Ying Chengfeng stepped forward and picked the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. A warm sensation immediately spread across his palm.
Then he handed the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower to Yu Feiyan and said, "This Immortal Herb might be what lets you defy fate and change your destiny, but whether you take it is up to you."
"You still have a choice. Do you want to take a gamble and rise to the top in one leap, or cultivate slowly and steadily?"
Yu Feiyan lowered her head and looked at the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower in her hands, her expression turning hesitant.
Then she raised her head and looked at Ying Chengfeng.
"You took me to meet the Pope because you wanted me to prove something to her, didn't you?"
"You don't seem like the kind of person who would go to so much trouble just to prove himself."
Yu Feiyan really couldn't understand.
She pondered for a few seconds before looking carefully at Ying Chengfeng and asking, "If I fail, will I die?"
Ying Chengfeng lowered his eyelids and thought for a moment. "Probably not."
He couldn't be certain either.
This Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was rich in life force, but it also contained a special power of fire.
With Yu Feiyan's current Soul Power Level of 2, it was hard to say whether something might go wrong.
Thinking of this, Ying Chengfeng surveyed their surroundings again.
He remembered that Yu Xiaogang had also taken an Immortal Herb in the original story.
That Immortal Herb wasn't anything special. Its greatest difference was this:
It had no attributes whatsoever, only pure life force.
Based on that trait, Ying Chengfeng found an Immortal Herb that fit the criteria.
He handed it to Yu Feiyan again. "Eat this first."
Yu Feiyan reached out to take it and looked into Ying Chengfeng's eyes.
This time, there was no hesitation in his eyes, nor any worry.
Yu Feiyan chose to trust her own judgment, and she chose to trust him.
She swallowed the Immortal Herb in one bite.
Immediately, an indescribable energy surged through her body.
Yu Feiyan entered a state of passive cultivation.
An hour passed.
Her Soul Power Level actually began to rise.
Level 3...
Another two hours passed.
Level 4...
By nightfall, Yu Feiyan's level had soared all the way to Level 9.
She was just a little short of being able to obtain a Soul Ring.
"Let me see your Martial Soul." Ying Chengfeng had stayed by her side the whole time.
At his words, Yu Feiyan immediately released her Martial Soul, Ghost Fire.
It was still the same Ghost Fire, but its color seemed a little different.
At first, the Ghost Fire had been blue-green.
Now, however, it had turned blue-violet.
Ying Chengfeng reached out and touched it. His finger passed straight through, and nothing happened.
"Your Soul Power still has no offensive ability. It barely even has a presence."
Yu Feiyan pressed her lips together and said dejectedly, "So I still can't do it?"
She wasn't blaming Ying Chengfeng. She just felt she ought to accept her fate.
Ying Chengfeng had already done more than enough for her.
"No!" Ying Chengfeng suddenly thought of something.
"Soul Power is Soul Power, and a Martial Soul is a Martial Soul. They're closely related, but that doesn't mean they can't be separated."
Ying Chengfeng looked at Yu Feiyan again. "You still have two choices."
"First: take the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and try to bring the Ghost Fire back to life!"
"Second: since the Ghost Fire is dead, you can be dead too!"
At his second suggestion, Yu Feiyan's body trembled slightly.
After all, she was only a six-year-old girl and couldn't grasp the deeper meaning behind Ying Chengfeng's words.
Ying Chengfeng immediately realized that Yu Feiyan hadn't understood him.
He explained, "I mean that you should enter a state similar to the Ghost Fire's."
"It would be as if you became the Ghost Fire. That way, you'd be alive, and the Ghost Fire would be alive too."
Yu Feiyan stared blankly at him, still not understanding.
Ying Chengfeng frowned. "If you can't understand this, then there's no way to use it."
But Yu Feiyan said, "I understand what you mean. But how do I become the Ghost Fire?"
Ying Chengfeng thought for a moment. "Put yourself in a hopeless situation, then fight your way back to life!"
Yu Feiyan followed his gaze.
There lay an extraordinarily strange lake.
One half of the lake was red, the other blue.
Together, they formed a Yin-Yang symbol.
Ying Chengfeng fell into deep thought.
During his nine years in the Dream Space, the thing he had envisioned most was Martial Souls.
Their forms, structures, ways of existing, and everything else...
Ying Chengfeng began, "Martial Souls are divided into Artifact Martial Souls and Beast Martial Souls. Their existence can all be traced back to things found on the continent."
"The most common are Beast Martial Souls. Each of them has a corresponding Soul Beast."
"Your Ghost Fire is the same. It was born through some kind of aura in the atmosphere of the continent."
"I know of a Soul Beast whose birth also came from a certain kind of energy field."
"She's an extraordinarily rare Soul Beast in the form of a spirit, but she has a physical body."
"I've been thinking that your Ghost Fire could also be considered a spirit-form entity."
"If you can completely synchronize and evolve with the Ghost Fire, you might be able to turn it into a Body Martial Soul."
"When that happens, it won't matter even if your Martial Soul still has no offensive ability."
Finally, Ying Chengfeng pointed at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well ahead of them and asked, "What do you see in that lake?"
Yu Feiyan paused, then answered, "Majestic, beautiful, and... dangerous."
"Dare to jump in?" Ying Chengfeng asked.
Yu Feiyan shook her head. "I'm scared."
How could a little girl like her not be afraid?
Ying Chengfeng felt a little helpless too. He really wanted Yu Feiyan to prove his theory.
But he had also promised her parents that he would help their daughter become a Soul Master.
He had also promised to take Yu Feiyan back to see them.
In the end, Ying Chengfeng sighed. "If you're scared, then just watch obediently."
As he spoke, Ying Chengfeng went to pick several more Immortal Herbs.
It didn't matter if he didn't recognize them. He only needed to sense their life energy.
He picked the dozen or so with the highest energy and stored them in his Soul Tool.
Then Ying Chengfeng took out two Immortal Herbs that clearly contained the energy of ice and fire.
He walked over to his grandfather, the Azure Luan Elder, and handed him the herbs.
"Grandpa, eat these two herbs, then cultivate in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. They can strengthen your bloodline and Martial Soul."
The Azure Luan Elder narrowed his eyes at Ying Chengfeng and accepted the two Immortal Herbs.
But the Azure Luan Elder didn't take them right away. Instead, he said, "So now it's my turn to become the research subject?"
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Ying Chengfeng's face, but he quickly declared righteously, "What are you saying? What kind of thing is that?! Do I look like that sort of person?"
The Azure Luan Elder quietly watched him put on a show. A few seconds later, he asked, "Why don't you strengthen your own bloodline and Martial Soul?"
At this, Ying Chengfeng transformed into the Crooked-Mouth Dragon King and said, "Because those things are useless to me. My bloodline and Martial Soul can't be strengthened by things like these."
The Azure Luan Elder shook his head helplessly. His grandson had managed to show off again.
But...
"Can they really strengthen my bloodline and Martial Soul?" the Azure Luan Elder asked.
"Don't worry. There's absolutely no problem," Ying Chengfeng said confidently.
He believed that even if something did go wrong, his grandfather's strength as a Level 97 Peak Douluo would be enough to handle it.
The Azure Luan Elder pondered for a few seconds, then took the two Immortal Herbs and jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Before you continue