Taking It

As Zhu Zhuqing looked at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the two Immortal Grade Herbs growing upon it, she instinctively related them to the Soul Cores she would condense in the future.

The entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well resembled an enormous Dantian, while the spring water resembled a massive Yin Yang Diagram.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot resembled the yin eye and yang eye.

She could not possibly condense only one Soul Core in the future.

She possessed not only Ultimate Darkness, but also Ultimate Light.

Condensing only one Soul Core might lead to an imbalance between light and darkness.

Absorbing Soul Rings did not affect the balance between light and darkness because Soul Rings did not greatly enhance her Extreme Darkness Martial Soul.

They did not strengthen the Nether Shadow Spirit Cat, so no matter how many Soul Rings she added, they could not disrupt the balance between her two Martial Souls.

But condensing Soul Cores was different. Soul Cores provided an enormous boost to Soul Masters, so she might have to condense two of them from the start.

One of light and one of darkness, maintaining an overall balance between them.

Pfft!

Dugu Bo suddenly spat out a green bead. The instant it appeared, the Soul Power within Dugu Bo's body weakened considerably.

Dugu Bo had not spat out the bead to do anything in particular. He merely wanted to use it to absorb and store more ice-and-fire Soul Power.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up slightly as she looked at Dugu Bo's Poison Pearl.

Soul Cores were something humanity would only research thousands of years later. In the present-day Douluo Continent, the thing closest to a Soul Core was probably Dugu Bo's Poison Pearl.

According to Douluo records, Dugu Bo had condensed this Poison Pearl after his Martial Soul evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.

It was similar to a Soul Core, yet not quite the same, though it still had the effect of strengthening Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo's poison pellet was solid, and the Soul Power within it had no fluidity.

Although Soul Cores were also solid, the Soul Power stored within them rotated in a spiral.

The difference between the two was merely rotation!

"Then when I condense my Soul Cores, can I first condense my Soul Power into something like an Inner Core, then give it the property of rotation?"

Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her brows as she pondered.

Not long afterward, around dawn, Dugu Bo seemed to have finished absorbing. He put away the Poison Pearl, rose to his feet, and flew straight into the white mist overhead.

"Whew, he's finally gone!"

Watching Dugu Bo disappear, Zhu Zhuqing let out a huge sigh of relief.

She was actually quite afraid of dying. While Dugu Bo had been there, she had barely dared to breathe. Now that he was gone, she could finally relax a little.

After Dugu Bo left, Zhu Zhuqing did not hurry to follow him out. Instead, she hid for over another hour before sneaking out from the other side.

Using Shadow Stealth to escape the Poison Array, Zhu Zhuqing kept running without looking back.

Only after running ten li in one breath did Zhu Zhuqing finally stop.

"Whew, whew!"

Bracing herself against a tree trunk, Zhu Zhuqing's heart pounded wildly.

That had been so thrilling. She had actually come into close contact with a Titled Douluo.

Rounded off, it should not be a problem to say she had fought a Titled Douluo to a draw, right?

This adventure had truly been packed with gains.

Leaving aside the Immortal Grade Herbs, she had also roughly figured out some of the tricks behind condensing Soul Cores and how to do it.

Thank you for your guidance, Senior Dugu Bo.

After resting atop a large tree for a while, Zhu Zhuqing turned and ran toward the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

She was going to absorb the Narcissus Jade Bone. She had already delayed for a month; if she did not return and cultivate diligently soon, she would fall behind.

She did not want to be like Feng Xiaotian, possessing the talent of Innate Full Soul Power only to waste his cultivation time.

Although she trained in many things, in her subconscious, Soul Power still stood above all else.

So she had to make up for all the cultivation time she had wasted!

She sprinted all the way, fortunately without encountering any trouble.

Honestly, Zhu Zhuqing was afraid of running into Ning Rongrong hunting a Soul Ring in Sunset Forest.

After all, she had already encountered Shrek's three losers after coming out. What if the world's usual nonsense gave her some gift package involving meeting Ning Rongrong?

That would give her a terrible headache.

Among the original Shrek's Seven Monsters, Zhu Zhuqing was the youngest. Before joining Shrek, she had not even reached twelve years old.

Ning Rongrong had only just turned twelve as well, around three months older than Zhu Zhuqing.

In other words, Ning Rongrong might very well have only just broken through to Level 20.

Given the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's location, the most likely place for Ning Rongrong to come after breaking through Level 20 was Sunset Forest.

And that was not even the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that Ning Rongrong might not come alone with a group of people.

She might very well bring a Titled Douluo with her!

At any rate, Zhu Zhuqing did not want to see two Titled Douluos within such a short time.

Her heart was too fragile for that kind of fright.

Achoo!

Near the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect side of Sunset Forest.

After dealing with a Swift Wind Rabbit, Ning Rongrong was just about to absorb its Soul Ring when she suddenly sneezed.

"Oh, Rongrong, are you all right? What's wrong? Did you catch a chill while sleeping last night?"

Seeing Ning Rongrong sneeze, a tall old man with an extraordinary skeletal frame, who had been standing nearby, hurriedly appeared before her with a handkerchief, intending to wipe her nose.

As he moved, he asked after her with concern.

"I'm fine, Grandpa Gu. My nose just suddenly felt itchy!"

Taking the handkerchief Gu Rong handed her, Ning Rongrong wiped her nose and tossed it onto the ground beside her.

"All right, Grandpa Gu, I'm not that fragile!" Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips. "Move back a little, Grandpa Gu. I'm going to start absorbing the Soul Ring!"

Ning Rongrong took out a clean tablecloth and sat down on it.

"All right, all right, Rongrong, do your best!"

Gu Rong smiled, then waved his hand to block off all auras within this area, preventing anyone from disturbing his little princess while she absorbed her Soul Ring.

Zhu Zhuqing did not know it, or she would have had to thank her luck.

"Finally, I can eat you!"

Within the familiar small Mountain Valley, Zhu Zhuqing's little horse had vanished, leaving only the small carriage stored there.

In the Mountain Valley, Zhu Zhuqing took out the Narcissus Jade Bone and smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared.

"According to the records, eat the petals first, then suck the flower's stamen!"

After rejoicing for quite some time, Zhu Zhuqing finally picked it up and consumed it according to the recorded method.

As the final mouthful of stamen entered her mouth, a gentle and unceasing medicinal power began to emerge from within Zhu Zhuqing's body.

Boom!

Zhu Zhuqing scarcely even needed to control it herself. Her Martial Souls fused on their own, and an enormous Yin Yang Diagram swiftly appeared beneath her.

The medicinal power continuously flowed through Zhu Zhuqing's body, while the Yin Yang Diagram swept up a vast amount of Soul Power and poured it into her body.

Under the effects of the Soul Power and medicinal power, a faint, lustrous glow gradually appeared over Zhu Zhuqing's body.