Chapter 34: The Poison of the Jade Phosphor

Upon hearing Chen Ming’s words, Dugu Yan, who was experiencing such intimate contact with a peer of the opposite sex for the first time, finally realized her situation. Under the pressure of life and death, she banished the distracting, improper thoughts from her mind in a heartbeat and began to cooperate with Chen Ming’s movements.

Chen Ming’s soul power was only approaching level twenty-four, while Dugu Yan was nearing level thirty; there was an inherent gap in their strength. Since the primary battlefield was Dugu Yan’s own body and meridians, the amount of soul power Chen Ming could inject into her was even less than what she possessed herself. Chen Ming slowly used his own soul power to guide hers, attempting to slow down the chaotic, rampaging energy and condense it into orderly streams, but the results were not significant.

Dugu Yan’s body harbored a toxin deep within her marrow. It usually remained dormant, flaring up only when there was an excess of yin energy. Today, not only was the yin energy potent, but her soul power had also completely spiraled out of control, causing the marrow-deep toxin to be fully activated and flow wildly through her veins along with her soul power. Even when in perfect condition, Dugu Yan would have had no easy solution for such a volatile mixture of soul power and toxins, let alone now, while suffering from severe injuries.

Seeing that conventional methods were ineffective, Chen Ming gritted his teeth and decided to try something unconventional. He closed his eyes, sensing that elusive intuition, and actively summoned his own spiritual essence. By combining his spiritual power with his soul power, he created a profound effect. As this soul power flowed through Dugu Yan’s body, it acted like a tiger entering a flock of sheep; any of her soul power that collided with it was suppressed and merged by Chen Ming’s spiritual force, forcibly redirected according to his will.

Unconsciously, Dugu Yan’s martial soul manifested, resonating faintly with Chen Ming’s Emerald Scorpion King. With this resonance, the soul power belonging to Dugu Yan—which had previously been forcibly controlled by Chen Ming—began to feel a sense of kinship, showing a natural submissiveness to his influence.

The first cycle of soul power ran with great difficulty under Chen Ming's control. By the second cycle, Dugu Yan’s internal energy had begun to flow naturally alongside his. By the third cycle, her soul power had completely surrendered and integrated into his, allowing him to control it with a mere thought.

As the soul power slowly returned to her dantian, the most critical issue was barely resolved. Chen Ming opened his eyes, pushed the girl he had been pinning down to the side, and collapsed against the stone wall, gasping for air. His own soul power had not diminished; in fact, by absorbing a small fraction of Dugu Yan’s energy, his cultivation level had unknowingly broken through to level twenty-four.

However, the mental toll on Chen Ming was severe. He felt as exhausted as if he had stayed awake for three days and nights straight. Combining soul power with spiritual energy was an advanced state for a soul master, placing an immense burden on the user. For Chen Ming to not only integrate and circulate it within himself but also use it to guide Dugu Yan’s internal energy caused his consumption to double.

To keep himself from falling asleep, Chen Ming braced against the mental exhaustion, pulled a piece of Jade Phosphor Snake jerky from his storage device, and took a massive bite. As the pungent, medicinal scent flooded his senses, he snapped awake instantly, his face contorting in agony.

Looking at Dugu Yan, who lay on the ground with vacant eyes as if her spirit had been broken, Chen Ming felt a surge of irritation. He tore off a piece of the jerky and stuffed it into her mouth. The moment the jerky touched her tongue, Dugu Yan’s body twitched, and her eyes rolled back; instead of looking revitalized, she seemed to look even worse.

Chen Ming was terrified, thinking he had killed her. He hurriedly gathered his strength to sense her condition, only to realize she hadn't worsened at all—she had simply been stunned by the shocking flavor of the meat. To prevent any further mishaps, he quickly pulled out a medicinal pill for internal injuries that his family had prepared for him and forced it into her mouth. As the medicinal effect took hold, Dugu Yan finally regained her clarity of thought.

Looking at the drenched, panting Chen Ming, Dugu Yan realized he had saved her. Her heart was filled with gratitude and a hint of inexplicable emotion. She tried to sit up, but found her body completely unresponsive, having lost control of her own soul power. She turned pale, nearly fainting from the shock.

"Your body is fine. I just used a mild anesthetic because I was afraid you’d lose control," Chen Ming said. He reached out, pressed his hand against her dantian, and channeled a regulated surge of soul power into her. With this infusion, Dugu Yan finally regained a sense of her body and control over her mouth.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I think I would have died right here."

"You should be grateful," Chen Ming sighed, helping her lean against the stone wall. "If I hadn't saved you, there would be only the two of us in this simulated training ground. Even if you were the one who lost control, to anyone else, I would be the one who murdered you. How many heads do I have, or my family, to withstand the vengeance of a Titled Douluo? You thought you were just losing your life, but you almost took mine and my entire family down with you!"

Hearing this, Dugu Yan turned her head away in embarrassment. While she believed that even if she died, her grandfather, Dugu Bo, would eventually deduce the truth, she also knew that in his grief, he would undoubtedly vent his fury on everyone nearby.

"Let's catch our breath. In a while, I’ll take you to find a healing teacher. I’ve stabilized your soul power and temporarily suppressed that unknown toxin in your system. Now, only the injuries to your meridians and internal organs from the soul power turbulence remain. Given the resources of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, you should be fully recovered in three to seven days."

As he spoke, Chen Ming pulled out a juice box and began to chug it. Hearing the sound of him drinking, Dugu Yan, who had been about to close her eyes, suddenly froze. At that moment, she began to contemplate a very serious question—one that concerned not just her life, but her very social existence.