Dugu Yan opened her eyes after completely absorbing the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid's medicinal power. A flash of light gleamed in her emerald-green eyes.
Her expression was full of delight.
Her Soul Power had surged by a huge amount!
"How is it?"
Ye Qing hurried over, putting some distance between himself and the sinister-looking Dugu Bo. "Yanzi, how much did your Soul Power increase?"
"A lot!" Dugu Yan was just as excited.
She immediately released a wave of Soul Power.
Dugu Bo stood not far away, his eyes as wide as copper bells.
"Yanyan's Soul Power went up five levels! And it's not the least bit unstable!!!"
He stared at his granddaughter, sensing how much stronger the Soul Power radiating from her had become. His jaw nearly hit the ground.
Level thirty-seven!
Dugu Yan had been at level thirty-two before. Now she had jumped up five levels!
The higher one's Soul Power, the harder it was to raise.
Going from level thirty-two to level thirty-seven was no simple quantitative change.
Even a genius Soul Master would need at least a year or two of hard work.
He had lived for decades and seen countless rare treasures.
But he had never encountered anything that could make a Soul Elder break through five Soul Power levels in such a short time!
Now he truly understood what Ye Qing meant by Immortal Grade.
"Kid."
Dugu Bo's voice was a little hoarse. "You're sure this thing is called an Immortal Herb?"
"Sure."
"How much more effective is it than rare medicinal herbs?"
"There's no comparison."
Ye Qing shrugged, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "Rare medicinal herbs are still just ordinary herbs. Immortal Grade herbs are things that shouldn't exist in the mortal world."
"Raising Yanzi's Soul Power is only the most basic effect, and it has no side effects."
"..."
After hearing Ye Qing's explanation, Dugu Bo fell silent for a long while.
He looked at the herbs scattered around him that Ye Qing had picked over, then at the radiant, glowing expression on Dugu Yan's face.
Suddenly, it all felt intensely unreal.
He had guarded this Medicine Garden for decades, always thinking it was home to some top-grade poisonous plants and strange, incomprehensible vegetation.
He had studied them back then, but since he didn't know the right methods, he hadn't dared use them recklessly.
And what had happened?
A teenager had arrived and told him that every Immortal Grade herb here could completely transform a Soul Master.
And he had even demonstrated it himself.
Dugu Bo's feelings were as tangled as a pot of stew packed with every strange seasoning imaginable.
Relief!
He hadn't pulled up all these treasures, thinking they were ordinary herbs.
Heartache!
He had guarded a mountain of treasure for decades, only for some outsider kid to stroll through it like a supermarket and sweep the shelves clean.
Regret!
If he'd known these were Immortal Grade herbs, and had eaten even one back then, would he have needed to suffer from Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison for so many years?
Then again...
If he hadn't met this kid, he might never have learned these were Immortal Grade herbs, even on his deathbed.
And the kid had given Yanyan an Immortal Herb, too. He was going to be Yanyan's man in the future, so the good stuff was staying in the family.
Thinking about it that way, maybe it wasn't such a loss after all?
Dugu Bo was busy doing mental accounts when he suddenly sensed a powerful surge of Soul Power coming from Ye Qing's direction.
He whipped around.
Ye Qing was sitting cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by three colors of light.
The golden Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
The translucent Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
The ink-jade-colored Ink Jade Divine Bamboo.
The three lights interwove, enveloping Ye Qing in a three-colored halo.
"This kid ate three Immortal Grade herbs at once?" Dugu Bo's whiskers twitched.
Dugu Yan nodded beside him. "Ye Qing said he'd be fine."
Dugu Bo's forehead was suddenly covered in black lines.
"He's crazy. That little brat really is crazy. He dares to eat several things with such potent medicinal power all at once. Isn't he afraid they'll make him burst?!"
"Grandpa, will he be all right?"
Hearing Dugu Bo say that, Dugu Yan immediately grew worried.
"Uh..."
Seeing his granddaughter so concerned about that little brat Ye Qing made Dugu Bo feel especially displeased.
But he couldn't bear to let her worry, so he could only say, "If he dared to do it, then he's confident he'll be fine. Don't worry."
Dugu Bo secretly hoped Ye Qing would have a little mishap, but nothing too serious.
It would be best if Ye Qing learned his lesson.
Otherwise, if he kept being so reckless, it wouldn't matter if he got himself killed, but things wouldn't be good for his own granddaughter, who had fallen for him.
There was nothing to do now but stand guard nearby.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Ye Qing's body suddenly shuddered.
A vast aura erupted from him, blowing the surrounding herbs this way and that.
His Soul Power Level was still ten.
Without a Soul Ring, his Soul Power couldn't increase any further.
But at that moment, his physical constitution and mental power underwent a complete transformation!
Ye Qing opened his eyes and rose to his feet, brilliance radiating from his dark eyes.
He lowered his head to look at his hands, feeling a surge of power in his body unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
The exhilarating sensation reminded him of that famous web-game ad from his previous life: "Hello, everyone! I'm Zhazha Qing. If you're my brother, come chop me!"
That was pretty much how fired up he felt now.
He was bursting with boundless energy.
"That feels great."
Ye Qing let out a long breath, expelling the stale air from his lungs, and smiled with satisfaction.
"Ye Qing, are you all right?"
Dugu Yan hurried over to check him over.
"Tsk, Yanyan, don't worry. This little rascal's in great shape. Or rather, he's absurdly healthy."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes and stared at Ye Qing.
He could sense that Ye Qing had undergone another transformation.
If Ye Qing's first transformation had been the evolution of his Martial Soul,
then this time, it was his body that had transformed.
Ye Qing was quite satisfied with his body now, too.
At this point, he was confident he could face those two Immortal Grade herbs with Ultimate Attributes.
His gaze turned toward the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's pool.
On either side, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot were growing there quietly.
One was freezing cold, a thin layer of frost covering the ground around it.
The other radiated scorching heat, its searing temperature making the air shimmer and twist.
Dugu Yan followed his gaze. A trace of unease welled in her emerald-green eyes.
"Ye Qing, are you... really going to eat those two? Isn't it too dangerous?"
She couldn't hide the worry in her voice.
Ye Qing had said before that the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot were deadly poisons if taken separately.
That was why they had to be taken at the same time.
But to neutralize their medicinal power, he would have to jump into the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Those were waters even her grandfather didn't dare touch!
"Don't worry."
Ye Qing smiled at her, wearing an expression of confidence and certainty that made her heart skip a beat.
"I told you, I value my life more than anything. I wouldn't do something unless I was sure."
Of course, he still had to take risks for a chance at a greater reward.
This wasn't just for Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo.
Even without the medicinal power of those two Immortal Grade herbs, they could still extract the poison with Soul Bones. It would simply take more time.
More than anything, Ye Qing wanted to add more trump cards to the talent he already had.
He wanted to build the perfect foundation, doing everything in his power to make it happen!