Lin Chen raised his eyes, his gaze falling directly on Dugu Yan.
His tone was calm but carried an undeniable certainty: "Miss Dugu Yan, please come with me to a secluded place. I have some things I want to discuss with you privately."
Before Dugu Yan could even speak, Yu Tianheng beside her suddenly exploded.
He stepped forward, and the lightning of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex instantly enveloped his body. His golden hair stood on end, and his eyes were sharp as blades as he stared intently at Lin Chen, angrily shouting, "Why can't you say what you want to say here? Why do you have to go somewhere where no one is around!"
Yu Tianheng's jealousy surged to its peak. In his heart, Dugu Yan was someone he cherished dearly, the core member of the future Heavenly Dou Team who would stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and the girl most cherished in his heart. Now, this mysterious young man who had just defeated them in the Soul Arena actually wanted to ask Dugu Yan out alone—how could he tolerate this?
Dugu Yan frowned, about to push Yu Tianheng away, but Lin Chen chuckled and gave in with a hint of mockery: "Since Captain Yu is not at ease, how about I lean close to Miss Dugu's ear and say just one sentence? If Miss Dugu still does not want to talk to me alone after hearing it, then I will say it in public."
Yu Tianheng snorted coldly, still on guard, but no longer daring to stop him.
Lin Chen slowly walked to Dugu Yan's side, leaned down slightly, and whispered in her ear.
He lightly touched his lips with his fingertips, and his soul power, which was used to transmit sound secretly, quietly surged. The sound was not loud, but it was like a thunderclap that went straight into Dugu Yan's ears, and only she could hear it.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan froze, her emerald eyes widening in shock, her arrogance and wariness instantly replaced by extreme astonishment.
Dugu Yan no longer cared about Yu Tianheng's presence, nor did she remember the confrontation just now. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Chen's wrist with such force that she almost crushed his bones. She said urgently, "Come with me! Go to my room, we'll talk alone!"
This sudden change stunned everyone present.
Yu Tianheng froze on the spot, his outstretched hand hanging in mid-air, his eyes wide open as he watched Dugu Yan pull the young man who had just trampled them towards the room. His mind went blank; he even forgot to breathe. Only one thought occupied his mind: Yan'er actually invited another man into her room?!
Dugu Yan pulled Lin Chen a few steps, then remembered that Qin Ming was still there. She turned back and bowed to Qin Ming, saying in a clear voice, "Teacher Qin Ming, this junior brother Lin Yuan and I have some private matters to discuss privately. Please forgive us."
Qin Ming looked at the barely concealed urgency and shock on Dugu Yan's face, then glanced at the unfathomable aura emanating from Lin Chen, and pondered for a moment.
He could sense that the conversation between Lin Chen and Dugu Yan was definitely of great importance, and might even involve Dugu Bo. As the core member of the Heavenly Dou Team, it was normal for Dugu Yan to have private matters to discuss.
Qin Ming nodded slowly and said gently, "Okay. But be careful."
"Thank you, teacher." Dugu Yan replied, took Lin Chen's wrist, and hurried towards her room.
Yu Tianheng stood there, watching the two figures walk away hand in hand, trembling with anger. But Qin Ming's gaze stopped him, and he could only watch helplessly as the door was gently closed, cutting off his view.
The door was locked, cutting off all outside gazes. Dugu Yan's emerald eyes were fixed on Lin Chen, the aura of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent surrounding her subtly surging. Her tone was filled with extreme doubt and anger: "What exactly did you mean by what you just said? What do you mean I'm poisoned? What do you mean my grandfather and I will die?"
Lin Chen leaned against the wall, watching her flustered appearance. The smile on his face faded, and his tone became extremely serious: "I figured it out. Your eyes have an abnormal emerald green hue, and there are faint poisonous patterns hidden deep within your hair. These are signs that the Azure Phosphorus Serpent venom has been corroding your meridians for years. Every time you possess a Martial Soul, the toxin remains in your body. Over time, it has already penetrated deep into your bone marrow. The stronger your soul power, the faster the toxin accumulates. Once you break through to Soul King or Soul Emperor, the toxin will erupt, and there will be no solution."
He paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Dugu Yan: "You possess the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul. To have such talent, your grandfather must be the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, renowned throughout the world for his poison. And I've also heard that your father, Dugu Bo's only son, died shortly after you were born. He didn't die of illness; he was clearly killed by the backlash from the Azure Phosphorous Serpent venom inherited from his family!"
These words, half from Lin Chen's original memories and half from his deliberate deductions, precisely struck at the Dugu family's most hidden sore spot.
