Ice and Fire Yin Yang

An hour after Dugu Bo left, Xiaofei began making his preparations.

Xiaofei had actually thought of a solution to the poisonous mist in Sunset Forest long ago: a spacesuit from his previous life. He forged a suit out of iron blocks that wrapped around his entire body, leaving only his limbs and head able to move. The entire thing consisted of six pieces: arms, legs, chest and abdomen, and head. Aside from the transparent glass visor on the headpiece, every other part was completely sealed.

After putting on the suit, he took out a separate iron block and melted it with flames. In the end, the entire armor fused into one whole, leaving no gaps for any poisonous gas to enter.

Wearing this iron "spacesuit," Xiaofei summoned Martial Soul Possession without hesitation, then flew toward the center of the poisonous mist.

Ten minutes later, Xiaofei found a strange entrance, where the poison was densest in the entire area. Flying inside, he was greeted by an extraordinarily magnificent sight. A hot spring lay in the center of the space, containing one red and one blue spring eye. Upon sensing them carefully, he found that they respectively contained extreme Fire Attribute and Ice Attribute energy.

Xiaofei did not have the time to study such things. He took several hundred, nearly a thousand Jade Boxes from his Soul Tool, then began digging up Immortal Herbs while wearing iron gloves and boots. He was not familiar with Immortal Herbs; the only ones he recognized were the few that had appeared in the original animation. Still, that did not stop him from digging them up.

As he walked through the area, he saw one Immortal Herb after another. Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, dug up. Lovesick Heartbreak Red, dug up. Aromatic Silk Beauty, dug up. Aromatic Silk Beauty, dug up. Vajra Arhat Fruit, dug up. Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, dug up. Crystal Jade Muscle Bone, dug up. Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, dug up. Such a huge Snow Silkworm, dug up. Cinnabar Lotus, dug up. Dragon Ganoderma Leaf, dug up... In short, not a blade of grass remained wherever Xiaofei passed. Afraid of being poisoned, he even placed Aromatic Silk Beauty at his waist.

In the end, only two Immortal Herbs remained at the mouth of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well: Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot. These were the Immortal Herbs Tang San had used in the original story, and they were also the most valuable treasures in the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Because his Martial Soul was the Fire Phoenix, Xiaofei had been torn between tempering his body with ice and fire like Tang San, or simply eating the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. His previous injury had made him feel that his foundation was still insufficient, that his body was still far from its limits. Moreover, he had another Martial Soul, the Kirin Arm. Ice and Fire Body Tempering would raise the limits of his second Martial Soul even further, while also better ensuring that the conflict between his Twin Martial Souls could be resolved.

Xiaofei placed all his harvest into his Soul Tool, then buried it near the Yang Spring. This was also the deepest place Xiaofei could reach.

Next, Xiaofei used a knife to cut down the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, then used a jade knife to cut down the Infernal Delicate Apricot. He brought the two Immortal Herbs together and swallowed them directly. Sure enough, the moment they entered his stomach, one half of his body felt unbearably cold while the other burned with intense heat. Xiaofei staggered toward the spring eyes, then leaped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He only felt as if his body were about to be torn apart. With his last shred of reason, Xiaofei drove the wings of his External Soul Bone into the ground to keep himself from surfacing later. It would be troublesome if Dugu Bo discovered him.

Who knew how much time passed before Xiaofei slowly awoke. After carefully sensing the surroundings and making sure Dugu Bo was not nearby, Xiaofei changed clothes, took his storage ring Soul Tool—later renamed the Phoenix Ring—and quickly left Sunset Forest.

After taking so many good things, Xiaofei did not dare return to Heaven Dou City. Left with no choice, he returned to the Fire Phoenix Nest.

After returning to the nest, Xiaofei deliberately tested his body and found that his physical strength had increased by more than double. The color of his body had also changed slightly, becoming somewhat darker. When he summoned his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, he could no longer sense any impurities within the Fire Phoenix's flames. The purity of the Phoenix Flame had clearly grown higher. Then there was his Kirin Arm. After being tempered by ice and fire, it had obviously become stronger, and it no longer feared any flame or frost in the world. Of course, the rest of his body had also gained ice and fire immunity, but the Kirin Arm's immunity and resistance were clearly stronger.

Lastly came the two External Soul Bones. Both Soul Bones had clearly grown and completely fused into his body. They had likely both reached the thirty-thousand-year level. They were easier to use now, and their connection with his body had strengthened, as if they were his own bones.

Several more months passed. After calculating the time, Xiaofei figured that the New Year was approaching. By then, his Soul Power had reached level 37. After thinking it over, Xiaofei decided to return home for the New Year. After all, if he left again next year, he could not be sure when he would be able to return.

After traveling for around three days, Xiaofei returned to Holy Soul Village once more. This time, he did not see Tang San or Xiao Wu. They had probably already prepared to leave for Shrek Academy in Suotuo City.

Xiaofei did not concern himself with that. Over the next few days, he stopped cultivating and did not even meditate. Every day, he wore ordinary farmer's clothes and helped Old Jack with farm work in the fields, chatted with villagers he knew well, and joined the others in helping whenever there was a happy occasion. One day, Xiaofei watched the bustling crowd while carrying a hoe over his shoulder, walking through fields covered in Blue Silver Grass. He felt more relaxed than ever before.

Suddenly, Xiaofei felt a change in the Soul Power within his body. His Soul Power rose to level 38. Everything felt natural, as smooth as flowing water.

During the New Year, Xiaofei considered a problem. Old Jack was clearly much older than before. His physical condition had begun to decline, and his back had become slightly hunched. What could he do to keep Old Jack healthy? After much thought, he decided to let Old Jack use the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma. But given Old Jack's personality, he would probably refuse to use it. So Xiaofei got hold of a wild chicken, added the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma to chicken soup, and stewed it for Old Jack. After drinking the soup, Old Jack's health clearly improved, putting Xiaofei at ease.

After the New Year, Xiaofei left the village once again under Old Jack's watchful gaze. This time, he truly had no idea when he would be able to return.

After leaving Holy Soul Village, Xiaofei went to Suotuo City. For the past few days, he had stayed at a hotel—the Rose Hotel from the original story. During this time, Xiaofei consumed the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. In the original story, consuming Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew allowed one to cultivate Fiery Eyes of Truth and see through countless strange things. It was probably the only Immortal Herb capable of cultivating Spiritual Power.

After consuming it, Xiaofei clearly felt that his field of vision had broadened and the range of his Spiritual Power had greatly expanded. As expected of something Tang San had left for himself to eat. It truly was different.

Next came the waiting. He was waiting for the last known great opportunity, and also the easiest opportunity to obtain.