Ice-Fire Harmony, Yan's Poison Temporarily Suppressed

Ice-Fire Harmony, Yan's Poison Temporarily Suppressed

Dugu Yan's private recovery room was located in the most secluded corner of the Healing Department branch. Herbs that soothed the mind and calmed the spirit were planted all around it, and the air carried the bitter yet refreshing fragrance of various precious medicinal ingredients. The room itself was simple yet elegant: a bed covered in soft bedding, a desk piled with books and bottles, and several wooden cabinets emitting medicinal scents.

After closing the heavy solid wooden door behind her, Dugu Yan swiftly activated an inconspicuous soul tool on the doorframe, carved with snake-like patterns. A faint dark-green glow instantly spread outward, covering the entire room like ripples on water and completely isolating the sounds and Soul Power fluctuations inside from the outside.

Only after finishing all this did she abruptly turn around. Her bewitching vertical pupils burned like emeralds as they locked tightly onto Ling Feng, filled with undisguised urgency and scrutiny. "Can you tell me now? What exactly was that thing you took out earlier? What does it have to do with the pill my grandfather gave me? And what is this method you claim can relieve it?" A faint, unnatural flush rose on her pale cheeks from her agitation, and her breathing had become somewhat hurried.

Ling Feng did not answer directly. Instead, he walked to the desk and picked up a clean jade bowl. Under Dugu Yan's puzzled yet eager gaze, his right hand swept across his spatial soul tool once more.

This time, it was no longer merely a faint leak of aura.

A small fragment of icy-blue grass, transparent as though carved from ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice—the remnant of Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass—and a small fragment of fiery-red flower, shaped like a miniature cockscomb and radiating gentle warmth—the remnant of Infernal Delicate Apricot—appeared out of thin air in his palm! They were precisely the leftover fragments of immortal herbs he had risked his life to seize from the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass, after using them to temper himself!

The moment these two fragments containing the source power of ice and fire appeared, the temperature in the quiet room instantly fell into imbalance! One aura was bone-piercingly cold, the other warmly scorching. Clearly distinct yet strangely interwoven, they formed a pure and majestic fluctuation of bizarre energy! The air distorted slightly beneath the two auras, and even the soundproof light barrier Dugu Yan had set up rippled visibly!

"Gasp—!" Dugu Yan sucked in a cold breath and involuntarily took a step back, her bewitching vertical pupils filled with utter shock! The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison within her body stirred wildly as if it had encountered its natural enemy, bringing waves of tearing pain. Yet at the same time, an overwhelming craving born from life's instincts—for the "balance" and "vitality" contained within those two extreme energies—erupted from within her like a volcano! This feeling was more than ten times stronger than that faint aura from before!

"This... this is..." Her voice was dry as she stared fixedly at those two tiny fragments, as though she were looking at divine objects that could save her life! With her knowledge, she could not accurately name them, but she could clearly sense the terrifying energy attributes within them, far surpassing ordinary heavenly treasures! Supreme yin coldness! Supreme yang heat! These were the perfect attributes for harmonizing and suppressing the extremely yin, extremely cold poison in her body! The gentle chill and vigorous vitality in the pill her grandfather had brought back must have originated from the same source!

"A gift of ice and fire," Ling Feng said calmly. A trace of Soul Power emerged from his fingertips, precisely and gently shattering the two immortal herb fragments into exceedingly fine powder that fell into the jade bowl. The icy-blue and fiery-red powders entwined and spun at the bottom like a pair of yin-yang fish, seeking a strange balance amid their conflict before finally merging into a powder that radiated a gentle pale-purple glow. Its ice-and-fire aura withdrew inward, leaving only pure, mild energy.

