Su Qing soaked in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for two whole days, completely mastering the powers of Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire.
As soon as he climbed out of the pool, he realized that something seemed off with the Immortal Herbs. What was going on? Had he soaked too long and they thought he'd drowned? That couldn't be right. He was standing right here!
"Impudent human! How dare you trespass into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!"
The moment she saw him emerge from the spring, Youyou immediately assumed a hostile stance.
"Huh? Sister Youyou, what's this act for?"
Su Qing was completely baffled. He'd only been soaking in the pool for two days. Had they already forgotten who he was? Was this some kind of joke?
"Ahem, I'm not your Sister Youyou. Don't try to cozy up to me. However, since you didn't tell any other humans about our existence, I'll allow you to take seven Immortal Herbs."
"Sister Youyou, will seven be enough? What if Little Qing doesn't have enough for cultivation later?"
The Earth Dragon Golden Melon and the other Immortal Herbs beside her asked in hushed voices.
"Hmm... Then nine. Human, make your choice. Once you've picked them, leave. Otherwise, my brothers and sisters won't go easy on you."
As she spoke, she glanced pointedly at Jiaojiao and Bajiao, who were near the spring's source.
By now, how could he not see it? They were worried he'd miss them after leaving, so they'd put on this little act. Their acting was so bad, though. Who plotted right in front of everyone? Still, Su Qing had never been one to spoil the fun, so he decided to play along.
"Oh~ In that case, I'll return this Qiluo Pill to you, Sister Youyou?"
As he spoke, he casually took the Qiluo Pill from around his neck and moved to hand it to Youyou. But before his hand could reach her, she smacked it with a leaf.
"What's that? Never seen it. Take it away, take it away."
"Come on, if you don't leave now, I really will have them attack you!"
Su Qing sheepishly drew back his hand and put the Qiluo Pill back around his neck. Seeing that, Youyou visibly relaxed.
"Okay, then~ I'm off!"
With that, he sprinted straight into the poisonous miasma. He'd never intended to take any of the Immortal Herbs. He had no use for them. Aside from Jiaojiao and Bajiao, whose powers he'd already fused with, the other herbs would do little for him. Their mixed medicinal properties would also cancel each other out. And after they'd raised him, picking them for the sake of his cultivation would be downright ungrateful.
"Hey! You haven't taken any Immortal Herbs!"
Seeing how fast he was running, Youyou hurriedly called after him.
But Su Qing only waved over his shoulder as he ran. "Maybe next time!"
"That rascal!"
Youyou was immediately fuming.
"Come on, Sister Youyou. Little Qing's a good boy who values his bonds. We've been together for so long; of course he wouldn't want to pick us. Besides, he'll definitely come visit again. Your acting was so bad just now, he probably saw right through it."
Seeing how upset she was, the Aromatic Silk Beauty didn't even bother to say goodbye to Su Qing, who was already far away. Instead, she turned and comforted Youyou.
"I know, but he could at least have taken some herbs he might need. What if he gets hurt out there and has no medicine to treat himself..."
As he ran, Su Qing gradually slowed down, then stopped and turned back for one last, reluctant look. He stood there in a daze for a long while before holding back the moisture in his eyes and using his wind-element wings to fly away from the poisonous miasma as fast as he could.
He flew faster than before. In just a few hours, the walls of Heaven Dou City came into view.
"My control over the wind element is getting more and more refined. Maybe I can come up with plenty of escape techniques. But first, I need to give this skill a name."
Several names flashed through his mind, and soon he made up his mind.
"I'll call it Wind-Gathering Wing-Weaving!"
He was very pleased with the name he'd come up with. In any case, it was quite apt, since the skill used the wind element to give him a pair of wings.
But he still hadn't decided where to go. Should he go Soul Hunting, find somewhere to settle down, or visit the Tang Sect and see Tang Ya? After weighing it over, he decided to go to the Tang Sect first. He had no plans to stay there, though. For one thing, he didn't want to impose on them. For another, it would make it inconvenient to study his Martial Soul.
So he planned to stay in an abandoned village outside the city. He wasn't worried about food. The Sunset Forest had plenty of low-year Soul Beasts. He wasn't much of a cook, but he could at least cook food well enough to eat. He wouldn't starve.
"As for Soul Hunting, I'll have to go to the Star Dou Great Forest. Since I'm not short on Soul Skills, I should focus on utility when choosing Soul Rings. The more sinister—no, the more useful the better!"
He soon decided what kind of Soul Beast he wanted for his First Soul Ring. It was one he'd happened upon by chance while Soul Hunting in his previous life: an Elemental Sprite. Elemental Sprites with less than ten thousand years of cultivation had practically no combat ability, but they had a very unusual power. When injured, they could turn their bodies into elements. As long as their Soul Power didn't run out, they were practically immortal.
Of course, that was only how it seemed on the surface. If he really wanted to kill one, finding a way to counter it would be easy. But if he gained a skill that let him turn his own body into an element, he'd have a way to deal with attacks he couldn't dodge in battle. After all, no matter how cautious his opponent was, they'd never expect someone to turn their body into elemental particles, would they?
"In that case, I'll go Soul Hunting first. As long as I can find an Elemental Sprite, its age won't matter. With a Godhood, raising the age of a Soul Ring only takes a little Power of Faith."
Having decided, he immediately set off for the Star Dou Great Forest. Before he did, though, he had to confirm one thing—it would determine whether he could survive safely in the forest.
He needed to find the divine artifact he'd created in his previous life, the one that could conceal his presence. But even after searching the jade ring thoroughly with his spiritual power, he still couldn't find it. He sighed softly, but before he could lament the fickleness of fate, he sensed a familiar aura coming from his Godhood. It was the very artifact he'd created. It seemed to have fused with his Godhood, and he could only use its concealment ability when he activated his Ring Jade Martial Soul.
"That's not so bad. At least it isn't lost, and I can still use its concealment ability. The only downside is that I can't launch an attack while concealing my presence."
At that thought, he relaxed. At this stage, his most important task was still to stay alive through all kinds of potential crises. With strength that was barely better than an ant's, he had to plan an escape route in advance no matter what he did.
"Everything's ready, and the east wind has arrived. Time to go!"
Meanwhile, deep beneath Life Lake, in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Di Tian, I sensed a familiar aura earlier. It may be connected to the strange weakening of my divine core. Pay close attention to what happens in the Star Dou Great Forest today. If you discover anything, tell me at once."
Gu Yuena was awake at that moment. A hint of confusion showed in her violet eyes. She was utterly perplexed by the inexplicable loss of a small part of her divine core, yet she couldn't figure out why it had happened. The familiar aura she'd sensed this time might answer her questions. As she felt it drawing closer and closer, her anticipation grew.