Douluo: The Blind Ascendant

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In truth, what made Lin Yongming the happiest about Dugu Bo's arrival wasn't the fact that he now had a Soul Douluo-level enforcer at his disposal.

No, what truly delighted Lin Yongming was that the issue of the Blue Silver Emperor's aura had been completely resolved. This was what mattered most to him.

Lin Yongming had noticed that, despite the prolonged standoff between Dugu Bo and the two of them, Dugu Bo had shown no signs of suspicion regarding the Blue Silver Emperor's identity. Throughout the entire encounter, Dugu Bo hadn't revealed even a hint of doubt in his gaze or expression.

This lifted the heaviest burden from Lin Yongming's heart. It meant that after consuming the Lovey-Dovey Heartbroken Red, the Blue Silver Emperor had undergone a transformation, ascending to a mature state ahead of schedule. Now, whether they traveled to Heaven Dou City or Spirit Hall City, Lin Yongming no longer had to worry about the Blue Silver Emperor's true identity being exposed.

This was the outcome Lin Yongming had been most concerned about. And now, after this journey, their trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had proven to be worth it.

Three hours passed quickly as the three of them meditated.

Although Dugu Bo's soul power hadn't fully recovered to its peak, the sky had already brightened. Remembering his earlier promise, Dugu Bo made his way to the cave where Lin Yongming and the Blue Silver Emperor were resting.

"Both of you, the sky is bright now, and my soul power has mostly recovered. We can set off," Dugu Bo announced, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Let's go," Lin Yongming replied. Both he and the Blue Silver Emperor stood up, having sensed Dugu Bo's approach.

"By the way, since I'm helping you hunt a spirit beast, could you tell me what kind of spirit beast you're looking for? It'll make the search easier," Dugu Bo inquired.

"I don't have any specific requirements, but I need a lightning-attribute spirit beast. The purer the lightning attribute, the better," Lin Yongming explained.

"Alright. Since this is your fourth spirit ring, you're aiming for around seven thousand years, right? But wait, what's the deal with your second spirit ring? How is it already a thousand-year ring?" Dugu Bo asked, recalling the unusual spirit ring configuration Lin Yongming had displayed earlier.

"That's a long story. Let's talk as we walk. But you're mistaken—my fourth spirit ring needs to be from a spirit beast that's just over ten thousand years old," Lin Yongming corrected.

"Xiao Ming, no!" the Blue Silver Emperor interjected urgently. "There's a world of difference between a thousand-year and a ten-thousand-year spirit ring. A ten-thousand-year ring carries a mental shockwave that can overwhelm your spirit. Only someone with the mental strength of a Soul King and the appropriate physical constitution can handle it."

"Kid, your girlfriend is right. Even if your body is strong enough, cultivating your mental strength isn't easy. I suggest you aim for an eight-thousand-year ring instead," Dugu Bo added, offering his own advice.

"Ah Yin, if Dugu Bo doesn't understand, surely you do. I've consumed the herbs you gave me. I need to at least try," Lin Yongming said to the Blue Silver Emperor.

"What are you implying, kid?" Dugu Bo retorted, clearly annoyed. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm just here to help you capture a spirit beast. Whether you live or die is none of my concern."

With a huff, Dugu Bo turned and strode into the poisonous mist, disappearing from view.

"Xiao Ming, you don't need to push yourself so hard. You're already doing great. But if this is your choice, I won't stop you," the Blue Silver Emperor said with a sigh.

"Thank you, Ah Yin. You're the best," Lin Yongming said earnestly, taking her hand. "Don't worry. If I really can't handle it, your spirit abilities will surely be able to interrupt the process."

"Alright, let's go," the Blue Silver Emperor replied with a understanding smile.

Hand in hand, the two of them walked into the poisonous mist. By now, the mist was nothing more than ordinary fog to them, and they exited the barrier without any difficulty.

"They walked through the poison barrier so easily," Dugu Bo muttered to himself, hidden behind a tree.

"By the way, I should warn you. The people chasing me yesterday might still be in the Sunset Forest, searching for me. So, you'll need to keep some distance from me," Dugu Bo said as the two emerged from the mist.

"Oh? You're an 89th-level Soul Douluo. Are the people chasing you... Titled Douluo? Are they from the two empires or Spirit Hall?" Lin Yongming asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course it's Spirit Hall. If it weren't for a Titled Douluo, I would've killed them hundreds of times over," Dugu Bo replied, his expression darkening. "Wait a minute. With your talents, you two aren't from Spirit Hall, are you?"

