Taking the Immortal Herbs

The look on Gui Mei's face beneath his mask was hard to describe. He truly couldn't understand why his old partner valued these plants so highly.

Knowing Yue Guan, Gui Mei had no doubt that he now valued the plants more than his own life.

Yue Guan had no time to explain. He immediately turned gardener and began digging up the Immortal Herbs. The places where they were growing made little sense, and as a lover of flowers, he couldn't stand it. His first instinct was to move them somewhere better suited to their growth.

Before long, Yue Guan had dug up every Immortal Herb except the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, ready to transplant them.

Qian Daoliu called out to him. "Yue Guan, pick out a suitable herb for Xiao Heng first!"

Yue Guan turned to Qin Heng. "Young Lord, what direction do you hope to develop in?"

"Elder Yue Guan, my Martial Soul is the Asura Armor." Qin Heng summoned the Asura Armor around himself, then gestured to it. "This armor already gives me formidable defense, and I have no shortage of ways to attack. I don't think an ordinary Immortal Herb would do much for me. I'd rather strengthen my body and spiritual power so I can fight better when I'm not wearing it."

Yue Guan pondered for a moment. "If you want to strengthen your body, Young Lord, the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass are undoubtedly the best choices. These two Immortal Herbs complement each other, one intensely hot and the other bitterly cold.

"Taking either one alone would fill your body with deadly poison. But if you take both at once and jump into this pool, you could achieve an Ice and Fire Golden Body."

Ordinarily, the best way to improve one's talent across the board was to choose the Immortal Herb most compatible with one's Martial Soul. It could replenish the Martial Soul's innate power, improve its quality, and make its owner more gifted.

Ma Hongjun in the original story was an example. His Martial Soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix, and taking the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower corrected its flaw and even caused it to evolve. Ning Rongrong's experience with the Aromatic Silk Beauty was much the same.

But Qin Heng had awakened the Asura Armor, a Divine-Level Martial Soul. Qian Daoliu had examined it up close, and even with his discerning eye, he found it remarkably complete. He could identify no obvious weakness except that Qin Heng's body was somewhat frail when he wasn't wearing the armor.

That was why Qian Daoliu thought Yue Guan's choice suited Qin Heng perfectly.

The Qian Family's inherited Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel, was also divine-level. Xue'er's Innate Full Soul Power was a full twenty levels, already at the upper limit. Evolving her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul would surely be extraordinarily difficult. Would these Immortal Herbs truly help her?

With that thought, Qian Daoliu turned to Yue Guan. "Which Immortal Herb do you think would suit Xue'er?"

"Grand Elder, the Young Mistress's Martial Soul is divine-level, just like the Young Lord's, and is nearly flawless. Unlike his, however, hers has two particularly pronounced attributes: holiness and fire.

"There are two Immortal Herbs here that can strengthen those attributes: the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and the Bright Heaven Grass.

"But aside from complementary herbs taken together, a person can only take one Immortal Herb in their lifetime. I recommend that the Young Mistress take the Bright Heaven Grass.

"The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul should be rooted primarily in holiness, with fire playing a supporting role. Once she takes this herb, her holy attribute will grow much stronger. Her Martial Soul might even have a chance to evolve."

Qian Daoliu's eyes lit up. He decided then and there that Xue'er would take the Bright Heaven Grass.

He then asked Yue Guan to select six herbs suitable for the elders of the Worship Hall.

As Yue Guan made his selections, Qin Heng's inner voice sounded in Qian Daoliu's ears. Grandpa Qian could take an Immortal Herb too. He should take the Primordial Immortal Grass.

I took one in my previous life. Once consumed, it releases a primordial energy that forcibly raises a soul master's cultivation. But it also causes the body to strongly reject other energies, greatly reducing the effects of any natural treasures taken afterward.

For a talented young person, taking it would be like throwing away their future. But for Grandpa Qian, a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo, it couldn't be more suitable.

That's because it can help form a Soul Core. A Soul Core purifies a soul master's Soul Power and helps it recover faster.

Oh, right. I almost forgot. Soul masters of this era don't know how to form a Soul Core yet. In my previous life, I only formed one by chance after taking a Primordial Immortal Grass.

If Grandpa Qian takes it and forms a Soul Core, he'll have a perfectly reasonable way to teach the Soul Core Method to the other elder grandpas.

Just as Qin Heng's thoughts ended, Yue Guan finished selecting six Immortal Herbs for the elders. He placed them in jade boxes and handed them to Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu put the boxes away, then asked, "Yue Guan, is there an Immortal Herb here suitable for me?"

"Grand Elder, at your level of cultivation, I'm afraid Immortal Herbs would have little effect on you."

"Is there a Primordial Immortal Grass here?"

Could the Grand Elder be hoping to use its medicinal power to break through to the legendary Level One Hundred? Yue Guan wondered.

Whatever he thought, Yue Guan wasted no time. He immediately took out a plain-looking Immortal Herb, white as jade from top to bottom, and handed it to Qian Daoliu.

"Grand Elder, this is the Primordial Immortal Grass."

Qian Daoliu took the Primordial Immortal Grass and swallowed it whole. Then he sat cross-legged and began refining it.

Seeing this, Qin Heng asked Yue Guan to harvest the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass for him. Following Tang San's example in the original story, he brought the two herbs together. As soon as their fiery and icy poisons neutralized each other, he swallowed them.

The moment the herbs entered his stomach, Qin Heng felt as though he were being torn between fire and ice. He drew a deep breath and leaped straight into the Ice-Fire Spring Eye, circulating the Pure Yang Infinite Skill to help him absorb the herbs' medicinal power with the spring water.

After Qian Daoliu swallowed the Primordial Immortal Grass, its primordial energy immediately spread through his body. Following the flow of his Soul Power, it gradually reached his Extraordinary Meridians and Eight Vessels.

The primordial energy then drew his Soul Power toward his lower dantian. Driven by that energy, the gaseous Soul Power compressed again and again until it gradually turned liquid.

That transformation did not stop the compression. Gaseous Soul Power continued to gather in his dantian, merging with the liquid Soul Power and condensing further.

A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye. The ground around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, once crowded with natural treasures that had grown there for untold years, now lay bare. Yue Guan had dug up every herb and replanted them according to a new plan.