"The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison is rooted in the Martial Soul. It is extremely yin and cold, corroding bone and decaying the soul. To alleviate its suffering, it cannot be forcibly removed. It must be guided and harmonized, using the mutually reinforcing power of water and fire to suppress its cold, vicious aura and nourish the damaged foundation in return." As Ling Feng used a jade pestle to thoroughly blend the powder, he spoke clearly, his voice carrying unquestionable authority. "One of the main ingredients in the pill your grandfather brought back contained this same principle, but its medicinal properties were mild and focused on suppression."

He pushed the blended pale-purple powder toward Dugu Yan. It emitted a gentle energy fluctuation that made one's heart feel at ease.

"This is Ice-Fire Harmony Powder, named for the balance of yin and yang. Once a day, at midnight, when yin energy is at its peak and yang energy is first born, take an amount the size of a grain of rice. Wrap it in Soul Power, guide it into your Dantian Sea of Qi, then circulate it through the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian for three minor cycles. At first, you may feel slight prickling pain and numb itching as ice and fire temper each other. You must endure it and guide it properly. After seven days, the effects should be obvious. The stagnant coldness will be reduced by thirty percent, and your Soul Power circulation will become much smoother." Ling Feng's voice was steady and assured as he explained the method, principles, effects, and possible reactions with complete clarity.

Dugu Yan stared at the powder in the jade bowl that gave off a soft purple sheen, and the light in her bewitching eyes flickered intensely. Hope lay right before her, and the aura of this powder made even the Martial Soul within her crave it! But... this method was unheard of, and it came from the hands of an unfamiliar youth...

Ding! Target character "Dugu Yan" has fallen into an intense dilemma (hope/fear/doubt).

Options triggered!

Option One: Test the method on yourself and demonstrate the medicinal energy's circulation route on the spot. Reward: Dugu Yan's trust greatly increases. Risk: Exposes part of your Soul Power circulation characteristics and meridian strength.

Option Two: Speak firmly and supplement it with a Spiritual Power suggestion to enhance persuasiveness. Reward: Spiritual Power +30 points (temporary enhancement).

Option Three: Use provocation: "If you dare not try, then continue suffering from poison gnawing at you until you cannot sleep at night." Reward: None. Risk: All previous efforts may be wasted.

Ling Feng chose the second option. Fully exposing the circulation route of his cultivation technique was too risky, while provocation could easily bring unforeseen complications.

He looked straight into Dugu Yan's struggle-filled eyes. His voice was low yet powerful, while he quietly released a trace of the Judgment Angel Martial Soul's unique spiritual fluctuation, filled with dignity and persuasive force. Like the tolling of morning bells and evening drums, it struck against the wavering defenses of her heart. "Miss Dugu, you know better than anyone the bone-eroding, heart-piercing pain when the poison acts up, and the suffering of Soul Power stagnating as though trapped in a swamp. The opportunity is right before you. Will you seize this chance at life, ease your pain, and regain your strength? Or will you cling to the old ways and continue sinking into desperate, freezing nights? The choice is yours."

Ling Feng's words and spiritual fluctuations were like the final straw that crushed Dugu Yan's last hesitation. She remembered the agony worse than death whenever the poison flared up in the dead of night, the despairing stagnation during Soul Power cultivation, and the guilt and helplessness hidden deep in her grandfather's eyes... Then she recalled the gentle yet pure Life Energy radiating from that powder, energy that had made even her soul tremble!

The final trace of doubt in her bewitching vertical pupils was replaced by resoluteness. She suddenly reached out and carefully pinched a tiny amount of the pale-purple Ice-Fire Harmony Powder between her fingertips. Just as Ling Feng had said, it was only the size of a grain of rice.

"Fine! I'll trust you this once!" She clenched her silver teeth, her voice carrying the resolve of someone staking everything on one throw. Without hesitation, she immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, calmed her breathing, and carefully mobilized her Soul Power to wrap around that tiny pinch of powder. Then she closed her eyes and, following Ling Feng's instructions, slowly guided this strand of pure energy fused with the balanced power of ice, fire, yin, and yang down into her Dantian Sea of Qi!

