Chapter 75: The Subjective Initiative of Martial Soul Evolution
"Xiao Li? What's wrong?"
Guang Ling gently nudged Han Li, who had fallen into deep thought after listening to Dugu Bo.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something."
Han Li snapped out of his thoughts and casually responded.
"Is it something important again?"
Hearing this, Guang Ling immediately tensed up, his eyes fixed on his precious disciple without blinking. He was worried it better not be another case of erosion or something similar. His heart couldn't take it.
Sensing his master's concern, Han Li felt a warmth in his heart and chuckled softly. "No, don't worry, Master. I was just reminded of something Senior mentioned earlier."
"The Nine Petal Dragon Mushroom mutated under the influence of the Yin Yang Ice and Fire Eyes. I was wondering, since Senior inherited its purification ability, does that mean that when I reach a certain level, I might also be able to transform ice into water and gain a similar ability?"
"Hmm, that makes sense! My ice element power isn't weak either could I do it too?"
Guang Ling's eyes lit up as he considered the idea.
Most likely not. Guang Ling's Divine Bow had already inherited the cold attributes of ice. Han Li silently answered in his mind but chose not to say it out loud.
Let Master play around with it. Who knows? He might actually come up with something new. Dugu Bo standing before them was the best example of that.
Right now, Dugu Bo was his guardian. His strength counted as Han Li's strength. This was just another form of luck, wasn't it? Han Li consoled himself with this thought.
"Then I must congratulate Senior once again. The path to becoming a Super Douluo is now wide open for you."
Having forced himself to accept reality, Han Li looked at Dugu Bo with a complicated expression it was like washing and refining a pet, only to end up with a god tier beast.
"Haha, exactly! And now I've broken through to Rank 93 reaching Rank 95 should be a breeze. Don't worry, as long as I'm alive, no one will ever harm you."
Dugu Bo laughed heartily, then made a solemn promise.
"With those words, Senior, I can go around causing trouble without worry!" Han Li joked with a playful smile.
"Hahaha, I wouldn't dare make that promise unless your master was included in the deal."
Dugu Bo laughed as well.
"If I'm included, what do we need you for?"
Guang Ling snorted dismissively, but soon, he too broke into a smile.
For the rest of their conversation, they asked Dugu Bo several questions before his initial excitement over his breakthrough finally calmed down.
"By the way, Xiao Li, when your martial soul evolved, only part of the dragon aura within it was drawn out. Would you like me to try using my purification ability to see if it can counteract the erosion?"
Dugu Bo suddenly turned to Han Li and asked.
"It's probably useless. After all, your ability originates from the Yin Yang Ice and Fire Eyes. But it doesn't hurt to try."
Han Li extended his hand toward Dugu Bo.
As expected, after Dugu Bo's soul power circulated through Han Li's body, it had no effect.
Dugu Bo shook his head with a sigh. "The Yin Yang Ice and Fire Eyes really are both miraculous and terrifying."
The others nodded in agreement, and for a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy.
Seeing that everyone had fallen into silence, Han Li took the initiative to ask, "By the way, Senior, Sister Yan's situation is different from yours. She can't undergo martial soul evolution the same way you did. Have you come up with a concrete process for her evolution? Maybe we can discuss it together."
Hearing this, both Guang Ling and Dugu Yan turned their gazes toward Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo sorted out his thoughts before speaking slowly.
"I wouldn't call it a concrete process, but I am confident that Yan Yan can follow my path of evolution."
"First, our approach of stimulating the martial soul's traits was correct. During the process, I noticed my martial soul becoming more active than usual, strengthening my connection to it."
"Second, rather than refining the medicinal power purely through instinct, I constantly used my martial soul to try and devour the energy."
"Using the martial soul to devour? How exactly? Is there a specific soul power circulation method? I didn't feel anything like that when I absorbed my immortal herb."
Hearing how mystical Dugu Bo was making it sound, Guang Ling couldn't help but interject.
Dugu Bo didn't mind the skepticism and answered seriously, "I don't know the exact mechanics. My soul power followed the same circulation as usual, but at the time, I had only one thought in my mind: 'The snake devours the dragon.' And then I succeeded."
He continued, "The first time my martial soul evolved, it was also a blur. When I came to my senses, my martial soul had become the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. This time was the same. Han Li, didn't you also actively have your martial soul devour energy during your evolution? Ask him."
Han Li nodded Dugu Bo was right.
When Han Li sensed the residual will within his martial soul trying to break free, he had refused to let an external force contaminate it, choosing to refine it himself. As a result, the Ice Fire Divine Bow had evolved through devouring.
"Then why didn't I notice anything?" Guang Ling was puzzled.
"Probably because your immortal herb was of a different type. Master, yours only contained pure ice elements. While it was also influenced by the Yin Yang Ice and Fire Eyes, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass naturally repelled foreign energies during its growth," Han Li speculated.
"Hmm, that makes sense."
Dugu Bo recalled that most of the medicinal herbs Han Li had collected lacked any dragon aura and nodded in agreement.
"If that's the case, then the girl is gambling on luck let's hope she succeeds."
Guang Ling shook his head, unconvinced that Dugu Yan could fully replicate Dugu Bo's process.
"That's true, but it's still better than groping in the dark."
Dugu Bo didn't argue and instead looked at Dugu Yan with a reassuring smile.
"Actually, the situation isn't as bad as you two are making it out to be. You're overthinking things."
Han Li found their conversation amusing. They were subconsciously comparing Dugu Yan's situation to Dugu Bo's when, in reality, she was in a completely different position.
"For Sister Yan, whether she follows Senior's path or naturally evolves into a dragon type martial soul, both outcomes are a huge improvement. At the very least, she's no longer locked into a single trajectory with the Jade Phosphor Serpent."
"Unlike Senior, her martial soul's toxicity is still dormant. With carefully chosen spirit skills, her innate poison might not be completely eradicated, but it doesn't need to be. In fact, we don't even need to interfere. As long as she successfully evolves, her new martial soul will be able to suppress the poison naturally. Unless she intentionally follows the same path as Senior, this issue is no longer an issue."
Guang Ling and Dugu Bo had unconsciously framed their thinking around Dugu Bo's experience, but Han Li pointed out that Dugu Yan's starting point was fundamentally different.
"Oh… that's true."
Both men exchanged glances and finally realized their mistake they had been projecting Dugu Bo's situation onto Dugu Yan when, in reality, her circumstances were far more flexible.
(End of Chapter.)
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