Now We March Forward, Starting Anew

Six years later.

"Su Qing, stop playing with that Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum! You have to go out and awaken your martial soul today, you know?"

Youyou called out helplessly to Su Qing, who was busy playing with the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. When Su Qing first arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, that very plant had been the one clamoring to kill him, yet now they were playing together so enthusiastically.

Of course, one couldn't blame him. Raising a child was truly a magical thing; the more they raised him, the more attached they became. Back when someone had casually mentioned whether they should still kill Su Qing, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot had immediately become displeased, shouting that they would fight anyone who dared to try.

The name "Su Qing" was something they had discovered on the swaddling clothes he was wrapped in when they used the fabric to make him clothes. His parents had even thought of a name, yet for some reason, they had still chosen to abandon him.

But that didn't matter anymore. In Youyou's eyes, with their company, the boy was growing up very well—at the very least, he was physically healthy and had a lively, cheerful personality.

"I know, Sister Youyou, but I just can't bear to leave you all. I wanted you to play with me a little longer."

Su Qing retorted with a smile, but he still obediently said goodbye to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and walked toward Youyou.

"Hmph, that's more like it. But don't think this will make me stop being angry. The first thing you did when you woke up this morning wasn't to say good morning to me, but to tell me you were six and going out to awaken your martial soul! I won't forgive you until you apologize!"

Worried that Su Qing wouldn't realize she was angry, she specifically turned around, presenting her flower base to him.

"I was just too excited! Alright, Sister Youyou, please don't be angry. I was wrong, okay?"

Su Qing walked over quickly and hugged Youyou's pale pink flower from the side.

"Hmph, that's more like it. Be careful when you're out, you hear? Don't trust strangers easily. Also, remember to come back after you awaken your martial soul; we still have something for you. And remember to keep walking in one direction, and don't forget to bring food, and..."

Youyou sounded like an old mother fussing over a child about to leave home, but Su Qing didn't find her long-winded. Over the past six years, these immortal herbs had put a lot of effort into raising him. He had long since come to view them as his own family, just like the old sect leader who had raised him in his previous life. These bonds were something Su Qing would never forget.

He silently told himself that if he succeeded in slaying those God Kings in the future, he would definitely bring these immortal herbs to the God Realm.

But now, he had to interrupt Youyou's rambling. Of course, he didn't mind her chatter, but if he really let her go on like this, it would be dark by the time he left.

"Alright, Sister Youyou, I know it all. You all take care of yourselves too, and don't let your roots grow into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, okay?"

"Hey, you brat!"

Hearing Su Qing's teasing words, Youyou was instantly incensed, but she quickly lost her temper.

Having spent so much time together, Su Qing knew exactly how to coax her. He leaned down and gently pecked her petals with his lips. Soon, a blush of crimson appeared on her petals.

"Ahem, alright, you brat, it's time to go. Take this."

As she spoke, Youyou used her soul power to lift her Qiluo Pill toward Su Qing, but then she felt something was missing.

"Jiaojiao, Bajiao, go peel a layer of skin off the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo."

"You got it!"

No sooner had Youyou finished speaking than the water from the Ice and Fire springs surged up, condensing into two human shapes. They leaped to the shore and, rubbing their hands together, walked toward the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo.

"Don't you dare come over here!!!"

"That's much better!"

Youyou looked with satisfaction at the Qiluo Pill now worn around Su Qing's neck. With this, he could safely traverse the poisonous miasma and go out to awaken his martial soul.

"Sister Youyou is the best! And Brother Ink Jade Divine Bamboo too!"

"It's fine, it's what I should do."

The Ink Jade Divine Bamboo on the side was on the verge of tears. Back when they made clothes and had no string, they had also plucked his skin. After all these years, he was actually used to it.

"Alright, hurry up and go. If it gets any later, the visibility will be poor and you'll get lost."

With that, Youyou tapped his bottom with a leaf, urging him on.

"Alright, I'm off, Sister Youyou!"

Su Qing walked quickly into the poisonous miasma.

"Off to awaken my martial soul again. I wonder if the Ring Jade will show any signs this time. If it stays like this, it'll be a bit troublesome."

Su Qing frowned slightly. Having started his second life, he naturally knew that the most important thing was his second martial soul, the Ring Jade. His first martial soul, the Li Yan Spear, could at best be considered a top-tier tool martial soul, while the Ring Jade could easily be called a god-level martial soul. But if it still gave no reaction, it would be very difficult. Without going to the God Realm, he couldn't seize a godhead, so he would have to slowly explore the Dragon Valley. As for the remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he had no intention of targeting them.

They were the key to maintaining the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, and he didn't want the immortal herbs that raised him to lose their only sanctuary. That left him with only the Dragon Valley, but that place was not easy to find...

"Forget it. The mountain pass is as firm as iron, yet today we step across it from the very beginning!"

Completely immersed in his thoughts about the future, Su Qing didn't notice the pair of forest ice-and-fire figures following behind him. The path Youyou chose was indeed the closest to Tiandou City, but on this road, the Green Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flower and the Green Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flower were of the highest age and greatest number. To prevent any danger, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot had used the spring water to create two avatars to follow and protect him.

After walking for about a day and a night, the obstruction of the poisonous miasma to his vision dropped to a minimum. It seemed he had reached the edge of the miasma, and naturally, he was about to leave the safest section of the road.

There were soul beasts in the Sunset Forest, but they dared not approach the poisonous miasma. For Su Qing, protected by the Qiluo Pill, the miasma was the safest place. As for outside the miasma, it was truly a matter of luck; he couldn't be sure what soul beasts he might encounter.

"Phew, I haven't awakened my martial soul yet, so I still need to be careful."

The moment he stepped out of the miasma, Su Qing's vigilance immediately spiked. In a soul beast forest, a single moment of relaxation could cost him his life.

But until he reached the human structures, he hadn't encountered a single soul beast. Looking at the abandoned village before him, Su Qing couldn't help but exhale in relief.

"Phew, looks like my luck is good. I hope the martial soul awakening process goes smoothly too! And please, second martial soul Ring Jade, don't be completely silent!"

Seeing Su Qing enter human society with their own eyes, the spring-water avatars of the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass looked at each other and then left together.

"Hey, kid, why are you alone in the forest?"

Just as Su Qing intended to rest there for a while, a clear, out-of-place female voice rang out.

"Hm? Where did this woman come from?"