"Dugu Bo, to be honest, I did join Spirit Hall when I first awakened my spirit. But over the years, I've mostly trained at home and never visited Spirit City. You should know that someone like me wouldn't have the power to refuse Spirit Hall's recruitment," Lin Yongming said calmly.

"That makes sense. You don't look like you come from a wealthy family, so you wouldn't have had much choice," Dugu Bo conceded. "But since you're a member of Spirit Hall, how can I be sure you won't report my situation to them?"

"Dugu Bo, you're overthinking this. As I said, I've been training at home. Even though I'm technically a member of Spirit Hall, reporting your situation to them wouldn't benefit me in any way," Lin Yongming replied.

"I can vouch for him. Xiao Ming hasn't had much contact with Spirit Hall. He only joined because he couldn't refuse their recruitment when he first awakened his spirit. But over the years, he's had little to do with them," the Blue Silver Emperor added.

"Fine. I'll trust you for now. I'll go ahead," Dugu Bo said, scrutinizing their faces before turning and disappearing into the forest.

However, he didn't go far, maintaining a distance of about a hundred meters. For the three of them, this distance was well within their spiritual perception range.

"Let's go," Lin Yongming said, and the two of them followed after Dugu Bo.

Time passed slowly as they searched. After nearly four hours, around noon, the Blue Silver Emperor suddenly stopped, her keen senses picking up on something.

Lin Yongming also noticed. After the Blue Silver Emperor's spirit had evolved into a divine spirit, her perception range had expanded far beyond his own spiritual senses.

"Ah Yin, did you find something?" Lin Yongming asked, stopping as well.

"Yes. To the right, ahead of us, there's a rare Lightning Dragon Horse spirit beast. It has a trace of dragon bloodline, and from its size, it looks to be around twelve thousand years old," the Blue Silver Emperor explained.

"Really? Then let's go for it," Lin Yongming said, nodding. A rare spirit beast with a dragon bloodline would undoubtedly provide a powerful spirit ring.

"We'll need Dugu Bo's help, though. The Lightning Dragon Horse is too fast," the Blue Silver Emperor added.

"Of course. Let's go find him," Lin Yongming agreed.

Soon, the two of them quickened their pace and caught up to Dugu Bo.

"Dugu Bo!" Lin Yongming called out, stopping the old man.

"What is it? Did you find something?" Dugu Bo asked, turning around.

"Yes. We found a twelve-thousand-year Lightning Dragon Horse to our right," Lin Yongming explained.

"A Lightning Dragon Horse? You've got good taste. Alright, since you've decided, I'll go take care of it," Dugu Bo said, heading to the right. With his spiritual perception, he quickly located the Lightning Dragon Horse, which was grazing on some ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

"Emerald Python, possess me! Third Spirit Skill: Emerald Confusion Array!" Without hesitation, Dugu Bo activated his spirit and spirit skills, swiftly closing in on the Lightning Dragon Horse.

"Roar!" The creature let out a sound resembling a horse's neigh, but far more imposing. Its body crackled with electricity, and bolts of lightning sparked beneath its hooves as it prepared to flee.

But Dugu Bo wasn't about to let it escape. Allowing it to get away would be a blow to his pride.

"Trying to run?" Dugu Bo's black spirit ring flashed, and a powerful spirit skill struck the Lightning Dragon Horse's abdomen.

"Boom!" The force of the attack sent the Lightning Dragon Horse flying like a broken kite, crashing into a tree trunk several meters away. The impact shook loose a shower of leaves, nearly burying the creature.

"It's done. Come over," Dugu Bo said, retracting his spirit and turning to the two behind him.

"Dugu Bo, impressive as always," Lin Yongming said, giving a thumbs-up. Dugu Bo's efficiency and precision were remarkable.

"Hurry up. If that Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall shows up, I'm leaving you behind. This is a ten-thousand-year spirit beast. If you can't handle it and end up dead or crippled, don't blame me," Dugu Bo said dismissively, unmoved by the praise.

"Got it," Lin Yongming replied, approaching the barely alive Lightning Dragon Horse.

"Xiao Ming, good luck!" The Blue Silver Emperor could only offer her encouragement at this point.

The Lightning Dragon Horse had the head of a horse with a small horn in the center, a lizard-like body covered in scales, and a dragon's tail. It was nearly five meters long.

Lin Yongming stood before it, raising his spirit weapon, the Thunder Blade, and with a single strike, severed the creature's carotid artery.

Soon, Lin Yongming felt a surge of energy emanating from the Lightning Dragon Horse's body—the spirit ring.

