Chapter 2: Dugu Bo's Delusions

With a smile still plastered on his face, Bo addressed something else that came up during the ceremony, "Speaking of which, it is inappropriate to call your Spirit beast a 'Jade Phosphor Serpent' at this point due to the Ice energy present within its bloodline essence. What do you think?" Dugu Bo's golden eyes focused on the golden-eyed boy across from him, 'Hmmm, on earth, there were many variations of Jade and other materials. Jadeite comes in many colors. The most sought-after color on earth was the Imperial Green which the current Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor resembles.' Closing his eyes, Xin looked at his spirit; the small serpent, no larger than a typical Golden retriever appeared. Its scales were still Imperial Green, but there were traces of White crystals floating within and moving throughout its body.

The Serpent looked at its partner and let out a warm hiss, "Glacial Jade Phosphor Serpent," Opening his eyes, he said these words to his father. Looking at his son's bright eyes, Dugu Bo smiled, and then the thought of the poison slowly killing his boy popped into his mind. The smile disappeared as he got serious. "I'm sure you read those books on Spirit master cultivation I gave you so that I won't bore you with too many details. The full extent of your Spirit's abilities are unknown; therefore, you can forge your own path."

Dugu Bo moved to his son's position and placed his hand on the boy's head, "In three days, we will head to Doku Swamp to get your first spirit ring. There are many Spirit Beasts in that swamp: Plant, Animal, you name it. It is one of the most dangerous places on this continent due to the thick poison mist that covers the area and the many poisonous creatures lurking within. So when you return to your room, read up on what is there and select what spirit beast ring you would like." Finishing that thought, he started walking towards the door. Dugu Xin followed behind him, deep in thought.

'Tang San was a reincarnated individual from another cultivation world, while I come from Modern Day earth. He didn't understand the way things were done in this world but was able to adapt due to his prior cultivation quickly. While I'm mostly confused, I understand how things can go, but it's only in theory, not practice. However, I do understand the anatomy of reptiles. As my spirit is an extension of me, I need to think about what path I will take.' 

As Dugu Xin walked behind his father, he thought, 'In this world, there is only one person who will help me. I have to trust him as my life is already in his hands, so I have nothing else to lose.' Xin lifted his head and looked at his father's back, "Father." he said as he stopped.

Dugu Bo turned and looked at his son with an inquisitive gaze; however, when his eyes met his son's, all the man could see was desperation in the eyes of the child. "What's on your mind, Xin Er?"

"Father, with the way things are going now, I will die at 27," Xin paused and looked at the changes on Dugu Bo's face. His eyes lost the hope that was given to him from his son's outstanding awakening, "The way I see it, the only way I can be saved from this is if you become a Titled Duoluo within 20 years, which with your talent is possible but I will slowly deteriorate over that time, of course using your spirit energy could prolong my life but it will just delay the inevitable."

"The fact that a child like yourself has noticed that much shows I am a failure as a father. Not only is it my fault for your mother's death and your poisoning, but I cannot escape it either." Dugu Bo's golden eyes lost their splendor as he gazed at the floor. 

"Not only can a Titled Douluo save me, but power similar to a Titled Douluo can also save me. Do you understand what that means, father?" Dugu Bo looked at his son as the gears in his head began to turn, and then his eyes went wide as he concluded.

"A 100,000-Year-old Spirit beast?! Do you want your first ring to be a 100,000-year-old spirit ring?! Impossible! It's been tried before, and everyone died! we all know the limits!" Dugu Bo sounded angry but knew his son was correct, making each word feel like knives that stabbed his heart.

"There is a way, but it is risky. A Spirit Douluo or Titled Douluo must assist me in the assimilation."

"That may be true, but I am only a Spirit Saint. I do not have the authority to bring a Spirit Douluo or a Lord Titled Douluo."

"Father, in one of the books you got for me, there was a passage about quick ways to cultivate. The evil Spirit masters steal other people's cultivation, while spirit beasts can bestow their Cultivation to another in exchange for returning to their infant stage."

"That is interesting, but what is your point?" But Dugu Bo couldn't reach the point he is at now if he was an idiot. Thinking seriously, he figured out what his son meant by that. "YOU! You're saying that we must get a Spirit Beast to bestow its Cultivation to me so I can become a Spirit Douluo and get you a 100,000-year-old Spirit Ring?"

"It's the only way." Dugu Xin looked at his father with resolve, "You know you can't keep sacrificing your cultivation. If this works, all our problems are solved, but if not, we die. For me, the stakes don't change either way, but I cannot do it without your support."

