Douluo Continent: The 18-year-old Sword God was exposed by the heavens.

Besides these top powers, all other forces on the mainland were in an uproar.

In the imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire, the emperor and his ministers looked at each other, their faces full of doubt:

"Poison Douluo Dugu Bo? He's actually ranked tenth?"

"I heard he's not particularly strong in combat, but his poison is notoriously difficult to deal with. Why would Tianmu list him among the top ten strongest?"

In the Star Luo Empire, the royal family's powerful figures gathered together, discussing the matter. Some were disdainful, some were curious, but most were expectant—if even Dugu Bo could make the list, the Star Luo Empire's top experts would surely have a chance too.

The various sects, kingdoms, and duchies, large, medium, and small, were in complete uproar.

Those with shallow knowledge are full of doubts and cannot understand why Dugu Bo is on the list;

Some elders from established sects, who believed their cultivation was no weaker than Dugu Bo's, were filled with anticipation, thinking that they might also be able to make it onto the list.

Ordinary Soul Masters and commoners were abuzz with discussion, their faces filled with curiosity and awe: "Who is Dugu Bo? Is he very powerful?"

"I've heard his poison can kill without a trace, and even Title Douluos have to be wary of it!"

"But his combat strength isn't strong, how can he be ranked tenth?"

......

Sunset Forest, within the Poison Valley.

Dugu Bo was terrified, as if struck by lightning. His face was filled with disbelief, and his mouth was slightly open, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

"I...I'm on the list?"

"Tenth place? I, Dugu Bo, am actually one of the top ten strongest humans on the continent?"

He murmured these words over and over again, his cloudy eyes gradually shifting from initial shock to ecstasy, and finally to deep confusion.

He considers himself to be of average combat strength, so how could he be ranked tenth on the Heavenly Dao Ranking?

Dugu Yan, standing to the side, jumped up excitedly, grabbing Dugu Bo's sleeve, her voice choked with emotion: "Grandpa! You're on the list! You really are! Tianmu has recognized you!"

Dugu Bo slowly came to his senses, looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with doubt and expectation: "Sky...why me? What makes me rank tenth?"

Just then, the golden light above the sky surged once more, interrupting everyone's discussion and doubts.

A vast curtain of light extended from the primordial sky, the image crystal clear, and slowly unfolded.

That was Dugu Bo's life, his little-known past, his struggles and perseverance, and the shining moment that made him worthy of being among the top ten strongest.

In the scene, Dugu Bo, in his youth, was born into a humble family. His martial spirit, the Azure Phosphorous Serpent, was regarded as an evil spirit and was despised by the world. He wandered around and was on the verge of death several times.

In order to survive, he ventured into dangerous places, accidentally ingested a rare poison, and unexpectedly mastered poison skills. His martial soul evolved into the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, and he climbed step by step from Soul Warrior to Soul Master, eventually becoming a Title Douluo.

The scene shifts to his highlight moment.

Many years ago, the Spirit Hall expanded its territory, sending a thousand-strong legion of spirit masters in an attempt to annex the land guarded by Dugu Bo.

At that time, Dugu Bo was only a level 90 Title Douluo. Facing the siege of a thousand Soul Masters, he did not back down. Instead, he unleashed the full power of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent King's Poison. The poisonous mist swept across thousands of miles. Of the thousand Soul Masters, except for a few Title Douluos who managed to escape by chance, all the rest of the Soul Masters were turned into a pool of blood, leaving no trace of their bodies.

In that battle, poisonous fog shrouded the sky, and corpses littered the fields. From then on, Dugu Bo's name resounded throughout the continent, and he was known as the "Poison Douluo," a name no one dared to easily provoke.

As the scene unfolds, it reveals a little-known secret.

The Dugu Bo clan has been tormented by the poison of their martial soul backlash for generations. This is a curse in their bloodline. From birth, they are accompanied by a deadly poison. The more they cultivate, the more severe the backlash becomes. In the end, they will be devoured by their own martial soul poison and die in agony.

For many years, Dugu Bo searched the world for rare treasures, exhausting all his efforts, but he could not break this bloodline curse. He could only rely on his own cultivation to forcibly suppress it, enduring the torment of the poison's backlash day and night, which made him become eccentric and violent.

This scene instantly silenced the entire continent.

Everyone understood. They understood the hardships Dugu Bo had endured, the reasons for his reclusive nature, and the reason why Tianmu ranked him tenth.

Wuhun City, the Pope's Palace.

Bibi Dong gazed at the scene above the sky, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly, her tone grave: "So that's how it is... The Dugu Bo clan actually has such a bloodline curse. He was able to cultivate to the level 92 Title Douluo through his own perseverance, and he could also slaughter a thousand Soul Masters with his own poison. He is indeed qualified to be on the list."

The resentment on Yue Guan and Gui Mei's faces gradually faded, replaced by a hint of apprehension.

They finally understood that Dugu Bo's terror lay not in his individual combat strength, but in his unparalleled poison and his world-destroying strategic deterrent.

At Haotian Sect, Tang Xiao's expression turned solemn as he gazed at the image on the sky.

They finally understood that the Sky Screen rankings valued comprehensive deterrence and influence over the mainland, rather than simply individual combat power.

--------

The celestial image slowly dissipated, and the golden light coalesced once more. Lines of crystal-clear text slowly emerged, detailing Dugu Bo's personal information, his ranking comments, and the blessing bestowed by Heaven:

[Name]: Dugu Bo

[Title Banned]: Poison Douluo

[Martial Soul]: Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor

[Realm]: Level 92 Super Douluo

[Bloodline Curse]: The Poison Backlash from the Azure Phosphorous Serpent King's Bloodline

[Commentary on the Ranking]: While his individual combat strength is not outstanding among the top Douluo, his Azure Phosphorous Serpent King's venom is unparalleled on the continent. Despite being afflicted by a bloodline curse, he still grows against the odds. He can intimidate a region with his venom alone, capable of covering thousands of miles of territory and slaughtering millions of soldiers. No one below the titled Douluo level survives. His strategic deterrent power is unmatched, making him a deadly weapon for large-scale military operations. Based on this, he ranks among the top ten strongest.

[Heavenly Blessing]: 1. Completely removes the backlash poison of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's bloodline and eradicates the family curse; 2. The Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's martial soul evolves into the Azure Scale Dragon, with its toxicity and combat power increasing dramatically in all aspects; 3. All soul rings' age is increased by 10,000 years; 4. Soul power level is increased by one level.

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden beam of light containing boundless power of the Heavenly Dao pierced through the clouds and landed directly on Dugu Bo's body.

In an instant, Dugu Bo felt the bloodline backlash poison that had tormented him for years dissipate rapidly like melting snow. The burning pain in his meridians disappeared instantly, replaced by an unprecedented sense of comfort and strength.

The Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul within his dantian unleashed a roar that shook the heavens and earth. Its body swelled up, its scales changed from dark green to a crystalline azure gold, dragon horns sprouted from its head, and its body became even more robust. It was surrounded by a dense dragon's might and potent poison, and it completely evolved into the Azure Scaled Dragon!

At the same time, the spirit rings around him lit up one by one: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, black. Each of the nine spirit rings was flashing wildly, and their age increased rapidly. The original age of the spirit rings all increased by 10,000 years, and finally settled on: black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black with red in it!

His soul power surged at a visible speed, breaking through level 93 from level 92 all the way to level 94, and finally settling steadily at the level of a titled Douluo!

.....