Chapter 73: Opening the Gates, A Senior Disciple

Scene shift.

Within the Sunset Mountain Range, Zhou Sheng'an had built a thatched hut beneath a mountain naturally filled with poisonous miasma, which kept soul beasts from disturbing him.

He'd lived a peaceful life here for over a month, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. He studied, meditated, and cultivated his soul power. Before long, he'd developed new insights into soul power, which he carefully recorded.

That day, a sudden clap of muffled thunder echoed from the mountain peak.

Zhou Sheng'an looked up, only to see a giant eagle-type soul beast struck by a green beam of light. In the blink of an eye, its body disintegrated into smoke and vanished.

"That golden-winged eagle must have cultivated for sixty thousand years! And it was killed in a single strike..."

"The one who launched that attack is most likely a Titled Douluo. In other words, this mountain I'm staying on already has a master. And that poisonous miasma... it's not natural, either…"

"Poison Douluo... Dugu Bo!"

Zhou Sheng'an's expression changed. He instantly pieced everything together.

Although Poison Douluo sided with the protagonist's faction in the anime, he wasn't exactly good or evil. When he first met Tang San, he nearly killed him. Now, Zhou Sheng'an had unknowingly become his neighbor...

'Better to avoid trouble than seek it out. Living near someone like that is definitely dangerous.'

Zhou Sheng'an had already decided to leave. He stepped inside to pack his things—

But a voice called out from beyond the door.

"You've actually made yourself at home beneath my mountain. Come out and meet me."

Zhou Sheng'an froze, then turned toward the door. A tall, thin old man with white hair stood with his hands behind his back. His presence was cold and oppressive, exuding a strong sense of danger.

Poison Douluo!

Zhou Sheng'an took a deep breath, suppressing his unease. He stepped outside.

Standing before the man, Zhou Sheng'an cupped his fists and said, "I am Zhou Sheng'an. Greetings, Poison Douluo."

Poison Douluo didn't respond right away. His eyes swept over Zhou Sheng'an's thatched hut before he sneered. "You know my name, yet show no fear. Interesting. But... you've trespassed on my land. That alone is enough for you to die."

Zhou Sheng'an's face twitched slightly.

'That straightforward and brutal?'

The next second, Poison Douluo released a wave of oppressive soul power, surrounding Zhou Sheng'an from all directions and squeezing inward.

A flicker of shock flashed through Zhou Sheng'an's eyes. Poison Douluo's killing intent didn't seem fake. Rather, he was genuinely weighing whether to kill him. His life was hanging by a thread.

Zhou Sheng'an wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Oh? Just because I settled here?"

Poison Douluo coldly replied, "Isn't that enough?"

"It is… A powerhouse like Poison Douluo could kill me without reason. But…" Zhou Sheng'an suddenly paused, carefully sizing him up.

Maybe it was divine providence, but in the past month, the very theories Zhou Sheng'an had been developing were about soul power attributes!

It just so happened... they aligned perfectly with Poison Douluo's current condition!

"But what?" Poison Douluo frowned.

Zhou Sheng'an chuckled lightly. "If I die, you won't live much longer either. In fact, your entire bloodline won't live long. You might not even make it to middle age before you all die out."

"You—your line—will be completely cut off. No descendants."

He smiled brightly as he spoke earth-shattering words, showing no fear that Poison Douluo might be enraged and kill him on the spot.

Poison Douluo's pupils shrank. He stared at Zhou Sheng'an in disbelief.

No descendants… That vicious curse had come true. His wife and son had died from poisoning, and even his precious granddaughter was showing the same symptoms!

Though he relied on his powerful cultivation to survive, every time the poison flared, it was a fate worse than death.

"What are you talking about?!" Poison Douluo stepped forward, unleashing a tidal wave of pressure upon Zhou Sheng'an.

Zhou Sheng'an was drenched in sweat. In this simulation, he didn't have the accumulated strength of his past lives. He was just a scholar barely a month into his journey. Resisting Poison Douluo's pressure alone had drained him completely.

"If you want to die with me, then go ahead and keep pressing down…" Zhou Sheng'an stood tall, his face twisted from the pain, but his voice remained steady.

His eyes were bright and unwavering as he stared at Poison Douluo.

Poison Douluo gazed deeply at Zhou Sheng'an, then withdrew his pressure. "Speak. What exactly do you know?"

"You're poisoned. And you passed this affliction on to your descendants." Zhou Sheng'an took a moment to catch his breath, his gaze intense as he looked at Poison Douluo.

Poison Douluo narrowed his eyes. For the so-called number one poison master to be poisoned himself was utterly absurd.

But it was the truth!

"Keep going," Poison Douluo said.

"When you were younger, before having children, you tried to change your meditation system, didn't you? You tampered with your martial soul, using it to stimulate soul power and drastically improve your meditation efficiency."

Zhou Sheng'an said with a smile.

Poison Douluo's expression shifted—Zhou Sheng'an was right!

Zhou Sheng'an's voice grew steady. "You got a taste of the benefits and permanently altered your martial soul—the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor—merging a portion of it with your body. But you overlooked two things."

"What two things?" Poison Douluo asked.

"First, just because your martial soul can tolerate poison doesn't mean your body can. At first, you could refine it through soul power transformation. But as your level increased, the risks grew—your body could no longer endure the poison!"

Zhou Sheng'an spoke confidently.

Poison Douluo fell silent. The way he looked at Zhou Sheng'an had changed—he no longer looked at him from above.

"Second, martial souls are inherited. The changes you made to the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor were passed down to your son and granddaughter. Though they inherited only the Jade Phosphor Serpent, the poison they produce is the same—endless and accumulating!"

"They don't have your cultivation level. They might collapse under the poison as early as the Soul Emperor level."

"Am I wrong?"

Zhou Sheng'an smiled faintly, staring calmly at Poison Douluo without a hint of fear.

Poison Douluo's face was dark. If Zhou Sheng'an weren't so young, he would've suspected this was some ancient monster secretly spying on him!

How else could he know his secrets so clearly?

Yes, just as Zhou Sheng'an said—he had altered his martial soul in his youth, which led to the disaster.

Poison Douluo could no longer kill Zhou Sheng'an. On the contrary—he now had to rely on him for salvation.

As for forcing him…

Just from Zhou Sheng'an's bearing, he knew—how do you threaten someone unafraid of death?

This wasn't some scared half-grown brat. This was a man of vast talent and ambition.

Poison Douluo, though reclusive, respected people like that.

"Can you save me?" Poison Douluo asked.

"Of course," Zhou Sheng'an replied with a smile.

Poison Douluo nodded solemnly. "Save me and my granddaughter. I'll owe you a favor."

Zhou Sheng'an shook his head slightly. "I have a better idea."

"What idea?" Poison Douluo asked.

"Become my disciple," Zhou Sheng'an said with a smile.

"!!?"

Poison Douluo looked at Zhou Sheng'an, utterly dumbfounded, "Kid… if you want to die, there are less outrageous ways."

"I can not only detoxify you, I can help you increase your soul power. Within three years, I'll make you a Level 99 Titled Douluo…"

Zhou Sheng'an spoke with absolute confidence.