Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Chen Ming had previously mentioned to Dugu Bo the Dragonkin girl and his research on Jewel Beasts, so Dugu Bo merely observed from the side without interrupting.

Chen Ming walked up to the Dragonkin girl and gave her a gentle smile. At the same time, he subtly guided his mental and spiritual energy into a harmonious rhythm.

This was a technique he had developed while studying the Beautiful Silk Tulip. When applied to the herb, this ability could attract soul beasts. However, as a human, Chen Ming could only imitate a small portion of this effect, releasing a wave of energy that made others feel an instinctive inclination to approach him.

The wave, while effective, was slightly clumsy and abrupt. Any soul master with a higher level of spiritual power could detect it. For this reason, Chen Ming avoided using it in front of others, and today marked its first usage.

Under the influence of this special wave, the Dragonkin girl's gaze toward Chen Ming softened, becoming less wary and more relaxed.

Seizing the moment, Chen Ming introduced himself to the Dragonkin girl.

"My name is Chen Ming, a 12-year-old, thirty-fifth-level Soul Elder. Nice to meet you. May I ask what your name is?"

"I… I'm called Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu?

Hearing this name, Chen Ming froze momentarily, his first thought being a certain rabbit with over 100,000 years of cultivation. Then he realized that this was simply the name of the girl before him.

On the Douluo Continent, it wasn't uncommon for commoners to lack surnames. For instance, in the original story, Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Spirit Village, was a perfect example. He was just called Jack, without a surname, and even his name had been passed down for generations. Young ones were called Little Jack, adults were Jack, and elderly ones became Old Jack. If there were brothers, they would be differentiated by numbers: Big Jack, Second Jack, and so on.

(PS: Xiao means 'Little')

This was a normal occurrence. It's just that Chen Ming, having been born into a noble family with a surname and lineage, found it somewhat unfamiliar.

"My mother had no surname," Xiao Wu continued. "She said that when she awakened her martial soul at six years old, she was kidnapped by traffickers and sold to an old man. The old man abused her for a year before having her disposed of."

"My mother escaped secretly, pregnant with me. Shortly after giving birth to me, she passed away. My grandparents didn't like me either."

"When I awakened my martial soul, I turned into a monster. A few days later, my grandparents sold me to the village chief, who then sold me to a noble in the city. I escaped under the cover of night and wandered into the forest."

"I don't even know what happened after that. Later, I was caught by a group of soul masters and sent to… an auction house."

If her martial soul awakening hadn't gone wrong, the term auction house would never have appeared in her life. Even now, she wasn't entirely sure what an auction house was.

"I'm not some kind of monster! There's nothing about me worth researching!"

The girl named Xiao Wu grew agitated but didn't dare to vent her emotions fully. She could only repeat over and over again that she wasn't a monster.

At that moment, a figure following behind them could no longer contain herself and jumped out.

Dressed in pink, Ning Rongrong pretended to have just passed by. She elegantly stepped out from behind the door and walked over to Chen Ming and Xiao Wu, greeting everyone with a smile.

Upon seeing Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu's face lit up as if she had found a savior. She looked tearfully at Ning Rongrong, even though her figure was much larger than Ning Rongrong's and appeared far more mature. Yet, she still exuded the pitiful demeanor of a puppy about to be abandoned.

Standing beside Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong patted her gently on… the base of her tailbone. It was a gesture meant to comfort the distressed girl.

Watching this scene, Chen Ming couldn't help but laugh awkwardly as he explained, "I don't think you're some kind of monster. I'm just curious and believe I might be able to fix your condition, allowing you to cultivate like a normal soul master."

After hearing Chen Ming's words, Bone Douluo's expression shifted slightly, and a playful glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Chen Ming.

Even though he had a dragon-type martial soul, he wouldn't dare claim he could solve this girl's problem.

A top-tier dragon-type martial soul, innate rank-nine soul power, and a mutated martial soul—her talent was already faintly superior to his own in his youth.

If her condition could truly be resolved and her cultivation ability restored, she'd be a prime candidate for a future Titled Douluo, potentially even a protector for their sect. It would also make her an ideal disciple for him.

Hearing that her problem could be solved, Xiao Wu immediately became excited. To her, her current appearance was the root of all her troubles.

She had considered countless times cutting off the parts of her body that were different from others and had even acted on this impulse.

But no matter how much pain she endured to pull off her scales, they would grow back. As for the tail behind her, which felt like an extension of her leg, she had contemplated tearing it off countless times but feared dying or crippling herself in the process.

"Here, give me your hand," Chen Ming said with a smile. Xiao Wu glanced at Ning Rongrong, and only after Ning Rongrong nodded did she cautiously raise her scale-covered arm.

Chen Ming gently held her wrist and began slowly channeling his soul power and spiritual energy into Xiao Wu's body, carefully examining her condition.

Chen Ming had encountered many beast martial soul masters with martial soul possession, but this was his first time seeing something like this. The dragon-like features on Xiao Wu's body were no longer just a manifestation of her martial soul—they had become a part of her physical body, grown under the guidance of her martial soul.

If he had intervened immediately after her martial soul awakening, he might have been able to remove these features entirely. But now, after so many years, these dragon-like traits had become genuine flesh and blood. Forcibly removing them would be akin to cutting off parts of her body, causing more harm than good.

As Chen Ming's soul power and spiritual energy reached her dantian, he finally understood why she couldn't cultivate.

Her condition was unique—she wasn't quite like a soul master but resembled a soul beast instead.

The mutated aspects of her martial soul prevented her from actively absorbing soul power from the environment and gathering it in her dantian. However, the human part of her body also made her unable to passively cultivate like a soul beast over time.

She was stuck in limbo, with the quirks of her martial soul and body structure creating a bug. Her survival depended entirely on this bug. If the structure were disrupted, she might die instantly.

Fortunately, Chen Ming had developed some expertise in fixing bugs. From the moment he arrived in this world, he had been advancing to resolve such issues.

The countless treasures at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well hadn't gone to waste. Though the rules of the Douluo Continent limited their direct application, the insights he gained were invaluable.

Utilizing the fire laws contained within the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, Chen Ming slowly channeled his Ultimate Fire soul power into Xiao Wu's dantian. He gathered and purified the fire dragon energy within her, subtly leaving a mark with his Spiritual Eye ability. Finally, he adjusted the essence of her martial soul, correcting its inherent flaws.