You Pick the Immortal Herbs First—Should There Be a Sacrifice or Not?

Amid the thick white mist, the spear tip stirred up a vortex.

Gradually, it seemed as though all the mist around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been drawn into motion, converging toward the person wielding the long spear.

Since leaving Sea Burial Village, this was the first time Su Chen had truly settled down in peace.

One could not go a day without eating, nor a day without practicing the spear.

As he quietly honed himself, Su Chen's experiences and trials along the way transformed into nourishment, supporting his Hundred Battles Spear Art as it advanced another step.

He had already mastered the essence of the first of the ten forms of the Hundred Battles Spear Art quite proficiently, and he could continue improving it in the future.

The essence of the second form was called Double Sun Descending.

If the first form emphasized lightning-fast speed and irresistible force, then Double Sun Descending was incomparably violent, carrying the momentum of roaring thunder and the blazing intensity of the sun.

If he used it together with Su Chen's first soul skills, "Devour" and "Detonation," its power would increase explosively once more.

But that did not mean the essence of the second form was simply a clumsy technique that relied on brute force.

The so-called Double Sun Descending involved two extremely violent forces working together, producing the effect of yin arising from the peak of yang.

Amid the violent attack, a soft and hidden force would emerge, making it even harder to predict or resist.

Only after restoring his body, energy, and spirit to their peak did Su Chen attempt to use the essence of the second form.

In an instant, two dazzling clusters of light bloomed within the white mist that had been gathered by the wind from his spear.

"Excellent spear technique. Let me test the power of this move."

After obtaining the Poison Nerve Scripture, Dugu Bo had begun his seclusion. Now, he stepped out of the wooden hut.

Seeing this spear strike that contained most of Su Chen's strength, he took the initiative and met it head-on.

Su Chen remained silent. The two clusters of light descended toward Dugu Bo like falling meteors.

No matter how formidable his spear technique was, Dugu Bo's strength was there for all to see. Su Chen was not worried about hurting him.

"Indeed extraordinary."

As the two blazing suns descended, Dugu Bo felt two berserk forces trying to tear him apart.

He believed that even a Soul Elder skilled in defense would find it difficult to withstand Su Chen's spear strike.

"Hm?"

Just as Dugu Bo used his Soul Power to block Su Chen's strike, he felt even his own Soul Power being drawn into motion. A deeply concealed soft force seemed to be pulling him toward the very center of the erupting power.

Dugu Bo could not help sighing inwardly.

Someone favored by Lord Thunder God truly was extraordinary. At Su Chen's age and cultivation level, Dugu Bo had been far inferior to him.

"Huff... Mister Dugu, you've changed quite a bit."

Dugu Bo's green hair had now returned to black, though his green pupils had not completely turned black. There was still a trace of purple mixed within them.

If Su Chen had not personally passed the Poison Nerve Scripture to him, he might have thought Dugu Bo had learned the Purple Demon Eye from Tang San.

"Thanks to the Poison Nerve Scripture you gave me, the old affliction that plagued me for decades vanished overnight. Even my stagnant Soul Power has risen significantly."

Only after beginning to cultivate the Poison Nerve Scripture did Dugu Bo truly grasp how broad and profound it was.

What he had once considered unmatched poison arts now seemed far too shallow, almost too crude to be presented before others.

"Is that so? Then congratulations, Mister Dugu. Your strength has risen to another level."

Dugu Bo had always been a man of few words and rarely smiled.

Yet now, a faint smile constantly rested on his face. It was clear just how good his mood was.

"Young friend, you are the benefactor of the Dugu Family. If you don't mind, just call me Old Poison. Calling me 'Mister Dugu' is far too formal."

Dugu Bo's gratitude toward Su Chen came entirely from the heart.

He had promised to protect Su Chen, yet before he had even done anything, he had already received an enormous benefit.

He even hoped Su Chen would make some rather excessive demands and put him in a difficult position. That would make him feel a little better.

Su Chen actually wanted to say he did mind somewhat.

Old Poison was Tang San's "pet name" for Dugu Bo. If Su Chen called him that too, it would feel as if he were imitating Tang San.

But then he reconsidered.

He had already taken the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for himself, and Dugu Bo was now on his side too. What was there to fuss over in a mere form of address?

"Fine, then I'll call you Old Poison. Now that the poison backlash issue has been resolved, are you planning to use the Snowy Swan Kiss?"

The Poison Nerve Scripture specifically mentioned the Snowy Swan Kiss. This unique immortal herb could greatly increase the cultivation speed of Soul Masters who practiced the Poison Nerve Scripture.

After cultivating the Poison Nerve Scripture, one could convert poison into Soul Power.

