Ice Fire Quenching Golden Body

The next day.

The teachers and students of Shrek Academy hurried back from Sunset Forest. As soon as they arrived, they threw themselves into extra training without pausing, making their final push for the upcoming Advanced Soul Master Academy Competition.

Under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, the Seven Monsters went through one last round of group training, working to get used to the strength they had gained.

That night.

Shrek Academy, in the dormitory.

After finishing his teaching duties, Yu Xiaogang sat cross-legged on his bed and tapped the System Panel before him, continuing to grind away at the "Ice Fire Quenching Golden Body" task.

The next moment, he found himself submerged in the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Bitter cold and scorching heat surged from the pool, constantly colliding and tearing at Yu Xiaogang's body from within.

However, after taking the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma, Yu Xiaogang's body had been completely remade, and both its resilience and endurance had reached a new level.

Moreover, after half a year of progress, the Ice Fire Quenching Golden Body task had reached 592/600. If he gave it one last push, he might be able to complete it.

Clinging to that hope, Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and circulated his Soul Power, desperately resisting the two forces.

With both his body and willpower working together, he managed to last a few seconds longer than usual.

[Task "Ice Fire Quenching Golden Body," total duration +8 seconds]

[Task complete. Ice Fire Quenching Golden Body acquired]

On the bed, Yu Xiaogang's soul had just returned to his body. The pain of his body being ground away in the Illusion Realm left his consciousness hazy.

Then two currents of energy, one cold and one hot, began to flow through Yu Xiaogang's body.

Feeling the familiar energies within him, Yu Xiaogang tensed at once, his mind instantly clearing.

He instinctively looked around. Once he realized the task was complete, he breathed a sigh of relief and let his body relax completely.

Compared with the violent forces in the Illusion Realm, the energy now flowing through Yu Xiaogang was clearly much gentler.

The two currents, one cold and one hot, were like tiny blacksmith's hammers, roaming through Yu Xiaogang's body and forging it.

And the changes caused him no pain. Instead, a tingling, almost electric sensation spread throughout his body.

His muscles and bones crackled all over as Yu Xiaogang's body underwent a wondrous transformation.

Half an hour later, Yu Xiaogang awoke on the bed.

The transformation was complete. He casually swung his arm, and a lightness he had never felt before washed over him.

Yu Xiaogang got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash away the grime. Then he came to the full-length mirror, bare-chested.

The figure in the mirror looked a little younger, and his muscles were sharply defined, each one brimming with strength.

Yu Xiaogang practiced the moves of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. He found it much easier to control his body; it followed his every intention, executing each movement without the slightest error.

"I suppose I can call myself a martial arts prodigy now."

Looking at his reflection, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help marveling at the system's power.

In the original story, each person could consume only one Immortal Herb. Taking more would not only render them ineffective but could also make the conflicting medicinal powers cause their body to explode.

Yet through the system's divine power, Yu Xiaogang had obtained both the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma and the Ice Fire Quenching Golden Body. After undergoing Marrow Cleansing twice, he had completely defied fate.

He had gone from a decrepit body past forty, with no potential left, to a martial arts prodigy brimming with vitality and immune to both fire and water.

"Time to take on that old entry."

Yu Xiaogang sat cross-legged on the bed again, opened the System Panel, and tapped the External Soul Bone entry he had left untouched for a long time.

[Selected entry "2,000-Year Man Faced Demon Spider External Soul Bone." Corresponding task initiated: Enter the Illusion Realm and defeat a 2,000-year Man Faced Demon Spider (enraged state)]

The scenery changed in an instant. The next moment, Yu Xiaogang stood in Star Dou Great Forest.

He circulated his Soul Power and activated his Purple Demon Eye. Black trails of Soul Power appeared in his vision. They were faint, but still impossible to escape his sight.

This was the Purple Demon Eye's Subtlety Realm. By observing the flow of energy in the air, he could analyze his opponent's movements with greater clarity.

A dark shape lunged at Yu Xiaogang, but he had already sensed it coming. In his eyes, every detail of the Man Faced Demon Spider before him was perfectly clear.

Yu Xiaogang moved, instantly splitting into three afterimages that ran in different directions.

In its enraged state, the Man Faced Demon Spider's bloodlust had overwhelmed its awareness, leaving it driven by the instinct to kill.

Faced with Yu Xiaogang's three afterimages, it held nothing back. It immediately spat two webs at two of them, then attacked the third.

Yu Xiaogang's true body was hidden within the third afterimage. Seeing that no web was heading his way, he was overjoyed.

The webs covered a vast area and flew extremely fast. If one had come toward his true body, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't have had time to adjust and would certainly have been hit.

And once caught in a web, Yu Xiaogang would be unable to break free. The Man Faced Demon Spider's attack would reach him in an instant, and the fight would be over in defeat.

But luck was on his side this time. The Man Faced Demon Spider's real body was charging at Yu Xiaogang, which meant the rest of the battle could go according to plan.

Yu Xiaogang had only just shifted from an afterimage back into his real body when the Man Faced Demon Spider closed in. Its sharp legs were like two sickles, crossing as they slashed toward him.

But Yu Xiaogang remained calm. With the keen perception of his Purple Demon Eye in the Subtlety Realm, he could see the path of the two legs before him.

He then used Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. A transparent stream of energy appeared in each palm as he met the two legs head-on.

Yu Xiaogang didn't try to block the blow directly. Instead, relying on his excellent eyesight and precise control of his body, he struck the sides of the two legs.

The force of the legs was immediately reduced. Yu Xiaogang guided them lightly with his palms, and they swept past him, crossing one another prematurely.

Yu Xiaogang then used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track again, splitting into three afterimages that fled in different directions.

The Man Faced Demon Spider had missed its attack and spent two webs. For the moment, it made no rash move, instead observing the situation.

After using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to put some distance between himself and the spider, Yu Xiaogang immediately used Martial Soul Possession and released Luo Sanpao, hiding him in the woods.

The Man Faced Demon Spider charged again. As before, Yu Xiaogang used Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to deflect its attack, then used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to put some distance between them.

This time, however, the Man Faced Demon Spider immediately lowered itself to the ground. Using the eight compound eyes beneath its body, it sensed the direction in which Yu Xiaogang's true body had fled.

It spat out a web, then darted straight toward Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang had only just regained his footing. He had already learned that the Man Faced Demon Spider could see through the afterimages of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, so he was prepared. He immediately recited two incantations.

"Fart like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"

"Fart like poison smoke, Paralyzing Poison Web Luo Sanpao!"