The powder entered her body!

Buzz—!

It was as if a red-hot branding iron had been thrown into a tranquil lake!

An indescribable, bizarre torrent of entwined ice and fire instantly erupted within Dugu Yan's dantian! Half of it was a chill that penetrated her marrow, while the other half was a gentle, comforting warmth! Though these seemingly conflicting forces did not rage violently, under Ling Feng's precise proportions, they instead formed a peculiar harmonizing power. Like gentle tides, it washed over the meridians corroded by her cold poison!

"Mm..." Dugu Yan let out a suppressed groan. It was not pain, but an extraordinarily complicated sensation. Wherever the power of ice and fire passed, the stubbornly cold power of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison, like a parasite clinging to bone, seemed to encounter its nemesis. With faint sizzling sounds, it was swiftly soothed and suppressed, even... strand by strand, transformed and absorbed by that ice-fire harmonizing power! At the same time, waves of slight prickling pain and numb itching arose in her meridians, as though countless tiny needles were clearing a silted riverbed.

She guarded her mind closely, striving to recall Ling Feng's guidance. Gathering all her will, she guided that gentle yet powerful harmonizing energy along the routes of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, circulating it with difficulty but unwavering determination.

One cycle... two cycles...

As the energy circulated, the initial prickling pain and numb itching gradually weakened, replaced by an unprecedented sense of ease! It was as though a river blocked for years had been dredged, and accumulated ice melted by a warm current! The speed of her Soul Power circulation visibly increased, while its stagnation was greatly reduced!

When the energy reached the end of the third cycle and returned to her dantian—

A gentle yet majestic Life Aura burst from the harmonized energy and instantly flowed throughout her limbs and body! The bone-eroding cold that had tormented her day and night seemed to have been forcibly pulled away in a huge chunk by a warm hand! Though it had not been completely eradicated, the sudden reduction of pain and the long-lost sense of relief that followed made every pore on her body relax. She could not help letting out a long, satisfied sigh!

It worked!

She abruptly opened her eyes, and an unbelievable brilliance burst from her bewitching vertical pupils! Though her complexion remained pale, the gloom and pain that had long lingered between her brows had visibly faded. Her entire spirit had been renewed, and there was even a trace of long-lost liveliness deep in her eyes!

"It really... it really works!" Feeling the unprecedented ease within her body and the smooth flow of Soul Power, her voice trembled with overwhelming excitement. Her gaze toward Ling Feng was filled with intense gratitude and a trace of reverence! "That cold, stagnant feeling... has eased so much! My Soul Power circulation is more than thirty percent faster! How... how did you do it?"

"As long as it works." Ling Feng nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "This is only a method of relief. You must persist with it. To seek a complete cure, you will still need future opportunities and stronger medicinal catalysts. However..." His tone shifted, and his gaze became profound. "Miss Dugu, the poison in your body has been significantly suppressed, and the change in your aura is obvious. Your grandfather, Senior Dugu Bo, is extremely sensitive to the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison. I'm afraid... he has already noticed something."

The wild joy on Dugu Yan's face froze. Her grandfather! He had always been deeply concerned about her poison affliction, so his senses would naturally be extremely sharp! With the poison in her body suppressed so noticeably, he would definitely detect the abnormality! Given her grandfather's fiercely protective and hot-tempered nature, he would absolutely come charging over at once to demand an explanation!

As if to confirm Ling Feng's words!

A vast, chilling, terrifying aura carrying towering fury and a trace of barely perceptible panic swept in without warning from the direction of Sunset Forest outside Heaven Dou City, like an ancient poisonous dragon awakening! It crossed the distance through space in an instant and brutally locked onto the Healing Department branch of Heaven Dou Royal Academy! The violent pressure contained within that aura made every student in the branch feel their hearts tremble!

A Titled Douluo! Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!

He had come! Carrying heaven-burning rage!