Dugu Bo's breakthrough was entirely expected.
Dugu Bo had decent talent; when he awakened his martial soul, he had innate full soul power, allowing him to cultivate at an extremely fast pace. However, the progression of his cultivation was hindered by the poison in his body.
It wasn't until he found the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a location capable of suppressing the poison in his body, that he could resume his cultivation, albeit barely. In the end, he somehow managed to become a Titled Douluo.
Without the interference of the innate poisons tied to his body, Dugu Bo would have achieved the rank of Titled Douluo much earlier, and his strength would have been slightly greater as well.
At the very least, he wouldn't have been stuck at rank 91—a particularly awkward level for a Titled Douluo—for decades.
While the innate poisons brought certain benefits to Dugu Bo, they were ultimately more of a curse than a blessing.
These poisons had fused with Dugu Bo's vitality and soul power, becoming an inseparable part of him. If he lost this part entirely, he would die. However, even if he didn't lose it, the uncontrollable poisons would continue dragging him toward death.
Under normal circumstances, not only could Dugu Bo not utilize this power, but he also had to constantly suppress it, consuming his energy and focus. If he could channel even 70–80% of his total soul power in battle, it was already considered good.
For Dugu Bo, the poisons were entirely a negative asset.
From an economic perspective, while negative equity is still technically an asset, in most cases, it remains purely detrimental. Only a rare few can turn negative equity into true wealth.
Dugu Bo's poisons were a severe liability—discarding them would lead to bankruptcy, but holding on to them would result in slow financial ruin. Despite their theoretical value, they were essentially worthless in practice.
Chen Ming purified a portion of the poisons in Dugu Bo's body, converting them back into soul power and vitality. This effectively turned a part of Dugu Bo's negative equity into usable assets.
This transformation was highly impactful.
The life force and soul power that had been suppressed within the poisons for years were reintegrated into Dugu Bo's body by Chen Ming, rapidly restoring Dugu Bo's weakened state and even elevating it to a new level.
Moreover, with some of the poisons purified, the remaining poisons were subdued under Dugu Bo's suppression, entering a dormant state for the time being and unable to cause further harm.
With this burden lifted, Dugu Bo didn't even need to push himself—he naturally overcame the bottleneck that had troubled him for so long, breaking through to rank 92 as a Titled Douluo.
And this wasn't just the initial stage of rank 92. If converted to an experience bar, Dugu Bo's progress toward rank 93 was already over 60% filled.
Under normal circumstances, without considering the enhancements from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well or the setbacks from the poisons, Dugu Bo could likely break through to rank 93 within ten years. Achieving rank 94 as a Titled Douluo in his lifetime wouldn't be an issue.
As for rank 95…
Becoming a rank 95 Super Douluo not only requires exceptional soul power but also a significant level of abstract comprehension. While Dugu Bo's talent in soul power is adequate and he's not unintelligent, he lacks innate talent in the area of comprehension.
Feeling his body rejuvenated by what seemed like over a decade, Dugu Bo quickly turned around to check on Chen Ming.
He had already made up his mind: if his granddaughter didn't fancy Chen Ming, or if Chen Ming didn't reciprocate her feelings, then he wouldn't bother taking him as a disciple. Instead, he'd just formally acknowledge him as a sworn brother.
Compared to Chen Ming, Dugu Bo felt like he was a junior.
After spending decades trying to detoxify himself, he still didn't understand the essence of his poisons. Such actions were utterly unworthy of the title Poison Douluo.
As Dugu Bo reflected, he realized he'd been called Poison Douluo for so long that he had completely forgotten that his original title bestowed by the Spirit Hall during his coronation was Jade Phosphorus.
He examined Chen Ming, who was deep in meditation, and sensed that his soul power and spiritual energy were in an exceptionally abundant state. His martial soul had grown even more powerful compared to earlier, clearly having advanced to the level of the Scorpion Emperor. This allowed Dugu Bo to breathe a sigh of relief.
He had genuinely feared that he might accidentally harm Chen Ming or leave some lingering issue.
If something happened to Chen Ming, who was a great benefactor to both him and his granddaughter, Dugu Bo felt he would have no choice but to atone with his life.
Chen Ming, now in deep meditation, was attentively sensing the changes in his body.
Previously, Chen Ming's meridians were already robust, but after this round of cleansing and repair, they became wider and more resilient, now filled with a vitality that would provide greater security in unexpected situations.
The poisons that had invaded his body were flushed out by his soul power and vitality, losing their aggressiveness and being completely absorbed by his external soul bone. This not only enhanced his physical constitution but also improved his resistance to and control over poisons.
As for his soul power…
After absorbing his second soul ring and external soul bone, Chen Ming's soul power level had reached 23, nearly 24. Two months of cultivation later, he broke through to 24 with the help of Dugu Yan's opportunity. After assisting Dugu Bo, his soul power surged further, advancing to 26, almost reaching 27.
At this rate, Chen Ming estimated he could reach level 27 after about half a month of cultivation.
However, beyond these superficial improvements, what Chen Ming cared about most was the fundamental changes.
Not only had his martial soul advanced to the Scorpion Emperor, but his external soul bone had also evolved into a ten-thousand-year grade and gained new abilities. Most notably, Chen Ming had obtained a portion of the innate poisons that even Dugu Bo himself couldn't fully control.
The Dugu family used their bodies as vessels and the Jade Phosphorus Snake as their Gu King in their cultivation of poisons. Countless lives and years were sacrificed before Dugu Bo finally succeeded in cultivating the Gu King.
By devouring a portion of this characteristic and integrating it into his martial soul, Chen Ming could now similarly absorb the essence of poison-type soul beasts to cultivate his martial soul as a Gu King.
And because he inherited the finished product directly, Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorus Snake essence seamlessly fused into Chen Ming's Emerald Scorpion, creating a perfect union. Now, Chen Ming's Emerald Scorpion Emperor martial soul also carried some traits of the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor.
These traits not only enhanced his soul power but also improved his physical attributes. Upon activating his martial soul, he could now gain 100% of the Emerald Scorpion Emperor's attributes and an additional 25% of the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor's base attributes.
The Scorpion's original weaknesses in agility and endurance were significantly mitigated by the Snake Emperor's characteristics, and even the poisons gained a new distinctive quality.
The fusion of the Emerald Scorpion Emperor martial soul with the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor essence resulted in an unprecedented transformation. This change was undeniably beneficial.
This healing session brought immense benefits to both Dugu Bo and Chen Ming. For Chen Ming, the advantages were no less significant than consuming a piece of immortal herb.
After all, the immortal herbs currently in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well weren't at the level of the hundred-thousand-year soul beasts seen in Douluo 2, so their medicinal potency was naturally limited. Meanwhile, though Dugu Bo was somewhat weaker, he was still a genuine Titled Douluo, and his essence was no less potent than that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Moreover, Dugu Bo specialized in poison, and his poison abilities had been cultivated for decades. The Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor's essence carried traits akin to a Gu King. Even just being around Dugu Bo was enough for Chen Ming to gain significant experience.
Most importantly, this was a sustainable arrangement. By detoxifying Dugu Bo in the future, Chen Ming could continue reaping benefits. In the long run, this was far more valuable than a single ordinary immortal herb.