Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud

Not long after, the small pot of rice soup was completely consumed by both Xiao Se and Xiao Yixian. Licking the corner of his mouth, Xiao Se handed the jade bowl to Xiao Yixian, who was washing the pot nearby, and smiled, "Xiao Yixian, this rice soup was quite good. How did you make it? It's just ordinary rice soup, yet it had such a unique flavor."

"I told you, I added poison," Xiao Yixian replied with a playful smile as she took the bowl.

"Uh..." Xiao Se tugged at the corner of his mouth and rolled his eyes at her. "Seems like I should start calling you 'Little Poison Girl.'" Of course, with his knowledge as a sixth-grade alchemist, he could easily tell if there was poison in the rice soup. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so relaxed. It wasn't about trust—it was a basic means of self-preservation.

"Sure! Call me 'Little Poison Girl,' and I'll specialize in poisoning your meals!" Surprisingly, Xiao Yixian didn't mind and seemed quite eager at the suggestion.

Seeing her so excited, Xiao Se wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead and stammered, "Let's, uh, forget about that."

After Xiao Yixian finished washing the dishes, the two of them entered the wooden house. Xiao Se, sipping the tea she made, spoke seriously, "Xiao Yixian, as far as I know, there are three ways to resolve your Woeful Poison Body."

"Three ways?" Xiao Yixian's eyes brightened immediately. She moved closer to him, excitedly asking, "What are they?"

"Uh, calm down," Xiao Se said, gently pressing her trembling body back into her seat. "Listen to me first."

"The first way is the simplest yet the hardest: you need to find the Devil Fruit known as the Poison-Poison Fruit. If you eat it, you can turn into a poison person, freely switching between your normal form and a poison form. You won't be able to refine the excess poison in your body, but you can expel it through excretion. However, I don't recommend this method. It means you would have to excrete frequently, and even your breath might contain poison. That's unless you can find a way to remove the side effects of the Poison-Poison Fruit. But of course, this only applies if I can actually find the fruit."

"Ugh." The mention of excretion and poisonous breath made Xiao Yixian feel nauseous. If that's what it involved, it wasn't much better than being a walking corpse. "What's the second method?"

"Soul bones. These come from soul beasts, which are similar to magical beasts. They aren't exactly bones but rather energy that, when integrated into your body, can store poison and prevent your Woeful Poison Body from erupting. Though the best type of soul bone for you would be an external soul bone mainly because it doesn't have a limit on how much poison it can store"

Before she could respond, Xiao Se continued, "The third method is the Poison Pill technique. It's the most effective, and it's a permanent solution. You gather the poison in your body into a single pill and then refine it. This allows you to fully control it. However, I only know of this method—I haven't mastered it. Moreover, it requires three very rare materials: three types of Heavenly Flames, the magic core of a seventh-rank Sky Poison Dragon Scorpion Beast, and Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva'"

Hearing all these unfamiliar terms, Xiao Yixian's eyes widened in shock, her face turning pale with despair.

Seeing her distress, Xiao Se gently smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. The reason I'm telling you all this is to let you know that the Woeful Poison Body isn't unsolvable. If I hadn't given you the Seven-Colored Poison Sutra, your Woeful Poison Body wouldn't have awakened early. There's still time, and I promise I'll help you overcome it in the future."

"Mm." Xiao Yixian nodded firmly, gripping her skirt tightly under the table as a look of determination crossed her face.

As time passed, life in the valley grew peaceful and serene after Xiao Se revealed the truth about her Woeful Poison Body.

During the day, Xiao Se practiced his dou techniques and swordsmanship. At night, he refined medicine and trained his dou qi before going to sleep. Xiao Yixian, meanwhile, continued studying the Seven-Colored Poison Sutra.

One notable development was that Xiao Se translated the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record into the Dou Qi Continent's language and gave it to Xiao Yixian. In addition to self-defense techniques, it contained numerous poisonous recipes, including some capable of threatening Dou Kings. Xiao Yixian cherished it like a priceless treasure.

(Author's note: In Douluo Continent, Tang San used medicinal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to concoct poison that could threaten a Soul Douluo(Lvl 80-89) . Considering the parallels, it stands to reason that Dou Kings(Dou Wangs) and Soul Douluos are similarly matched in power, barring differences in techniques.)

Perhaps because Xiao Se didn't distance himself from Xiao Yixian despite her identity as a poison master, she opened her heart fully to him. Occasionally, he even teased her, much to her embarrassment.

Every time, Xiao Se would joke until Xiao Yixian blushed furiously and fled to her room in a fluster.

The days passed quietly in the valley. On the final day of the month, just before dawn, Xiao Se's system refreshed.

[Ding, the monthly cycle has ended. Exchange opportunity refreshed. Congratulations, host, you've gained one exchange chance.]

Hearing the system's notification, Xiao Se smirked and pulled out a white rib bone from his storage ring. It was the bone of a first-rank magical beast, the Unihorned Bull, which Xiao Se had eaten for a midnight snack. Now, he had to consider not only himself and Long Kui but also Xiao Yixian.

By exchanging similar items, there was a chance of improving the outcome. If he could get a soul bone, that would be ideal.

"System, exchange this rib bone," Xiao Se commanded.

[Ding, congratulations, host, for exchanging the item for the Douluo Continent world's 'Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud' (Note: previous owner's imprint removed, now ownerless).]

"What the… I got the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?! This thing is a life-saving artifact!"

Tian Dou City, Prince's Mansion

In the Douluo Continent world, in Tian Dou Empire's capital, Tian Dou City…

In the late afternoon, the fourth prince of the Tian Dou Empire, Xue Beng, walked with a beautiful woman toward the treasure vault of the royal palace.

"Apologies, Prince Xue Beng. Without His Majesty's permission, no one is allowed inside," the iron-armored knights guarding the vault crossed their spears, blocking Xue Beng and his companion.

"Weren't you going to let me choose a treasure, Your Highness? What's going on?" The beautiful woman by his side tugged at Xue Beng's arm, pouting.

Xue Beng frowned. He had gone to great lengths to court this woman. She wasn't just any lady; her father held great power and was one of Emperor Xue Ye's most trusted advisors. If Xue Beng wanted to become emperor, he would need her father's support.

Adopting his usual "arrogant princeling" attitude, Xue Beng slapped the two guards, "Who dares block my way? Open the vault! I have my father's token."

He flashed a swan-engraved royal token from his storage device, and the guards immediately knelt, making way for him.

After showing off to his lady companion, Xue Beng selected a luxurious necklace from the vault and left, laughing happily.

Little did anyone know that later that night, the nation's treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, stored deep within the vault, had been replaced with a rib bone.

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