Nine Nether Netherfire Alchemy!

"Grandpa, I feel... kind of hot."

"That's normal," Dugu Bo said. "Whale Rubber strengthens the body. You aren't eating much yet, so the effects aren't obvious. Eat a few pieces every day from now on, and over time, your physique will undergo a qualitative leap."

Dugu Yan nodded vigorously.

"Grandpa, do I have to keep eating this?"

"Keep eating it," Dugu Bo said. "You need to eat it every day until you obtain your fifth soul ring."

"Once your physique has improved enough to withstand a higher-age soul ring and your Soul Power Level reaches fifty, Grandpa will take you to hunt your fifth soul ring."

A trace of anticipation flashed through Dugu Yan's emerald dragon eyes.

The fifth soul ring.

Soul King.

In the past, that had been a realm she had never even dared to imagine.

But now, with Grandpa's guidance, the Jade Scale Dragon Martial Soul, and Whale Rubber...

Anything was possible.

Seeing the serious look on his granddaughter's face, a trace of gratification flashed through Dugu Bo's Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

He had not told her everything about Whale Rubber.

It could not only strengthen the body, but also raise the limit of one's soul rings.

But that was an effect gained through long-term consumption. It was still too early to tell Yan Yan.

One step at a time.

First, lay a solid foundation. Then consider the next step.

"Alright, that's enough training for today."

Dugu Bo rose to his feet and dusted off his robes.

"Yan Yan, keep cultivating. Grandpa will go deal with this Whale Rubber."

"Okay."

Dugu Yan sat down cross-legged again, closed her eyes, and began circulating her Soul Power.

Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er continued standing guard beside her.

Holding the remaining Whale Rubber, Dugu Bo walked to the other side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, found a flat patch of ground, and began processing it.

More than five hundred jin of Whale Rubber all had to be melted into liquid and stored after cooling.

It was a tedious task, but Dugu Bo handled it with meticulous care.

He carefully heated every piece of Whale Rubber with Crimson Spring Water, ensuring it melted completely.

Once cooled, he cut the Whale Rubber into evenly sized chunks and stored them in the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch.

Each piece was exactly one meal's worth for Yan Yan.

That way, she could simply take one out and eat it every day without any further preparation.

After working for most of the day, night had already fallen.

Dugu Bo finally finished processing all the Whale Rubber.

Inside the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, chunks of amber-colored Whale Rubber were stacked neatly, giving off a faint sheen within the dark-purple storage space.

Dugu Bo nodded in satisfaction.

More than five hundred jin of Whale Rubber would last Yan Yan a long time.

Once she finished these, he would go to Vast Sea City for the second batch.

The more Whale Rubber, the better.

Besides, it was cheap right now.

Dugu Bo stood and looked toward his granddaughter cultivating atop the blue stone. Determination flashed through his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

He had already paved Yan Yan's path.

The rest depended on how far she could walk it herself.

Dugu Bo found a level rock in the valley and sat down. His Dark Golden Dragon Eyes gazed at his granddaughter cultivating in the distance, but his mind was already considering another matter.

The Whale Rubber matter was temporarily settled. There was enough for Yan Yan to eat for a while.

But relying solely on Whale Rubber to improve her physique was not enough.

Absorbing a fifth soul ring required more than physical endurance. More crucial was the struggle on the spiritual level.

The spiritual resentment of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast was the greatest threat faced by Soul King-level Soul Masters.

The method he had used before—knocking the Soul Beast unconscious before delivering the final blow—could indeed greatly weaken the impact of that resentment, but Dugu Bo did not dare stake everything on that one method.

What if something unexpected happened?

What if that Soul Beast possessed exceptionally powerful spiritual strength, and its resentment remained violent even after dying unconscious?

Yan Yan was his granddaughter, one of the people he cared about most in this world.

He could not gamble.

Therefore, he had to make thorough preparations.

Strengthening spiritual power was the second line of defense.

If her spiritual power was strong enough, then even if the resentment's impact exceeded expectations, she could withstand it with her own strength.

And Dugu Bo happened to possess a heavenly treasure capable of increasing spiritual power.

Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

In the original work, Tang San had used this immortal herb to enhance his Purple Demon Eyes, with remarkable results.

The effects of Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew went beyond merely improving eyesight. Its deeper purpose was to temper spiritual power, making the Sea of Consciousness broader and more solid.

For Dugu Bo, this immortal herb was precisely what he needed.

But consuming it directly would be somewhat wasteful.

The memories of his original body told him that the Dugu Clan actually possessed a foundation in alchemy.

Though they were not a professional apothecary, as a family of poison Soul Masters, they had unique insights into processing and combining medicinal herbs.

When the original Dugu Bo was young, he had personally handled many poisonous herbs and understood the characteristics, properties, compatibilities, and conflicts of medicinal materials.

As for him, a transmigrator who had read countless webnovels in his previous life, he was even more familiar with the effects of those immortal herbs and how to combine them.

With the two combined, why shouldn't he try alchemy?

Rather than simply swallowing and chewing the immortal herbs raw, he could maximize their effects and refine pills that were more effective and easier to absorb.

At that thought, Dugu Bo's lips curled upward slightly.

He took the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew from the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch.

Its entire body was crystal-clear, its leaves seeming carved from crystal. Faint golden liquid flowed through its veins, refracting seven-colored light beneath the sun.

This immortal herb was not young—at least ten thousand years old.

Taking it directly would naturally produce excellent results.

But if refined into pills, the effects could improve by at least thirty percent, perhaps even more.

Moreover, refining it into pills had another benefit.

The medicinal power of one immortal herb could be divided into several portions for multiple people to use.

For instance, if Yan Yan ate the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew directly, there would be none left for him.

But if he refined it into two pills, one for each of them, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

A glint flashed through Dugu Bo's Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

That settled it.

He began recalling the alchemy knowledge of his original body and the webnovel experience from his previous life.

Combining the two, he gradually formed a clear alchemy plan.

The main effect of Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was to temper the spirit and increase spiritual power.

Its medicinal nature was mild and did not conflict with other herbs, but precisely because it was mild, it needed a catalyst to stimulate its medicinal power.

Dugu Bo took several auxiliary medicinal ingredients from the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch.

These were not immortal herbs, but ordinary medicinal herbs he had casually gathered in Sunset Forest. They were not particularly old, but their qualities were pure.

One portion of Clear Heart Grass could calm the mind and aid absorption.

One portion of Spirit Condensing Flower could concentrate the medicinal power and prevent the effects from dissipating.

There was also some ordinary honey, not for its medicinal effects, but to balance the taste.

Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew itself had a light flavor, but both Clear Heart Grass and Spirit Condensing Flower were somewhat bitter. Adding a little honey would make the experience of taking it much better.

Dugu Bo portioned out these medicinal ingredients according to the proper ratios, then began refining the medicine.

He had no pill furnace, but that did not trouble him.

His Title Douluo-level control over Soul Power was enough to use Soul Power as the furnace and Netherflame as the fire, completing the refinement directly in his palm.

Dark-purple Nether Qi surged from his palm, enveloping the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and the auxiliary herbs.