Exploring Ice and Fire Alone

Ning Rongrong watched Shi Yi's retreating back, the corners of her lips curling slightly. This was the first time someone at Shrek had been willing to acknowledge her.

He's just an auxiliary Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power. I'm not afraid of him. With the Sect's resources, I definitely won't be worse than him, Ning Rongrong thought to herself.

Ning Rongrong gave a soft snort. In an excellent mood, she skipped out of the restaurant.

"Training starts tomorrow. I should have a good look around today first." With that in mind, Ning Rongrong headed toward Suotuo City's commercial district.

Early the next morning, Shi Yi began his usual run. Though he rose early every day to cultivate, he did not actually spend much time training. Now that Ning Rongrong, the little rich girl, had given him funding, he needed to properly plan out his future cultivation.

When it was time for breakfast, Shi Yi did not cook for himself as usual. Instead, for the first time, he set foot in Shrek's Cafeteria. Now that Yu Xiaogang was here, Shrek's food would not be bad. Since there was ready-made food to eat, he naturally wanted to try his own teacher's cooking.

Before he even entered the Cafeteria, Shi Yi caught a rich, inviting fragrance. The heavy scent of meat was extremely tempting, seemingly mixed with some other aromas.

"Mm, not bad," Shi Yi silently appraised with a smile.

When he entered the Cafeteria, he saw Tang San already seated in front of Yu Xiaogang. Shi Yi was not surprised. Cultivating Purple Demon Eyes required getting up early; he knew that well.

"Morning, Teacher. Morning, Disciple Brother." Shi Yi smiled in greeting and sat down before Yu Xiaogang.

"Morning, Senior Disciple Brother," Tang San replied, while Yu Xiaogang merely nodded faintly.

Tang San looked rather surprised to see Shi Yi. Ever since Shi Yi had arrived at Shrek, he had never seen this Senior Disciple Brother of his come to the Cafeteria.

Shi Yi naturally knew what Tang San was thinking. "With the Dean being such a miser, could the old Cafeteria food even be eaten? Now that Teacher is here, since he's going to guide your cultivation, he certainly won't shortchange you when it comes to food. This teacher of yours is just here to benefit from your good fortune."

After Shi Yi spoke, Yu Xiaogang knowingly served him a large bowl of meat soup, along with two eggs and two steamed buns.

"Much obliged," Shi Yi said with a cheerful smile.

Yu Xiaogang's expression did not change in the slightest, as if he had long grown accustomed to Shi Yi's behavior.

Shi Yi quietly ate his breakfast without speaking further, but the brief peace was soon broken.

Xiao Wu's voice arrived before she did. "It smells so good! Looks like there's something delicious to eat today."

Three people entered the Cafeteria. Besides Xiao Wu, there were Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, her dormmates. Shrek had originally had no female students, and thus naturally no girls' dormitory. Flender had simply spent some money to rent another large house near the academy, which became the girls' dormitory.

"Morning, everyone." Shi Yi greeted the newcomers.

"Morning." Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing gave Shi Yi surprised looks before replying. After last night's cultivation, they had experienced the exceptional aspects of Shi Yi's new training method firsthand, and now recognized his abilities quite highly.

The moment Xiao Wu saw Shi Yi here, her good mood from the morning seemed ruined.

"Why are you here?" Xiao Wu asked Shi Yi.

"As a teacher at the academy, why can't I be here?" Shi Yi countered with a chuckle.

"You..." Xiao Wu wanted to say something, but Tang San stopped her.

Seeing this, Shi Yi turned his gaze toward Yu Xiaogang. "Teacher, I may need to leave for a while."

Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly. "Going to the Star Dou Great Forest again? How about having Flender accompany you?"

Shi Yi shook his head faintly. "I'm not going to look for Soul Beasts this time. I haven't been back in a long time, so before the systematic training begins, I plan to return to the village. Rongrong gave me quite a substantial investment yesterday, and I also intend to go out and purchase some things, putting the money to good use."

Yu Xiaogang's gaze fell upon Ning Rongrong. A trace of surprise appeared in his calm eyes as he slowly said, "Fine. Once you finish eating, just inform Flender."

Xiao Wu quietly asked Ning Rongrong, "Rongrong, you weren't tricked by him, were you?"

Ning Rongrong said nothing, nearly rolling her eyes at Xiao Wu. Setting aside the fact that she already thought Shi Yi's theory was highly feasible, even if he really had deceived her, based on the cultivation method he had brought out yesterday, she could tell from her knowledge that it would be priceless if placed on the market. A mere amount of Gold Coin was not even the tip of the tip of a hair to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If that counted as being tricked, she wished she could be tricked a few more times.

