Dugu Bo said softly. At this moment, he understood You Chen's intentions.
Of course, there were some details he couldn't grasp, but at least he realized that You Xing wanted to strengthen Dugu Yan's determination to become a disciple through Yu Tianheng.
"Anyway, if it can help your granddaughter leave without too many grievances, wouldn't that be great? Everyone would be happy. The evidence is that you didn't try to stop it, did you?"
At this time, the two of them, along with Dugu Yan, returned to the luxurious mansion in Tiandou City that Prince Xue Xing had arranged for Dugu Bo.
Originally, Dugu Yan was supposed to stay in the dormitory of the Tiandou Royal Academy outside the city, but Dugu Bo said he had important matters to discuss with Dugu Yan privately, so he brought her back with him.
In the eyes of the other members of the Royal Fight Team, this "important matter" probably wouldn't have any other possibilities...
At this moment, Dugu Bo let Dugu Yan go back to her room first, while he led You Xing toward the guest room.
"Speaking of which, you guys in Tiandou really do a great job with information control, huh?"
"Huh? What information control?"
"A year ago, weren't there rumors about Bibi Dong flying all over the place? Just now when I was out on the street, I used the power of the wind to inquire a bit, but I didn't hear a single person discussing it."
You Xing said, shaking his head: "As expected, so-called hot news, once the hype passes, no one pays attention anymore."
"Rumors about Bibi Dong? Yeah, just a mere rumor about Bibi Dong—wait, Bibi Dong! Isn't that the name of the current Pope!?"
Dugu Bo broke into a sweat.
He never expected You Xing would say this with the expression of a bystander.
Isn't that rumor something you created back in the day?
"Ahem."
However, Dugu Bo ultimately understood the so-called issue of stance. He coughed lightly and explained, "Actually, it's only in the Tiandou Empire, after all, it's under the emperor's feet. I don't often stay in the Sunset Forest, do I? Occasionally, while traveling back and forth to Tiandou City, I can still hear some mercenaries discussing these things. In fact... compared to a year ago, there are quite a few new topics."
But that was all there was to it.
Just like the wild history of China continues to develop, aside from those truly interested in these matters, the general public might not mention it even once a year.
It was of no help to the progress of their mission.
But... ultimately, within a few years, this root of trouble would not be completely eradicated.
Thinking of this, You Xing nodded silently.
The two chatted casually, and before long, they finally reached their destination.
"How is it, Chen brother? This room isn't bad, right?"
Dugu Bo pushed open the door in front of him, proudly introducing it to You Xing.
After all, it was a residence arranged for Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo guest elder, by a prince, and Dugu Bo had specifically chosen the best guest room. The luxurious decor inside was naturally far beyond what an ordinary Soul Master could imagine.
But You Xing was not someone who would care about such material things.
"Very thoughtful."
However, You Xing was somewhat emotionally intelligent; he couldn't ignore Dugu Bo's good intentions.
Seeing Dugu Bo's cheerful smile, You Xing suddenly said, "Actually, you don't need to specifically tell that little girl the truth. Just like I said earlier, if she can relieve her poisoning symptoms without knowing anything, that would be great for everyone."
You Chen, under the pretense of taking a disciple, would naturally be able to solve Dugu Yan's problems. As for the transaction between the two adults and Dugu Yan's own situation, there was no need to inform Dugu Yan during this process.
This plan, which completely relieved Dugu Yan of psychological pressure, inherited Dugu Bo's previous efforts to protect Dugu Yan perfectly.
Dugu Bo, however, showed a serious expression: "Brother, you've made it so convenient for me; how can I not show some gratitude? I must let Yanyan know that this is not just a matter of imparting teachings, but also a matter of saving her life! Moreover..."
Dugu Bo sighed softly: "Perhaps I was indeed wrong before. I thought that no matter how willful Yanyan was, I would always have her back, and she wouldn't need to care about other matters. But now it seems that a great conflict could arise at any time, and letting her know some worldly wisdom early on could help her mature sooner."
As Dugu Bo spoke, he turned back to a serious expression: "Brother Chen has many affairs to attend to; how could you have the energy to waste on Yanyan? I will tell her that the matter of taking a disciple is just a pretense. Although it can indeed make her stronger, the fundamental purpose is to solve her poisoning problem."
"She is your granddaughter; how you educate her is your business."
You Xing said lightly: "If she ultimately doesn't want to leave here, I will think of other ways to help her detoxify, but that time might be delayed."
Dugu Bo nodded: "That should be the case."
After he finished speaking, he showed a hesitant expression.
You Xing saw through his inner thoughts and said, "Regarding the issue with Prince Xue Xing, there's no need to rush. Personally, I believe that your support as a Titled Douluo over the years has already repaid his life-saving grace."
During the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well incident, You Xing's sincerity moved Dugu Bo, who even directly said he would "follow any orders."
But after that impulsive enthusiasm passed, Dugu Bo quickly realized that would Prince Xue Xing really let go of his hard-won top guest elder just like that?
Moreover, even if Xue Beng needed education, would Prince Xue Xing allow a stranger like You Xing to educate him?
