Jiang Zhu's First Mutation? Obtaining the Infernal Delicate Apricot

Jiang Zhu's First Mutation? Obtaining the Infernal Delicate Apricot

Dusk had already stained the western sky over Star Dou Forest. The returning group's footsteps left uneven marks across the layer of fallen leaves. Lin Che walked at the front, the Universe Cauldron in his palm still retaining the residual warmth of the Titan Giant Ape's earth-element soul power. On the system panel, the light point of the [Immortal Herb Coordinate Fragment] flickered on and off, as if responding to some hidden Energy Source. Jiang Zhu followed close behind, the silver-green vines of her Healing Scepter trembling from time to time. Since resonating with the Universe Cauldron yesterday, a layer of flowing golden light seemed to have appeared over the scepter.

"Strange. Why is the temperature dropping in this area?" Ma Hongjun wrapped his clothes tighter, instinctively circulating the evil fire within his body to ward off the chill. As soon as he spoke, the dense forest ahead suddenly glowed with icy crystals. The once-moist air instantly condensed into tiny ice particles, while the fallen leaves on the ground became coated in white frost at a visible speed.

Master Yu Xiaogang abruptly halted. His Soul Power Detection spread out like a spiderweb, and his pupils contracted behind his lenses. "It's an ultimate ice attribute! Everyone, stay alert. This isn't an anomaly an ordinary soul beast could cause!"

Lin Che's Azure Water Sword abruptly left its sheath, azure sword qi drawing a half-circle before him. He clearly sensed the soul power fluctuation coming from the northwest—cold, tyrannical, and carrying a chill capable of freezing one's soul. A warning immediately appeared on the system panel: [Detected the aura of a ten-thousand-year soul beast: Ice Scorpion (ultimate ice attribute). Distance: eight hundred meters. Approaching at high speed.]

"It's an Ice Scorpion!" Lin Che shouted. According to the information provided by the system, it was a top-tier soul beast that lived in the Extreme North. Though rare in Star Dou Forest, its ultimate ice poison could instantly freeze a soul master's meridians. Before he finished speaking, a blue-white figure had already darted from the frozen undergrowth. Its scorpion body, half the height of a man, was covered in diamond-shaped ice crystal armor. Its tail stinger was as translucent as glazed glass, yet it radiated a chilling glint.

"A ten-thousand-year cultivation!" Flender's soul power erupted instantly as the Cat Owl Martial Soul possessed him, a purple soul ring lighting up behind him. "Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, restrain it from the front! Oscar, prepare Recovery Sausages!"

Dai Mubai immediately transformed into the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, pouncing at the Ice Scorpion with golden light trailing from his tiger claws. Ma Hongjun spat out fireballs directly at the scorpion's head. Yet the Ice Scorpion merely twitched its tail stinger, and an ice wall rose from the ground. The fireballs struck it and instantly turned into white mist, while Dai Mubai's tiger claws were frozen numb, forcing him to retreat hurriedly.

"Watch its tail stinger!" Lin Che wielded his sword and cut off the incoming Ice Cones. The Azure Water Sword's azure sword qi collided with the ice attribute, and a thin layer of frost actually formed over the blade. The Ice Scorpion seemed to sense his threat and suddenly changed direction, its tail stinger shooting toward his chest like an arrow loosed from a bow. The blue-white chill around its tip even distorted the air.

Just as Lin Che was about to activate the Universe Cauldron to absorb the poison, Jiang Zhu suddenly lunged over from beside him and shoved him away. The tail stinger pierced Jiang Zhu's shoulder with perfect accuracy. Blue-white ice poison immediately spread from the wound. Her lips rapidly turned bluish-purple, and distinct ice crystals formed along the meridians of her arm.

"Jiang Zhu!" Lin Che's pupils contracted. He instantly rushed forward, Azure Water Entanglement tightly binding the Ice Scorpion's tail stinger. The Universe Cauldron appeared in his palm at the same time, its pale golden halo attempting to purify the ice poison invading Jiang Zhu's body. Yet the ultimate ice poison spread far faster than expected. Jiang Zhu's body had already begun to tremble slightly, her soul power nearly stagnating under the poison's suppression.

At that moment, the Healing Scepter in Jiang Zhu's embrace suddenly flew out on its own. Silver-green vines wrapped around the wound on her shoulder like living creatures. Then something astonishing happened—the vines actually began to draw in the ice poison. Their originally lustrous leaves gradually became stained with blue-white chill, yet they remained full of life, as though devouring that lethal extreme cold energy.

