Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot!

Zichuan turned his gaze toward the two figures standing on either side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, their auras completely opposed.

"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot."

He spoke slowly.

"You two were formed from the yin and yang origins of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Your attributes are extreme opposites, yet you share the same root and source. My Heart of Life has not yet been attached with Soul Rings.

"I wish to ask you two to become the first and second Soul Rings of my Heart of Life. One ice and one fire, balancing yin and yang—perhaps you can help my Life Power develop even more profound mysteries. I can also use your ice and fire power to temper my body, sparing myself the hardship of searching for an ice-fire body-tempering method."

It was a bold idea. The Heart of Life was inherently gentle and inclusive; attaching Soul Rings with two extreme attributes, one frigid and one scorching, carried no small risk.

But if these two Immortal Herbs born from the same source willingly cooperated in sacrifice and their energy was properly controlled, it might create unexpected results. It could even directly grant him powerful resistance to and control over ice and fire, making Tang San's "Ice-Fire Golden Body" unnecessary.

Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot froze at the same time. They then exchanged glances, surprise visible in each other's eyes before it turned into understanding and excitement.

To be chosen together, and to be paired with each other... somehow, that seemed more meaningful than being chosen alone?

Ice and fire supporting one another, yin and yang coexisting—perhaps under His Excellency, they could forge an unprecedented path?

"Xuanbing! Jiaoshu! We obey!" The two bowed almost simultaneously. A strange brilliance appeared on both their icy and blazing faces.

The three slots had been decided. The other Immortal Herbs—such as Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, Earth Dragon Golden Melon, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and Primordial Immortal Grass—looked as though disappointment might spill from their eyes, but they could only accept it silently.

However, Zichuan was not finished. His gaze swept over those "unchosen" Immortal Herbs before finally settling on Du Busi beside him, who was still lost in shocked disbelief.

He took a deep breath, a supremely sincere smile appearing on his face. Pointing at Du Busi, he said to the Immortal Herbs:

"Fellow Daoists, this is my teacher, the Body Sect Master, Du Busi. A Rank 98 Super Douluo. His Martial Soul is the True Self, and he can be called the foremost body cultivator of this age, one of the continent's peak experts. My teacher has shown me immense kindness, and the sect has treated me like family. I would not be where I am today without my teacher and sect supporting me."

His tone was earnest, his gaze clear.

"I know that sacrifice concerns the future path of every fellow Daoist and cannot be discussed lightly. But Zichuan dares to ask—among you, is there anyone... willing to form a bond with my teacher? To help him advance another step beyond his current heights?

"Or perhaps among my teacher's disciples, there are several senior brothers and sisters of exceptional talent. Senior Brother Long Aotian, for example, is only nine years old and already a Rank 27 Soul Grandmaster. His future is limitless. If any fellow Daoist is willing to form a bond with them, Zichuan will be endlessly grateful and will surely repay you in the future!"

His words were both an act of returning kindness and utterly sincere. Du Busi and the Body Sect had treated him with wholehearted goodwill. He had seen it all and remembered it in his heart.

He was not an ungrateful man. If there were benefits to be had, he naturally would not keep them all to himself.

Since these Immortal Herbs were eager to "get on board," why not share a few tickets with the people who had treated him well? Would it not be wonderful for everyone to improve together?

Du Busi's entire body shook. He abruptly turned to look at Zichuan. Those eyes, always filled with dominance and pride, were now faintly red. His lips trembled as he tried to say something, yet not a single word came out.

He had never expected that while Zichuan was securing such heaven-defying opportunities for himself, he would still think of him, think of the sect!

That sentiment moved this hundred-year-old monster more deeply than any Immortal Herb or Soul Ring ever could!

"You brat..." His voice was hoarse. In the end, he only forcefully ruffled Zichuan's hair, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

But the way he looked at Zichuan had completely changed. It was a resolute gaze of absolute trust, as if he were willing to entrust everything to him.

The Immortal Herbs were also stunned. Then, one after another, they turned their attention to Du Busi and carefully sensed him.

A Rank 98 Super Douluo, with a body as his Martial Soul and an aura as profound as an abyss—he was indeed a formidable powerhouse.

But... he seemed rather old, and his Soul Rings were already full. Sacrificing themselves to him did not appear to offer any direct benefit.