"It's strange. Why do spirit beasts produce spirit rings when they die, but humans don't? Both spirit masters and spirit beasts have spirit power, so shouldn't spirit masters also produce spirit rings upon death?" Lin Yongming pondered as he watched the spirit ring form.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yongming set the thought aside. The spirit ring had fully formed—a deep, black ring.

Lin Yongming sat down cross-legged and began guiding the spirit ring into his body, refining it to make it his own.

"Such powerful energy. It nearly killed me in one strike, and the spirit power it contains is immense," Lin Yongming thought as the ring merged with him.

Almost immediately, Lin Yongming felt his body fill with spirit power, his skin threatening to split from the pressure. The pain was intense.

But Lin Yongming focused on the shadow of the Lightning Dragon Horse's lingering resentment in his mind. The creature's horn slammed into his mental sea, causing sharp, stabbing pain in his head.

To the Blue Silver Emperor, Lin Yongming's face had turned pale, and beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

"Your boyfriend seems to be struggling with the mental shockwave of the ten-thousand-year spirit ring. Should I interrupt the absorption?" Dugu Bo offered, though his tone was indifferent.

"No. I believe in him. He can do it. This difficulty is nothing compared to what we've been through," the Blue Silver Emperor said firmly.

"Suit yourself," Dugu Bo replied, falling silent.

Inside Lin Yongming's mind, the dark sea of his consciousness churned violently, as if the world itself were collapsing. "Damn it! It's really this strong!"

"Dark Sky Fluctuation Eye, open!" Lin Yongming gritted his teeth. The true form of his spiritual eye appeared in the center of his mind—a curved red line that slowly opened, revealing a dark red eye.

The Blue Silver Emperor had seen it before but didn't recognize it. Lin Yongming, however, knew it was the Dark Sky Fluctuation Eye, formed from the convergence of dark fluctuations.

Thanks to his Soul King-level mental strength, the Dark Sky Fluctuation Eye could manifest within his mind. Once Lin Yongming's spirit power and mental strength both reached the Soul King level, the eye would be able to manifest externally, creating a dark domain.

In the past, Lin Yongming could only unlock the Dark Sky Fluctuation Eye after completing the final chapter of the Dark Fluctuation Secret Arts. Now, all he lacked was the necessary spirit power. Once he reached the Soul King level, the final chapter of darkness would truly begin.

As the spiritual eye opened, a dark red gaze of death shattered the Lightning Dragon Horse's lingering resentment.

"Thankfully, the Immortal Herb 'Gaze into the Autumn Waters' allowed my mental strength to reach the final chapter of the Dark Fluctuation Secret Arts early, giving me access to a fraction of the Dark Sky Fluctuation Eye's power," Lin Yongming thought, relieved.

With the mental shockwave overcome, absorbing the spirit power within the ring became much easier.

After about half an hour, the Lightning Dragon Horse's spirit ring fully merged with Lin Yongming, marking the successful acquisition of his fourth spirit ring.

"Phew!" Finally, under the Blue Silver Emperor's anxious gaze, Lin Yongming let out a sigh of relief.

"Xiao Ming! You did it!" the Blue Silver Emperor exclaimed joyfully.

Lin Yongming stood up and nodded. "Ah Yin, thank you for worrying about me. I succeeded."

"This kid... He actually did it. What kind of monster is he? A thousand-year second spirit ring and now a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring. With talent like this, and as a member of Spirit Hall... Should I eliminate him now to avoid future trouble?" Dugu Bo thought, his hand subtly gathering spirit power behind his back.

"Thank you, Dugu Bo, for protecting me during the absorption," Lin Yongming said, sensing Dugu Bo's intentions.

"Don't mention it. It was all your own effort. I didn't do much. Just remember your promise to cure my poison," Dugu Bo replied, dispersing the spirit power in his hand.

"Of course. Even though I'm a member of Spirit Hall, there's no enmity between us. There's no need for conflict," Lin Yongming said with a faint smile.

"Let's head back to the valley," Dugu Bo said coldly, turning to leave.

"What's with him? He actually thought about killing you," the Blue Silver Emperor muttered, supporting Lin Yongming's arm.

"Well, seeing my talent and knowing I'm from Spirit Hall, it's natural he'd feel threatened. It's understandable," Lin Yongming replied.

Both of them had noticed Dugu Bo's subtle movements, but fortunately, he had chosen to let it go.

"Hmph! Even if we cure his poison, I'll make sure it's a temporary solution that prevents him from using his spirit power for a while," the Blue Silver Emperor said, clearly displeased.

"Ha... Sure, it's up to you. After all, you're the one curing him. He won't know the difference," Lin Yongming said with a quiet laugh, nodding in agreement.

Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 165 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 140 power stones I will publish the next chapter.