And could a verbal promise from a stranger Titled Douluo truly be accepted by Prince Xue Xing?
"This life-saving grace cannot just be brushed aside like that."
Dugu Bo retorted: "If that's the case, then Brother Chen's life-saving grace for me and Yanyan could also be easily repaid, right?"
You Xing said: "What I mean is, this is a matter of personal emotional willingness. If he is someone who holds grudges, then what you have done is already enough; conversely, he should be willing to let you go."
Dugu Bo, however, disagreed: "Gratitude cannot be calculated like that. Brother Chen, although I can't argue with you logically, I feel that your way of calculating is somewhat inappropriate."
You Xing did not deny it; instead, he smiled and said: "So, I said this is not a matter of logic but of emotion. Don't just focus on the latter part; look at what I said earlier. Although the reasoning is sound, your feelings cannot accept this way, right? Therefore, I suggested providing help for Prince Xue Xing's career and ambitions. This gives you both a way out. You have already expressed your willingness to leave; what remains is how he will show his attitude. If at that time, he still refuses to let you go..."
Dugu Bo looked at You Xing, who had a dangerous glint in his eyes, and suddenly widened his eyes: "Brother Chen! No! After all, he is my life-saving benefactor! Even if it's you—"
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
You Xing showed a speechless expression, waved his hand, and said: "Did you forget the topic we were discussing on the way just now?"
Dugu Bo was somewhat confused: "You mean, the fact that Tiandou's information control is well done?"
You Xing said lightly: "I have confirmed that it was that Prince Xue Qinghe who first proposed to suppress the rumors about Bibi Dong."
Such an obvious topic, even Dugu Bo, who was completely insensitive to politics, understood.
He whispered: "You mean, that Prince Xue Qinghe is leaning towards the Martial Soul Hall?"
Dugu Bo was well aware that the recent negative reviews about the Pope and the subsequent significant decline in the Martial Soul Hall's reputation were closely related to the theoretical master in front of him!
You Xing said: "Prince Xue Xing and Xue Qinghe are adversaries. Given that Xue Qinghe is likely leaning towards the Martial Soul Hall and has probably already made contact, what do you think his view of the Martial Soul Hall would be?"
Dugu Bo began to understand.
You Xing directly stated the answer: "So, for me, the worst-case scenario is just revealing the identity of a heavenly-level assassin to Prince Xue Xing. Whether out of interest and stance or fear of a terrifying assassin, as well as the friendly relationship between a heavenly-level assassin and his top guest elder, forming a secret alliance with me is the most likely decision he would make.
As for me threatening or assassinating him out of dissatisfaction with his decision... as long as I still want you as my brother, I wouldn't do that. I think this worst-case scenario is within your acceptance range, so why worry too much? Just think about how to explain things to Prince Xue Xing tomorrow."
Dugu Bo listened and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he couldn't help but click his tongue and complain: "You people who play with schemes and politics really have a hundred ulterior motives..."
This naturally earned him a slightly squinted indifferent expression from You Xing, causing him to feel a chill in his heart and flee.
But at the same time, Dugu Bo felt a bit lighter and relieved.
The two parted ways, and You Xing looked at Dugu Bo's departing figure, revealing a faint smile.
What brotherly friendship? He wasn't someone like Dugu Bo, who could easily become familiar with others; how could he trust someone in just one day?
"You are right, my dear brother Dugu, those who play with schemes and politics have no clean hands." After spending a day together, Dugu Bo had mostly forgotten You Chen's initial threat of "killing him if he didn't join," but You Xing had never forgotten it from the beginning.
Of course, that was a choice in the most extreme circumstances. Given the current developments, it was basically impossible to reach a point of armed conflict with Dugu Bo.
Back in his room, after closing the door, You Xing finally confirmed the system's task information.
This task was far less outrageous in difficulty than the one involving Bibi Dong.
You Xing initially thought the final condition of the task would require completely destroying a person's mentality, but it seemed that group tasks wouldn't see a drastic increase in difficulty just because the number of participants increased. Moreover, the conditions for "defeating" series tasks were often simpler than other types. Once he broke the mentality of half the people, the ultimate task was already completed.
[Basic Reward: Two "Flash of Inspiration," Soul Bone Age Enhancement Card (10,000 years), several pills]
[Additional Reward: 10,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb, one "Muscle and Bone Transformation," Soul Ring Age Enhancement Card (10,000 years) x2]
[Ultimate Reward: 100,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb, one "Reveal the Source"]
You Xing directly chose to receive the rewards.
He looked at the two additional Immortal Herbs in his item bar and fell into a brief silence.
He didn't expect that the Immortal Herb, which ordinary people yearned for, would be so easily granted as a reward by the system.
"Is this task primarily focused on Yu Tianheng, so it issued rewards related to his dragon lineage?"
Most of the time, task rewards were relatively random and seemed unrelated to the task objectives, but sometimes there would be items that appeared to have some connection.
You Xing couldn't be bothered to dwell on these details and quickly took out the 10,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb.
According to the system's description, this was an Immortal Herb that could greatly purify dragon bloodlines.
