Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Why is Chen Ming considering this issue now?

Because in the Douluo World, the poison attribute is not a strong one. It excels at lower levels, but at higher levels, it's virtually non-existent.

The only deity associated with poison is Medusa's God in the Divine Realm, and even that is a third-tier god who was killed, leaving only fragmented remnants of their divine status.

Furthermore, this third-tier god is considered a god of sin, and their poison abilities stem merely from their racial traits. It can only be inferred that they were a deity who knew how to use poison.

If Chen Ming were to inherit another divine position, perhaps something like the God of Soul or Spirit would suit him. However, such a position does not exist in the God Realm.

With no suitable positions like Poison God or Spirit God in the God Realm, Chen Ming naturally wouldn't force himself into an ill-fitting role.

Therefore, whether one views it from a conspiratorial angle or a practical perspective if Chen Ming doesn't want to be a salted fish (slang for someone lazy and unambitious), he must forge his path.

Given that his current body, enhanced in various ways, already rivals the strength of a Titled Douluo, Chen Ming has decided that his fifth soul ring must be carefully selected. Its age must be no less than 50,000 years—only higher, never lower.

While this might seem excessive for a Soul Ancestor or Soul King, from the perspective of a Soul Emperor or Soul Sage, it's perfectly reasonable.

A sixth soul ring under 20,000 years and a seventh soul ring at 50,000 years might be rare in this era, but it's not unheard of. In later series, there are plenty of Soul Masters whose seventh soul rings are 100,000 years old.

The only reason Chen Ming isn't already targeting a 100,000-year-old soul beast is that he hasn't encountered one yet. Without firsthand experience, he can't guarantee what qualitative differences exist between 10,000-year and 100,000-year soul beasts or what precautions might be necessary.

Otherwise, Chen Ming would already be setting his sights on a 100,000-year-old beast for his fifth ring.

Looking at the four soul rings floating around him—one yellow, two purple, and one black—Chen Ming closed his eyes and instinctively controlled his soul power.

As his will grew stronger, Chen Ming's martial soul began to exhibit a faint sense of limit. His fourth soul ring wobbled slightly in mid-air, gradually turning transparent before being withdrawn into his martial soul, leaving only the yellow, and two purple. Three souls ring around him.

Dugu Bo, curious, poked Chen Ming and was puzzled by this phenomenon.

"What's going on? How did you manage to put away your fourth soul ring?"

"It's simple: suppress your martial soul and weaken its connection with the heavens and earth. After that, with a little care, you can retract the soul ring."

Chen Ming's response, as usual, was abstract and full of cryptic reasoning. It was normal for most people to feel confused and overwhelmed by his explanations. Only a high priest of the gods might be able to comprehend his meaning.

Dugu Bo, however, was already used to this and had no intention of learning the technique—he was simply asking out of curiosity.

"So, what's the impact of retracting your fourth soul ring?"

"There is an impact, but it's not significant," Chen Ming nodded and pointed at the three soul rings around him. "When my fourth soul ring is retracted, I can't use my fourth spirit ability, and my soul power output is temporarily reduced to the level of a Soul Ancestor at Rank 40. However, this reduction isn't absolute."

"If I actively erupt with power exceeding Rank 40, my fourth soul ring will automatically reappear—it can't remain hidden anymore."

"Other than that, there's no real impact."

Chen Ming thought for a moment and added a minor detail.

"Oh, right, I can only hide one soul ring at a time, and I have to do it sequentially. For example, if I hide my second soul ring, the next one I can hide is the third, then the fourth, and so on. I can't skip over the third to hide the fourth or fifth directly."

"Oh, as long as it doesn't have much impact," Dugu Bo said. To him, Chen Ming's lengthy explanation boiled down to just three words: "No significant impact."

"Xiao Ming, what are you planning to do next?"

"Grandpa, I've decided to return to the academy first and spend ten days or so with Yan Yan. After that, I'll travel across the continent to explore my future development. Since I might be away for several years, I'd like to spend some time with her first."

"Going back to the academy? That's fine. It's about time you showed those stubborn people how powerful you've become."

Although Dugu Bo felt that with Chen Ming's current combat prowess, there was no longer any need for him to attend the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he thought about his granddaughter and decided it wasn't a bad idea.

As they chatted, Dugu Bo's injuries gradually healed. After changing into fresh clothes, he casually tossed a Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse to Chen Ming.

"Xiao Ming, this pouch has been with me for decades. Half a year ago, I wanted to give it to you, but you didn't seem to need it at the time. Now that your storage soul tool is broken, take this chance to accept it. You'll find it useful on your travels across the continent."

Chen Ming took the pouch, carefully secured it at his waist, and looked up at Dugu Bo.

"What about you, Grandpa?"

Dugu Bo showed Chen Ming a pouch that appeared slightly smaller than the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse.

"I bought a backup item from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Although it's not as large as the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse, it's a storage soul tool capable of holding living things. It's more than enough for me now."

"Pack your things. Let's go."

A few minutes later, after preparing their belongings, the two set out for the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. With their current speed, they reached the foot of the academy's mountain in just over an hour.

After giving Chen Ming a few words of advice about dealing with troublemakers, Dugu Bo left.

He still had a banquet to organize to celebrate his advancement at 94—an event he hadn't had time to host yet. Now that he finally had some free time, he couldn't wait to announce it to the world.

Although Chen Ming had only spent a few days at the academy before heading off to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his spiritual power allowed him to recall the academy's layout with perfect clarity.

At the gate, he showed his student ID to the guards before making his way up the mountain.

According to Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan was currently living in the small courtyard where Chen Ming had previously stayed. Chen Ming decided to check in with Dugu Yan first, then take a stroll around the academy to relax before embarking on his journey across the continent.

Since it was class time, most of the students were in their classrooms, and those who didn't like studying had likely gone to Heaven Dou City to enjoy themselves.

As a result, Chen Ming encountered few people on his way, aside from some faculty members, and soon arrived at his small courtyard.

The courtyard, once damaged by Dugu Bo's rampage, had been fully repaired, showing no signs of its previous destruction.

Chen Ming took out his key, unlocked the gate, and stepped inside. He noticed that the first rooms on both his left and right showed signs of being occupied.

PS: Chen Ming's translated words: "Grandpa, I've already won your granddaughter's heart. There's no point in staying at Heaven Dou Academy anymore. It's time to travel the continent and meet the other rich women."