Douluo Dalu: My Martial Soul is VENOM

"Montu, why the hell did you buy an aphrodisiac?!" Liu Erlong yelled as they arrived at her beautiful wooden house in the small jungle near Blue Tyrant Academy.

(I'm using 'Montu' since many readers find 'Man An' difficult to read.)

"Hey, Erlong, calm down. I'll explain, but first, melt this Whale Rubber into liquid," Montu said. He knew that from the moment he bought the Whale Rubber, Liu Erlong had been giving him knowing looks and had been embarrassed the entire way from the auction house to here.

Liu Erlong wanted to argue further but stopped when she saw the seriousness in Montu's eyes.

"Okay," she said with a nod. Summoning her martial soul, she began melting the Whale Rubber with high temperatures.

Montu was surprised. She was using heat in the thousands of degrees, yet he couldn't feel a trace of it. Her fire control was incredibly precise. He never thought that a woman known for her fiery temper and willingness to fight for those she loved could have such delicate mastery over her flames.

After half an hour, the Whale Rubber had completely melted. Liu Erlong turned to Montu.

"Alright, now drink it all and refine it within your body," Montu instructed.

"But isn't it an aphrodisiac? If you want to do it, why use something like this? You're already so strong… are you having problems, or have you not fully recovered yet?" Liu Erlong asked, confused.

"Just drink it and observe the effects. And never question my manliness again! I can go for as long as I want!!!" Montu yelled, slightly irritated. How could the woman he liked question his abilities as a man?

Liu Erlong was stunned by his reaction and drank the melted Whale Rubber, beginning the refining process. She hadn't meant to offend him—she was simply asking out of concern.

Hmph! I was just worried about him. Wait until I finish refining this; then I'll show him why he should never provoke me! she thought to herself with a pout.

Montu also picked up another bowl, drank the Whale Rubber, and started refining it.

"Montu… I… I want to do it," Liu Erlong suddenly spoke, her face flushed and her body covered in sweat.

"Refine the entire Whale Rubber first. Then, if you still want to, we can," Montu replied while continuing his refinement.

"Okay…" Liu Erlong murmured, trying to control her aroused body.

A while later, she finished refining the Whale Rubber and immediately jumped onto Montu, who had just opened his eyes after completing his refinement.

That night, the wooden house endured a storm, facing "tsunamis" from time to time.

---

The Next Morning

Both of them sat at the table, eating breakfast.

"Hey, Erlong, I wanted to mention something. The reason you might have fallen in love—or rather, become obsessed—with your trash cousin was probably due to the fusion technique you used with him. Since he was the main controller, your mind slowly started listening to him without you realizing it," Montu said.

"So that was the reason? It all felt so natural at the time… But if that's the case, why did I wake up just from hearing a few truths from you?" Liu Erlong asked, realizing the implications but still confused.

"Probably because you haven't done a fusion in a long time, so the effect wore off. Many people start falling for each other after repeated Martial Soul Fusion. Take Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, for example. Or the Snake and Dragon Couple. And the biggest example—Star Luo Empire. The female fiancées of the princes don't actually love them much at first since those princes are perverts, but after performing Martial Soul Fusion several times, the women start falling for them. Eventually, they'll do anything the princes say, even if they're treated horribly."

"Yeah… So, Martial Soul Fusion should only be used with people you already deeply love and trust," Liu Erlong said thoughtfully.

"Let's go. We need to hunt for a soul ring for me. I want to recover my Martial Soul, so we need to find a regenerative-type soul beast. There happens to be an Earth King Lizard group in Sunset Forest. I want to hunt one below ten thousand years old," Montu said.

"So, when do we leave?" Liu Erlong asked.

"If you want, we can go now. I already made preparations beforehand," Montu replied.

They both stood up and, after arriving at the stables of Blue Tyrant Academy, took the dean's carriage and left the academy.

---

A Few Days Later

As Sunset Forest came into view, Montu sighed.

Liu Erlong noticed but didn't say anything.

They walked through the forest for hours until nightfall.

"Let's stop here and continue tomorrow," Liu Erlong suggested, looking at their surroundings with her experienced eyes.

They set up a tent and sprinkled various repellents around the campsite. After eating some jerky, Liu Erlong sat on the bed inside the tent.

"I'll take the first half of the night shift. You'll take the second half," she said.

Montu nodded, keeping watch from time to time. Lighting a fire in a soul beast jungle was practically asking for death.

At midnight, Montu looked up at the moon and stood up, approaching the tent.

"Erlong, half the night has passed. Now it's my turn to sleep," he said to the half-asleep Liu Erlong.

She nodded groggily and stepped outside to take over the watch.

The night passed peacefully.

---

The Next Day

They resumed their journey deeper into the jungle.

"Stop," Liu Erlong suddenly said, grabbing Montu's shirt and looking around cautiously.

She narrowed her eyes in one direction and kicked a nearby rock toward a bush dozens of meters away.

"ROAAARR!" A furious roar erupted as a bear emerged, glaring at Liu Erlong in anger.

"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. This one just reached 9,000 years old. Do you want to absorb its ring? Its soul ring is rare and high-quality," Liu Erlong said, introducing the beast.

"ROAARR!!!" The bear roared again and charged at them.

It was enraged that they were ignoring it while discussing its worth.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Liu Erlong's martial soul activated as she delivered a powerful punch to the bear's chest just as it was about to swing its deadly claws at her.

The bear, despite its reputation for fighting above its level, was sent flying and crashed into the ground, unable to get up.

"Alright, go ahead and kill it," Liu Erlong instructed.

Montu nodded, surprised by her overwhelming strength. He had read in books and fanfictions in his previous life that Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears could fight opponents stronger than themselves, yet this one stood no chance against Liu Erlong.

Montu took out a spear and pierced the bear's head before it could struggle any further. After twitching a few times, it died, and a soul ring formed above its body.

Montu sat on the ground and began absorbing the soul ring.

Half a day later, he opened his eyes, drenched in sweat.

"Are you okay? You were trembling the whole time while absorbing the soul ring," Liu Erlong asked, handing him a water bottle.

Montu poured some water over his head before lying down.

"Haa… Without my full Martial Soul and its innate regenerative abilities, I'm nothing. I don't even dare to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring because of the soul shock it brings," Montu said, panting.

Liu Erlong looked at him with guilt in her eyes.

"Sorry… This is all my fault," she said, lowering her head.

"Nah, it's not your fault. This is just how the world works. If this hadn't happened, maybe I would have arrogantly fought someone stronger and lost my lif—"

Before he could finish, Liu Erlong placed her hand over his mouth, stopping him from speaking further.

Montu chuckled and pulled her into a tight embrace.

For the first time since arriving in this world—one that had only been fiction to him before—he felt truly alive.