Ten Thousand Years Later

Infernal Delicate Apricot, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Water Lily Jade Muscle Bone, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

Huo Yuhao swallowed all four Immortal Herbs. At the center of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, he was enveloped by dense Heaven and Earth Yuan Power.

A tingling sensation spread through Huo Yuhao's entire body. The Water Lily Jade Muscle Bone widened the meridians inside him, and his Soul Power flowed more than twice as fast as before—several times faster, even. It felt as though all his meridians had opened. Huo Yuhao took a deep, satisfied breath and gradually relaxed, allowing the four Immortal Herbs and the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye to fully transform him.

Suspended between the two pools, one scorching hot and the other bitterly cold, Huo Yuhao's body bobbed on the water. Before long, he sank completely beneath the surface.

On a cliff by the shore, after taking the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Xue Qinghe's body blazed with golden light. He looked as though he had been forged from gold, and his aura had grown especially divine.

Heaven Dou City, the imperial palace.

Dugu Bo wore a dark green martial outfit. His long hair and eyes were the same deep green. Now, facing his benefactor, Prince Xue Xing, he found himself at a loss for words beneath the man's overwhelming hospitality. "Your Highness, thank you for looking after me all this time. But there are urgent matters at home that I must return to attend to."

"Whatever do you mean, Mr. Dugu? Knowing you has been my honor. What urgent matters do you have at home? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Dugu Bo was a solitary man who preferred to keep to himself. Prince Xue Xing had saved his life, and he knew he owed him a favor.

After Prince Xue Xing urged him to stay again and again, Dugu Bo reluctantly agreed to remain for one more day and leave the next.

Dugu Bo's right eyebrow twitched involuntarily. Over the past few days, Prince Xue Xing had been acting strangely and showing him excessive hospitality. It stirred an inexplicable sense of unease in Dugu Bo.

That night, Xue Qinghe was the first to wake. The golden light blazing from his body gradually faded, while an invisible, divine pressure spread through every part of him. Streams of golden radiance flowed into the space between his brows, one after another.

"My Soul Power actually rose by four levels." Xue Qinghe could hardly believe it. He had only obtained the sixth Soul Ring of his life yesterday, yet after just one night, his Soul Power had surged four levels in a row, finally settling at level sixty-five.

Xue Qinghe punched the sky. Terrifying strength gathered in his fist, and as he threw it, a fist-shaped shockwave of compressed air swept across the valley. The dark clouds that had lingered above it for who knew how long abruptly scattered, revealing the black sky and countless glittering stars.

"What an incredible Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. I've never felt better, and even circulating my Soul Power is several times faster than usual." Xue Qinghe was delighted. He then looked toward the empty space below. "Where's little brother Huo?"

"Your Highness, after taking the herbs, Huo Yuhao jumped into the pool," Snake Lance Douluo replied.

"He jumped into the pool!"

Xue Qinghe leaped down from the cliff and landed fifty meters from the pool. Even at that distance, he could feel waves of scorching heat and bitter cold.

"Now I truly believe you, Huo Yuhao—you really are from ten thousand years in the future," Xue Qinghe said firmly.

The pool was pitch-black inside. Huo Yuhao was completely immersed in it, body and mind. Black, foul-smelling sludge oozed from his skin, but the next instant, the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye dissolved it without a trace.

The blocked meridians in Huo Yuhao's body, along with his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, were all opened. After taking the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, he gradually grew accustomed to being enveloped by the extreme forces of Extreme Ice and Extreme Fire.

The next day, the sun rose.

With Prince Xue Xing accompanying him, Dugu Bo walked all the way to Heaven Dou City. Watching Dugu Bo disappear into the distance, Prince Xue Xing gazed ahead and smiled bitterly. "Qinghe, what exactly are you planning? Your uncle can only keep Old Poison here for three days. I hope you can get back soon."

Rumble—

A thunderous boom seemed to rouse the long-silent valley.

Huo Yuhao emerged from the pool. He was soaked through, but the moment he came into contact with the Heaven and Earth Yuan Power of Extreme Fire, his clothes dried instantly.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Huo Yuhao landed on the ground and smiled at Xue Qinghe.

"I only waited one night. It wasn't that long. How do you feel after taking the Immortal Herbs?" Xue Qinghe asked eagerly.

Huo Yuhao's eyes were clearer now, his pupils sharply defined in black and white. Look closely, and one could see that he had Dual Pupils; the second pupil was gray.

His powerful Mental Power quickly spread, reaching every corner of the valley. Huo Yuhao gauged it for himself: after taking Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, his maximum Mental Power range had reached five hundred meters, and his Sea of Spirit had expanded threefold.

The Immortal Herbs had done more than increase his Mental Power. They had transformed his whole body. The Water Lily Jade Muscle Bone opened all of Huo Yuhao's blocked meridians, and even his Soul Power had surged nine levels.

Huo Yuhao had now reached the level-twenty bottleneck, meeting Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's expectations.

"Xiao Yuhao! If I were a girl, I'd marry you! You're incredible!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's excited voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind.

Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head, then looked at Xue Qinghe. "My Soul Power surged nine levels in a row. I've reached level twenty."

Compared to Xue Qinghe's four-level increase after taking the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Huo Yuhao's nine-level surge to the level-twenty bottleneck was just what Xue Qinghe had expected.

After all, advancing from Soul Master to Soul Grandmaster was a matter of accumulating Soul Power.

"What do you plan to do next?" Xue Qinghe asked.

"Of course I'm going to sweep up all the Immortal Herbs here." Huo Yuhao continued, "But I don't have a Storage Soul Tool, and these Immortal Herbs can't be put inside one. If only I had a Soul Tool that could hold living things."

"Take this."

Suddenly, Snake Lance Douluo held out a dark green pouch.

"Your Excellency, what is this?" Huo Yuhao was taken aback. He had only said it offhand. You're really coming through for me!

"It's a Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch. I happened upon it at the Heaven Dou Grand Auction House when I had nothing better to do. You helped Your Highness greatly, so I'll give you this little trinket."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Huo Yuhao didn't refuse. He took the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch from Snake Lance Douluo, then turned into a little demon and swept up every herb in the place. Afterward, he left behind the seeds of the Immortal Herbs, burying them in the soil.

Huo Yuhao patted the soil and smiled. "Little ones, I'll see you again in ten thousand years!"