Dugu Bo looked at his son, 'Those eyes aren't the eyes of a child, there is no innocence, no playfulness, but a steeled heart in the face of death. I don't understand where this strength that Xin'er currently has comes from, but I do understand that everything he is saying is correct. This is my fault, and if I have to put my life on the line to solve it…so be it.' Sighing slightly, Dugu Bo clenched his fists, "Fine, I'm not sure the exact way we will accomplish th-"

"We go for a Plant Spirit Beast, one close to the next heavenly tribunal but too weak to succeed. Every spirit beast in the swamp is poisonous anyway, so it's just a plus for you. Also, with a 100,000-year-old Spirit ring, there will be some titled Douluo that aren't your match."

"Plant Spirit Beast? My Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor is a Beast Spirit. I can't use Plant Spirit Rings."

"Who decided that? Have you ever tried? We are trying to get a spirit beast to sacrifice what they have been building for Hundreds of Thousands of years to save our lives. Sacrifice doesn't have such limitations."

Dugu Bo felt what his son said made sense, but the fact that he couldn't argue with him made him more perplexed. 'At six years old, I wasn't nearly as astute as Xin Er, in fact, we couldn't even be compared.' but instead of being suspicious of his son's intelligence, Dugu Bo felt proud inside. A live display of the concept 'You don't need to lie. If they love you enough, they will lie to themselves.'

As the two talked, they went to Dugu Bo's courtyard. Beyond the enclosed walls, there was a large lake, rock works, trees and flowers, and an assortment of halls and pavilions within, connected by winding paths and zig-zag galleries. As the two walked, they reached the pavilion at the lake's center.

"A Breakthrough of 10 ranks at once will be incredibly difficult to overcome, my body might not be able to handle it." Dugu Bo lifted the teacup and brought it to his lips as he looked at his son. He no longer thought of him as a child but as a Spirit Master who was ready to go to death to help him advance.

"Father, our Dugu Clan cultivation method is a little flawed. Now before you say anything this is what I wrote last night. Currently, they are nothing more than the thoughts of a layman, but I wonder if you would try it." Dugu Xin pulled out the parchment paper that was rolled up within his robes and handed it to his Father.

Unrolling it, Dugu Bo read it as his son silently sipped tea. As he inspected his father, Dugu Bo suddenly stood up, and with a severe expression, he walked to the far end of the pavilion and sat on the wooden floor. Closing his eyes, he began to cultivate according to the method on the parchment. After a mere 15 minutes, there was a small burst of Spirit Energy from his body, "Wha- I've advanced to level 72." While this was a joyous occasion, however, the look on Dugu Bo's face was not one of joy; his face became solemn as he looked at the child who sat in the chair with perfect noble etiquette. 'This son of mine doesn't even realize what a monstrosity he has created; if his grandfather had access to this when he was alive, the Dugu clan would have its first Titled Douluo in over 300 years.'

'When a soul master reaches rank 40, their advancement speed would plummet. This wasn't due to a decrease in soul power growth speed. Rather, the issue's root lay in the difficulty of compressing soul power. It's common knowledge I recently broke through to Rank 71 less than 3 months ago, but today it took me less than 15 minutes to advance to Rank 72.' Sweat slowly dripped down Dugu Bo's face as he thought about the implications of this parchment. 'I don't know how he came up with this, and I don't want to know. That's not my job. My job is to raise him, love him, and protect him. It seems he put more thought into this than I initially thought; this must have been on his mind since far before the ceremony.' Standing up, Dugu Bo returned to his position across from his son, "This is indeed far superior to what we have cultivated before. So much so that if word got out of how good it was, many people would hunt us down to get their hands on it."

"Father does not need to worry. This cultivation method can only be used by those afflicted with the Jade Phosphor serpent's poison. For other cultivators, there wouldn't be any noticeable change in their cultivation speed. For us, the poison attacks specific points in our bodies, causing immense pain around midnight. Instead of it only causing harm, we can use it for our benefit as well." Dugu Xin looked at his father, "This is not an antidote. I know you feel slightly better, but it's more like a pain reliever rather than solving the root of the problem."

Nodding his head, Dugu Bo showed that he understood, "Very well, the timeline remains the same as I need time to get the things ready that we will need. This trip is all or nothing. During times like this, I would bring along members of the subsidiary clans, but now isn't the time for that. If we fail, we will most likely die. I don't want to bring innocent lives into the mix for any reason. If we fail, they will be able to go on and live much more free lives."