Dugu Yan shuddered, her anger instantly freezing in her eyes, replaced by disbelief and panic. Her grandfather had never told her the details of her father's death, only that he was seriously ill. But Lin Chen's words vaguely matched the image she had occasionally glimpsed of her grandfather coughing up blood late at night, his body surrounded by deadly poison!
She suppressed the fear in her heart, forced a calm smile, and tried to refute, "Nonsense! According to your logic, my grandfather, as a Title Douluo, should have already suffered from the poisoning. He is perfectly fine now and can still be in charge of the Heaven Dou Empire. Your lie is too clumsy!"
Dugu Yan narrowed her emerald eyes slightly as she stared at Lin Chen, her tone sharp and probing: "You came all this way just to ask me this?"
"That's right." Lin Chen nodded frankly, his gaze falling on the pale green soul power that had not yet completely dissipated from her fingertips. He said seriously, "I'm really curious, Senior Dugu, as a Title Douluo, how did you suppress your own poison? Did you forcibly suppress the poison with the absolute power of a Title Douluo?"
He changed the subject abruptly, shaking his head in denial, his tone certain: "But that doesn't make sense. Logically speaking, a Title Douluo has abundant soul power and physical functions far exceeding those of ordinary people, so the frequency of poisoning should be more frequent and the destructive power stronger. In other words, your grandfather must have a special method of suppression, or a place that can completely suppress the poison."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan froze on the spot, her emerald eyes widening in shock, her arrogance and vigilance completely replaced by extreme astonishment.
She knows this all too well!
Every so often, Grandpa would quietly leave home and go to a place no one knew, each time for anywhere from three months to half a year. No matter how much she pressed him for details, Grandpa would never mention where he went, only saying that he was going to take care of some business. She had once thought that Grandpa was going to find rare medicinal herbs to cure the poison, but now, after hearing Lin Chen's words, she had a vague idea of what was going on.
"You... how did you know?" Dugu Yan's voice trembled slightly as she stared intently at Lin Chen, her eyes filled with curiosity and shock.
Lin Chen looked at the change in her face, a knowing smile appearing on his lips, and said calmly, "Looks like I guessed right."
Dugu Yan snapped out of her daze, instantly reverting to her previous arrogance. She stiffened her neck and snorted coldly, her tone filled with defiance and provocation: "So what if you guessed right? Let alone how stubborn the poison in my grandfather and me is, even if you could really cure it, do you have the ability to cure my grandfather's Douluo-level poison, which is so potent that even he himself couldn't cure it? Can you do it?"
In her mind, her grandfather was the Poison Douluo, the ancestor of all poisons. There was no poison in the world that he could not cure, and no one could cure the deadly poison in his body.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen couldn't help but chuckle. Purple-gold lightning flickered lightly at his fingertips, and his tone was full of confidence: "I can cure it. However, your situation is a bit special—once I cure you, the poison attribute on your bodies will completely disappear, and your martial souls will ultimately only have the most basic snake shape left, and your attack methods will be completely useless."
"Losing the poison?"
Dugu Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and she suddenly realized what was going on.
Her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul's core is its potent venom. Without the venom attribute, she's left with only the biting and speed of an ordinary snake, causing her combat power to plummet and even her once-proud control abilities to vanish. Her grandfather's Poison Douluo Martial Soul, on the other hand, is based on poison. Losing the poison is tantamount to a broken Martial Soul, completely stripping him of the core combat power of a Title Douluo.
The consequences are more deadly than being poisoned!
Seeing her instantly serious expression, Lin Chen slowly spoke, his tone carrying a deep meaning: "I think your grandfather wouldn't want your father's tragedy to be repeated in your life, would he?"
Dugu Yan shuddered, her face turning deathly pale.
Her father's story was the deepest pain in her heart. Back then, her father died young from a poison that flared up due to a flawed martial soul and the lack of an antidote. Her grandfather was devastated and desperately searched for a way to suppress the poison. How could she not understand that her grandfather's greatest concern was preventing her from suffering the same fate?
"You…" Dugu Yan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back, complex emotions surging in her eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Chen continued, "You can ask your grandfather. If he wants me to help him, he can come to the Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy to see me. My name is Lin Yuan."
He looked up at the deep night outside the window, where moonlight streamed in through the window frame, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
"It's getting late, you should all get some rest. Tomorrow morning, I will set off with you to return to the Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy."
Lin Chen raised his hand and pushed open Dugu Yan's door, and the light and shadow outside instantly flooded into the room.
