That humiliating defeat made the Five Elements Academies drop their arrogance and prejudice. They began taking the exchange with Heaven Dou Royal Academy seriously.
Cultivation, simulated battles, exchanges, and team fights — everything proceeded smoothly under Qin Ming's arrangements.
Lin Yang had only shown his face for a few days before disappearing again.
He only visited the academy occasionally when he had time. For him, simply participating in battles no longer held much meaning. He preferred to spend his time refining medicines and conducting research rather than wasting time at the academy.
News had already arrived from Dugu Bo's side.
He had already made progress in condensing his soul core and was hoping Lin Yang could refine a medicine that would strengthen his ultimate poison.
Lin Yang readily agreed.
Now Dugu Bo and he were already bound together. Their fates were intertwined — when one prospered, the other would suffer.
The stronger Dugu Bo became before he obtained sufficient power, the more at ease Lin Yang would feel.
As the days passed, the countdown to the end of the exchange period officially began.
Overall, this exchange had been very smooth and beneficial for both sides.
The only one who probably felt dissatisfied was Huo Wu.
During this period, she had encountered a formidable rival — a dead rabbit named "Xiao Wu."
Because their names were similar, the two of them hadn't gotten along well at first.
After one match, she had been completely crushed by her defeat.
Even her "little brothers" had started calling that dead rabbit "Sister Xiao Wu."
It was utterly shameful.
During this time, she had trained diligently and even learned new techniques.
She had wanted to save face, but in the end, she had thoroughly learned her lesson.
It was no wonder she felt unlucky.
To everyone's surprise, Lin Yang, the captain of the Heaven Dou team, did not appear on the final day of the exchange program.
No one knew where he was.
Although Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, and the others didn't say it out loud, regret could be seen in their eyes.
With no other choice, they could only ask Dugu Yan and the others to pass on the message: if Lin Yang had the chance in the future, they hoped he would visit their academies.
...
At the same time, at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Inside a cave far from the medicinal garden.
Lin Yang wore a solemn expression as he handed a small medicine bottle to Dugu Bo.
The bottle was translucent. The liquid flowing inside was as pure white as snow.
This was the essence he had extracted from the "Snow Swan Kiss." There were two in total, and this was one of them.
He had originally planned to conceal the medicinal effects of the Snow Swan Kiss, but later realized he had underestimated this heavenly plant.
Its domineering nature far exceeded expectations. Any herb it touched would instantly turn into a poisonous herb.
Lin Yang had been unable to completely suppress its medicinal properties, but he had managed to dilute its effects.
To achieve this, he had destroyed dozens of clones and finally extracted only these two portions of medicine.
One was for Dugu Bo, while the other was naturally reserved for Dugu Yan.
After receiving the medicine, Dugu Bo took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
He didn't say much. Their relationship had already deepened to the point where formalities were no longer necessary.
"Protect me."
Lin Yang stood up and sat outside the cave.
Dugu Bo brought the medicine close to his face. With a light press of his thumb, the sealed bottle instantly shattered into pieces.
A faint fragrance drifted out from the gap.
Dugu Bo tilted his head back and drank the medicine in one gulp.
At first, nothing unusual happened. However, after just three breaths —
"Ugh—!"
A muffled groan escaped from his throat. Suddenly, dark green veins surfaced on his skin.
Then he suddenly threw his head back and spat out a cloud of black poisonous mist from his mouth.
The toxic mist rained down on the ground and instantly corroded a deep hole, hissing loudly.
Lin Yang's gaze was fixed on Dugu Bo. His palms were already sweating.
If this stage succeeded, Dugu Bo would no longer be an ordinary Titled Douluo.
His poison would become a terrifying substance that most Titled Douluo wouldn't even dare to touch.
If he failed, Lin Yang was prepared to use the Demon God Body's blood to save him.
Time passed bit by bit.
Lin Yang stood motionless at the cave entrance for a full three days.
Dugu Bo's condition gradually stabilized. The dark green patterns on his body's surface had also faded significantly.
Three days later, Dugu Bo's hair had turned completely white, making him look like an ordinary old man.
The aura he emitted was no longer cold and malicious. Instead, it carried an unfathomable depth. Its restrained nature made people feel even more uneasy.
Finally, Dugu Bo opened his eyes.
His originally dark green pupils were now surrounded by snow-white rings, giving off a cold and distant impression.
He looked down at his hands and slowly clenched them into fists.
"It's done!"
His voice was slightly hoarse, but he couldn't hide his excitement.
His cultivation level had naturally reached level 94 after condensing the soul core — just one level away from that rotten chrysanthemum.
Moreover, with his ultimate poison, even if a battle broke out, he would have nothing to fear.
At that moment, a smile appeared on Lin Yang's face. He clasped his hands and said,
"Poison Elder, congratulations on your further progress in cultivation."
"Hahaha!"
Dugu Bo laughed heartily. He stood up and lightly patted Lin Yang's shoulder.
"This is all thanks to you, boy. Ever since you came, good things keep happening one after another."
Lin Yang chuckled lightly, then asked in a low voice,
"Poison Elder, how do you balance the Danzhu and the soul core?"
"Balance?"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo gave him a strange look.
Why would he need to balance them?
Lin Yang was slightly surprised.
Dugu Bo stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His tone was casual but carried a hint of shrewdness.
"You said the Danzhu can be regarded as a pseudo-soul core. But a fake is still a fake. Compared to a real soul core, it's still inferior."
"Then, Poison Elder…"
"You should experience it yourself!"
Before Dugu Bo finished speaking, he had already released his defensive soul power and put his entire body in an undefended state.
The fact that he could do this was proof of his trust in Lin Yang.
Lin Yang's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't refuse.
"Poison Elder, excuse me."
He raised his hand and gently placed his palm on Dugu Bo's chest. A faint trace of soul power seeped into his body.
The moment he entered, Lin Yang clearly sensed the newly condensed soul core.
It resided deep in the dantian. The entire core was dark green and emitted an awe-inspiring aura of extreme restraint.
However, when he saw the state of the soul core and the Danzhu, he couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
This was because the cinnabar-like bead was slowly rotating around the soul core.
Isotope resonance double soul core?
No, that wasn't it!
Lin Yang secretly shook his head.
Resonating double soul cores would restrain each other, balance each other, and attract each other.
To condense and compress more soul power, the center had changed from one to two.
But the person before him was completely different.
The Danzhu didn't confront the soul core. Instead, it had become its complete subordinate.
It didn't fuse with the soul core. Instead, it attached itself to the soul core's force field in a clever way. Each occupied its own space and didn't interfere with the other.
It was like the Earth and the Moon.
"I see!"
A flash of understanding appeared in Lin Yang's eyes. He slowly withdrew his hand.
"Do you understand now?" Dugu Bo asked in a low voice.
"Whether it's medicine or a soul core, obtaining either one is already a blessing. Trying to balance them is unreliable."
"So I don't overthink it. I prioritize the soul core and treat the Danzhu as secondary. That's stable enough."
...