Chapter 25 Deep-Fried Scorpion
Since Huyan Zhen suspected Huyan Lie was already dead, they must have also speculated about Tuoba Lan's fate, who had been with Huyan Lie.
The Sacred Dragon Sect's conclusion would undoubtedly be that Tuoba Lan had perished.
"The Sacred Dragon Sect's influence is near Spirit City, and their family primarily relies on the Great Soul Arena for gathering information. There haven't been any unusual movements.
I suspect they're wary of being associated with the Elephant Armor Sect, which still hasn't shown any signs of pledging allegiance to Spirit Hall!" Old Scorpion analyzed.
After listening, Dugu Feng grew even more puzzled.
During the later Soul Master Competition, the Elephant Armor Sect was widely known to have sided with Spirit Hall.
Why were they unwilling to reveal it now?
Secretly aligning themselves could only mean they intended to play a crucial role at a critical moment.
Could it be for the interests behind the Great Soul Arena?
The portion originally belonging to the Clear Sky Sect would be up for reallocation in less than a year during the six-party resolution.
Was Spirit Hall aiming to claim this vacated share?
Very likely.
After all, they were the ones who forced the Clear Sky Sect into seclusion, so taking that share would be justifiable.
Among the seven factions controlling the Great Soul Arena, the Sacred Dragon Sect was already backed by Spirit Hall. If the vacated share fell to Spirit Hall, combined with the Five Element Alliance where the Elephant Armor Sect belonged,
Spirit Hall would control nearly half of the Great Soul Arena.
This must be Bibi Dong's ambition!
The Great Soul Arena represented immense wealth and the laws of the Soul Master world—it was of utmost importance.
Dugu Feng felt he had deciphered Bibi Dong's plan.
First, seize financial control. With money, they could recruit and expand Spirit Hall's influence.
Even...
Suddenly, Dugu Feng shuddered.
In the later events, there was no news of the Dugu family at all.
It seemed only Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan remained.
If Bibi Dong were bolder, she might even intend to use the Elephant Armor Sect to suddenly turn against another faction and eliminate them.
At this thought, Dugu Feng couldn't sit still.
The Sacred Dragon Sect had suffered such heavy losses yet remained silent—
precisely because they feared being linked to the Elephant Armor Sect.
Such restraint could only mean Bibi Dong was plotting something monumental.
Dugu Feng voiced his speculations and concluded, "Bibi Dong, the Pope of Spirit Hall, has been in power for six years. Once her internal affairs stabilize, she'll begin external expansion. The Elephant Armor Sect is her tool—our family must be cautious!"
Bibi Dong was ruthless, vicious, and somewhat unhinged—there was no telling what she might do.
Old Scorpion was stunned by Dugu Feng's analysis!
From the Sacred Dragon Sect's silence, he deduced that the Elephant Armor Sect and Spirit Hall were scheming something.
The young master was truly a freak of nature!
His meticulous reasoning left Old Scorpion in awe.
"I'll relay this to the clan leader. Oh, young master, here's a snack prepared for you—try it!" Old Scorpion suddenly remembered.
Before Dugu Feng could react,
a plate appeared before him. Its contents made his scalp tingle.
He had been eating snake meat for two years.
Was he now expected to eat scorpions?
Would spiders, toads, and centipedes be next?
Why these three?
Because before his enrollment, his cheap father, Dugu Shuo, had already revealed the clan leader's Overlord Poison Spirit Ring configuration.
The first five Spirit Rings required five poison-attribute Spirit Beasts.
Known as the Jade Phosphorous Five Poisons, these were the Overlord Venom compositions the Dugu family had experimented with and derived from countless poisonous Spirit Beasts.
They consisted of snake, scorpion, spider, centipede, and toad—the toad being what people commonly called a frog!
His second Spirit Ring was already decided to be absorbed from a scorpion-type Spirit Beast.
Seeing Dugu Feng's look of disgust, Old Scorpion was quite displeased. "Young Master, the scorpions on this plate are all Spirit Beasts. Do you know how difficult it was to capture them?
After catching them, we starved them for a month, then drowned them in saltwater before deep-frying them in hot oil.
Look—their skins are fluffy, golden brown, crispy but not tough, fragrant and delicious. Many people would kill for a taste!"
Dugu Feng was speechless. He naturally knew fried scorpions were a delicacy; even on Earth, many enjoyed eating them.
When eating snake meat, at least it was served in chunks, with no trace of its original form left.
But scorpions were eaten whole, which gave him a bit of a psychological barrier.
Oh well—it was all for cultivation!
Dugu Feng picked up a small scorpion and tossed it into his mouth.
It was indeed crispy and crunchy.
Once he started, he didn't hesitate. Soon, the entire plate of scorpions was gone.
"Young Master, how do you feel? The scorpion venom's toxicity is reduced after high-temperature frying, making it perfect for you to familiarize yourself with the blend of snake and scorpion venom!" Old Scorpion probed.
This was the real purpose of making Dugu Feng eat fried scorpions—preparing for the absorption of his second Spirit Ring.
The toxicity level of the scorpion-type Spirit Beast would be chosen based on Dugu Feng's tolerance.
Dugu Feng carefully sensed the effects.
Indeed, a trace of toxin had merged into his body. This grayish toxin first blended into his Soul Power, then partially seeped into his flesh and blood.
Finally, some of it was absorbed by his Core Pearl.
"I don't feel anything special!" Dugu Feng savored the aftertaste—it really was quite delicious.
Aside from the taste, he truly felt nothing else.
Old Scorpion immediately grew excited. Feeling nothing meant his tolerance was strong.
Rubbing his hands together, he pulled out a leather bag nearly as tall as a person.
"This is for you. Snack on them whenever you like—it's full of all kinds of fried scorpions. Oh, and Young Master, think carefully about which type of scorpion Spirit Beast you want for your second Spirit Ring. I'll take you hunting when the time comes.
I know every scorpion-type Spirit Beast on this continent!" Old Scorpion declared proudly.
Dugu Feng opened the leather bag—sure enough, it was packed to the brim with fried scorpions.
This old scorpion was truly a menace. How many Spirit Beasts had he killed?
Still, they were undeniably delicious.
With a wave of his hand, the entire bag vanished into his Storage Belt.
As for Old Scorpion's boast, Dugu Feng thought to himself, Do you even know about the Ice Empress, this scorpion? Stop exaggerating.
When the time came, he might just choose the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. Dugu Feng pondered this.
A short while later, Old Scorpion left.
Dugu Feng sat cross-legged and resumed his cultivation. The Whale Dragon Energy had already settled in his body, and after eating so many fried scorpions, his internal energy was abundant.
Now was the time for his Core Pearl to shine.
Absorbing energy, it converted a trace of peculiar heat flow to enhance his physical strength.
Dugu Feng slipped back into his cultivation state.
"Thirty-eight percent—still sixty-two percent left before the Core Pearl's energy is fully condensed. The Whale Dragon Energy has accelerated by one point..."
Dugu Feng felt a surge of joy. Good, just like this. I'm going to mass-produce Core Pearls.
I'll make eighty or even a hundred of them.
Encountering enemies, exploding ten or eight of them—if that doesn't kill you, Dugu Feng thought smugly.
And so, Dugu Feng's school life began.
Unlike what other students imagined, Dugu Feng was unusually low-key.
He often skipped even regular classes, only attending those he deemed important.
The rest of his time was spent either in his dorm or in the Simulated Training Field.
He was cultivating, constantly cultivating.
(End of Chapter)