Seeing that Ning Rongrong ignored her, Xiao Wu gave a soft snort and silently began eating breakfast.

Shi Yi did not care what Xiao Wu said or did. In his eyes, Xiao Wu was nothing more than a mobile Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

If he had not feared disrupting his plans and affecting the development of the plot, which would not benefit him much either, Shi Yi would have wanted to report this walking Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to Spirit Hall. Once Bibi Dong arrived, he could cling to her thigh, call her Master's Wife, and head straight into the ending ahead of schedule.

Shi Yi ate quickly. After wolfing everything down, he headed for Flender's office.

After persuading Flender with the same explanation, Shi Yi arrived in Suotuo City, rented a carriage, and set off toward Sunset Forest.

Five days later, Shi Yi arrived at the town outside Sunset Forest. Wherever there were people, there were profits. Outside nearly every Soul Beast Forest, there would be such a commercial settlement.

He bought a map of the forest in town, but unfortunately, Shi Yi did not find the information he wanted.

Shi Yi casually found an inn and quietly waited for nightfall. He had actually simulated in his mind long ago how to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Most Soul Beasts at the ten-thousand-year level possessed territories of their own. With Little Ant leading the way, it would not be difficult to reach the range of Dugu Bo's Poison Array. Once outside the Poison Array, Shi Yi could use Little Ant's burrowing ability to find a suitable place to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The only difficulty was Dugu Bo himself.

A Title Douluo came and went without a trace. Even Shi Yi could not determine where he was, so he could only choose to infiltrate at night. He would have Little Ant investigate whether Dugu Bo was present before deciding whether he could begin looting the place. If Dugu Bo was there, nighttime was also when most Soul Masters meditated, and their perception would be greatly reduced. The safest method was to confirm that Dugu Bo was absent, absorb the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, use the ice-and-fire spring water as a hiding place, wait for the right opportunity, then sweep the area clean and leave safely.

Of course, if he was unfortunate enough to be discovered by Dugu Bo, Shi Yi had made the appropriate preparations. If Tang San could do it, Shi Yi had his own way of persuading Dugu Bo.

"Get some sleep and restore my energy. Man proposes, Heaven disposes. Daoist Ancestor, Three Pure Ones, gods of the heavens—this is my first adventure in this world. I hope you'll bless me with success." Shi Yi prayed inwardly as he silently summoned Little Ant.

"Little Ant, we can succeed, right?" Shi Yi softly asked as he gently stroked Little Ant's exoskeleton.

A humanlike look of confusion appeared on Little Ant's face. Sensing Shi Yi's excitement and anxiety, it gently rubbed against his palm.

It was not as if Shi Yi had no better option. Through Yu Xiaogang's relationship with Yu Tianheng, he could use those connections to get in touch with Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan. However, that would take time to arrange, and there would be enormous variables during that period.

If Tang San caught Dugu Bo's attention, then Shi Yi would no longer be the only choice for solving his problem. And Tang San, whose skill with poison was stronger, would clearly be more likely to win Dugu Bo's favor.

After spending so many years with Tang San, Shi Yi understood Tang San's character well. Rather than hoping Tang San would grant him Immortal Herbs, Shi Yi would prefer to control the right to decide over all Immortal Herbs himself.

Gradually, Shi Yi fell asleep. He slept from morning until the sun set beyond the western hills.

Shi Yi checked all the useful items in his Soul Tool, left the inn, and headed toward Sunset Forest.

The moment he entered the forest, Shi Yi summoned Little Ant. He took out some prepared sulfur from his Soul Tool, placed it before Little Ant, and softly said, "Little Ant, find this scent. Avoid Soul Beasts as much as possible."

Little Ant nodded. The antennae on its head trembled slightly, and it soon found a general direction. Shi Yi cautiously followed behind it.

Looking at the map he had bought, Shi Yi saw that Sunset Forest was not actually very large. He estimated that he could reach Dugu Bo's Poison Array before the sun fully set.

Following behind Little Ant was as safe as ever, though they kept taking detours, which made the journey take longer.

Soon, Little Ant stopped. Shi Yi was somewhat puzzled and stepped forward to look. The land in the distance was shrouded in a faint green haze, yet it had not spread outward. It seemed as though something was restraining it.

"So this is Dugu Bo's Poison Array," Shi Yi murmured.