If it were decades ago, even just this 10,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb would have made him excited.
In the Douluo Continent, treasures related to dragons were exceptionally rare and precious.
Even the lowest-level category belonged to the highest tier among resources, and even a theoretical master would find it difficult to allocate.
This was also why You Xing initially chose to evolve his Martial Soul through attribute power rather than purifying his bloodline.
At that time, You Xing didn't have such an in-depth understanding of Martial Souls and didn't realize that his bloodline power was not weak but was being dragged down by his soul power aptitude.
But even so, the unique effects of the Immortal Herb could still make up for some shortcomings.
If You Xing, with a Martial Soul still in the form of a Wind Young Dragon, consumed this 10,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb, it could still allow his Martial Soul to evolve early into a starry young dragon, forcibly raising his soul power aptitude.
With this foundation, it wouldn't be impossible for his Martial Soul to reach the top level during the Soul Saint stage.
But now?
Every time the Martial Soul evolved, it would drive the dragon bloodline to grow again.
The Martial Soul had already evolved to a super stage, and You Xing no longer had any shortcomings. The already powerful dragon bloodline, after evolving the Martial Soul with the Wind Conquering Dragon as the seventh ring, had directly reached its peak.
So this Immortal Herb that directly strengthened the dragon bloodline was completely useless to You Xing.
"The one most suitable to absorb this Immortal Herb is Ignis. In fact, among my subordinates, only Ignis has a dragon bloodline and is qualified to consume it."
But after glancing at the other "100,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb" in the item bar, You Xing decided to absorb this 10,000-Year Immortal Herb himself.
While others might worry about the medicinal power conflict of the Immortal Herb, You Xing didn't have such concerns.
With the completion of the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength's Giant Elephant chapter and entering the Dragon Elephant chapter, You Xing's body had become like a divine furnace, achieving an extremely terrifying level of resource utilization and digestion speed.
The remaining stubborn medicinal properties of the Ice and Fire Immortal Herb buried deep within his body would likely be completely digested in no time.
Even Tang San dared to consume another Wishful Spring Dew after refining his body with Ice and Fire; You Xing had even less reason to worry.
Previously, to prevent the medicinal properties from being damaged, he couldn't casually divide the medicinal power and celestial spirit energy, but with this 10,000-Year Dragon Blood Immortal Herb, he had no such concerns.
He directly began to refine it according to the method provided by the system.
In just a few seconds, the medicinal power of the Dragon Blood Immortal Herb spread throughout his limbs and bones.
"Indeed, it has almost no enhancement for the origin of my Martial Soul."
Although he had anticipated this, You Xing couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
If it were useful for his Martial Soul, even if it only improved by ten percent, he wouldn't have handed the Dragon Blood Immortal Herb over to Ignis.
While it was necessary for his subordinates to grow stronger to fulfill his ambitions, no matter what, his own strength had to come first.
Though disappointed, You Xing quickly returned to his initial thought and began the process of separating the celestial spirit energy.
Rather than separating, it was more accurate to say he was roughly destroying the medicinal power with his mental strength and then returning the fused celestial spirit energy to its original state.
After all, this was an unprecedented operation. Although this method was crude and would cause a significant loss of celestial spirit energy, it could still be considered effective.
You Xing quickly separated the first strand of celestial spirit energy.
"What is this!?"
You Xing's body suddenly trembled.
He realized that this so-called celestial spirit energy was something he had already encountered before.
"Isn't this the thing that worked when the system helped me with Muscle and Bone Transformation!?"
At this moment, You Xing felt more of a subtle sensation of "searching for him a thousand times in the crowd, and suddenly turning around, that person is there in the dim light."
It was as if everything was so logical and so natural.
Gradually developing the body towards a perfect celestial being was precisely forging an immortal divine body, wasn't it!?
Moreover, with the system's ability to forcibly suppress the world's rules, what it could ultimately create would surely be a truly perfect divine body that surpassed the imaginations of many gods.
As time passed, strands of celestial spirit energy were separated out, as the celestial spirit energy initially fused with the medicinal power was distributed throughout You Xing's limbs and bones.
You Xing soon discovered that without the system's help, even if he tried to simulate the system's steps for Muscle and Bone Transformation with his mental strength, this celestial spirit energy was very sluggish, as if it had gone on strike, silently resting within his body.
You Xing quickly made a guess.
"It seems that it's not because my 'method' is problematic, but because my 'mental strength' is insufficient. To forge a divine body, one needs 'divine consciousness' and 'divine power.'"
Of course, the method of "Muscle and Bone Transformation" for forging the body required divine consciousness and divine power.
Celestial spirit energy was an almost universal energy source; it could nourish mental strength, soul power, bloodline power, and even the essence of life.
You Xing observed the celestial spirit energy with his mental strength and found that over time, even without any manipulation, the celestial spirit energy, simply by existing within his life form, was spontaneously engaging in nourishing ac
tivities.
This enhancement efficiency was so fast that anyone from the Douluo Continent would marvel at its speed.
But for You Xing, who had experienced the system's Muscle and Bone Transformation, every moment was a waste of celestial spirit energy.