Chen Jieqi led Dugu Bo to a spot beside the lake and pointed at an Immortal Herb with a pearly white sheen.
"Grandpa, look. This one, with golden patterns all over its leaves and roots like jade, is the Hunyuan Immortal Herb.
"It has a mild nature. We can pull it up by the roots, then eat the leaves one at a time and absorb them slowly."
Dugu Bo nodded and stepped forward to pull up the herb by its roots. It felt cool to the touch.
The golden patterns on its leaves shimmered faintly in the morning light. It was exactly as Chen Jieqi had described.
Without hesitation, Dugu Bo plucked off a leaf and put it in his mouth.
The moment he swallowed it, Dugu Bo sat cross-legged on a bluestone and closed his eyes. Following Chen Jieqi's instructions, he drew up his Soul Power and guided the herb's medicinal properties through his meridians.
At first, the medicinal power was no more than a gentle warmth, coursing through his limbs like snow melting in spring.
Where it passed, the meridians that had been parched by years of poison began to tingle. It was the sensation of them being nourished.
What delighted Dugu Bo even more was that the poison lodged deep in his meridians was gently enveloped by the warm current. Guided by his Soul Power, it slowly flowed toward the Poison Core in his dantian.
It worked...
Dugu Bo marveled inwardly, his murky, dark-green eyes trembling slightly.
For the first time in decades, the poison was gathering obediently instead of violently turning against him.
As time passed, the gentle warmth gradually thinned, and the herb's effects began to fade.
Dugu Bo did not hesitate. He plucked another leaf from the Hunyuan Immortal Herb and put it in his mouth, then focused again, guiding the new warmth to nourish his meridians and draw in the poison.
As the cycle repeated, the Poison Core in his dantian grew faintly hot, as if responding to the herb's call.
A redemption decades in the making was quietly unfolding beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Chen Jieqi watched Dugu Bo's brow gradually smooth, delight flashing in his eyes.
Then he turned toward the Immortal Herbs nearby and began making plans.
"Grandpa's Poison Sac will need more time to form. I might as well plan something for Yanyan and myself, too..."
Chen Jieqi gazed at the mist rising from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a gentle smile on his lips. He had chosen to come clean,
not just for one person, but to help everyone he cared about find their footing in this dangerous world.
Chen Jieqi stood among the Immortal Herbs beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
His gaze swept over the dazzling treasures before finally settling on two herbs.
One was a pearly white Bright Heaven Herb, radiating a gentle holy light.
The other was a Blazing Exquisite Lantern, laden with golden fruit and brimming with a pure, fiery aura.
Chen Jieqi stepped forward and lightly touched the Bright Heaven Herb with his fingertip. Pale golden holy light flowed gently across it.
"This Immortal Herb can indeed enhance my Purification Power, but its greater effect is improving the constitution of a Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
"If Qian Renxue were here, it would be the best choice for her."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jieqi turned to the Blazing Exquisite Lantern beside him.
The fruit's sacred, radiant aura resonated with the Heart of the Naaru between his brows, making the holy light around him purer.
"But you are the one meant for me."
Chen Jieqi murmured, running his fingertips over the plump fruit.
"No unnecessary enhancements to my constitution—just the purest light and holy energy.
"You're a perfect match for my Heart of the Naaru!"
Chen Jieqi withdrew his hand and gazed at the mist rising from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, determination flashing in his eyes.
"Rather than chasing all those flashy extra effects, true strength comes from bringing a Martial Soul's core attributes to their utmost."
Chen Jieqi murmured, holy light flowing across his fingertips.
"Take my first Soul Skill, Holy Blessing of Light. It costs the same two-tenths of my Soul Power. If the Heart of the Naaru's holy attribute grows even a little stronger,
"then that fifty-percent boost to strength, defense, and attributes could become sixty or seventy percent...
"Or take the Holy Light Domain. With the same range and duration, strengthening my Martial Soul
"would not only raise the attribute boosts for me and my allies, but also weaken our enemies more thoroughly. It could even accelerate the rate at which their Soul Power dissipates.
