Rallying Once More, Refining the Dragon Pearl
A cool mountain breeze threaded through the dense forest of Immortal Herbs around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, while mingling currents of heat and cold gently enveloped the valley.
Gan Lin sat quietly beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The bittersweet sorrow of his hasty parting with Ganyu gradually settled, like the ripples stirred by a stone cast into a deep pool.
He knew clearly that their tender reunion had been only a fleeting gift.
He had just learned that Ganyu had managed to come this time only by spending all the energy accumulated from this round of diary rewards.
Indeed, he wanted to do it again.
But if he did, Sister Ganyu would surely be disappointed.
Besides, the diary had also told him that if he deliberately placed himself in a desperate situation and the diary judged it to be suicide, it would not interfere with its owner's choice.
So there was no point in dwelling on sorrow. Their promise to meet again was not a weakness that would leave him drowning in longing, but his greatest source of motivation to forge ahead and reach the summit of the path of the strong.
His thoughts cleared, and all the gloom knotted in his heart dispersed. The loneliness in Gan Lin's eyes faded completely, replaced by a clear, resolute blaze. He slowly straightened his slightly hunched back, braced his palm against the cool ground, and rose steadily to his feet. Standing tall, he had shed his earlier dejection, and the calm, steadfast sharpness of youth once again surrounded him.
Dugu Bo, who had silently waited beside him all along, had seen every shift in his emotions. Watching Gan Lin swiftly emerge from his low spirits and compose himself, without letting the inexplicable sorrow of parting disturb his heart, the Poison Douluo, who had seen the ups and downs of human hearts, showed a flicker of genuine approval in his eyes and slowly nodded in satisfaction.
"Well done." Dugu Bo's raspy voice softened considerably, carrying sincere relief and encouragement. "For a cultivator, a steady heart matters most. Joy and sorrow, gain and loss are all part of life. If the slightest emotion unsettles your heart and makes you abandon cultivation, even a peerless opportunity won't be enough to make you truly great. Xiaolin, you're so young, yet you have such a steady temperament. That's truly rare."
Gan Lin nodded firmly, warmth flowing through his heart. In this other world, Dugu Bo had long since become a beloved elder to him, both a teacher and a grandfather. With this Titled Douluo standing guard, he put all his worries aside and prepared to continue refining the Ice and Fire Dragon Pearl. He bowed and replied, "Thank you, Grandpa."
With that, he sat cross-legged beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Fragrant spirit herbs grew beneath him, and the surrounding hot and cold spiritual Qi surged and gathered without end, forming a gentle barrier of spiritual Qi that protected his entire body. Gan Lin focused on the Ice and Fire Dragon Pearl in his palm. The pearl was translucent and lustrous, and two streams of origin power, one crimson as fire and the other deep blue as frost, flowed slowly within it. The violent, vicious force stirred up earlier by the Asura God's will was gone, but it still concealed two overbearing powers of opposing attributes.
He recalled the entire process of refining the Basalt Pillar with perfect clarity. The most heaven-defying quality of that Geo drop from Teyvat was that it defied the common understanding of Douluo and broke the restriction of a fixed Soul Ring age, forging a growth-type Soul Ring that could advance in step with his cultivation and divine soul realm. Without hunting Soul Beasts or seeking opportunities from outside, he could rely on his own efforts to make the Soul Ring continually transform and grow stronger.
At that thought, certainty suddenly filled Gan Lin's heart.
The Ice and Fire Dragon Pearl before him was formed from the origins of the two great Dragon Kings of ice and fire. Its foundations and grade should be no inferior to the Basalt Pillar's, and its power was even purer and more overbearing, making it better suited to the origins of the Douluo Continent. Since both possessed such mysteries, this Ice and Fire Dragon Pearl could surely replicate the method and condense a one-of-a-kind growth-type Soul Ring!
Casting aside his distracting thoughts, Gan Lin gently closed his eyes and sank his consciousness completely into his dantian. He circulated his pure Soul Power and carefully guided a gentle strand of it into the Ice and Fire Dragon Pearl.
The refining process was far slower and more grueling than he had imagined.
Ice and fire were the most diametrically opposed attributes in heaven and earth: one brought absolute cold and annihilation, the other searing, supreme yang heat. As the two powers surged into his body through his meridians, they clashed violently without pause. Scorching fire power coursed through his meridians, bringing waves of searing pain, as though his sinews and bones were being roasted by flames. Bitter ice power followed close behind, freezing his Qi and blood and numbing his meridians as a bone-deep chill spread through his limbs and bones.
The two extremes of pain washed over his body and divine soul in turn. The slightest mistake could damage his meridians and send the powers out of control.
But Gan Lin had already been through similar experiences twice. His body remained completely steady, and he neither rushed nor grew impatient. Keeping his breathing even, he used his divine soul as a guide to untangle the chaotic powers of ice and fire bit by bit. At the same time, he drew upon the unique advantage of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The naturally balanced origins of heat and cold here acted as the perfect harmonizing agent, continually neutralizing the conflict between the two powers, dispelling their violent, vicious force, and gently repairing the meridians slightly worn down by the powers of ice and fire.
The valley was silent, save for the tinkling of the spirit spring and the gentle rustling of vegetation. Dugu Bo stood not far away with his hands behind his back, dark green Soul Power swirling around him as he kept watch in every direction, devoting himself to protecting Gan Lin. He watched red and blue streams of light rise alternately around the youth. Though the two extreme powers circled his body, he remained as steady as a rock, never once panicking, and Dugu Bo grew ever more amazed by Gan Lin's talent and composure.
Time passed slowly in quiet cultivation, and several hours slipped by.
Bit by bit, he restored the balance between the powers of ice and fire, completely fusing the opposing extremes into one and imprinting a bond of symbiosis deep within his divine soul. Thus, the newborn Soul Ring gained the boundless potential to grow alongside his cultivation.
The moment the last strand of violent ice and fire power was fully tamed and perfectly integrated into the Soul Power in his dantian, the red and blue streams of light swirling around him abruptly withdrew and surged into Gan Lin's body.
In an instant, vast, pure ice and fire origin power swept through his limbs and bones. Its gentle power repaired his previously damaged meridians and nourished his body, sinews, and bones. His entire presence underwent a complete transformation and ascension.
After a long while, Gan Lin's long eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.
A blazing crimson flame flashed through his eyes for an instant, followed by a cool ice-blue gleam. Divine light from the two extremes intertwined and flashed before his gaze returned to clear calm. He focused on inspecting his Soul Rings, and a bright light instantly shone in his eyes.
Above the once orderly sequence of Soul Rings, the third Soul Ring slowly rose. It was a special Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring unlike any seen before. Instead of a single solid color, its ring was woven with flowing red and blue, its intricate ice and fire patterns shimmering with spiritual light in a seamless whole.
After enduring the Asura God's interference and patiently refining it, he had finally succeeded.
Gan Lin slowly raised his hand and moved his fingertips. A wisp of frigid ice mist quietly condensed, and a small, warm flame suddenly rose. The powers of ice and fire moved at his will, perfectly under his control, without the slightest resistance or conflict.
He stood up, his presence steady and weighty. His Soul Power was condensed and pure, having increased severalfold from before, yet his foundation remained firm and solid, without the slightest instability.