Arrival at the Mandarin Duck Pot

Early the next morning, Dugu Bo brought Lin Feng and Dugu Yan to his lair in Sunset Forest. Before entering the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, Lin Feng took out two pills and gave one to Dugu Yan and one to himself. He had refined them from several ice- and fire-attribute herbs. For a short time, they could resist the aura of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. Otherwise, with their current strength, the two of them would soon have their cultivation foundations destroyed by the corrosive ice and fire aura.

Dugu Bo examined the pills' effects. "Kid, you really do have some skills." He had not expected Lin Feng to be able to make even this kind of medicine. If the ice and fire aura had not been so terrifyingly corrosive to low-level soul masters, he would have brought Dugu Yan here to cultivate long ago. Cultivating here could suppress the toxins and speed up cultivation, but unfortunately, he had no way to solve the problem of aura corrosion.

It was Dugu Yan's first time at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. Unlike Lin Feng, who at least knew of this place from written descriptions, she was deeply shocked by the sight before her. The milky white and vermilion twin springs were sharply divided, while mist continuously rose and dispersed, nourishing countless medicinal herbs nearby. The herbs all around came in every imaginable form and color, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene. Dugu Yan was deeply drawn in the moment she arrived. Yet when she remembered that this place had originally belonged to her family, and that after seeing it this once, it would belong to someone else, she felt a trace of resentment toward Lin Feng. Still, it was nothing more than that. Her grandfather had come clean about his condition yesterday, and she knew this man could save her life. She was simply reluctant to part with the place.

Lin Feng was also stunned by the sight before him. Though he had been mentally prepared by the written descriptions, seeing it in person still struck him powerfully. It truly deserved to be called one of the world's three great treasure basins.

Lin Feng counted the Immortal Herbs here. Aside from those used by the Seven Monsters in the original story, there were others that had never been mentioned in Soul Land I. Lin Feng even felt that there might be some here that Tang San himself did not recognize.

Lin Feng introduced the Immortal Grades to Dugu Bo one by one: the Aromatic Silk Beauty that could repel all poisons, Snowy Swan's Kiss that could endlessly stimulate toxicity, Lovesick Heartbreak Red, the king of flowers, and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum that could forge an indestructible body...

With every introduction, Dugu Bo's heart twitched. After Lin Feng had introduced several, Dugu Bo cut him off directly. "I never expected that dead chrysanthemum's martial soul was actually an Immortal Grade. No wonder a mere chrysanthemum could become an Assault System martial soul. Enough, kid. Don't say any more. Don't let this old man learn about any more of them. You really did have foresight. If we hadn't made a Martial Soul Oath, I might truly have been unable to resist killing you on impulse."

Lin Feng said, "Haha, Old Sir, you flatter me. The Martial Soul Oath is a safeguard, but I also believe in your promise."

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes at him. Believe in this old man, yet make this old man swear an oath? "Just tell me which Immortal Grades in this garden are suitable for my granddaughter and me."

Lin Feng said, "Please wait a moment. Let me finish examining the situation here, then I'll select the most suitable ones for you both." After examining all the Immortal Grades, Lin Feng had formed a plan.

He then said, "This is what I have in mind to solve the problems for you two. You can listen first, then make your choice."

"For Old Sir Dugu, I have two directions. The first is to infinitely expand your Poison attribute and use poison to promote Martial Soul Evolution. Use this Snowy Swan's Kiss. Take one petal at a time, and I will use silver needles to protect your heart meridian. The medicinal power of Snowy Swan's Kiss will amplify the toxins within your body and complete the Martial Soul Evolution that was previously left unfinished. Once the evolution is complete, Old Sir's martial soul will become the true number one Poison attribute martial soul in this world, with poison reigning supreme. Even poisoning a Titled Douluo would be no difficult matter. The only drawback is that the evolution process will be rather painful.

"The second is to use this Earth Vein Dragon Saliva Fruit. It is an Immortal Grade containing dragon aura, and it can evolve the Jade Serpent Emperor into a giant dragon martial soul with dual Earth and Poison attributes. After evolving, it will possess the powerful defensive strength of the Earth Attribute and greatly enhanced physical power, while retaining the deadly poison you currently possess. Its quality will not be inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. In other words, Old Sir will become an Assault System and Control System soul master capable of both poison attacks and close combat. Its drawback is that, due to the overwhelming power of this Immortal Grade, Old Sir's poison likely will not be able to advance any further after the evolution and can only remain at its current level." The Earth Vein Dragon Saliva Fruit was a strange fruit that grew where the earth and rock met at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. Its fruit resembled an amber-colored longan, with rough skin like dragon scales and translucent flesh containing the power of the earth's pulse. Lin Feng guessed that Tang San probably did not recognize it. Otherwise, this Immortal Grade would have been even more suitable for Dai Mubai than the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. With the strength of dragon and tiger combined, how could an indestructible body compare?

