After the Joke.
Ning Rongrong hadn't come to see Yu Xiaowei for several days, giving him some rare free time.
Although he had spent most of his time on the road during his trip to the Star Luo Empire, the rare combat experience had made him feel that his soul power needed improvement.
According to his plan, once his soul power reached level 39, he would consume the two Ice and Fire herbs, which would surely push him to level 40, and his physical body would grow even stronger.
However, plans never keep up with changes. Just as he was about to head to the Tiandou Battle Arena for a fight, a young man dressed in noble attire came to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, requesting to meet him by name.
"A noble? Why would a noble child come looking for me?"
Yu Xiaowei was a bit surprised when he heard the servant's report.
He had always been disgusted by the way noble children bullied commoners. From childhood to adulthood, he had beaten up many of them.
Even his cousins Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin were not spared and got beaten by him whenever they crossed the line.
Because of that, noble children always treated him like the plague, avoiding him like the devil himself.
So why would one come looking for him now?
When Yu Xiaowei entered the reception hall, he saw a young man dressed in white who looked vaguely familiar, sitting on a chair waiting for him.
Unlike most nobles who loved to show off, this young man's clothing was very simple. If not for his aristocratic attire, no one would even guess he was of noble birth.
When he saw Yu Xiaowei enter, the young man immediately stood and gave him a slight bow.
"Hello, Brother Yu."
Yu Xiaowei returned the greeting, puzzled. "Hello. I don't believe I know you? What do you want to speak to me about?"
"My name is Xue Qinghe, and I've come today to apologize on behalf of my useless younger brother, Xue Beng."
"Oh."
Yu Xiaowei finally understood why the face looked familiar. This man indeed resembled Xue Beng a little.
But he knew that Xue Qinghe was not the real Xue Qinghe.
He was Qian Renxue from Spirit Hall.
What is she doing here? Just to apologize for Xue Beng? Hah, only a fool would believe that!
Scoffing inwardly, Yu Xiaowei responded politely:
"So, it's Your Highness the Crown Prince. Please forgive my manners."
"I've received your apology. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Qian Renxue's smiling face froze, staring at Yu Xiaowei in disbelief.
No one had dared to speak to her like that since she was a child!
Snapping out of it, Qian Renxue put on a friendly façade and said:
"Brother Yu, you don't need to call me 'Your Highness.' I've already called you Brother."
"I'm a few years older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Sister Xue. May I call you Xiao Wei?"
"Goodbye. I'm not fit to marry into your royal family. I have other things to do and won't keep bothering you. Goodbye."
Yu Xiaowei mercilessly turned her down and walked away.
What a joke! It would be one thing if I didn't know Qian Renxue's identity.
An apology for Xue Beng?
It was just a pretext. Who knows what her real intentions are!
Left standing there, Qian Renxue's expression kept shifting from gloomy to amused.
Before coming, she already knew Yu Xiaowei held a deep hatred for noble children, but she hadn't expected that he wouldn't even show 'the Crown Prince' any respect.
Just a few days ago, she had received news from Spirit Hall that a genius on par with Tang Hao—or even more talented—had emerged from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Out of curiosity, she came to test him, but didn't expect to be so thoroughly rejected.
Being in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's territory, she couldn't act rashly and could only leave in frustration.
---
Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well
Dugu Bo looked at his martial spirit with a puzzled expression.
The appearance of the Green Phosphor Serpent Emperor had changed dramatically.
Its color had shifted from emerald green to a deep green, and more spikes had appeared along the edges of its diamond-shaped scales.
The biggest change was on its head, where two large protrusions had appeared.
It was the first time he had ever seen a martial spirit mutate again.
"What the hell is happening lately?"
He stroked the few remaining strands of his beard and sighed heavily.
Ever since he had last parted ways with Yu Xiaowei,
his hair loss had worsened, and even the hair on his chin had begun falling out.
It seemed he was soon going to join the ranks of hairless heroes like Gu Rong.
"This hair loss must have something to do with that brat. Could the mutation of my martial spirit also be linked to him?"
Thinking of this, he shook his head sadly. He knew the boy's treatment for his poison side effects would cause hair loss.
But he didn't believe soul healing could mutate a martial spirit.
Yet, he clearly felt that his martial spirit had become stronger than ever.
Could that sly brat who conned him out of medicinal herbs really possess such ability?
"Senior, are you there——"
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Just as Dugu Bo was thinking of Yu Xiaowei, he heard a shout from the cliff above.
"I'm here, come down."
Upon hearing Dugu Bo's response, Yu Xiaowei leapt down.
After landing, he was about to greet him, but when he saw Dugu Bo's nearly bald head, he couldn't help laughing.
"You brat, still laughing? This is all your fault!"
Dugu Bo was furious at Yu Xiaowei's expression.
Lately, he had been hiding in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well every day, not daring to show his face to his old friends.
"Hehe."
Yu Xiaowei scratched his head and said awkwardly, "There's no other way, Senior. If you want to cure the poison, you have to endure this."
"Hmph—"
Dugu Bo snorted coldly, then sat cross-legged on the ground, lovingly stroking his remaining few strands of hair, and said fearlessly, "Let's begin!"
An hour later, the treatment was complete.
Dugu Bo, who had had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and let out a loud roar.
A powerful aura burst from him.
Fierce winds raged through the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, scattering the precious immortal herbs all over the place.
The Green Phosphor Serpent Emperor appeared automatically, and nine soul rings circled around Dugu Bo, moving rapidly up and down.
Seeing the changes in the serpent, Yu Xiaowei's eyes widened.
The Green Phosphor Serpent Emperor had clearly grown larger.
Two horns had sprouted from its head, its scales had grown bigger, and the edges were now covered in sharp spikes. Four claws protruded from its belly, and a mane had grown along its large serpentine tail.
"Damn, it really mutated into a different martial spirit."
Yu Xiaowei's mouth twitched. Dugu Bo's martial spirit could no longer be called a snake. It was a true dragon now.
"Hahahahaha——"
Dugu Bo laughed heartily and withdrew his aura.
"You brat, I've reached level 92! Finally, after all these years!"
Looking at the bald old man before him, Yu Xiaowei sincerely congratulated him.
"Senior, you may be bald, but you've become even stronger!!!"