Dugu Bo reverted to his human form, a translucent, crystalline soul bone clenched in his hand.
This soul bone was naturally Tang Hao's left arm bone.
As for the flesh that had clung to it, after being separated from Tang Hao's body and losing the protection of his soul power, it had already been corroded clean by Dugu Bo's venom.
Gazing at the glittering soul bone in his hand, Dugu Bo couldn't help but grin.
"What a powerful soul power fluctuation. This soul bone must be at least thirty thousand years old."
"As expected of the Clear Sky Douluo. Even a single arm of his is embedded with a soul bone."
The rarity and value of soul bones went without saying. Every time one appeared—even a mere thousand-year soul bone—it could spark a bloody conflict.
As for soul bones over ten thousand years, they were the coveted treasures of countless Soul Douluo, and even Titled Douluo would fight over them.
Dugu Bo had long been regarded as the weakest Titled Douluo, and his own collection was pitiful—he only possessed a single ten-thousand-year Medusa Skull.
Of course, with his means, acquiring soul bones under ten thousand years wasn't difficult. But to him, those lesser soul bones were like chicken ribs—not worth bothering with.
Tang Hao's left arm bone, however, came at the perfect time. Although its attributes didn't fully match his, it would suffice.
After all, a thirty-thousand-year soul bone, even if the soul skill wasn't top-tier, would still boost his soul power significantly!
Especially one that had been nourished by a Titled Douluo's soul power for many years—such soul bones offered far greater enhancement than ordinary ones.
After storing Tang Hao's left arm bone, Dugu Bo sighed regretfully, "A pity I couldn't finish off Tang Hao. He must have other soul bones on him."
What Dugu Bo coveted most, of course, was a hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
It was common knowledge: a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would always produce a soul bone.
Since Tang Hao had a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, then he must also have a matching soul bone on him.
But in that previous battle, although Dugu Bo had seriously wounded Tang Hao, he hadn't come out unscathed either.
Tang Hao's terrifying foundations—especially that explosive ring-detonation technique—still left Dugu Bo shaken.
Just the detonation of the first six soul rings had already pushed Dugu Bo to his limits. And Tang Hao still had his last spirit ring, the hundred-thousand-year old one.
Dugu Bo wasn't foolish enough to fight Tang Hao to the death!
(Side note: Ring detonation is seriously broken. Tang Hao had just received a sacrifice from Ah Yin when he used this technique to heavily injure Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. Qian Xunji suffered even more damage and was eventually killed by Bibi Dong. Honestly, I feel like the author used this to forcefully hype up Tang Hao's strength. Qian Xunji was a Rank 95 Soul Master with the Six-Winged Angel martial soul. I still don't get how Tang Hao, who had just broken through, could beat him to a pulp.)
Just as Dugu Bo was lamenting, his expression suddenly changed. His sharp gaze shot toward a certain direction, and he barked coldly:
"Who's there?!"
A moment ago, he had sensed a powerful wave of soul power—undoubtedly from another Titled Douluo.
But right as he spoke, the soul power fluctuations vanished into thin air.
Clearly, the person lurking in the shadows didn't want to engage him.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo remained wary, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had just used his Martial Soul True Body and his eighth and ninth soul skills. His soul power consumption was immense.
Now was not the time to clash with another Titled Douluo.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel curious about the identity of the hidden figure.
Who was that? That soul power didn't resemble either of the two from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan…
What he didn't know was that someone even more shocked than him at that moment was the Snake Spear Douluo.
He had arrived after the battle had ended, but just the devastation in front of him was enough to show how intense the fight had been.
This level of destruction was not something an ordinary Titled Douluo could achieve.
What shocked the Snake Spear Douluo the most, however, was that… wasn't Dugu Bo supposed to be the weakest Titled Douluo?
How did he come out on top in such a brutal confrontation?
Had he been faking weakness all these years?
What a cunning mind. I must report this to the Young Master!
As for the other Titled Douluo, since he'd arrived too late, the Snake Spear Douluo had no idea who it had been.
After he left, Dugu Bo also returned to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
As soon as he entered, the three members of the Academic Committee—Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—rushed over.
Seeing that Dugu Bo was unharmed, they immediately knew he had won the battle.
"Greetings, Your Grace, Poison Douluo!" the three greeted respectfully.
Dugu Bo waved them off.
"Enough, I know why you came. The one I fought was Tang Hao!"
"Tang Hao?"
"The Clear Sky Douluo!" The moment they heard the name, the trio froze in shock. A beat later, they reacted, exclaiming in disbelief.
Seeing their stunned faces, Dugu Bo raised his chin ever so slightly, the corners of his mouth curling smugly.
He had made a comeback. Even the mighty Tang Hao had nearly fallen to his hands.
If word of this got out, the entire continent would be shaken.
The three looked at each other with subtle suspicion, then cast doubtful glances at Dugu Bo.
It was as if they were saying, Are you sure you're not exaggerating? If it was really Tang Hao, how are you still standing here?
But who could blame them? Dugu Bo's reputation as the weakest Titled Douluo was deeply ingrained.
Dugu Bo noticed their looks, but he couldn't be bothered to explain.
"Enough. Just keep this to yourselves. I've got other things to do."
With that, he vanished like a wraith before their eyes.
After he left, the three exchanged uncertain glances.
"You think what Poison Douluo said is true?"
"Even if it's not, are you really going to verify it?"
"One thing's certain—Poison Douluo isn't as weak as the rumors say."
"We should report this to His Highness the Crown Prince. If we can bring Poison Douluo to our side, the Star Luo Empire will think twice before making any moves."
Over the past century, the Star Luo Empire's military strength had been steadily growing. Friction with the Heaven Dou Empire was also escalating.
If they had someone like Dugu Bo—essentially a nuclear deterrent—even Star Luo would have to act with caution.
---
In Qi Lin's Dormitory
Dugu Bo's sudden appearance startled Dugu Yan.
"Grandfather!"
"Senior Dugu, you're here." Qi Lin also greeted him with a respectful nod.
Dugu Bo smiled and walked into the main hall. After sitting down, Dugu Yan asked curiously, "Grandfather, didn't you say you were going to meet someone? Did you find them?"
"How are you back so soon?"
Dugu Bo then recounted everything that had happened.
After hearing it, Dugu Yan's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Tang San is actually the son of Clear Sky Douluo? That's an incredible background!"
"No wonder his talent is so amazing!"
Dugu Yan had always known how gifted Tang San was. Without the Creation Heaven-Mending Pill, she wouldn't even be close to his level.
Dugu Bo chuckled. "So what if he's the son of the Clear Sky Douluo? You're still my granddaughter, Yan Yan—you're not inferior to him."
"Besides, Tang Hao lost a soul bone and dropped ten levels of soul power. He's no longer a Titled Douluo."