Lin Feng continued, "Those are the two options for Old Sir. You may think them over yourself."

"As for Miss Dugu, although these two options are also suitable for you, with your current strength and martial soul's foundation, even if you chose the second option, you could at most evolve into some kind of wyrm or similar creature. While that would still be powerful enough, I have an option that suits you better. You could say it is the option I believe is most suitable for Miss Dugu."

"Miss Dugu is currently a Soul Grandmaster, and your future potential is extremely malleable. Therefore, my plan for you has two steps:

"The first step is to take this Azure Water Dragon Saliva Mushroom now. The medicinal properties of this herb have not quite reached Immortal Grade, so it is considered a half-Immortal Grade. However, it can still evolve the Jade Serpent into a sub-dragon martial soul while adding a Water Attribute. The Water Attribute can merge with the Poison attribute, and once fused, the two will become even more powerful." The Azure Water Dragon Saliva Mushroom was a mushroom that looked as though it had been carved from green jade. Its cap bore dragon-scale patterns, while the dew it secreted gave off both dragon pressure and a delicate fragrance.

"The second step is to take this Dragon Blood Nirvana Lotus after reaching Rank 70 but before obtaining your soul ring. Use the pure dragon blood and the life force of this god-grade lotus to ignite the faint dragon blood within your body brought by the Azure Water Dragon Saliva Mushroom, completing the ultimate evolution from sub-dragon to true dragon. After that, Miss Dugu's path to becoming a Titled Douluo will be completely smooth." The Dragon Blood Nirvana Lotus was a crimson-and-gold lotus. Its seedpod resembled a beating heart, while its seeds looked like condensed jewels of dragon blood.

Lin Feng continued, "Poison is certainly frightening, but relying on poison to create powerful single-target attack strength is an extremely difficult matter. I believe Old Sir has experienced this deeply over the years. Old Sir is already a Titled Douluo, so there is nothing wrong with continuing down this path. But Miss Dugu is still young. I believe this path would allow you to possess powerful combat strength. Though poison would become secondary, it would still provide the deterrence it should have. As for the future development of the Dugu Clan, it would only grow stronger and stronger."

Dugu Yan said, "I thought you would say that using poison would damage my reputation and make it harder for a girl to marry in the future."

Lin Feng said, "Is there really any difference between killing with poison and killing with a sword? Both are methods of killing. Some nobles do not use poison, but that does not mean fewer people die by their hands. They are merely different means of killing. Besides, as for reputation, my attitude is that as long as you yourself do not mind, it does not matter what others say. We are soul masters. Becoming a Titled Douluo is the goal. What soul master has ever broken through by relying on reputation?"

Dugu Bo had not expected Lin Feng to say such things. He himself had been cursed at for his entire life and had long stopped caring, but he truly had not wanted his granddaughter to be cursed like him. It seemed he had been somewhat narrow-minded. As a soul master, strength was the foundation. With his current strength, even if those people disliked him, how many dared to curse him to his face?

Dugu Bo said, "Lin boy, you are right. Growing stronger without end should be a soul master's goal. Yan Yan, follow what he said and choose his plan. This old man has also made up his mind. This old man chooses the second option. I have been a poison soul master my whole life and have always been looked down on by powerhouses of the same rank. This old man wants to experience the strength of an Assault System soul master as well."

Dugu Yan agreed. "All right, Grandpa." Then she turned to Lin Feng. "Although you made this deal with my grandfather, I still have to say thank you, Lin Feng. I will remember this favor. I know I may not be able to defeat you, but from now on, you are my little brother. Whatever happens, I, Dugu Yan, am willing to stand in front of you."

Dugu Bo said, "That's right, kid. Yan Yan is right. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye is precious, precious enough to stand above everything else on the continent, but to this old man, it was originally only a medicinal garden. No matter how precious it is, it cannot compare to my granddaughter's life or my own. From now on, your affairs are this old man's affairs. This old man will be your backing. On this point, this old man swears upon his martial soul."