[Detected that the Healing Scepter has triggered its master-protection mechanism. Absorbing ultimate ice poison. Initial conditions for Martial Soul Evolution have been met...]

[Prompt: You may consume 2 God-Tier Can Fragments to synthesize a God-Tier Can and obtain compatible heavenly materials and earthly treasures.]

Lin Che's heart stirred. The System Space happened to contain the two God-Tier Can Fragments he had obtained from completing a Side Quest earlier. Without hesitation, he chose to synthesize them. Two beams of golden light converged in his palm, forming an ancient earthen jar. The flowing cloud patterns on its surface seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth. With a thought from Lin Che, the jar burst apart. A wholly crimson seedling floated out, its leaves unfurling like blazing flames. It was precisely the immortal herb mentioned by the system—the Infernal Delicate Apricot.

This immortal herb resembled a cabbage, yet emitted scorching heat. The ice mist around it rapidly dispersed beneath its warmth. Lin Che recognized the herb. Legend said that consuming it together with the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass would grant immunity to water and fire, and could even trigger a qualitative transformation in one's Martial Soul. He immediately brought the seedling to Jiang Zhu's lips. "Eat it quickly. It can cure your ice poison!"

Jiang Zhu forced herself to remain conscious and swallowed the Infernal Delicate Apricot. Its scorching energy erupted within her instantly, colliding violently with the ice poison. Frost appeared across her body one moment, and pale golden flames ignited over it the next. The two ultimate energies madly intertwined within her. At that moment, the Healing Scepter suddenly erupted with dazzling silver light. Nourished by the ice and fire energies, its silver-green vines began to transform. Their originally uniform color gradually split into seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—like a spiritual staff entwined by a rainbow.

"Is this... a Martial Soul Evolution?" Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. She had heard that immortal herbs could induce Martial Soul Evolution. If her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda encountered an immortal herb, perhaps it too could break through its limits. The seven-colored vines suddenly wrapped Jiang Zhu into a sphere of light. After the ice and fire energies clashed fiercely within the sphere, they actually began to merge, forming a faint platinum halo.

Seeing its prey break free of its control, the Ice Scorpion roared and pounced again, its tail stinger carrying even denser ice poison. Lin Che's gaze turned cold as the Universe Cauldron rapidly enlarged. "Second Soul Skill: Cauldron Suppression!" A pale golden cauldron-shaped soul power field instantly enveloped the Ice Scorpion. Its movements abruptly slowed, and the soul power inside its body was forcibly suppressed by 50%. Seizing the opportunity, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Fierce Light Wave and Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line struck its ice crystal armor simultaneously, leaving two charred marks.

In pain, the Ice Scorpion turned and fled into the depths of the frozen forest, soon disappearing from sight. Flender let out a breath of relief, though lingering fear remained in his heart. "How could this thing appear on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest? Someone must have deliberately lured it here." His gaze swept over the depths of the forest, where he faintly sensed a trace of soul power fluctuation that did not belong to a soul beast.

At that moment, the light sphere surrounding Jiang Zhu suddenly exploded. The Seven-Colored Sacred Staff floated before her, a seven-colored gemstone condensing at its tip and giving off a gentle yet powerful healing aura. The system panel appeared before Lin Che: [Jiang Zhu's Martial Soul has completed its first evolution. The silver-green Healing Scepter has evolved into the Seven-Colored Sacred Staff. New soul skill unlocked: Seven-Colored Spirit Healing.]

[Seven-Colored Spirit Healing: Releases waves of seven-colored soul power. Can revive companions within the area who have been dead for no more than ten breaths (limited to once per day), while healing severely injured individuals. Consumes 50% of the user's soul power.]

Jiang Zhu gripped the Seven-Colored Sacred Staff. The wound on her shoulder healed instantly, while the ice and fire energies within her had already fused into a gentle warm current. Her soul power had actually broken through directly to level fourteen. She looked at Lin Che, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Lin Che. If it weren't for you and this immortal herb, I..."

"Your Martial Soul already had the potential to evolve." Lin Che put away the Universe Cauldron. Cauldron Suppression had consumed quite a bit of his soul power, but seeing Jiang Zhu's new Martial Soul put his mind somewhat at ease. The group revival ability of this Seven-Colored Sacred Staff would undoubtedly become an important trump card for the team.

