A Soul Douluo was already among the strongest of warriors. For Old Snake to be powerful enough to assassinate one was astonishing.
Dugu Feng was taken aback.
"Your ambition is commendable. Train hard—survival comes first!" Dugu Feng encouraged.
Little Snake remained composed. Survival was the greatest honor for the Dugu family.
As long as one lived long enough, their strength would inevitably grow.
"I must train now. Though the venom hasn't taken effect yet, I need to prepare for when it does!"
Little Snake abruptly stood up, swiftly packed away the food box, and strode out.
Dugu Feng followed.
Over the past six months, watching Little Snake train had become one of his pleasures.
He trailed behind Little Snake until they reached the training ground.
The training ground was a courtyard filled with trees and flowers, resembling a simulated cultivation environment.
The vibrant flowers and bizarrely shaped trees were clearly highly toxic plants.
Upon arrival, Little Snake immediately activated his Martial Soul Avatar—the Azure Phosphorus Serpent Spirit.
His already small frame became even more slender, his emerald eyes sharp and cold, exuding a chilling aura.
The most striking transformation was on his face—two diamond-shaped green scales appeared on his jaw and cheeks, as though he wore a mask.
This was entirely different from Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Avatar, where her legs transformed into a serpent's tail.
"Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom!"
Little Snake's emerald eyes instantly turned violet, and the green scales on his face emitted a faint purple glow.
"Pfft!"
A dense purple mist sprayed from his mouth, rapidly dispersing in the air and enveloping the entire training ground.
The venomous fog quickly faded in color, becoming more concealed and harder to detect.
Little Snake's sharp eyes remained fixed ahead as he manipulated the fog with his Soul Power, directing it as an attack.
Dugu Feng closely monitored the venomous mist in the courtyard. Though its color had faded, the pungent, nauseating stench was unmistakable.
He could still sense its presence.
The mist advanced like a barrier, covering every inch of the courtyard.
Any enemy hiding within would be inevitably exposed, no matter where they concealed themselves.
This was the combat style of the Azure Phosphorus Serpent Spirit for low-level soul masters.
With less precise control over the venom, large-scale coverage was the only way to attack.
This was the initial stage of unleashing the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom—expelling it from the mouth and controlling it with Soul Power.
Little Snake, just over ten years old, had already reached the 17th level of Soul Power—a commendable pace of cultivation.
This aligned with the aggressive advancement of the Power Attack system, and his first soul skill was the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom.
In contrast, Dugu Yan's lineage belonged to the Control system, where the first two skills were buffs, and only the third skill was the offensive Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom. The Poison Cultivation Lineage, however, prioritized attack skills from the start, with the first skill being the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom.
Little Snake was also refining his method of executing the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom.
After maintaining control for a while, he began struggling with his hands.
This was the second stage of control he had been striving to master—releasing the venom through his hands, swift as a blade.
Unfortunately, he had yet to break through.
Undaunted, he persisted until his Soul Power was completely depleted.
"Young Master, Old Snake says perseverance leads to success. I will master this."
"We follow the power attack path. For the first Spirit Ring, we choose the Jade Phosphorous Serpent to enhance the innate toxins of our Martial Soul. Only by mastering the second-stage application technique—dual-handed venom execution, swift as sharp blades, killing without a trace—can one be considered truly strong!"
While Little Snake sat cross-legged to recover his Soul Power, he explained his understanding of Martial Souls to Dugu Feng.
Dugu Feng thought to himself that Little Snake seemed truly obsessed with killing.
He then recalled the Overlord Venom from his memories—a skill Dugu Shuo believed could restore the glory of the Poison Cultivation Lineage.
In his recollection, Dugu Shuo had never succeeded in cultivating the Overlord Venom.
The formation of Overlord Venom required the fusion of five highly toxic Spirit Beast Spirit Rings.
But with each fusion, the power increased exponentially, and the soul master might not withstand it first.
"Little Snake, what Spirit Beast will you hunt for your second Spirit Ring?" Dugu Feng asked suddenly.
"The Jade Phosphorous Serpent. My first three Spirit Rings will all be from Jade Phosphorous Serpents. I aim to advance to the Azure Phosphorus Scarlet Venom, which can attack an enemy's mental energy. Only by the fourth Spirit Ring will I choose a Spirit Beast that grants area attacks, combat enhancements, or even flight skills!" Little Snake's plan was clear.
Dugu Feng immediately understood. Only the clan leader's lineage cultivated the Overlord Venom. For other clan members, the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom and Azure Phosphorus Scarlet Venom were already formidable—what they needed was to enhance their offensive capabilities.
His cheap father had him train with Old Snake and Little Snake, so his first Spirit Ring would likely also be from a Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Starting with the second Spirit Ring, he would target other venomous Spirit Beasts to create mixed toxins, further amplifying their potency.
Dugu Feng felt an inexplicable anticipation. Just how powerful was the Overlord Venom to make Dugu Shuo so hopeful?
After all, Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor venom alone could wipe out an entire city. What if it were the Overlord Venom? And if a Titled Douluo unleashed it?
It would undoubtedly kill without a trace, controlling life and death.
But before that, he needed to successfully refine his Core Pearl to better withstand mixed toxins.
He decided to increase his food intake—eating two snakes a day to gather more energy for the Core Pearl.
In half a year, he had condensed one-fifth of it. With a year and a half left before his Martial Soul awakened, he was determined to fill it completely.
With this in mind, Dugu Feng sat cross-legged, his breathing steady and rhythmic, his body fully relaxed.
Focusing inward on his Core Pearl, he felt strands of warmth radiating from it, circulating through his limbs and bones before returning to the pearl.
The Core Pearl functioned like a Spirit Beast's inner core, strengthening his body.
Wasn't this just about awakening the innate abilities of a beast-type Martial Soul? From now on, Dugu Feng would strive to be more like a serpent.
Thus, in the eyes of Old Snake and Little Snake, Dugu Feng ate more than an adult yet barely moved.
He never exercised.
Like a serpent, he would return to his cave to sit in meditation after hunting, remaining motionless all day. All the energy from his meals, except what was needed to sustain life, was reserved for the Core Pearl.
Only when the venom flared up would he eat again.
Even Dugu Shuo appeared, puzzled by Dugu Feng's peculiar behavior.
After observing for several days, he and Old Snake could only conclude that Dugu Feng's unprecedented venom flare-up before Martial Soul awakening, combined with the overwhelming power of his Azure Phosphorus Serpent Spirit bloodline, had profoundly influenced both his mind and physique.
Speaking of physique—Dugu Feng was growing too fast. By age five, he had already reached 130 centimeters.
His slender frame alone proved he was a member of the Dugu family.
Old Snake clicked his tongue in amazement, marveling at the sheer potency of Dugu Feng's bloodline.
In truth, it was the effect of the Core Pearl that made his physique robust and continuously developing.
As Dugu Feng approached six years of age, Old Snake conducted an experiment—feeding a hundred-year-old Datura Serpent Soul Beast with the boy's blood.
The result? The serpent was instantly poisoned to death.
This demonstrated the terrifying toxicity within Dugu Feng's body. Old Snake couldn't help but eagerly anticipate the awakening of the boy's Martial Soul.