Shi Yi did not dwell on it. Instead, he turned his gaze to Little Ant and smiled. "Little Ant, I usually don't have anywhere for you to dig. Now you can dig. Make it as large and deep as possible, or it'll collapse easily. We'll go underground, but keep the disturbance down."

Little Ant nodded upon hearing this, its face showing humanlike excitement. Digging was an ant's innate skill, and this was also Little Ant's favorite activity. But most of the time, Shi Yi did not dare let Little Ant play at it. Burrowing underground could easily cause the surface to collapse. It did not matter much in a Soul Beast Forest, but if Little Ant played around freely in a city and caused houses to collapse, plenty of people would come looking for trouble with Shi Yi.

The forest soil was soft. As Little Ant burrowed forward, a dark hole quickly appeared. Little Ant dug very deep, and barely any sound could be heard from the surface. After Shi Yi entered, he even casually filled in the entrance. To avoid eating dirt behind Little Ant, Shi Yi deliberately kept some distance from it.

Shi Yi continued forward behind Little Ant. There was no light underground now, so Shi Yi took out a piece of azure rare metal from his Soul Tool. Yu Xiaogang had obtained it from Flender back then. Although it did not illuminate very far in this underground world, it at least gave Shi Yi's eyes some light.

Shi Yi could not stand staying in darkness for long.

Perhaps because Dugu Bo's Poison Array did not cover a particularly large area, after an unknown amount of time, Shi Yi finally felt the tunnel begin to slope upward. That proved Little Ant was continuously climbing higher.

As Little Ant broke through the soil, the cave grew slightly brighter. No harsh light shone in, and Shi Yi understood that the sun had probably already set completely. Night had quietly arrived.

Seeing Little Ant emerge from the ground without hesitation, a trace of excitement appeared on Shi Yi's face. Little Ant's confidence in breaking through meant there should be no danger on the surface. It also meant that Dugu Bo was not here at the moment.

Shi Yi hurriedly followed it up. As he emerged from the hole and looked out, the entire valley was dyed in sharply divided red and blue by the ice-and-fire power radiating from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, including the oval pool at the center of the valley. Along the banks surrounding the pool were the Immortal Herb flowers and plants Shi Yi had long dreamed of, strange plants of every imaginable color.

Due to the collision between the ice and fire energies, thick mist rose from the point where the waters met in the center of the pool, ascending to the mouth of the valley before spreading out and blanketing the open space above the entire valley.

Traveling underground even spared me the step of climbing down the cliff. At this hour, if Dugu Bo isn't here, he's probably having dinner with his granddaughter. I need to hurry, Shi Yi thought.

Very quickly, Shi Yi stopped before a white medicinal herb. At this moment, he had fully activated the Twelve Meridians within his body, and a faint layer of white mist had appeared over his skin.

Even with the Twelve Meridians frantically circulating within him, Shi Yi's body continued to tremble because he was enduring the impact of extreme cold energy.

The top of the white herb resembled a large white flower, octagonal in shape, with sparkling crystalline stamens at its center. It gave off no fragrance whatsoever. Its location was precisely at the central point of the Extreme Cold Yin Spring's side.

Fortunately, the surface of the Extreme Cold Yin Spring was frozen, making it easier for Shi Yi to harvest it. Not daring to wait or hesitate any longer, Shi Yi's dagger flashed out. At that instant, Little Ant, standing beside the Extreme Blazing Yang Spring, moved. It sprang fiercely from the bank, its enormous forelimbs swinging through the air. The Infernal Delicate Apricot growing in the center of the Extreme Blazing Yang Spring was instantly uprooted and swept toward Shi Yi by Little Ant's forelimbs.

Man and beast were connected in mind, and their timing was exquisitely precise. Shi Yi instantly reached for the two Immortal Herbs with both hands. Taking advantage of the instant their auras met, he hurriedly swallowed both herbs.

Just as Little Ant was about to land, Shi Yi recalled it into his body. Then, with a splash, he jumped down from the ice into the water.

Within the spring water.

At this moment, the medicinal power of the two Immortal Herbs was taking effect inside Shi Yi's body. Extreme heat and extreme cold continuously collided within him. For a time, his body became like a battlefield, with both sides madly slaughtering one another. Shi Yi's sufficiently powerful body instead made him suffer even more, because even beneath the impact of the two Immortal Herbs' energies, he could still endure it and remain fully conscious.

After an unknown amount of time, Shi Yi finally passed out from the agony of the energy assault.