Lin Serpent Poison and all other poisons.
When Dugu Bo heard this, he naturally didn't believe it at first. Just the part about a support system fighting an attack system Spirit Master one-on-one, he already thought it was nonsense.
Now, having personally witnessed the strength and training of these students, he felt his eyes had been opened.
Every student here seemed to have their own special cultivation method; they all had their unique characteristics. They could even withstand his Bi Lin Serpent Poison. No wonder Yan'er lost to them.
Dugu Bo took a deep breath:
"Dean Su, this so-called Life and Death Talisman poison weapon of yours is truly something I've never seen before; it's terrifying. Dean Su's attainments in poison are, I'm afraid, completely not inferior to mine."
"Just a slight understanding."
"Modest, Dean Su is too modest. Dean Su, I won't beat around the bush. My granddaughter, Dugu Yan, once competed in a Spirit fighting match with a team from your academy. During the Spirit fight, two of your disciples used a pair of black hands that could absorb poisonous gas. Not only could they absorb Bi Lin Serpent Poison, but they could also turn it to their own use. I would like to ask, is this a characteristic of their Spirit? Or is this an ability taught by you, Dean Su?"
Dugu Bo cupped his hands and asked Su Ran.
Su Ran simply took a sip of peach blossom tea and said calmly, "Earth Nether Hand is refined through acquired means. Of course, when used in conjunction with my disciple's Spirit, the effect is even better."
"Acquired refinement?"
Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes, and he understood the meaning:
"Since this Earth Nether Hand can absorb external poisons for one's own use, if a Spirit Master already possesses poison within themselves, would learning it allow them to absorb and expel their own toxins?"
"Naturally, that is also possible."
"Really?!"
Su Ran glanced at Dugu Bo calmly and nodded:
"The reason Earth Nether Hand is called Earth Nether Hand is because once these hands are cultivated to mastery, even in hell, they can snatch life from the Netherworld Reaper. What mere mortal poison cannot be cleared?"
Upon receiving Su Ran's reply, Dugu Bo's heart was shaken. He had personally witnessed Su Ran effortlessly disperse his Bi Lin Serpent Poison and revive the vitality of peach wood with a mere raise of his hand. He no longer hesitated and spoke respectfully.
"I am willing to purchase the cultivation method for Earth Nether Hand with a hefty sum. Please name your price, Dean Su!"
"Not for sale."
Su Ran shook his head and refused; he was not short of money now.
Although Rongrong had unilaterally agreed to donate the million gold coin she earned to the academy, Su Ran did not take it.
Firstly, that was the students' money; how could a teacher live off the students? What kind of system would that be?
Although Ning Rongrong's mindset was: What's wrong with Teacher living off the students? Just do it! She's happy to let Teacher live off her, she just wants Teacher to eat from her soft parts!
She just wants to feed her soft little white rabbit to Teacher's mouth~
(ˊˋ*)
Secondly, Su Ran had made a deal with Ning Fengzhi, selling him the manufacturing, assembly, and usage methods for the Ghost Shuttle (Netherworld Ghost Shuttle) and Hell Revolver (Hell Revolver), for a colossal sum of thirty million gold coin.
The power of the Netherworld Ghost Shuttle naturally goes without saying, and its usage method is not difficult; it's just that its production is quite precise and complex. Back then, Zhu Zhuqing only studied for a month and was able to use this item to kill a defensive Spirit Beast over two thousand years old, showing its astonishing power.
As for the Hell Revolver, it is a pistol-like item that is not only more portable than Tang San's Godly Zhuge Crossbow but also superior in terms of firing rate, reloading speed, and power.
"I know why you want this Earth Nether Hand cultivation method. After your Blue Phosphor Serpent Spirit awakens, it comes with innate toxins that corrode your body. The more you cultivate, the stronger this toxin becomes, and the greater the backlash on yourself. You want to use this Earth Nether Hand to clear the Bi Lin Serpent Poison from your and your granddaughter's bodies."
"But unfortunately, this Earth Nether Hand is an exclusive cultivation method for my disciples. I cannot pass it on to outsiders."
Su Ran explained this calmly.
"Exclusive to disciples, huh…"
But just as he finished speaking, Dugu Bo took a deep breath, seemingly having made a significant decision, and suddenly placed a blueprint in front of Su Ran:
"I understand. If it were me, I wouldn't easily pass on such a peerless method of refining hands to absorb poison."
"How about this, Dean Su, seven days from now, you come to this location in the Sunset Forest. I guarantee you won't be at a disadvantage."