Of course, Chen Ming hadn't forgotten the purpose of why Dugu Bo brought him here. While paying attention to the immortal herbs, Chen Ming also seriously considered how to treat the deadly poison in Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's bodies and help them improve their strength. Although his knowledge of pharmacology and toxicology couldn't compare to Dugu Bo's or Tang San's, immortal herbs were miraculous items that defied common logic.
After some thought, Chen Ming picked a few Snow Lotuses that hadn't reached a thousand years of age and also gathered a few yang-type medicinal herbs of similar age.
"What is this method supposed to do?"
Dugu Bo glanced at the herbs. He recognized them all. While their quality was excellent, their age didn't seem particularly impressive. He thought for a while but couldn't figure out what Chen Ming intended to do to detoxify them.
"The extreme cold and heat here are caused by the influence of that pool. Although I dare not approach it rashly, during my exploration around it, I sensed the mystery of the alternating cycles of cold and heat," Chen Ming explained while pointing to the Snow Lotus.
"This Snow Lotus is incredibly rare. Although it belongs to the yin category, it is not a purely cold item. Instead, it contains a trace of yang energy within the yin, making it effective for nourishing and stabilizing vitality."
"These yang-type herbs I've picked are also of the yang-within-yin variety, and they also help in stabilizing and nourishing vitality."
"I plan to process these yin-yang herbs into two types of medicine for Yan Yan to use alternately. By adjusting the dosage of the two medicines according to the changing seasons, I hope to balance the yin and yang energies in her body. Once the yin-yang energies have stabilized, we can then work on boosting her spiritual power to weaken the poisons in her body, allowing her to gain control over the deadly poison within her."
"Balancing yin and yang energy? That's an approach I hadn't considered before. Normally, whenever it's cloudy or rainy, the poison in my body flares up. If I'd thought of this method earlier, I probably could've avoided a lot of suffering over the years," Dugu Bo nodded, showing his approval of Chen Ming's plan.
Dugu Bo didn't mind that Chen Ming prioritized his granddaughter over him. He agreed with it. In his heart, Dugu Yan was far more important to him than himself.
"As for you, Grandpa, balancing your energies will be a bit more difficult," Chen Ming said frankly.
"At your level, achieving a significant boost in spiritual power is quite challenging. The poison in your body has accumulated over many years and is intertwined with your soul power and vitality, making it doubly difficult to manage."
"To bring your spiritual power up to the required standard is not just a small step—it's a massive leap. Achieving the unity of essence, energy, and spirit would take at least several decades of painstaking effort. So my primary strategy for you is to focus on weakening the toxicity."
"I can try to collect some pollen from the Aromatic Silk Beauty to experiment with. Additionally, I'll see if I can leverage the connection between you and the dragon core to guide the poison out of your body and into the dragon core. Then, I'll attempt to dilute it and separate the combined soul power and vitality."
"If we can separate them, the process will become much more manageable and less wasteful."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo asked directly, "How confident are you in this approach, Xiao Ming?"
"I can't claim 100% certainty, but I'd say about 90%," Chen Ming replied.
"And how long will it take?"
"Shorter methods might take one to two years, while longer ones could take three to four years. After all, this poison has been festering for decades. Reverting your soul power and vitality to their original state and repurposing the remaining waste will require a slow and meticulous process."
Dugu Bo nodded. "For me, that amount of time isn't long, but it's a different story for you."
"Xiao Ming, if you use the method you demonstrated before—extracting the poison from my body, purifying it, and then reintegrating it—how long would it take?"
"Two to three months at best, six months at most. However, this method is more resource-intensive, and even after detoxifying you, the improvement in your strength wouldn't be substantial. At most, it could raise you to level 93."
Chen Ming's approach and methods were entirely different from Tang San's in the original story. Tang San's approach was much more brute force—cutting off the problem at its root without concern for subtlety. So long as Dugu Bo didn't notice, it didn't matter how crude the methods were.
As for whether the poison might have been of great use to Dugu Bo? Tang San might not have seen the potential, but it was more likely that he simply didn't care about Dugu Bo.
Although it was understandable, given that Dugu Bo had forcibly captured Tang San, Chen Ming's relationship with Dugu Bo was far better than Tang San's in the original story. Naturally, Chen Ming wanted to provide Dugu Bo with as much benefit as possible.
"That's enough," Dugu Bo sighed, making his decision.
"For so many years, I've only wanted to find a way to suppress the poison in my family line so that my only relative wouldn't have to suffer as I did. As for myself, I don't care."
"I never dreamed of gaining anything beneficial from this poison, nor did I ever like the flaws of my lineage."
"If you can find a solution for Yan Yan, I'll already be deeply satisfied. Detoxifying this old bag of bones is a blessing from the heavens."
"Level 93 or 94 makes little difference to me. I know full well that with my abilities, reaching level 95 is an impossibility in this lifetime. But those three to four years would be a long time for you and Yan Yan."
Dugu Bo sighed again. Although his words seemed casual, his heart was heavier than he let on. Still, he had no regrets.
"Just treat Yan Yan well. As for me, detoxifying me so I can spend a couple more years with her is good enough."
"You two should focus on your cultivation. This old man will protect you. With your talent, Xiao Ming, surpassing me is inevitable. You might even reach the peaks of the Ultimate Douluo one day."
"I just hope I can live to see that day…"
"Soul masters have a golden period for cultivation, so make the most of it. These years may determine your achievements for decades to come."
Dugu Bo, as if he had seen through everything, patted Chen Ming on the shoulder, seemingly letting go of a heavy burden.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic. These years won't delay cultivation," Chen Ming tried to explain, but Dugu Bo waved him off.
"Enough, enough. This old man has his plans."
Although Dugu Bo appeared impatient on the surface, his heart was clear as a mirror.
He knew that he had no hope of reaching level 95 in his lifetime. Level 94 was his limit. Instead of letting his granddaughter's future husband waste several years on him, it was better to detoxify himself quickly so he could protect both of them.
Moreover, Dugu Bo could see the improvements in his condition after detoxification. In his mind, rather than pushing himself to level 94 and getting stuck at that bottleneck, it was better to let Chen Ming use the resources to advance more quickly.
Dugu Bo had reached his limit, but Chen Ming's journey was just beginning.