At present, the quality of Chen Ming's Martial Soul had undergone a tremendous enhancement, and his ability to utilize it had advanced significantly as well. The effect of the second Spirit Ability he had obtained was also exceptionally impressive.
His second Spirit Ability, Dragon Transformation, allowed parts of his body to undergo draconic changes, manifesting an effect similar to a partial Martial Soul True Body. At the same time, it boosted all of his attributes by thirty percent and provided a certain degree of enhancement to all of his abilities.
While a full increase to all attributes was undoubtedly valuable, for Chen Ming, the transformation of his own state—allowing parts of his body to enter a semi–Martial Soul true body form—was even more meaningful than a simple numerical boost.
As for his Spirit Power, it had quite naturally reached level 23—an entirely "normal" standard.
After spending quite some time experimenting, Chen Ming repeatedly shifted his Beast Soul Toolization—switching between a hammer, a long staff, a shield, armor, and more. Only after thoroughly testing these transformations did both he and Dugu Bo finally feel somewhat satisfied.
Looking at the corpse of the fallen Heavy Armored Earth Dragon, Chen Ming felt it would be a waste to leave it unused. He began considering how to extract suitable materials from it.
However, despite summoning sharp claws and hacking away for quite a while—and even taking extra time to construct a massive cleaver from his Beast Soul Toolization—his attempt to dissect the creature wasn't easy.
The thing's hide was simply too thick, and its body far too massive. Not only were the surface scales infused with metallic properties, but even its bones were harder than metal. After laboring for what felt like an eternity—panting heavily and ending up covered in blood—Chen Ming finally managed to carve the Heavy Armored Earth Dragon into pieces and began selecting usable materials.
When he removed the creature's right forelimb, he sensed a peculiar fluctuation of Spirit Power within it. After expending considerable effort to dig it out, what appeared before his eyes was a dark yellow bone, roughly the size of a baby's arm.
"A Spirit Bone? Your luck is truly exceptional," Dugu Bo remarked as he stepped closer, a trace of surprise in his gaze, though not a hint of greed. "Even for ten-thousand-year spirit beasts, the chance of dropping a Spirit Bone is extremely low. For thousand-year spirit beasts, that probability is even further reduced. Although this one has just over a thousand years of cultivation, this Spirit Bone is still quite decent."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone turning more serious.
"However, I'll give you a piece of advice. Your talent surpasses mine. For ordinary people, a thousand-year Spirit Bone would be an enormous blessing—but for you, it would only become a burden. Even if it comes from the same source as your Spirit Ring, that doesn't change the fact."
"Don't be fooled by the immediate benefits after absorbing it. Once you reach the level of a Spirit Emperor or Spirit Saint, even with various enhancements, this Spirit Bone will begin to fall short. By the time you become a Spirit Douluo, it will be completely obsolete. And when you reach the level of a Titled Douluo, you'll only regret having absorbed such a low-grade Spirit Bone."
"You're right, Senior. I understand that clearly," Chen Ming replied with humility. "The age of this Spirit Bone is too low, and it's also an extremely important limb bone. I wouldn't sacrifice my future for short-term gains. Still… this is my first time seeing a Spirit Bone. I'd like to study it and understand exactly what it is."
Dugu Bo nodded, somewhat amused. "Studying Spirit Bones, huh? Well, with your talent, you could probably make something out of researching anything. But when it comes to Spirit Bones, I can't help you much. Even I rarely come across something this valuable—you'll have to figure it out on your own."
"Just be careful not to accidentally absorb it," he added with a warning tone. "Once a Spirit Bone is absorbed, it cannot be replaced. You'd be stuck with it for life."
"Understood." Chen Ming nodded, storing the Spirit Bone away before continuing to dismantle the remaining materials. He carefully separated the usable components, packaged them, and placed everything into his Soul Tool.
The problem, however, was that Soul Tools of this era were still severely limited in size. Although the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse could store living things, its capacity was only a little over a dozen cubic meters—actually smaller than the Soul Tool the academy had previously given him.
To make the most of the limited space, every single item had to be carefully arranged and precisely controlled down to the smallest detail.
At times, Chen Ming couldn't help but wonder—if he could gather more Soul Tools, would he be able to reverse-engineer their construction methods?
Even if he couldn't replicate the more complex Soul Tools with offensive or defensive capabilities, deducing the method for creating storage Soul Tools alone shouldn't be too difficult. Of course, the process would inevitably require rare metals, as well as a number of storage Soul Tools to dismantle and study.