They looked back at Zichuan, seemingly weighing their options.

In the end, Aromatic Silk Beauty was the first to speak. He looked at Du Busi and gave a slight nod.

"Sect Master Du has a solid foundation and enduring fortune. He is indeed an outstanding figure among men."

He paused and pointed toward a corner of the valley. There grew a Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum that shone with brilliant golden light, though its aura was noticeably weaker than that of the other Immortal Herbs, and its intelligence seemed not yet fully awakened.

"That Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum is the descendant of one of our kind. Nourished by this place, it has cultivated for eighty thousand years. However, its intelligence has only just awakened, and it remains ignorant and unformed. Its medicinal properties are fierce yet upright, making it exceptionally suitable for body cultivators. If Sect Master Du consumes it, he may be able to use it to break through the bottleneck of Rank 99, perhaps even undergo a transformation of the flesh. What does Sect Master Du think?"

An eighty-thousand-year Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum without complete intelligence might be more valuable to Du Busi than a hundred-thousand-year Immortal Herb with incompatible attributes.

Because he could completely absorb its medicinal power without worrying about a conflict between souls.

At that moment, the gray-robed old man formed from the Primordial Immortal Grass suddenly spoke with a beaming smile. "Your Excellency, you mentioned that among your teacher's disciples, there are younger talents of extraordinary aptitude?"

Zichuan nodded. "Yes. My Senior Brother Long Aotian is only nine years old and already Rank 27. His Martial Soul is skin, and his potential is boundless."

The Immortal Herbs began communicating through their thoughts once more. After a moment, the blue-robed scholar formed from Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew stroked his beard and said:

"Nine years old, Rank 27, a body Martial Soul of skin... Such talent is indeed top-tier. If Your Excellency can guarantee that after you become a god, you can bring him with you to ascend to the God Realm... then among us, there are fellow Daoists willing to form a bond with him."

What they valued was not Long Aotian's present talent, but Zichuan's promise as a future God King!

Investing in people close to Zichuan in advance was equivalent to deepening their ties with him. In the future God Realm, they would also have one more source of support. In the long run, this was a guaranteed profit with no loss.

Zichuan nodded without hesitation. "I swear in the name of my divine inheritance: if I ascend to the God Realm one day, I will never betray the fellow Daoists who aid me today, nor will I mistreat the family and friends who have shared hardship and joy with me."

Those words were a promise.

The Immortal Herbs all nodded, clearly satisfied.

After some discussion, they ultimately agreed that they were willing to communicate with Long Aotian. If his character and talent truly matched Zichuan's description, they could consider forming a contract with him.

Ink Jade Divine Bamboo also expressed interest in another talented disciple of the Body Sect whose Martial Soul was his hands. Earth Dragon Golden Melon took a liking to a disciple in the sect whose Martial Soul was both feet and who followed a path of strength and defense...

What had originally been a "sacrifice feast" meant only for Zichuan was, through his initiative and planning, beginning to turn into a "collective benefit package for the Body Sect"!

The atmosphere in the valley had completely changed. What had begun as worship and requests had become enthusiastic discussion and plans for mutual benefit.

Every Immortal Herb felt that it had found a path of hope toward eternity, while Zichuan and Du Busi had found unimaginable aid for their sect, family, and friends.

In the Sea of Consciousness, the God of Destruction watched this scene without intervening. Yet within his indifferent thoughts, there seemed to pass an exceedingly faint trace of something akin to approval.

In the end, the plan was roughly settled. Aromatic Silk Beauty, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and Infernal Delicate Apricot would each sacrifice themselves to Zichuan. The other Immortal Herbs had also reached preliminary intentions with several core disciples of the Body Sect.

Everyone was delighted.

Du Busi looked at the dreamlike scene before him, then at Zichuan beside him, whose eyes were bright and whose smile was sincere. He looked again at the Immortal Herb beasts eagerly discussing the details of "getting on board."

He suddenly felt that the greatest fortune of his hundred years had not been reaching Rank 98, nor becoming sect master. It had been following Wang Long-Arm on a whim that day to that strange place called Disabled Village and bringing back this black-haired boy.

Perhaps the future of the Body Sect would truly be completely changed because of this day.

He raised his head and looked toward the sky above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, blurred by dense spiritual mist. He bared his teeth in a silent grin.

This meal had been damn... worth it!