Dugu Bo now only worried that he would not have enough poison to use. He no longer had to worry about poison backlash.

The Snowy Swan Kiss itself was not poisonous, but it possessed the ability to multiply poison hundreds or thousands of times over.

If used alongside the secret art in the Poison Nerve Scripture, one could even control the rate at which the poison multiplied and use it for cultivation.

"That's right. I plan to cultivate with the help of the Snowy Swan Kiss, but if you need it, then take it."

Dugu Bo spoke generously.

Owing others favors had always made Dugu Bo feel uncomfortable.

He was simply born with a fate of suffering losses.

He appeared arrogant and solitary, but he could not bear receiving kindness from others.

"I have no use for it, but be careful when you use it. You haven't cultivated the Poison Nerve Scripture for long, so don't overdo it and ruin yourself."

Dugu Bo did not act overconfidently. Instead, he nodded cautiously.

"Before I knew what the Snowy Swan Kiss was, I already sensed a faint danger from it. Thinking about it now, it's fortunate I didn't rashly try it back then. Otherwise, I might have become fertilizer for this herb garden by now."

It was hard to say whether Dugu Bo was truly cautious or not.

If he was cautious, then why had he dared offend Spirit Hall and reject their recruitment?

But if he was not cautious, then while guarding so many immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he had not dared try the Snowy Swan Kiss, and he had not dared touch any other immortal herb he did not recognize either.

In the end, all of them had benefited God King Tang. Dugu Bo had not obtained a single immortal herb, nor had he left any behind for his granddaughter.

Even the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had become God King Tang's inherited treasure ground.

Just as Dugu Bo carefully went to pick the Snowy Swan Kiss, the God of Destruction's voice rang out.

"I selected several medicinal herbs and immortal herbs for you. Used together, they will have miraculous effects."

"Alright."

If the God of Destruction said they would have miraculous effects, Su Chen had to find out for himself.

Then he heard the God of Destruction say:

"I'll tell you how. First, pick all the immortal herbs and other mature rare medicinal herbs, so no one steals them later."

Su Chen: ...

The God of Destruction was actually this cautious! As expected of a God King.

Notting Academy, work-study student dormitory.

Bang!

A figure fell off the bed.

"Xiao Wu, what are you doing?"

Tang San climbed up from the floor and rubbed his head.

"What am I doing? If you're sleeping, then sleep. Why were you pawing around? If you can't sleep, do you want to make sure I can't sleep either?"

On their first day of meeting, this Rabbit had demanded to share a bed with Tang San.

A hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit had transformed into a little girl, yet she did not understand even the slightest propriety between men and women.

Who knew whether she truly did not understand, or simply did not care at all.

Tang San had initially been somewhat angry, but after hearing Xiao Wu's words, even his old face—having lived two lives—grew a little hot.

They had been an old married couple for so long that some things had become second nature to him.

These days, reliving hardship and sweetness while retracing his old path had made Tang San especially relaxed.

So he had become somewhat restless in his sleep.

"Pfft."

Though they were children at a junior Soul Master Academy, some of them had matured early.

After hearing Xiao Wu's words, older students like Wang Sheng could not help laughing.

They thought, Who would've expected Tang San to look ordinary and be so young, yet mature this early?

"Ahem... I had a nightmare just now. I might've thrown a few punches and kicks in my sleep. Sorry."

Tang San offered a weak explanation.

But it was not entirely a lie.

He had not had a nightmare, but after waking up, he really did feel faintly dazed.

"Perhaps I've relaxed too much. Even if I'm walking a familiar old road, I still need to pay attention. It's time to start working harder."

"Hmph. Sleep!"

From the bed, Xiao Wu muttered again. It was impossible to tell whether she was talking to herself or inviting someone.

She might have kicked and scolded him, but she still did not suggest sleeping separately from Tang San. She had even left half the bed for him.

Standing by the window, Tang San could not help revealing a besotted smile.

Xiao Wu was still so sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. She had always cared for him deep down; she was simply too embarrassed to face it.

Reliving his path of love with Xiao Wu made Tang San feel incredibly sweet.

As he recalled everything from his previous life, he could not help considering how their relationship had gradually become unbreakable.

Suddenly, Tang San remembered the scene of Xiao Wu sacrificing herself for him.

He hesitated, wondering whether he should let Xiao Wu reach the point of sacrifice again this time.

"The period after Xiao Wu's sacrifice was when our relationship underwent another sublimation. If I miss it, that would seem rather regrettable."

After all, he knew that in the end, he would be able to say, "Come back to life, my beloved."

That so-called sacrifice was basically just part of the romance.

The sacrifice was merely a catalyst that warmed their relationship, allowing it to progress from quantitative change to qualitative transformation.