Not far away, Tang San had fallen into deep thought. When the Infernal Delicate Apricot had appeared, his Purple Demon Eyes had clearly captured that incomparably pure energy fluctuation, denser than that of any soul beast he had ever encountered. He followed the aura to the place where the God-Tier Can had shattered, but only felt faint residual energy. Apart from ice crystals and scorch marks, there was no trace of any immortal herb on the ground.

"Master, there was a very unusual energy fluctuation here just now." Tang San pointed to the ground as he spoke to Yu Xiaogang. "That aura... it didn't seem like a soul beast's. It felt more like some kind of heavenly material or earthly treasure."

Yu Xiaogang crouched down and brushed his fingertips over the remaining energy marks, his brows tightly furrowed. "It truly is rare residual energy, possessing both ultimate ice and fire attributes. But heavenly materials and earthly treasures in Star Dou Forest are usually guarded by soul beasts. It was likely consumed by the Ice Scorpion just now, or perhaps some other soul beast." It never occurred to him that someone could make an immortal herb appear out of nowhere, so he simply assumed that an opportunity had slipped past them.

Tang San clenched his fists, carefully sweeping the area with his Purple Demon Eyes, yet he could no longer find any clues. He could clearly feel that the energy would bring unimaginable benefits to Martial Soul Evolution, much like the immortal herbs the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect longed for, as Ning Rongrong had once mentioned. Yet this opportunity, practically within his grasp, had vanished without explanation. The unwillingness in his heart grew ever stronger—ever since meeting Lin Che, he seemed to be constantly missing out on opportunities.

Lin Che witnessed it all but did not expose anything. The appearance of the Infernal Delicate Apricot had been a system reward to begin with. Rather than letting Tang San obtain further growth, it was better to use it to strengthen Jiang Zhu's support abilities. He could sense that as Jiang Zhu's Martial Soul evolved, the Immortal Herb Coordinate Fragment on the system panel lit up a little more brightly, seemingly guiding him toward the next opportunity.

The sun completely sank below the horizon, and night enveloped Star Dou Forest. The group lit a campfire in a cleared open space. Oscar roasted the wild rabbits they had hunted, while Ma Hongjun curiously studied Jiang Zhu's Seven-Colored Sacred Staff, occasionally asking what the evolution felt like. Ning Rongrong sat nearby, her eyes flickering as she clearly contemplated the connection between immortal herbs and her own Martial Soul.

Tang San sat alone at the edge of the campfire, Blue Silver Grass winding around his fingertips as the energy fluctuation he had captured kept replaying in his mind. Master walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Opportunities are determined by fate. There's no need to force them. Although your Blue Silver Grass has not encountered an immortal herb, its resilience far exceeds that of ordinary Martial Souls. As long as you build a solid foundation, you may not be unable to surpass others in the future."

Tang San silently nodded, but secretly made up his mind: The next time such an opportunity appears, I will never miss it again. He looked toward Lin Che. The other man was discussing the use of the Seven-Colored Sacred Staff with Jiang Zhu, seven-colored light flowing between them. The sight made Tang San's eyes sting.

Within the shadows deep in the forest, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan put away the Crystal Ball, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "His Majesty the Pope, I did not expect Lin Che to possess such an opportunity. He can even casually produce an Infernal Delicate Apricot. More interestingly, that girl's Martial Soul has evolved. She seems to have gained the ability to revive others as well."

Bibi Dong gave a light laugh from the other end of the Crystal Ball, her voice carrying a chilling coldness. "It is only an Infernal Delicate Apricot. The real treasures are still to come. Pass down the order: closely monitor the movements of everyone from Shrek. Once they find the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, we will capture them all in one sweep." Her gaze fell upon the Universe Cauldron in Lin Che's palm within the Crystal Ball, and a determined gleam flashed in her eyes.

As the night deepened, the chill of Star Dou Forest returned, only to be dispelled by the warmth of the campfire. Lin Che looked at the increasingly clear immortal herb coordinates on the system panel and knew the next opportunity was already close at hand. Jiang Zhu held the Seven-Colored Sacred Staff, feeling the fused ice-and-fire power flowing within her, her heart filled with strength. She knew that from now on, she was no longer merely a healing-type soul master. She could also become the steadfastest support for her companions.

Bathed in the firelight, Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes flashed with resolve. He slowly closed his eyes and circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill with full power, attempting to imprint the residual energy he had sensed into his mind. This contest over opportunity and growth had already entered a new stage with the appearance of the Infernal Delicate Apricot.