Unfortunately, that was something even Dugu Bo couldn't provide.
After packing up the remains of the Heavy Armored Earth Dragon and stuffing them into his Soul Tool, Chen Ming searched through the creature's lair once more. Aside from discovering that the area sat atop a fairly decent mineral vein, he found nothing else of value.
In the end, the two of them returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with their spoils in tow. Observing Dugu Bo's current condition, Chen Ming decided it was time to proceed with the next phase of treatment. But before that, there was something he needed to ask.
"After the adjustments over the past period, Senior's condition has improved significantly. The backlash is no longer easily triggered, and the toxins have become much less volatile. That means we can move on to the next stage."
He paused briefly, then asked seriously, "Senior, do you want to completely suppress your toxins—so that your body no longer produces them, and your descendants are no longer affected? Or do you want to control them, to tame this double-edged sword instead of discarding it?"
"Can I choose both?" Dugu Bo asked without hesitation. "I want to tame the toxins, and at the same time ensure my descendants won't suffer from them."
Compared to before, his mind was clearly much sharper now.
At his age, he had no intention of continuing his bloodline further, so even if there were some impact on it, it wouldn't matter. As long as he could control the toxins and prevent them from harming his descendants, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?
"In that case, we'll need two different approaches," Chen Ming replied. "However, based on what you said earlier, Dugu Yan's current condition is still far from being threatened by the toxins."
"I'll first prepare some medicine for you to deliver to her. As long as she takes it on time and adjusts her condition accordingly, it should temporarily suppress the growth of the toxins. After that, I'll focus on devising a solution tailored to your situation."
He grew more serious as he continued.
"Your toxins do have the potential to be controlled, Senior—but doing so won't be easy. Newly generated toxins can still be refined and restrained through various methods. However, the old toxins that have accumulated in your body over the years are excessive and deeply embedded. Most of them can't be controlled at all—they must be eliminated."
"If we use potent medicine, the ingredients won't be an issue, but your strength will inevitably fluctuate in the short term. Can you truly bear such a cost?"
"Short term?" Dugu Bo frowned slightly. "How short, and how much fluctuation are we talking about?"
He didn't find it strange that treatment would come with side effects. If anything, in his view, severe conditions demanded aggressive measures.
"Anywhere from three months to a year," Chen Ming answered calmly. "During that time, your poison-based abilities will be affected. Their potency will decrease, and frequent use of Spirit Power may even cause toxin regeneration."
"At best, you'll only be able to display the strength of a Spirit Douluo… and it's not impossible that it could drop even lower. After all, your power fundamentally relies on toxins. Without them—and with further weakening—your combat ability may not even reach that level."
He spoke tactfully, but the implication was clear. Poison was the very foundation of Dugu Bo's strength. Considering he was already among the weaker Titled Douluo, stripping away that foundation would drastically reduce his combat capability.
"After all, this is a problem rooted in decades of accumulated damage to your core. The toxins have already seeped deep into your marrow. If the foundation remains unaffected, there are only two possibilities."
"Either the treatment only stabilizes the surface without addressing the root, or the one performing the treatment possesses both extraordinary methods and overwhelming strength—along with perfect synergy between the two. Otherwise, it's simply impossible."
"This phase is essentially like scraping bone—removing the decayed parts so that new flesh can grow in their place."
Dugu Bo fell silent for a long moment before finally asking, "Is there any way to compensate for this?"
"There is," Chen Ming said, nodding, "but it doesn't lie in ordinary medicine. Or rather… the herbs in your garden are already more than sufficient. What I lack is a method to quickly and gently restore your foundation."
"If we had such a subtle, nourishing approach—one that works like a silent spring rain—your treatment time could be cut in half."
He let out a faint breath before continuing.
"But techniques like that can only come from long-standing medical traditions, built upon generations of accumulated knowledge and countless treatments tailored to different individuals. Even someone who practices medicine for an entire lifetime might never reach that level."
"In the end, methods that directly heal the foundation are already considered profound. But to restore it quickly and gently, as if nourishing without a trace—that demands an even higher level of mastery. Without inheritance or exceptional talent, one could devote a lifetime to study and still fail to even grasp the basics."
"If I were to figure it out myself from scratch, it would take at least several months—possibly over a year—of observing and studying different patients. And even then, by the time I succeed, the total time spent might end up being even longer."