"Even if it only extended a Soul Skill's duration by the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, or reduced its Soul Power cost by a tenth, that would make all the difference in a drawn-out battle.
"Even a Soul Skill's basic damage would undergo a qualitative change as my Martial Soul's foundation grew stronger."
"This isn't a superficial enhancement. It's a change from the ground up."
Chen Jieqi smiled faintly as he looked at the Blazing Exquisite Lantern laden with golden fruit.
"Once I consume it, the light and holy attributes of my Heart of the Naaru will become purer.
"When that happens, every one of my Soul Skills will undergo a fundamental transformation. This is the path I want to follow!"
Having made up his mind, Chen Jieqi no longer hesitated. He sat cross-legged on a bluestone beside the Yangji Yanquan,
pinched a golden fruit from the Blazing Exquisite Lantern, and put it in his mouth.
The fruit melted the instant it entered his mouth. A surge of pure, fiery light and holy energy burst across his tongue, slid down his throat, and swept through his limbs like a warm spring.
Chen Jieqi did not dare let his guard down. He immediately circulated his Soul Power to guide the herb's effects. Pale golden holy light poured from between his brows,
mingling with the radiant, holy energy within him and washing through his meridians like a gentle tide.
A hazy golden aura gradually rose around his body, and the Heart of the Naaru Martial Soul between his brows began to shine.
A warm, golden sheen slowly coated the seven-piece crystal structure. A sacred, solemn aura quietly spread from him.
It made him seem more devout and trustworthy. The process lasted about two hours, with no intense impact as the medicinal power was absorbed gradually.
Chen Jieqi opened his eyes and looked down at his hands and the water. His appearance was unchanged,
but he could clearly feel a strange new quality about himself: a gentleness that made people instinctively want to draw close to him—or trust him.
"Maybe I've got a knack for being a religious charlatan..."
Chen Jieqi could not help muttering. Then he focused his thoughts and summoned the Heart of the Naaru.
The holy light, once soft, had now condensed into a dazzling, solid gold radiance.
The sword in his hand, once marked only by a faint elemental gleam along its edge, was now completely enveloped in blazing holy flames.
Its entire length had taken on a clear, solid gold sheen. Flames surged and danced along the blade, as if they could burn his enemies to ash. The sight was breathtaking.
"This change..."
Chen Jieqi paused, memories of playing WoW in his previous life flooding back.
"If I grow wings someday, I'll have the perfect look for a movie star."
At the thought, the corners of his mouth lifted, amusement bright in his eyes.
"After all, being strong only matters for a while. Being handsome lasts a lifetime!"
Unable to resist, Chen Jieqi swung his sword in a light slash. The flames cut through the air, leaving a golden trail, and instantly dried the mist around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The Heart of the Naaru's golden light and Ashbringer's flames shone together, enveloping him in a sacred, blazing radiance and making his presence even more dazzling.
With a thought, his yellow Soul Ring lit up.
[First Soul Skill: Holy Blessing of Light]
Pale golden light instantly enveloped his body. Unlike before,
the glow, which had merely been tinged with gold, had become as solid and hard as a physical substance.
"The cost dropped to a tenth?"
Chen Jieqi was delighted. He kept the Soul Skill running and found that his Soul Power was being consumed at half its former rate.
At the same time, the Soul Skill's attribute boost had risen to 60%—from its original 50% to 80%—though its duration remained unchanged.
Chen Jieqi focused his thoughts again, and the Heart of the Naaru Martial Soul unfolded as the Holy Light Domain took shape.
This time, the golden barrier was more than a simple boundary. It radiated a comforting warmth, and the Domain's effects were clearly stronger.
Not only was its sustained cost cut in half, but the attribute boost for him and the weakening effect on enemies had both doubled. Even his resistances had increased by 100%.
"Just as I expected."
Chen Jieqi withdrew his Martial Soul. He had not tested the Soul Power yet.
Although this mainly strengthened the Martial Soul's attributes and energy, gaining a few levels should not be a problem.
Satisfied, he smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting.
He rubbed the space between his brows and sighed.
"Being strong only matters for a while, but being handsome lasts a lifetime...
"And this time, I'm not just handsome—I'm strong, too!"