Qin Ming stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm. Yu Tianheng, Yu Feng, Oslo and the others stood guard at the door with tense expressions, all six pairs of eyes fixed on him, filled with vigilance and inquiry.
Seeing Lin Chen walk out safely, Yu Tianheng could no longer contain himself. He flashed into the house and quickly walked to Dugu Yan's side, his tone urgent and tinged with worry: "Yanzi, how are you? That guy didn't do anything to you, did he?"
His mind was completely focused on Dugu Yan's safety, and he didn't notice the girl's already irritable expression.
Dugu Yan was already troubled by the poison and her grandfather's matter. Yu Tianheng's interference ignited her anger instantly. Her emerald eyes glared, and her tone was sharp and impatient: "What he does to me is none of your business! Why are you meddling in my affairs? Get out!"
Yu Tianheng was taken aback by the retort. The concern on his face froze. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he shut it up and stood aside with a frustrated expression.
Lin Chen watched this scene with a slight smile, then turned to Qin Ming and said in a calm tone, "Teacher Qin Ming, it's getting late. Everyone should get some rest. We need to set off back to the academy tomorrow."
Seeing that Lin Chen meant no harm, Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, "Okay, I'll go to the front desk and get you a room right away."
Lin Chen shook his head gently and said calmly, "No need to trouble yourself. I already booked a room before you arrived."
After saying that, he nodded slightly to everyone: "Good night, everyone."
Seeing this, Qin Ming said nothing more, but gave a wink to the students behind him. Although Yu Tianheng was unwilling, he could only turn around and return to his room with the others. The footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away, leaving only the quiet night.
Lin Chen turned and walked into the luxury room he had already booked, closing the door behind him.
He walked slowly to the window, pushed it open halfway, and the cool moonlight poured in, falling on his shoulders. The night in Soto was tranquil and dazzling, with distant lights like twinkling stars, reflecting the moonlight in the sky.
Lin Chen gazed at the moonlight outside the window, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"Hopefully this time, it will attract some people I'm interested in."
He gently stroked the windowsill with his fingertips, the purple-gold lightning flickering on them. "I just hope these people come in waves. If they all come together, I'll be really annoyed."
Lin Chen leaned against the window, the purple-gold lightning swirling around his fingertips slowly receding, but his eyes gleamed with a shrewd, strategic light.
His move was a trap to lure the enemy into a snare.
The bait was none other than the ultimate lightning strike that was unleashed today when the Heavenly Dou Royal Team was crushed in the Soul Arena.
Once, ultimate attributes were merely a figment of the imagination, ridiculed by all soul masters across the continent in "Ultimate Martial Soul," a vague and ethereal legend. But today, he has turned that legend into reality, making the name of Ultimate Lightning resound throughout Soto City.
What would those titled Douluo, who are high above and look down on all living beings, think if they learned that ultimate attribute martial souls really exist in the world?
It must have been a feeling of shock, greed, and an eagerness to see him.
This is exactly what he wanted.
The uniqueness of an ultimate martial soul makes the name "Lin Yuan" one of a kind, making him a highly sought-after prize by various forces. Especially for a titled Douluo like Dugu Bo, who is burdened with deadly poison and in dire need of protection, he would be seen as their only lifeline—after all, someone who can control ultimate attributes may have the means to counteract the world's most potent poisons.
At that time, his desire to approach the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire will naturally come to fruition.
However, every advantage has its disadvantages.
The ultimate lightning is too dazzling; its radiant light will inevitably attract unwanted attention.
For example, Tang Hao, who is currently causing a bloodbath on the mainland and wielding the Clear Sky Hammer.
This former Haotian Douluo was always particularly sensitive to exceptionally talented Soul Masters, and the appearance of an ultimate Martial Soul was bound to attract his attention. Once he set his sights on someone, many troubles would inevitably follow.
Thinking of this, Lin Chen's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his aura deepened.
But it was only for a moment.
He quickly took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, and his eyes regained their firmness.
"What is meant to be will be, and what is meant to be will be."
He murmured softly, his tone filled with a do-or-die determination, "If you want to establish yourself in this Douluo Continent, if you want to become strong enough, even if the road ahead is full of thorns and dangers, you must keep going."
Ultimate Lightning is his trump card, and also his stepping stone.
Only by revealing this trump card can we change the landscape of the entire continent and gradually reach the pinnacle.
As night deepened, the moonlight shone like water.
Lin Chen stopped thinking about it, turned around and walked to the bedside, took off his coat and lay down.
"Now, go to sleep."
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